Lake Merritt Watershed

PRE-ORDER Ends April 24 @ 7pm PT

20% of all proceeds will support the making of the film Reflections on Lake Merritt. After the pre-order period, 10% of proceeds will be donated to the film. Expected delivery is mid-May.

Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is part of the Oakland Estuary of the San Francisco Bay, and was the first officially declared wildlife refuge in the United States (March 18, 1870). Estuaries are zones with salt and fresh water sources, sediments and ocean creatures, all under the chaotic influence of tidal and storm forces. This dynamic allows and supports diverse ecological systems and species.

For thousands of years, the tidal inlet we call Lake Merritt has been connected to the larger part of the San Francisco Bay Estuary through a narrow neck. During early urbanization, the shallows were filled to create more land for human use and profits. Reduced tidal flows meant the lake was mostly cut off from the Bay, but recent changes allow more frequent inflows of tidewater and ocean life requiring constant monitoring and care.

The puzzle is random cut and the finished size is 16x20-inches. 

About the Artists

The Lake Merritt Watershed image is a collaboration of artists and educators. The base map art was created in 2009 by Scott Oliver for a lakeside signage project called “Once Upon A Time, Happily Ever After…” with illustrations by Veronica Graham (egret compass rose, trees, textures). Joel Pomerantz added art (birds), color, and design.

Joel Pomerantz leads Thinkwalks—San Francisco explorations for locals. While his specialty is San Francisco, he is also enamored of Lake Merritt. Joel’s natural history research, including regional climate history and historical material on San Francisco streams and shorelines, is available at thinkwalks.org. To join his walks, contact him about your group. Get on his email list so you can hear about public walks. Send a request to explore@thinkwalks.org. To get water maps go to seepcity.org.

Scott Oliver is a Reno-based artist who holds a BFA (1994) in Graphic Design and an MFA (2005) in Wood/Furniture from California College of the Arts. His work has been shown widely in the Bay Area. Find more information here.

Reflections on Lake Merritt

A portion of the sales from this puzzle benefit the production of the film Reflections on Lake Merritt. Brandon Jourdon is a filmmaker and journalist who has contributed to Democracy Now!, the NY Times, CNN, Reuters, and more. Through interiews and the study of Oakland history, the film examines visions of private interests and public good in the future of Lake Merritt that make it a symbol of issues that loom in the Bay Area and beyond. Learn more on the GoFundMe page for the film.

Thanks to Liam O'Donoghue of East Bay Yesterday for helping to spread the word about the puzzle.

The image and text of this project are produced under a Creative Commons license that allows anyone to replicate them without permission as long as two conditions are met: The use must be noncommercial and must specify the source of the material—at a minimum specifying the websites seepcity.org, oaklandpuzzle.com, scottoliverworks.com. The license is called Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. All other uses must be by permission of Scott Oliver and Joel Pomerantz.