Natural World

Willis Mitchell’s passion for mushrooms does not go unnoticed. His eyes light up as he enthusiastically explains why he has devoted his life’s work to this remarkable kingdom. During our podcast conversation, he mentioned that fungi are more closely related to humans than to plants — a statement that immediately piqued my curiosity. Rather than […]

Wolves have certainly been in the news lately! Multiple confirmed sightings of gray wolves have already been recorded this year in La Pine, Sunriver and even Bend. Many people are giddy with the idea of wolves in our nearby forest ecosystems. Yet, some people are fearful and feel this is too close to home. Education […]

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Central Oregon Wildflower Show and Pollinator Festival, sponsored by the Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory on June 27. This annual event highlights the beauty of native wildflowers and flowering shrubs, and their relationships with a diversity of pollinator species, and coincides with National Pollinator Week, June 22-28. […]

Earlier this month, in an act of urgency after finding many young Chinook salmon dead in the vegetation along the Upper Klamath River near the Oregon-California border, scientists drove to an Oregon expert with several of the fish carcasses they normally would have mailed. Dead fish typically sink to the depths of the river or […]

Can cacti survive in the harsh climate of the High Desert? The long, cold winters make it seem unlikely, but a recent visit to Smith Rock Cactus Company in Terrebonne dispelled any of my doubts. Cacti fascinate me, so when I heard about a place where they are purposely grown in our region, I had […]

To witness the McDermitt Caldera is to be moved. Supported by the east-flowing McDermitt Creek, sloping hills of sagebrush cradle native wildflowers and bunchgrasses. In spring, paintbrush awakens in crimson bursts alongside winks of purple lava aster. Bitterroot emerges, first in succulent leaves, then in white flowers nestled close to the ground. In blooms of […]

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 […]

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 […]