Ice Age Floods Institute

3 New Nick Zentner "Downtown Lectures"
2024-04-04 19:00 - 2024-04-06 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Morgan Auditorium, 400 E 1st Ave. , Ellensburg, WA, United States
Thursday, April 4, 2024. 7:00 pm.
What Happened to the Spokane Ice Sheet?

Friday, April 5, 2024. 7:00 pm.
The Missoula Floods versus Bretz’s Spokane Flood

Saturday, April 6, 2024. 7:00 pm.
Was Moses Coulee Carved by Subglacial Floods?

Doors open at 6:30 pm each night. 700 seats. Open seating. Free. Will be filmed for YouTube.
Morgan Auditorium. 400 E 1st Ave. Ellensburg, Washington, USA.

Cheney-Spokane Chapter Hike – Saturday 3/30 at 10AM – Escure Ranch / Towell Falls
2024-03-30 10:00 - 14:00 | Escure Ranch, Washington, 99125
Come join us for a moderate 6-mile hike to explore the Ice Age floods features in the Escure Ranch area south of Sprague, WA. The round trip hike follows a gravel road along the Rock Creek drainage and climbs about 100 feet over a small divide and back down to Towell Falls. On the way there you will drive past sculpted Palouse ‘islands’ downstream of Rock Lake, and on the hike near Towell Falls is an Ice Age Floods gravel bar that has been incised by a stream to show its interior structure. The hike will be led by IAFICS board members, geologists Donald Chadbourne and Chris Sheeran.
After confirming your registration we will send you the hike details and keep you up-to-date on any changes that happen before the hike.

Wasting at the Southern Margins of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet
2024-03-18 19:00 - 20:30 | WA
(21Feb2024) We have invited Ralph Haugerud, USGS to give a talk in “wasting of the Southern Margins of the Cordilleran Ice sheet” on March 18,2024. Please note that this date has moved the Chapter Meeting to 18 March 2024. Or the third week of March. While we don’t have the details yet, I bet it will be more than a review of the Mima Mounds. ￼
Our new location is Bellevue College, Bldg R, Rm103, 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA 98007-6484. See our website for directions/parking. For this meeting only, there will be NO presentation by zoom,

HIKE: Sacajawea Bar - SECOND CHANCE
2024-03-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Snake River Junction Trailhead
Due to inclement weather and illnesses some missed out on the hike on the 2nd, so this is your second chance!

Those who wish to carpool from northerly points can meet in the parking lot of Java Bloom for a 9AM departure time.

Hike starts at the Snake River Junction Trailhead at 10AM. This is a state park, so a Discovery Pass is required (or you can pay for a day pass at the park site – $10 cash or check at their dropbox).

Bring your own water, snacks, and lunch.

Please have a waiver form filled out for each participant. If you have any questions or want to give Lloyd a heads up that you’re coming, he can be reached at (509) 954-3927

Palisades Park Hike led by Michael Hamilton
2024-03-09 12:00 - 14:00 | Palisades Park, 2-198 S Rimrock Dr, Spokane, WA, 99224, 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 Grand Coulee Chapter Hike - Saturday 3/9 at 10AM - Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Upper Goose Lake
2024-03-09 10:00 - 15:00 | Upper Goose Lake, WA, WA, 99344, United States
Join Outing Coordinators Curt and Gene of the Lower Grand Coulee Chapter on March 9th for a leisurely, free 2-1/2-mile hike to visit Ice Age Floods Features in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge at Upper Goose Lake!
Date: Saturday March 9, 2024
Start time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: The GPS coordinates to the parking area at Upper Goose Lake are: 46.941040, -119.272415.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Traveling from the north, west or northwest, the entrance to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is off of Highway 262 East, at the far East end of the Potholes Reservoir Dam (GPS coordinates are: 46.981656, -119.254667). From the east or northeast, that same entrance to the wildlife refuge is also from Highway 262, but coming from the West on 262 W, which connects with Highway 17. From that entrance to the wildlife refuge, travel 2.1 miles to a fork in the road and keep right, from the fork travel another 0.7 miles to the turnoff to Upper Goose Lake Road. Turn right and then drive 0.9 miles to the parking area (GPS coordinates: 46.941040, -119.272415).
Traveling from the South or southeast, go through Othello traveling north on N Broadway Ave. Go past all the potato processing plants and then turn left on McManamon Road. Drive 4.6 miles to turn off to Morgan Lake Road (GPS coordinates: 46.889449, -119.230164). Turn right onto Morgan Lake Road, and drive 4.5 miles to turn off for Upper Goose Lake Road. Turn left, and then drive 0.9 miles to the parking area (GPS coordinates: 46.941040, -119.272415).
Fees: This Wildlife Refuge does not require a Pass or a day pass is required for parking.
What to bring: Lunch, drinks, snacks, appropriate clothing and footwear, camera, etc.

