Ross Island sits mid-Willamette just south of downtown Portland, and has a history of being built up and exploited by men, but today it is ruled primarily by nature. From Friendly House, Mike Houck, Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute, will present his vision of how it can serve as one. Mr. Houck has been a leader in urban nature issues since 1980 when he founded the Urban Naturalist Program at the Audubon Society of Portland. He has co-founded Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF); The national Coalition to Restore Urban Waters (CRUW); The Intertwine Alliance; and The Nature of Cities forum.
Unpopular Positions
Presentation at Friendly House titled “Fiddling, or Being Willing to Advocate for Unpopular Positions: a look at a key root of the fact/alternative fact phenomenon.“ Doug Matheson considers what happens when we give ourselves permission to believe whatever we want to believe, and then expect to be respected and to not be challenged. Matheson grew up a missionary kid in India. He spent more than a decade trying to reconcile evidence with his beliefs. When he was 37, he “encountered the straw that broke the camel’s back” and then quietly left the faith.
Sunday, December 17, 2023 - 10:00am