After Gifford Pinchot: Ancient Forests, Timber Wars, and a Century of Change with Rand Schenck

Doors at 6:00 p.m., show from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. PDT. (If the event is sold out, unclaimed seats will be released to the waitlist at 6:45 p.m.)

Where: Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River, OR 97031 A livestream option is available. These show typically sell out. We advise buying your tickets early.

STORY:
Gifford Pinchot was awed by the immense old-growth forests of the Cascades when he first visited the Pacific Northwest in the early 1890s. As the founding chief of the U.S. Forest Service, he championed forests as a “social good,” but as society and values evolved, so too did the management of public lands. Today, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest spans 1.3 million acres across the Columbia River Gorge, yet of the old growth that once covered nearly 70 percent of the area, less than 5 percent remains. Late in life, Pinchot defined conservation as “the foresighted utilization, preservation, and/or renewal of forests… for the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time.” How did a forest that bears his name diverge so sharply from those ideals? And how did both sides of the Timber Wars come to misunderstand his ideals and legacy?

Join author Rand Schenck as he explores a century of forestry through the lens of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest—from decades of stewardship, through years of intense harvest, and toward today’s emerging efforts towards the rebirth of old growth.

About the Speaker:
As a boy, Rand Schenck hiked and backpacked in the same mountains and woods where Gifford Pinchot first worked as a forester and developed a lifelong love of the outdoors. Schenck holds a BA in History from the University of Colorado, as well as an MA in Recreation Administration and a Masters of Social Work, both from University of North Carolina. Now retired, his most recent employment was as an executive coach and an organizational development specialist and consultant. Additonally, Schenck served in various leadership roles for 15-years with the Sierra Club and for 25-years he has owned a small 1920s cabin surrounded by a "backyard" of 1.3 million acres of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

About Sense of Place:

For 16-years, Sense of Place has connected people through place and storytelling.

Our flagship speaker series features people with unique knowledge of the Columbia River Gorge and who consider the natural and cultural history that has shaped this place. Guests have included: scientists, tribal members, authors, farmers, and many others from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The stories shared deepen our understanding of the Gorge and strengthen our connection to the landscape and to each other.

Learn more about Sense of Place and check out our online archive and past events HERE.

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Sense of Place is a program of Mt. Adams Institute, which provides programs that
strengthen the connection between people and the natural world through
education, service, career development, and research.