Our Oregon Outdoors

10/31/2024

Have a care out there. This incident had a happy ending thanks to search and rescue with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office - Oregon.

A mushroom hunter who’d become lost and exhausted was rescued last Friday near the Drift Creek Wilderness outside of Waldport.

10/29/2024

Grab bag of weather reports:
-NW Oregon got 1-4 inches of rain during the weekend.
-We've got another 1-4 on the way later this week
-Looking at maybe 1 foot of snow on high Cascade passes later this week
-And so, wildfire season is officially over
Full report: https://tinyurl.com/5n6dm7ca
Snap via Chris Pietsch

10/27/2024

This is both a big deal and a very strange situation. But basically, Oregon Department of Transportation says McKenzie Pass Highway is closed to biking/skiing/snowmobiling in the offseason. They're asking people not to go there due to safety concerns ... despite decades of popular recreation on the alpine highway. I went down a deep rabbit hole on this one. It has sparked A LOT of confusion and anger:

The scenic highway typically closes to cars between late fall and June but has been used by generations to ski, snowmobile and hike in the offseason.

10/22/2024

Forest Service officials are seeking info about the person or group that has been placing homemade spike strips and other dangerous traps across roads and trails in remote southwest Oregon: https://tinyurl.com/ypp7u3fs

10/21/2024

Snow or no?

The winter forecast always draws a lot of interest. I talked with Oregon State climatologist on the latest Explore Oregon Podcast about what we're expecting with this winter with a weak La Nina (and why it could be a good one for mountain & valley snow).

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with state climatologist Larry O'Neill about the forecast for this winter.

10/21/2024

Fire officials reopened access to the popular Marion Lake area in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness on Monday after the Bingham Fire became 100% contained: https://tinyurl.com/9danwfab

10/17/2024

Oregon has above-average chances for a snowier winter than normal, fueled by a weak La Nina, according to the latest winter outlook from NOAA: https://tinyurl.com/bdwndjb8

Bunch of fun notes in here. To wit:

Since 1981, there have been eight winters with weak La Niñas. Six brought above-average mountain snowpack. Since 1940, there have been 25 weak La Niña years. In Portland, 13 of those years have brought above average snow in the Rose City.

“It does seem to favor low elevation snow,” O’Neill said. “It brought lowland snow more often than I’d thought.”

10/16/2024

FYI: First snowfall of the season headed to mountain pass level on Thursday, with decent bit apparently accumulating above 4,000 feet.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Thursday in Oregon’s high mountain passes for the first snow of the season.

10/16/2024

New podcast! We talk about (maybe) the most beautiful backpacking route in the Three Sisters, plus the glory of float tube fishing backcountry lakes, with a few favorite spots so far.

Listen: https://tinyurl.com/4j39fujk

10/11/2024

Went deep on coho salmon in Oregon, and the remarkable situation happening now in the Willamette River in the latest Explore Oregon Podcast with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. We also talked about good places and methods to catch em: https://tinyurl.com/3999uf65

10/10/2024

The famously pure water of Crater Lake and a unique newt that calls the lake home are both threatened by an invasive crayfish whose numbers exploded over the past decade. It's led to a petition to list the newt under the Endangered Species Act. Full story: https://tinyurl.com/45x29mxp

It's pretty interesting. Fish were stocked at the lake in the 1800s to lure visitors, and the signal crayfish were added in 1915 to give the fish something to eat. It went ok until recently, when the warming climate led to the crayfish numbers exploding. The crayfish have now taken over 95% of the lake's shoreline. They've almost completely eliminated the Crater Lake newt and are decimating invertebrates that consume plankton, which could lead to more algae in the lake and mar azure waters.

It's unclear whether anything could be done to remove to really remove the crayfish — it's hard in such a deep lake — but the hope is that an ESA listing can open up more resources, said the Center for Biological Diversity.

10/09/2024

SO MUCH is happening with salmon right now in Oregon:
Record setting coho runs; century old habitat opening on the Klamath, kokanee mass die-offs at Green Peter, a controversial fight for spring chinook in the Willamette.

Tried to sum it all up in latest Explore Oregon Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/wj4v7exj

BUT ALSO! This podcast includes a really delightful song that a listener wrote, recorded and sent me about how much he loves salmon. It's a real treat at the end of this pretty short and to the point pod.

10/08/2024

The wildfires burning in Oregon's Central Cascades are still smoldering and putting off enough smoke to impact air quality from Bend to Eugene. I looked at how long it might last & where it'll have an impact.

Wildfire season hasn’t wrapped up yet in Oregon, and it’s likely to impact air quality through at least this weekend.

10/04/2024

The Bingham Fire showed limited growth Thursday despite high east winds. Helicopter bucket drops of water and retardant helped slow hot spots, crews said. Rain should help today.
But a large closure area remains in place.

Full story: https://tinyurl.com/y6sar7we

10/03/2024

BINGAM FIRE UPDATES:
The fire is now 195 acres and a red flag warning is in place today for 10-20mph east winds. The fire could spread.

A level 3 evac order, meaning go now, now includes Pamelia to Marion lakes in the Jefferson Wilderness. It will become a hard closure today. A level 2 is in place for the Marion Forks.

Full story: https://tinyurl.com/y6sar7we

Other notes: There’s hope this can be a short duration closure, but depends on how much the fire grows today and how much rain comes Friday (it might not be much).

10/02/2024

Getting a bit nervous. The Bingham Fire grew to 181 acres and moved closer toward Marion Lake, my favorite and one of the most popular sites in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness: https://tinyurl.com/4743ks9u

Short update here. I'll have more details later today.

10/02/2024

At first, they thought a lost goat had wandered into their yard in south Salem.

Then they realized it was an extremely rare "piebald" deer fawn. Piebalds account for less than 1% of the deer population but this one is happy and growing munching on neighborhood kale: https://tinyurl.com/49zxk64t

10/01/2024

BREAKING: A new wildfire has been confirmed just east of Marion Forks by the U.S. Forest Service. The Bingham Fire is listed at 35 acres and burning just a few miles from Highway 22 near the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

Full story so far: https://tinyurl.com/4743ks9u

Fire crews are engaged in an initial attack on the blaze, Detroit District Ranger Michelle King told me. There is a hatchery, cabins and multiple important structures in that location.

Dang. I was just up there Sunday. Really hope they catch this one.

A new wildfire was confirmed just east of Marion Forks on Tuesday by the National Interagency Fire Center and U.S. Forest Service.