Alvord Desert Gliders
Glider pilots enjoy the thrill and beauty of the big wild above the Alvord desert. Once a year a group of 20-30 pilots gather for a week of soaring above the playa, but their method of getting airborne is unique. Using the 18 mile long playa as their runway, these gliders forgo the traditional airplane tow, opting instead for a tow cable hitched to a fast car.
Bull Run Quake Science
A Cascadia earthquake will spell trouble for Portland's water supply. But is there any way to know how bad the shaking will be? Divers explore the protected Bull Run Lake, source of Portland's water, in search of evidence from past earthquakes that could shed light on how big the "big one" will be for the Portland area.
Swan Transplants
The state of Oregon offers free food and lodging to relocate to Summer Lake, as long as you’re a trumpeter swan. Biologists have learned that transplanting swans works best when they are young. Cygnets imprint on the land where they learn to fly and are much more likely to return to the spot in the future.
Invasive Species BBQ
The annual invasive species cook-off challenges everyday people to turn invasive plants and animals into tasty dishes like Cajun-fried American bullfrog legs, dandelion-thistle spanakopita and red swamp crayfish salad. The event is designed to raise awareness of a major environmental problem.
Monarchs & Milkweed
Monarch butterfly populations have declined 90 percent across the US. A key piece of their habitat has been wiped out by farms and urban sprawl. Milkweed is the single most important plant for monarchs. It’s the only one they lay their eggs on and young caterpillars eat. People are encouraged to plant milkweed wherever they can to help monarchs along their long migration routes.
Pika
Pikas are the adorable masters of the high country. These potato-sized members of the rabbit family squeak like plush toys and live among the rocks and under deep blankets of snow on the highest cascade peaks. So why are thousands of them living in the Columbia River Gorge?
Behind The Scenes with Michael Bendixen
Oregon Field Guide's videographer, Michael Bendixen, shares his experiences scuba diving in a frozen lake near Klamath Falls. Shot in 2012, Bendixen did special training to get certified as an ice diver and shares some astonishing shots under the surface that very few of us would have a chance to see!
Behind The Scenes on Oregon Revealed - Coastal Wonder
Enjoy a behind the scenes look at the making of Oregon Field Guide's special: Oregon Revealed - Coastal Wonder with OPB's Senior Videographer, Todd Sonflieth. Todd shares a glimpse into what is involved to create these magnificent shots and the challenges that come with that.
Nature Break: Elk at Mount St. Helens
Oregon Field Guide brings you a Natural Break - enjoy this short clip of elk grazing on the landscape surrounding Mount St. Helens.
Christmas Ships
Every Christmas season, boats of shapes and sizes parade down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. We ride along with the fleet's leader and get to know some of the local crews that take part in this 60-year-old Portland tradition.
Moving Meacham Creek
A massive restoration project is underway in Northeast Oregon, where a creek is not only being restored but literally moved back to its original location prior to 1855. Salmon are at risk, but so too is an entire tribe’s way of life. We explore the connection between Meacham Creek and the ‘First Foods’ of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation.
Waterfall Hunters
Two of Oregon’s most adventurous waterfall hunters set a goal to see 365 waterfalls in a year despite a crippling injury to one of them. Hiking. Especially off-trail, became great therapy and they blew past their goal, ultimately seeing 500 in a single year. In the process, Tim Burke & Melinda Muckenthaler discovered waterfalls not on any maps and with no evidence of being photographed before.
Tenkara
An ancient simple form of fly-fishing from Japan has become popular in US. Tenkara rods have no reel, a short but extendable rod and a fixed length of light line. Fans say it makes fly fishing possible even on small mountain streams.
Gravity Sports
The world cup Maryhill Festival of Speed is the largest gravity sports event in North America where downhill skateboarders and street lugers battle it out in downhill racing. It takes place each year in a place most people have never heard of: historic Maryhill Loops Road in Goldendale, Washington.
Hole in the Lake
A geologic mystery in the Cascades captivates tourists heading over Santiam Pass. Several holes have been found in the bottom of Lost Lake. They act like bathtub drains and suck the water away underground. Geologists say they feed a subterranean plumbing system that feeds other lakes in the McKenzie River system.
Oyster Meroir
Oysters, like wine, take their distinctive flavor from the aquaculture of their home bays. We visit an oyster hatchery, a small oyster farm on Netarts Bay as well as the largest shellfish producer in the US to learn how these delectable marine animals are seeded, grown, and savored for their unique "merior."
Sea Lions
West coast sea lions now number 300,000 strong and must travel farther afield for food. That has brought record numbers to the Columbia River. Government and tribal biologists believe the sea lions eat too many endangered salmon. They now have permits to harass and kill the sea mammals. Sea lion advocates believe sea lions kill a fraction of the salmon killed by the impacts of hydro-electric dams
Halfway Calendar
What's a novel way to promote the outdoors lifestyle and raise a little money for community projects? How about put together a calendar starring the hunting-gathering women of Halfway? That's just what happened last year and the success of the 2015 calendar has prompted the community to do it again for 2016.
Desert Frogs
Columbia Spotted Frogs require full time water yet find a way to live in the desert. Researchers conducting a remarkably long study have returned to Dry Creek in far southeastern Oregon each year since 2001 to keep learn more about these frogs of the desert.
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