Natural World

With UB40’s classic reggae hit echoing in my mind, I pondered this question for the first time since moving to Central Oregon three decades ago. Tipped off by my dogs’ unusual curiosity around the furnace vents from the cellar, sniffing the blowing air, I set a few small snap traps in anticipation of an errant […]

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 […]

Think Wild is Central Oregon’s nonprofit wildlife hospital and conservation center, caring for sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife while educating the public about coexistence and stewardship. Since opening for animal care in 2020, Think Wild has grown in staffing, services and the number of wildlife helped directly at its hospital. The spring and summer […]

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 […]