seasonal natural interest

Volunteer at  the 14th Annual Birdfest at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge!

This huge two day festival is put on by the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and is almost entirely run by volunteers!  There is something to do for all ages and interests including:

* Welcome and direct visitors on the Refuge and in town.

* Help children with environmental and culturally focused crafts and activities.

* Teach visitors about birds and other wildlife found on the refuge.

* Share your interest in the outdoors with people of all ages and backgrounds!

Come enjoy the festivities and make your volunteers shift just part of the fun! 

No experience necessary.  Short shifts are available. 

We would love to invite you to Rewild Portland's "Rewild Skillshare", our afternoon social networking event where people make new friends and hang out with friends and family while sharing skills, ideas and strategies for creating new cultures based on humanity's ancestral heritage. We welcome all levels of experience.

What:
Rewild Portland will be Animal Tracking with Cascadia Wild
Cascadia Wild is a non-profit that focuses on citizen science through animal tracking. Every winter they teach several courses on tracking and then take the volunteers on tracking expeditions to look for Wolverine tracks and sign. We are excited to partner with them and have them show us some cool stuff!

Where:
Oxbow Regional Park; Flood Plain Trail parking lot.

When:
Sunday, September 29th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Materials to bring:
* Water
* Snacks
* Appropriate clothes
* $5 for vehicle parking pass
* Small Tape Measure
* Notebook/Pen
* NW Tracking Field Guides

Other stuff to bring is your family & friends and a $5-10 sliding scale suggested donation to support our efforts. Remember: "dress to impress". This is a social event after all! You can RSVP at our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/165677720288434/

See you there!

12-4PM: Plankhouse Tours and Children's activities available. 

2PM: Presentation begins

Historian and archaeologist Melissa Darby will present "Wapato for the People" on September 8 at 2pm in the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. Darby will explore the use of wapato throughout the world using archaeological evidence. The root of this important plant was a staple food of Native Americans who lived on the Lower Columbia and Fraser Rivers and it was a heavily traded commodity out to the coast and east to the mountains. This root has also been found in archaeological sites in the Great Basin and in sites in Europe and it is now cultivated in Asia.  In addition to this presentation children's activities, and displays highlighting other First Foods of the Columbia River will be included from 12-4pm.  There is a $3.00 entrance fee per vehicle visiting the Refuge.  For more information contact Sarah Hill at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov or call 360-887-4106 or visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org.

This event is part of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday Series.  The Cathlapotle Plankhouse is a full- scale replica Chinookan Plankhouse located on the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge at 28908 N Main Ave., Ridgefield, WA.  It interprets the village of Cathlapotle that once existed on what is now Refuge property. Lewis and Clark mention Cathlapotle in their journals and noted that there were fourteen of these houses and 900 people living in the village at the time of their encounter in 1805.

Float and fill the boat! We Love Clean Rivers and the Clackamas River Basin Council present the 11th Annual Down the River Clean Up on the Clackamas on Sunday, September 8th.

This is an on-river, volunteer clean up. All non-motorized watercrafts are invited! Attracting over 400 people, and typically removing 3-4 tons of trash from the river that provides more than 400,000 residents with fresh drinking water, We Love Clean Rivers and CBRC hopes you'll join them in making this 11th Anniversary a splashing success!

Afterwards, all are invited back to Barton County Park from 3-6 pm for a family friendly celebration with a free BBQ, live music by Tubs of Love, Hopworks beer, booths, games, prizes and a great silent auction.

All participants must pre-register online at www.welovecleanrivers.org/clackamas. Registration closes on Sept 6th at 8pm. Questions? Email coordinator@welovecleanrivers.org. 

Let's Go is a series of fun, organized, ranger-let activities at major Oregon State Parks this summer.

Oregon State Parks boasts miles of hiking trails.  Hiking is an easy sport to begin and is the perfect way for you and your family to go outside and get some exercise together. What better way to experience some of Oregon's most beautiful scenery than to join us on a Let's Go Hiking at Night trip!  Be sure to wear hiking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring a water bottle, and any other necessary personal items.  Ages 8 years old and above welcome (children 8-14 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian).

For more information, check out: www.oregonstateparks.org and find Let's Go under "Things To Do".