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Celebrating Ice Age Floods Institute's 30th Anniversary
The annual IAFI Membership Meeting is coming to the Columbia Gorge this May 2-4, 2025, and all our members and their guests are cordially invited to come experience some of the best and most interesting features the Gorge has to offer. There'll be opportunities to explore storied Gorge wildflowers and native plants, geology and winery field trips, whitewater rafting, a membership meeting/dinner and a presentation by the ever-entertaining Nick Zenter.
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Gorge-ous Gathering Activities
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The entire weekend will be action packed with activities during the day. May 2nd will feature a guided Spring Wildflower Walk, a Journey Through Terroir field trip, and an Unveiling the Gorge field trip. The evening will feature the annual IAFI Members Meeting and Dinner, followed by an entertaining and informative presentation by the inimitable Nick Zenter exploring and geolocating J Harlan Bretz's field notes.
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This will be a magical and unforgettable adventure on the Rowena Plateau.
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Spring Wildflower Walk - On Friday, May 2nd, prepare to be captivated as Barbara Robinson, a renowned native plants expert, leads you on a spectacular Wildflower Walk through Tom McCall Preserve on the Rowena Plateau. Located in the transition zone between the moist, heavily-forested west side of the Cascades and the drier bunch grass prairies of the east, the easy Plateau Trail immerses you in a vibrant tapestry of springtime wildflowers that cover grasslands full of arrowleaf balsamroot, lupine, bachelor's button, and other spectacular wildflowers blooming at your feet. You’ll meander through breathtaking panoramas of the Columbia River Gorge unfolding before you, imagining the raw power of nature that created the enigmatic mound-and-swale topography and kolk pond landforms sculpted by ancient forces of volcanic eruptions and Ice Age floods that flowed 200 feet above your head.
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Meet Barbara at the Rowena Crest parking circle at 10:00 AM, Friday. May 2nd (Google Maps link).
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Embark on a Journey Through Terroir - Experience the magic of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region with renowned soil scientist and vineyard consultant, Alan Busacca. This exclusive bus tour takes you deep into the heart of this unique region, where dramatic landscapes and diverse microclimates create wines of extraordinary character. You'll visit stunning vineyards, sample award-winning wines, and uncover the fascinating science behind their unique flavors. Learn how volcanic soils, extreme rainfall gradients, and powerful winds all contribute to the distinctive taste of each wine. From lush, forested hillsides to sun-drenched high-desert slopes, this is your chance to experience the incredible diversity of this "World of Wine in Forty Miles." and taste the sensory adventure of the Columbia Gorge firsthand.
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May 2nd
Bus loads at 9:30 AM
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May 2nd and May 4th, Bus loads at 9:30 AM
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Unveiling the Gorge Field Trip - The walls of the Columbia Gorge expose layer upon layer of similar appearing Columbia River Basalt. But exposed within those walls are features that tell unusual stories of geologic events, cultural history and inspire imaginative tales. On this field trip we’ll stop and discuss many of those features and their stories as we do a 50-mile bus loop through some of the most spectacular scenic vistas the Gorge has to offer. Maars, lahars, pillows, petroglyphs, even an exotic side trip, plus much more will expand your vision and tickle your imagination.
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Membership Gathering, Dinner, Special Presentation
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The evening will begin with a guided native plants tour guided by Barbara Robinson around the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center grounds and an opportunity to visit the museum's displays.
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Then we'll gather in the auditorium for the membership meeting at 5:00 PM.
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Buffet pasta dinner at 5:30 in the Discovery Center's Basalt Rock Cafe.
At 7:00 PM we'll return to the auditorium for the high point of the evening, the main presentation by the amazing Nick Zenter about his recent collaboration work to document and share the field notes and journal revelations of J Harlan Bretz.
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Nick Zentner
May 2nd at 7:00 PM
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Ice Age Floods Gorge Geology
Explore evidence of the Ice Age Floods in the Columbia Gorge with guidance from USGS geologists Jim O'Connor and Richard Waitt. This field trip will examine the geology of the Columbia River Gorge, especially the effects of the Ice Age Missoula floods, examining key sites and discussing the latest research.
