As Nelson’s Cultural Development Commission waits to see the public response to three options they’ve selected for the Heron’s Landing sculpture, there’s been some debate about the appropriateness of the sculpture (read about that here).
Claus Schunke commented:
All 3 locations are very close to a bird sculpture on a post we already have in the first bay closest to the mall – Denis Kleine’s realistic osprey in a nest on top of a wooden post: this in the osprey’s natural environment.
While the osprey is iconic here – the heron is not!
Photo courtesy of Alistair Fraser.
This prompted a response from local wildlife photographer and blogger Alistair Fraser, who looked into the issue of just what makes a bird iconic for the region.
My suspicion is that the osprey became a regional icon largely as a consequence of our summertime enjoyment of beaches and boating when it is the more visible of the two birds. For the rest of the year when the heron frequents the lakeshore, people do not.
Source: Exploring Kootenay Lake
Read more of Fraser’s thoughts and see some beautiful photos he’s taken of the birds at his blog, Exploring Kootenay Lake.
Finally, there are 12 more days to vote online for your favourite location for the Heron’s Landing sculpture.
“For the rest of the year when the heron frequents the lakeshore, people do not” – is a statement obviously not coming from personal experience. People do frequent the lakeshore, and I – doing so daily – have only twice seen a heron in the “immediate area” I am talking about. Over the last 3 years, along the dog-walk.
While I am here: as of this date, only 74 people have voted for one of the 3 locations. Out of how many friends, subscribers, etc inthekoots has? How involved is that!
There could be 3 reasons:
1. The usual apathy
2. Running this voting-thing on The
Nelson Post only is too limiting.
3. There should be 4 choices – the fourth
being: None of the 3 suggested.