Science Pub

Description

On August 23^rd, the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council welcomes Rebecca Hillwig, Oregon Health Authority Natural Resource Specialist and Surveillance Program Coordinator, to Cottage Grove for our August 2016 Science Pub presentation entitled Harmful Algae Blooms in Oregon. Harmful algae blooms occur worldwide and the organisms that create these blooms have been in existence since prehistoric times. Although blooms can produce toxins under certain environmental conditions, the organisms themselves are very beneficial to our planet. This presentation will explore the facts behind the blooms, the potential causes of blooms and toxin production, environmental factors affecting bloom prevalence, health effects, and what we all can do to help reduce the occurrence of blooms in our waterbodies.  

Rebecca has 26 years of experience in the environmental and health field. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from Central Washington University where she authored and co-authored two management guideline documents for the Spotted Owl and Pileated Woodpecker for use on the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest.  She began working for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality in 1990, and since then has worked for Oregon Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as an Industrial Hygienist, and for Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in several areas including air and water quality. In 2011, Rebecca went to work for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) where she currently coordinates work on harmful algae bloom surveillance, fish consumption, recycled water use plans and is working on Oregon’s Toxic Free Kids Act rulemaking. With her colleagues, she co-authored a manuscript on cyanobacterial blooms and toxins which was published in the journal “Toxins” – an open access journal specializing in all things poisonous and toxic.

The Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council hosts a free monthly public meeting series called the Coast Fork Science Pub on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 5-7pm at the Axe & Fiddle, 657 E. Main Street in Cottage Grove. The event begins with informal socializing, trivia, prizes and updates about the watershed and watershed council during the first hour. Then our formal science pub presentation begins at 6pm. Participants are encouraged to support the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council by ordering food & drinks from 5-7:30pm, as 10% of the sales from evening sales will benefit the Watershed Council. The event is free and the public of all ages are welcome.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
 -John Muir