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

Disappearing Lake

6m 58s / TV-G

South Prairie is a mysterious lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that appears each spring and disappears each summer. We set out with a Forest Service botonist to paddle and hike this geologic wonder, trying to learn what's behind this phenomenon. The prairie is home to the world's largest-known population of a rare iris and some of the farthest west aspen groves in Washington.

Apple Detectives

8m 55s / TV-G

Apple detectives from the Home Orchard Society figure out what kinds of apples grow on trees. When they find an aging man near Yoncalla, Oregon with the largest collection of apple varieties in the world, they take on the massive task of trying to preserve a living cutting from every one of his 4,500 trees. http://opb.is/orchard

Trout Creek Raptors

9m 42s / TV-G

Gorgeous and still relatively undiscovered, Trout Creek is a great spot for recreational rock climbing. But it’s also home to protected golden eagles. This piece tells the story of how recreational climbers and land managers are crafting a compromise meant to serve the interests of both parties. The solution and cooperation that’s resulted may well be template for similar conflict areas.

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.

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