2025 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition’s Atlantic Sturgeon Winners Chosen

By Molly Kirk/DWR

Photos by Meghan Marchetti/DWR

Atlantic sturgeon seem like a relic of the past, with their huge size and armor-like appearance, but during the month of March, they’re appearing on the walls of The Gallery at Main Street Station in Richmond thanks to the 2025 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). Artists from all over Virginia and other states submitted 97 creative entries for the competition, which each year, the contest calls for submissions from the public that reflect Restore the Wild’s mission to restore and create natural habitats vital to the survival of Virginia’s wildlife.

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) are inextricably linked with Virginia’s history, having played an important role for Native American and colonial human populations. Due to over-harvest and water pollution, they were rarely seen in Virginia’s tidal rivers since the mid-1900s, and efforts to revitalize their populations have been underway for more than 50 years. They were listed as federally endangered in 2012, but in recent years sturgeon have been seen breaching and swimming in the James and other rivers again. This year, the Atlantic sturgeon, fish passage, and clean water habitats were the focus of the 2025 Restore the Wild Artwork Competition.

A judging panel chose winners in the Natural History Illustration, Artistic Expression, and two age groups of Youth categories as well as artwork to be used throughout 2025 to help promote Restore the Wild. The winners were announced and recognized at an Opening Reception of the artwork exhibit on March 7, which also included educational talks about the Atlantic sturgeon, a silent auction, and a raffle of an Atlantic sturgeon viewing tour on the James River.

“We were thrilled to see how creative artists got in their depictions of the Atlantic sturgeon and their aquatic habitat. We had such a variety of mediums, from acrylic paintings to aluminum can collage, stained glass, and textiles,” said Stephen Living, Restore the Wild committee member and DWR habitat education coordinator. “The level was so high that picking the winners was difficult! Artists told us they enjoyed researching the story of the Atlantic sturgeon’s recovery and lifecycle.” All 97 contest entries are on display and available for the public to view at The Gallery at Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219, from Friday, March 7 until Sunday, March 30, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Autumn Haynes, of Richmond, Virginia, topped the Natural History Illustration category with her acrylic painting “The Search for Snails.” Haynes is an avid gardener and hiker who volunteers for invasive plant clean-up days and focuses on creating habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. “I’m being more careful about choosing plants that aren’t just pretty but also serve a purpose. Humanity and wildlife are intricately connected and learning about that can be so joyful and empowering. I think placing in the competition gives me hope and excitement about meeting people who feel the same way and learning from each other about our place in the natural world,” Haynes said.

“I was just intrigued by what is essentially a dinosaur still living in our local waters. I wanted to learn about [a species that is] that old and how they had managed to survive for that amount of time,” she continued. “One of the most interesting facts I learned was that they’re benthivores, meaning that these huge, armored, tank-like fish eat the smallest, dainty, little creatures at the bottom of rivers and the ocean.”

Larry Schmehl’s unique piece created with aluminum cans and nails, “Canned Wild Sturgeon,” captured the win in the Artistic Expression category. Schmehl, of Bedford, Virginia, works as a woodworker at a small fine furniture company. In his spare time, he creates works of art with beverage cans nailed to a plywood surface and hand framed.

Schmehl enjoys spending time outside, hiking, fishing, and kayaking. “Winning the Artistic Expression category means a lot to me because I have always had a love of nature and spending time viewing it,” he said. “The Atlantic sturgeon as the subject matter definitely inspired me, because the majority of my canned artwork focuses around fish and their surroundings. The first thing I found interesting about the Atlantic sturgeon were its four barbels between the mouth and snout and what they’re used for. The second was how they moved from fresh water to salt water and back again during their lifetime.”

