Second Sunday event at the Cathlapotle Plankhouse:
"Celebrate Cedar" With Cowlitz artist and Weaver, Judy Bridges
Where: Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642
When: September 13, 2015
12pm - 4pm:
Plankhouse Tours and Children's activities
- Cedar Weaving and bark processing demonstrations by weaving and artist Judy Bridges
- Hands on demonstrations of Cedar Plank Splitting, Cedar bark pounding, and other hands on activities.
2:00 pm: Naturalist Led Hike "Cedar, Tree of life"
Cost: Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle
Join us for a day of demonstrations and hands on activities celebrating an icon of the Pacific Northwest, the Western Red Cedar. The Western Red Cedar tree is highly honored by many Native Peoples in the Northwest for the role that it plays in their lifeways and cultures. Since time immemorial, Cedar has supported the needs of people by providing homes, clothing, canoes, medicine, and many other items people need to thrive. Many of these Cedar traditions are still vibrant in Native communities today, and Cowlitz weaver Judy Bridges will be in the Plankhouse demonstrating cedar weaving and bark processing techniques. There will also be opportunities to try your hand at splitting a cedar log, pounding cedar bark for fiber, and at 2:00, a Refuge Naturalist will lead a hike around the Oaks to Wetlands trail, exploring the connection between people, wildlife, and cedar.
You can also check out the ample wildlife watching opportunities on the River 'S' Unit Auto Tour Driving Route. Check the Friends website www.ridgefieldfriends.org for maps of Refuge trails, or contact Plankhouse Director Sarah Hill at sarah_hill@fws.gov, or call (360) 887-4106.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse, and the house will now be open weekends from12pm-4pm. Every second Sunday of the month from April - Oct the Plankhouse will host a special event with speakers, guided hikes, and children's activities. For more information on the upcoming events, visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org/plankhouse/programs .
Funding for these programs has been generously provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the Community Foundation for SW Washington, and Umpqua Bank.
The Cathlapotle Plankhouse is a contemporary Chinookan Plankhouse built to interpret the Chinookan village of Cathlapotle that exists on what is now called the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. When Lewis and Clark visited Cathlapotle, it had 14 large plankhouses and a population of over 900 people. The contemporary Cathlapotle Plankhouse is used to provide educational programs to youth and the general public through our Lifeways, Landscapes, and Wildlife Interpretive Program. To learn more about the Plankhouse visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org or contact Sarah Hill at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov or (360) 887-4106.