This year’s most uplifting stories from “Oregon Field Guide” and “All Science.” No fiction.

The Hidden Beauty of Columbia Slough

Portland resident Pamela Slaughter remembers the neglected waterway near Portland International Airport when it was just a “dump.” But Slaughter and others organized river cleanups and boating trips to encourage their neighbors to embrace the Columbia Slough and its wild heart.

The end of single-use plastics?

Will there ever be an end to the mountain of plastic waste that fills landfills and pollutes waterways across the planet? Idaho researchers may be right: They’ve created an alternative to plastic made from wood fibers and sugar that can withstand single-use tasks but breaks down naturally in the environment.

Find and return lost treasure on the Deschutes River

The Deschutes River in Bend is a summer playground. It’s also a graveyard of cameras, watches, rings and cell phones lost every day by unsuspecting surfers, swimmers and floaters. Solution? The dedicated divers at “Loot the Deschutes” spend their free time recovering these precious items and returning them to their owners. Who said cleaning rivers couldn’t be fun?

Campfires and camaraderie with the Hen Party riders

Photos of outdoor recreation from the turn of the last century in Oregon often show men climbing mountains, rafting rivers, and sitting around campfires. But the Hen Party riders overturned that heavy-handed image when they launched a series of all-female expeditions into the Wallowa Mountains in the early 1900s. The descendants of these women carry on the tradition, and their original songs around the fire camp are a delight!

Rewilding the Elwha River

The removal of dams on the Elwha in 2011 allowed salmon to return to a free-flowing river for the first time in more than a century. And for residents of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, an important salmon fishing tradition has finally been restored.

Can your body heat fuel a new technological revolution?

Scientists at the University of Washington have discovered a new way to turn waste heat from our bodies into electricity. By developing a new type of “fabric” that can be worn like a second skin, they have created an alternative to toxic batteries that can help power our technology-powered future.

Let’s all hail the Frog Taxi!

Oregon’s native red-legged frogs are no match for the rush of traffic on Highway 30 in Portland’s Linnton neighborhood. Luckily, the “frog taxi” volunteers are there to take care of the frogs on their annual migrations and help avoid a real-life version of the 80s video game Frogger.

Klamath Dams Leaving and Salmon Returning to Oregon

When four dams burst the Klamath River, the stagnant reservoirs were transformed into a free-flowing river and a path was cleared for salmon to swim to southern Oregon for the first time in a century.

While documenting the story of the Klamath Dam removal project, producer Cassandra Profita and cinematographer Brandon Swanson witnessed the return of salmon to an Oregon tributary for the first time since the dams were installed. dams.

Learn from the past to prepare for the next megaquake

What can science tell us about the risk of the next megaquake in Oregon? On a small scale, scientists are gathering clues from the past that can help us prepare for the next inevitable earthquake. To do this, they examine tiny fossilized organisms preserved beneath coastal salt marshes.

Adventure cats are here to make you smile

OK, sometimes we just need a reason to feel good. These “adventure cats” paddleboard, snowshoe, and hike and are just too Oregon not to include them in a list of stories meant to bring joy to your day.