ASTORIA — Clatsop Community College will host its second annual A Tribute to the Columbia River Conference this weekend.

The conference takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 17 and from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 18 in the Columbia Hall Community Room (Columbia 219) on the CCC main campus in Astoria.

A Tribute to the Columbia River is designed to celebrate the impact of the Columbia River on the Pacific Northwest, examine ways in which the river has evolved, anticipate and reflect on how the river is likely to change and stimulate change, and promote the Columbia River as a symbol of strength and influence for the area.

The 2015 program includes:

• Richard Turner, a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service of NOAA, will talk about salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Columbia River Basin.

• Joe Leahy will provide a retrospective on the automobile passenger ferries that were a unique part of Columbia River history from 1921 through 1966.

• Mark Paulson will introduce attendees to a history of the Columbia River bar pilots and why they are needed.

• Lt. Cmdr. Torrey Bertheau will provide an overview of the work of the U.S. Coast Guard in the lower Columbia River.

• Local artists Kobe Kytr and Mary Garvey will perform songs of the Pacific Northwest and Columbia River.

A Tribute to the Columbia River is open to the public. Participants may register for one or both days for a fee of $15 per day.

In addition, an optional catered dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, July 17, and a breakfast will be available on at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 18 prior to the morning session. The cost for each meal is $15.

Space is limited, and early registration is encouraged. Register by email rmcclelland@clatsopcc.edu, or call 503-894-0187.