Gibson Ek Student’s Botanical Art Featured on Hatchery Signage

Visitors to the Issaquah salmon hatchery may be amazed to learn that the detailed botanical drawings on the new native plant garden signs were illustrated not by a professional artist, but by a Gibson Ek high school student. 

Rising senior Wren Larson spent the end of ninth grade and part of 10th making 47 drawings of native plants during his internship with Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The finished signs were just installed this year. 

“The goal of the project was to get people to be able to recognize the plants based on the drawings and better understand the stages of the plants,” says Larson. “So I’d do a drawing of a plant that showed it throughout the seasons; one time maybe it wouldn’t have any leaves then the other side would be blooming.”

His mentors – Robin Kelly, the Executive Director of FISH who retired last spring, and the former education coordinator – recruited Larson by reaching out to Casey Henry, the internship coordinator for Gibson Ek, to find a student artist. 

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what an amazing internship because it’s an authentic project,’” Henry said. “I asked some of the advisors and Andy reminded me that Wren is a terrific artist, and I talked to Wren about it, and he was really excited.” 

Larson’s previous internship had been with a landscape architect, where he made botanical drawings of people’s gardens, an experience that helped him hone his skills before the hatchery project. 

Feedback was one of the most helpful steps in the process for Larson, he says. “Initially I was just drawing what a plant looked like in the picture, but I had gotten feedback to incorporate more in one picture than I was able to get. Instead of just focusing on one picture of a plant, going outside and looking at the plant, drawing it at different angles, and incorporating that into the final product.” 

Finishing the drawings took focus, and Larson even worked through the summer to complete them faster. 

“I’d go there, I’d talk with [my mentors] about what they wanted to work on that day. I had this giant spreadsheet with these plans I had to draw, so I just put my headphones in, and I’d usually draw two to four plants a day.”  

Mark Clemens, the new Executive Director of FISH, explains that the native plant garden isn’t just there for show. It helps Issaquah in other ways, too. “The native plant garden inspires the community to act on behalf of the salmon and to change their behaviors. FISH volunteers hand out free native seed packets to further expand the native plant ideas and give an action for local residents and visitors.” 

The mission of Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH), which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, is to protect salmon and ensure their survival for future generations through education, advocacy, and outreach. The hatchery was originally built in 1936, in an effort to restore the salmon runs in the Issaquah Creek Basin that had been destroyed by coal mining, logging, and other activities. Providing free admission, the hatchery welcomes more than 100,000 visitors per year. 

Many Gibson Ek High School students have served as interns at the hatchery through the years, as part of the school’s twice-weekly internship program. Five students will help lead elementary tours of the hatchery this fall as interns with FISH. Washington state requires all third graders to learn about the salmon life cycle.

Clemens says he appreciates Gibson Ek’s interns. “The hatchery is open 365 days a year and we are always looking at projects to help. The interns are invaluable, giving great perspective along with hands-on help.” He also has some ideas for future projects for Gibson Ek interns. “We are looking to add a pollination garden, and (to) update our 25-year-old rain garden. We are always looking for shop stickers, pins, and patch designs. We are also always looking for local video editing content that portrays the hatchery as a community center for local culture and heritage.”

Henry reiterates how highly Gibson Ek values the school’s partnership with the hatchery, saying, “It’s always so gratifying to me as internship coordinator when an organization understands that we have amazing students, and takes the time to reach out to me to request a student for a project. The fact that they understand that our students are capable of impressive, authentic work in the real world really says a lot about our population at Gibson Ek.”  

Nica Rondinelli is a ninth grade student completing an internship with the Issaquah School District Communications Department. As part of her internship, she’s writing about relevant student topics and news for use in Gibson Ek and district communications.