Programs
Education
Volcano Views & Brews
Volcano Views and Brews is on summer vacation. V&B will return in September with an exciting line up.
This popular lecture series about the great outdoors began in 2008 and continues every month at the Lucky Labrador Pub, located at 1945 NW Quimby in Portland, Oregon. Fascinating topics, lively speakers, and a slice of hot pizza make for an enjoyable and horizon-widening evening. Last year’s V&B series covered such wide-ranging subjects as saving salmon, cross-country skiing at Mount Hood, and monitoring shrinking Cascade glaciers. This year’s line-up features talks about rock-climbing, hiking in the Northwest, and Chile’s Chaitén volcano. Happy Hour begins at 5 pm, and presentations start at 7 pm. Tickets are $5 at the door.
The Institute thanks Leatherman and the Lucky Labrador for their support in sponsoring Volcano Views and Brews.
Views and Brews Lecture Series
September 21, 2010
Know Guts, Know Glory: Traversing the Impossible Mount Whittier Ridgeline
Dennis Stilwell
Enjoy a scenic adventure as author Dennis Stilwell relates his first encounter with Mount Whittier Ridge in the Mount Margaret backcountry of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. What Stilwell had anticipated as a regular hike became more of an overwhelming challenge as daylight faded. Despite his despair, he was still captivated by the beauty of the lakes and vistas along this route which make Mount Whittier one of the most fulfilling hikes within the monument.
Dennis Stilwell has a BS in education and has authored several websites, including nwhiker.com. He has created three hiking guides for the Pacific Northwest: “70 Virtual Hikes of the Columbia River Gorge,” “50 Virtual Hikes of the Mount Hood National Forest,” and “85 Virtual Hikes of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.” He has also authored a DVD titled “Virtual Wonders of the Columbia River Gorge.” A father of two, Dennis lives with his wife in Gresham, Oregon. He likes to hike, take pictures, and keep a trained eye on the stars as well as the weather.
October 19, 2010
A Hike through Time: Decades of Change on Mount St. Helens’ Harmony Trail
Christine Colasurdo
Join author Christine Colasurdo for a virtual hike down the Harmony Trail, a 1-mile trail to the shore of Spirit Lake. Colasurdo will share photos and insights as she travels, in pictures, down the trail as well as back through time to see the changes that have happened since May 18, 1980. You’ll learn about the transformation of flora and fauna in Mount St. Helens’ blast zone over the last 30 years and hear interesting stories about people, plants and animals that survived the eruption.
Every summer Christine Colasurdo hikes the Harmony Trail to observe changes in the blast zone. Her acquaintance with Mount St. Helens, though, started long before the Harmony Trail existed. She first camped at Spirit Lake as a child, and her family’s cabin was destroyed in the 1980 eruption. In 1979 she worked at Harmony Falls Lodge, which once stood near where the Harmony Trail now ends. Colasurdo received her Master’s degree in English from UC Berkeley and is the author of two books, including “Return to Spirit Lake,” selected as a 2005 Washington Reads book. She has created three exhibits about Mount St. Helens and has given talks in California, Washington, and Oregon. http://www.christinecolasurdo.com/
November 16, 2010
Trees of Portland: An Exploration of the City’s Urban Forest
Phyllis Reynolds
Portland is nearly 160 years old, and, although its nickname is Stumptown, it has some marvelous trees not to be missed. Some of these trees are natives, some are exotic, some have historical significance, and some are simply old and beautiful. Phyllis Reynolds will present stories of these remarkable trees and discuss their species and importance to Portland.
The author of two books, including Trees of Greater Portland, Phyllis Reynolds has a PhD in psychology from the University of Minnesota. She has volunteered extensively to help identify and protect Portland’s trees and has completed 10 tree inventories. A recipient of the City of Portland Mayor’s Award for Tree Stewardship, she is currently collaborating with the Geography Department at Portland State University to identify and map trees in Portland parks designed and planted one hundred years ago by Emanuel Tillman Mische. When she isn’t writing about trees she’s busy photographing them.
