by Claire Waichler

"We cannot accept the extinction of wild salmon
We cannot take our eyes off the river
Remember what used to be here
Remember what was promised
And enact what is still possible."

These words are from Claire (Cal) Waichler, a Northwest Artists Against Extinction collaborating artist. Claire speaks about her work and why the removal of Lower Snake River dams is critical to salmon recovery, in the following essay:

The Columbia River Basin was once the most astounding salmon and…

…we’ve built a website filled with artistic offerings including…

Erik Sandgren is a Northwest Artists Against Extinction collaborating artist whose work has been in relationship with Pacific Northwest visual arts culture. The mountains, skies, water, trees, and the people of the region have provided inspiration for his works which resonate with themes of location, memory, and myth.

Erik shares his thoughts about his work and how it demonstrates the intersectionality of place and ecological issues in this interview.

Jeanne Dodds: Your work is informed by the…

At the ‘Rally for Salmon’ in Portland, Oregon, on June 25th, Northwest Artists Against Extinction artist Gabrielle Abbott gifted her canvas mural, Free the Snake, to Julian Matthews and Nimiipuu Protecting The Environment (NPTE).

NPTE is a non-profit organization co-founded by Julian and several other Nez Perce tribal members in 2015. The mural recently traveled to Washington, DC, where it was displayed at a Tribal-hosted reception attended by tribal leaders, supporters, and policymakers from…

In honor of Orca Month, June 2022, Northwest Artists Against Extinction is spotlighting the launch of a multi-city salmon conservation mural project by artist Gabrielle Abbott.

The first mural in the series will be created on Thursday, June 2nd in Westlake Park, downtown Seattle. Gabrielle's murals are beautiful, temporary chalk illustrations, drawn to engage observers in dialogue and ignite interest in taking action for salmon recovery. To learn more about her process, check out this…

For over a decade Eileen Klatt researched and painted extinct salmon and trout of the Colombia River Basin. Out of that work a collection titled A Litany of Salmon was created. On Saturday April 23, 2022, in an outdoor celebration for Earth Day, Vashon Green School director, Dana Schuerholz, honored each individual extinct salmon species in Eileen’s Litany, as she spoke its…

We’re super-excited to share with you a few images of new digital billboards that went live in Portland on April 14. There are two different images that will appear on a regular, recurring basis for the next several months.

If you live in the greater Portland area and want to go see them - the digital images are on display at the SE corner of SE 122nd & Division St.

In the next few days, we’ll add another “print” billboard – also in the Portland area. Stay tuned for details about that as soon…

SOS reception at Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum (WA) features NWAAE-inspired materials – t-shirts, posters, stickers and more!

On April 8, SOS organizers Amy Grondin and Marc Sullivan hosted a family-friendly reception at the Finnriver Cidery on Washington State’s Olympic peninsula. Hundreds of people dropped-in during the afternoon and early evening to say hello, learn more, sign postcards and pick up beautiful NWAAE swag!

Thanks to our artist-collaborators – including Alfredo Arreguin, Sue…

Olympia (WA) rally for salmon, orcas and the Snake River features NWAAE materials – including artwork stencils to inspire children of all ages to ‘Speak4Salmon’ in creative ways.

More than two hundred people gathered in downtown Olympia to speak up on behalf of endangered salmon and orcas. After a set of inspiring speakers led off by Squaxin Island Tribal Chairman Kristopher Peters, people marched to the Washington State capitol campus and created a larger than life orca mural under the…

On March 26 in Tacoma, approximately 200 people gathered on the UW campus there to speak up for salmon and orcas – and call on our elected officials to restore a resilient, freely-flowing lower Snake River as part of a larger regional plan to save salmon from extinction and invest in our region’s communities.

Attendees were inspired by materials created as part of the NWAAE project – including posters (artwork courtesy of Alfredo Arreguin and Britt Freda) and t-shirts and stickers (artwork…