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Big fish story: Recycled fish project will be on display at upcoming Earth Day Festival
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Albuquerque is fishing for a new statue and will be reeling it in at Balloon Fiesta Park this weekend.
When the Public Education Department was asked to provide assistance on a recycled fish project, Therese Baca-Radler thought to herself, “Albuquerque doesn’t have a beach. What are they trying to do with this?”
The recycled fish project is an idea that has been used in other cities to remind people of the effects they have on bodies of water near them. The goal of the project is to remind people to recycle plastics and properly dispose of trash so it doesn’t end up in nearby bodies of water.
As an outdoor learning specialist with a strong love for nature, Baca-Radler is often tasked with integrating the natural world into a learning regime to help students find a passion for the outdoors, so she was fit to take the project on.
“My work with the PED started blending into Earth Day,” she said.
Little did she know, this fish statue would bait the community into tackling the project together.
The Keep BernCo Beautiful Board wanted to make a version for the upcoming Earth Day Festival. In this version, there will be a receptacle at the bottom of the piece to collect recyclables.
When Baca-Radler’s husband, Jason Radler, heard about the project, he realized he had the skills to make the idea into a reality. The two began drawing up ideas for how the fish would look. They first thought of using the silvery minnow, but the small Rio Grande dweller did not have the right shape, so they hooked onto the Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
After deciding on a design, the Radlers knew they needed help. That’s when Jason Radler reached out to his brother, Anthony.
“My brother is an engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, so he knew how to create blueprints and (a) 3D graphic,” Jason said. “I knew what to do, but I needed a plan to make everything happen. He was a huge help with starting everything.”
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The Radler brothers began crafting the fish sculpture using rebar from Jason’s construction company, Local Concepts. The duo became a trio when sibling Travis also began helping. With his knowledge in metalworking, the three were able to turn a pile of rebar into a sculpture.
The fish project, which will teach people how they can upscale trash into art, will be on display Sunday during the Earth Day Festival at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The festival will also include induction cooking demonstrations, vendors and advice focused on ways a community can lower climate pollution, adopt clean energy and enjoy healthier lives. It will also feature students’ artistic interpretations through a poetry and art contest, provide free home electrification ideas and have booths focused on sustainability.
