A trip to Texas and The San Antonio Riverwalk sparked an idea for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) river ranger Ryan Ainger.

Inspired by the colorful murals along the waterway, Ainger wondered if CVNP could create something similar at the Cuyahoga River access point near CVNP’s Boston Mills Visitor Center office: A mural that would reflect the park’s evolution, its commitment to conservation, and the evolving story of the Cuyahoga River.

Today, Ainger’s vision is realized with “A Wild Urban Refuge,” a mural by Ohio-based, Brazilian-born artist Arlin Graff, chosen from nearly 50 artist submissions.

Commissioned for CVNP’s 50th anniversary and funded by public and private sources, including the Ohio Arts Council and Akron Community Foundation, Graff’s mural spans the bridge abutment near the Boston Trailhead, Boston Store, and Cuyahoga Water Trail’s Boston access point.

The mural is part of CVNP’s Arts in the Park initiative—led by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park in partnership with the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA).

“A Wild Urban Refuge” incorporates bold, geometric designs to showcase local wildlife and native plants, including the great blue heron, a beaver, a kingfisher, coneflowers, and other wildflowers.

Arlin Graff speaks at the mural's unveiling at the May Barn at CVNPGraff, who has lived in Northeast Ohio for three years, says he drew inspiration for “A Wild Urban Refuge” from his childhood in Brazil.

“I grew up surrounded by nature,” he says. “Since I decided to be a muralist, I’ve wanted to focus on wildlife because it’s what I grew up with.”

Yet, Graff says he has also witnessed the demise of the ecosystem he knew as a youngster. “Every year, I go home and hear my family say, ‘The toucans didn’t come this year; some animals didn’t return,’” he laments. “It reminds me how important nature is and how everything is connected.”

Through conversations with CVNP staff, including CVNP ranger Ainger, Graff learned more about the beaver, which is the mural’s central focus. “I have the pleasure to bring the beaver here,” he shares. “It’s a very resilient animal. They live by the riverbanks, create wetlands, and bring all these other species to live around them. That’s amazing.”

Additionally, Graff says he chose to paint the beaver at a larger-than-life scale to emphasize the power of nature. “I like to paint the animals bigger than they really are to make us feel small,” he explains.

During his 10 days creating “A Wild Urban Refuge,” Graff says he particularly enjoyed interacting and observing the local wildlife around him—a symbol of the thriving ecosystem he hopes is captured in his work.

More than meets the eye

While the mural initially appears to focus on wildlife, its location near an access point for the Cuyahoga River Water Trail highlights not only the river’s ecosystem but also the journey of the Cuyahoga itself as a testament to the park’s progress over the past 50 years.

The Cuyahoga River, which runs through CVNP, was once infamous for its severe pollution. It has since undergone an impressive transformation after decades of factory waste and sewage left it so contaminated that, in 1969, it famously caught fire in Cleveland.

The disaster spurred America’s modern environmental movement, leading to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, new pollution control laws, and the first Earth Day in 1970.

Today, thanks to extensive and ongoing cleanup efforts, the river supports more than 40 fish species, including steelhead trout and northern pike, with bald eagles and great blue herons returning to nest along its banks. And now the river is a popular spot for recreation.

River Ranger Ryan Ainger speaks at the mural's unveiling“I started off over 30 years ago as a park visitor to CVNP,” recalls Ainger. “I spent weekends with my father biking on the towpath, and back then, seeing a canoe on the Cuyahoga River was rare. Even 10 years ago, when I started as a seasonal ranger, it was surprising to see maybe a dozen folks paddling through in a summer.”

In 2019, Cuyahoga officially became a state-designated water trail. “[Now] our river access sometimes serves over 100 boaters in a single day,” Ainger notes proudly, “and every July 4th we see hundreds of boaters at this [Boston] site alone.”

Ainger says that it’s been gratifying to see a once-blank wall in this area transformed into Graff’s vibrant mural.

“Having a mural here marks the progress we’ve made in embracing the river as a central feature of our park,” he says. “It was the last missing piece of the puzzle for [the Village of] Boston.”

A milestone moment

Ainger says he understands the significance of CVNP’s 50th anniversary and he says he hopes visitors will, too.

“So many people before me in this park, whether National Park Service staff or partners, have seen opportunity here,” he says. “Whether it’s a small change, like a mural, or a big one, like becoming a national park, these moments invite us to slow down, look around, and reflect on how far we’ve come as a park and as a community.”

Graff says he also hopes visitors will take away a lasting message: “I wanted to inspire respect for nature and help people see how connected we are,” he says. “Whatever you do in your home—even how you treat the water—goes to the river, and everything is connected. I want people to remember that.”

Graff’s mural, “A Wild Urban Refuge” can be viewed at the May Barn that overlooks the Cuyahoga River, from inside the Boston Mill Visitor Center on 6947 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264, or when kayaking through the area on the Cuyahoga River Water Trail.