Some 5,000 Oregonians will be congregating at the Rose Quarter in Portland on the evening of October 24th to hear former Vice President (and now, documentary movie producer!) Al Gore talk about global warming. If you haven't yet purchased tickets, OEC has lower-level seats ($45) that are the best seats left -- but they're going fast!

September 9, 2006
10am – 6pm
721 NW Ninth Avenue
Portland, Oregon

free and open to the public

Our Creeks, Our Selves: Watershed Tour of Willow and Cedar Mill Creeks

Our creeks are the stories of ourselves. Their health, flow, and supported wildlife  all reflect the human state- past and present. Join the Rock Creek Watershed Partners as we explore the state of Willow and Cedar Mill Creeks on Saturday, July 15^th from 10am to 1pm.

Join the Siskiyou Field Institute in the "Exploring the High Country Weekend", starting at our new home for the Institute. On July 14th thru 16th, Join Erik Jules, PhD, in "Biology of Trees and Shrubs". Explore the incredible tree and shrub diversity of the Klamath-Siskiyous. Spend the night at the scenic Bear Basin Butte Lookout. You will experience a biodiversity hotspot with 16 conifer species. Learn to indentify plants in the field. Moderate hiking involved. Or spend the night of July 14th with biologist Greg Bennett on an "Owl Expedition in the Siskiyou Mountains", a breathtaking adventure into our forests for an intimate view of this nocturnal world. You will hike off trail over rugged terrain calling and listening for owls. Learn of the behaviour and biology of these birds. Starts and 6 p.m. and lasts well into the night and will be physically demanding. On July 15 join Romain Cooper and Dennis Vroman in "Birding the High Country". Spend the day searching for birds in the high country. What bird species spend their summers in the Siskiyous? Explore various habitats including meadows, woodlands and riparian areas. On July 15th also, you might want to join Amaroq Weiss and Laura Jones in "Wolf Tracks on the Welcome Mat in Oregon: Ecology and Politics of a Returning Species". Learn about the social, scientific, and political factors influencing the return of this amazing predator. Classroom and field settings! Learn of their behaviour, what they eat, how they kill, and how they interact with other animals. Indentify wolf sign! Also on  July 15 You might like to join experienced naturalist Lee Webb, MS, in "Siskiyou Photography". Lee will lead you in learning how to capture the serene beauty and breathtaking landscapes of the Siskiyou Mountains on either 35mm film or digital. Learn the basics of good photography. You will head out to Bigelow Lake and Mt. Elijah, in the evening to catch the light. Get tips on flower photography, scenery, sunsets and anything that inspires you! this course will be from 1pm to 12am. Possibly you and your family would like to spend the evening of July 15th, in gazing at the heavens in "To Infinity and Beyond: Southwest Oregon Astronomy" , with John Salinas, MS. Explore the stars and the wonder of the universe. Learn to identify the summer constellations and some of the ancient legends. Reflecting and Refracting telescopes will be there to use. That evening also on the 15th , a FREE program "Canopy Ecology" will be held at 7:30 pm at the Wild River Pizza in Cave Junction, with Cameron Williams. Join us beforehand for a no-host dinner. On July 15th and 16th, join Cameron Williams, MA, and Tim 'tengu' Kovar in "Exploring the Forest Canopy". The majority of a forest persists high above the ground, Whats going on up there? Learn about dominant tree species, canopy height, tree architecture, resource competition, arboreal nest structures and epiphyte distribution. You will do tree climbing with ropes and harnesses into the canopy! Perhaps on July 15 and 16th, you would join Christy E. Briles, MS, in "Climate History of the Klamath-Siskiyous",  Learn how the climate history has fluctuated in the past 15,000 years in this area. What does this tell us about current and future states of these forests? Explore the fundamentals of the paleoecologic field. Perhaps on July 15th and 16th, you would want to join Rachel Winters to learn about "Lichen Dyeing". An education in ecology and ethics! Explore where craft and material culture intersect science and natural history. Learn which lichens provide beautiful colors without the use of caustic chemicals! You will learn field identification and preparation of the dyes to color wool. On July 16th join geologist John Roth in "Speleology: The Science of Caves", Head underground to explore the amazing world of caves. Discoverr the biology, geology, and archeology of caves through classroom time and caving. Includes a rare "offtrail" trip through the caves. Equipment will be provided. Maybe " Salmon Snorkeling", would appeal to you on July 16th, with Rich Nawa MS. Take a journey into the underwater world and learn field identification of Coho, Chinook, Steelhead trout, Cutthroat trout, Pacific Lamprey and several warm water fishes. Learn when they spawn, what fish to expect, and training to indentify species. Some equipment available for loan but try to bring mask, snorkel, and wetsuit. for further information contact the "Siskiyou Field Institute" at 541-592-3777 or www.thesfi.org

