We’re just about at the midpoint of summer here in the Willamette Valley, and right on time, August is coming in with some hotter temperatures, after a nice long stretch of milder days.
Most of Oregon east of I-5 is struggling with fires, and though they haven’t hit us hard yet this year, the conditions are right for it. Please be careful with anything that causes even a spark. Fire is a natural part of our landscape, but with fire resources spread thin, and other states already sending us teams to fight the ones we already have, we can help out by not starting any new ones right now in the valley.
Thursday: Historical Society Goes Solar
The Benton County Historical Society and the Philomath Museum are inviting the public to take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony this Thursday for their new solar array, providing clean energy to both the museum and the society’s collections storage building next door. The panels are a joint project of the Historical Society, the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Oregon Clean Power Cooperative, and were made possible by funds from the Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Power and community support.
The ceremony will take place at the Peter and Rosalie Johnson Collections Center at 1063 Main Street in Philomath this Thursday, August 1, starting at 4:30 pm.
Saturday: Paddle and Pull River Cleanup
Invasive plants can cause real threats to native species, both on land and in the water. In the Willamette River and its watershed, they degrade habitat, crowd out native vegetation and decrease water quality. Willamette Riverkeeper, Benton Soil & Water Conservation District, and Oregon Parks & Recreation Department are running a volunteer day to help hand pull aquatic invasive species, including water-primrose and parrotfeather, on the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany.
The cleanup is scheduled for this Saturday, August 3, from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Volunteers will meet at Michael’s Landing boat ramp in Corvallis. Willamette Riverkeeper will be loaning out 10 2-person canoes, but registration is required to book one of those seats. Click here for free registration and more information.
Monday: Math Anxiety Talk
Even in a science town like Corvallis, not everyone takes naturally to science and math. Math anxiety is a very real thing, affecting about 17% of the population. It’s more than just not knowing (or liking math); it’s a condition that leads to stress and mental anguish in the classroom, but also in real-life situations like making change, calculating a tip or figuring out dimensions for a home project.
Dr. Daria Shifrer is an associate professor at Portland State University, focusing on inequality in schools, disabilities and math and science education. She’s also a former middle school teacher. Next Monday, she will give a talk called “Math Anxiety: Made in the USA”, meant to destigmatize math anxiety and give helpful tips for tackling it, for both students and parents. The talk runs from noon to 2 pm next Monday, August 5, in the Corvallis library’s Main Meeting Room. For more information, click here.
Looking Ahead to August
As always in our little college town, events—and especially science events—slow way down in the middle of summer. But as we move into August, the return of OSU students and the start of another academic year is not far off. There are some really interesting things coming this month, including Wild Summer Days at Chintimini Wildlife Center, an invasive species cookoff at Common Fields, a 3-day birding field trip with Corvallis Audubon, a workshop on community gardening and much more. We’re halfway to Fall, but there’s plenty to do here and around the area before then. Stay tuned.
By Ian Rose