From vast wildlands to tiny habitat pockets, refugia translates to safe havens and corridors for native plants and wildlife to survive dramatic climate changes. These places of refuge are essential for the future of life on this precious blue jewel of a planet. Nestled between the Rockies and the Cascades, the Blue Mountains offer some of the last best refugia in the West and critical linkages for wildlife to move and find cooler homes as the climate warms up.

Hear readings from Marina Richie’s book, Refugia of the Blue Mountain, alongside Robin Coen’s art, inspried by their time spent in this special place. Prints will be available for sale. Made possible through the Wild Blues Artist-in-Residency of the Greater Hells Canyon Council. For more info, see: https://www.robincoenart.com/refugia-exhibit

ROBIN COEN

My love of “all things wild” emerged while growing up on a cattle ranch in the Elkhorn Mountains of Eastern Oregon. I shadowed my father through days of fence-mending, irrigating fields and the occasional early morning horseback ride up the mountain to see the sunrise. My passion for nature and the West continues from my home in Boise and at the Good Bear Ranch (the family home place). Painting connects me to what matters most. The watercolors are not mine, any more than the landscapes or wild beings in them are mine. They are expressions of what has been given to me, to us, to all who care to see.

I am honored to be working with award-winning author Marina Richie who amplifies our message of compassion and solidarity with the natural world. Together, we hope to inspire others to join us in preserving refugia—the wild heart of the Blue Mountains.

Dipping my brush to find the right color, I deepen my understanding of the natural world. I paint small local wildflowers with native pollinators on a large scale. Portraying local wildlife and landscapes, I strive to reveal intrinsic values as well as threats. I believe art can influence others toward a deeper understanding of our role in recovering planetary health. When I paint, I feel the boundary recede between myself and all that lives. The intrusive edges of modern culture soften. I am unwrapping a gift, looking into the face of a generosity that knows no bounds, and experiencing a kinship that has no end. I hope this collection of images and prose inspires compassion and generosity toward the earth and for all beings, both known and unknown, for we humans have much to learn.

MARINA RICHIE

I am humbled to put words to Robin Coen’s watercolors, which exquisitely express the theme of Refugia of the Blue Mountains. Her paintings are so alive you can almost hear the rush of the free-flowing Imnaha River or the wind sifting through five-needle clusters of the oldest limber pine. Robin’s paintings remind me of why I write prose and poetry. I strive to connect people to the natural world—to be curious, to find the peace of wild things, and to speak up for all who converse in the languages of kingfisher, beaver, pika, marten, wolverine, salmon, and hummingbird.

Observing the intricacy of wild animal lives in wild places inspires my writing. Everywhere are relationships that are highly evolved over the eons, and many in concert with wildfire, wind, and floods. In this era of climate crisis and mass extinction, it’s critical to cut fossil fuel emissions and protect our carbon-storing and biodiversity-sheltering forests and other wildlands.

Refugia of the Blue Mountains brings the wilds to the people—and we hope motivates you to experience the wilds, whether observing a butterfly, sipping nectar from a native wildflower near home, or out hiking on the Blue Mountains Trail.