December Programs

As the snow begins to fall in earnest, Mt Hood Volunteers are thrilled to introduce a full schedule of winter programs. Highlights include a walk with Timberline’s beautiful St Bernard Heidi at 10am on Friday and Saturday mornings, a snowshoe hike of Trillium Lake at 1pm on Fridays, and “Ski with a Ranger” on Sundays at noon at Timberline. Come join us!

December Program Schedule

Walks with Heidi at Timberline: Friday and Saturday at 10:00am

Join a ranger for a walk with Timberline St Bernard Heidi and a discussion of Mt Hood’s alpine ecology, recreation on the mountain, and the changing role of the St Bernards throughout Timberline’s history.

Timberline Lodge Tours: Friday-Sunday 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 2pm

Join us for a 30 minute tour of historic Timberline lodge. Free. Sno park permit required for parking at Timberline.

Government Camp History Hike

Accompany a U.S. Forest Service Ranger on a 2.5 mile round trip tour of Government Camp and the surrounding area. This hike will take participants through beautiful downtown Government Camp and into the forest above. Explore the rich history of Government Camp from the first settlers to the ski and snowboard industry boom.

Available upon request for booking please call/email Jonathan Schillo at 503-622-2016/jdschillo@fs.fed.us. Please make contact two weeks prior to the desired booking date.

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Zigzag, OR

Want to learn more about the development of the Zigzag area? Participate in our History of the Civilian Conservation Corps Program in Zigzag. The program details the history of the C.C.C. in Oregon and covers some of the life stories of the men that served in the C.C.C. at Camp Zigzag. Also the program will cover some of the history of the Oregon Trail and the Barlow Road which is in close proximity to the Zigzag Ranger Station, and program will detail the role of the C.C.C. in the construction of the historic Timberline Lodge.

 Available upon request for booking please call/email Jonathan Schillo at 503-622-2016/jdschillo@fs.fed.us. Please make contact two weeks prior to the desired booking date.

Passport to the Forest

All educators are invited to participate in a mobile conservation education program offered by personnel of the Zigzag Ranger District of Mt. Hood National Forest. The “Passport” is a mobile conservation education trailer focusing on four main subject areas: Botany, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Geology. The “Passport” can be set up with all four subject areas or individually to focus on one particular subject matter. All lesson plans are hands on, interactive, and designed with fun in mind to allow children to explore the natural world around them in a non-traditional classroom setting.

Available upon request for booking please call/email Jonathan Schillo at 503-622-2016/jdschillo@fs.fed.us. Please make contact two weeks prior to the desired booking date.

Trillium Lake Nature Walk/Snowshoe: Fridays at 1:00pm

Join a Ranger on an educational hike to Trillium Lake. This 4 mile round trip hike begins at 3,700 feet and meanders through the Mount Hood National Forest until finally reaching Trillium Lake and its panoramic and reflective views of Mount Hood.

Where: Meet at Trillium Lake Sno-Park just 2.5 miles East of Timberline Road.

When: Fridays at 1:00 pm starting December 9, 2011

Additional Information: Snowshoes recommended once the snow flies but not required. The trail to Trillium Lake is groomed in winter so it is passable without snowshoes. Be sure to bring warm comfortable clothes and water.

Cost: Free. Donations are not required but appreciated to ensure programs such as this can be continued in the future. Sno park pass required for parking at Trillium Lake.

Ski with a Ranger at Ski Bowl: Sundays at 12 pm starting December 18th, 2011.

New to Skibowl Ski Area or just want to learn more about Mount Hood Area? Take a guided ski or snowboard tour of Skibowl with a US Forest Service Ranger. Explore the trail system and learn more about the ecology and history of Mount Hood. Free to intermediate skiers and riders.

Where: Meet outside the Skibowl West ticket booths.

When: Sunday’s at 12:00 p.m. starting December, 18, 2011

Cost: Free. Donations are not required but appreciated to ensure programs such as this can be continued in the future. Sno-park pass required for parking at Ski bowl.

