Beloved bronze otter stolen from Nadaka Nature Park

A beloved bronze sculpture was stolen sometime in the past two weeks from an East Multnomah County park.

“Slider,” a two-foot-tall bronze otter created by Troutdale artist Rip Caswell and his son Chad, was stolen from Nadaka Nature Park, 17615 N.E. Glisan St. It is unknown exactly when the theft occurred — a member of Gresham Outdoor Public Art noticed it missing on May 3.

The statue was installed in the summer of 2017 to much fanfare. It was put in place alongside a bronze raven, Seeker, which remained safe from the thieves perched upon a tall wooden pole.

“The sad part is the neighborhood really came together to name (the statues),” said Judy Han, GOPA board president. “We want to see him returned. We are hoping someone just wanted to put it in their yard.”

This was no fly-by-night operation, as removing the statue would have taken serious determination and a set of specific tools. According to Caswell, the bolts used to affix Slider were not typical, and would have been difficult to cut via typical means.

Right now art lovers and Nadaka goers are asking the community to keep their eyes peeled for the statue. Local metal recyclers have also been alerted to the stolen statue.

Anyone with information about the theft or current location of the bronze otter is asked to call the Gresham Police tip line at 503-618-2719.

GOPA raises funds to buy outdoor public art, notably bringing many of the bronze statues and mural that can be found in downtown Gresham. Learn more at greshamoutdoorpublicart.com.