On Monday, Los Angeles County officials held a ribbon cutting for a new mural inspired by Devil’s Punchbowl wildlife after the Bobcat Fire destroyed the nature center meant to house the mural in 2020.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation and the L.A. County Department of Arts and Culture held the ribbon cutting for the Devil’s Punchbowl Wildlife Mural Monday morning at the Vasquez Rocks Nature Center following the destruction of the Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center in September.

“My intention is that it serves as just a reminder to visitors that there are other dramas besides ours happening in the world,” said artist Aaron Morse, who created the mural. “Any little thing that can just remind us of our connection to ecology that is not something separate from life, but something that is a part of the planet and ecosystems we all share.”

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The art piece consists of an array of wildlife and plants native to Devil’s Punchbowl and the Vasquez Rocks area as a whole.

“The artwork is supposed to reflect the place in terms of its plant and animal life and sort of be a touchstone or a reminder of those things,” Morse said. “It’s unique because these places are unique, so the imagery in it is reflective of the ecosystem.”

The mural honors Devil’s Punchbowl and its unique wildlife, which was damaged in the Bobcat Fire last fall. Originally meant to be housed in the Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center, the mural was instead painted on a wall placed outdoors in the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center.

“The Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Parks and Recreation agree that Vasquez Rocks was the perfect location, because it shares very similar flora and fauna with the mural’s namesake location,” Barger said.

The mural is especially pertinent given the increase in visits the Vasquez Rocks area has seen over the course of the pandemic.

Unique sandstone rock formations and native plants and wildlife draw millions of visitors from the surrounding area and around the world to Vasquez Rocks, Barger said.

The area is perhaps best known for its use in films and television shows like Star Trek.

Vasquez Rocks is also ancestral land of the Tataviam and Serrano indigenous people. The area is considered “sacred land” to the people, Barger said.

Especially after the fire that devastated Devil’s Punchbowl, Morse found it important to inspire people to care for wildlife through art.

“These places are beautiful and special and we have to take care of them,” Morse said. “Conservation is very important and art can be a small part of that process.”

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