Murals for T and E Species in Bozeman

Murals of Threatened and Endangered Species for Bozeman

One of the great images that we see every day on our way to work at the Craighead Institute office (201 South Wallace) is the railroad mural on the side of Heeb’s grocery store on East Main in Bozeman. Every day it reminds us of Bozeman’s rich history and how Bozeman has changed. Murals like this and a few others in town bring history, education and Montana’s natural beauty to life.

Imagine now having a grizzly bear or whooping crane or Bull trout or Spalding’s campion mural grace the walls, garage doors or sheds in and around Bozeman. Envision these murals on the sides of buildings like the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, McPhie’s cabinetry or The Rivers Edge fly fishing store. With these murals Bozeman could expand on its already progressive view of art and its importance to the community.

These species may not appear to have much in common but they share with eight other species the dubious distinction of being Montana’s threatened and endangered species. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 and is the strongest law that we have to defend species from going extinct. These species represent the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s efforts to protect these species and their habitats for future generations. If implemented these 12 murals would highlight the plight of Montana’s threatened and endangered species, educate the public about the importance of these species, protecting habitat and highlight the talents of regional artists.

The Audubon Mural project in New York is the inspiration for the Montana threatened and endangered species mural project. The National Audubon Society and Avi Gitler of the Gitler & ___ Gallery are in the process of painting 314 murals throughout the city to highlight the plight of bird species that are threatened by climate change. Currently they have finished 77 murals that grace sides of buildings, garage doors and private homes throughout the city. http://www.audubon.org/amp

This will be a great project for Bozeman to participate in to bring art, community involvement and nonprofits together and spread the word about the importance of our threatened and endangered species. All artists and large donors would be acknowledged on the art as well as a website to find more information. We would like to thank all of our donors for this project including the Sweet Pea Festival, the Valley of the Flowers Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society and private donors.