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You'll learn more about the Missoula Floods, explore dramatic flood landforms, and enjoy beautiful vistas, lunch at the Deschutes River Park and a no-host afternoon recap at Maryhill Winery.
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May 3rd, Buses load at 9:00 AM at the Discovery Center
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A Few Other Things to See and Do in the Gorge
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There's much more to see/do in the Gorge to keep you fascinated and engaged
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There’s so much more to see and do that we can’t even begin to list it all
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Note: The Columbia Gorge in May can be warm/cool, dry/wet, calm/windy, and some tours will involve roadside off/on the bus stops and short walks, so dress appropriately and wear comfortable walking shoes.
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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI), a milestone that offers an opportunity to reflect on the Institute's foundational role in bringing the story of the Ice Age floods to national prominence and in establishing the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail.
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Founded in 1995, IAFI emerged from a collective recognition of the need to educate the public about the cataclysmic floods that shaped the landscapes of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Through persistent advocacy, community engagement, and educational initiatives, IAFI laid the groundwork for what would become the nation’s first National Geologic Trail.
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The culmination of these efforts was the passage of Public Law 111-11 in 2009, which officially designated the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. This achievement was the result of a bipartisan effort, with key support from U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Doc Hastings (R-WA), who were primary sponsors of the trail legislation. Other notable supporters included Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Larry Craig (R-ID), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Gordon Smith (R-OR). Their collective commitment underscored the shared value placed on preserving and interpreting this significant geologic history.
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A celebratory ribbon-cutting event was held on May 27, 2009, just after Congress passed the legislation. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and U.S. Representative Doc Hastings were joined by Gary Kleinknecht, then-president of the Ice Age Floods Institute. The ribbon-cutting symbolized more than legislative success—it celebrated years of behind-the-scenes advocacy by IAFI leaders and members who worked tirelessly with elected officials to see the trail officially recognized.
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Since the trail’s designation, the partnership between IAFI and the National Park Service has been integral to the development and interpretation of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Collaborative projects have included the creation of interpretive materials, the planning of educational programs, and the development of enhanced digital maps and content to guide visitors through the trail’s extensive network. These joint efforts have been essential in bringing the story of the Ice Age floods to a broader audience.
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Shared Leadership and Future Potential
As the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail continues to develop, the professional relationship between the Trail’s current National Park Service program manager. Justin Radford, and IAFI’s president, Dr. Gary Ford, exemplifies a strong and effective partnership. Built on mutual respect and a shared commitment to public education and stewardship, our collaboration helps ensure that strategic goals are aligned, innovative educational resources are developed, and public engagement with the Ice Age Floods story continues to grow. This cooperative leadership reflects the enduring values that brought the Trail into existence and remains essential to its continued success.
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Plans are underway for expanded educational outreach and increased community engagement initiatives. These endeavors aim to deepen public understanding and appreciation of the Ice Age floods’ impact on the region’s geography, while strengthening the relationships that support the Trail’s future.
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As we celebrate IAFI’s 30-year milestone, we extend our deepest gratitude to IAFI’s members, volunteers, and supporters. Your dedication has been instrumental in transforming a vision into a tangible trail that educates and inspires countless visitors. Together, we look forward to continuing this journey of discovery and interpretation for years to come.
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By Justin Radford, National Park Service – Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Program Manager
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Science in the News
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To feed our members' interest in life-long learning, we share information about the Floods and other science topics. Use our online form to submit an article or question that others might appreciate.
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We know the story...a world gripped by ice. Some twenty thousand years ago, colossal glaciers sculpted the landscape, their icy fingers reaching down through the Idaho panhandle. They choked the ancient Clark Fork River, birthing a vast, temporary lake: Glacial Lake Missoula. Then, the inevitable happened. The icy dam buckled, unleashing unimaginable torrents of water that carved a dramatic path across the land in a series of cataclysmic floods.
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We see their scars today – stark strand lines etched into hillsides, the labyrinthine coulees, silent dry waterfalls, and the scattered, out-of-place "erratic" rocks, silent witnesses to a watery fury. But beyond the sheer power of these floods, a more profound question lingers: What life thrived in the shadow of this impending devastation? What world existed downstream of Glacial Lake Missoula in the fleeting calm before each deluge?
