Zach Urness
@oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
1.1K followers 57 following 720 posts
I cover Oregon's outdoors for the Salem Statesman Journal, Eugene Register-Guard and USA Today. Environment/recreation/public lands. Explore Oregon Podcast. Author: Best Hikes w/kids Oregon
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Zach Urness
ceaubin.bsky.social
What The Hell Is Going On, a thread:

I’ve seen some thinkpieces and posts about Portland protests that fail to understand the long-term hyperspecificity of Portland culture/humor, and frame it as a sort of shitposting meme-pilled ironic thing. Which is wrong.

So I’m gonna give you my breakdown.
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Happy first Cascade Mountain pass snow day to all who celebrate!
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Oregon wildfires burned a far smaller number of acres than last year’s historic total, but the state’s fires still destroyed more homes than normal and shut down rivers.

Fires burned state parks, shut down rivers and evacuated thousands. Deep dive into the fire season 2025: tinyurl.com/mwrr47bh
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
caseyparks.bsky.social
Right now, the 9th Circuit is considering whether to allow troops to deploy to Portland's ICE facility. At this moment, looks like there are only Know Your Rights and a clergyperson outside.
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Big changes coming to Oregon’s weather. Significant rain in the valleys and even some SNOW on mountain roadways (maybe, but def above 5,000 to 6,000 feet).

The cool and wet weather is poised to stick around, too, meaning a likely end to fire season: tinyurl.com/yc68b33p
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Timberline Lodge is increasing prices this ski season due to skyrocketing insurance costs caused by Oregon's "broken liability system."

The Mount Hood resort said it would increase "peak time lift ticket pricing, tier 2 season pass pricing, and summer skiing products": tinyurl.com/uepeab8m
Reposted by Zach Urness
brian-goldstone.bsky.social
There are now two Americas when it comes to housing:

In one, people work multiple jobs and still can't afford a home.

In the other, housing isn't a place to live but a portfolio to grow.
moreperfectunion.bsky.social
Real estate investors bought one-third of all single-family residential homes sold in the second quarter of 2025.
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
In the latest podcast, we did a roundup that featured stories on …

-How the government shutdown impacts access to Oregon’s public lands
-The 2025 Oregon wildfire season in review
-Great news for coastal coho salmon
-Terrible news for Oregon’s Douglas fir trees.

Listen: tinyurl.com/39ksku9r
Reposted by Zach Urness
lisaeffinwood.bsky.social
Props to my co-workers for grinding it out until the wee hours as the news kept coming in.

Local journalism is more important than ever. Support your community papers and stations however you can.
opb.org
OPB @opb.org · 8d
Outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Saturday, federal officers pushed crowds of protesters hundreds of yards down city streets and fired tear gas, flash-bang grenades and pepper balls without any clear signs of provocation.
Federal tactics on Portland protesters escalate, hours after judge rules against Trump
Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on protesters in the city.
www.opb.org
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Drought and insects have killed an unprecedented number of Oregon’s Douglas fir trees during the last decade, costing billions in timber value, damaging infrastructure and ramping up wildfire danger.

What is Douglas fir dieback? Where is it happening? What is being done? tinyurl.com/5n9amvx6
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
And speaking of salmon, our intern Rose Shimburg reports on the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde creating new salmon passage and habitat on a 462-acre conservation property they own along the North Santiam River: tinyurl.com/y5u2epcu
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Here's some positive news for your Friday morning. Oregon's coastal coho salmon population has rebounded so well that they could soon be delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act: tinyurl.com/musejass
Reposted by Zach Urness
propublica.org
NEW: Portland Trail Blazers buyer Tom Dundon created a company that Oregon sued in 2020, alleging it issued predatory loans to residents.

He went on to invest in another subprime lender that’s come under regulatory scrutiny.

With @opb.org
Portland Trail Blazers Buyer Tom Dundon Built His Fortune on Subprime Loans
In 2020, the state sued Santander Consumer USA for allegedly preying on Oregonians through high-interest car loans they couldn’t afford in a case involving more than 265,000 borrowers nationwide.
www.propublica.org
Reposted by Zach Urness
andrewdeck.bsky.social
Deepfakes of broadcast journalists are spreading across social media. Many of them are ads selling cryptocurrencies, gambling apps, and snake oil medicines.

Meanwhile, social media companies like Meta profit off the ad dollars. My latest @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scam...
Scammers are using video deepfakes of journalists to peddle products online
Broadcast journalists around the world are being targeted amid an explosion in deepfake scams. Are social media platforms doing enough to counter them?
www.niemanlab.org
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Ah, like they can't access anything for their projects from USFS? That's pretty annoying given they're volunteering.
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
Jeeze. That's another big one. Esp with no end in sight. Curious what group you're talking about?
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
It’s a complex situation for Oregon’s national parks & public lands as the government shutdown begins.

The status of Crater Lake, Oregon Caves and Lewis & Clark are all a little different. Meanwhile, the state’s national forests are open but what about the rangers? Full story: tinyurl.com/3ej57c2d
Reposted by Zach Urness
willjames.bsky.social
At what point do journalists get to start taunting tech people with “Learn to write”?
Reposted by Zach Urness
diannelugo.bsky.social
Good morning from the Capitol. It’s the first day of committee days and the restart of the special session on transportation funding. It’s also the first day the Rotunda is reopened to the public. #orleg
oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
The wildfire burning on southwest Oregon’s Rogue River exploded to 17,316 acres by Sept. 28 and brought new evacuations to one of the world's most beloved river canyons.
www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2...