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Mount Defiance: a great workout in the Columbia Gorge
In his latest Get Outside! column at Cascadia Magazine, Craig Romano finds a killer hike that’ll get your calves and quads burning: Mount Defiance on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. Nested in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, the hike offers marvelous views of Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. But the key to getting the workout is choosing the steepest route — and Craig’s writeup has all the details. Read the full trail description online at Cascadia Magazine now and plan a late-summer trek up a challenging peak not far from Portland.
Now online at Cascadia Magazine: Fighting for Peace Valley
The controversial Site C dam project in northeast British Columbia has upturned the lives of residents of the gorgeous Peace Valley. In a well-reported feature at Cascadia Magazine, Alison Bate talks with members of the grassroots opposition to the massive hydro project. You’ll meet Yvonne Tupper of Saulteau First Nations, farmers Arlene and Ken Boon, and horse breeder Esther Pedersen. Alison also spoke with West Moberly chief Roland Willson, dropped in on the court case to hear B.C. Hydro’s arguments and finally, visited the dam site itself.
“If we get kicked out, where would we move to that’s more beautiful than this?”
A BC Supreme Court case finishes arguments today that could halt the Site C dam — so you’ll want to read Alison’s fantastic article this weekend to learn more about this environmental issue critical to the Cascadia bioregion.
If you appreciate great writing like this, please take a moment to visit Cascadia Magazine’s donate page and make a contribution. Thank you!
British Columbia dam case makes final arguments today
CBC reports that a case in BC Supreme Court aiming to halt the controversial Site C dam is wrapping up today — First Nations including the West Moberly contend that the $10 billion project inadequately fulfilled its Treaty 8 obligation to consult with Indigenous people. The Narwhal looked in detail at the ways the project has consistently failed to get First Nations input.
New rural party threatens Liberals in British Columbia
The Tyee reports on a new political party in BC that’s targeting rural voter in 23 ridings — and which could further weaken the Liberal party’s position in western Canadian politics.
The strange story of an Oregon town’s wooden money
OPB has a great feature on the odd Depression-era history of a town that decided to mint its own money — out of local timber. During the 1930s North Bend’s only bank shut down, and local residents started creating their own wooden nickels, dollars and more (well before the current Bitcoin boom!).
Harbor seals rising to high numbers on BC coast
Hakai magazine has a fascinating piece on a surprising development in the era of climate change and human impacts: harbor seal populations on the west coast of British Columbia are reaching record numbers — and threatening native salmon populations.
Oregon’s first black winemakers
Oregon Arts Watch’s round-up of culture news includes a note on a new documentary called Red White & Black: an Oregon Wine Story, which tells the story of Abbey Creek Vineyard & Winery, one of Oregon’s first African-American owned wineries. The film will have a free screening at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield College in McMinville, Oregon. Learn more and watch the trailer here.
Facing love and loss through dance
Seattle Dances reviews a recent recital at Velocity Dance Center that confronted grief through expressive motion, including It’s okay that I don’t see you now because I know I’ll see you when I die, choreographed by Allison Burke, and 57 Days by Timothy M Johnson, which explores what it is to be the sole survivor of a car accident.
That’s today’s sampling of arts, culture, and news from across Cascadia. Enjoy the rainy weekend! –Andrew Engelson