Oregon WildBlog

Fourteen years ago today, the Steens Mountain Wilderness was signed into law by President Clinton.

We celebrate today’s anniversary because this historic act permanently protected 170,000 acres of pristine wildlands around the crown jewel of southeast Oregon, Steens Mountain. And while the designation of Oregon’s fourth largest Wilderness area was a feat unto itself, it’s especially noteworthy that grazing is banned on 100,000 of the wilderness - making it the first congressionally designated cow-free Wilderness in the country!

By Taylor Rudow

I’d like to start with a quick introduction: My name is Taylor Rudow, and I am the new Wilderness Outreach Intern here at Oregon Wild. I am currently a senior Environmental Policy major at the University of Portland, and I hope to use my time at Oregon Wild and my time in college to create a career in environmental conservation.

Fall is here, and while most people are thinking about cider, pumpkin pie, and Halloween costumes, now is a great time to bundle up in layers, fill up a thermos, and check out Oregon's foliage.

Oregon, Washington, and California are all considering proposals to share wolf location data with the livestock industry. Is it a good idea or dangerous precedent?

Oregon Wild is pulling out all the stops for a party 40 years in the making. Here’s a countdown of the top 5 things you’ll say out loud at Call of the Wild!

I recently had the honor to travel to our nation’s capital and advocate on behalf of Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and water. I had not been to Washington D.C. in over 10 years, and never in this capacity. After a turbulent plane ride (that did not help my nerves!) I was soon greeted by the familiar faces of my colleagues. We were scheduled to meet with various offices of Oregon’s delegation, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, even an office directly next to the White House. I was still nervous.

My name is Eleanor Solomon, and I’m an intern at Oregon Wild. I’m fourteen years old, and I’m interested in how my daily activities and lifestyle affect the environment. Currently, one of the biggest environmental challenges is global warming.

Well, what is global warming anyway?

On June 29, 2014 , I co-led an Oregon Wild and Klamath Siskiyou Wildland Center wildflower hike to a 5400 to 5900 foot southern Cascades botanical hot spot just outside of Ashland called "Grizzly Peak”.  Around 300 flowering plants have now been identified in this area of western Oregon BLM lands. One of the featured wildflowers on the way in is Cimicifuga elata, Tall Bugbane, growing here at the southern-most end of its geographic range. Below are photos of just some of the wildflowers to be found on this hike.

Three months ago, if someone would have told me there was an internship that involved hiking, camping, and hanging out at beer festivals, I would have said they were crazy. But sitting here on my last day as the Crater Lake Wilderness Summer Intern at Oregon Wild, I now know jobs THAT amazing actually do exist.

Designated by Congress in 1968, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness is located in the northwestern part of the state, sharing its northeastern border with the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.  Mt. Jefferson itself is the pinnacle feature of the High Cascades. With elevations over 10,000 feet Mt. Jefferson provides one of the steepest and most challenging summit for hikers in the state of Oregon. Five glaciers exist on the slopes of the mountain: Whitewater, Waldo, Milk Creek, Russell and Jefferson Park.