A local conservation group recently secured funding to install an 8-by-24-foot chalkboard on Main Street where residents can express their appreciation for local fish.
Lynn Canal Conservation received the $200 mini-grant from the American Seafood company to create the interactive community art piece, a large chalkboard reading across the top, “I love salmon because…”
LCC staffer Macky Cassidy said the organization received permission from the Gross family to hang the chalkboard on the old Coliseum Theater on Main Street for the summer.
“This piece will allow anyone walking on Main Street in Haines to pick up a piece of chalk and publicly reflect on their appreciation for salmon. This will serve as a powerful tool for restoring community perspective on the protection of salmon and their habitat and reminding everyone of the benefits of a local salmon resource,” Cassidy said.
The organization is hoping to debut the board during the King Salmon Derby at the end of May when it will invite local business owners and residents involved in the fishing world to write on and inaugurate the board.
The Alaska Arts Confluence is also sponsoring the project.
A significant percentage of the population of Haines depends on commercial, subsistence and/or sport fisheries with the estimated value of commercial fishing in the Haines Borough totaling $11 million annually.