OSU lecture series focus is disasters
The annual Starker Lecture Series at Oregon State University will this year focus on resilience in the face of disasters and other disturbances and how people across the forest landscape work to overcome them and learn from them.
The series examines how communities, industries and organizations have responded to recent and previous disruptions and are poised to play critical roles in creating a better future in the areas of forest economics, recreation, education and research.
The series, which kicks off Jan. 28, is free and open to the public via Zoom and Facebook Live. It features four panel discussions and concludes with a capstone workshop scheduled for a still to be determined date in April. Registration for each of the panel discussions is open.
“Natural disturbances and disasters have a long history of presenting opportunities for society to learn, adapt and thrive,” said Tom DeLuca, dean of the OSU College of Forestry. “The multiple disturbances and challenges of 2020 have emphasized the need to take stock and bounce back with the knowledge we’ve gained. Whether dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic or widespread wildfires, the past year has forced all of us to overcome and look at new and more resilient ways to live and work in the future.”
The series began with a discussion on recreation on Jan. 28.
Subsequent sessions, all running from 2 to 3:30 p.m., will focus on education (Feb. 10), economics (March 3) and research (March 10). The capstone will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on April 7 or April 21, whichever date is ultimately selected.
The lecture series is sponsored by the Starker family in memory of T.J. and Bruce Starker, prominent leaders in the development of the Oregon forest products industry.
The series is also supported by the OSU College of Forestry and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute.
More information is available at starkerlectures.forestry.oregonstate.edu.
Seedling sale to be pre-order pickups
A surge in pre-orders for the Linn County Small Woodlands Association seedling sale means plants will not be available for sale on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Limited supplies from area nurseries and COVID restrictions are also factors leading to changes in the 26th annual event. COVID restrictions mean a maximum of 25 people are being allowed inside the Santiam Building at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center while also wearing masks and social distancing.
Pre-orders have already exceeded last year’s numbers. Those orders can be picked up from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Santiam Building of the Linn County Expo on Saturday.
LCSWA members and 4-H students and parents will count, wrap and stage over 1,200 seedling bundles. Advance preparations include volunteers digging and packaging more than 125 sword ferns for this year’s pre-orders.
Money generated from the annual event funds 4-H and Oregon State University forestry scholarships.
Free monthly garden classes
The Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener program is offering a series of free virtual monthly classes, The Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series, which will be broadcast via Zoom webinar at 3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month through November.
The classes are free but registration is required. To make them accessible to those who cannot attend the live session, the classes will be recorded and available at extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/growing-oregon-gardeners-level-series for anyone to watch.
The classes, which include topics as far-ranging as Dazzling Dahlias to Adapting Your Garden and Landscape to Climate Change, are meant for those with a bit of gardening under their belt.
Before the pandemic, this series would have been held in person solely as continuing education for Master Gardeners, but the webinar format allows the sessions to be offered to the public.
The content, taught by horticulture experts from around the state, is meant to address current issues like wildfires, climate change and pollinators.
The topic for Tuesday, Feb. 9, will be “Multifunctional Hedgerows.” At the edges of farm fields or along rows, there are often rows of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses that are known as hedgerows. These living fences grow food, shelter wildlife, save water, manage weeds and look beautiful all year round. Explore how to design and use these multi-functional plantings as a way to achieve multiple land management goals.
Science Pub topic is decision making
The reasons policymakers decline to take science into account when making decisions that affect the general population will be the topic of the Oregon State University Science Pub on Feb. 8.
The virtual event, a joint effort of Oregon State University in Corvallis and OSU-Cascades in Bend, will feature a talk by two Oregon State professors: Erika Allen Wolters, assistant professor of political science and associate director of the Public Policy Undergraduate Program; and Brent Steel, professor and director of the Public Policy Graduate Program.
In their talk, “When Ideology Trumps Science: Why We Question the Experts on Everything from Climate Change to Vaccinations,” Wolters and Steel will use examples from policy debates on issues such as climate change, immunization and stem cell research.
Their research identifies the propensity of liberals and conservatives to ignore scientific consensus when it diverges from their ideological positions. During their presentation, they will discuss possible policy-focused approaches for overcoming this divide.
The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at: https://beav.es/JYy.
Sponsors of Science Pub include the OSU Office of Research, OSU-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Connect Central Oregon, a collaborative program with the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab, will produce the event with student interns.
Meals on Wheels weekly menu
Meals on Wheels offers take-out lunch at the Sweet Home Community Center to seniors over 60 at noon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Senior Center serves a separate lunch on Wednesdays.
Suggested donation is $3.50. All meals are served with milk, coffee or tea upon request and diabetic desserts are available on request.
The menu on Friday, Feb. 5, is Santa Fe chicken or chef mini salad, spinach romaine, corn chowder, dill roll and spiced peaches.
The menu on Monday, Feb. 8, is chicken pomodoro or spinach strata, Italian blend vegetables, garden vegetable salad, whole wheat roll and gelatin jewels with whipped topping.
The menu on Tuesday, Feb. 9, is beef and black bean chili or lasagna roll up, broccoli, spinach romaine salad, cornmeal roll and vanilla pudding.
For more information, contact Norene at (541) 367-8843.