Think Out Loud

Pride events in small communities across the Pacific Northwest have been disrupted this summer by masked protesters touting extreme right-wing views. OPB’s Jonathan Levinson reports it’s a coordinated effort by a new coalition of groups espousing neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs. Levinson joins us with more details on the effort and the impact it’s having on LGBTQ+ communities. 

Caregivers in Oregon group homes are asking Governor Tina Kotek to fire their boss, the Oregon Department of Human Services manager who oversees direct support crisis specialists. The request comes after these workers continue to face long hours, little pay and severe understaffing. Currently, there is a vacancy rate of almost 15%. Christina Sydenstricker-Brown is a direct support crisis specialist and the president of the union representing these workers. She joins us to share what has changed since the Oregon Capitol Chronicle initially broke this story and why they are taking the dramatic step of calling for their boss to be fired. 

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource with enormous potential, but the number of plants has been limited by several factors. However, a breakthrough in geothermal technology that was announced recently in Nevada could change that. Industry officials say it could mean a huge increase in the percentage of electricity that’s generated from the heat beneath our feet. And some Western states are gearing up to make the transition more possible.
Seattle-based environmental reporter Alex Brown joins us to share more about his reporting for the non-profit news service Stateline.

The Cedar Grove apartments in Beaverton were created by Community Partners Affordable Housing, or CPAH. The nonprofit has been working to create homes that Oregonians can actually afford to live in for 30 years now. This is part of a series of conversations we’re having this year about some of the biggest problems Oregon is facing, along with possible solutions.More than half of renters in Oregon don’t have enough money after they pay rent to be able to afford basics like food, child care or transportation. Meanwhile, Oregon is among the states with the lowest supply of rentals that are affordable to people who are at or below poverty levels. As a state economist put it, “We have the worst affordability” in the nation.We were joined by CPAH staff: Executive Director Rachael Duke; Housing Director Jilian Saurage Felton; and Resident Services Coordinator Renee Sheets Johnson. We also heard from neighbors and residents of Cedar Grove and other residents of CPAH properties, including Talaur Alvarado, Patrick Kirlin, Virginia Bruce, Paula Morrison, Mary Barbee and Jeffrey Worthington.

The Cascade Head Biosphere Region consists of more than 100,000 acres and has been recognized by the United Nations for its rare and diverse ecosystem. The area includes the Cascade Head Experimental Forest and Marine Reserve and Marine Protected Areas. The Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative has organized the “Art on the Beach” sand art competition to continue its mission of educating about the importance of protecting the biosphere. Duncan Berry is the co-director of the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative. He’s also an artist and will be creating some sand art. He joins us with details of the event and what he hopes Oregonians will learn about the area. 

Research shows that up to 50% of the human brain is involved in visual processing. For octopuses, that number is roughly 70%. There are similarities between octopus and human eyes – both involve a lens and a pupil that allows light into the back of the eye – but the way our brains process vision is completely different.

University of Oregon biology professor Cris Niell has been studying these processes in his lab. The team recently published a paper in Current Biology on the ways octopuses organize visual information in their brains. He joins us to offer some insight into how octopuses see.

From May to June of this year, the number of 911-related overdose calls in Multnomah County doubled compared with last year. While many calls took place in areas such as Old Town and downtown Portland, data obtained by the Lund Report shows that nearly every residential neighborhood in the Portland area has a reported case. Emily Green is the managing editor of the Lund Report. She joins us to share more on the data she collected and what is happening in the county.  

Green Diamond timber company agreed to slow their logging operations in Southern Oregon in return for millions of dollars in payments from Microsoft and other companies seeking to offset their carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuels. The companies are essentially paying the timber company  to grow more trees on this land. The Bootleg Fire upended the Green Diamond carbon storage plans, burning through nearly 20 percent of the company’s Klamath project lands. Reporter Hal Bernton looked into the viability of carbon offsets in an increasingly fire-prone world. He joins us with the story.

In June, a team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently traveled to Astoria, Newport and other coastal towns in Oregon and Northern California to meet with community members about the possible reintroduction of sea otters to Oregon and Northern California. Starting in the 1700s, the marine mammals were nearly hunted to extinction from Alaska to California for the maritime fur trade, and disappeared from Oregon’s coastal waters in the early 1900s.  

Last year, the USFWS released a report which found that reintroducing sea otters would be “biologically feasible,” and could help restore kelp forests, along with other benefits to the nearshore environment. But big challenges and uncertainties remain, including the impact on the Dungeness crab and other fisheries. Joining us to talk about this issue is Michele Zwartjes, supervisor for the Oregon Coast Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

We also hear from the Elakha Alliance, a nonprofit based in Siletz that has been advocating for more than five years for the return of sea otters to the Oregon coast, including publishing its own reintroduction feasibility study in 2021. Jane Bacchieri is the executive director of the Elakha Alliance. Peter Hatch is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and a secretary and board member of the Elakha Alliance. They join us to talk about the cultural importance of sea otters to Indigenous communities, and what their return would signify. 

The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History has hit the road this summer. It’s offering hands-on learning through its Oregon Rocks! program, which teaches kids and families about geology. The organization is traveling throughout the state, reaching places like Portland, Pendleton and Paisley to bring science discovery to Oregon communities of all sizes. Mia Jackson is the education manager at the museum. She joins us with details about the program and why the museum wants to focus on statewide outreach.