Opal Creek Wilderness as it looked before the 2020 wildfires.

By Ed Jahn (OPB)

Sept. 1, 2021 11:19 p.m.

Salamanders, newts and the children who study them have all thrived in the Opal Creek Wilderness since Congress granted federal protection in 1996. See the transformation to the valley and to the old mining town at its center, Jaw Bone Flats. Opal Creek's Ancient Forest Center serves as a center of education and recreation as well as protecting this unique old-growth forest in the Opal Creek watershed.