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  • Take a Bee-Line to the Wild Side

    White Salmon Valley Community Library 77 NE Wauna Ave, White Salmon, WA, United States

    Wild bees are a diverse group of bees that are important pollinators for many crops and plants. The U.S. has roughly 4,000 species of wild bees that pollinate thousands of plants, including many common foods like apples and almonds. Wild bees, along with many pollinators, are declining around the world due to land changes, human activities, pesticide use, and other threats. Despite growing concern about population declines, there are limited data about wild bees. You can help wild bees by providing nesting boxes, restoring pollinator-friendly habitats, and encouraging legislation that protects bees. In his “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” presentation, Steve Castagnoli will provide an introduction to the natural history of wild bees in the Pacific Northwest.  Steve Castagnoli is an apprentice level melittologist with the Oregon Bee Atlas. The Oregon Bee Atlas Master Melittologist Program trains and equips citizen scientists to: a) create and maintain a comprehensive and publicly accessible inventory of the state’s native bees and their plant-host preferences, b) to educate Oregonians on the state’s bee biodiversity and c) to conduct an on-going survey of native bee populations in order to assess their health. Specimen records are added annually to newly digitized historic records from the Oregon State Arthropod Collection to build the first comprehensive account of the native bee fauna of Oregon.  

  • Terroir and the floods

    (12Dec24) Scott Burns is back in March to talk about the impact the Ice Age Floods had on vinticulture in the Pacific Northwset.  Join us as Scott explains how the Floods influenced the regional properties of Northwest soils and ultimately made the Pacific Northwest one of the prime wine producing regions in the United States. The "virtual wine tasting" will happen at our chapter meeting 04Mar2025 at 7:00pm at Bellevue College, Building B ,ROOM 104.  This lecture will be in-person and livecast on Zoom. Click on Zoom link:   https://us02web.Zoom.us/j/82985244730 Bellevue College, Bldg B Rm 104

  • Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

    Othello, WA WA, United States

    The 27th annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival - March 21, 22, and 23! Founded in 1998, the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival highlights the spring return of Sandhill Cranes to the greater Othello area and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Not only are there bird lectures and tours on all three days, but the Festival always incorporates many geology talks; and field trips into Flood Country. Please see the events brochure here: https://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/_files/ugd/00304c_e3ceea5f94c44279af5e6e7a1cd036d7.pdf?index=true General admission is $10 and covers lectures and activities at the School and Church. All other tours and activities priced as noted in the schedule along with general admission. Friday Night Featured Lecture - Bruce Bjornstad – The Grand Coulee Nowhere is the evidence for Ice Age Megafloods so dramatic and awe-inspiring than Grand Coulee. The evolution of Grand Coulee will be presented via a unique bird’s eye view of this unique 50-mile-long canyon. Evidence for dozens of megafloods through Grand Coulee, as recently as 15,000 years ago, will be examined. This Lecture is free to attend in the Red Room at 7 PM. Saturday, March 22 there will be several talks on geology at the Crane Festival.. Ice Age Floodscapes. Bruce Bjornstad tells of an appreciation of the huge scale of Ice Age Megafloods and the features they left behind are often hidden and lost at close range. An aerial perspective of dozens of different unique flood features will be presented to bring the immense power and magnitude of the Ice Age Floods into focus Coulees, Canyons, and Valleys, Oh My! Lloyd Stoess will present a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at how scientists can’t always agree on the definition of landforms, like coulees. Coulees interlace the landscape of the channeled scablands of eastern Washington which were carved by the Ice Age Floods, but what really defines them and how do they differ from canyons and valleys? Coyote Canyon: A Mammoth Burial in Ice Age Floods Sediments. Gary Kleinknecht will introduce the audience to Columbian Mammoths, North America’s elephant. He will present evidence for the assertion that this specimen is buried in slack water deposits left by a series of huge floods which created temporary Lake Lewis in the southern Columbia Basin. The discovery of mammoth bones, the on-going excavation of the site, and the paleoenvironmental study at Coyote Canyon will also be discussed. Sunday, March 23, Geology Field Trips Mega Floods Through Wild Drumheller Channels Hike, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. $60.00. This moderately difficult 3-4-mile hike, led by geologist Bruce Bjornstad, will directly explore the flood channels (including the former path of the Columbia River), potholes, erratic, and streamlined basalt islands rimmed with towering 50’ basalt columns. One hundred years ago, J Harlen Bretz recognized this area as one of the most spectacular examples of Ice Age Flood erosion in the Channeled Scabland. Note that there will be no restrooms available on this hike. Bagged lunches are available for order on the registration form. This tour is six hours in length, so bring food, drink, and sturdy walking shoes. SONY DSC The Great Escape of Quincy Basin, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. $60.00. Join Lloyd Stoess and Ken Lacy on a tour to showcase some of the most impressive floodscape that they have ever shown. It will focus on the impact of flood waters escaping the Quincy Basin. Imagine 150 feet of water dropping 800 feet in less than 3 miles, we will see this at the Potholes Coulee. We will also visit places with particularly dramatic views in the Drumheller Channels, Frenchman Coulee, West Bar, and the Ephrata Fan. There will be no hikes but open-toed shoes will not be appropriate. There will be bathroom breaks along the way. This tour is about 8 hours from start to fin