Ski with a Ranger at Timberline: Saturdays at 12:00pm starting December 17th 2011.

New to Timberline Ski Area or just want to learn more about Mount Hood Area? Take a guided ski or snowboard tour of Timberline with a US Forest Service Ranger. Explore the trail system and learn more about the ecology and history of Mount Hood. Free to intermediate skiers and riders.

Where: Meet at the U.S. Forest Service Desk inside Timberline Lodge.

When: Saturday’s at 12:00 p.m. starting December, 17, 2011

Cost: Free. Donations are not required but appreciated to ensure programs such as this can be continued in the future. Sno-park pass required for parking at Timberline.

 

November Schedule!

The Zigzag Ranger District is pleased to announce our November, 2011 interpretive schedule! This month, we continue to offer Timberline Lodge tours, a Government Camp History Hike, and the Passport to the Forest Program. Additionally, we are proud to announce a new program-The History of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Zigzag!

The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) was a public works program that employed young men aged 18-25 during the great depression. A part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program, the CCC played a great role in shaping the Mount Hood National Forest through forestry work, road and building construction, and more.

What are currently the buildings that make up the Zigzag Ranger Station were formerly Camp Zigzag, the longest running CCC built and operated Camp in the Mt. Hood forest. Hundreds of young men spent their formative years during the depression living and working in Zigzag, creating a rich history or not just architecture, but of stories, culture, and the depression itself.

The Zigzag Interpretive program has put together a program to share the history of Camp Zigzag through a walking tour, as well as a cultural and historic overview of the CCC’s presence in Zigzag from 1933-1941. More detailed information about all our interpretive programs offered this November can be found by clicking the link below. We hope to see you all soon! Have a great winter!

November Zigzag Interp Schedule

Thanks for a Great Summer!

…and stay tuned for our winter program schedule!

August Interp Schedule & Star Party

Wow. It is already August… where has the summer gone? This month, we have made two slight changes to our Interpretive schedule. Due to the popularity of the Salmon River hike, we have added a second hike on Fridays at 2:00 p.m in addition to continuing the Thursday 10:00 a.m. hike. To compensate for the additional hike, we have removed the Friday Barlow hike from our August schedule. However, the Barlow hike will still continue on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. at Skibowl as usual!

Check out the pdf of our full August schedule here: http://mhfha.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/August-2011-One-Page-Flyer.pdf

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Star Party

This Saturday evening (August 6th) at 8:00 p.m., the US Forest Service and RLK and Company will host a free “star party” outside Historic Timberline Lodge. Professors of astronomy Doug McCarty and Todd Duncan, along with a  number of knowledgable amateur astronomers, will provide telescopes for the public’s viewing pleasure and be available to answer questions. We will meet in the Barlow room inside the Lodge at 8 for a brief overview of what will be seen in the sky, and then head out to the parking lot and look at some stars, planets, and galaxies!

Note: Timberline is located at an elevation of 6,000 feet. Temperatures drop at night, so be sure to bring warm clothes with you! Coffee, hot chocolate, beer, and light snacks will be available for purchase.

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Woodsey Owl and Smokey Bear at Kiwanis!

The Summer 2011 Interp crew at Kiwanis last Thursday!

Star Party!

Last Saturday, Timberline Lodge and the USFS put on a very successful star party up at Timberline! Amateur astronomers from the area generously donated their equiptment (telescopes) and time to help eductate the public about various stars, planets, and galaxies that are visible from Mt. Hood at this time of year. If you were unable to attend Saturday’s star party, be sure to plan to attend the next one on August 6^th! More information is available at the following link- hope to see you there!

http://www.timberlinelodge.com/evening-under-the-stars-star-party-2/  

2011 Summer Interpretive Programs!

With temperatures well into the 80’s and clear blue skies this past holiday weekend, it seems that Oregon summer is finally here! Zigzag Ranger district is proud to announce the lineup of our summer interpretive programs at the Mount Hood National Forest, all of which are free and open to the public! More detailed information about our programs will be published within the next week, but in the mean time, check out our July schedule below.

