Oregon Field Guide

Series / 35 Seasons

Oregon Field Guide is your destination for outdoor recreation, ecology, natural resource and travel stories from across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

29m 28s

Yellow Tuft Alyssum

8m 50s / TV-G

A new invasive species from Europe has been introduced in the Illinois River valley. Botanists say yellow tuft alyssum poses a threat to dozens of rare endemic Oregon wildflowers, but there's still hope it could be eradicated.

Cattle Drives

9m 5s / TV-G

A historic cattle ranch in southeastern Oregon moves cows every day. In many ways, cattle drives there have changed little since a century ago. The ranch herds cattle from one end of a million acre range to the other over the course of a year.

Timberline Lodge 75th Anniversary

9m 15s / TV-G

Oregon’s Timberline Lodge was part of FDR’s Works Progress Administration - a program that not only put people to work, but also preserved some of the finest of the Northwest’s indigenous arts. Despite the museum-quality art and hand-made furnishings, Timberline is still open to the public today. Could a large-scale public works project like Timberline, focused on recreation be built today?

Gorge Weeds

8m 17s / TV-G

The Columbia Gorge is one of our favorite playgrounds. But recreational use brings in noxious weeds that crowd out native species and upset the area’s ecological balance. We take a look at the challenges state agencies, land managers and non-profit groups face in trying to control the influx of these invasive “game-changers” and their efforts to coordinate these efforts.

Citizen Science

7m

Citizen scientists survey bugs in Portland backyards, measure rainfall and track the lifecycles of plants. A study questioned the reliability of crowd-sourced science, so scientists are improving training and new tools, like mobile apps.

Ice Diving

8m 37s / TV-G

Why would anyone intentionally dive into a frozen lake? Field Guide follows ice divers from the Klamath County Dive Search & Rescue Team into a dangerous world of freezing temperatures and surprising beauty.

North Umpqua Geology

9m 28s / TV-G

Southern Oregon’s North Umpqua River carves out one of our state’s more dramatic landscapes: a place where rivers collide and waterfalls plunge from spectacular cliffs. It is an incredible trip into this geologic wonderland.

Cranberry Farming

7m 48s / TV-G

Oregon cranberry farmers call the south coast the NAPA valley of cranberry farming in the US. A longer growing season produces sweet berries. But don’t believe the myth that they grow in watery bogs. Cranberry fields are flooded only two days a year to help the farmers get the berries off the vine at harvest time.

Grebes Walk on Water

9m 24s / TV-G

How on earth do grebes dance on the surface of the water? Thanks to high speed cameras we see just how grebes can propel themselves as if they walk on top of the water in the Upper Klamath Lake. It is an amazing sight.

Elk at Mount St. Helens

10m 53s

Thousands of elk have returned to the landscape around Mount St. Helens. Are there too many for the land to sustain? Scientists go to great lengths to count elk, measure their health, and restore elk grazing land washed away in a flood.

What the lichen growing on Oregon's trees can tell us about air quality

8m 21s

What could possibly be inspiring about that green stuff covering Oregon’s trees? Lichen is a an ecological wonder that reveals it's beauty on a microscopic scale. It can also teach us volumes about the quality of the air we breathe.

Freeriding

7m 15s / TV-G

Painful, thrilling, crazy -- these are just some of the terms freeriders themselves use to describe their sport. Freeriding is a new twist on a style of mountain biking that originated in Canada where ramps and logs were laid so bikers could avoid muddy forest trails. Join a group of these daring thrill seekers in the Oregon forests.

Brown Pelicans

10m 18s / TV-G

The brown pelican has rebounded so successfully, the government has removed it from the endangered species list. Today, the largest pelican roost site in the Northwest sits in Oregon. But when thousands of pelicans lingered too long, winter storms caused severe injuries. Volunteers with the Wildlife Center of the North Coast rushed to save them, nurse them and months later, release them to the wil

Oak Savannah

8m 41s / TV-G

Several endangered Oregon species, including the Kincaid's lupine, rely on oak savannah, a type of habitat that once covered a million acres in the Willamette Valley. Now only pockets of the distinctive landscape of huge oaks and open grassland remains.

Step into the hidden wonders and history of Portland's public stairways

9m 5s

Portland is home to many well-known landmarks. Its bridges, rivers and roses attract tourists and locals alike. But in a city as hilly as Portland, these public stairways are a less heralded attraction that weave history, architectural design together with public utility. The myriad stairways of Portland connect neighborhoods and parks and gardens and are often tucked away in surprising places.

Wendell Harmon/Timber Grower

9m 24s

Wendell Harmon is a timber owner and logger who believes in partial cutting. His forests remain full of trees as he selectively logs his holdings. It works, but it requires patience and planning.

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