  • Mapping the Pacific Northwest’s Glacial Legacy

    Cheney Community Library 610 1st St, Cheney, WA

    Enhanced LIDAR images (WA-DNR) Glaciers have shaped much of the Pacific Northwest’s landscape over the past 15,000 years. The Cordilleran ice sheet, repeated ice age floods, and expansive alpine glaciation have left their distinctive fingerprints on the topography of our region. Geologists and cartographers have been mapping and interpreting glacial landforms since the late 19th century. In the past decade, the Washington Geological Survey has created new maps that build upon this rich cartographic history by fusing older datasets and techniques with modern insights and technology, such as lidar. Using both historical and modern maps, this presentation by Daniel Coe, Washington Geologic Survey, Seattle, will be a visual journey through the Pacific Northwest’s glacial past and present. Presented in partnership with Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) This event will be live via Zoom. Watch at the library or from anywhere you have an internet connection. Register in-person at the library to view the online presentation at Cheney Library. Register online to view the online presentation from home or anywhere. Note: as of April 2 at 9 PM there are still 33 in-person seats available and 93 online seats available! Registration is required.

  • Tom Pierson – Geology of the Gorge

    White Salmon Valley Community Library 77 NE Wauna Ave, White Salmon, WA, United States

    Tom Pierson, retired USGS Geologist/Hydrologist, will present an overview of the catastrophic forces and events that have shaped the Columbia Gorge that we know today.  Our majestic ancient river has fended off unceasing, violent geologic attempts to block it and divert it, but it keeps on flowing--it's quite a story. Tom will describe how small and huge volcanic eruptions, colossal floods, enormous landslides, and the grinding forces of tectonic crustal deformation have all taken their shots, yet the Columbia still flows to the sea. If you know where to look, you can see the evidence of these old heavyweight knockout rounds.   This talk will be hosted by the Columbia River Gorge Chapter of Ice Age Floods Institute at the White Salmon Community Library, beginning at 5:30pm on Monday, April 28.

  • How the Ice Age Floods Changed the Course of the Palouse River

    Moran Prairie Library 6004 S Regal St, Spokane, WA

    Palouse Falls - Photo Glenn Traver Before the Ice Age Floods, the Palouse River would have flowed through present day Washtucna, Kahlotus, Connell, Mesa, and Eltopia before entering the Columbia River near the Pasco Airport. Today, it takes a fifty-mile shortcut to the Snake River at Lyons Ferry via the Palouse Canyon and Palouse Falls. In this presentation by Lloyd Stoess, President, Palouse Falls Chapter, IAFI, we look at the two factors that caused this dramatic shift—either one by itself would not have been enough. To examine when this happened, we look at some possibilities and clues recently discovered by scientists. Presented in partnership with Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) (Registration required on SCLD website. Registration opens at 6:30 PM Monday, March 31, 2025.)

