New London ― For the past 30 years a grand depiction of giant sperm whales and dolphins, the “Great Sperm Whales” mural on Eugene O’Neill Drive, has been a downtown landmark.

Despite several restoration efforts over the three decades, time and the elements slowly deteriorated the mural.

Environmental artist Rob Wyland, known simply as “Wyland,” returned to the city this past weekend and painted a new mural.

The Whaling City celebrated the revival of the mural during a dedication ceremony Monday afternoon. Local and state officials were joined by a number of community members and Wyland fans as they stood in front of the new mural which continues to depict a family of whales but this time includes an epic battle with a giant red squid.

“It was a great honor to be back and paint a new mural with the addition of new elements,” Wyland said.

Wyland said the original mural took six days to paint. The new mural was done in two days with most of the work completed Sunday. Prior to the ceremony Monday, Wyland met and painted with art students from Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Middle School at the mural site.

During the ceremony, Felix Reyes, the city’s director of economic development and planning, thanked his department’s grant writers for working to fund the restoration of the building wall and the painting. The city is used $275,000 in federal and state grants to cover the costs of materials, equipment and a donation to Wyland’s foundation.

Reyes also thanked Rich Martin, chair of the city’s Cultural District Commisson, for making a case to get Wyland to return.

“Not in my wildest dreams did I think we’d get a new Wyland mural,” Reyes said.

Wyland donates his murals to bring awareness to his self-named foundation. The California-based foundation is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world's oceans, waterways, and marine life.

“We have a lot of water but we’re not taking care of it. We’re polluting it and dumping plastic but we’re gonna get there,” Wyland said at the ceremony.

The city managed to orchestrate Wyland’s return even as the 66-year-old artist is set to retire from mural painting.

Mayor Michael Passero said if this mural turns out to be the artist’s last, he has finished this part of his career with his best.

“Two hundred years ago, our city made itself wealthy hunting whales so let us now be on the forefront of celebrating these amazing creatures as mankind’s attention turns to saving them from extinction,” Passero said.

Passero also promoted the Wyland Foundation’s National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, which challenges mayors across the country to get the largest number of their residents to commit to conserve water and reduce harmful runoff.

Passero Waterford’s First Selectman Rob Brule and City of Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick, join him as he made a public pledge to the challenge. Passero urged city residents to go to www.mywaterpledge.com to pledge on behalf of the city.

Passero proclaimed the third day of April as Wyland Day in the city.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Martin; Elizabeth Shapiro with the state Department of Economic and Community Development; and Ed Lamoureux, the founder and co-chair of Alewife Cove Conservancy.

City Councilor Akil Peck said he was 15 years old when Wyland first came to the city, and this weekend he got to see the new mural painted with his 15-year-old son. He said it’s rewarding now sitting on the council and being able to approve the funding for such projects.

Wyland fan Patty Deyo traveled from Newburgh, N.Y., with her mother to meet the artist at the ceremony. She held with her a book called the Art of Wyland that her mother had given her as a kid 30 years ago. She had it signed by Wyland.

Deyo, an artist herself, said the new mural was great and she’s always impressed by his work.

“The eyes (of the whales) are my favorite part,” she said. “They look how I imagine swimming next to them would appear.”

Tom Callinan, the state’s first troubadour, closed the ceremony with the song he wrote 30 years ago for the original mural’s dedication.

“There’s a diver who makes the oceans visible for all when he paints dolphin whaling walls,” he sang.

j.vazquez@theday.com

Editor’s note: This version updates the title of Waterford First Selectman Rob Brule.