Linking cities to wildlife continued

Art Trail was designed to convey wild- life and conservation messages in lieu of the traditional and sometimes ignored interpretive panel. To reach diverse audiences, pieces

range from 16-foot freestanding steel “snags” to small bronze casts hidden at kid-height. The interpretation promotes investigation, sparks conversation, and inspires visitors to discover more about the message. Largely free of text, the interpretation transcends language and cultural barriers and engages audiences on an emotional level.

Ridgefield National Wildlife

Refuge lies north of the city, with approximately 5,300 acres containing a lush mixture of wetlands, grasslands, riparian corridors, and forests. The ref- uge preserves both habitat for wildlife and evidence of the people who once lived here.

The Carty Unit features the two- mile Oaks to Wetland Trail (a National

Recreation Trail) and the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. The Plankhouse is part of the Lewis and Clark Trail and is a repli- ca Chinook Indian dwelling that serves to educate and interpret the refuge’s archeological and cultural resources. Currently, only a narrow county

road provides access to this part of the refuge. To overcome this barrier, multi- ple partners have collaborated to estab- lish trail connections between the City of Ridgefield and the refuge through the construction of municipal sidewalks that integrate a future trail network linking to local schools.

On the horizon, the Carty Unit is slated for a new visitor center and major trail and bridge projects to create universal access. Another emerging trail opportunity includes a partnership with the Port of Ridgefield. The Port recently extended a trail network from the City along the Port’s waterfront terminating with the

Artwork in the form of a symbolic door conveys to visitors that this trail spur is seasonally closed to minimize distur- bance to migratory birds.

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