‘A Gathering of Ologists’
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 2 weeks AGO
Local geology, ecology and history experts will gather at Floodfest Saturday to share information with the public about the area we live in.
FILE PHOTO
David McWalter, the interpretive specialist for the Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, will be one of the presenters at the Ice Age Floodfest Saturday.
The Colville Confederated Tribes will bring information and historical photographs to Floodfest Saturday.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | July 20, 2026 3:00 AM
COULEE CITY — Just about anything anyone could want to know about the Columbia Basin will be on display Saturday at the Ice Age Floodfest at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park.
“Floodfest is a gathering of ‘ologists,’” said Washington State Parks Interpretive Specialist David McWalter. “We’ve got archaeologists, geologists, geomorphologists, biologists, historians.”
The lineup for Floodfest is like a who’s who of experts on the region, according to Washington State Parks’ schedule for the event. Cascadia Conservation District Archaeologist Mark Amara will have a booth to highlight the importance of historical artifacts, tools of the trade and hands-on activity. Two other conservation districts – Columbia Basin, based in Moses Lake, and Foster Creek, based in Waterville – will offer programs on shrub steppe ecology, soil, water and natural vegetation. Local authors Dan Bolyard and John M. Kemple will talk about European American history in the region, and Colville Confederated Tribes Historian Lucy Stanger will have historic photos and information about the tribes who have inhabited the area from time immemorial.
On the geological side, the Ice Age Floods Institute will have a 3-D map of Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington, and the National Park Service will bring the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail mobile visitor center. Retired educator Janice Elvidge will present the River Mile Network, demonstrating the importance of water ecology and healthy watersheds using crawdads, McWalter said.
There will be activities for younger visitors as well, McWalter said.
“(Amara) has a kiddie pool that we fill with different artifacts that kids can sift through and use the tools of the trade for archaeological digging,” McWalter said. “We are doing a thing called ‘Impressions of the Park’ where kids draw and do arts and crafts.”
The Coulee City Library will have children’s activities as well, according to the State Parks schedule.
For the people who want something a little more active, there will be a gentle guided hike to Umatilla Rock at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, with sweeping views of Dry Falls and the landscape carved by the retreating ice 15,000-18,000 years ago.
Because the Dry Falls Visitor Center is undergoing renovations, Floodfest has been relocated to the amphitheater at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, McWalter said.
Visitors won’t need to have a lot of knowledge ahead of time about the sciences and history at Floodfest, McWalter said.
“You can go as in-depth as you like or as superficially as you like,” he said. “My fellow interpreters and I are trained to do education programs from university level all the way down to kindergartners. The whole goal is to help people learn (about) and appreciate the places they call home.”
Floodfest
10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 25
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park Amphitheater
34875 Park Lake Rd NE, Coulee City
David McWalter, the interpretive specialist for the Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, will be one of the presenters at the Ice Age Floodfest Saturday.
The Colville Confederated Tribes will bring information and historical photographs to Floodfest Saturday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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