Think Out Loud

White pelicans are distinctive. Their 9-foot white wings are black tipped, and can create a bit of a mirage when they fly, seemingly appearing and disappearing as they go. Some observers have mistakenly reported them as UFOs. The birds also have notable long orange beaks and the largest wingspan of any other bird in Oregon.    

Their populations have increased considerably over the past few decades, and more recently, some pelicans have been spotted staying along the coast and in the Columbia River Basin for longer than expected. Scientists would like to know more about why and what the implications could be for the wider ecosystem. We learn more about white pelican colonies in the Pacific Northwest and how climate change may factor into the health of these birds from James Lawonn, an avian biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

About a dozen years ago, Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill became aware of a growing need for treatment services for residents experiencing mental health crises in his county. Faced with a lack of residential care services in the region, he struggled to find help for people experiencing homelessness or veterans who suffered from PTSD. The surge of fentanyl-related overdoses in the county since 2021 also highlighted the link between behavioral health and substance use disorders, and the lack of local treatment options.
But that may now soon change. As first reported in the Columbia Gorge News, Magill expects to break ground this year on a new residential treatment facility in The Dalles. It would offer 16 beds to treat residents in Hood River, Wasco and Sherman Counties for substance use disorders, along with a walk-in center for people in mental health crisis. Sheriff Magill joins us to talk about the status of the $50 million project, and the regulatory roadblocks it faces. 

An Ashland educator is helping to develop lesson plans about Ukrainian history and current events for American high school students. Paul Huard, an AP U.S. History teacher at Ashland High School, has traveled to Poland and Ukraine in recent summers to do humanitarian relief work as the country continues to resist a Russian invasion. From a colleague there, he learned about the “On Ukraine” project through Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Huard and a handful of other educators selected to participate in the program have been working with letters, documents and other primary sources from the Lviv Center for Urban History to develop teaching materials for American educators. He joins us with more details on the project and why it’s important for American students to learn about Ukraine.

A report from the Oregon Kelp Alliance found that nearly two-thirds of the state’s kelp forests have died out over the last decade. A multitude of factors appear to be behind the decline, including rising ocean temperatures and booming populations of purple sea urchins, which eat the kelp. The report also outlines future research and conservation strategies that could help protect the state’s remaining kelp forests.

Sara Hamilton is the scientific coordinator for the Oregon Kelp Alliance and one of the report’s lead authors. She joins us to talk about the status of Oregon’s kelp forests and what it could mean for coastal communities and ecosystems.

J.H. Baxter & Co. has faced numerous fines from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for violating state environmental regulations. The Eugene plant treated wood products with creosote and other chemicals from the 1940s until it closed in 2022. Now, the company and its owner are facing federal criminal charges for allegedly boiling off 1.7 million gallons of toxic waste and venting the fumes into the surrounding air. 

Christian Wihtol covered the federal charges for Eugene Weekly. He joins us with more details.

Jack Reacher may be one of the most iconic action book heroes of all time. Over 100 million copies of author Lee Child’s books have been sold. But the author who has taken over the series is perhaps a little less well known. Andrew Child, who also writes under the name Andrew Grant, is now carrying on the legacy of Jack Reacher for his older brother. He came to Portland for the 2024 Portland Book Festival to talk about the 29th book in the series, “In Too Deep.” 

In 2024, Oregonians saw a record-breaking wildfire season, the end of drug decriminalization, the start of a new form of government in Portland and more. We’ll look back on the year’s biggest news stories from the Pacific Northwest with a panel of local commentators. Lisa Bates is a professor of Black Studies at Portland State University; Scott Bruun is the president and CEO of the Oregon Bankers Association; and Anna Griffin is the vice president of news, talk and podcasts at OPB. 

In Courtney Gould’s latest young adult love story, “Where Echoes Die,” two sisters travel to a strange desert town to investigate the death of their mother … and find that everything is not as it seems. In Jennifer Dugan’s novel “The Last Girls Standing,” two survivors of a summer camp massacre search for the truth of what happened that terrifying night. OPB’s Jenn Chavez talked to Dugan and Gould at the 2023 Portland Book Festival about psychological thrillers and writing queer love stories for a YA audience.

Chris La Tray didn’t grow up understanding that he was Indigenous. In fact, his father actively avoided the story. But as he got older, La Tray began to uncover the roots of his Indigenous identity. His book, “Becoming Little Shell,” follows his journey to understanding his place as a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North, and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe grew up surrounded by her Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian Tribe relatives. Her latest book, “Thunder Songs,” explores what it means to grow up in mixed heritage, and draws inspiration from her coastal heritage as well as her life in the city.

LaPointe and La Tray spoke with OPB "Weekend Edition" host Lillian Karabaic at the 2024 Portland Book Festival.

In the last few decades, writing about romance has become big business -- from Fabio-adorned paperbacks in the 90’s, to self-published e-books like “50 Shades of Gray” in the early 2000s, to more than 39 million print copies of romance novels sold in 2023 alone. Even Portland public libraries said they’ve seen the number of romance novels being checked out double since 2018.

OPB’s Crystal Ligori talked with Lily Chu, author of “The Takedown,” and Katelyn Doyle, author of “Just Some Stupid Love Story,” at the 2024 Portland Book Festival.