The local issue I wanted to illustrate was the struggle for our orcas and other sea life to survive with overfishing and overall human impact. By including a fishing boat instead of just showing the orcas I wanted to show that human presence, in general, is a challenge for nature but also that this problem is not one-sided. People need food as well and also need jobs to survive and fishing provides both. 

In this illustration, however, I am aiming for a more nature-sided argument. By showing a baby orca with its mother I believe that it can affect an audience more emotionally. I believe that this area where we live is generally fairly aware of the environment and the impact we have on it. Orcas are a very popular and loved animal here so I figured that this illustration would be more impactful by drawing them instead of some more fish. I hope that my audience would think about the fact that when humans take from nature, we are helping ourselves but hurting others. I believe that we need to find a healthy balance and I hope that this illustration can show that.

Having lived here my entire life I have learned about our ecosystem and beautiful landscapes. We learn a lot about our salmon, orcas, whales, and other wildlife in the Puget Sound. I believe this has made me and others who have grown up here more attuned to the problems we cause. Climate change has also become a large political topic in the last decade or two. This has made everyone more aware of its impacts and imminent danger. Because it seems to get worse and worse every year, this illustration seems especially important.