Oregon WildBlog

Three months ago, if someone would have told me there was an internship that involved hiking, camping, and hanging out at beer festivals, I would have said they were crazy. But sitting here on my last day as the Crater Lake Wilderness Summer Intern at Oregon Wild, I now know jobs THAT amazing actually do exist.

Designated by Congress in 1968, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness is located in the northwestern part of the state, sharing its northeastern border with the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.  Mt. Jefferson itself is the pinnacle feature of the High Cascades. With elevations over 10,000 feet Mt. Jefferson provides one of the steepest and most challenging summit for hikers in the state of Oregon. Five glaciers exist on the slopes of the mountain: Whitewater, Waldo, Milk Creek, Russell and Jefferson Park.

We live in an age where the answer to any question is no further away than the widget in your pocket. We’re bombarded by websites, articles, and videos promising to show us “the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen”…and they often deliver.

In such a world, I’ve become fond of saying “it’s nice that there’s a little mystery left in the world.”

Earlier this summer during the Oregon Wild Wolf Rendezvous, that conviction was put to the test.

Cassandra Robertson was looking for her missing cat when she found the first victim. Before dying, the coyote had chewed off some of its leg. Her shock turned to disgust when she found a live raccoon in another trap.

Asking around, she discovered that Oregon State University’s Sheep Center, her neighbor in the hills outside of Corvallis, was using the infamous federal agency Wildlife Services (WS) to trap and poison coyotes. She protested; the traps were removed.

The Obama administration has some seriously bad news for Oregon’s 3 resident wolverines -- it’s overruling the conclusions of federal scientists and denying wolverines protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Hmmm. Well, surely the administration is basing this decision on sound science. Right?

By Danica Swenson, Oregon Wild's 2014 Wildlife Intern

I’m Eleanor Solomon, and I’m a 9^th grader at Riverdale High School. I am a part-time intern at Oregon Wild, and I care deeply about wildlife. The wildlife that are struggling to survive have no hope against hunters, poachers, and just ordinary human beings, so it’s our job to stand up for them and protect them. This month, as my first post, I have decided to write about gray wolves being taken off the endangered species list.

Just in time for Father’s Day on Sunday, June 15, Oregon’s wolves made history. The famous wandering wolf, OR-7 (known as Journey), became a father. Spotted in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, this is the first time pups have been recorded in western Oregon in nearly a century. The news shows that, with protections, Oregon’s wolf recovery can stay on track.

OR-7 has touched many lives. His journey (pun intended) across the state has inspired a movie, an expedition, and even art! The news around wildlife and wolves can be pretty grim so we're always glad to have reason to celebrate. After eliminating wolves from Oregon, they are once again beginning to retake their place on the landscape in what remains a fragile recovery.

Hello! My name is Danica Swenson and I’m Oregon Wild’s Wildlife Intern this summer in the Portland Office. I’m currently a rising second year law student at Lewis and Clark Law School studying Environmental and Animal law. When I’m not reading for school or work, I’m out adventuring or volunteering at a local wildlife rehabilitation center.