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.

28m 44s

Thundereggs: Oregon's State Rock

6m 40s / TV-G

Oregon's high desert from Madras to the Ochoco Mountains has some of he largest deposits of thundereggs in the world. Rock hounds slice them open to find agate, jasper, opal, sometimes in ornate patterns, hidden inside, the first people in history to ever see the formations since they were encased in cooling lava 60 million years ago. Thundereggs were named the state rock of Oregon in 1965.

Disappearing Frogs: Update

8m 12s / TV-G

In 1993, two Pacific northwest researchers sounded the alarm about global amphibian declines. Twenty years later Oregon Field Guide tracked down the same researchers, Andrew Blaustein and Marc Hayes, to see what they've learned. Frogs and toads are still in decline and the causes are complex, including U-V radiation, water mold, chytrid fungus, aggressive bullfrogs and habitat destruction.

Imperial Stock Ranch

11m 3s / TV-G

This family owned and operated ranch in the high desert country is a celebration of the American West. Meet the Carver family, who are not only preserving the ranch's early history, but are also helping create a living, vital, growing community dedicated to sustainable, efficient ranching.

Wolverines Found in Oregon

8m 20s / TV-G

After years of unsuccessful research by state biologists, one of the world’s foremost wolverine experts moved to Oregon and asked to look for them in the Wallowa Mountains. Using remote camera technology, she found three wolverines in her very first season of research. ODFW has emulated her techniques in the central Cascades but after a year no wolverines have been found there.

Buzz Bowman/ Ski Patroller

6m 24s / TV-G

Buzz Bowman is an 83-year old legend on Mount Hood. He has been volunteering with the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol for over 65 years and is among the oldest still-active ski patrollers in the country.

Hands-On Environmental Education in Hood River

1m 39s / TV-G

A hands-on educational program at Hood River's US Forest Service district teaches Washington State School for the Blind students about wildlife that make their home in the surrounding forests.

Sneaker Waves

9m 48s / TV-G

One minute the beach is dry. The next, a surprise wave has doused people walking on it. Scientists know little about sneaker waves though the National Weather Service has found they happen more often when the tide is coming in. The waves can be especially dangerous. A coastal safety marker at Smelt Sands State Park near Yachats tells of two boys from Eugene who were swept off a rock and drowned.

Frank Moore

5m 41s / TV-G

Jeanne, have spent the past 70 years living on or near the North Umpqua and have become an integral part of its heritage. Frank’s lifetime accomplishments as a fly fisherman, conservationist and veteran have earned him many awards, including the prestigious Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and a recent induction into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

Classroom at Crater Lake

6m 3s / TV-G

Ona Larsell’s fourth graders at La Pine Elementary are about 60 miles away from Crater Lake, but most of have never visited the park. Through the Classroom at Crater Lake program, Ona’s students get a special outdoor learning experience, bringing them face-to-face with fallen log ecosystems, Central Oregon geology, species unique to high alpine forests, and autumn weather.

Wolf Haven International

10m 19s / TV-G

For many people the opportunity to learn more about one of nature’s most efficient predators, the wolf, only comes from TV, books and the Internet. A wolf sanctuary near Tenino, Washington, Wolf Haven International is one of the few places where people are guaranteed to see and sometimes hear this elusive creature up close.

Photographer Bill Wallauer

11m 17s / TV-G

Oregonian Bill Wallauer grew up hunting and enjoying the outdoors in Joseph and Grants Pass. But when he joined the Peace Corps in 1989 and befriend renown primatologist Jane Goodall, his life changed forever. 20 years later, Bill himself has become an internationally known wildlife photographer and behavioralist.

The Tuesday Crew

7m 51s / TV-G

Since the early 80s, one group of dedicated volunteers has shown up, rain or shine, snow or ice to help maintain Portland’s Hoyt Arboretum. Thanks to efforts, this 187-acre tree museum and its 12 miles of trails stay in good condition year-round.

Willamette Greenway

8m 55s / TV-G

One of the boldest plans ever proposed in Oregon called for a park 200 miles long, lining the banks of the Willamette River all the way from Springfield from Portland. The plan hit opposition from farmers when the state started seizing farmland. The Greenway still exists but in a much different form today.

Dory Builder

9m 18s / TV-G

Pacific City, Oregon owes its identity, and its fishing industry, to dory boats. The flat-bottomed, no-keel boats take off from dry sand directly into the surf. When they return, fishermen throttle up full blast to slide back in using the beach as their brakes. A group of students from Linfield College are making a major effort to preserve the unique history.

Hanami

6m 4s / TV-G

We explore the beauty and meaning behind the Japanese observance of Hanami or “Cherry-Blossom Viewing.” Each spring, Portland’s Japanese-American community gathers under the city’s lovely waterfront cherries, to enjoy the blossoms, reflect on the transience of nature and pay tribute to the victims of 2011’s tragic earthquake and tsunami.

Diving for Science

19m 27s / TV-G

Oregon’s notoriously dark, cold and turbulent coastal ocean hold a surprisingly colorful array of sea life. Scuba divers with extensive training brave pounding tidal surge and low visibility to explore for science and collect animals and other sea life for the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Certified Scientific Divers work under strict permits and never take over-fished or endangered species.

Portland Fruit Tree Project

6m 39s / TV-G

Portland is essentially a huge urban orchard. There are fruit trees everywhere! And these trees are beautiful to look at, but they also require a lot of work. Find out how one fast growing, non-profit organization is turning Portland’s abundant fruit supply into a valuable community resource.

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