HIKE: Sacajawea Gravel Bar
2024-03-02 10:00 - 15:00 | Snake River Junction Trailhead
Join the Palouse Falls Chapter for a leisurely, free 2-3 mile hike to visit Sacajawea Bar on the Snake River!

Start time: 10:00a
Meeting Place: Snake River Junction Trailhead (see Google Maps for further location information).
Fees: This is a state park, so a Discovery Pass or a day pass is required for parking.
What to bring: Lunch, drinks, snacks, appropriate clothing and footwear, camera, etc.
Optional add-on: Juniper Dunes

For those who want to carpool from Washtucna, meet at Java Bloom. We will leave at 9:00 am.

Imagined History: Paddling Lake Missoula
2024-02-28 18:00 - 19:30 | North Spokane Library, 44 E Hawthorne Rd, Spokane, WA, 99218
Follow along on this imaginative look at the period when Lake Missoula was carving out our shrub-steppe scablands. Paul Lindholdt writes environmentally inflected nonfiction and journalism. His 10 books include In Earshot of Water, an ecological memoir that won the Washington State Book Award, The Spokane River, and Interrogating Travel.
Presented by Paul Lindholdt, of the Ice Age Floods Institute

PNW in Brief: The Most Recent Ice Age Floods
2024-02-26 18:00 - 19:30 | Argonne Library, 4322 N Argonne Rd, Spokane, WA, 99212
During this presentation, we follow the path of the floods from western Montana across the Idaho Panhandle, through the Columbia Basin and Gorge, into the Willamette Valley and finally to the Pacific Ocean. We look at some of the major floods features found within the four-state area-features you can see out your windshield as you travel through the floods area.
Presented by Dr. Gary Ford, president of the Ice Age Floods Institute
Brochures prepared by the Ice Age Floods Institute and National Park Service will be available. Books, videos, and maps on the floods will be available for purchase from the Cheney- Spokane Chapter of the Ice Age Floods institute.

The Spokane Aquifer: Legacy of the Ice Age Floods
2024-02-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Moran Prairie Library, 6004 S Regal St, Spokane, WA, 99223
The Spokane Aquifer is a legacy from the giant Ice Age floods that roared through the Spokane Valley, leaving behind a porous, coarse gravel that hosts our communities’ water supply. The Aquifer story includes tales of fascinating, unique geologic processes and community historical events that formed and harnessed this resource.
Presented by Geologist Michael Hamilton from the Ice Age Floods Institute

Ice Age Floodscapes of the Pacific Northwest
2024-02-20 19:00 - 20:30 | The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trl , WA, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
Ice Age Floodscapes of the Pacific Northwest: A photographic exploration
Geologist and author Bruce Bjornstad will present a bird’s eye view of the Ice Age megafloods that impacted the Pacific Northwest as recently as 14,000 years ago and shaped the landscape of the mid-Columbia basin. Bruce’s presentation will be a stunning picture show of amazing drone photos from all over the Pacific NW flood plain. This will be a hybrid meeting, live and livestreamed via ZOOM, on Tuesday evening at 7PM. We will post it to Youtube after editing. It will be great.

