The Bellevue Botanical Garden is set to transform its Urban Meadow into a poignant reminder of the impermanence of nature with an upcoming art installation by Todd McGrain. According to a press release, the garden will feature the Lost Bird Project, an assembly of large bronze sculptures representing five extinct North American bird species. The larger-than-life statues of the passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, Labrador duck, great auk, and heath hen will begin to stand guard in mid-September for a full year.

In a creative attempt to breathe life back into the memory of these vanished creatures, McGrain crafted each sculpture to be about four to six feet tall. “For the Bellevue Botanical Garden, the display reflects our mission and is a catalyst for a year of learning programs focused on conservation and habitat preservation, along with creating a special appeal for ornithology, which is the study of birds, and, of course, the connection to the plants and habitats we feature at the Garden,” James Gagliardi, director of the Botanical Garden, told the official website. 

Furthering the educational aspect, the Aaron Education Center located at the garden is slated to host a festival on October 19 from 2-4 p.m. that includes a free panel discussion featuring McGrain and local artists, as well as a screening of "The Lost Bird Project" documentary with a $5 admission fee. This will be coupled with a question-and-answer session with McGrain and Nick Bayard, executive director of BirdNote, as detailed by the garden's press release.

The collaborative effort is expanded upon with the inclusion of the Eastside Audubon Society, which plans to organize monthly bird walks at the garden. McGrain's statues have been touring various U.S. locales since 2012, working to continually push forward the much-needed conversation on conservation. As noted by the garden, one set of these sculptures has established a permanent residence at significant sites connected to each species' decline, attempting to bridge the gap between the past and present efforts in wildlife preservation.

Apart from the solemn statues, the Bellevue Botanical Garden offers 53 acres of cultivated gardens and woodlands that are open to the public at no charge, every day from dawn to dusk. As one of Bellevue's treasured parks, it also provides a diverse spectrum of plant-related education all year round, achieved in part by the volunteer efforts within the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society and other organizations.