A new season of weekly Fireside Lectures kicks off tonight at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, extending every Friday through March 23.
Hosted by the Tongass National Forest, these lectures at the center have been a Juneau tradition since 1962. Though the fireplace setting of the chats has been updated — the fire is now digital — the focus of the series remains this same: the human and natural history of Southeast.
This Friday’s lecture, Ocean Waves, will be presented by Joel Curtis, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau and a Yakutat surfer. Curtis will explain how ocean waves develop, evolve and react when meeting the shore.
Here’s a look at the full schedule:
Tonight: Ocean Waves with Joel Curtis
Jan. 13: Bald Eagles with Stephen B. Lewis
Jan. 20: Pack Creek Bears with Harry Tullis, Martina Miller and Lynzey Culver
Jan. 27: Porcupines in Winter with Jessy Coltrane
Feb. 3: Buried Treasures in Soils with Dave D’Amore
Feb. 10: Jokulhlaup! with Eran Hood, Aaron Jacobs and Tom Mattice
Feb. 17: President Harding in Alaska with Jim Geraghty
Feb. 24: Mendenhall Memories with KJ Metcalf, Doug Jones and others
March 2: Sandhill Cranes with Hank Lentfer
March 9: Salmon in the Trees with Amy Gulick
March 16: Living off the Grid with Jay and Jayleen Beedle
March 23: TBA
Each program in the series is presented twice, at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The visitor center is open free of charge from October to April from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. For more information call 789-0097.