Bruce Bjornstad is a retired geologist with degrees from the University of New Hampshire and Eastern Washington University living in Richland, Washington. During his career Bjornstad has written numerous documents and reports on the geology of eastern Washington as well as two geologic guidebooks “On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods” that tell of the transformation of the Pacific Northwest as recently as 14,000 years ago. Bjornstad is also the creator of the online YouTube Channel “Ice Age Floodscapes”. Most recently, Bjornstad has published a new, full-color, coffee-table-style book titled: “Ice Age Floodscapes of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Exploration”. Bruce will have books available for purchase.
This presentation is free to attend. It begins at 7 pm, Tuesday, February 20, at the REACH Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland, WA
Or join the Zoom Meeting, 7PM – 8:30PM
Please note, the Zoom link that was listed before Feb. 8 was a mistake, the correct link is:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88136774109?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 881 3677 4109
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Cheney at the Head of Channeled Scablands
2024-02-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Cheney Community Library, 610 1st St, Cheney, WA, 99004
In this overview, learn about the history of the Channeled Scablands. We look back to around 20,000 years ago at the end of the last glacial maximum and at the formation of two huge, glacially dammed, meltwater glacial lakes—Missoula and Columbia. We explore the subsequent failures of the Lake Missoula ice dam, which resulted in a series of megafloods that occurred between 18,000 and 14,000 years ago. Then, we discuss the geologic and hydrologic factors that control lake formations from the Medical Lake area to Fish Lake.
Presented by Dr. Linda McCollum, professor emeritus of geosciences at EWU and of the Ice Age Floods Institute

Dr. Scott Burns - Ancient Ice Age Floods Before the Missoula Floods
2024-02-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR, 97062, United States
Come and Learn About The Unfolding Story of Ancient Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest
Ages End – Stev Ominski
We have had Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest over the past 2.8 million years. We mostly concentrate on the last ones which are called the Missoula Floods that happened between 15,000-20,000 years ago. But there is an unfolding story in the Pacific Northwest of many Ice Age Floods before the Missoula Floods. Erica Medley, an MS student of Scott Burns, did her thesis on the topic and discovered many outcrops of these ancient floods which are rarely discussed. Dr. Burns will talk about these oft-forgotten floods and the very interesting story of these neglected Ancient Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest
Come and learn more about these very interesting older Ice Age Floods,
Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Live at Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Dr., Tualatin, OR 97062
Or on Zoom – Click here to join via ZOOM
Meeting ID: 827 0148 6070 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Dr. Scott Burns taught geology for 54 years in Switzerland, New Zealand, Washington, Colorado and Louisiana before coming in 1990 to Portland State University. He loves talking about the geology of the Pacific Northwest and this subject that is so many times neglected.
Professor Emeritus of Engineering Geology, Portland State University
President IAEG (International Association of Engineering Geologist and the Environment)
Member Board of Directors, Lower Columbia Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute.
Co-Author revised Second Edition: “Cataclysms on the Columbia”
Email: BurnsS@pdx.edu Telephone: (503} 725-3389 Website: http://dr-scott-burns.com

JT Pardee and the Lake He Discovered - Talk by Bill Burgel
2024-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 S. Mission, Wenatchee, WA, United States
The Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter’s next program will be Tuesday, February 13 at 7:00 PM. Our speaker will present live at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 S. Mission, Wenatchee. There is also a Zoom link so one can watch remotely: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84520197937 Webinar ID: 845 2019 7937.
Joseph T. Pardee
Bill Burgel is coming up from Portland to tell us about “Joseph T. Pardee and Glacial Lake Missoula.” Pardee was a USGS Field Geologist whose expertise was in Western Montana, where he was raised and worked for years. He was the first to recognize, around 1910, the features of a vast, ancient Glacial Lake Missoula.
In the 1920s, working independently of Pardee, Harlan Bretz had determined from field evidence, that only an extraordinarily huge flood, or floods, could have carved out the Channeled Scablands and the big coulees associated with them in eastern and central Washington. But he didn’t know the source of the water. Pardee quipped that he “knew the source of Bretz’ water.” In 1925, he suggested to Bretz that the draining of a glacial lake could account for the magnitude of water flows needed to create the Scablands and coulees.
The program is free, and open to the public.
—-
Bill Burgel worked in the railroad industry for 40 years, in engineering and operations. With his background and training in geology, he was often called upon to resolve landslide issues and rerouting studies, earthquake warning strategies, and to conduct long tunnel analyses.
Contact information:
Brent Cunderla – Erratics Chapter President
cunderla@nwi.net (509) 860-6067
Susan D. Freiberg – Erratics Chapter Publicity
wenvalerratics@yahoo.com

