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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Chris Honoré: Reality television and the GOP primaries ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... WATERSHED ART TRAIL Rarely seen Pacific fisher to have prominent spot Dozens of the mammals live in Ashland watershed, where a series of artworks may be installed Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 11:18 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 11:18 AM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News The first sculpture headed for placement along Ashland’s proposed watershed art trail — a sturdy and colorful Pacific Fisher — made its public debut at Saturday’s Earth Day celebration at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum. The charming statue, crafted by Jeremy Criswell of Jacksonville, shows ceramic leaves, crescents and other devices impressed in a concrete silhouette of the elusive mammal. It was made possible by a $3,000 grant from the Lloyd Haines Foundation. He is an Ashland lawyer, champion of outdoor art and founder of the Sanctuary One refuge for animals in the Applegate Valley. The statue will be on display for several months at the Ashland library, then ceremoniously installed in the summer at the lower head of the Bandersnatch Trail, near the swimming reservoir, said city councilwomen Stefani Seffinger and Pam Marsh, who, with mosaic artist Sue Springer, got the project going. They are holding a contest to name the 250-pound statue, with a winner to be announced June 9. They circulated a list of its traits at Earth Day, to inspire people with naming it. It notes it weighs 6 to 13 pounds. It has nothing to do with fish. It’s like a weasel. It’s elusive, omnivorous and is the only creature that hunts porcupines. It was almost hunted to extinction for its fur. Mature female fishers typically have three or four offspring, known as "kits," in the spring. The U.S. Forest Service had identified 26 fishers in the watershed and monitors 12 females and nine males. It has even named them: Chloe, Cricket, Daisy, Lily, Missy, Flo, Bebe, Little Guy, Lefty, Butch, Hercules, Mama’s Boy, Wally and Squirt. “This is our first installation,” says Seffinger. “For the next one, we’re going to find a good space in the watershed, then put out a call for artists to come to the place and see what they’re inspired to create for the spot.” Although the watershed is the primary source of water for the city, the Watershed Art Project is not just about water or fire protection, says Springer, but rather appreciation by the public about the whole ecological system. “We specified this animal for the first art project,” she said, “because it’s iconic for the watershed and was considered endangered. It suffered when humans encroached here. It needs old-growth trees and a variety of trees. We’re working with the Forest Service and the Ashland Forestry Resiliency Project to create that." For more information or to join Watershed Art, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 11:18 AM » 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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