Explore Oregon Podcast: The state's most beautiful places and biggest issues

In this episode, Zach breaks down the biggest stories from the summer of 2022. He details the wildfire season and how this year compared to previous seasons, including acres burned, homes lost and days with unhealthy air. He also gets into the summer climate, Oregon's "year of the permit," conservation legislation and recreation trends that include growing anger and hostility among campers. Zach then talks about covering a sad and strange tale of a hike, a plane crash and reality television star Heavy D in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

In this podcast, Zach revisits some of his favorite interviews from the earliest days of the Explore Oregon Podcast. First, he talks about the life of whales off the Oregon Coast, including how new whale moms keep their calves safe from predators. After that, he talks with two environmentalists about Oregon's wildest old-growth rainforest. In the second half is an interview with a woman who worked as a fire lookout for three decades.

In this episode, Zach and outdoors intern Makenzie Elliott talk about the best adventures in the touristy Central Oregon town of Sisters along with why the town looks as though it's the setting for a Wild West movie. They talk about some of the best places to camp and hike outside of town, from Three Creek Lake to the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, while also focusing on close-to-town biking and horseback riding adventures. They also take a dive into the town's history including why every storefront is required to have an Old West theme to it, and how they set the town up as a tourist destination far earlier than many other places in the state.

In this episode, Zach talks to Hipcamp founder and CEO Alyssa Ravasio about the rise of private campgrounds in Oregon and across the West. Private sites are becoming an increasingly popular option as Oregon's public campgrounds have fewer spaces available and are often sold out during summer. Ravasio talks about how her company recruits farmers and ranchers to open their land to camping in areas near Bend, Mount Hood and the Oregon Coast where demand for campsites is high but supply is low. She explains the differences between a HipCamp and traditional campsite and talks about how it helps create value in rural communities without the land being developed.

In this episode, Zach and outdoors intern Skyla Patton prepare for the peak season for finding Oregon's delicious and beautiful state mushroom: the Pacific Golden Chanterelle. Skyla breaks down where and when to find chanterelles, how to eat it, how to get permits to harvest them and trickier questions including whether you can over-harvest the beloved mushroom. The two discuss everything from the science of why chanterelles grow across Western Oregon to best recipes to proper what the evidence suggests about cutting them or pulling them from the ground.

In this episode, Zach talks to wildfire meteorologist Eric Wise about a weather pattern known simply as "east winds," which fueled the 2020 Labor Day Fires and last weekend's widespread power shutdowns and wildfires that brought evacuations to Salem, Estacada and Oakridge. Wise explains where the east winds come from, why they make Oregon wildfires so explosive and whether climate change is making them more powerful or frequent. In other words, are scary east wind events a "new normal?" The second half of the podcast features Zach making an appearance on Oregon Public Broadcasting show Think Out Loud. The show's host, Dave Miller, interviews Zach about a recent story about the slow pace of final investigation reports about the causes of the 2020 Labor Day Fires.

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach welcomes a trio of fun guests to talk about about going backpacking with kids and the best places to visit. Zach is joined by Bonnie Henderson, his co-author of the guidebook "Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon," along with 11-year-old backpackers Nate and Mary Evans, who share their thoughts from a kids' prospective. The group picks 12 great backpacking trips that land on the easy side and are good fits for younger backpackers (or just someone looking for an easier trip). Nate and Mary talk about everything from what treats to bring on backpacking trips to how to keep kids engaged, while Zach and Bonnie share tips from a parent's prospective.

In this episode, outdoor intern and fungus enthusiast Skyla Patton talks all things mushroom hunting with pro forager and mycoeducator Rachel Zoller, better known as Yellow Elanor.

In this episode, Zach talks to fish biologist Stephan Charette about one of the best places to catch fish in Oregon — smallmouth bass on the John Day River. He talks about why the fishing is so good, where and how to land them and the upside and downside of so many fish.

In this shorter episode, Zach talks about the reopening of Jefferson Park, perhaps the most beautiful alpine destination in Oregon, and how to get there in the wildfire-burned landscape. Then he gets into the "extra-effort permit loophole" that should help you reach beautiful places in Jefferson, Sisters and Washington wilderness areas. Finally, they travel to Waldo Lake to talk about whether it makes sense to visit Oregon's famously clear lake with a large wildfire burning nearby.