Ice Age Floods Around the World
2024-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 | WA
On 08Jan2024 the Puget Lobe Chapter has Guest Lecturer Dr. Vic Baker presents “Ice Age Floods Around the World”. This presentation will be a “Zoom” (URL https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82985244730. And in-person at Bellevue College Bldg R, Rm R103. see map in separate post.
There are approximately 24 mega-floods referenced on the maps, of which, #4 is probably the Missoula Floods and outwash from the “Atwater”(#9) and Lake Bonneville (#5) outburst floods. (index unavailable)
Known ice-age mega-floods (red arrows and numbers) for the northern hemisphere (polar view). Blue areasindicate the extent of glacial ice and purple areas show mega-lakes at the time of the ice-age flooding.

Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils in Washington State
2023-12-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
The Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute’s next program will be Tuesday, December 12 at 7:00 PM. This is a hybrid program, with the speakers presenting remotely via Zoom from Seattle. For those who are not computer- or Zoom-savvy, you can attend in-person for a screening at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 S. Mission, Wenatchee. Or at home via Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84520197937 Webinar ID: 845 2019 7937
In Washington, you are never far from the past, including evidence of plants and animals that came before. Fossil flowers in Republic. Trilobites near the Idaho border. Primitive horses on the Columbia Plateau. Tracks of giant birds near Bellingham. Curious bear-like creatures on the Olympic Peninsula. With abundant and well-exposed rock layers, Washington has fossils dating from Ice Age mammals from only 12,000 years ago, to marine invertebrates more than 500 million years old.
Join co-authors Dr. Liz Nesbitt and David B. Williams as they discuss this rich array of past life, which is featured in their new book, “Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils in Washington State“— the first book ever on fossils in the state! Why did they choose the fossils they did? What is the new science that has allowed paleontologists to tease out the 500-million-year long story of life in this region?
Liz Nesbitt is curator emerita of invertebrate and micropaleontology at the Burke Museum. David B. Williams is an author, naturalist, tour guide, and Curatorial Associate at the Burke Museum.
Please sign in, or show up, at 7:00 PM, December 12! The program is free and open to the public.

Crystal Caves Hike - Lower Grand Coulee
2023-11-18 10:00 - 12:00 | Crystal Caves – Lower Grand Coulee
Join our Lower Grand Coulee Chapter Outings Coordinator, Gene Wing, and others on 11/18 at 10AM for a hike to the “Crystal Cave” just south of Soap Lake. We will meet in the parking area at the end of Road 23 NW at 10AM.

Directions: Follow Hwy 17 North from the city of Soap Lake to Road 23 NW, turn left and continue to the parking area at the end of Road 23.
Map coordinates: 47.424369, -119.505622

Bill Burgel Lecture- Missoula Floods Evidence in the Greater Portland Area
2023-11-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR, 97062, United States
Bill Burgel will lead you on a 45 minute long travelogue – starting in the Columbia River Gorge and ending south of Tualatin – of all the amazing geology produced by the Missoula Floods. Did you know one of the largest scour pits formed by the floods is right here in Portland? And, why Rockwood got its name? This Travelogue will be available should you want to visit each of these sights.
Bill Burgel – “Where to See Evidence of the Missoula Floods in the Greater Portland Area”
Thursday, November 16, 2023. In Person 6:45PM PST at Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR 97062
ALSO Simultaneous Live ZOOM from THC if you cannot attend the in-person THC meeting yourself.
Click here to join zoom meeting Meeting ID: 824 3786 3054 Passcode: [REDACTED]
Bill Burgel
Bill Burgel Bio
Bill Burgel retired from the railroad industry after a successful forty year career. He worked for several railroads in the engineering and operating departments. His work for Union Pacific encompassed the design of the first computer-aided dispatching office in the nation. This office was located in Portland and Bill was the Regional Chief Dispatcher for several years before the office was moved to Omaha. After retiring from the railroad in 1989, he assisted the Surface Transportation Board as their rail operations manager for two major mergers, once in Washington DC and the second time in Chicago. Bill has managed many rail studies for both Oregon and Washington DOTs as well as for TriMet and Sound Transit in Seattle.
While working for the railroad, his interest and training in geology was often called upon to resolve landslide issues and rerouting studies, implement early earthquake warning strategies, and conduct numerous long railroad tunnel analyses. Bill has given numerous presentations on rail issues as well as earthquake preparedness and topics pertaining to regional geology to local audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest including Geologic Society of the Oregon Country, University of Oregon, Portland State University, Central Oregon Geologic Society, Ice Age Floods Institute – several chapters, plus many other groups.
Bill is a graduate of The University Michigan: BS in Engineering. At Idaho State University, he earned MS Degree in Structural Geology. Bill is a member of the IAFI Lower Columbia Chapter and its Board of Directors.
This is our last regular meeting in 2023. We will not meet in December since our regular meetings on the third Thursday of each month is so close to the Christmas Holiday. Thank you all for your support and attendance at Lower Columbia Chapter/IAFI programs and events as we enter our 20th consecutive year in 2024. Best wishes for a very happy holiday season.

