Water is Life: Seed Turtle Release with Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy
Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s 2024 Art That Matters to the Planet: Clarity explored the work of artists that contributes to healthy freshwater ecosystems, the associated wildlife, and the human communities that rely on them. In conjunction and with the leadership of Basia Irland – internationally known for her projects linking art, science and communities – the Institute coordinated a project with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and regional artists Sara Baker Michalak and Haudenosaunee Seneca Kaycee Colburn. One of their projects included using locally sourced river clay to make hand-formed turtles containing native seeds. These were created by Girl Scout Troop 22445, the Campus Community Garden of Jamestown, the Chautauqua County Mental Health Association, and the Audubon Community Nature Center.
On Saturday, May 24th at 1PM alongside the Chadakoin by the Jamestown Area Medical Associates/CVS parking lot, the completed turtles will be placed along the Chadakoin River’s shoreline for seed dispersal and restoration of the riverbank.
This participatory project, titled Water is Life, combined both indigenous and scientific knowledge into a narrative about the Chadakoin River, which runs through the city of Jamestown.
Baker-Michalak and Colburn’s socially engaged art practice draws attention to the Chadakoin River as an important resource for the community and encourages appreciation for the river and the life that it supports. The turtle is used as a symbol to reference both the spiny softshell turtle–an important local species–and Turtle Island–an important element in the Seneca Creation Story.
CWC’s Director of Conservation Twan Leenders assisted in sourcing river clay and identifying opportunities through the project to raise our community’s awareness of the river’s values and challenges. CWC’s Conservationist Carol Markham worked with her contacts to acquire appropriate seed for the Chadakoin environment.
For more information contact our curator Rachael Kosinski at rkosinski@rtpi.org.