So there we were, a full busload of 6th graders touring with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, pounding on fossil-laden rocks in a quarry just outside the sleepy logging town of Vernonia, west of Portland. The year was 1965 and school was out. I was the staff naturalist (and bus driver), and with […]
Jim Anderson
Posted inOutside
Go Get ‘Em, Frank Buck!
The adventures of a sagebrush lizard hunter
I‘ve mentioned this (at least) once before, but I have to give credit where credit is due. My grandson, Daxon, is a piece of work. If he isn’t building huge paper airplanes out of life-sized newspaper sheets, he’s coming into the house shouting, “Hey, Grandpa Jim, look what I caught!” And the best part of […]
Posted inOutside
Fort Rock: a Place of Wonder and Music
There’s a story about an old cowpoke from Fort Rock who, having breathed his last, found himself at the gates of Heaven. Peter, the well-known keeper of the gates, saw the old buckaroo approaching, got out of his comfortable chair and asked, “Who are you, old-timer?” “My name’s Sam,” the cowboy answered. “Where ya’ from, […]
Posted inOutside
At last! A long-nosed snake!
My longtime pal and devoted champion of Oregon’s amphibians and reptiles recently sent me an email and photo, declaring: “LONG-NOSED SNAKE CONFIRMED IN THE OWYHEE!” If you’d been trying to document that species in Oregon for 50 years like he has, you’d have spread the word in caps and exclamation points, too. It’s a big […]
Posted inOutside
Possum Alert!
A hilarious tale of finding possums… well, everywhere
Back during the Great Depression, many people who wanted to work for a salary had a very tough time. I can remember my dad, who lost his trucking outfit in West Haven, Conn., during that time, saying to my mom, “I’m sorry mother, but I just can’t make enough money working for the WPA. I’ve […]
Posted inOutside
Bouyed Up by Volunteers
An innocent-looking buoy with an important mission: tracking water in and under the high Cascades
For those of us who have been looking at the Three Sisters and what’s left of the year-round snow on the slopes, it’s pretty scary. Several of the historical snow fields are gone, melted by long periods of intense heat. Yes, there’s still plenty of water under the Three Sisters, but it’s being sucked out […]
Posted inOutside
Natural World
A Cleanup at Arnold Ice Cave
This month, Arnold Ice Cave—located about 12 miles down China Hat Road from Bend—was the site of a whole bunch of good people helping to remove the old, defunct stairway in the cave. The stairway was installed by the U.S. Forest Service in 1963 to provide safe access to the floor of the cave. Mother […]
Posted inOutside
Natural World
Monarch butterflies make really good neighbors
If you’re tuned in, you know our western monarch butterfly—the only butterfly in North America that migrates to keep from freezing its butt off—is in a heap of trouble. The species just doesn’t have the necessary food to make it from egg to adult, then to slurp nectar to make the long voyage to California. […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t allow the notion of short-term financial gain threaten the Endangered Species Act
Editor’s note: Our Dog Days of Summer issue conveniently—or perhaps, unfortunately—coincides with the U.S. Department of Interior and Department of Commerce’s recent announcement that the agencies would seek to weaken some of the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. In light of the proposed changes, we could imagine no one more qualified than our Natural […]
Posted inOutside
The Nature of Our Planet Earth
Jim Anderson shares some of his favorite photos from his years as a naturalist, educator and all-around critter-loving life
In this week’s Natural World, columnist Jim Anderson shares some of his favorite photos from his years as a naturalist, educator and all-around critter-loving life. Birthing aphids: Those tiny garden pests that suck the life out of landscaping and veggie plants can be a beautiful sight if you happen to be at the right place, […]