Photographer Joel Sartore has spent the last 11 years photographing some of the world’s most endangered species. It all started with a couple of photos of a naked mole rat at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, and the realization that little critters like that aren’t slowly disappearing over the course of hundreds of years–extinction is happening now, and it’s permanent. On September 7th and 8th, Sartore will step on Santa Monica’s Broad Stage to recount the adventures he’s gone on to create his visual Ark– a tribute to animals worth saving. For more information, visit the Nat Geo Live: Building the Photo Ark website.