Dave Knows Portland

OMSI Science Pub (1-August-2011)

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Omsi Science PubCan the Next Wave of Energy Come from the Ocean? is the topic of of the next OMSI Science Pub on Monday, August 1, 2011:

Oceans cover almost three-fourths of the Earth’s surface. It is estimated that if 0.2% of the ocean’s untapped wave energy could be harnessed, it could provide power sufficient for the entire world.

Today’s wave energy technologies, commonly referred to as marine hydrokinetics, are relatively new and evolving, however the concept of harness energy from ocean waves is not. Oregon continues to be a national leader in research and technology testing of wave energy devices. As the design and efficiency of these technologies continue to improve, so does the future of wave energy.

The success of wave energy power generation relies, in part, on responsible siting and mitigation. To this end, resource managers and decision-makers will rely on a strong cross-section of scientific disciplines to assist in planning for future wave energy facilities. Today, scientists are actively conducting research into possible effects of wave energy devices on the marine environment.

At this Science Pub, come explore the concept of wave energy and learn about ongoing wave energy-related research and environmental studies being conducted offshore of Oregon and beyond.

The presenters are civil engineer Meleah S. Ashford, program manager for the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) at Oregon State University, and Donna Schroeder, a marine biologist with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).

This science pub takes place at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne) from 7pm until 9pm, but arrive early (5pm doors open) to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $5.00 suggested donation/cover charge. Minors with adults are welcome, otherwise this event is 21 and over.

The Big Float (31-July-2011)

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The Big FloatThe Big Float takes place Sunday, July 31, 2011 – in and on the banks of the the Willamette River in Downtown Portland. This first annual event aims to celebrate our river – highlighting the recreation it offers as well as the restoration it has undergone in recent years.

Despite what you may have heard, the Willamette River is safe to swim in (just, sometimes, not right after heavy rains, when a Combined Sewer Overflow may occur – an event that will become even more scarce when the Big Pipe project is complete).

People of all ages (1,000+ participants anticipated, registration will be cut off at 2,000) will enjoy a one-hour river cruise down the Willamette in the “float-worthy apparatus” of their choice, collecting at the east bank of the Hawthorne Bridge, parading west across the Hawthorne, due south on the Esplanade to final disembarking at the west bank beach of the Marquam Bridge. Floaters will head northeast to cross the river and “take out” at the starting point of the parade, at the east bank of the Hawthorne Bridge.

The Big Float is open to all – a $5 donation is suggested per floater. Proceeds go to Willamette Riverkeeper, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Willamette River.

Things kick off Sunday morning at 9:30am in the parking lot at 1515 SE Water Ave, at the southeast base of the Hawthorne Bridge (you can register online now). At 11am the Inner-Tube Parade begins, led by the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers, across the Hawthorne Bridge, along the west side esplanade, to the Marquam Bridge Beach (where late arrivals can sync up with the float!). Tubing begins at 11:30, followed by the after-float pool party and then from noon until 6:30pm the After Float Party – with food carts, exhibits, live music, and a beer garden (open to non-floaters too, for $7).

And so it was that on Sunday, July 31, 2011, a large armada of floaters in tubes, rafts, kayaks and other human-powered water vessels gallantly set sail across the mighty Willamette River. It was the inaugural launching of THE BIG FLOAT.

Visit TheBigFloat.com for all the details, including registration information, volunteer opportunities, and the FAQ. Follow @TheBigFloat on Twitter and on Facebook too!

July 19, 1894: The First Mazamas Summit Mt. Hood

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"On Hood's Snowy Cap" (Morning Oregonian, 21-July-1894)The Mazamas, a nonprofit mountaineering education organization, got their start in 1894, when members of the defunct Oregon Alpine Club orchestrated a group climb to the summit of Mt. Hood.

The group’s first organized climb took place July 19, 1894, when 155 men and 38 women made the summit of Mt. Hood. The group voted for group leaders on the summit at 3pm that day. 105 of the climbers became charter members of the Mazamas – and to this day a requirement for membership is the ascent of a mountain with a living glacier.

In 1896 the group gave the name Mount Mazama to the destroyed stratovolcano known today for holding Crater Lake.

June 8, 1918: Solar Eclipse Observed From Baker City, Oregon

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Oregonian headline from 9-June-1918 (day after eclipse)The path of the solar eclipse of June 8, 1918 touched the southwest corner of Washington before tracing a line across the state of Oregon on its way across the continent, heading out over the Atlantic after crossing the Florida peninsula.

The U.S. Naval Observatory received a special grant from Congress to observe the eclipse from the eastern Oregon town of Baker (now known as Baker City).

Baker, the Oregonian reported on February 2, 1918, was determined by the Government as the best point to view the eclipse. Of the other cities and towns the eclipse would pass over, including Canton, Mississippi; Dodge City, Kansas; Denver, and Pocatello, Baker was deemed the most advantageous point for observation, because the eclipse zone will pass directly through the center of the city, and Naval observatory officials believed the climatic and atmospheric conditions prevailing at Baker (i.e. low probability of cloud cover) would be ideal for observation of the eclipse (Oregonian, 15-March-1918).

Below are several excerpts from the Oregonian coverage from Baker published the day after the eclipse:

When the moon this afternoon on schedule time darkened the face of the sun for a period of one minute and 53 seconds persons in the path of totality of the eclipse enjoyed or suffered all the many thrills and sensations which tradition connects with the heavenly spectacle. In the weird darkness of mid-afternoon, observers marveled, feared or experienced a combination of emotions indescribable, as the phenomenon affected them.

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The scientists, as they emerged from their buildings and tents after the eclipse, were pleased, indeed, as they realized that their weeks of preparation had not been in vain, and that they had not made a long journey and set up a carload of atronomical instruments without result.

…

Eclipse Day was made the occasion for a half holiday in Baker, stores and business places closing for part of the afternoon, and mills allowing employees half a day off, so all might take full advantage. Practically everyone had prepared smoked glasses, as advocated by Government astronomers, to witness an event that will not come to Baker again for 250 years.