Watchful eyes peered through binoculars Saturday afternoon, spotting two red-tailed hawks circling the sky above North Portland’s Delta Park.
“Something exciting is about to happen, their feet are down,” said tour guide Han Lyons.
Below the birds was a modest-sized group of bird-watchers touring the historical Vanport area which was devastated by a flood that washed entire homes away into the Columbia Slough 75 years ago.
Lyons, a founder of Birdhers, a bird-watching club that focuses on inclusivity, and historian Marti Clemmons joined forces Saturday to host a bird-watching and history tour as part of the 8th Vanport Mosaic Festival.
Between stops to take in nature, Clemmons provided historical context to the Vanport area, which tens of thousands called home before the flood in 1948. The city was the second largest in Oregon, built in only 110 days as temporary housing for shipyard workers during World War II.
Lyons and Clemmons said that birding can make people feel more present and immersed in areas with rich history.
“Birding did bring me to this specific place around Force Lake,” Clemmons said. “I really want people to understand the background, because there’s insight and truth to people’s histories.”
The tour started at the Portland Expo Center, where the Vanport Mosaic Festival is taking place, and brought around 20 people down into Delta Park to explore and hear about Vanport.
Over 18,000 people were displaced and more than a dozen drowned in the Vanport flood, Clemmons said. Proportionally to the rest of the state, the area had a large population of people of color.
“It was more somber than our regular walks,” Lyons said.
“Yeah, somber,” Clemmons added. “But there’s the joy also, that same joy that potentially sparked hope 75 years ago. There’s something to be said of the song of a bird.”
The Vanport Mosaic Festival featured stories from former Vanport residents, events honoring the Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II and information on preservation efforts in the area. The festival started May 18 and ends Monday.
The duo will return Monday to host a “Womin and Queer centered” community walk. Part of Birdhers mission is to provide a safe space for people of color and those in the LGBTQ community in an activity that has historically been dominated by older, white people.
Emily Ruff, 33, has been bird-watching since she was a child. She said it was powerful to be able to enjoy one of her favorite hobbies while learning more about the significance of Vanport.
“You get to be very present,” Ruff said. “The more you understand about its history and its past, the more you can have a relationship with its current state.”
Ruff emphasized the significance of Birdhers’ mission to make outdoor activities more accessible to LGBTQ people.
“It’s important, as somebody who has those identities, you don’t often see others in these spaces,” Ruff said. “Having been on other Birdhers walks, the community building is a big reason why we keep coming back.”
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
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