Active Transportation/Parks/Trails

Meet at Lewis and Clark State Park, join a shuttle to Dabney and float back down collecting trash along the way.  Bring water craft including a paddle and a life vest, or use one of ours.  BBQ for volunteers to follow!

Register at solveoregon.org or contact Sara@sandyriver.org

EcoChallenge gives you the tools and inspiration to reduce your impact on the planet and contribute to a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable future -- while engaging the people in your life and having fun in the process. Choose a Challenge that stretches your comfort zone, stick with it for two weeks, and make a difference for you, your community and the planet!

We invite you to engage your organization, community, workplace, or business in the EcoChallenge this fall -- it's fun, free and makes a big impact.

The 2016 EcoChallenge runs from October 14-28. What will your Challenge be?

Where:  Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge:  Carty Unit - 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642

When:    August 14, 2016

Join us for a day of demonstrations and hands on activities highlighting traditional technologies found across the world and throughout time.  The Cathlapotle Plankhouse will be open from 12:-4:00 and there will be activities for families to connect with local culture and wildlife. In the House students from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's Lifeways class will be demonstrating carving, weaving, and Native art design, while outside visitors can try their hand throwing an atlatl, shooting a bow and arrow, making cordage, friction fire, and watch stone tools being created by an experienced flintknapper.

12pm - 4pm: Experience traditional tools and technologies humans have used since time immemorial. Demonstrators will be at the Plankhouse showing various traditional skills found both around the world and in Indigenous cultures of the Lower Columbia River.

Carving, Weaving, and Native Art Design demonstrations by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Lifeways students
Chinuk Wawa, the heritage language of Chinookan Peoples
Cordage Making              
Atlatl Throwing          
Friction Fire        
Flintknapping
Natural Paints and Pigments

12:00pm: Naturalist Led Hike "Bird Language" - join us for a hike directed towards opening up participant's eyes to the world of Bird Language. Learn how to use bird calls and behavior to discover what is happening in the environment around you. 

2:00 pm: Naturalist Led Hike "A Walk through the Oaks" - join a us for a hike down the Oaks to Wetlands Trail and learn about how the Native Peoples of this area have been taking care of Oak and other Refuge ecosystems since time immemorial.

You can also check out the ample wildlife watching opportunities on the River 'S' Unit Auto Tour Driving Route.

Cost:   Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle

For more information: 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. 

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

                         28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642

When:             Sunday, July 10th, 2016, 12:00pm - 4:00pm

What:             Contemporary Native Masks inspired by Cultures of the Columbia River - Mask Exhibit and Artist Talks with Lillian Pitt and Bill Rutherford

When renowned artist, Lillian Pitt (Wasco, Yakama, Warm Springs), challenged her friend Bill Rutherford, a Portland artist, to creatively explore his Native American heritage, neither knew what would emerge. Though part Chickasaw, Rutherford drew inspiration from childhood visits to Celilo Falls and reading about Chinookan legends to create a group of nine masks. These artworks, as well as pieces by Lillian Pitt, will be on display Sunday, July 10, at the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. Though mask making is not traditionally a part of Chinookan culture, it can be a powerful contemporary medium.   The artists will talk about how they were inspired by local Native cultures and why they use masks to express themselves.

12:00pm - 4:00pm:    Artwork on Display, Plankhouse Tours, Children's Activities

1:00pm:          Artist Talks

Lillian Pitt and Bill Rutherford share how Native cultures of the Columbia River influence their work, and why they use masks as a medium.

 2:30pm:         Ethnobotany Hike

Join a Refuge Naturalist to explore the relationship that the Cathlapotle People had with their landscape and the connection between environment and culture. Participants should be prepared for a 1 mile hike on moderately uneven terrain. Meet at the Plankhouse.

Cost:               Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle; Save resources                            carpool with a friend!

Contact:         Sarah Hill, Cathlapotle Plankhouse Coordinator;                                360.887.4106/Sarah_Hill@fws.gov

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.