  • 2025 IAFI Membership Meeting – Gorge-ous Gathering May2-3-4

    Columbia Gorge Discovery Center 5000 Discovery Dr., The Dalles, OR, United States

     Celebrating Ice Age Floods Institute's 30th Anniversary The annual IAFI Membership Meeting is coming to the Columbia Gorge this May 2-3, 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. Friday, May 2nd, will be action packed with activities during the day. Choose between a guided Spring Wildflower Walk, a Journey Through Terroir field trip, an Unveiling the Gorge field trip (repeated on Sunday, May 4). There are also opportunities available every day for full-day or half-day adventure whitewater raft trips on the Klickitat or White Salmon Rivers with Wet Planet Rafting, a local world-class rafting company. Friday evening will feature our 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.  Jim O'Connor Richard Waitt Saturday, May 3rd, will feature the main Ice Age Floods Gorge Geology Field Trip – Explore evidence of the Ice Age Floods in the Columbia Gorge led by USGS expert geologists Jim O’Connor and Richard Waitt. This  field trip will examine the geology of the Columbia River Gorge with emphasis on the effects of the Ice Age Missoula floods, examining key sites and discussing the latest research. Learn more about the Missoula Floods, explore dramatic flood landforms, and enjoy beautiful vistas, lunch at the Deschutes River Park (order a box lunch or bring your own), and a no-host afternoon recap at Maryhill Winery. Check-in begins each day at 8:00 AM at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center Find more detailed information here There is also plenty to see and do in the Gorge to keep you fascinated and engaged if you can stay another day. Visit iconic Multnomah Falls (I-84 access only) and spectacular Vista House at Crown Point overlook. Visit Timberline Lodge, a stunning 1930’s CCC project, on the snowy upper flanks of Mt. Hood. Travel the Hood River Fruit Loop or ride the Mt Hood Railroad Hike one (or more) of the innumerable and spectacular Gorge hiking trails Take Windsurfing and Kiteboarding lessons or just watch the action Enjoy fine dining, artisan wineries, breweries, museums and shops throughout the Gorge. There’s so much more to see and do that we can’t even begin to list it all.

  • How Do They Know? Major Findings About the Ice Age Floods

    Spokane Valley Library 22 N Herald Rd, A, Spokane Valley, W, WA, United States

      Maps Have you ever been watching a science program and wondered “How do they know that?” Dr. Gary L. Ford, President, IAFI, will briefly discuss the how and who “figured it out” regarding aspects of the Ice Age Floods, looking at five questions. These include: how we know there was a huge glacial lake in western Montana thousands of years ago, how we know it drained rapidly perhaps a hundred times, about how many floods there were and when they occurred, where the floodwater came from, and about how long it took the floodwater to get to the ocean. We also go over which answers to these questions are still being debated by researchers. Presented in partnership with Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI)

  • Sheila Alfsen – Mt. St. Helens May 18,1980 Eruption – Lwr. Columbia Chapter

    Tualatin Heritage Center 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR, United States

    The 1980 Eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington was the worst volcanic disaster in recorded US history. Geologist Sheila Alfsen, will bring the event back to life; detailing its onset and eruption sequence. She will illustrate its volcanic hazards with examples from other volcanoes and comparing their relative sizes. Sheila will discuss the advances in volcanology made as result of the eruption, and how they are used around the world to gain prediction and offer disaster mitigation. Thursday, May 15, 2025, In Person 7:00 PM (PDT) at Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR 97062 ALSO Live ZOOM from THC, Click for Zoom meeting, Meeting ID: 869 4651 3479 Passcode: 322382. Sheila Alfsen Sheila Alfsen's Background: *Current Instructor of Geology: Portland State University, Chemeketa Community College, Linn Benton Community College *Researcher *FEMA Earthquake Publication Reviewer *Paleontology- University of Oregon, Volcanology, Oceanography *Master of Arts in Teaching, Western Oregon University *Bachelors of Arts from Western Oregon University, Geology and Spanish *Oregon resident since 1970 - extensively traveled in US, particularly the Western states, Alaska, Arctic region, Iceland, Hawaii, Mexico, Puerto Rico * Thirty-five years in Education: Experience in interpretation for National Park Service

