NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 1

President Frank Hladky, North Bend, Oregon fhladkys@gmail.com

Vice President Hillary Goodner, Yakima Valley Community College, Yakima, Washington, hgoodner@yvcc.edu

Secretary/Treasurer Eriks Puris, Portland Community College, eriks.puris@pcc.edu

Newsletter Editors Andy Buddington, Spokane Community College, Andy.Buddington@scc.spokane.edu Frank Hladky, North Bend, Oregon fhladkys@gmail.com

State Councilors AK Sonia Nagorski, University of Alaska, Juneau sanagorski@alaska.edu LeeAnn Monk, University of Alaska, Anchorage lamunk@alaska.edu ID Shawn Willsey College of Southern Idaho swillsey@csi.edu (second position open)

OR Eriks Puris, Portland Community College

eriks.puris@pcc.edu (second position open)

BC Tark Hamilton, Camosun College, Victoria, BC thamilton@camosun.bc.ca Todd Redding, UBC Penticton tredding@okanagan.bc.ca

WA Nick Zentner, Central Washington University nick@Geology.cwu.EDU Andy Buddington, Spokane Community College andy.buddington@scc.spokane.edu

Past President

Cassie Strickland, Columbia Basin College cstrickland@columbiabasin.edu

Web-site editor

Cassie Strickland, Columbia Basin College cstrickland@columbiabasin.edu

OEST Coordinators

Jodie Harnden, Sunridge Middle School, Jodie.Harnden@pendleton.k12.or.us

Lynda Sanders, Sunset Middle School, LyndaS@coos-bay.k12.or.us

NAGT PNW Section Liaison

Karen Viskupic, Boise State University karenviskupic@boisestate.edu

Fall 2018

Grandson Evan Brown, a

self-professed, aspiring

“fossil finder.” Wasatch

Range, August, 2018

From the President Greetings!

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Pacific Northwest Section

National Association of Geoscience Teachers

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 2

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2018 Pacific Northwest Section

Annual Conference Hillary Goodner, Yakima

Valley Community College

The NAGT-PNW Section annual conference on June 27-29,

2018 was hosted by Mount Hood Community College.

Forty-five registrants attended the conference, which is yet

another year with increasing numbers of attendees with 11

more than the 2017 conference. Thank you to all who

coordinated, hosted, and attended this spectacular gathering

of northwest geoscience educators and professionals.

The conference consisted of one day of interactive talks and

activities. The speakers engaged attendees on a variety of

topics including pedagogy, research, and current events.

Many great discussions were had. The first day ended with a

banquet in Cascade Locks, OR. The keynote address was

provided by Dr. Marli Miller. Marli presented the geological

history of the Pacific Northwest as well as some humorous

stories of researching and writing the second edition of the

Roadside Geology books for Washington and Oregon.

On Thursday, June 28, approximately 30 members attended

a field trip to Mount Hood lead by retired USGS-CVO

geologist Willie Scott. This well attended all-day field trip

took attendees to several lookouts to view the extraordinary

flows of Mount Hood. The end of the day featured an

incredible hike along the Timberline Trail West to view lava

domes, pyroclastic flows, and lahar deposits.

On Friday, June 29, about 23 registrants attended a second

field trip to Silver Falls State Park led by Beth Norman and

Daina Hardisty. Along the way to Silver Falls, the group

gathered at Wilhoit Springs and observed a number of

incredible coal and fossil samples provided by the unofficial

land keepers. Many attendees enjoyed a sampling of the

mineral water that the spring provided. Silver Falls State

Park offered an incredible opportunity to experience

Columbia River Basalt flows with easy access, amazing

waterfalls, and geologic discussions of geochemistry and

tree molds!

A great many adventures and learning opportunities were

had by all. Hope to see you all next year in Penticton, B.C!

Trip leader and retired USGS-CVO geologist Willie Scott

viewing the southeast flank of Mount Hood. Photo credit: Hillary

Goodner

Trip leader Beth Norman, center right, along trail at South Falls,

Silver Falls State Park. Photo credit: Hillary Goodner

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 3

North Falls, Silver Falls State Park. Photo credit: Hillary

Goodner

Northeast view of Mount Hood from Tilly Jane quarry. Photo

credit: Hillary Goodner

2019 Pacific Northwest Annual

Conference – DATES! Todd Redding,

Okanagan College

The Okanagan College Department of Geography, Earth

and Environmental Science is hosting the 2019 National

Association of Geoscience Teachers – PNW Section Annual

Conference and Field Tour in Penticton British Columbia,

Canada. The meeting is June 25-27, 2019. The first day will

be conference, followed by 2 days of field trips in the South

Okanagan.

The Okanagan Valley features a diverse geology with

volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary bedrock and a

whole lot of glacial history. Come join us for a fun and

informative event that is sure to feature a few liquid

highlights of the Okanagan Terroir!

