Lecture Series in Salem

Hey, all. This Thursday, I'm going to attend a lecture by Travis Williams, head of Willamette Riverkeeper and a guy who knows the ENTIRE Willamette River better than I know the street in front of my house. This is just one lecture in a series hosted by the Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center. I wanted to give you all a heads up about this series, because anyone who reads and enjoys my blog will very much enjoy the science and perspectives presented there, and I was extremely bummed to have missed the recent wolf ecology lecture, which, as readers know, is something I'm very interested in.

Here's the introduction to Travis' lecture, according to the Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center:

Willamette River Greenways, Restoration or Field Guide

November 29, 2012

Travis Williams

Travis Williams will cover a range of topics related to the Willamette River. He will focus on the Clean Water Act, and the status of the Willamette River's water quality and habitat. He will provide a brief update on the Portland Harbor Superfund site and the likelihood of a comprehensive and timely cleanup. He will also provide a focus on the Willamette River Greenway Program, a fantastic public lands vision for the Willamette that was created back in the late 1960s by Governor Straub. The Greenway was hatched near the same time as the Beach Bill, originally envisioned with the same notion of public trust values, yet this program did not reach the same heights.

The Straubs, after whom the Environmental Learning Center was named, are actually part of Oregon History, a former Governor and his wife, who had a deep love of Oregon's natural beauty. Visit the Friends of Straub ELC site and you'll encounter really cool links and events like this one, a film screening in Salem I'm hoping to make it to, a documentary about one of my heroes, Aldo Leopold. Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center is a great organization, you can learn a lot visiting their site or any of the events they promote, and they're worthy of your support. They have childrens programs, teen programs, and adult programs like this lecture series and others. Go kick a few bucks into their donation bucket, will ya?

I promise to give a short summary of the lecture afterward, but if anyone would like to join me, you're more than welcome.