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The answer, astonishingly, is life. Vibrant and resilient, creatures roamed the landscape, unaware of the watery apocalypse that would soon reshape their world. And now, buried within the very sediments left by those colossal floods, echoes of this Ice Age existence are being unearthed.
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Just south of the Tri-Cities, Washington, a remarkable discovery is unfolding. Here, the bones of a 17,500-year-old Columbian mammoth are being meticulously excavated, offering a breathtaking glimpse into a time when ice dominated the north. Imagine this majestic creature, striding across a landscape soon to be ravaged by floodwaters, its final resting place a testament to the sheer scale of these geological events.
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Now that 17,500-year-old Columbian mammoth is being excavated just south of the Tri-Cities in Washington and visitors can tour the site. For many, a visit to this active dig site is within easy reach – a captivating day trip, a memorable overnight stay, or a fascinating detour along the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Stand on the very ground where this ancient giant lay buried, a staggering seven hundred feet above the present-day Columbia River, entombed in soil deposited by the very floods that shaped this region.
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The incredible work of unearthing these secrets is led by the dedicated nonprofit organization, MCBONES. At the Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site, they offer a unique opportunity to step back in time. For a modest $10 per person (sign up at www.mcbones.org), from April until mid-October the public can join guided tours of this active paleontological dig. Witness firsthand the careful process of uncovering these ancient relics and hear the compelling story of this mammoth's burial, the clues it offers about the pre-flood environment, and the ongoing discoveries that are rewriting our understanding of this dramatic period. Every dollar from tour admissions, gift shop sales, and generous donations directly fuels this vital research, ensuring that these whispers from a frozen past continue to be heard.
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Explore the Ice Age Floods
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Just a short drive east of Cheney, Washington, lies Fish Lake Regional Park, a beautiful 76-acre space offering more than just typical park amenities. This area, easily accessible with parking, play areas, hiking trails, and a swimming beach, tells a dramatic story of a landscape shaped by immense Ice Age floods. You'll find a paved parking lot at the northeast edge of the park, right by the Fish Lake trailhead. From here, you can hop onto the Columbia Plateau State Park Trail and start your adventure!
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What makes Fish Lake truly unique is its geology. It's a double plunge pool, a fascinating feature created by powerful, swirling currents during these ancient mega-floods. These paired, counter-rotating currents scoured out the lake basins, and during periods of low water, you can even spot a partial rock ridge, or rock blade, that divides the two pools. An even larger basalt rock blade separates Fish Lake from the nearby Minnie Creek rock channel and a wide, swampy area it drains into.
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The significance of Fish Lake isn't lost on those who study these incredible floods. The local chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI), now the Cheney-Spokane Chapter, has been exploring and educating about this area since 2004. Early field trips introduced members to the flood-formed features around Cheney and the Palouse region, with Fish Lake being a key example.
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Condensed from an article by Dr. Linda McCollum, President, Cheney-Spokane Chapter
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Remarkably, even the pioneers of Ice Age Floods research, Joseph Pardee and J Harlen Bretz, visited the Fish Lake area over a century ago, recognizing the powerful forces at play. For those interested in learning more, a video explaining the formation of these scour lakes is available on the IAFI website under the Cheney-Spokane chapter.
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Geologically, Fish Lake sits on a fascinating junction. It was carved into a chemically weathered contact zone between very old metamorphic rock, dating back a staggering 1.47 billion years, and much younger basalt flows from the Columbia River Basalt Group, around 16 million years old. The lake's eastward drainage into the Minnie Rock channel further illustrates the powerful erosive forces of the floods. Evidence even suggests the floodwaters in this area reached incredible heights, exceeding 2600 feet, as seen in a small scour lake near Prosser Hill.
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So, next time you're looking for a park with natural beauty and a captivating history, consider visiting Fish Lake Regional Park. It's a place where you can relax and play while standing in a landscape sculpted by one of Earth's most dramatic events.
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The Mossback’s Northwest production team met in Thurston County to research some geological history. We learned that the Missoula Floods that scoured Eastern Washington weren’t the only massive, earth-shaping floods at the end of the last Ice Age some 15,000 years ago. The retreating Puget Lobe — the last ice sheet’s southern extension, which stopped just south of Olympia — sent massive flows south and west as it melted.
