February 7, 2024 3:10 a.m.

Umpqua Watersheds will journey back to the story of the Four Ladies in Tennis Shoes, on Friday February 23rd in the Ford Room of the Roseburg Public Library.

A Watersheds release said the evening will be a look back and a look at the present-day efforts to save the area’s water sources and create a wildlife corridor with the Crater Lake Wilderness idea.

Jesse Jackson, President of the Takelma Cultural Center will open the program with a Takelma blessing and honor song. Botanist and Silviculturist Chris Rusch will share the accomplishments of four local women in the 1970s as they worked to save the Limpy Rock botanical treasures, against all odds. Wayne Chevalier, Bottlenose dolphin researcher and South Umpqua trail manager, will speak on the value of wilderness. That will be followed by a presentation on the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal.

The evening begins with refreshments and a chance to mingle at 6:30 p.m. The program starts at 7:00 p.m.