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This is our 5th year preparing a Year-in-Review report for our members. We hope this newsletter finds all of you healthy and adjusting to the pandemic twists and turns! IAFI has generally shifted from in-person to on-line activities to ensure the safety of our members and presenters. That also meant fewer activities in community social settings like county fairs, school programs, working with other organizations, etc. We hope to be able to return to more in-person activities (lectures, field trips, hikes) when it is safe to do so. We very much appreciate your continued understanding, support and membership.
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INSTITUTE MEMBERSHIP
We began with 11 members in 1996. At the end of 2021 we have 632 members (453 memberships) from 19 states, 2 Canadian provinces and 2 European countries. Our members provide most of our support and are a key reason for the various activities, events and materials we provide. We appreciate your loyalty and thank you for your continued support.
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INSTITUTE FINANCES
The IAFI is a non-profit organization. For 2021, our total income was $15,183, mainly from membership dues, donations, and Institute Store sales. For 2021, our total expenses were $11,972, mainly for contract labor (our membership manager) and liability insurance. At the end of 2021 we have reserves of $32,459 which are available to cover unplanned expenses, printing informational brochures and to pursue new opportunities related to telling the floods story.
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OUTREACH PROGRAMS
A key part of the IAFI mission is outreach to inform and educate the public about the Ice Age Floods and their long-lasting impact on our area. Our on-line media and local chapter lectures and field trips are the most effective ways we meet this challenge.
Lectures - Most of our activities during 2021 were on-line presentations, with approximately 32 lectures viewed live by over 1470 people, and hundreds more viewers after they were posted on our YouTube channel.
Field Trips and Hikes - Several chapters hosted multiple field trips and hikes.
Online Media - We significantly increased our online outreach to thousands of viewers with interesting articles, features and videos on our website, Facebook page, YouTube channel and through our newsletters.
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A survey to help guide future IAFI efforts will be coming out to members on January 18. Please help us focus on what's important to you before the survey closes January 29.
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Chapter News
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IAFI chapters are continually developing new ways of communicating information to help people learn about the floods. Here are some examples from 2021.
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IAFI Information Booth at the GSA Annual Meeting - the IAFI booth with displays and information had a nearly constant stream of visitors from nearly every state and many foreign countries.
Coeur du Deluge Chapter - published a two-sided North Idaho Glacial Geology and Shaded Relief map commemorating Dr. Roy Breckenridge’s dedication to geology, education, and his commitment to our chapter and IAFI. Chapter president, Tony Lewis, made a presentation and led a Southside Elementary School field trip.
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Cheney-Spokane Chapter - partnered with Spokane Riverfront Park personnel to provide interpretive narratives for the Ice Age Floods themed Playground that opened in April 2021.
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Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter - continued installing high water indicator rocks at the Clark Fork fishing access near Garrison, one each at the I-90 rest stops at Gold Creek, and one in town on the new Dean Store-Point Six hiking Trail. The chapter also continued work on making high resolution copies of Pardee lantern slides as regular photos and negatives to be loaned out without risking the original glass plates.
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Columbia River Gorge Chapter - designed, prepared and manned the IAFI booth at the Geological Society of America annual convention, co-led 4 field trips for OSU’s Columbia Gorge Master Naturalist Program, and made presentations and led field trips for 4th and 8th grade students.
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Palouse Falls Chapter - hosted a STEAM night information booth at Lacrosse School and another at Wheatland Fair, and led two field trips highlighting flood deposits as much as 800,000 years old.
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Lower Columbia Chapter - Tualatin Ice Age Foundation and Tualatin Historical Society installed at the Tualatin Heritage Center a 2,000 pound rhyolite erratic discovered the previous month at the Lakeridge Middle School. The relocation of the erratic became an exciting local and national news event, with Dr. Scott Burns giving a talk on the Ice Age Floods to the students at the school.
IAFI Education committee - plans to work with Inspired Classroom of Missoula, Montana to develop a 4th grade curriculum of the Floods story. A 10 minute video, lesson plans, maps, etc. for 3 sections, entitled “The World’s Greatest Natural Disaster”, will help educators teach how the Floods force and pathways still affect us today. There will also be adaptive materials and lesson plans for teachers of children who learn in non-traditional ways. Stay tuned for progress on this exciting project that everyone will enjoy!
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Families continue to visit Spokane's Riverfront Park Ice Age Floods-themed Playground on the north bank of the Spokane River even when there is snow and ice on a cold 22 degrees Saturday! It has been very popular since its opening in May, 2021.
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The playground, covering 40,000 square feet on the Riverfront's North Bank, is designed to help people learn about the events that shaped our region while they play and enjoy a 3-story Columbian slide tower, Glacial Dam splash pad, a log jam climber, an alluvial deposit fossil dig, and more.
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In this video the architects describe their realization of the vision for the park, and it shows how people are using and enjoying the new playground. Click here to view.
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The IAFI Store operates primarily online, offering informative maps, books, DVDs and pamphlets featuring numerous local features related to the Ice Age Floods, as well as art prints by Oregon artist, Stev Ominski, branded baseball caps, tee-shirts and decals. The store accepts checks, cash, credit card or PayPal payments.
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The store is run by a volunteer overseen by two board members. We learn about new offerings from publishers, authors, and member suggestions. Those suggestions are reviewed and approved before being added to the store inventory, as part of our attempts to offer a more complete and accurate story of this fascinating piece of geological history.
