N. Oregon Coast's Astoria Gets Deeply Delicious with Talks

Published 09/11/2017 at 6:27 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Astoria, Oregon) – Two fun and fascinating talks are coming up in the north Oregon coast town of Astoria and nearby in Ilwaco, Washington, featuring two deeply delicious subjects: clams and mushrooms. One happens at Fort Clatsop next week and the other at the end of the month at the Columbia River Heritage Museum.

The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop, is about to begin its autumn 2017 In Their Footsteps free speakers series. The first program is September 17 with Mysterious Mushrooms of Clatsop County, given by famed local expert Dane Osis.

An amazing variety of fungi thrive in the Clatsop County portion of the north Oregon coast, due to the area’s high precipitation and humidity. This illustrated talk will cover the rules and regulations for mushroom foraging as well as the equipment needed to collect fungi. The audience will also learn about some of the common species of both edible and poisonous mushrooms found in this area.

Dane Osis is a state park ranger at Fort Stevens State Park. After gaining a foundation in mushroom identification through several college courses, Dane commercially picked mushrooms in the Siskiyou and Deschutes National Forests. He has been teaching mushroom identification for the past 14 years at Fort Stevens State Park and has shared similar training at several Oregon State Parks and the Tillamook Forestry Center.

Sponsored by the Lewis and Clark National Park Association and the park, these programs are held in the Netul River Room of Fort Clatsop’s visitor center and are free of charge. 1 p.m. Lewis and Clark National Park. 92343 Fort Clatsop Road. Astoria, Oregon. 503-861-2471. https://www.nps.gov/lewi/index.htm.

One lecture in Ilwaco - just north of the Oregon coast - looks at the “Washington Razor Clam Phenomenon,” happening September 30 at the Columbia River Heritage Museum.

Hunting and gathering these creatures has preoccupied Northwesterners from the time of the Native peoples to the present moment. Challenging to dig, delicious to eat, and providing a sometimes heady experience of abundance, razor clams are entwined with the state’s commerce, identity, and history. On September 30 you can join author and clam digger David Berger to explore the twists and turns of a quintessential Northwest activity from its pre-settlement days to the present.

The official title of this southern Washington event is “The Razor’s Edge: The Washington Razor Clam Phenomenon.”

David Berger has worked as a visual arts critic for The Seattle Times, executive director of a botanical garden, and as a communication officer for Dunhuang, a World Heritage Site on the Silk Road in China. Berger is also a Metcalf Fellow for Marine and Environmental Reporting. Lodging in Astoria/Seaside - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

He started razor clamming when he moved to Washington after graduating from college. Answering the many questions generated about razor clam lore, history, and biology led to writing a book, Razor Clams: Buried Treasure of the Pacific Northwest, being published in fall 2017. When not razor clamming, Berger is also a visual artist living in Seattle.

This lecture will be held at 2 p.m. The lecture’s doors open at 1:30 p.m. and is free thanks to Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau. Columbia River Heritage Museum. 115 Lake St SE, Ilwaco, Washington. (360) 642-3446. http://columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org/.

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