Cancelled: Ice Age Floods Fest 2026 - July 25th, 10AM-3PM, Sun Lakes Dry Falls Amphitheater
2026-07-25 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sun Lakes State Park, Deep Lake Parking Lot (47.58848153536495, -119.34090712166719), WA, United States
Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park
Cancelled due to poor air quality:
The Ice Age Floods Fest is happening Saturday July 25th , 2026 – 10 AM – 3 PM
Even though the Dry Falls Visitor Center is under construction/renovations, the event has been moved for this year to the Amphitheater, Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park. It will be a nice casual gathering of “ologist” types, who enjoy sharing their knowledge, history, and expertise. Cold drinks and snacks will be available!
Dale Lehman, Ice Age Floods Institute – Puget Lobe Chapter President, and an EXCELLENT Earth Science teacher is leading a hike at the Umatilla Rock trailhead to Green Lake. The hike is an easy 3 miles that will highlight the amazing features of Ice Age Flood geology, geomorphology, and Shrub Steppe ecosystems.
There will be booths manned by IAFI and local agencies, maybe a stream table as well as information related to the floods story. Each participant will have their own picnic table, folding table, and canopy. We are setting up on the lawn directly behind the Mobile Office in the Amphitheater parking lot.
• Archeologist – Mark Amara, representing the Cascadia Conservation District, WSU Master Gardeners; focusing on soils, archaeology, native seeds, and stone age tools as well as a hands-on sieving activity and rocks quiz for those interested. The booth
will highlight the importance of historical artifacts, tools of trade, and hands-on activity too.
• Columbia Basin Conservation District – programs on Shrub Steppe ecology, Soils, promoting healthy soils, clean water, thriving wildlife habitat, and sustainable
agriculture for present and future generations.
• 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.
• Ice Age Floods Institute – Lower Grand Coulee Chapter, Puget Sound Lobe, and other Ice Age Flood Institute chapters highlighted on a 3D map of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.
• Lucy Stanger – An enrolled member and Historian of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Lucy will have historic photographs telling the story and the history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She will also share the history of the beautiful landscape of the Dry Falls area and surrounding landscapes.
• National Park Service – Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail mobile visitor center, plus the history of the local area and features found.
• North Central Regional Library –April Harward, learn about the NCW Summer Library programs – “Plant a Seed, Read” – Summer Reading Program
• The River Mile Network – Janice Elvidge, Founder + Program Manager, The River Mile, Retired Education Specialist, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
• Washington State Parks – hosting the Rolling River showcasing the power of water, Impression of the Park – Arts & Crafts & cool Ice Age button making too.
Umatilla Rock @ Dry Falls
Field Trip hike: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Saturday, July 25th, 2026
Where: Umatilla Rock Trail to Green Lake at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls S.P.
The Umatilla Rock Trail at Sun Lakes–Dry Falls State Park offers one of the best short geologic hikes in Washington’s Channeled Scablands. The trail winds through a landscape carved by the immense Ice Age floods that swept across eastern Washington about 15,000–18,000 years ago. From the trail, hikers enjoy sweeping views of Dry Falls, Monument Coulee, and the chain of lakes left behind by the Ice Age floods—an unforgettable reminder of one of the largest flood events known in Earth’s recent geologic history.
With: Dale Lehman, an outstanding Earth Science Teacher, and Puget Lobe Chapter President of the Ice Age Floods Institute. Dale has taught Earth science, Honors Earth science, and Earth and Space sciences 101 through the University of Washington’s college in the high school program. Dale’s passion for the landscape of the Columbia Plateau continues today.
For more information contact Ranger David McWalter (david.mcwalter@parks.wa.gov) at 509-634-9993

North Idaho Fall Field Trip August 29, 2026
2026-08-29 08:00 - 17:00 | WA
SAVE THE DATE!
The Cheney-Spokane Chapter is planning a North Idaho Field Trip via bus for August, 29, 2026. We plan to look at glacial and Ice Age Floods features along the way, starting in the morning. We will stop for lunch and then continue the tour into the afternoon. At this point we are estimating the cost to be around $50-$70 per person depending on whether or not lunch is provided. Stay tuned for more information!

Lake Lewis Chapter Lecture: Wallula Gap with George Last
2026-09-01 18:30 - 20:00 | The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trl , WA, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
The Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will host a chapter meeting and guest lecture with George Last on September 1st, 2026. This presentation will continue the 2026 lecture theme as we explore flood stories along the path from ancient Lake Missoula to the Pacific Ocean. This lecture will feature discussions on our own local feature – Wallula Gap!
This event will be hosted at the REACH Museum in Richland, Washington and is free to the public. No registration required. This event will also be broadcast live. This event will be updated with instructions for joining online.
Chapter Meeting: 6:30 – 7:00 PM (PST)
Guest Lecture w/ George Last: 7:00 – 8:00 PM (PST)
Questions may be emailed to lakelewis@iafi.org

Lake Cle Elum Field Trip, Saturday, 26 September 2026
2026-09-26 10:00 - 16:00 | Cle Elum Lake, 47° 15' 10.0800" N 121° 3' 47.3400" W, Cle Elum, WA, United States
Mark your calendars!
Mike Horner, Tom Ring, and Karl Lillquist will lead a field trip to the Lake Cle Elum on Saturday 26 September 2026. Plan on ~10am-4pm.
They are still working out the details of the trip but it will likely include discussion of:

1) glaciation’s role in shaping the Cle Elum River Valley;
2) Cle Elum River flows pre- and post-dam construction;
3) restoration of the Cle Elum River floodplain;
4) impacts of raising pool level on Lake Cle Elum shorelines; and 5) improving fish passage at Cle Elum Dam.

This trip will especially tap into the expertise of Tom who has years of experience working on water issues in the Yakima River Basin (including Lake Cle Elum) and Mike whose M.S. thesis focused on potential shoreline issues associated with a higher Lake Cle Elum.
They will provide more details as they solidify the plan. Hope you can join us!

The Missoula Floods and Other Geological Happenings in the Columbia River Gorge
2026-11-03 18:30 - 20:00 | The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trl , WA, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
The Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will host a chapter meeting and guest lecture with Jim O’Connor, U.S. Geological Survey – Portland, Oregon on November 3rd, 2026. This presentation will round out the 2026 lecture theme as we explore flood stories along the path from ancient Lake Missoula to the Pacific Ocean.
Starting with J Harlen Bretz and Ira Williams in 1915, geologists have been on the trail of the Missoula floods in the Columbia River Gorge. This work continues, addressing lingering and new questions, such as how many, how big, when, from where, and what did they do? Jim will summarize the current state of understanding, as well as other Columbia River Gorge stories being worked on by the USGS mapping group.

This event will be hosted at the REACH Museum in Richland, Washington and is free to the public. No registration required. This event will also be broadcast live. This event will be updated with instructions for joining online.
Chapter Meeting: 6:30 – 7:00 PM (PST)
Guest Lecture w/ Jim O’Connor: 7:00 – 8:00 PM (PST)
Questions may be emailed to lakelewis@iafi.org

POSTPONED Until August 2027: Bretz Was Right: A Pre‑Birthday Floods‑Fest
2027-08-28 10:00 - 14:00 | WA
Update on 5/21/26: Sorry, but due to a heavy summer schedule we’ve had to postpone this event until next year to give us more time to plan.
Our Cheney-Spokane chapter is planning a special late‑summer gathering on Saturday, August 28, 2027 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 the Bretz 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!).
