Official Interpretive Center of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

“Columbia” The Magazine of NW History

“Columbia” The Magazine of NW History

Because our library is located in Wasco County our donations tend to be weighted toward the Oregon side of the Columbia. As we evaluate our collections, we are always looking for significant publications that reflect the Washington side. One such example is a quarterly magazine published since 1987 by the Washington State Historical Society. It is simply entitled Columbia, for the river that defines part of its southern border and for the name that was in the running when Washington gained statehood in 1889.
We have an index for the first ten years, and have created a finding aid with the table of contents for the full run of the magazine. In addition, we have magazine copies from 2001 through 2004, and a few other scattered dates. If you happen to be one of those “history buffs” who subscribe to this interesting and informative magazine and would like to find a home for your back copies, please let us know. We would appreciate the opportunity to fill out our collection and share the magazine with our patrons.
The accompanying illustration is the cover from the spring 2003 edition. It contains a lengthy article entitled “River of Memory – The Columbia, Wild & Free” by William D. Layman, which focuses on the upper river but tells a similar story to our part of the Columbia.
Another article in this edition is an interesting commentary on the naming and renaming of Washington Territory. The author notes that the residents chafed at the moniker “North Oregon.”
Stop by and see what The William G. Dick Library offers, including copies of Columbia and Lyman’s 2002 book Native River – The Columbia Remembered.

Mews News: Staying Warm in Winter

Mews News: Staying Warm in Winter

As humans with modern amenities, we’re very good at keeping warm. If it’s too cold throw on some more layers, wrap up in a blanket, or give in and turn the thermostat up. But for our feathered friends, how do they keep warm outside in the snow?
First, a bird may tuck a foot up against its body or rest its body on its feet to cover the feet with warm feathers. Some species of cold weather birds have feathered feet as well! In addition, a neat biological feature called the countercurrent flow allows the hot blood leaving the core of the body to warm up the cold blood returning from the feet. This prevents the cold blood from lowering the core body temperature too much.
By eating plenty of high energy foods, birds can also pack on a layer of insulating fat. Many birds that are fond of seeds and nuts spend a great deal of time storing them away either in small buried caches or in the grand granaries of the Acorn Woodpecker. Suet, or beef fat, is another popular and tasty source of energy that you can provide to you neighborhood birds. You’ll see how quickly a flock of birds will devour it as a cake of pure fat or laced with seeds.
Birds can also find a warmer place to rest at night. Tree holes, bird houses, nooks and crannies can all present opportunities to get out of the wind and rain. Birds may also enter buildings via front doors and chimneys.
So, take a look outside and see what birds are spending winter with you, and remember to always Keep Your Eyes on the Skies!

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