Activity

Name: Bretz Was Right: A Pre‑Birthday Floods‑Fest
Start: 2026-08-29T10:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-08-29T14:00:00-07:00

March 2026
Dating Erratic Boulders: How Long Ago Were the Floods?

March 24 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm PDT

Deer Park Library 208 S Forest Ave, Deer Park, WA

How do geologists know when the ice age floods actually occurred in the Spokane area? One method is to date the large flood-rafted erratic boulders. We explore the ages of the floods and the methods used to determine their dates and present newly gathered dates from the Spokane region revealing when the floods happened. Presented by Glenn Cruickshank, vice president of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI), Cheney-Spokane Chapter Registration is required.
Geology of the Tri-Cities Field Trip

March 28 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm PDT

Richland Community Center 500 Amon Park Dr, Richland, WA, United States

The Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute is sponsoring an informal (carpool) field trip focus on the geology in and around Richland, Washington
April 2026
Cheney-Spokane Chapter Hike – Palisades Park 2026

April 4 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDT

Palisades Park 2-198 S Rimrock Dr, Spokane, WA, United States

The 3-mile hike will be led by IAFICS board member geologist Michael Hamilton. It will take place along Rimrock Drive, which has spectacular views of Spokane and the Spokane Valley. The Glacial Outburst Flood Story will include a lot of "arm-waving," pointing out flood features both along the trail and with views to the east. The geology discussion will include details of another kind of flood that hit the Spokane area 14 million years ago. The hike will then cut to the west along one of the park's trails to find mysterious Mima mounds, and then loop back to the parking area.
Lower Crab Creek Field Trip

April 11 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm PDT

CMSP&P Bridge, Beverly, WA 46.83539588686751, -119.93816967222578, Beverly, WA, United States

Saturday April 11—Lower Crab Creek. We will meet on the east end of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific bridge in Beverly at 10:00am. Over the day, we will explore: 1) the tectonic origins of Crab Creek “Coulee” and the Saddle Mountains; 2) impacts of Ice Age flooding on the area; 3) formation of prominent rockfall and landslides from the Saddle Mountains; and 4) how geology, weather and climate, and human activity have shaped sand dunes and salt flats in the area. The trip will conclude around 3pm giving participants plenty of time to get back to Ellensburg for Nick Zentner’s lecture. More details will be forthcoming. Field trip leader Karl Lillquist.
August 2026
Bretz Was Right: A Pre‑Birthday Floods‑Fest

August 29 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm PDT

Save the date! Our chapter is planning a special late‑summer gathering on Saturday, August 29, in honor of J Harlen Bretz, whose birthday falls just a few days later (September 2). Bretz’s groundbreaking work on the Ice Age floods reshaped the scientific understanding of the Northwest—and we think that deserves a celebration. We’re still shaping the details, but expect a relaxed, community‑friendly event that highlights Bretz’s legacy and the remarkable landscapes he helped the world understand. More information will be posted as plans develop. He mapped the scablands bold and bright, Said “Floods did this!” with all his might. For thirty years they told him “No”… ’Til evidence began to flow. So join us as we celebrate The man who made the floods make sense — A pre‑birthday bash for J Harlen Bretz, Who proved the skeptics wrong (immense!).

Activity

March 2026

Dating Erratic Boulders: How Long Ago Were the Floods?

Geology of the Tri-Cities Field Trip

April 2026

Cheney-Spokane Chapter Hike – Palisades Park 2026

Lower Crab Creek Field Trip

August 2026

Bretz Was Right: A Pre‑Birthday Floods‑Fest

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