For a sneak preview of some of the sites we may visit, have

a look at http://okanaganlandscape.weebly.com

Penticton is in the beautiful Okanagan Valley sandwiched

between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes and recreational

opportunities abound. The area features some of the best

mountain and road biking in the PNW, many hiking trails

and lots of water sports options on Okanagan and Skaha

Lakes. And of course there are dozens of wineries and

excellent restaurants. For more information on the vacation

opportunities check out https://www.visitpenticton.com/.

For more information contact Todd Redding

(tredding@okanagan.bc.ca) and watch for updates at

http://www.nagtpnw.org/

Munson Mountain above glacial lake Penticton lacustrine

sediments in Penticton (Photo: T. Redding)

Mylonite Gneiss (Photo: T. Redding)

Congratulations to our own Frank Hladky for his

election to the NAGT National position of Secretary-

Treasurer. Way to go Frank and thanks from all of us for

stepping up to the National level! -- Andy Buddington

2018 NAGT Pacific Northwest Section

Annual Report including the OEST information along

with the section financial report can be viewed on the NAGT

National website: https://nagt.org/index.html

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 4

2019 GSA Cordilleran Meeting, Portland,

Oregon, May 15-17, The GSA Cordilleran Section

meeting will be hosted by the City of Roses at the Portland

Convention Center. Go to the section meeting website at:

https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/Events/Section_Meetings/

GSA/Sections/cd/2019mtg/home.aspx. The abstract

deadline is February 5th.

'Nick On The Rocks’ continues with a new batch of

episodes made for PBS TV. Produced at Central

Washington University, the 5-minute geology shorts are

written and hosted by Nick Zentner. 6 new shows -

featuring Giant Current Ripples, Deception Pass, Palouse

Loess, Steamboat Rock, Lake Lewis, & Ghost Forest - will

be posted this winter. 12 past episodes can be viewed here:

http://www.nickzentner.com/#/pbs-nick-on-the-rocks-1/

2018 TRGS Summer Field Conference This year’s Tobacco Root Geological Society (TRGS)

field conference in Bozeman, Montana gave participants the

chance to explore some intriguing geology! We also honored

founding members Dick Gibson, Marian Lankston and Bob

Lankston at this year’s meeting. If you weren’t able to join

us this year, you can get the field guides in Northwest

Geology. You can enjoy this year’s volume by renewing

your membership or joining TRGS today. Visit

www.trgs.org for details. Next year’s conference will be in

Butte, Montana. Be on the lookout for our first call for

papers in February 2019.

View from the top of Sacajawea Peak (photo courtesy of Petr

Yakovlev)

Behind the scenes tour at the Museum of the Rockies (photo

courtesy of George Furniss)

Dick Berg, Ennis Geraghty, and Chad Walby near Big Sky,

Montana, looking at an igneous (gabbro) sill in the Cretaceous

Frontier Formation (Photo courtesy of Phyllis Hargrave).

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 5

Field trip leaders Chris Schmidt and Ned Sterne discussing

folded thrusts near Jefferson Canyon (Photo courtesy of Phyllis

Hargrave).

The "Geo-van" made it to yet another TRGS meeting with Bruce

Cox and Larry Johnson (photo courtesy of Phyllis Hargrave).

Examining the Doherty Mountain Thrust near Cardwell,

Montana.

Participants looking at clinopyroxenite xenoliths in an Eocene

alkaline igneous dike in the Crazy Mountains. Field trip leader

Frank Dudas is second from right (photo courtesy of Katie

McDonald).

New Ice Age Floodscapes on YouTube videos from

Bruce Bjornstad

Streamlined Palouse Hills:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV2F3NJCcvU

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 6

Gardena Cliffs Rhythmites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4TukmD-OsI&t=57s

Washington Science Teachers Association

(WSTA) has some exciting and interesting events

scheduled for Fall 2018. And, beer is a major connecting

theme! Go to their website (https://wsta.wildapricot.org/) for

more information!

WSTA Conference 2018

Oct 19 and 20

Bellingham, WA

3D Learning: Shifting the Paradigm in the PNW

We have the program for Saturday!

Click the List of Workshops tab below!

GO TO CONFERENCE PAGE FOR MORE

INFORMATION

LIST OF WORKSHOPS ON SATURDAY!

GENERAL SCHEDULE

Good Reads

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is about paleobotanist, Hope

Jahren, and her lifetime of experiences as a teacher and

science researcher. This award-winning book is a really fun

and interesting read; you’ll see trees, dirt, field and

laboratory work, and science in general, from a new

perspective!

Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can

Help Save the World by Marcia Bjornerud (Princeton

University Press), a new look at what we as earth science

instructors discuss every day.

