LODGE(D) detail Barbara De Pirro
Artists: Barbara De Pirro and Lisa Kinoshita
Site-specific installation
“Wildlife biologists recognize the North American beaver as a superlative engineer. Today, the US Forest Service is giving this industrious, once-abundant species a key role in habitat restoration by reintroducing it to wild places in Washington. This installation, Lodge(d), is an artistic interpretation of a beaver camp made from intertwined natural and synthetic materials that mirror the similarly entwined stories of humans and Castor canadensis.
The presence of beaver colonies has been shown to help mitigate the effects of environmental degradation and to even slow the effects of climate change. A keystone species, it modifies entire landscapes by engineering dams, lodges, channels, canals, ponds and moist meadows, in the process creating beneficial consequences for a host of other species, including humans. Remarkably, the natural consequences of beaver hydraulics (e.g., damming, flooding and redirection of water flow) include restoration of wetlands; improved water quality; stabilization of sediments; recharging of groundwater; and lower-temperature ponds (refuge for Chinook salmon and other fish stock). Once numbering in the hundreds of millions and hunted to near extinction, the North American beaver is increasingly valued for adding overall diversity to river ecosystems.”
Artists: Barbara De Pirro and Lisa Kinoshita
Site-specific installation
For this event I have collaborated with Lisa Kinoshita artist / author, Dr. Greg Hood senior research scientist with the Skagit River Systems Cooperative and Dr. Dave Peterson research biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, and co-director of the University of Washington's Fire and Mountain Ecology Laboratory.
Our installation, Lodge(d), is an artistic interpretation that examines the effect of climate change on wildlife/habitat through the prism of one species, the North American beaver .
The presence of beaver colonies has been shown to help mitigate the effects of environmental degradation and to even slow the effects of climate change. A keystone species, it modifies entire landscapes by engineering dams, lodges, channels, canals, ponds and moist meadows, in the process creating beneficial consequences for a host of other species, including humans. Remarkably, the natural consequences of beaver hydraulics (e.g., damming, flooding and redirection of water flow) include restoration of wetlands; improved water quality; stabilization of sediments; recharging of groundwater; and lower-temperature ponds (refuge for Chinook salmon and other fish stock). Once numbering in the hundreds of millions and hunted to near extinction, the North American beaver is increasingly valued for adding overall diversity to river ecosystems.”
Surge Festival
SEPT 26-27
Panel discussion: September 27, 3pm
Closing reception: September 27, 4-6pm
In partnership with the Skagit Climate Science Consortium and the Skagit Watershed Council, MoNA presents a two-day event highlighting climate change, storm surge, and the impact on Northwest coastal communities. Environmental scientists have partnered with artists and educators to offer new perspectives on these issues.
More details & a complete list of other projects:
http://www.monamuseum.org/event/surge
121 South First Street
La Conner WA
(360) 466-4446
