Student comments when asked what they have learned about the Columbia Slough:

Keith Dobler.
“I had never even heard of Vanport City prior to this class, and I had no idea it was the second largest city in Oregon. I find it kind of appalling that the slough is so polluted and that people don’t give a damn, and when they decide to, they fight about it. The city planners don’t want to spend, the environmentalists want to go all out. Where’s the happy medium?”
Keith is an Economics major. He interviewed Jim Regan.

 

Josh Kline.
“I didn’t know to what extent the slough is polluted or the historical roots of the pollution as far as industry and human waste go.”
Josh is a Business major. He interviewed both Alta and George Mitchoff.

Stacey Lambach.
“I think it’s a really interesting example of how people can impact their environment, and that can be a pretty overwhelming thing. I found it interesting to listen to the stories. Everyone has a story, you just have to ask them.”
Stacey is a Business Supply and Logistics major. She interviewed Mae Ninomiya.

 

Jake Lahmers.
“I learned that the issues involved in the slough are very complex and there are no clear solutions as far as cleaning it up. I learned about the history of the slough and some of the problems the slough faces.”
Jake is an Economics major. He interviewed Tim Hayford.

Michele Mantzouranis.
“I learned about the diversity of the people who live around the slough and how attached many of them are to the slough and to their communities.”
Michelle is a General Studies major. She interviewed David Kasch.

Patrick McGinnis.
“I was unaware of the ways the slough is managed and have learned about the diverse range of potential states of existence for the slough.”
Patrick is a History major. He interviewed Tony Fazio.

Shelley O’Connor.
Shelley O’Connor is a resident of St. Johns. She is a Social Sciences major and will graduate December, 2000. Shelley O’Connor interviewed Else Norris on “As it used to be in East St. Johns.”

Caseman Thompson.
“I learned about the historical significance the slough has played in peoples’ lives, and with that in mind, I’m somewhat apprehensive about the slough’s future.”
Caseman is a Social Sciences and Psychology major. He interviewed Jim Douglas.

Kirsten Wasche.
“I am an Administration of Justice major who will be graduating from Portland State Fall 2000. What did I get out of this class? A heightened sense of awareness about the condition of the Columbia Slough, and new insight into the history of Portland. I did not previously know about the Vanport Flood or the changes that took place locally as a result of WWII. I hope to relay the information that I learned in my career as a police officer. I feel that knowing the history of the community in which you live serves as a tool for education and empowement.”
Kirsten interviewed Richard Brown.

Geoff Wetherell. 
“I learned it’s important to keep urban waterways clean because once they’re polluted it’s hard to return them to a natural state.”
Geoff is a Social Science major, born and raised in North Bend, Oregon and has lived in Portland for four years. Geoff interviewed Ronald Bunn.

George Winston Weatheroy
“I learned that there were a lot of complex issues that were involved in the decision-making processes that have brought the slough to its present condition. Prior to this class I never knew about the history surrounding Vanport and the Vanport Flood. I was amazed at how those sequence of events greatly changed the ethnic and economic make-up of Portland.”
Winston is a Sociology major, a northeast Portland resident, and a Portland Public School Police Sergeant. He interviewed Ed Washington.