Bright Lights with Mike Houck

Arguably no single person has had a greater effect on the Portland metropolitan region’s landscape as Mike Houck. Under the self-appointed title of “urban naturalist,” he has tackled conservation issues large and larger, from developing the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in the 1980s, to pushing the Metro government into managing the region’s open spaces, to developing two major trail systems—the 40-Mile Loop and, now, the Intertwine.

Such far-reaching initiatives, of course, have more than one author, but Houck stands apart for the sheer number of such plans he’s influenced, testified on, or helped to design. In May, he received one of the nation’s top conservation awards, the Francis K. Hutchinson Medal, an honor he shares with the likes of Rachel Carson and Lady Bird Johnson.

Have you missed the previous Bright Lights talks?

On Metro
Rex, Tom & Bob: a conversation with the next president of Metro. The three candidates discuss their candidacies and the future-defining debates for which Metro serves as our arbiter.

Branding Oregon
Dan Wieden has seeded a series of revolutions, large and small. He is best known for guiding Wieden + Kennedy to being one of the nation’s top creative firms in the ad business (and one of the largest remaining independent ones).

Bright Lights, European City
PSU President Wim Wiewel discusses the future of PSU and Portland and addresses whether or not Portland really is America’s most European city.