SoHum Otter Naming

Sophia Eckert, director of HRIA, introduced mosaic artist Jennifer Amidi.
Cal Poly Humboldt wildlife Prof. Jeff Black offered to the attentive children a condensed Wildlife 101 lecture on the differences between sea otters and river otters and how he created the “painted otter” project as an opportunity for people to connect with and cultivate appreciation for the charismatic North American river otter.
Mosaic artist Jennifer Amidi shared the backstory of how she and Black came up with the idea to do a second mosaic otter to give to the HRSP visitor center. Black also shared how Bunty the painted otter in the foreground led him to create the North Coast Otters Public Arts Initiative, a recent scholarship-fundraising project.
Amidi offered her thank yous to Shanna Archibold (left), a HRSP naturalist who helped her with the flora identification used on the mosaic otter, Traci Chadbourne Speelman, who came up with the Wailaki name choices for the otter that the school children voted on, and Black, who agreed to give her his remaining “blank” otter left over from his “painted otter” project.
“Prof. Jeff Black and I had been talking about ideas of how to use that remaining otter ‘blank,’” said Amidi, “and he loved my idea of making a second mosaic otter and donating it to the visitor center.”
Tce yac, a newly created mosaic otter, is covered with some 40 mosaic images of flora and fauna found in Southern Humboldt parks.
Mary Kaufman, manager of the HRIA, helped lead students on two teams in a rousing and competitive quiz on all things otter discussed during the program.
Many of the students from the Agnes J Johnson Charter School, a free public school in Weott, who came to the dedicatiion program wore their personalized painted otter masks.
Tce yac’s mosaic surface.
Amidi introduced her mosaic otter to students on Friday, April 21, 2023 at the Agnes J. Johnson Elementary School in Weott.
Amidi (right) with her “mosaic otter.”
Students at the Agnes J. Johnson Elementary School in Weott voted to name the mosaic otter Tce yac (“chee yash”) in Wailaki, meaning otter.
Amidi (right) announced the results of the voting by students. School staffer Traci Chadbourne Speelman (left), of the Wailaki tribe, provided the three Wailaki names that the students voted on.
Amidi (left) and Sophia Eckert, director of the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association, came up with idea of Amidi using her creative mosaic skills to create a second otter as a gift for the Humboldt Redwoods State Park visitor center.

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