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Timberline Lodge Tours: Daily, at 11am, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm

Timberline Alpine Talk: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 12:00pm

Barlow Road Guided history hike: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2:00pm

Government Camp history hike: Saturdays at 12:00pm

Salmon River guided hike: Thursdays at 10:00am

Trillium Lake Campground campfire talk: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm

Passport to the Forest: Sundays from 11:00am-2:00pm

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*locations for these programs and more details can be found at this link: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5310748.pdf

**If you have any questions, feel free to contact the ranger station by phone (503-622-2033), or visit our website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood/

***We look forward to seeing you this summer!

-the 2011 Volunteer Interpretive Staff

Oregon Sustainability Center

Check out this article from the Daily Vanguard. The sustainability center will be a center for green issues and education. Really cool development:

Oregon Sustainability Center becoming reality

Large-scale sustainable building project to break ground this spring

By Sara M. Kemple

Vanguard staff

Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Alan Brown/Portland State Vanguard

OSC at PSU: To be located between Southwest Fourth and Fifth Avenues on Market Street.

In 2015, Oregonians will see a whole new kind of high-rise, the Oregon Sustainability Center. The center will be a 200,000-square-foot, mixed-use high-rise building located on Southwest Market Street between Southwest Fourth and Fifth avenues and will be a regional hub for sustainability. It will be located on one of Portland State’s most transited block.

“The Portland area is the leader on green issues, and this building will help us keep that edge,” said Mayor Sam Adams, who is working with Gov. Ted Kulongoski to fund the project.

The OSC, expected to break ground this spring, is a collaborative project that will serve as a hub for environmental practices, education, and research.

Noelle Studer-Spevak, sustainability coordinator for Finance and Administration said “It is a beacon for sustainability, and will be the national center for green jobs.”

There will be new energy-efficient building designs, new services and brand new products for a green future. The bottom floor of the building will serve as an exhibition center, displaying various green innovations, and will launch self-guided tours for government officials worldwide. Surrounding the center will be a lush garden of trees and plant life to highlight the architectural and environmental components.

Visitors to the center will get a sensory trip through a forest of thin wood columns and elevated walkways, and a mix of Oregon components such as steel, wood and glass.

Not only will the center produce 100 percent of its energy, it will be capable of reusing its own water sources. It is expected to have zero energy consumption and not leave a carbon footprint.

The roof will be entirely made of solar panels, shaped in a teardrop. The teardrop shape is meant to look like a leaf falling off of a tree toward Earth. The roof itself will cover half a city block. The solar panels will absorb all of the sunlight that hits them, making 40 percent of the buildings energy, according to http://www.aiaarchitechts.com.

Since solar panels are not enough to generate the necessary energy, efficient heating and cooling systems will be present throughout the whole structure. The building is designed after a flower or tree that contorts and changes shape to fit nature’s changes and varying angles of the sun.

To have this structure work, tenants have had to agree that they would be comfortable with cooler temperatures in the winter and warmer temperatures in the summer, unlike other office buildings in Portland.

The center will meet the rigorous Cascadia Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge, and will be the largest “living” building of its size. The Living Building Challenge is a new green certification program that sets forth all of the green standards in the industry. It is the strictest sustainability certification that exists, requiring that buildings have net-zero energy use.

Liz Hopkins, program and operations manager for the Portland Sustainability Institute, said that “the OSC will unite business with research, and will serve as a more permanent home for sustainability.”

The funding for this project was assumed to cost a total of $120 million. Due to a lack of funds in the Oregon University System, it was brought down to a budget of $90 million, as reported in the Oregonian.

It will be 11 stories tall, rather than 12, and will have thinner walls. The Portland Streetcar will be rerouted to run through the OSC, costing another $5 million. The OSC project was initially jumpstarted by Kulongoski, who put forth $80 million in bonds toward the project.

