TACOMA, WA: High school students are painting colorful murals on six storm drains around Point Defiance Marina aimed at educating the public on the impacts of stormwater pollution.
The project promotes the city’s award-winning campaign “If it hits the ground, it hits the Sound.”
An animal life painting class at the Science and Math Institute (SAMi) took it on as their final project, each student creating a design. Some featured concepts about the circle of life or pollution; others highlighted various creatures living in Puget Sound. The class then selected the top murals, which are being painted this week by a different group of students.
“This is a real-life project with real-life implications and the whole campaign is such a good idea for awareness, conservation and being stewards of the land and water,” said Mary Mann, a SAMi teacher who will lead the painting effort. “The involved students are young and really believe in helping the environment and this gives them an opportunity to do something meaningful.”
The murals will vary in size – 8×8 to 3×3 – and will be connected through paintings of water or kelp so they’re easier to spot. They will stretch from the promenade leading to Owen Beach to the front of Anthony’s Restaurant to the dock where SAMi students care for 100,000 salmon fry in a separate environmental sustainability project.
In this partnership, Metro Parks is providing the canvas, students are providing the creative direction and the City of Tacoma is funding the work.
“Parks reap the benefits of a healthy ecosystem and all the beauty that comes along with being in these spaces,” said Cecil Goodson, Point Defiance Marina supervisor. “We want a long future of sustainable parks but that only happens if we steward them correctly. That’s why it’s exciting to be shining a light on what’s required for our parks and waterways to be experienced at their best.”
Students considered both the effects of pollution and how to make people care about the creatures in the sea when painting their designs.
Bennett Tyler showed different types of crab species hoping to engage children. Joseph Westfall created “Otter Atrocity” showing an otter affected by garbage and an oil spill. Atlas Beckham demonstrated the circle of life with an orca chasing a sea lion that was chasing salmon with trash swirling around. Lola Loveday included a reflection of the sea and sky with various sea creatures and plants beneath the water.
“I wanted to show different animals that could and would be affected by pollution in the Sound,” Loveday said.
The murals at Point Defiance Marina are an extension of the city’s “If it hits the ground, it hits the Sound” campaign that kicked off in 2019 using local art to explain stormwater pollution. Seven murals have been completed in Tacoma and another two are being developed, not including the Point Defiance Marina project.
Stormwater flows directly into local waterways from streets, sidewalks and other outdoor areas and can bring toxic pollutants into Puget Sound and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
Using art as a medium for expressing values and ideas is intended to simplify the message and make education accessible to all those who live in or visit Tacoma.
Josh Knouff, with the city’s Environmental Services Department, said art has been a great way to get people curious and asking questions. He also said it’s a unifying element to show that agencies and residents alike can work together to cut down on stormwater pollution.
“We all have the same goal in mind of trying to help in this space,” Knouff said. “It’s crucial for people to understand that we don’t have to do things separately; we can do things together for a bigger impact.”
