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)
Finding Meaning in Poetry
07/01/2018
Robert Sanford
Robert Sanford provides tools to discover the truths and pleasures of poems. This is his twelfth presentation on poetry. Sanford has taught poetry to high school students. He joined HGP in 1998 and served as emcee for seven years.
Black Nonbelievers
06/24/2018
Keisha Thomas
Presentation by Keisha Thomas. There are Black non-believers. What are their demographics and statistics? What brings about Black non-belief? Ms. Thomas is an Organizer for Black Nonbelievers of Portland.
Hearing Loss
06/10/2018
Allison Coffin
What are the causes of hearing loss? Allison Coffin’s lab uses tiny zebrafish to understand hearing loss and the ways to prevent it. Allison Coffin is a neuroscience professor at Washington State University in Vancouver.
Wireless Radiation Health Effects
06/03/2018
Dafna Tachover
Presentation by Dafna Tachover. Are cell phones and Wi-Fi harmful? Ms. Tachover is an attorney who led a Supreme Court case in Israel which led to the strictest limitations in the world on the use of Wi-Fi in schools.