"The first time we really saw him fly, we all said, 'wow this is cool'" said Pamela Park Proctor, a volunteer artist from Rowayton.
With an over 6-foot wing span, it's hard to miss Harry the Heron and the Norwalk Land Trust hopes the larger than life model will be help them educate the community about ecology.
"He can be a spokesperson if you will for land conservation and title estuary conservation," said Midge Kennedy, Vice President & Treasurer of the Norwalk Land Trust.
Harry took his first flight back in May during the Rowayton Memorial Day Parade. It was local artist Pamela Park Proctor who brought him to life.
"I'm a volunteer in this delightful community and the Norwalk Land Trust is something I have a lot of passion for," said Proctor.
"It was sort of natural; if you were going to do a bird that represented saving and conserving title estuary space, the great blue heron would be the guy to go with," said Kennedy.
It took about a month for Proctor to get Harry ready for his debut.
"[The heron] is the logo of the Farm Creek Preserve which is sort of our jewel in the crown of all of our properties," said Kennedy.
According to the Land Trust's website, "more than 25 properties amounting to nearly 90 acres throughout Norwalk have come under Norwalk Land Trust stewardship."
With the next parade months away, the Land Trust now hopes Harry can be added into a program they already have as a teaching tool for students.
"We want to get the students while they are young to learn that open space is not just a golf course or a park. It is a little bit wilder and more open you have to have that in order to have a healthy planet,"said Kennedy.