CANCELLED - Terroir of Oregon Wines - Dr. Scott Burns
2023-11-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Pioneer Church, 18005 S Gronlund Rd, Oregon City, OR, 97045, United States
This lecture has been cancelled for now.
Terroir of Oregon Wines – the relationship of geology and climate to wine tastes – presentation by Dr. Scott Burns – Lower Columbia Chapter: In-Person Meeting
The Willamette Valley is famous for having different flavors of Pinot Noir wines based on their soils. Dr. Burns will discuss what terroir of wine is and how geology and climate affects the flavors of the wines. He will also compare the terroirs of Oregon and Washington wine growing areas. We will sip some different wines at the end to show how the flavors differ.
Join us for this joint Lower Columbia Chapter/Baker Cabin Historical Society Meeting at Pioneer Church, Oregon City, on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 7:00 PM PST. The meeting will begin with Dr. Burn’s presentation at 7:00PM. At the end, Dr. Burns will present some different wines to sip showing how the flavors differ. Limited seating. Must be 21+ to sip.
Directions: I-205 Exit 10 Hwy 213S, Rt on Washington St, to round-about: take 2nd exit onto Clackamas River Rd, 5.7 mi to rt on S Hattan Rd. Go up hill 1 long block to top. See Pioneer Ch from corner. Rt. on S Gronlund Rd to 1st driveway: Church parking lot. ADA accessible. For add’l parking, take main entrance road at str. corner to the Baker Cabin parking lot.
Dr. Scott Burns is Professor Emeritus of Engineering Geology at Portland State University, Past President of IAEG (International Association of Engineering Geologist and the Environment), and Co-author of revised second edition: “Cataclysms on the Columbia.”

Puget Lobe Chapter Zoom Meeting
2023-11-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Meeting
The Puget Lobe w1ll meet November 6, 2023 via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82985244730) for Scott Burns to present “Ice Age Floods throughout the Quaternary. Don’t forget the older ones.” Keyword is the “older ones” – older than our “recent Fraser” Missoula Floods (18Kya-15Kya). Scott will tell you how to identify the deposits.

The Other Half of the Equation: JT Pardee and the Lake He Discovered
2023-10-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR, 97062, United States
Bill Burgel
While J Harlen Bretz was exploring the Scablands with his grad students, Joseph Pardee was quietly amassing convincing data about the existence of Glacial Lake Missoula. Pardee’s work ultimately led to acceptance of Bretz’ theory of catastrophic outburst flooding as an important tool in the shaping of our world. Come hear Bill Burgel in person discuss JT Pardee’s critical role in the evolution of the science of geology!
This presentation is In-Person Only on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 7:00PM,
at Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR 97062
About our presenter: Bill Burgel
Bill retired from the railroad industry after a successful 40 year career. He worked for several railroads in the engineering and operating departments.His interest and training in geology was often called upon to resolve landscape issues and rerouting studies, implement early earthquake warning strategies and conduct numerous long railroad tunnel analyses.He has given many talks on rail issues as well as earthquake preparedness and topics pertaining to regional geology to local audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest. Bill is a graduate of The University of Michigan, BS in Engineering and MS in Structural Geology from Idaho State University.

