San Diego, California Wyland Whaling Wall 64

History of the San Diego, CA Wyland Whaling Wall 64

-San Diego Migration

Whaling wall 64

With its placement on the side of the San Diego National Bank, “San Diego Migration” drew attention to the annual journey of the gray whales as they traveled across the Pacific Coast. Mayor Susan Golding dedicated this beautiful mural in September of 1994, and honored the
stunning annual migration of the gray whale as they travel through the California coast from the Arctic, headed to the warm lagoons found in Baja, California. Perhaps more than almost any other city in America, San Diego has always maintained a close connection to the Pacific Ocean
and the future health of the California Gray Whale, as highlighted by Wyland’s mural.

During the creation of the mural, San Diego, like many coastal cities, was reckoning with growth and its attendant impact on pollution runoff, a major challenge that threatened coastal health and the viability of marine habitats in the region. Wyland hoped to encourage Californian residents to acknowledge that their daily actions can impact the ecosystems around them.

It’s a fact

With a 12,000 mile annual round-trip, the gray whales have one of the longest mammal migrations between the Arctic and Baja, California. More than 750 species of birds, mammals, and fish call San Diego Bay home. It is widely considered one of the most biologically diverse regions of the West Coast.

Did you know the Wyland Foundation guides communities to recognize that upstream activities, like reducing pollution and conserving water, have a direct result on downstream ecosystems and species, like the gray whales? While no longer available for viewing, “San Diego Migration” will always be remembered by millions of people as a beautiful, visual reminder of that fact, as well as the deeply rooted connection California should maintain to protecting local and global marine ecosystems.

San Diego National Bank
1420 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, California
160 Feet Long x 60 Feet High
Dedicated September 19th, 1994
By Mayor Susan Golding

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