Laramie - This Friday, the Laramie Artists' Guild will be holding an event to celebrate the aesthetic beauty of the Medicine Bow National Forest. The Forest Service is currently soliciting public comments on its new long-term plan is for the Medicine Bow, and the various management alternatives run the gamut from healing damaged landscapes through lighter-impact forestry to a heavy emphasis on clearcutting, which scars the landscape.

"The Bow offers artists unlimited possibilities and challenges," said Rosalie Lewis of the Laramie Artists' Guild. "It is a favorite subject for landscape painting."

The show will be held in the Grand Bazaar Gallery at 111 Grand Avenue in downtown Laramie from March 13th through March 29, 2003. The opening reception featuring local artists such as Linda Lillegraven, Quita Pownall, Jeanie Schlump, and Joe Arnold will be held Saturday, March 5th, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The opening is free of charge and open to the public; refreshments will be served, and live entertainment will be provided by nationally-acclaimed dulcimer player Steve Eulberg. "I believe that all living beings, whether rooted or not, moving fast or slow, are important to the entire structure of existence, and the needs of all must be balanced to retain the harmony which sustains our existence, said Eulberg. "Each time I breathe, I thank a tree!"

"Being a third-generation Wyomingian, I feel we all need to be aware of how precious our natural resources are for all of us and our future generations." said Sean Hart, Gallery owner. "Taking an interest and letting the Forest Service what we the citizens of Wyoming want for such a wonderous place as the Medicine Bow National Forest is a duty we should actively participate in."

The show will benefit the Keep the Medicine Bow WILD campaign, organized by Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Medicine Bow Group of the Sierra Club. A portion of all sales from the show will benefit conservation on the Medicine Bow.