Annual Meetings

For over 20 years, the Pacific Northwest Section has been holding annual meetings and field trips that focus on regional geology, research done by area professionals, and teaching methods. Section meetings attract professional geologists, 2 and 4-year college faculty, and K-12 educators from across the Pacific Northwest.

Upcoming Meeting:

2026 Annual Meeting, June 2026, Dates TBD, Highline College, Des Moines, Washington

Host: Jacob Selander

 

Join us in Des Moines Washington to meet colleagues from around the Pacific Northwest, share teaching techniques, and explore some amazing geology!

Start thinking about field trips you would like to see along with any workshop items.

 

Past Meeting:

2025 Annual Meeting, June 26-28, University of Oregon Concordia Northeast Campus, Portland, Oregon (hosted by Mount Hood Community College, University of Oregon)

Thank you to all those members who joined us in Portland Oregon and a huge thank you to the amazing team of organizers led by Daina Hardisty from Mount Hood Community College, and out partners in the CRESCENT program.

The summer 2025 conference was held in parallel to, and co-located with, the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (https://cascadiaquakes.org/) annual stakeholders meeting. The program of the 2024 stakeholders meeting is linked here. They had approximately 130 stakeholders come to their meeting from a wide range of backgrounds across academia, federal, state and local governments, communities and others involved in seismic hazard safety. Part of the mandate of CRESCENT is creating links with geoscience education and we are excited about the future collaborations that will come out of the meeting.

Participants has multiple interactions between the NAGT and CRESCENT conference participants, including a joint workshop on skills development, shared field trips and a shared reception and poster session.

 

Conference Schedule:

The local lead NAGT host, Daina Hardisty and her team had been leading field trips in the Portland area for decades and had an impressive lineup of field trips.

Thursday, June 26:

Morning

  • NAGT only Field trip to the Columbia River Gorge
  • Trip Leader: Jacob Selander, Highline Community College.

Afternoon

  • Invited and submitted NAGT presentations
  • Invited presentation from Andrew Meigs (Oregon State University/CRESCENT) on the CRESCENT program and initiatives.

4:30 to 6:00

  • Joint reception with CRESCENT meeting participants & submitted posters

 

Friday, June 27

Morning

  • Invited and submitted NAGT presentations
  • Joint Geoscience Education Workshop with CRESCENT 

Afternoon

  • Participants has a choice of three different Natural & Urban Earthquake Hazards Field Trips in conjunction with CRESCENT.
  • Friday Trip #1: Port of Portland Marine Terminal and the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) hub. 

    This short field trip visited locations in North Portland along the Willamette River in order to have a boots on the ground view of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub and Port of Portland Marine Terminal to facilitate conversations around risk and resilience in the event of a M9 Cascadia Subduction Zone Mega-Earthquake.
  • Friday Trip #2 Portland Airport and the levees of the urban flood water quality district. 

    This short field trip visited locations in Northeast Portland along the Columbia River in order to have a boots on the ground view of the Levees and Port of Portland Airport to facilitate conversations around risk and resilience in the event of a M9 Cascadia Subduction Zone Mega-Earthquake.
  • Friday Trip #3: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry  

    How can you engage your community in conversations about earthquake awareness and preparedness? Participants learned about event models like ShakeOut with potential to reach large number of community members, explored how tools like Raspberry Shake can support education and outreach, and got hands-on with demos that foster two-way conversations with people of diverse ages and backgrounds. 

Evening

  • There was a tour of local craft breweries.

 

 

Saturday, June 28

  • All-Day Field Trip to the Oregon Coast.
  • Trip Leaders: Daina Hardisty, Mount Hood Community College; Laura Gabel, Department of Geology and Mineral Industries 

    Takeaways 
  • Saw landslides and seismic hazards along the Oregon Coast.
  • Learned about new information about past seismic events along the Cascade Subduction Zone
  • Resilience planning and community preparation strategies for coastal communities 

     

Questions? Contact the planning team:

 

 

Past Meetings:

2025 Portland Oregon, hosted by Mount Hood Community College

2024 - YAKIMA, WA, hosted by Yakima Valley College

2023 - NEW WESTMINSTER, BC, hosted by Douglas College

2022 - PENDLETON, OR, hosted by Blue Mountain Community College

2021 - VIRTUAL MEETING

2020 - NO MEETING (COVID)

2019 - PENTICTON, BC, hosted by Okanagan College

2018 - GRESHAM, OR

2017 - CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, ID

2016 - HELLS CANYON, ID

2015 - VICTORIA, BC

2014 - WENATCHEE, WA

2013 - COOS BAY, OR

2012 - SPOKANE, WA

2011 - MALHEUR FIELD STATION, OR

2010 - TWIN FALLS, ID

2009 - VANCOUVER, BC

2008 - YAKIMA, WA

2007 - PORTLAND, OR

2006 - BELLINGHAM,WA

2005 - COOS BAY, OR

2004 - WENATCHEE, WA

2003 - JUNEAU, AK

2002 - CORVALLIS, OR

2OO1 - BELLEVUE, WA

2000 - PORTLAND, OR

1999 - SPOKANE, WA

Interested in Hosting an Annual Meeting? 

Check out the guidelines for organizing a Section Conference (Acrobat (PDF) 93kB Dec15 04)

Contact the current section President