If you've spent much time scrolling through Oregon news lately, you've probably seen some version of the same strange story. A reservoir is being lowered. A dam is spilling more water. Fish are dying. A town is worried about its drinking water. Someone is suing the...
Conservation
Oregon’s Timber Crisis Is Real And So Is the Threat to Its Ancient Forests
Part two of two. Read Part One here. At the bottom of Crabtree Valley, the argument seems impossibly far away. Crabtree Lake lies dark beneath the trees. Water gathers along fallen logs. Moss hangs from branches and spreads across the forest floor, softening the...
Deep in Oregon’s Cascades, Two 800-Year-Old Giants Stand Watch Over A Hidden Lake
There are forests in Oregon that feel old, and then there are forests that seem to exist outside ordinary time. Crabtree Valley belongs to the second kind. Deep back in the western foothills of the Cascades northeast of Sweet Home, the valley doesn't announce itself...
This Top-Ranked Oregon Aquarium Now Lets You Explore The Amazon Without Leaving The Coast
There is a moment inside the Oregon Coast Aquarium when the rest of the world seems to disappear. You step into a glowing blue tunnel. Schools of silvery fish move above your head like a living storm cloud. A broadnose sevengill shark drifts through the water with the...
Feds Want Hunting Allowed on 95% of U.S. Wildlife Refuge Lands, And Oregon Is Right in the Middle of the Debate
Just days after Oregon hunters and anglers were already fired up over the controversial IP28 ballot initiative, another major hunting story is making waves across the country, and this one could directly affect access to public lands across the Pacific Northwest. The...
Were Wolves Once Native To Oregon? Growing Populations Fuel One Of The State’s Biggest Debates
Spend enough time in Oregon and eventually the wolf debate finds its way into the conversation. Maybe it starts around a campfire in Eastern Oregon. Maybe it shows up in the comments section online. Maybe it comes up after someone spots tracks near their property, or...
The Heartbreaking Story Of Keiko, The Real Orca Behind Free Willy And His Time In Oregon
For millions of people who grew up in the 1990s, Free Willy was more than just a movie. It was emotional, unforgettable, and for many kids, it was the very first time they questioned whether wild animals truly belonged in captivity. At the center of that movement was...
This Epic Oregon Drive-Thru Safari Lets You See Lions, Rhinos, And Giraffes Without Ever Leaving Your Car
There aren’t many places in the United States where you can watch a giraffe stroll past your windshield or hear a lion roar just a few yards away from your car. But in Southern Oregon, that experience is surprisingly real. Damara Zebra roam the grassy hills of...
Can You Actually Sell An Iconic Waterfall? Oregon Is About to Find Out
One of the Pacific Northwest’s most photographed waterfalls is officially on the market, and it’s setting off alarm bells across the state. That Oregon Life has been writing about this beloved spot since 2016, and ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I'd be...
New Life In Sanctuary For George the Chimpanzee, Rescued From West Coast Game Park Slum
For more than a decade, George lived in the shadows. He was a chimpanzee trapped in the recently shut-down West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon, Oregon, a place that billed itself as a family attraction, but behind the fences, told a different story. There were no...
Don’t Confuse Wildlife Safari in Winston With the Horror Show That Was West Coast Game Park Safari
This past week, Oregon made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. More than 300 animals were seized from the West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon after authorities uncovered a nightmare behind its gates. Investigators described filthy, overcrowded enclosures,...
Amazon To Build Four New Nuclear Reactors On The Columbia To Power AI
Amazon has announced a partnership with Energy Northwest and X-energy to build four new nuclear reactors near Richland, Washington, aiming to power its growing AI models. This project will rely on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), a modern nuclear technology considered...











