| Paintings by Eileen Klatt |
VANCOUVER – The extinct salmon and trout of the Columbia River Basin are the catalyst for an art exhibit, conservation fair and lecture beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the WSU Vancouver Administration building.
In 2009, Idaho artist Eileen Klatt completed a series of life-sized paintings. Each represented a male and female spawning couple of one of 61 extinct salmon or trout populations that once thrived in the Columbia River system. A selection of the paintings will be on display Oct. 6-Dec. 16 in the Administration building gallery.
The list of extinct fish was taken from the “Proposed Recovery Plan for Snake River Salmon” published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries in March 1995.
In conjunction with the art exhibit, a Salmon Conservation Fair will feature information booths and a painting demonstration by Klatt 4:30–6 p.m. Oct. 7 in Administration building 130. Participating conservation groups will include the Clark County Endangered Species Act Program, Watershed Stewards, Salmon Creek Watershed Counsel, Clark Public Utilities and Northwest Wild Fish Rescue.
A lecture and panel discussion on salmon conservation will conclude the evening at 7 p.m. in Administration building 129. Panelists will include Dave Brown from Northwest Wild Fish Rescue and artist Klatt.
Klatt’s work was inspired by a two-year pilgrimage to the rivers of the Columbia River Basin where salmon are extinct. To learn more about Klatt and her work, visit http://www.klattfish.net/.