NAGT Awards

As most of you know, NAGT gives numerous annual

awards, “mini-grants”, and scholarships. These awards

support and recognize great teaching and work in the

geosciences. But, for people to be recognized and otherwise

provided support, there need to be nominations! We need

your help. Please, take a moment and think of some

deserving teacher or colleague. Maybe you have a student

that needs help with field camp funding. Or maybe it’s time

act on that crazy idea you have for research by applying for

funding.

For the complete list of awards and deadlines, visit the

NAGT website at https://nagt.org/nagt/awards/index.html

for all the information needed to nominate or apply. Below

is a quick list of what NAGT has to offer:

Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award

Neil Miner Award

James Shea Award

Robert Christman Award

Dorothy Stout Professional Development Awards

Outstanding TA Award

Scholarships for Field Study

Central Washington University, Public Lectures &

Field Trips: http://www.geology.cwu.edu/lectures/

Ice Age Floods Institute: website, events, field guides:

http://iafi.org/

Washington Science Teachers Association:

https://wsta.wildapricot.org/

Northwest Geological Society, Seattle, Washington:

monthly meetings, lectures, and field trips:

http://www.nwgs.org/

British Columbia: see announcement above regarding

the 2019 NAGT Pacific Northwest Section annual

conference to be hosted by Okanagon College and organizer

Todd Redding.

Idaho: Idaho Science Teachers Conference: Oct 5-6, 2018

at Eagle High School.

https://idscienceteachers.wildapricot.org/

The 2019 Tobacco Root Field Conference will be in Butte,

Montana (no date set yet).

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 7

Washington: Central Washington University’s Geology

Department continues to host ‘2YC Transfer Recruiting

Weekends’ in hopes of attracting more undergraduates from

across the Pacific Northwest. Nick Zentner hosts the

weekends - the first weekend of April and October each

year. Included: Geology of Central Washington lecture

sessions, Building & Lab Tours of CWU Geology’s new

Science Building, and Geology Field Trips to outstanding

field locations near Ellensburg. Not on the email list for

these weekends? Email Nick: nick@geology.cwu.edu

Alaska: Meetings: The Alaska Section of the American Water

Resources Association meeting will take place in Juneau on

February 25-27, 2019.

Teaching news: Alaskan junior geologists sharpen their

field geology stills both in their native habitats as well as

during migrations south to the desert where rocks aren’t

covered up by glaciers and forests.

At the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, along with

the K-12 schools in town, students have the distinct privilege

of having a glacier just a few minutes away from city limits.

Teachers and professors frequently visit the Mendenhall

glacier for field trips geology, geomorphology, and ecology

field trips. The rate of thinning and retreat of the glacier is

rapid, and most residents can track the changes by recent

memory. The Extreme Ice Survey, in conjunction with

several local volunteers, have been recording time lapse

photos of the glacier terminus; the 2007-2014 compilation

can be found here: https://vimeo.com/229580930

University of Alaska Southeast Physical Geology students at the

base of Nugget Falls (hanging valley) with Mendenhall Glacier

and Lake in the background. March, 2018.

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, geological sciences

majors in GEOL A480 Geologic Field Methods work along

the famous Turnagain Arm in Alaska mapping the Valdez

Formation turbidite sequences led by Dr. LeeAnn Munk

(photo below). This is the first of a two course field camp

sequence in the UAA program.

University of Alaska Anchorage geological sciences students

in GEOL A490/A690 Geology of Death Valley class, spring

2018 led by Dr. LeeAnn Munk (photo below). Students

focused on basic field geology skills including note taking,

structural and stratigraphic measurements, and taking in the

great variety of geology in Death Valley National Park. Dr.

Sonia Nagorski will be leading a field excursion from March

10-16, 2019 to Death Valley and welcomes linking up with

other geology groups who might be investigating the area at

the same time (please contact sanagorski@alaska.edu if

interested).

NAGT Pacific Northwest Section Page 8

University of Alaska Anchorage MS student Daniel Coffey at the

Bishop Tuff outside of Bishop, CA. Dan is involved in a

research project investigating the sources of lithium in the brine

from Clayton Valley, NV. Airfall deposits from the 767 ka

eruption of the Bishop Tuff are likely part of one of the most

important lithium brine aquifers in Clayton Valley, this idea is

being further tested as part of Dan’s thesis work with Dr.

LeeAnn Munk.

Newsletter Materials! If you have anything that you

would like to share with the section, please don’t hesitate to

send it to either Frank or Andy. We’re always looking for

information and items to put in the newsletter. Got a great

field or lab sample photo you want to share? Send along

with a description. Book or article review? Or, heaven

forbid, how about writing a relevant piece on something that

may be of interest to the rest of us. Please submit!

Students working on an outcrop sketch at Hug Point along the

Oregon Coast from a class field trip this summer. Submitted by

Megan Faust

Belt Association, Murray Gold District field trip, September

22nd. Participants pose for a group photo in the Golden Chest

open pit gold mine, Murray, Idaho.