Engaging Community
Through Art
The Salmon Creek Mural Project
Eric Lambert, Clark County Public Works – Clean Water Outreach Manager
October 10, 2025
Every project starts with a visionary
Vicki Holman – Clark County,
Washington resident
“The actions of one person
can make a ripple that
becomes a wave.”
400 foot long retaining wall
Vicki saw a problem here.
This 400-foot retaining wall…was ugly.
West end
4,000 square feet of surface area…
East end
…right across from Salmon Creek
Vicki’s outreach strategy – phase 1
1. Talk to everyone
you meet about the
vision, recruit artists.
2. Keep talking to
everyone you meet
about the vision,
recruit artists.
3. Get permission
from wall owners.
4. Persist with
steps 1 & 2.
• Native fish swimming
“upstream”
• Each fish painted by a
community artist
• Diversity of artistic
styles
• Gray tones
Sharing the vision, getting permission
• Graffiti abatement
• Showing community
we respond to
concerns
• Clean Water
messaging
• Supporting public
participation efforts
What other goals could this project meet?
1. Add verbiage:
• Protect our water
• Only rain down the
drain
• Follow the water
• We all live downstream
2. Need for unifying artistic
elements
Refining the vision
1. Artist consultant – Ana the
Artist
2. Volunteer coordinator
3. Road maintenance crew
4. Pollution prevention
assistance
5. Communications
6. Painting support
Assembling a team
• Reach out to diverse
community groups
• Leverage county and
regional social
media channels
• Connect with local
influencers
• Media alerts
Outreach strategy – phase 2
• 80+ artists
• Prioritized small
group decision
making for efficiency
• Missed community
involvement
opportunity
Selection process
• Clean wall
• Primer coat x 2
• Base coat x 2
• Paint unifying elements,
verbiage
• Chalk outlines with printed
submissions
• Video support
Prepping for painting
Pollution prevention!
• Wastewater disposal
• Storm drain protection
• Drop clothes
• Spill kits
Painting day!
• Two shifts – morning &
afternoon
• Two weekends, three
total days
• Safety talk before each
shift
• Volunteers to support
artists
• Artists are LOCKED IN!
• Neighbors are coming
to talk about it.
• Drivers are honking and
cheering!
Unexpected benefits:
• 57 artists
connecting!
• 57 artists sharing!
Each artist:
• Takes a photo with their work
• Signs their work
Artists the project on their
own social networks
Salmon Creek Mural wall
We celebrated!
• Invited media, artists, elected officials
• Launched Salmon Creek Solutions
• Anti-graffiti coating added for
protection and longevity
• Press release after unveiling
• 170,000+ estimated social
media reach
• 80+ posts from artists sharing
about the project
• Picked up by multiple local
media outlets
• Launch point for Salmon Creek
Solutions (SMAP)
Outreach wins
• High community support,
positive feedback
• Morale builder
• Graffiti abatement
• Community talking point
• Connections within the
artist community
Other Public Works wins
“Sometimes the most scenic roads in life
are the detours you didn’t mean to take.”
– Angela Blount
Questions?
Eric Lambert, Clean Water Outreach, Clark County Public Works
[email protected]