Museum Speaker Explains Unique Gorge Plant Life

Staff, volunteers, and visitors at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum will be celebrating the diversity of plant life in the Gorge Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. “Visitors to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum often remark about the abundance and diversity of the plants that grow in this unique habitat,” said Gary Lentz, retired Washington state park ranger. “Many of the plants have always been here and were collected and identified by early naturalists. Many other plants have been introduced to our area by travelers, farmers, ranchers and gardeners. Have you ever wondered which are which?”

Lentz has compiled a visual quiz of 100 slides to illustrate common plants of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, and Washington. Audience members are asked to identify the plants and declare if they are “native” or “introduced.” “The quiz will include flowers, shrubs, trees, fungi, mosses, saprophytes, and algae so there will be abundant opportunities to learn about our botanical neighbors,” he said.

The program will be presented Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 at 2 p.m. in the DeGroote Theater. Lentz, who does a living history portrayal of David Douglas, the northwest frontier botanist, will present the program in period clothing. The program is interactive so audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions of David Douglas during the presentation.

This event is one of the museum’s monthly “Sundays on the Gorge” series, which has included a long list of subjects including eagles, giant trees, sea lions, many local history topics, and area mushrooms. The schedule is available at www.columbiagorge.org. There is no fee to attend one of the talks, other than paid admission to the museum.

The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum is located in Stevenson just north of Highway 14, adjacent to Skamania Lodge. The address is 990 SW Rock Creek Drive. For more information, please contact the Interpretive Center at (800) 991-2338 or (509) 427-8211.