Columbia Gorge Chapter Picnic Canceled
2023-10-15 12:00 - 15:00 | Horsethief Lake Picnic Area, 8514 Lewis Clark Highway, Washington, 98617
This event has been canceled and may be rescheduled in the Spring.
The Columbia Gorge Chapter has been pretty quiet since Covid and it’s about time we get ramped up again. So, we want to invite our members and their families to a chapter picnic on October 15, 2023 at Horsethief Lake picnic area.
The chapter will provide fixin’s for sandwiches, salads, chips, cookies and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks. There are 35 unsheltered picnic tables located around the day-use area. Nine braziers are available if you want to cook something. Facilities are first-come, first-served so let’s plan to gather at noon. We’ll need to know about how many to plan for so please use the link below to let us know that you’re planning to attend and how many will be with you.
We can do group games like three legged and sack races, beanbag toss games, balloon or egg races, maybe hands-free watermelon eating contest for entertainment. If anyone is so inclined, it would be great if you wanted to do a brief talk about geology and/or cultural aspects of the area. At the end we can also take a short trip to the petroglyph display if you’ve not seen that. But the main purpose is to get together, have some fun, and talk about renewing chapter activities.

Cheney-Spokane Chapter Fishtrap Lake Field Trip / Hike
2023-10-14 12:00 - 16:00 | Fishtrap Lake South Loop
Fishtrap Lake, Washington (BLM Photo)

Come join us for a 5-mile hike to explore the Ice Age floods features in the Fishtrap Lake area east of Sprague, WA!
The Cheney-Spokane Chapter of the IAFI is scheduling a hike at Fishtrap Lake on Saturday, October 14th. The hike will be led by Don Chadbourne and Chris Sheeran, geologists and board members of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter.
Description of Fishtrap Lake Hike
We will begin and end at the Fishtrap Lake South Loop Trailhead. The hike will follow the South Loop trail, with a total length of about 5 miles. The trail is mostly single track over dirt and rock, with an elevation gain and loss of about 500 feet. Along the way we will have an intimate view of the channeled scablands that were carved out by the ice age floods and see features including pothole lakes, rock benches, Mima mounds, kolks, and streamlined and scarped Palouse hills. The hike will also provide wide open views of Fishtrap Lake and the surrounding country. This hike is included in On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods – Northern Reaches, by Bruce Bjornstad & Eugene Kiver, but we will be following trails that were constructed after the book was published.
Directions to the trailhead
From I-90 take Exit 254 and proceed south 3.6 miles on the Sprague Highway. Turn left (east) on Miller Ranch Road and proceed 0.2 miles to the “T” at the Miller Ranch house. Turn right (south) and drive 0.8 miles to the trailhead parking lot. There is a vault toilet at the parking lot. (Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/9Zz7nwdwziMzHYh69 map coordinates: 47.33381100925525, -117.863529217959)
The hike will be limited to 20 hikers.
Items to bring with you: appropriate shoes, day pack, water, snacks, appropriate clothing for changes in the weather, sun protection, emergency items, camera and binoculars. Walking poles will be helpful.
The hike is free; however, donations for support of Chapter activities will be accepted. For additional questions contact Don at 509-891-5875.

IAFI Board Meeting
2023-10-14 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
The IAFI Board of Directors will generally meet on the second Saturday of each month (except December). The meeting will usually be held via Zoom
09:00 Pacific/ 10:00 Mountain Time
Join Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 843 5431 3682
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Call-in number: +1-669-900-9128
Members are welcome to attend to both listen and contribute to the workings of the Institute

Dr. Ralph Dawes - "Glaciated Landscape Beneath the Okanogan Ice Sheet"
2023-10-10 19:00 - 20:00 | WA
The Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute’s next program will be on Tuesday, October 10 at 7:00 PM at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 South Mission St., Wenatchee.
Dr. Ralph Dawes, Professor of Earth Science, Wenatchee Valley College, will discuss the “Glaciated landscape that formed beneath the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet” in north central Washington. This area, including Douglas County north of Waterville and all of Okanogan County, was studied early in the last century by well-known geologists J Harlan Bretz, Richard Foster Flint, and Aaron C. Waters. How the ice sheet shaped the landscape underneath it was a source of controversy back then, and remains a subject of scientific debate today.
Dr. Dawes takes a four-part approach addressing the origin of the Okanogan landscape:

Read published geologic studies of the Okanogan Lobe and Cordilleran Ice Sheet;
learn latest theories of how ice sheets create landforms;
use current online map data; and
ground-truth to examine the evidence itself.

