The Mount St. Helens Institute is about to launch a series of lectures and presentations to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Mount St. Helens’ cataclysmic eruption on May 18, 1980.
The “Volcano Views and Brews” series, which started in 2007, features speakers, food and libations.
The Mount St. Helens Institute will partner with the Portland Art Museum to sponsor this year’s Volcano Views and Brews. The events will be held in conjunction with the “Volcano! Mount St. Helens in Art” exhibit, which runs through May 17 at the art museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave.
Venues for this year’s events will alternate between the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, and the art museum.
The first event in the 40th “Eruptivesary” series will be “What Surprised Geologists About the 1980 Eruption” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Water Resources Education Center. Three U.S. Geological Survey scientists — Carolyn Driedger, Dan Dzurisin and Richard Waitt — who were part of the 1980 response team will discuss their memories and lessons learned.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. A suggested donation of $10 will benefit the Mount St. Helens Institute. Food from Foody Blues BBQ and beverages will be available for purchase.
Three more events have been scheduled:
• “Flash Backs: Contemplating Mount St. Helens in Art,” will feature Dawson Carr, the Portland Art Museum’s Janet and Richard Geary Curator of European Art, on March 17 at the museum.
• “40 Years of Survival and Revival at Mount St. Helens” will feature Eric Wagner, author of “After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens,” and Charlie Crisafulli, a research ecologist with the U.S. Agriculture Department, on April 21 at the Vancouver Water Resources Center.
• “What Does Mount St. Helens Mean to You” will feature three presenters: Christine Colasurdo, author of “Return to Spirit Lake: Life and Landscape at Mount St. Helens”; Rick McClure, a retired U.S. Forest Service archeologist; and Tanna Engdahl, spiritual leader of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. The May 7 presentation will be at the Portland Art Museum.
