Special tours, walks, presentations, film screenings and other activities will be part of the 15th annual BirdFest and Bluegrass at the Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, according to a news release from refuge officials.
Things get underway on Sat., Oct. 4, at 12:30 p.m. with a two-hour ethnobotany hike. Ethnobotany is the study of relationships between people and plants, and on this hike participants will discover ways that people of the past have shaped their landscapes to benefit plants and people.
There also will be a discussion during the hike of the use of plants as food and medicine. Hikers should meet under the tent across the Carty Unit pedestrian bridge.
A Cathlapotle Village overview and site walk will be the same day from 1-4 p.mn. An archaeologist will talk about the history of the village, and participants will walk to the archaeological site.
Also Saturday, there will be demonstrations of flintknapping, bow making and weaving with invasive species. Dennis Torresdal will demonstrate the process of making stone tools, Tony Deland will show bow making techniques and styles, and Peter Bauer will show people how to make baskets and other weaving projects with invasive species such as English ivy and Himalayan blackberry.
Sunday’s schedule with a screening at noon of “The Lost Fish,” the story of the disappearance of one of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest fish. Also threatened is the sacred place it holds among many American Indian tribes. The film will be presented inside the plankhouse.
“The Lost Fish” is part of Freshwater Illustrated’s media campaign, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission, to raise public awareness of the conservation needs of the Pacific Lamprey, its ecological importance, and its cultural significance among Northwest tribes.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, also in the plankhouse, Deana Dartt, the curator of the Portland Art Museum’s Native American collection, will discuss issues around interpreting the collection.
This presentation will focus on the museum’s partnership with the Native American Youth Association Family Center to connect Native youth with the collection, and an artist-led project that gathered stories from Yup’ik community members in Bethel, Alaska. Dartt will speak about her work.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the plankhouse will be the site of a presentation called “Keeping Traditions Alive.” Sam Robinson is the vice chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation and was involved with the Cathlapotle Plankhouse Project and continues to be involved with education programs at the Plankhouse. He will discuss how the Chinook people are keeping the traditions and culture of their ancestors alive.
A Chinookan-style salmon bake will be held from 3 p.m. until supplies are gone. Members of the Chinook Indian Nation and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will discuss the traditionally baked salmon and seafood stew. Complimentary samplings while supplies last.
The refuge is located at 28908 NW Main Ave. in Ridgefield. Activities are free, but there is a $3 per vehicle charge for parking.
For more information, call plankhouse coordinator Sarah Hill at (360) 887-4106 or email her at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov.
