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.
Video of Programs (search and sort)
Easter Breakfast Potluck
04/20/2014
Laurent Beauregard
This time the potluck was accompanied by a 15-minute slide show narrated by HGP member Laurent Beauregard. He compares Darwin’s scientific revolution with that of Newton. He discusses how these developments bear on religious belief. The show ends with an announcement -- the winner of the Charles Darwin look-alike contest -- Del Allen, our Program Chairman.
Humane Education
04/13/2014
Dani Dennenberg
Presentation by Dani Dennenberg. What is the local organization HEART (Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers) bringing to Portland schools and organizations? This is about HEART’s role in encouraging young people to help solve community and world problems. Dani Dennenberg is the Director of HEART. She is a graduate of the Master’s Program of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE). She graduated with honors from U.C. San Diego with a B.A. in Sociology and with a minor in Environmental Studies.
Journey of a Civil War Surgeon
03/30/2014
Mark Eifler
Presentation by Mark Eifler. At the beginning of the Civil War, William Peck surprised his family by enlisting in the Union Army as a surgeon. His unpublished letters are an invitation to investigate the life and times of doctors and medical practice during a critical period in American history. We look at a world that, in many ways, sought to move into a modern era, but was still firmly rooted in a somewhat confused and contentious past. Mark Eifler received his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley. He teaches at the University of Portland.
The Secular Origins of the U.S.
03/23/2014
Dave Collamer
Presentation by Dave Collamer. How was it that the seminal documents of our nation, the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution, were composed with the intent to set up a secular government? What were the religious sensibilities of the Founders? Why did they consistently vote down proposals to proclaim the U.S. a Christian nation? What did Thomas Jefferson mean when he spoke of a "wall of separation between church and state?"