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ASHLAND Ashland Watershed Art Trail inaugurated with unveiling of 'Marty' Comment By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 6:12 PM Updated Oct 12, 2015 at 6:13 PM By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 6:12 PM Updated Oct 12, 2015 at 6:13 PM » Social News Hikers on Bandersnatch Trail, a steep and twisting path of decomposed granite above the swimming reservoir at the south end of Lithia Park, are now greeted by “Marty” the Pacific fisher. About 40 people climbed the first eighth of a mile of the trail to witness the dedication of the concrete and ceramic sculpture and to hear the unveiling of the title of the work on Friday, Oct. 9. Though the sculpture was unveiled to the public in April at the Ashland Earth Day celebration and has been on display at the Ashland Public Library since then, the title was withheld pending placement. The piece is the first in what is to be a series of public art installations on the Ashland Watershed Art Trail. City Councilor Pam Marsh says the melding of art and nature in the Ashland watershed is a natural fit. “We began thinking about how to use art, specifically in the watershed, modeled after trails that we knew existed in other communities where they actually place art in the forest," Marsh said. "The idea being that a user of the watershed, an observer, comes by, sees the piece of art and starts thinking about the environment and possibly learns something about the site in which it sits.” The unveiling was a festive affair, with sparkling cider toasts and cookies shaped like the Pacific fisher and decorated to match the sculpture. The sculpture was named after forester Marty Main, a longtime Ashland resident who has steadily contributed to local understanding of the ecosystem surrounding the community. City Councilor Stefani Steffinger unveiled a plaque with the name of the piece and thanked Main for his contributions over the years. “This is somebody who has spent over 30 years working in this forest," Seffinger said, "who has spent his life educating and making sure that creatures in the forest continue to have a home. That the trees in the forest continue to be healthy. He’s one of the most generous and most wonderful men I know. Thank you, Marty.” The Pacific fisher, a large member of the weasel family, has become something of a mascot for the watershed in recent years. The rare mammal requires intact forest ecosystems to thrive and is an indicator species for forest health. Recent efforts to track the Pacific fisher in the watershed revealed a surprisingly healthy population. Nearly 30 fishers have been sighted and 21 have been trapped, tagged, named and released. Continued observation revealed that not only is there a strong population, but they are breeding at high rates. Fishers, omnivores who are one of the few natural predators of porcupines, average 1.2 kits per year. In the Ashland watershed however, multiple pairs have sired three and even four kits per year. The sculpture, a large concrete silhouette of a fisher with colorful ceramic inlay, is situated between sections of switchback, allowing hikers to see both sides of the piece. Jacksonville sculptor Jeremy Criswell said it was not only the fisher that inspired the piece, but the watershed as a whole. “I thought it was a good idea to acknowledge the watershed explicitly,” said Criswell “so I went out and actually gathered leaves. So those leaves you see in there are actually from the watershed. It was a really fun sculpture to make, and I’m really glad to be part of it.” The sculpture was founded largely by a grant from the Haines and Friends Fund, established by Ashlander Lloyd Haines to promote public art in the area. An additional grant of $4,500 has been awarded for the next piece on the Ashland Watershed Art Trail. Three potential sites for the next piece have been flagged and following a call to artists later this year, prospective artists will be invited to hike the trail and look at the potential locations as part of the creative process. Alec Dickinson is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 6:12 PM Updated Oct 12, 2015 at 6:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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