Oregon Field Guide

OPB crew works around the clock following scientists at sea studying an active volcano.

OPB crew works around the clock following scientists at sea studying an active volcano.

Tugboat races at Olympia Harbor Days celebrate Pacific Northwest maritme history.

A blizzard creates a winter wonderland at Teacup Lake, Oregon.

Every October, the residents of Tualatin take 1,000 pound pumpkins, carve them into boats, and race them around the Lake of the Commons.

Tree Climbing School at Dorena offers a demanding 4-day training to teach ecologists and scientists the skills they need to ascend some of the world’s tallest trees.

The legacy of salt making is explored, from the days of Lewis and Clark to the modern salt-making facilities of Jacobsen Salt Company.

Geologist Nick Zentner (of “Nick on the Rocks” fame) takes us on an entertaining road trip to explore the "ginkgo" lava flow that erupted in central Washington and flowed all the way to the Oregon Coast 16-million years ago.

Photographer Brandon Swanson showcases the loveliness of the North Umpqua River during a rainstorm.

Exploring the surprising natural oasis in the most urban watershed in Oregon with the folks of the Columbia Slough Watershed Council and a dedicated volunteer helping to clean it up.

A visual exploration of Smith Rock State Park by photographer Todd Sonflieth.

In 2006, invasive green crabs were just starting to show up in Oregon bays. Nearly two decades later, these non-native critters are multiplying at alarming rates and threatening Pacific Northwest shellfisheries.

This zany race combines Ford Model T’s, pigs and a dirt track at the Tillamook county fairground. The Pig-N-Ford has been an Oregon tradition for nearly 100 years.

The Sunflower Sea Star once flourished along the west coast of the US. However this beautiful echinoderm has been dying out in large numbers due to a mysterious syndrome known as wasting. Jason Hodin is part of a team of University of Washington scientists that are attempting to preserve this sea star by spawning multiple generations that are more resilient to wasting.

A storybook Christmas comes to life in the small-town of Sumpter, Oregon.

Spiders have bad eyesight, so how do they "see" what's happening on their webs? Oregon State University scientists create models to understand the way web vibrations serve this function... and can even create music.

The small wonders of nature are observed in photographer Todd Sonflieth’s backyard photo essay.

The world's largest dam removal project is underway on the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California. The project will dramatically change summertime whitewater rafting and remove the lakes some people have built their lives around while reopening more than 400 miles of potential habitat for salmon that have been blocked from swimming upstream for a century.

Eric Thompson was born and raised in Oregon and comes from a long line of hunters. He travels with a German Wirehaired Pointer named “Sky” among the rugged desert grasslands of the Columbia Plateau in search of the elusive Chukar.

The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde manage their land with a long-term vision for the food and resources they want to see for generations into the future.