As an emblem of nature, the totem reminds us of the relationships between living beings and their surroundings.  The design itself demands that we visualize the connections.

Our neighborhood totem brings fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals together in one place.   Their faces immediately attract our attention.  They look to us as we stand looking back at them.

Once upon a time the faces that are symbolized here were really present, living in the historic forests that sustained them. These animals moved, wild and free, over Seattle's hills and splashed in the waters of the open creeks that led to Puget Sound.

If we turn our attention toward the surroundings as we see them today, it is hard to visualize that this was true.  Do you wonder along with us whether we can continue to improve conditions in this little park so that tree frogs might become familiar inhabitants once more?

Every animal needs a home - a habitat that includes food, water, shelter and space, arranged in a way that each can survive.  That totem signifies the idea that all things in an ecosystem are interrelated.