In the Youth categories, Ayelu Mason, 15, was named the winner of the 11-17 division for her gouache painting “The Sturgeon of Steel Ascends.” Mason, from Hayes, Virginia, hikes, gardens, and canoes to spend time in nature. “I love both animals and art, so being recognized for my artistic abilities combining both my passions means a lot to me,” Mason said. “I was inspired to compete in this competition because I love to capture the beauty in nature. While researching the Atlantic Sturgeon, I learned that they clean riverbeds, contributing to the maintenance of a balanced environment.”

Billie Kendrick, of Farmville, Virginia, topped the 10 & Under section of the Youth category with her charcoal and graphite drawing “Cute Little Fishy.” Kendrick, 10, entered the competition with the goal of seeing her art hanging in the exhibition, so winning was an extra thrill. Kendrick enjoys tending to her chickens and gardening and restores the wild in her own life by watching out for wildlife. “I try to protect birds that the cat is trying to get. If I see it hunting a beetle, I will move the beetle somewhere else,” she said. While researching the Atlantic sturgeon to create her art, Kendrick “learned that their scutes protect them from getting bit by bigger fish and that they can grow to be bigger than Papa.”

The competition judges chose Whitney Hixenbaugh’s fluid acrylic entry in the Artistic Expression category, “Time to Rock and Roll,” to be reproduced as the fine art print that’s sent to Restore the Wild Golden Eagle-level members. Hixenbaugh, of West Point, Virginia, is a recently retired public-school teacher who hosts nature camps. “I am just returning to creating art for the joy of creating. In fact, the Restore the Wild Artwork Competition is the first competition I have entered, after some encouragement from my husband and a friend. I am honored and delighted to be recognized, and I can’t wait to be able to share the news with my students!” she said.

“I wanted to show how a seemingly neutral colored fish, such as the Atlantic sturgeon, is actually exploding with color. I can see the beautiful Pamunkey River from my kitchen window, so I chose a rocky river bottom, an appropriate sturgeon spawning ground, as the habitat. The completed fish painting reminded me of a spinning, reflective disco ball and I thought he looked delighted at his current location and the possibilities it entails, thus inspiring the title, ‘Time to Rock and Roll.’ ”

Hixenbaugh spent her childhood summers on the Chesapeake Bay and can recall seeing sturgeon breaching. “During the process of creating ‘Time to Rock and Roll,’ I learned the importance of the Pamunkey River as a spawning ground for the Atlantic sturgeon in Virginia. I was proud to learn of the efforts of my neighbors, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, to restore the sturgeon’s population through research and conservation efforts.”

Kristin Reed of Richmond created the linocut print “There He Lay in All His Armor,” which judges selected from the Artistic Expression category to be reproduced as the Restore the Wild sticker that is sold and distributed to promote Restore the Wild’s mission.

Atlantic sturgeon are listed as a Tier 1b Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan. The ranking of 1b indicates the species has critical conservation need and managers have only identified research needs or “on the ground” conservation actions for the species that cannot be implemented due to lack of personnel, funding, or other circumstance.

Virginia has more than 900 species of wildlife whose numbers are in decline mostly because of impacts to their habitat—natural areas that provide necessary food, water, and shelter. DWR is the lead agency in Virginia for the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat. DWR’s Restore the Wild initiative allows DWR to expand the work the agency does to preserve, establish, and maintain vital wildlife habitat areas and keep Virginia’s wild places wild. Memberships and donations to Restore the Wild provide funds directly for DWR habitat projects that benefit Virginia Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

The first four years of Restore the Wild raised more than $150,000 in membership funds and donations. The funds were used immediately to support DWR habitat projects throughout the state, directly benefiting a diversity of imperiled wildlife. The initiative has funded more than 250 acres of habitat restoration in Virginia. The winning Artwork Competition pieces will be used to help promote Restore the Wild’s mission throughout 2025.

Find out more about DWR’s Restore the Wild initiative and consider becoming a member or making a donation to help restore and maintain essential habitat for Virginia’s wildlife. You can still visit the Restore the Wild Artwork Competition exhibition at The Gallery at Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219, daily 8:00 a.m. – 7 p.m., until Sunday, March 30.