The Birds

Not All Is Lost: The Vaux’s Swifts Are Still Roosting In Portland

You can't go see them, thanks to COVID and our foul air. But it helps to know that they are there.

09/15/2020 By Julia Silverman

Birds of a Feather

A New Study Aims to Learn the Impacts of Social Distancing on Birds in the Pacific Northwest

Join in on the citizen science project and reap the cathartic benefits of bird-watching from your own backyard.

04/09/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

Elephant in the Room

A Closer Look at the Oregon Zoo’s Elephant Breeding Program

Critics—pointing to death, disease, and miscarriages—question who they’re really trying to save.

04/01/2020 By Ciara O'Rourke

Bullfrogs on Parade

In Portland, Bullfrogs Are like the Uninvited Guests Who Crash the Party

Biologists are fighting back with sandwich bags and Orajel.

04/01/2020 By Kat Merck

The Shakedown

What's the Deal with the Earth?

Sizing up our home planet in honor of Earth Day 2020

04/01/2020 By Marty Patail

Buzzfeed

These Native Plants Are Balm to Pacific Northwest Pollinators

Help a bee out, why don’t you?

03/27/2020 By Jennifer Krazit

Discover the Beauty and Awesome Power of Mount St. Helens at The Portland Art Museum

And get a sneak peek of Volcano! Mount St. Helens in Art, featuring artists’ response to the mountain 40 years after the famous 1980 eruption.

02/13/2020

Hometown Pride

Oregon is the Star of Apple’s New ASMR Video Series

A new set of tingly, audio-relaxation videos from the tech giant harness our state’s natural spaces.

08/13/2019 By Kiva Hanson

News

In 1999, a Wolf Named Freedom Came to Oregon. We’re Still Fighting Over Her.

The apex predator is a lightning rod for conservationists and ranchers.

06/25/2019 By Ramona DeNies

Wildlife

Does Oregon Have a Cougar Problem?

A hiker’s death on Mount Hood could have implications for public safety and Oregon’s wildlife policies.

01/29/2019 By Ciara O'Rourke

Urban Achiever

This Rising Political Star Could Redefine the Portland Region

And you probably don’t even know her name. (It’s Lynn Peterson, and she’s taking over Metro.)

12/21/2018 By Randy Gragg Photography by Nicolle Clemetson

Long Story Short

This Banana Slug–Eating Survivalist Will School You on Wilderness Skills

Nicole Apelian says those mustard-colored monopods are delicious.

10/17/2018 By Rebecca Jacobson

Nature

Should Oregon Kill Sea Lions to Save the Salmon?

Sea lions are scarfing the Columbia River's already struggling salmon populations. Now some politicians want to kill them.

10/17/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Fall Migration

On Willapa Bay, Bird-Watchers Get a New Festival

It's a weekend-long birding nerd-out with events that span the Long Beach Peninsula—by kayak, bicycle, foot, and even 4x4.

09/18/2018 By Sydney Dauphinais

Film

A New Documentary Tells the Stories Behind the Eagle Creek Fire

This time last year the Gorge was burning. Forest on Fire reflects on the blaze that shocked our state.

09/04/2018 By Marty Patail

Camping

5 Oregon Spots to Stake Out on the 'Airbnb of Camping'

From gardens in Southwest Portland to lodge properties in the Wallowas, Hipcamp offers 830-plus places to pitch a tent on private land.

08/29/2018 By Talullah Plummer-Blanco

Travel

How to Vacay in Phoenix—with Kids

Need some pro tips for keeping everyone happy on a winter getaway to the Valley of the Sun? Roller coasters, butterflies, and ranch dinners.

02/16/2018 By Kelly Clarke

Camping

You Want to Book This New Oregon Forest Service Cabin Now

Terry Musgrave has photographed more than 70 Pacific Northwest cabins. Fremont Point, in rural Lake County, is one of his favorites.

12/28/2017 By Hannah Bonnie

Books

Walking the World with Pacific Northwest Writer Robert Moor

The Canada-based journalist's debut book, On Trails, is already a bestseller. (Doubly impressive, we'd say, for a writer who hasn't yet hiked the glory of Oregon.)

07/27/2017 By Ramona DeNies

Wilderness Escape

A Remote Mountain Lodge Reopens in Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness

Back in the 1950s, the Minam River Lodge was a hunting retreat with no road access. On May 27, the lodge reopened—as isolated as ever, but with stunning new perks.

05/25/2017 By Ramona DeNies