The Oregon Legislature then approved the project, allowing work to commence. If the project receives help by donations from foundations, grants, stimulus money and donated building materials, its overall costs would be lower. Tenants and universities that decide to have classes in the OSC will help repay the bonds over time,.

“We can’t afford not to build it,” Adams said.

The OSC’s design team consists of local development firm Gerding Edlen, as well as local groups GBD Architects and SERA Architects.

The building will not be entirely net zero if its tenants do not maintain it properly. Like all major building challenges, this is a group project that will take the effort and determination of its collaborators.

“We just kind of squeezed hard on it until we figured out how we could do it. Now, we’re confident we’re [within] striking distance,” said Dennis Wilde, principal with the Gerding Edlen development team, as reported by the Oregonian.

Wilde has more than 20 years of experience in urban planning and design and he hopes to help bring this building to fruition.

No Child Left Inside!

This announcement means major things for our program and the state of environmental education nationwide:

Environmental Literacy Included in Obama’s New Education Budget: Historic First

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Together with their legislative sponsors, the No Child Left Inside Coalition today cheered President Obama’s budget as a historic moment, noting that environmental literacy has been included in the U.S. Department of Education budget for the very first time.

“This budget takes an important step toward boosting environmental education in the classroom and giving more kids the opportunity to get out and learn about the natural world around them,” said Senator Jack Reed (RI). “Environmental education can help raise student achievement in other core subjects like math and science.  This is a smart investment in our children’s future and the future of our planet.”

“The President’s budget proposal is a terrific first step for environmental education,” said Congressman John Sarbanes, author of the No Child Left Inside House legislation. “I look forward to working with the Administration to more fully incorporate environmental education into school curriculums across the country.”

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have made innovation and student achievement a major platform of the Obama Administration, and as a result have included environmental literacy in a new program. The proposed budget includes new funding of $1 billion for Effective Teaching and Learning for a Complete Education program designed to improve instruction to support college- and career-readiness standards, in part through the use of technology to deliver high-quality content. Among those programs eligible for funding are those deemed important to a “Well-Rounded Education,” including environmental literacy.

The President backs a plan for environmental literacy in k-12 schools.

“Advancing the environmental literacy of our students is key to addressing today’s increasingly complex environmental and related economic, social, natural resource, and energy issues,” said Don Baugh, Director of the No Child Left Inside Coalition.  “It will not only better prepare students for college and the 21st Century workforce, but help to combat childhood obesity and related health problems by getting kids outside to learn about the natural world.  On behalf of our entire 1,500 member Coalition, I commend the President and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for recognizing the critical role that environmental education plays in preparing our students for the green economy.”  

“The Department of Education took a historic step for the future economy by including environmental literacy under it’s ‘Well-Rounded Education’ budget initiative for fiscal year 2011,” said Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation—a founding member of the Coalition.  “Having an environmentally literate citizenry is key to increasing interest in the STEM fields and keeping America competitive in the global, clean energy economy.”

Representing 50 million individuals nation-wide, the No Child Left Inside Coalition has become the nation’s leading voice for environmental education, speaking for a diverse group of Americans from throughout the United States who believe young people should receive a meaningful and robust education about their natural world.

 SOURCE No Child Left Inside Coalition

Mount Hood makes the map!

The National Geographic Society  recently unveiled its newest geotourism mapguide on the Central Cascades at Timberline Lodge on Tuesday, January 19. National Geographic exec’s, Travel Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service, and Timberline representatives gathered together to reveal the map that promotes sustainable travel in the Northwest.

The map highlights hundreds of shining eco-friendly stars, where tourists can enjoy nature while also helping to preserve it. Featuring more than 200 geotourism sites with cultural, recreational, agricultural, natural and geological points of interest, the map is in its first round of publishing with over 200,000 copied printed.  

Check out the map’s Web site here to learn more: http://thecentralcascades.com/

Here’s a video from KOIN Channel 8 news in Portland, covering the story: http://www.kgw.com/news/local/National-Geographics-geotourism-map-features-Oregon-82091342.html

Triumphant climber at top of Mount Hood graces the cover of the map!