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More than ninety percent of sales are online through our website, while the remainder are done by phone, email, or on-site sales at IAFI meetings and field trips, festivals and conferences. The store provides profits from its yearly sales to the Institute to help further its educational and outreach goals.
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Several chapters run a “Store in a Box” for a share of the profits from sales of a limited amount of merchandise provided by the store. We do not normally handle international sales due to the prohibitive cost and paperwork of international shipping.
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Patty Hurd, the volunteer who runs the store, says, “The job is usually enjoyable, and I have had the opportunity to meet some new friends, re-establish links with some old ones, and even help one or two international visitors get more personalized and in-depth information from members in the areas they wanted to explore in our country. All in all, it has been a blessing.”
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New research reveals the ancient animals survived some 8,000 years later than previously thought. Frozen soil samples collected around a decade ago are rewriting our understanding of iconic Ice Age animals like the woolly mammoth.
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The soil samples were pulled from Canada’s permafrost in the early 2010s, but no work on them had been published until recently. A new analysis of the DNA samples reveals that woolly mammoths, wild horses and steppe bison were around as recently as 5,000 years ago—some 8,000 years later than previously thought, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
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Scientists reconstructed the ancient ecosystem using radiocarbon dating of plant material trapped in the soil in combination with microscopic genomic sequences from animal species. Their results showed something unexpected: Large mammals like mammoths and horses were already on the decline before the climate warmed. The scientists found evidence of woolly mammoth and North American horse DNA as recently as 5,000 years ago, which means the animals held out until the mid-Holocene.
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Do you have a geology question? We might have an answer!
Do you have a geologic fact to share? We have a way to do that!
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Members who want to do a short article, or describe a field trip location of interest, or describe some geologic problem or site, can use our online form to submit a question or write-up to our technical committee for an answer or review before we post it on our Geology Corner page.
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FYI: WHERE IAFI CHAPTERS COLLABORATE
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IAFI chapters regularly share resources and knowledge with other organizations.
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Regional IAFI - is helping the National Park Service develop plans and materials for the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
Wenatchee – works with Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, Port of Quincy, Othello Sandhill Crane Festival
Coeur Du Deluge – works with Idaho Master Naturalist Program
Lake Lewis – works with Friends of Badger Mountain, Benton County Parks, Hanford Reach Interpretive Center, Visit Tri-Cities, East Benton County Historical Museum, Franklin County Historical Museum
Cheney-Spokane – works with Spokane Riverfront Park, Ice Age Floods Playground, VISIT Spokane
Palouse Falls – works with Whitman County Library, Lower Columbia Libraries, Lacrosse Community Pride
Lower Columbia – works with Tualatin Heritage Center, City of Tualatin, Tualatin Chamber of Commerce, Tualatin Ice Age Foundation, Friends of Vista House
Columbia River Gorge – works with Oregon Master Naturalist Program, Columbia Gorge Discovery Center , Friends of Vista House, Geological Society of America, Eastern Washington University
Glacial Lake Missoula – works with Montana Natural History Center
Lower Grand Coulee – with Coulee Corridor Consortium- Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway; Coulee Corridor Area State Parks; Columbia Basin Trails Association
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Upcoming Calendar Events
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Jan 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: “Eye Witness to an Exploding Volcano – Mt. St. Helens” - Lower Columbia Chapter & Tualatin Historical Society Zoom Meeting
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Jan 27 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Yakima Fold Province by USGS Geologist, Dr. Lydia Staisch - Zoom lecture
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Jan 29 all-day: Puget Lobe Field Trip in downtown Seattle
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Feb 16 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Peopling of the Americas @ Montana Natural History Center
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Feb 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: “Incredible Plant and Animal Adaptations in the Swiss Alps” – Dr. Scott Burns – Lower Columbia Chapter & Tualatin Historical Society Zoom
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Mar 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Oregon’s Volcanic History & Fossils – Dr. William Orr – Lower Columbia Chapter Zoom Meeting
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Apr 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Kayaking down the Columbia River: Evidence of the Missoula Flood from the Perspective of the River - Lower Columbia Chapter & Tualatin Historical Society Zoom Meeting
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THANK YOU IAFI MEMBER SUPPORTERS
January-December 2021- We've seen a tremendous outpouring of support this year.
Every member at every membership level is vital to IAFI’s continued success. Your support helps us meet our mission of providing the Ice Age Floods story to the public and continuing our work on the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Every gift counts, no matter the size. Thank you for making the IAFI what it is today and for helping shape it for the future.
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Benefactors
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Catherine Clemens & Daniel Speth
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Clancy Cone & Bobby Tilton
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Ron Mamajek & Denise Zembryki
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Mary McGregor & John Bolles
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Erik & Kari Angell-Petersen Mikkelsen
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John Robert & Sharon E. Moody
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Norm & Ruthie Mundhenk family
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Chris Murray & Carla Chiotti
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Patricia & Frank Lisa Shanley
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Jim Trivelpiece & Ann Warrington
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Steven L. & Lynn Washington
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Sustainers
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Richard Frith & Judy Hademan-Frith
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Generous Donors
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Mark McLean & Kathleen Hemeover
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Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit educational organization (EIN 91-1658221), founded in 1995 and recognized as an official authority on the Ice Age Floods, providing accurate, scientific-based advice to members and the public. We were instrumental in 2009 Federal legislation authorizing National Park Service designation of the
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail (IAFNGT).
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