The Olympic Natural Resources Center (ONRC) will host the next installment of its Rosmond Evening Talk Series on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. The program, titled “Quillayute Airport – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,” will be presented by Chip Keen and will take place both in-person at the Hemlock Forest Room, 1455 S. Forks Ave., Forks, and virtually via Zoom at https://washington.zoom.us/j/3834334539.

Since its decommissioning at the end of World War II, the former Quillayute Naval Auxiliary Air Station has slowly devolved into a pair of derelict buildings bordering its one remaining active runway. The City of Forks, in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, has kept the airfield open for public use.

Recent recognition of its potential as an operations center during emergencies has brought the likelihood of additional funding in the next few years, which will be used to pay for the restoration of the hangar building for modern-day use.

Chip Keen is the Lead Commissioner for Clallam County Fire District 6 and co-owner of Quillayute River Resort. He and his wife have lived in Mora near the Quillayute Airport since moving from Hansville in Kitsap County in 2004.

As a commissioner and a Clallam County Emergency Management volunteer, he has actively promoted the airport as a dedicated asset for an all-hazards response since learning of the Cascadia subduction zone in 2015.

The Evening Talk series is supported by the Rosmond Family Education Fund.