AUSTIN A multifaceted event will celebrate connections between the outdoor environment, its rivers and its people.

Called Ripples in Time, the celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at Bates State Park.

The event will highlight the gems of the upper John Day Valley, said Elaine Eisenbraun, director of the North Fork John Day Watershed Council. Originally planned by the council as a tour of current monitoring and restoration projects on the Middle Fork John Day River, the plans have grown to include entertainment and outdoor activities.

Bus tours will depart and return from Bates State Park throughout the day, provided by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation to conservation sites at the Oxbow, Boulder Creek, Dunstan Preserve Nature Conservancy and Forrest Conservation areas.

Designed for families, visitors and the general public, the event will include food, music, art, natural resources, history and childrens activities. There also will be self-guided tours to interpretive sites along the river.

As a special feature, tribal members will prepare and share a free salmon bake from noon to 1 p.m. at the state park. Also at the park, Camp Logan Days volunteers will serve root beer and lemonade.

Displays and special programs at the park will include:

A presentation on the history of music, including songs of native American, miners and loggers, and cowboy, country and river folk. Recorded music will be played between live performances.

A continuously running slide show of historic photographs focused on ranching, logging, gold mining, dredging, milling, and railroads.

A keynote speech by Kathryn Maroun on restoration of native fish habitat and the wonders of the outdoors, particularly rivers. Maroun is one of only a handful of women in the world certified as a casting instructor by the International Federation of Fly Fishers. She is a conservationist and award-winning producer and star of the weekly What a Catch television programs.

Fur trade re-enactment by Marvin Simonson, a muzzleloading expert.

A traveling display from John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

An art show hosted by the Austin House Cafe, featuring river-themed paintings by local and regional artists.

Information on native plants, birds of prey, beavers, mining, ranching and area attractions like the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Association and Railway.

Sponsors and volunteers are sought. For more information, contact the Watershed Council at 541-421-3018.