Date:  Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Contact: Amy Danberg, WSDOT Communications, (206) 962-9635 (Yakima)
Jen Watkins, I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition (206) 675-9747 x 203 (Seattle)

CLE ELUM, WA – Two young artists were honored for their participation in the fourth annual Bridging Futures Art and Essay Contest today. The ceremony occurred in Cle Elum at the Suncadia Resort during a reception for a national wildlife crossings conference hosted by the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project. The Bridging Futures contest, co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, called upon Washington state students to create drawings and essays depicting wildlife bridges – an essential part of the WSDOT I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East project (I-90 project) - to bring attention to human and wildlife safety along I-90.

The two winning student artists are:

Signe Stroming, Fifth Grader, Maple Hills Elementary, Issaquah
Vinny Napolitano, Fifth Grader, Christa McAuliffe Academy, Selah
 
Students ranging in age from six to 11 participated in the contest from schools and organizations in Seattle, Issaquah, Renton, Enumclaw, Buckley, Auburn, Yakima, Selah, Moxie, Cowiche, Wapato, Harrah, Tieton, Naches, East Valley, Union Gap, and Spokane. This year’s judges included Brian White, I-90 project director, Charlie Raines, director of the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, assistant executive director Karen Bonaudi of the Washington State Potato Commission, Patagonia store staff, and representatives from Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Dave Reichert offices.

The two contest finalists were honored during the ceremony by Bridges Coalition director Raines, I-90 project director White, and representatives from Senator Patty Murray’s office.

“Each year, I am continually impressed with the level of creativity and innovation of the artwork and essays,” said Raines. “We commend these students for their ideas on how animals and humans can safely co-exist on the roads we travel.”

Bonaudi, of the Potato Commission, noted that “inspiring young imaginations is an excellent way to engage many generations in projects that impact all of us. I love the varied creative approaches the students took to display wildlife bridges.”

The winners’ art will be displayed on billboards in Seattle and Ellensburg, sharing the message of safety with motorists across the state. The billboards will run until June 29th in Seattle on Dearborn Street and in Ellensburg off of I-90.

“I-90 is the backbone of Washington State’s economic and recreational vitality,” said I-90 project director White. “From transporting our State’s agricultural goods to accessing Washington’s numerous recreational activities, I-90 plays a role in the lives of all citizens. We must encourage our youth to understand the importance of this Interstate to our daily lives and its importance to the safety of both humans and wildlife.”

In addition to wildlife under and over crossings that will re-connect habitat in the Central Cascades, WSDOT will improve I-90 by providing a safer, more efficient six-lane freeway from Hyak to Keechelus Dam. The project will straighten roadway curves, replace old pavement, and reduce rock fall and avalanche hazards. The I-90 project is scheduled to begin construction on the first five miles of the project area in 2010. For more information on the I-90 Project, visit:

www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/SnoqualmiePassEast

The I-90 Bridges Coalition started the Bridging Futures Art and Essay Contest in 2004 to engage children state-wide in transportation and wildlife issues. The contest enables WSDOT and the Bridges Coalition to share children’s important and creative vision with drivers through billboard displays. The I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition is made up of nearly 40 local and national organizations that advocate for high quality wildlife passage in the I-90 project.


Note: Photos available upon request.

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