Appendix B: Advance Questions
Questions for Wendell Wood Oral History Interview, 5/5/97
Based on our telephone conversation several weeks ago, I thought we could format the interview somewhat chronologically but with emphasis on the three topics (OMC, ancient forest issues, and Klamath Basin restoration) you mentioned.
A. I read the preface in your book, A Walking Guide to Oregon’s Ancient Forests, and a few questions come to mind concerning your experiences prior to moving to Oregon in 1976.
- Where were you raised in Ventura County? How did childhood there spark an interest in nature and the environment? Were there teachers,. or perhaps a particular aspect of your schooling, that cultivated your appreciation of the outdoors?
- You state that your parents migrated from the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s. Did you visit Oregon or Washington as a child? If so, what sort of impression did those visits have on you?
- How did you come to spend many of your summers as a teenager at Mono Lake? Were you aware then of the issues related to water delivery from the Owens Valley? Where did you go in the Sierra Nevada during those years? Was there a person that you particularly wanted to emulate at that time?
- Which classes at Humboldt State were the most memorable and/or valuable to you? Did you get a chance to explore the area around Arcata during your college years? How did you come to be active in environmental issues at that point in your life? Which issues were the biggest and what was your role in them?
- How did the Northcoast Environmental Center come about? What lessons in organization and staffing the NEC provide for future reference?
- Being a teacher in Myrtle Creek during the late 1970s must have given you a few insights concerning how to reach different types of people. The following questions pertain to how you transferred your previous experience into a new setting.
