Oregon Field Guide

A growing number of people want to live and recreate on the Willamette River, and it's getting crowded. While the population in the Portland metro area has grown, the river is still the same size. To keep the peace among floating homeowners, swimmers, paddlers and motorized boaters, the state is adding new rules for who can do what where.

A good cleansing rainstorm in the Wallowas turned out to be one photographer's delight.

On the prairies of Northeast Oregon, bison have made a comeback.. Two sisters take over the family business at the Stangel Bison Ranch in Enterprise, Ore, bringing back bison that are good for both the land and the local economy.

It took a small but intrepid group of farmers to show that Oregon could be a center for grape growing and wine production. Now another small group is trying to prove the case for olive oil production. Enter Javier Fernandez-Salvador. The OSU berry and tree fruit expert is spearheading the research to find the right olive tree cultivar and growing regime to make it viable in the Willamette Valley.

A lot of outdoorsy folks love to jump into a cold mountain lake on a hot summer day. And some are even brave enough to dash into cold water on a dare -- what some might call a “polar plunge.” But getting into painfully cold water has become a way of life for Ivana Maclay.

Open Slopes PDX is making skiing and snowboarding more accessible and welcoming to Black, Indigenous and other people of color. On Mount Hood, the joy is infectious as BIPOC people try snowboarding and skiing for the first time.

The Eastern Oregon mining town of Sumpter is officially known as a "ghost town." But every Christmas, the old steam engines of the Sumpter Valley Railroad bring the spirit of the season to life for hundreds of visitors. Retracing the historic route that once carried gold out of these mountains, the all-volunteer railway sparkles with storybook magic. You might even catch a glimpse of Santa Claus!

A lumber mill has been operating in the town of Yoder, Oregon since the 1800's. Today, it still operates much as it always has under the direction of David Yoder and his hired hand, Lowell. They spend their days together milling logs with a roughcut saw pattern created by their rare giant circular saw blade.

Citizen scientists trek into the North Cascades in search of the elusive wolverine. Using remote winter camera-trapping stations, their efforts contribute to our understanding of where and how wolverines are recovering after being nearly exterminated across the Northwest during the 20th century.

Anyone who has hiked in a National Forest has seen his work. Meet Dan Finn, a volunteer at the Mount Adams Ranger Station whose hand-made wooden trail signs are a signature of our public lands.

In eastern Oregon, scientists had a unique idea; instead of using expensive machines to restore damaged streams for salmon and steelhead, they should enlist beavers to do it! This update revisits the Bridge Creek Project, which Field Guide filmed in 2009, for an update on how this project reshaped our understanding of the role of beavers in the landscape.

Mounted Archery: Katie Stearns leads a new generation that is taking up the ancient martial art of shooting arrows from the backs of galloping horses.

A father and daughter’s search for the Skyline Trail is as much about a trail lost to time, as it is about how nature helped forge a family’s bonds.

Photo essay of rough skinned newts by Photographer Brandon Swanson.

Octopuses are incredibly smart, yet the majority of their neurons exist in their arms and suckers, and not in their brain, making them as close to alien intelligence as we can find on Earth. It's like: what if our hands and fingers could think for themselves?

Celilo Falls have been at the center of an emotional controversy in the Pacific Northwest more than 50 years. Celilo Falls disappeared when the Columbia River was dammed, but some tribal members believe the government blew it up first. See new, history-making images which settle the matter.

John Hartog heads into the countryside to capture the wild sounds of nature.

Geologist Emily Cahoon is fascinated with Oregon sunstones. The copper-bearing gemstone is only found in Oregon's segments of the Columbia River Flood Basalts, and comes in a range of colors from deep red to light green to teal and even yellow. Join Oregon Field Guide as we set out to uncover the many mysteries of these enigmatic stones.

Take a moment along the shores of the Wilson River to enjoy this photo essay by Oregon Field Guide photographer Brandon Swanson.

Meet two amateur naturalists who comb the Pacific Northwest woods for a fascinating creature with an unappealing name: slime molds. One of the longest-living life forms on the planet, these single cell organisms have been long overlooked and underappreciated. Dedicated enthusiasts, Crow Vecchio and Kelly Brenner, have a personal mission to share the wonder and mystery of slime molds.