Join the Siskiyou Field Institute in a variety of classes in the Ashland Oregon area from June 19th through the 23rd. On June 19th-23rd "Forests & Fungi: Intro to Forest Mycology" with OSU professor Daniel Luoma, PhD. Study the biology and ecology of forest fungi through lab time and field trips to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Also on June 19th through the 23rd you might want to join Linda Ann Vorobik, PhD in "Crash Course in Keying and Recognizing Plant Families". Learn the approx. 40 common families of native plants including ferns, gymnosperms, dicots and monocots native to S.W. Oregon. Mornings in a slide lecture and in using the Jepson Manual, afternoons spent in the field visiting a diverse array of habitats. On June 22nd thru the 24th join Lori Kays, Joe Fontaine and Kieth Perchemlides in "Fire Adaptations: The Who, The What, The How". Learn how plants, animals and birds adapt to survive in our fire prone area. These three researchers from OSU will lead you in this exploration. Friday and Saturday will start early for the best birding experience. On June 23rd and 24th join Cindy Roche, PhD, in "Grasses of Southwest Oregon". First day will be spent in the lab learning the terminology and morphology of grasses. Day tow spent in the field to recognize local grasses. One may take either day or both! On June 24th join naturalist Frank Lang in "Kozloff in the Siskiyous". Explore the flora of the Siskiyous using Eugene Kozloff's new book. We will head to the slopes of Mt. Ashland, book in hand, to seek to answer some questions. Bring a hand lens, metric ruler and the book! Also on June 24th try "Botany for Beginners" with Kristi Mergenthaler. A Botany class for people with little or no botany experience. Explore the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument near Pilot Rock, focusing on plant morphology, growth forms, basic terminology, families, and common names. On June 24th join John Alexander and the Klamath Bird Observatory in "Birds of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument". Visit mist netting and banding stations, to observe KBO biologists. Travel to different areas to experience the bird diversity and habitats. Focus on species identification, behaviour and ecology. For more information or to register with the Siskiyou Field Institute go to www.thesfi.org or call 541-592-3777   

Victor Mandan is an acclaimed traditional storyteller, oral historian, and musician of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. There on the banks of the Missouri River, at the feet of his grandfathers and other Mandan and Hidatsa elders, he learned the creation stories, animal stories, and legends of the Three Affiliated Tribes. He brings these stories, as well as tales of his own distinguished ancestors, to The Natural Way: Indigenous Voices. Join us for an enlightening evening with this engaging bard!

For Healthy Communities We Need a Clean Willamette River

Join Sierra Club for our Earth Day Celebrations and Canvasses and take the chance to stand up for the Willamette River.

The Willamette River runs through all of our communities, and because we are so far downstream the Portland area gets the brunt of the pollution that ends up in the river. The Sierra Club is working on a campaign to stop toxic dumping in the river at levels we know are unsafe and to protect our communities from harmful toxins like mercury and lead.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder, argues that access to greenspaces is critical to healthy child development. Drawing on the expertise of professionals in education, medicine and landscape architecture, Louv demonstrates how access to open spaces can reduce child depression and hyperactivity, and increase academic performance in at-risk populations.
 
Louv is a journalist for the San Diego-Union Tribune and has written for The New York Times and The Washington Post.  He is the author of seven books including Last Child in the Woods. He is an advisor to the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World award program and the Scientific Council on the Developing Child, and a Visiting Scholar at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.  The United Nations commissioned his monograph on fatherhood for the U.N. Year of the Child, and he has spoken before the National Policy Council in the White House.  Louv’s opion editorial appeared in the Oregonian last year; to learn more visit: http://www.urbanfauna.org/articles/show/1002
 
For more information about the Regional Livability Summit and Richard Louv, visit www.clfuture.org.

Join us for a presentation by Jim Gilbert, owner of One Green World nursery in Molalla. Jim has traveled around the world to find new and unusual edible plants that we can grow here in the Pacific Northwest and will tell us about some of his favorites. He is also very knowlegible about choice varieties of our more common fruits such as apples, pears, and grapes. If you have ever wondered about goumis, kiwis, seaberries, or edible dogwoods, this is a meeting you won't want to miss! Jim will also spend a little time telling us about his campaign for State Representative in District 18 (as was posted on this list a while back) and about the Oregon Political Contribution tax credit, where the taxes you pay can help a candidate you want to support! This is a great way to help our grassroots candidates. The meeting is Monday March 20th at Pacific Crest Community School, NE 29th and Davis. The meeting topic starts at 7:00. Our optional potluck is at 6:00 p.m. - please bring your own plate/cup/utensils and a yummy dish to share! Hope to see you there!