June 19, 2006
Fish Fly Off Fence
Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release--June 19, 2006
Landmark Stream of Dreams Mural Departs Kingsway and Edmonds
On June 27, a Burnaby icon will disappear when volunteers remove 3,000 Dreamfish that make up the original Stream of Dreams mural at Kingsway and Edmonds. Thousands of schoolchildren and community volunteers, with assistance from City staff, created the beloved artwork for Rivers Day 2000 to honor 5,000 fish and other animals killed in nearby Byrne Creek in 1998 after a toxin was dumped down a storm drain. The mural was mounted on a City-owned chain-link fence around a vacant development site, where it became a cherished symbol of community spirit and environmental awareness that forged new partnerships in the struggling Edmonds neighborhood.
That original mural spawned a hugely successful award-winning program of watershed education and community art that has involved nearly 40,000 participants and is approaching its 100th mural. Painted wooden Dreamfish now swim on schoolyard fences throughout the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and the BC interior, reminding communities of the importance of clean water and how storm drain systems are connected to local streams. Recently, Dreamfish migrated to Ontario, and cities in Alberta and several U.S. states are also interested in the program.
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, the Stream of Dreams Murals Society, the local community, and the City of Burnaby will start removing the Dreamfish at 4:00 pm on June 27, working through the evening until the job is done. As many Dreamfish as possible will be saved for installation in new locations--some are still in good condition, some require refurbishment, and a few will be lovingly retired.
Streamkeepers and the murals society will have information booths set up, and encourage the public to pitch in and also suggest new locations for the Dreamfish.
The City of Burnaby and the developer, Bosa Properties, have acknowledged the neighbourhood’s strong attachment to the founding Stream of Dreams mural, and are including watershed and salmon public art elements in the new residential and commercial complex that will be built on the site.
We are thankful that these original Dreamfish have already lasted years longer than a typical salmon life cycle. We are amazed at their symbolic power and influence, and we invite you to share in commemorating their migration to new waters.
END
For questions regarding this press release please contact:
Joan Carne: tobydog2000@shaw.ca
Co-Founder, Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Chair, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers
Paul Cipywnyk: paul@cipywnyk.com
President, Stream of Dreams Murals Society
Volunteer, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers
www.streamofdreams.org
www.byrnecreek.org