Oregon Public Broadcasting

In late March Congress authorized the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. It spans four states.

Wednesday Senator Maria Cantwell and Congressman Doc Hastings stood at the dusty base of Badger Mountain in Richland to celebrate.

The bill means many historic sites in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana will be enhanced by the National Park Service and private groups.

Cantwell says the idea is to link sites with interpretive materials, so visitors can get the full picture of the great floods that ravaged the area more than 12,000 years ago.

Maria Cantwell: “This is the biggest flooding event that’s ever happened on planet earth. It’s a very big part of our history and needs to be explained.”

The Ice Age Floods Bill was part of the Omnibus Public Lands Package. A group of trail supporters from the Tri-Cities has been working for more than 15 years to get this route recognized.