In Brief - art

E: The Environmental Magazine, Sept, 2000

THE ARTISTS' GREEN ORCHARD

When the 175-acre Villa Montalvo estate in Saratoga was bequeathed to the state of California in 1930, the owner stipulated that the new park continue nurturing music, art, literature and architecture. One result was the creation, in 1942, of the oldest artists' residency program west of the Mississippi.

In 1998, Villa Montalvo's board of trustees decided to double its intellectual harvest by replacing a defunct orchard of plums with 700- to 900-square-foot cottages customized for specific artists. The new Orchard of Artists project will increase annual residencies from 30 to nearly 70, while simultaneously serving as a model of green design using next-century concepts of creativity and collaboration.

Coordinating eight different architects to make use of environmentally friendly design principles in the construction of 10 cottages and a commons on an historic landmark site, within a limited budget, was an ambitious undertaking. "This is a groundbreaking effort both literally and figuratively," acknowledges Don Stastny of Portland, Oregon-based StastnyBrun Architects, designer of the memorial for the Oklahoma bombing. "It's intended to be a textbook case of 21st century design."

"We're standardizing construction as much as possible with such different buildings, while trying to achieve maximum long-term energy efficiency among old-growth trees and heritage plants," explains Stastny. Green elements include high fly ash content concrete, energy-efficient windows, recycled insulation, soy-product countertops and farmed wood beam construction--not the usual supplies found at home improvement stores.

Green resource planning consultant Larry Strain of Siegel & Strain Architects in Emeryville, California recommended farmed wood as it minimizes pollution and encourages lumber companies to engage in greener practices. Also incorporated will be a natural sound barrier for the composers' cottages and solar collectors and passive lighting for the visual artists' dwellings.

"Paint and carpet choices are crucial," Strain says, "but the cabins must also meet the artists' needs. We're striving to go beyond what's state-mandated to choose the most durable, cost-efficient materials, such as metal roofs which last 50 years instead of 20." Going green has helped build community support, with over $2.1 million of the $6 million campaign already raised. Groundbreaking took place in the late summer of 2000, and completion will occur by the end of 2001.

"Although these are extremely contemporary buildings, especially compared to the original Villa built in 1912, both the Heritage Committee and City Planning Committee members approved the plans `as is' on the first presentation--a record here in Saratoga," says a grateful Stastny. For at least another century, artists will be able to follow their muses within a sustainable environment of natural beauty, CONTACT: Villa Montalvo Orchard of Artists Residency Program, (408)961-5800, www.villamontalvo.org.

--Michelle C. Crowe

IN THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Ironically, China's only real dragon--the Chinese alligator--may become extinct in the wild in 2000, otherwise known as the Year of the Dragon. One of only two remaining alligator species in the world, this reptile has the dubious distinction of being the planet's most endangered species.

The Chinese alligator--called "Tu Long" or "earth dragon"--and the mythical beast that became an Imperial symbol have many similar physical characteristics, says Dr. John Thorbjarnarson, a biologist and crocodile specialist at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

About half the size of their American counterparts, Chinese alligators have long been considered agricultural pests, says Thorbjarnarson. Hunted and killed because their burrows interfered with irrigation systems, today Chinese alligators in the wild number only 150.

The disappearance of the Chinese alligator in the wild might just be inevitable, says Thorbjarnarson. But the picture is not as dismal as it might seem. In an effort to prevent the extinction of the species, the government has been raising and breeding the reptiles in captivity with positive results. The Anhui Research Center for Chinese Alligator Reproduction has been home to 8,700 alligators, according to Wang Zhibao, an administrator at the State Forestry Department in China.

Following the successful examples of the California condor and the black-footed ferret, Chinese alligators bred in captivity will be released in a suitable habitat, says James Perran Ross, executive officer of the Crocodile Specialist Group at the World Conservation Union. "Although reintroduction has not been attempted before with the Chinese alligator, other crocodilians raised in captivity have adapted well in the wild," says Ross. "There is no reason to believe it would be any different with the Chinese alligator."

The very cause of the reptile's demise--agriculture--is also producing possible solutions. Sediments from deforestation and cultivation have created two sites along China's coast near the mouth of the Yangtze River. These new islands and wetlands are potential environments for reintroducing the Chinese alligator to the wild. But funding to support reintroduction programs is desperately needed.