walking

Celebrate nature in the city and the environment of the Columbia Slough! This bilingual family environmental festival offers activities in Spanish and English for all ages. Explorando is free, and includes guided canoe trips, live music, folk dancing, storytelling, arts & crafts, workshops, and more! The first 300 visitors receive a free Explorando t-shirt.

Interested in Volunteering?

We need your help! Visit our Volunteer Registration page to learn more or contact Volunteer Coordinator Hanna Davis at hanna.davis@columbiaslough.org or (503) 281-1132.

Interested in Sponsoring Explorando?

We invite you to promote a vibrant watershed community by sponsoring Explorando. For more information contact Executive Director Corrina Chase at corrina.chase@columbiaslough.org or (503) 281-1132.

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!Ven a celebrar con la naturaleza sin salir de la ciudad en el Columbia Slough!  Te invitamos a ti y a tu familia al festival bilingue !Explorando!. Ofrecemos actividades en espanol e ingles para todas las edades. Explorando es un evento completamente libre de costo en el cual podras participar en actividades como: 
Viajes guiados en canoa, musica en vivo, bailes folkloricos, cuentos e historias bilingues, arte, manualidades y artesania, talleres y mucho mas! Te invitamos a que vengas temprano ya que las primeras 300 personas recibiran una camiseta alusiva al evento, totalmente gratis.

Te Interesa Participar Como Voluntario(a)?
Necesitamos tu Ayuda! Visita nuestra Pagina de Registracion de Voluntarios o contacta a Hanna Davis: hanna.davis@columbiaslough.org o (503) 281-1132.

Te Interesa Patrocinar Este Evento?
Ayudanos a promover un ecosistema saludable y una comunidad vibrante mediante el patrocinio de este evento especial. Para mas informacion contacta a Karen Carrillo: karen.carrillo@columbiaslough.org o (503) 281-1132.

No es necesario registrarse. 
No registration necessary.

Celebrate the 30th annual Great Blue Heron Week and join bird expert Rick Balazs to view the Owl Woods heron colony. Thirty to fifty pairs of herons nest in this stand of Douglas fir trees on the east edge of Jackson Bottom. Rick has spent hundreds of hours monitoring the birds over the years and knows the behaviors and antics of nesting herons very well. Meet at the Education Center at 10 am. Be prepared for a two mile (round-trip) leisurely walk over mostly flat terrain. Dress for the weather, the trails may be muddy. Bring binoculars. A variety of other birds including bald eagles, osprey and songbirds may be seen. Free. A donation of $2 / person to the Education Center is welcomed. Group size limited to 15, registration required.

10 -- Adult

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Education Center

Rick Balazs

50949    Sat          5/28    10 am -- 1 pm

50951    Sat          6/11    10 am -- 1 pm

Free. Pre-registration required.

Learn to identify birds by their songs in Laura Whittemore's locally famous "Birding by Ear" class. After an indoor presentation to get your ears tuned up we go outside and listen carefully to the songs and calls around us: American robin, black-headed grosbeak, song sparrow, yellow warbler and more. Learn how to listen, how to find singing birds, which sounds males and females make, and how to make those sounds stick so you recognize them again.      16 -- Adult   

Where:  Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge - Carty Unit:

28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642; www.ridgefieldfriends.org

When: Sunday, May 8th, 2016

What: Take mom out for a stroll at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge to connect with wildlife and Native culture this Mothers' Day at 1:00pm. Learn how the traditional roles of Native women in Pacific Northwest helped maintain gender equality and how evidence of women's labor show up in the archaeological record. The Plankhouse will be open for visitors from 12pm-4pm, and there will be activities for the kids as well. 

1pm: Presentation "Where the Women Are: Gender and Power in the Archaeological Record of the Pacific Northwest"

The Pacific Northwest has a rich ethnographic record which details the lifeways of Native Americans at the time of Euro-American contact. Despite the wealth of data on gender division of labor in indigenous groups of the 19th-20th centuries, archaeological research on gender is rare. Activities traditionally associated with women such as plant gathering cooking, basketry, and mat making remain poorly understood in comparison to activities typically associated with men. In this presentation doctoral student, Tiffany Fulkerson, will explore the relationship between women's labor and their social power through evidence in the archaeological record.

2pm: Ethnobotany Hike
Join our speaker and a Refuge Naturalist for a walk on the Oaks to Wetlands Trail discussing spring plants and their relationship with Chinookan culture. Participants should be prepared for a 2 mile hike on moderately uneven terrain. Meet at the Plankhouse.

12pm - 4pm: Plankhouse Tours and Children's Activities
Tour the Plankhouse on your own or guided by our experienced volunteers. Children's activities exploring local nature and culture will be available as well.

Cost:   Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle - save money and carpool with a friend!

Contact:  Sarah Hill; 360.887.4106/Sarah_Hill@fws.gov For wheelchair access to events, please contact Sarah prior to the event date.

Join us for FREE urban nature adventures every third Wednesday, February through November! Each guided "hike" will consist of an easy walk or tour with a theme, appropriate for all ages. May theme: Want to learn how to conserve resources AND make nature work for you? Come tour Columbia Springs and see sustainable design features in action, including hydro-electric power, rain water capture for your garden, recycled building materials, and composting. You'll even learn how you can incorporate some of these ideas in your home!