Second Sunday event at the Cathlapotle Plankhouse:
"The Confluence Project, Exploring History, culture, and ecology along the Columbia River
Where: Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642
When: July 12, 2015
12pm - 4pm: Plankhouse Tours and Children's Activities
Tour the Plankhouse on your own or guided by our experienced volunteers. Children's activities will be available, and Refuge binoculars will be available to use on the trail.
1:00 pm: Naturalist Led Hike
2:00pm: The Confluence Project, Exploring History, culture, and ecology along the Columbia River, Presented by Colin Fogarty, Executive Director, the Confluence Project.
Cost: Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle
"Confluence is a bold and ambitious attempt to look back seven generations as a way to look forward seven generations on.... it is a call to reflect, discover and connect to this larger history. The first step in that process is to listen."
- Colin Fogarty, Executive Director, Confluence
At 2:00 pm, Join Confluence Executive Director, Colin Fogarty, at the Cathlapotle Plankhouse as he shares the ways that the Confluence is connecting people to place through art and education. By collaborating with Northwest communities, tribes and celebrated artist Maya Lin, Confluence is able to share stories of the Columbia River through six public art installations, educational programs, community engagement, and digital experiences. At 1:00pm join a Refuge Naturalist for a hike down the Oaks to Wetlands trail, and learn about the plants and animals that call the Refuge home. From 12-4, the Plankhouse will be open for visitors, and there will be activities for families to connect with the culture and wildlife at the plankhouse. You can also check out the ample wildlife watching opportunities on the River 'S' Unit Auto Tour Driving Route. Check the Friends website ridgefieldfriends.org for maps of Refuge trails, or contact Plankhouse Director Sarah Hill at sarah_hill@fws.gov, or call (360) 887-4106.
For wheelchair access to this event, please contact Sarah prior to the event date.
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 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 modern Chinookan Plankhouse built to interpret the Chinookan village of Cathlapotle that once existed on what is today Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge property. At the time Lewis and Clark visited Cathlapotle, it had 14 large plankhouses and a population of over 900 people. The modern 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.