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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2002 Contact: Brian Wolcott, Coordinator (541) 938-2170 Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council PO Box 68, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862 WALLA WALLA RIVER ECOLOGY MURAL TO BE UNVEILED JULY 2nd, 2002 Milton-Freewater, OR - Tuesday, July 2, a mural recently completed at Marie Dorion City Park will be officially unveiled at 11 a.m. Simple refreshments will follow. The public is invited to enjoy this new addition to Milton-Freewater's community art collection. The mural portrays a typical cross-section of the Walla Walla River. It includes animals, insects, and plants found along the edge of the river and underwater. Painted by local artist Carol Poppenga, the mural covers the 6-foot by 60-foot wall at the north end of the parking lot. Major funding was provided by a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) secured by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council. The Milton-Freewater Community Foundation also contributed funds. The City of Milton-Freewater gave permission for the use of the wall. Volunteers Jim Burns, Walt Gary, WSU Extension and Tom Darnell, OSU Extension cleaned the wall to prepare it for the mural work. Ed Chesnut, Eric Hoverson, Tim Baily, Tom Darnell, Walt Gary and others contributed their expertise on fish, insects, birds and plants. Artist Poppenga took several hikes up the Walla Walla River to research and sketch material for the mural. Marie Dorion City Park, located adjacent to the Walla Walla River on Couse Creek Road, holds historical significance for Milton-Freewater. The picnic shelter was once the site of a power-generating station. In 1998, a dam that made passage difficult for migrating fish was removed from the river near the park. The park site is part of the lands ceded by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. To honor the Native American heritage, the artist included a pestle resting in the river shallows to represent the long-term human inhabitation of the area. A Bull Thistle was included to signify species introduced since the nation's westward expansion. The Bull Thistle is painted beside an indigenous specie, the Bog Orchid. A key with information in Spanish and English will be located near the mural to help visitors identify and learn something about the fish, birds, insects and plants depicted in the mural. Steelhead, Bull Trout (listed by the Endangered Species Act), and different life stages of the Spring Chinook Salmon (reintroduced by the Tribes) are depicted in the mural. Information about the development of the mural can be found on the mural page of the artist's website: http://www.poppenga.homestead.com/WallaWallaRiverMural.html Artist Carol Poppenga has 35 years experience in commercial/fine art and graphic design. Her recent murals include a 280 ft. x 13 ft. mural for Fort Walla Walla Museum and murals in Pendleton and Adams. As an Artist in Residence, she has also helped elementary students in Hermiston, Seneca and LaGrande create murals for their schools. Last summer Poppenga painted a major revision of the 182 ft theater set for the Pendleton Round-up Happy Canyon Pageant. Poppenga also works part-time as an Art Technician for the Art Department at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council began meeting regularly in 1994 to come up with solutions for the challenges faced by farmers and others affected by decisions about water usage in the Walla Walla basin. Since that time the Council has provided a forum for education, discussion, and problem-solving efforts. The Council works on many different activities to carry out its mission, including: monitoring of temperature and flow, assessment of habitat conditions, developing action plans, supporting restoration efforts, and bringing people together to learn more about watershed issues. The Council meets regularly the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Milton-Freewater Community Center. For further information, please contact Brian Wolcott, Coordinator of the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (541) 938-2170. |
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