You can attend in-person at the Museum, or via Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84520197937 Please sign in at 7:00 PM, October 10!
The program is free and open to the public.

Lunch and Lecture with Dr. Eugene Kiver- “Solving Geologic Problems: Megafloods of Lava & Water in Eastern Washington”
2023-10-09 11:30 - 14:00 | The Hive, 2904 E Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA, 99202
Where: THE HIVE, Event A Room (Use Door Code 371047 # to enter.)

Bring your lunch and enjoy this Floods lecture from Dr. Kiver during the lunch hour. The Chapter will provide a variety of beverages, cookies, and plates, utensils, cups, and crushed ice. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers!
Description: The flat, non-mountainous topography of eastern Washington displaying mostly serene landscapes suggests a quiet geologic origin. However, a closer examination of the rocks, sediments and landforms tells a story of violence that would seem only Hollywood could invent!
Massive floods of lava, some over 200’ thick and 300 miles long about 17 to 6 million years ago buried a hilly landscape turning the Columbia Plateau or Basin into a vast lava plain called a flood basalt field. No human has ever experienced lava flows of this magnitude. Later during the Pleistocene, huge continental glaciers covered most of North America and ground much of the underlying rock into silt-size particles that would later become the famous Palouse Soil. The glaciers also created a huge lake that repeatedly failed catastrophically and ripped the rock surface into an astonishing system of coulees, lakes, and other landforms that make up the Channeled Scabland.
This lecture is free and open to the public. Dr. Kiver is Geology Professor Emeritus after teaching 34 years at Eastern Washington University. He studies glacial history in the West and volcanic history of the Cascade Mountains. He is a founding member of the Ice Age Floods Institute and a member of the IAFI Cheney-Spokane Chapter board of directors.
If you will be coming, please RSVP to iaficheneyspokane@gmail.com with the number of people. This will help us get the right amount of supplies. Thank you!

TOUR: The Five Great Lakes of the Missoula Floods
2023-10-07 08:00 - 17:00 | WA
FIELD TRIP LEADERS: Lloyd Stoess, Palouse Falls Chapter President and Jacqui Hair, Palouse Falls Chapter Vice President.
DESCRIPTION OF FIELD TRIP: This tour will visit much of the area covered by the temporary drainage known as Lake Lewis. At its maximum, the lake was over 1000 feet deep, with only a few “Lake Lewis Isles” rising above. Icebergs and other floating debris (including mammoth carcasses) drifted into quieter waters and ran aground along the shorelines of these islands, leaving behind boulders of exotic rock types (erratics) from hundreds of miles away. Ice Age flood site features will include, but are not limited to: Devils Canyon; Washtucna Coulee; Coyote Canyon Mammoth Dig Site; Lakes Lewis Isles; and the White Bluffs.
CHECK-IN: Your name badge and field guide will be available at the following times and locations:
Saturday October 7th: Prior to departure at the Washtucna High School.
WHERE TO MEET: Washtucna High School, 730 Booth Ave., Washtucna, WA >> Parking is available on site. <<
BUS LOADING: A chartered bus will begin loading at 8:45 a.m.; buses leave promptly at 9:00 a.m.
Buses will return around 5:00 p.m.. Restrooms are available at some stops.
CANCELLATION: Cancellation refunds will be made only if field trip registrar, Jacqui Hair, receives notice no later than September 24 and vacancies can be filled from a stand-by list. Jacqui can be reached at jacquihair05@gmail.com or (509) 301-0007.
ITEMS TO BRING WITH YOU: Binoculars, camera, sunglasses, and clothing for variable weather conditions.

$125* field trip fee– Registering as a non-Ice Age Floods Institute Member

$110* field trip fee– Registering as a Ice Age Floods Institute Member.
If joining now or renewing as an IAFI member, also include your IAFI Membership Application with your field trip registration, fees and liability release form. Please write one check to IAFIPF for registration and a separate check to IAFI for membership fee.

$95* field trip fee – Registering as a Palouse Falls Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute Member (thank you for your support!)

*FIELD TRIP FEE covers: 1) outstanding and knowledgeable field trip leaders, 2) a very detailed and well-illustrated Field Trip Guidebook, 3) delicious lunch, snacks, and drinks, and 4) comfortable deluxe chartered bus with microphone system for lectures while in route.
Registration and liability forms are available for download.