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But while retreating, the ice also blocked rivers flowing from Mount Rainier, like the Carbon and Puyallup. This created a series of glacial lakes which, when unblocked, periodically let loose with floods and debris flows, shaping the valleys and prairies of the region. We talked at length with geologist Patrick Pringle who has, with his research partner Barry Goldstein, studied this phenomenon. As a result of the floods, Pringle says, there is a lot of volcanic rock — from gravel to massive boulders — in the valleys of South Puget Sound that washed down from Tahoma. More on this is coming in Season 11 this fall.
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Reprinted from the Cascade PBS 'The Mossback Den' newsletter
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April 15 - Mapping the Pacific Northwest’s Glacial Legacy, Cheney-Spokane
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April 28 - Tom Pierson – Geology of the Gorge, Columbia Gorge
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April 28 - How the Ice Age Floods Changed the Course of the Palouse River, Cheney-Spokane
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May 2-4 - 2025 IAFI Membership Meeting – Gorge-ous Gathering, Columbia Gorge
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May 5 - 1.5 Million Years of Climate Data from the Antarctic Drilling Project, Puget Lobe
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May 14 - How Do They Know? Major Findings About the Ice Age Floods, Cheney-Spokane
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May 17 - Cheney-Spokane Chapter Hike – Palisades Park
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June 14- Northeastern Waterville Plateau Field Trip
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June 21 - Cheney-Spokane Chapter Hike – Waikiki Springs
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Recognizing IAFI Volunteers
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Volunteers are a mainstay of the IAFI organization, both in our leadership and our chapter members who help keep things working on the local level. We want to recognize some of those volunteers who give selflessly of themselves for the good of our entire organization and for the public in general.
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How would you like to have a volunteer on your team who embodies the following qualities?
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Enthusiasm - Support - Upbeat Attitude Availability to Help - Creative Ideas Encouragement
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The Ellensburg chapter has such a member in Sue Billings. She has been involved in several meetings and projects over the last years. And she is almost always available to help out when called upon. She and her husband, Tom Ring, live in the town of Selah—reflecting the wide spread area from which our members come. And she is able to do all this in addition to having a rich lifestyle in which they travel and stay involved in other projects.
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Thanks so much for your involvement and contributions, Sue. We really appreciate it.
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Mike Doran, President Ellensburg Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute
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What would you say about a volunteer who has spent literally years advancing the mission of the Ice Age Floods Institute and still continues to do so, even in semi-retirement?
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You would have to say she is the prime example of the committed, capable, enthusiastic, and gifted volunteer every organization would like to have.
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When she moved to the Spokane area from Northeast Texas, a proud Texan became a determined and energetic citizen for the state of Washington--and eventually a valuable member of the Ice Age Floods Institute.
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In January 2007, she became involved with the Ice Age Floods Institute’s Board of Directors when she was elected to the Board and became the Secretary. Over the years she:
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- Developed Board Calendars, Board Directories, and Annual Meeting Planning Masters.
- Served as Treasurer.
- Implemented new Membership Management system.
- Continues on the Executive Committee and is Chair of the Revenue Generating Committee.
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She became a member of the Ice Age Floods Institute and Cheney-Spokane Chapter as early as 2005. Over the years she's been active:
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- Serving as Secretary, Treasurer, President of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter and currently serves as Past President.
- Recruiting Sponsors and Partners.
- Writing grants and was successful in funding production of brochures, booklets, flyers and providing for event exhibiting supplies.
- Partnering with Spokane Parks and Recreation to ensure the accuracy of the Ice Age Floods story in the Ice Age Floods Playground that opened in Riverfront Park in May 2021.
- Helping Science Coordinators understand the importance of Floods curriculum for Spokane School District.
- Assisting chapters organize the logistics of hosting conferences.
- Becoming a Lifetime Honorary Chapter Board Member in 2023.
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Everyone who knows her agrees she is the quintessential volunteer and we are fortunate to have her.
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Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit educational organization (EIN 91-1658221), founded in 1995 and recognized as an official authority on the Ice Age Floods, providing accurate, scientific-based advice to members and the public. We were instrumental in 2009 Federal legislation authorizing National Park Service designation of the
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail (IAFNGT).
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