Conference on Sea Otters and Place

The late Chief Don Ivy.\Photo by Morgan Rector.

Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Geology Lecture Series continues for the 2021-22 academic year with a series of talks covering “Relationships Between Elakha (Sea Otter) and a Sense of Place on Oregon’s South Coast,” a conference honoring the life and legacy of Chief Don Ivy. It takes place on Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event in planned to take place live at the Hales Center for the Performing Arts (on the campus of Southwestern Oregon Community College, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay); it would be wise to check to make sure a pandemic upsurge hasn’t changed these plans.   

The event will also be streamed via Livestream at the college website: https://livestream.com/swocc/geology2021-22.

This conference brings together a number of experts including Bob Bailey (President of the Elakha Alliance) speaking on “Elakha Alliance: Bringing Sea Otters Home”; Dr. Roberta “Bobbi” Hall (Oregon State University, Emeritus) discussing “With the Coquille Indian Tribe — and the Sea Otters”; Dr. William “Bill” Robbins (Oregon State University, Emeritus), author of “Hard Times in Paradise: Coos Bay, Oregon” with “The Floodtide of EuroAmericans and the Disruption of Elakha”; and Dr. Loren Davis (Oregon State University) talking about “The Importance of the Devils Kitchen Archaeological Site”.

The talks will be followed by a panel discussion/question and answer session with the speakers. The conference is dedicated to the life and legacy of Chief Don Ivy. When Chief Ivy was recognized as the Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Distinguished Alumnus in the Spring of 2021, several individuals associated with the Elakha Alliance were in the virtual audience. The idea of hosting an event on the south coast involving Elakha and sense of place was conceived. Following his passing in July 2021, a conference was organized dedicated to many of the tenets that Chief Ivy lived by, among them recognizing the cultural identity of Native Peoples of the region, supporting education, improving community, and fostering a greater awareness for land stewardship.

In addition to our speakers, representatives of the Coquille Tribe, Elakha Alliance, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and The University of Oregon’s Charleston Marine Life Center will be present in the Hales Center lobby before and after the lecture.

For additional information or to submit questions prior to the talk contact Ron Metzger at rmetzger@socc.edu or 541-888-7216.