Cheney-Spokane Chapter Member Appreciation Picnic & Hikes
2023-09-30 11:00 - 16:00 | Camp Caro Lodge, 698 S Sargent Road, Spokane, WA, 99212, United States
Members and Friends of the IAFI Cheney-Spokane Chapter are invited to a picnic where you can meet and network with others interested in the Floods Story. Also you can have an opportunity to ask several geologists questions about The Floods, meet Board members and learn more about the Chapter, go on a short hike in Dishman Hills after lunch, and have some fun while you learn more about where you live, work and play. Your immediate family is invited, too, and you can also bring potential new members. Be sure to RSVP!
Camp Caro Lodge is the gem of Spokane Valley and a part of the Camp Caro Community Park. It borders the Dishman Hills Natural Area and offers 360 degrees of panoramic views. There is a well-maintained lawn that borders the bluffs of Dishman Hills and there is plenty of parking!

Bring your own lunches, fruit and chips. The Chapter will provide a variety of beverages, cookies, desserts, and plates, utensils, cups, and crushed ice.
Bring your Floods questions written on a strip of paper for drawings with special prizes! Some games will be available on the grass lawn.

Please RSVP to iaficheneyspokane@gmail.com for all individuals attending in your party. Let us know as quickly as you can so that there will be adequate items available for a successful gathering of “flood enthusiasts!”
A word about the hikes:
The geologic hikes will start at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and are free. We will meet at Camp Caro lower parking lot off of Appleway Boulevard. Geology tour guides will explain and show how the giant floods of the Ice Age sculpted the land in the Dishman Hills. The 1 p.m. hike will be a bit shorter, and the hike beginning at 3 p.m. will be a bit longer and more involved. Bring a picnic lunch at noon to meet members of the local chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute at Camp Caro Lodge and check out displays with lots of free information. Questions? Call Michael Hamilton 509-747-8147.

Palouse Falls Chapter Member Appreciation Picnic
2023-09-23 11:00 - 14:00 | Lyons Ferry State Park, 620 Marmes Road, Washtucna, WA, 99371, United States
Save the date!
You are invited to join us for a member appreciation picnic on September 23rd at Lyons Ferry! This coincides with a free state park day, so no pass is required. We will be providing hot dogs and chips with some light refreshments. This is a potluck but you aren’t required to bring anything other than your lovely selves. If you can bring an item, call Lloyd (509) 954-3927 and let him know what you can bring.
Please register below (it’s free) to let us know how many to expect. We hope you can join us!

Mike Full - In Search of Ice Age Beasts - Library Tour Beforehand
2023-09-21 06:30 | Tualatin Public Library, 18878 SW Martinazzi Avenue, Tualatin, Oregon, 97062, United States
Mike and Volunteers with Grey Wolf jaw bone
Mike Full will present an introduction to the Ice Age Megafauna found in the Willamette Valley and the basics of fossil hunting for them. Mike’s presentation will be 7:00 – 7:45PM in the Tualatin Public Library meeting room.
Columbian Mammoth partial tusk socket fossil
The Willamette Valley Pleistocene Project explores the late Pleistocene and early Holocene of the Willamette Valley in Northwest Oregon. Composed of local volunteers and resources, avocational paleontologists, land owners, and local government working alongside trained professionals and museum staff, our goal is to discover, study and preserve our prehistoric past.
Every fossil is collected according to scientific standards, documented, stabilized and curated into a database open to the public. The entire collection is destined to stay within the public domain and will ultimately be donated to an appropriate educational institution.
Join us beforehand at 6:30PM for a special Library Tour of Ice Age fossils on display. Mike’s talk will follow in large Meeting Room at Library entrance. Library Director, Jerianne Thompson, will give tour of unique megafauna ice age fossils on permanent display. Please note the Library closes at 8PM sharp.
Mike is a retired Police Officer and native Oregonian with a life long fascination of fossils and prehistoric life. Each summer finds him along a river in the Willamette Valley searching for fossils accompanied by friends, volunteers, students and researchers. He has collected megafauna fossils from the Willamette Valley including mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth, bison, horse, camel, elk, deer, giant beaver and wolf.
