Sisters Gallery artist, J. Chester Armstrong, recently installed a Public Art project commemorating the life work of Central Oregon watershed advocate, Andrew Dutterer. Andrew’s family, friends, and partners in river and watershed restoration gathered in July, 2024 to dedicate the “Otter Be Fishing” bench and plaque beside Whychus Creek in Creekside Park. The bench is dedicated to Dutterer who, before his tragic death in an auto accident in 2021, was instrumental in supporting the various agencies and individuals involved in the restoration of the creek.
You can view individual photos from the event below. Just click on any image for a larger view. Or view the slide-show below..
Kris Knight, Executive Director of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council in Bend, facilitated the memorial project and the event that brought together Dutterer’s family, friends and associates from around the country, to celebrate his life and their mutual dedication to fish and river restoration.
At the time of his passing, Andrew Dutterer was the Partnerships Coordinator for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), a state agency that provides grants to help Oregonians take care of local streams, rivers, wetlands, and natural areas. During the event, Andrew’s widow, Caitlin, and his father, Dennis, thanked all who were involved to create this memorial and explained why they chose this park and how Andrew was connected this place.
The centerpiece of the memorial is a Ponderosa pine bench, carved by local sculptor J. Chester “Skip” Armstrong. The three-person-wide bench has eight river otters and a plethora of salmon playfully running around its perimeter. Nearby, an interpretive sign explains the work that has happened to restore Whychus Creek over the last 25 years.
The bench is carved from a 250-year-old tree, 40 inches in diameter, which stood on U.S. Forest Service property in Sisters. It was taken down to make way for the new Forest Service headquarters and donated by the Forest Service for stream restoration . Part of it went to Skip Armstrong to create this bench, and part of it is submerged in Whychus Creek, as habitat supporting fish restoration.
Armstrong worked closely with the Dutterer family for nearly a year to select the perfect theme for the bench. It features eight pine hearted river otters and many salmon running around the perimeter of the bench. For comfort, Armstrong hollowed out three “seats,” positions where people can rest and contemplate the creek. The bench rests on a base made here in Sisters, at Ponderosa Forge.
Wildlife cameras have since recorded the presence of otters not far from the bench, Knight said. “Someone who didn’t even know about this project reached out to me with footage of otters in the creek.”