STA speaker series honors Bjarne Holm

The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has honored the late Bjarne Holm by bestowing his name on the speaker series he founded.

The chairman of STA's Board of Directors, Chuck Humphreys, announced, "The STA has decided to name the speaker series, which Bjarne created and managed since 2014, the Bjarne Holm Memorial Speaker Series."

Holm passed away after an unexpected short illness. He had a strong personal interest in our ecosystems, both globally and locally; and he drew upon his extensive background and experience to enhance outdoor public recreation opportunities and to educate others in the wonders of the natural world.

"He is already deeply missed," said Humphreys. "Bjarne was a man of adventure - and, in his own words, a geologist and an educator.  He brought his considerable skills and energies to Sisters Country from Alaska and became a pillar of the Sisters Trails Alliance. More than all this, he was a wonderful friend, who buoyed us with his vigor, optimism, energies, spirit, wisdom and ready smile. STA is larger from his presence and smaller from his passing."

Humphreys went on to say that Holm "drew on his vast well of experience to the benefit of us all - such as creating the STA Speakers Series on trails, outdoor recreation, water, environment and conservation."

In fact, when Holm started the speakers series back in the spring of 2014, he made sure it would get off to a good start by giving the inaugural talk himself. That first presentation was titled "Changing Climate with Impact on Recreational Opportunities in Central Oregon." Holm's talk focused on an historical look at climate change from a geological perspective, with a look at the growing impact of human activity on the environment.

Holm discussed factors that contribute to climate change and devoted a significant portion of the discussion to geophysics, the study of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space. He stated that climate changes have been apparent on Earth over much of the planet's history and that climate change will continue to occur.

He noted, however, that there is considerable evidence to indicate that some of the changes are being exacerbated by human activity. For example, he stated that, in addition to rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, methane levels in Earth's atmosphere have risen 150 percent - mostly due to human activity just since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

As a geologist, he worked much of his career in Alaska for the oil and natural-gas industry. Because of his extensive geological work there, he personally observed some of the significant effects of climate change in Alaska and had a front-row seat to some of the changes being wrought by warming temperatures on Earth.

These were things of great concern to Holm, and he did his best to help others understand the issues and their impact on the earth and our way of life. But he didn't just talk about it. He was a tireless volunteer and spent countless hours, not only "getting the word out," but also spending time in the trenches as a trail volunteer, working to construct and maintain trails in the Sisters area.

One measure of his dedication is the fact that, even after learning of his diagnosis with a fatal disease, he made sure that all arrangements were in place for the next speaking event in the speaker series he founded - an event he would not live to see. That the series would be named in his honor is keenly appropriate.