Outdoors

What’s Blooming? Springtime Plants Are Popping Up in Portland

From daphne to daffodils, don’t miss these eight blooms.

03/12/2021 By Aurora Biggers

Footnotes

LISTEN: The Downtown Crows and Portland's Relationship to Nature

This week we talk about the annual winter crow roost and the conflicts that have emerged.

02/19/2021 By Gabriel Granillo

Environment

PPE and Plastic Waste Are on the Rise. But Cleanup Crews Are Here to Save Us.

As COVID-19 wears on, the simple act of picking up trash is more impactful than you might think.

02/09/2021 By Gabriel Granillo

Light a Fire

At Portland Audubon, There’s Wildlife Rescue, Nature Education, and Environmental Advocacy for All

At our “Caring for the Planet” award winner, it’s always baby bird season.

12/02/2020 By Julia Silverman

Footnotes

LISTEN: #LandBack and Indigenous Sovereignty, with Paul Robert Wolf Wilson

Paul Robert Wolf Wilson, an enrolled member of the Klamath and Modoc Tribes and photojournalist living in Chiloquin, Oregon, on Indigenous sovereignty, wildf...

09/25/2020 Edited by Gabriel Granillo

Podcasts

The Spotted Owl, the Timber Economy, and the Epic Conflict that Defined Our Forests

Timber Wars host Aaron Scott talks about the new OPB pod, science writing, and the ongoing battle over Pacific Northwest forests.

09/22/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

Footnotes

LISTEN: The West Coast Wildfires, with Eden Dawn, Riley Blake, and Erica Fleishman

How Oregon has been responding to the threat of the wildfires, the short-term health effects of smoke inhalation, and the long-term effects of climate change...

09/18/2020 Edited by Gabriel Granillo

Q&A

An OSU Professor Breaks Down Climate Change and the Future of Wildfires in the West

“Looking at fire seasons in the west over the past five to 10 years, it’s likely to be like this or to get worse as climate continues to change.”

09/17/2020 By Gabriel Granillo

The Birds

Not All Is Lost: The Vaux 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

Oregon Wildfires

How to Keep Your Indoor Spaces Smoke-Free

Here are a few tips to help protect your lungs from the smoke.

09/11/2020 By Ainslee Dicken

Air Quality

What’s Canceled, Closed, Postponed, or in Limbo Due to the Oregon Wildfires?

The city itself isn’t burning, but smoke in the air is affecting everything from outdoor movies to dining to sports.

09/10/2020 By Portland Monthly Staff

Wildfires

Even the Oregon Coast Is Burning

Traditionally a place of refuge from heat and smoke, the skies above parts of the Pacific have turned red.

09/09/2020 By Ainslee Dicken

Disaster

Here’s How to Help the Victims of Oregon’s Wildfires

Thousands around the state are under evacuation orders as multiple fires rage, fanned by high winds.

09/09/2020 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

Politics

Just Exactly What Is Happening in Salem Right Now?

Environmentalists and the timber industry agree to work together, and Senate Republicans don't like it one bit.

02/17/2020 By Julia Silverman

The Big One

Will Oregon Lawmakers Say Yes to More Money for Earthquake Prep?

Yes, and to the tune of $12.7 million, if Gov. Kate Brown gets her way

01/27/2020 By Julia Silverman