Oregon Field Guide

Sixty years ago, in 1965, the fascinating thunderegg was declared Oregon’s state rock.

Finding food along the Oregon coast is surprisingly simple if you know where to look.

Since the publication of her seminal “In Search of Ancient Oregon” in 2004, Morris Bishop has been a leading guide through Oregon’s geologic past.

After decades of conflict, farmers and tribes say they’re working in concert to restore salmon habitat in the Klamath Basin. But two dams remain - one that blocks fish passage another that plays a key role for agriculture.

What miracles lurk beneath the surface of your local creek? Oregon State University ecologist Judy Li has your answer.

It’s been over a decade since two dams came out of the Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Now, salmon are returning, cougars, elk, foxes and bears roam 800 acres of newly restored land, and the river runs wild, tearing up the road that ran along its banks.

Where to escape the leaf blowers, car alarms and revving engines that plague modern life? A study conducted for the Noise Control Engineering Journal identified candidates for the quietest places in Oregon, but you’ll need an expedition mindset to reach them.

Portland group helps BIPOC communities strengthen their connection to nature.

For thousands of years, the Klamath Tribes have harvested a highly nutritious first food called wocus from the wetlands of Southern Oregon. As wetlands were drained for agriculture, the tribes lost a huge portion of the habitat supporting the wocus plant. Now, there’s hope that farmers can help bring that habitat back.

Longtime advocate Mike Houck reflects on a career of restoring nature in Portland while taking "Oregon Field Guide" on an urban safari to track the lifecycle of the great blue heron.