Whale statuettes to swim throughout Orange County for inaugural campaign celebrating Earth Month

Baby gray whales will be making a splash in Orange County next month, but not in the Pacific. They’ll be “swimming” by its storm drains and municipal water departments.

On Monday, the Municipal Water District of Orange County announced a wave of 40 illustrated, 8-foot-long baby whale statuettes — all affectionately referred to as “Stella” — will be scattered across Orange County in honor of Earth Month as part of a larger campaign led by the water district, the county, Orange County Conservation Corps and the local nonprofit Wyland Foundation.

The campaign, “Streams of Hope,” seeks to increase public awareness and education about the preservation and health of local watersheds through art.

“Water pollution affects us all,” said Municipal Water District of Orange County General Manager Rob Hunter in a statement. “Every piece of trash or harmful chemical that ends up in our waterways encroaches on the fragile ecosystems that support healthy communities. This campaign serves as a reminder that we can all do our part to protect and preserve our natural resources through education, good environmental stewardship, and an action plan.”

Tiffany Baca, public affairs manager for the water district, described it as the “brainchild” of the Wyland Foundation. She said foundation president Steve Creech pitched the campaign in late December.

“As communicators, we’re trying to always look at the best ways to engage our communities,” said Baca. “We had to get all the pieces together, but I thought it was such a brilliant idea to involve water conservation and have art and education involved.

Huntington Beach artist Dave Reynolds looks down on a prototype of “Stella,” the gray whale representing the “Streams of Hope” campaign.

(Courtesy of the Wyland Foundation)

“All the components here are dynamic. They fit together and it’s super engaging. It’s something that every community can participate in. It doesn’t matter if you’re inland or if you see the beach every single day. Every single person could make a difference here and that’s really what we’re going with.”

Creech said the Wyland Foundation has been working with local water districts for a number of years but wanted to increase visibility on how all residents contribute to the health of the local water systems by virtue of what is deposited in them.

“Marine debris, trash — these are all byproducts of our everyday lives,” said Creech. “If we don’t dispose of them properly ... they end up in the storm channels. One of our goals is to inspire people and get them informed. Those two characteristics are really the essence of a culture that will really take environmental issues and address them. We thought: ‘What can we do that’s inspiring?’”

That’s when the idea struck: put artistic statuettes around the county but get local and community artists involved.

The first was unveiled at the Dana Point Festival of Whales on Saturday, where spectators were given a chance to paint the statuette themselves. Others will be sponsored by local cities and water municipalities with artists from those communities.

The back of each statuette will have information about the artist groups involved in painting the whale and their title.

(Courtesy of the Wyland Foundation)

“We want to do that from every single service area. If this is your city, you’re more connected to the art piece and the community members so you can create something that appeals to them,” said Baca, adding that she felt art can help change attitudes about environmentalism as much as more traditional methods of outreach, like clean-ups or lessons.

Baca confirmed Thursday statuettes have so far been sponsored by Mesa Water District, El Toro Water District and the cities of Westminster, Fountain Valley and Santa Ana along with the Orange County Department of Education.

The back of each statuette will include information about the local artists involved in painting them and the name of the piece.

Artists are expected to have their Stellas completed by March 29, and they will begin to appear in public in early April. Interested parties will be able to track the locations of all the statuettes through the campaign’s website at mystreamsofhope.com.

In addition to the art pieces, the campaign will also be including several clean-up events throughout April leading up to Earth Day on April 22. This is the first year the “Streams of Hope” campaign has been held, and it will be running throughout the month.

“At the end of all this, it’ll all come together during Earth Month. Stella is kind of a love song to the environment,” said Creech. “It’s just a way of connecting people in a unique way.”

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.