James Phillips, an industrial supply salesman, carves a Dalmatian out of an oak tree stump in Galveston, Texas, as part of an effort to beautify the city.
On Sept. 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike, then a Category 2 storm, hit Galveston, Texas, on the Gulf Coast. The damage to the city was incredible — more than 40,000 trees were felled.
Donna Leibbert, who has lived in Galveston for almost four years, sits on the city's Citizen Tree Committee. She has started an initiative to turn some of the dead trees into sculptures. (NPR's Melissa Block's interview with Leibbert will air on All Things Considered today.)
Because the local fire department isn't allowed to have a live dog in its fire house, one man has carved a live oak tree in a Dalmatian's likeness. (Leibbert said that Galveston's residents are grateful for the fire department's help during and after Hurricane Ike hit.) Another sculpture-in-progress is modeled after a Frank Lloyd Wright sculpture, "The Sprite."
Asked if money for the project might be better spent on new, live trees, Leibbert said that she thinks that, until "the trees get big enough for us to have shade cover — as opposed to small saplings, let's have something fun to look at." She is soliciting donations and volunteers to help with the project.
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