Peconic Riverfront Wildlife Sign

HELLO!,

My name is Holly Williams and I am a local graphic designer/ artist from the town of Riverhead, NY. I am raising money for the installation of a wildlife idenfication sign for the towns Peconic Riverfront Park, which runs along the Peconic River. The sign will highlight and raise awareness of the diverse wildlife that lives in and alongside the river. Not only will this sign bring attention to the local wildlife, but it will also help educate the public about the creatures that live there.

The Peconic River

The Peconic River is located on the eastern end of Long Island. Originating in bogs and wetlands located in central Long Island the river it flows eastward into Flanders Bay, which turns into the Peconic Bay. The Peconic River is fresh water until it reaches Riverhead where it becomes an estuary. An estuary is a diverse ecosystem that is formed when a river that is carrying fresh water flows into a body of salt water. The fresh water in the Peconic River that empties into the salty Flanders Bay is critical to the estuary’s health, so are the estuary’s plants, animals and other organisms. Estuaries are some of the most productive ecosystems on earth, the Peconic estuary is home to hundreds of species of plants, animals, and other living organisms. They are born, thrive, reproduce, die and decay. Working together, the physical and living parts of the Peconic estuary form a healthy habitat in which the ecosystem thrives. There are one hundred and eleven rare species that reside within the Peconic watershed.

The Project

As a wildlife loving local, I have spent many days along the Peconic Riverfront Park appreciating the wildlife that calls the river home. In my time there I have noticed that there is no signage or information for the public about the local wildlife. My public works project installation consists of a singular, long-term wildlife identification sign measuring 2ft by 4ft, to highlight and inform the public about the important species that live within our estuary. These species include the Osprey, piping plover, blue claw crab, great blue heron, and many more. My goal is to educate people about the Peconic River's residents and it's importance through a platform that is visually engaging to both children and adults.  This sign will benefit the public because it will not only be educational for families and children, but it will also bring beauty to the downtown boardwalk area. For the visual aspects of the sign, the wildlife is going to be depicted as watercolor/ pen & ink full body portraits, one illustration for each animal. These paintings will be done traditionally by hand then scanned and digitally arranged. For the text element I will place the names of each animal next to it, including both the common and scientific name. I will be installing the sign in the Peconic Riverfront Park near the floating docks, alongside the walkway across from the river, with the imagery facing the walkway. I have chosen this area to use because it is one of the local wildlife hotspots along the river. I often see many animals in the small cove located just on the other side of the river.



EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS ME REACH MY GOAL!!
Its loaction in the heart of downtown Riverhead allows the public the exciting opportunity to view many of these animals. This sign will help educate the public about this environmentally diverse habitat and spread environmental awareness to the people of the town of Riverhead.

All donors of $100 or greater, will be featured on a sponsorship sign displayed beneath the main sign.

Sincerely,
Holly Williams