The
Californian
September 2,
2000
A slough of
scenes
Artists want to
spread appreciation for wetlands site
By Dave Nordstrand
ELKHORN SLOUGH - Fueled by gas
station coffee and driven by
the light, Salinas' Andy Williams sets up his easel and
paints
the scene.
The sun is red and low, and
egrets feed in the mirrored waters
spread before him.
Elkhorn Slough has become an
inspiration, but also a love and
a cause, for Williams and 13 other artists.
"We want to show the public how
beautiful the slough is,"
Williams said.
"We want them to realize what
we put in jeopardy when we
allow development along its edges."
To that end, the Elkhorn
Artists' Alliance has hung its slough
paintings at the Monterey County Courthouse. The
exhibit,
Endangered Landscapes of North Monterey County, is on
display
through Oct. 26.
Elkhorn Slough begins at Moss
Landing Harbor and hooks,
horn-like, seven miles inland.
The waterway and its marshes cover 4,128 acres.
Scientists regard it as a
natural percolator and sustainer of life,
and it is a center for biological research.
Birds feast on churning schools
of small fish. Shark fins zipper
across the silvery surface. Harbor seals haul out on muddy
spits.
Karen Lynn Ingalls paints the
slough. She totes her brushes in
a red coffee can and her tubes of paint in a
tray.
From under the wide brim of her
straw hat, Ingalls surveys her
subject.
"North county has been a
stepchild, a place for a dump or
a power plant," she said. "We want people to recognize that
this
slough is a national treasure."
Photo by Dave Nordstrand
The Californian
Among the alliance's concerns
is the impact on the slough of a
planned expansion and housing development proposed by
the
Pajaro Valley Golf Club, Ingalls said.
But concern reaches way beyond.
California has paved over most
of its wetlands. That gives added
value to protecting Elkhorn Slough, the artists
said.
Human activity already has disrupted the slough, they said.
An engine pulling a train of
freight cars rattles along the tracks
that cut through the waterway. Strawberry fields carpet
nearby
slopes, posing runoff threats.
Housing prices in Silicon
Valley exert pressure to build on
surrounding lands.
"We'd like to see the Board of
Supervisors put a moratorium on
development around the slough," Williams said.
In the 1960s, Williams surfed
the breaders off Moss Landing
Beach. He began painting the dunes and, little by little,
moved
inland. Since 1983, he's painted the slough.
"It can be so peaceful, it makes you feel serene," he said.
Alliance members are from north
county, Salinas, Marina, the
Monterey Peninsula and from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara
counties.
The group may do other shows, painting landscapes of
valuable
areas that are threatened.
The Elkhorn Slough exhibit will
go on the road to heighten
awareness of wetlands and their value.
