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Damian Fagan is a freelance writer, outdoor enthusiast and avid birder. He is the author of several wildflower field guides including "Wildflowers of Oregon" and "Wildflowers of North America." Fagan lives in Bend with his wife, Raven, and a pollinator-friendly garden.
In their book, “On the Loose,” Terry and Renny Russell write, “One of the best-paying professions is getting ahold of pieces of country in your mind, learning their smell and their moods, sorting out the pieces of a view, deciding what grows there and there and why, how many steps that hill will take, where […]
If the Seattle Seahawks lived up to their namesake, they would be known as the Seattle Osprey. Inspired by these magnificent birds of prey, the team unveiled their team sea hawk logo in 1976, which was a stylized inspiration paying homage to artwork of the Kwakwaka’wakw people who lived along the Pacific Northwest coast, primarily […]
As winter settles in to Central Oregon, rivers and managed wetlands offer excellent areas to view waterfowl. “Central Oregon is a great place to see a wide variety of winter waterfowl, including ducks, geese, swans and grebes,” said Duke Tufty, East Cascades Bird Alliance Birders’ Night coordinator. “We are lucky to have the Deschutes River […]
When Susan and Dwight Sheets toured the defunct Santiam Pass Ski Lodge on a rainy October day in 2016 with Willamette National Forest Ranger Terry Baker, they were saddened with the condition of the historic lodge that had been unoccupied since 1986. “The archaeologist wouldn’t come in because it was horrible,” said Dwight. “We were […]
If you haven’t heard of Western Rivers Conservancy, you’re not alone. The organization engages in purchasing private lands along Western rivers to conserve habitat, protect wildlife species at risk, and to provide public access. WRG’s motto is Sometimes to save a river, you have to buy it, Way more than a slogan; it’s the core […]
Porcupines, which are the second largest member of the rodent family (Rodentia) and in the Beaver State (named after the largest member of the Rodentia), are classified as an unprotected species. But this status may change depending upon a new study of North American porcupines being initiated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. […]
Most old-time logging photos show two loggers standing on either end of some massive redwood, ponderosa pine, or Douglas-fir with a huge notch they’ve sawn into the base of the tree, before continuing the job of felling the old-growth monster. What they rarely show, is the guy back in the shop with a 12- or […]
This time of year, when yellow jackets invade a mountain picnic or backyard barbecue, it’s really hard to see the good in these insects and their relatives. But it’s there. “When people think of wasps, they think of only a couple ones that really are bad actors,” said Dr. Jerry Freilich, High Desert Museum volunteer […]
One of the nonprofit groups that is helping the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests out with trail work and signage repair is Friends of the Central Cascades Wilderness. Based in Bend, FCCW works with the USFS to protect and preserve the wilderness character of four wilderness areas in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests. In […]
National Moth Week, #MothWeek2025, is a celebration and opportunity to contribute to a global citizen science project focused on primarily nocturnal creatures that flit and flitter through our backyards, local parks, woodlands, and wildlands under the cover of darkness. Fascinating yet often misunderstood, moths evolved over 200 million years ago from butterfly-like insects. With over […]
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