    Free

  • Ice Age FloodFest 2025

    Dry Falls Visitor Center 35661 HWY 17 North, Coulee City, WA, United States

    Get ready for the Ice Age Floodfest 2025, an unparalleled celebration of the cataclysmic events that carved out the Pacific Northwest's iconic channeled scablands! Dive deep into the geological story that spans millennia and reshaped the very landscape beneath our feet. From towering coulees to vast dry falls, the evidence of these ancient, colossal floods is everywhere, and this year's Floodfest promises to raise your awareness and understanding of their incredible power and lasting impact. Join us in the Lower Grand Coulee for a day of expert-led talks, fascinating field trips, and engaging exhibits that will transport you back to a time when mile-high ice dams burst, unleashing torrents of water that dwarfed any flood in human history. Whether you're a seasoned geologist or simply curious about the natural wonders around you, the Ice Age Floodfest 2025 is an event you won't want to miss! Presenters will share their knowledge and their appreciation of  Ice Age Floods Geology, the Channeled Scablands, Shrub  Steppe Ecosystems, Anthropology, Archeology, and History. Field Trip Hike: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Where: Lake Lenore Caves Heritage Area Bruce Bjornstad, a Research Scientist based in Richland, Washington and  author of the popular ‘On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods’ guidebooks, will lead an  educational hike from the Lake Lenore Caves trailhead. The park is situated above Lake  Lenore, and it offers stunning views of the valley. The caves themselves are shallow basalt  formations created during the Great Missoula floods. Outdoor Booths: 10 AM – 3 PM on the campus of Dry Falls Visitor Center. Featuring Federal, State, Confederated Tribes of the Colville  Reservation, Nonprofits, Historians, Authors, & Volunteers Where: Dry Falls Visitor Center – Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park 35661 HWY 17 North, Coulee City, WA 99115 Ice Age Floods Institute - Lower Grand Coulee Chapter and other Ice Age Flood Institute chapters from Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will have historic photographs telling the  story and the history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. They will also share  the legends of the beautiful landscape of the Dry Falls area and surrounding landscape.  Dr. Karen Capuder - Anthropologist and Senior Archaeologist Colville Tribes, will share some of  the cultural and political history of the Colville Tribes, from time immemorial to the present day.  Grant County Historians/authors: Dan Bolyard & John M. Kemble – Dan Bolyard has been a lifelong Grant County Big Bend area resident and railroad historian. John M. Kemble is a local historian and explorer highlighting Dry Falls, Sun Lakes, Steamboat Rock, The Grand Coulee, and Banks Lake.  North Central Regional Library –April Harward, learn about the NCW Summer Library programs - captivating storytelling to engaging workshops and fun activities, everyone can unleash their unique voice and explore their passions.  National Park Service – Justin Radford, Program Manager for the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail with a Mobile Interpretive Center showcasing the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, and The Grand Coulee a National Natural Landmark.  Foster Creek & Columbia Basin Conservation Districts – programs on Shrub Steppe ecology, water resources, wildlife, and native vegetation. Washington Department of Wildlife – wildlife found in Eastern Washington as well as the enhancement and preservation work that is done in the Columbia Basin. Archeologist – Mark Amara, Kim Lancaster, and Kellie Green; representing the Cascadia Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Their booth will highlight  the importance of historical artifacts, tools of the trade, and hands-on activity too. Bureau of Reclamation – will have an overview of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, and  the Grand Coulee Dam. Presentations: 10 am - 3 pm Where: inside/upstairs in the Dry Falls Visitor Center NPS Ranger Justin Radford Ranger David McWalter 10 am – 11 am: Justin Radford, Program Manager, NPS, Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, will present an  overview of this unique geologic trail starting in Montana, through Idaho, Oregon, and  Washington. Interpretive Specialist, David McWalter, will present an overview of Washington's Ice Age Floods,  introduce the rugged terrain of eastern Washington that was shaped by floods of unimaginable  power during the last ice age, and share how the scientific views of the landscape have changed  over the last century.   11:30 am – 12:30 pm: WA DNR, Geologist Joel Gombiner will present an update on recent studies of Washington’s Ice  Age Floods and introduce a new lidar-based visualization of Dry Falls. 1 pm – 2 pm: WA State Parks, Interpretive Specialist 1, Sarah Overby will present "Brushstrokes: The  Colorful Story of Lichen". From rocks, trees, soil, and pretty much anything that will sit still long  enough, lichen will spring up in robust colonies. Crusty, leafy, or even… fuzzy? They paint beautiful  bright oranges and greens across the dark basalt rock and the branches of the sagebrush, but  what are they doing there? This 45-minute presentation aims to dive deeper into the complexities  of lichen and discuss its impact on ecosystems as well as its impact on us.  2:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Viewing of Bruce Bjornstad’s - "Ice Age Floodscapes" Bretz’ Great Cataract Group Primordial Potholes Coulee Grand Coulee – NW Exposures Dry Falls Deep Lake Potholes Dry Falls Visitor Center - weather station - up-to-date weather conditions at Dry Falls provided by the National Park Service. Watch a timelapse of the past 24 hours by clicking on the small photo, enlarge, press play, and enjoy!