BRIDGEPORT, Wash. — Along Foster Creek Avenue in Bridgeport Washington, you'll see how resourceful a small town can be.
"We had a tree-lined entry into Bridgeport, and the trees had gotten diseased and needed to be taken out." said Janet Conklin, Bridgeport's former mayor.
Taken out...or transformed.
City officials decided one man's dead sycamore is another man's blank canvas.
So they hired a chainsaw artist - Jacob Lucas of Bonney Lake. And he got busy as a beaver.
Or, a bee.
Carving those creatures, and many more into stumps. And recycling dead trees into works of art.
"Well, it was reusing resources, instead of just pitching it and throwing it away," explained Janet Conklin.
Natural resources served as inspiration.
"When we first started the project it had to have something to do with the Columbia River, so it had birds, and fish, and critters," Conklin said.
Herons, mule deer, eagles, cougars and bobcats now line the town's main street. A roadside attraction that goes on for almost a mile.
Some of the trees are memorials. Some pay homage to local landmarks, like the landmark Flour Tower perched on the banks of the Columbia River.
Others celebrate life on the banks of the river, like one of a boy with a fishing pole near the town's boat launch.
So far, 30 trees have been transformed.
Enough to justify a brochure, complete with a map of where to find the carvings.
And enough to slow you down as you drive through town.
To appreciate the fine art of using what's already there.
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