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Heavenly descent

2009-11-04T09:44:44+08:00

OAKRIDGE — Michael Kelley was dwarfed by the monstrous tree stumps as he coasted down the “Jedi” section of the Alpine Trail. A few miles later, out of the dense forest, he was on the edge of a hillside offering a dramatic vantage point of the surrounding tree-covered hills. “You’ve …

For 20 years, he’s defined great Outdoors

2009-11-04T09:44:44+08:00

“Reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated.” With those words on March 5, 1989, I launched my career as an outdoor writer. The thrust of my first column was to introduce Register-Guard readers to the paper’s new Outdoors page. I began with a paraphrase of Mark Twain’s famous wry …

ROBO-ELK ON DUTY

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

MEHAMA — The large branch-antlered bull elk facing state trooper Adam Turnbo slowly shook its head from side to side. “‘Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!’ That’s what he’s saying,” said Turnbo, laughing as he controlled the elk’s head shakes with the joystick on a small radio transmitter. Meet Robo-Elk, the state’s …

Coho run leads to help for the hungry

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Surplus salmon on the dinner table, a surge in the number of hunters and fishers and an unexpected ally in the war on poaching are topics of this week’s look Inside the Outdoors. This year’s banner run of coho salmon has received considerable publicity as bag limits were raised and …

COHO COMEBACK

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

ELKTON — For the first time in 15 years, anglers this fall have been legally taking home “wild” coho salmon caught in Oregon coastal rivers. The retention of non-hatchery coho in the Coos, Coquille, Nehalem and Yaquina rivers is concrete evidence that at least some of the state’s iconic salmon …

A celebration of fungal proportions

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Mushroom enthusiasts have the opportunity for a double dose of fungal fun this week in Eugene. Mount Pisgah Arboretum’s 28th annual Mushroom Festival and Plant Sale will be held Sunday at the arboretum. Featuring one of the largest mushroom displays on the West Coast, the festival also includes a plant …

1 ROD, 2 FLIES, 3 BIGGEST FISH

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Anglers are forever lamenting the one that got away. In the McKenzie River Two-Fly Tournament, however, the loss most regretted is not the big fish that throws a hook, but the hook itself. Entrants in the fishing fund-raiser are — as the name implies — limited to using just two …

Willamette River ‘silver rush’ intrigues anglers

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Thousands of coho salmon are passing over Willamette Falls — and your guess about where the bulk of those “silvers” are headed is as good as the experts’. Oh, fishery biologists know those salmon will most likely split up among several tributaries, including the Tualatin, Molalla, Pudding, Yamhill and Santiam …

State of the beaver

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Here in the Beaver State, Castor canadensis is both loathed and loved, even apart from his role as a university mascot. Both emotions stem from the industrious, flat-tailed rodent’s remarkable skills as a faller of timber and builder of dams. Landowners hate it when beavers flood their fields, fell their …

Enchanted by Chanterelles

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Every September, Eugene grocery stores showcase fresh local chanterelles — the peppery orange mushrooms that cook up in butter with a flavorful firmness that makes gourmets swoon. Of course, collecting wild mushrooms is never safe for the uninitiated. But chanterelles are relatively hard to confuse with poisonous toadstools. And the …

Fixing Little Fall Creek

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

LOWELL — Several men peered into Little Fall Creek from a bridge one day last week, marveling as a salmon hen in the stream below them thrashed from side to side, using her body to gouge out a gravel nest while her mate hovered nearby. Visible in other areas of …

Bow-fishin’

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

GOLD HILL — The trolling motor hums ever so quietly as Darin Claiborne scans the Rogue River’s Kelly Slough, bow and arrow in hand, searching for one of archery’s more unusual prey. Suddenly, almost underfoot, a target presents itself. Claiborne pulls back, aims quickly and lets loose an arrow that …

It’s a good time to park yourself at Crater Lake

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

Parks are on parade this week, thanks to the work of filmmaker Ken Burns. His documentary series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” is airing nightly on Oregon Public Broadcasting. While Burns’ first segments focused on the history of the first national parks, the Sierra Club has jumped on the …

OUTDOORS BRIEFLY NEWS & NOTES

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

more ‘bonus’ trout releases announced Trout fishing is now closed for the winter in most Oregon rivers and streams, but angling for trout in several lakes and reservoirs throughout the state should be heating up thanks to a supplemental fall stocking program by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. …

Buzzworthy

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

adventures Local author’s Book features top 25 hunts Walterville outdoorsman, television personality and author Scott Haugen has hunted all over the world, and the stories of his most interesting big-game rifle hunts will be told in a series of “Life In The Scope” books. The West is the focus of …

OUTDOORS BRIEFLY NEWS & NOTES

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI ADVOCATE HONORED Cross-country skiing pioneer Klindt Vielbig of Portland is the recipient of the 2008 Doug Newman Memorial Award, which honors significant contributions to non-motorized trail development in Oregon. The Oregon Recreation Trails Advisory Council recognized Vielbig for his contributions to the planning, development and maintenance of cross-country …

Buzzworthy

2009-11-04T09:41:24+08:00

On Your TELEMARK! SKI FILM FRIDAY With snow flakes already falling in the Cascades, this week’s screening of the Telemark ski film “Flakes” is timely. The UO Outdoor Program and Backcountry Gear Ltd. will show “Flakes” — which blends plenty of powder snow with the often flaky characters who thrive …