Sense of Place Lecture Series Returns October 19th with Lamprey Education
Now in its 13th season, the popular lecture series will kick off with a presentation including live lamprey.
Lamprey came into being nearly 450 million years ago, long before sturgeon, dinosaurs, or humans ever existed. The lamprey species has proven itself to be very durable, having survived global mass extinction events including ice ages, shifts of the continental plates, floods, and global warming. However, their populations have declined following the onset of the hydro dam era.
Mt. Adams Institute will host a unique Sense of Place event, Bloodsucker, Eel, Asum, Ksuyas, Parasite, Lamprey: Many Names, but What Does it Mean to Us? October 19, 2022. The presentation, by Ralph Lampman, will be offered in-person at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, Oregon, and via livestream.
Ralph Lampman, from the Yakama Nation Fisheries Pacific Lamprey Project, will discuss Pacific Lamprey history, cultural importance, and their unique biology and will share examples of the new restorations and research that are being implemented by the Yakama Nation Fisheries Pacific Lamprey Project and its partners. He will also discuss future management considerations for the species and share his experiences growing up and living in the West Coast USA and Japan, both of which offer unique, historic cultural connections between people and lamprey.
Pacific Lamprey is an ecologically and culturally important species whose population numbers have declined sharply since the large hydro dam construction era in the mid-twentieth century within the Pacific Northwest. Lamprey are an important and traditional nutrient dense food source for salmon, wildlife and people’s all over the world
Much like salmon species, lamprey are highly valued by local and regional indigenous people and in recent years, new restoration, investigations, and partnerships have taken shape by tribal, federal, state, and local entities to restore lamprey populations in the Columbia River Basin.
About Ralph Lampman
Ralph Lampman was born in San Francisco and moved to Tokyo, Japan, along with his mother when he was seven. After finishing high school in Japan, he returned to the U.S. to attend college in southern Oregon and northern California. Ralph worked as a U.S. Forest Service fish biologist on the Central Oregon Coast. He then returned to school to work on a Pacific Lamprey thesis project (along the North Umpqua River / Winchester Dam). Following his thesis project, Ralph began his current position working for the Yakama Nation Fisheries Pacific Lamprey Project (Toppenish, WA) and is currently in his 11th year with the project.
Event Details
This event will be offered in-person and include live lamprey. It will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Sense of Place host/curator, Sarah Fox. A livestream option is available for those unable to attend in person.
When - Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Doors open 6:30pm, presentation begins 7pm.
Where – Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Avenue Hood River, OR 97031.
Cost - $10 tickets, available at https://sense-of-place-13-season-pass.eventbrite.com
For more information on the Sense of Place lectures or its livestream, please go to mtadamsinstitute.org/senseofplace
