The Finnish American Folk Festival of Naselle is pleased to welcome . . .

Christine Perala Gardiner

Christine Perala Gardiner received her PhD from Middlesex University in London, United Kingdom, in Physical Geography.Ê She worked with the Flood Hazard Research Centre to identify the roles of forested floodplains and streams to reduce flood damage and deliver ecological services that society needs to be sustainable.

She now runs a small firm called WaterCycle Inc. with her husband John Gardiner, and they operate a suri alpaca farm in Cave Junction, Oregon, called Suri Futures.

Her father, Nestor Perala, taught her a love of Finnish history and culture.Ê She speaks to us this year on Finland's recovery from WWII and the dramatic way that Finns recreated their culture in the modern era.