Chris Carvalho
@gorgepulse.bsky.social
News, photography, analysis, and commentary on the Columbia Gorge and the environment. Rectal cancer survivor. Voice of marginalized Gorge communities.
volunteer work to pick up trash, remove invasive species, & restore habitat. The following organizations are worth your support:
November 28, 2025 at 12:28 AM
volunteer work to pick up trash, remove invasive species, & restore habitat. The following organizations are worth your support:
Happy Thanksgiving from the Gorge! The land gives us much to be thankful for & asks for little in return. Please protect it by writing to authorities when they allow exploitation of its natural wonders. Don't give to bigoted nonprofits or ones that spend money unwisely. Do ...
November 28, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Happy Thanksgiving from the Gorge! The land gives us much to be thankful for & asks for little in return. Please protect it by writing to authorities when they allow exploitation of its natural wonders. Don't give to bigoted nonprofits or ones that spend money unwisely. Do ...
A thin crescent moon is directly above Mt. Hood at sunset on our balsamroot planting day last Saturday.
November 26, 2025 at 12:31 AM
A thin crescent moon is directly above Mt. Hood at sunset on our balsamroot planting day last Saturday.
On a nighttime walk near my home recently, a dark shape flew silently above me. It was an owl, landing on a power line about 15 ft. overhead. I got a flash photo with my phone. It looks like a barred owl. Any experts with another opinion, please reply.
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 PM
On a nighttime walk near my home recently, a dark shape flew silently above me. It was an owl, landing on a power line about 15 ft. overhead. I got a flash photo with my phone. It looks like a barred owl. Any experts with another opinion, please reply.
Earth star mushrooms are doing well now in the Burdoin Fire burn area of the Gorge. They bear spores in late winter & early spring. They are related to puffballs & are not edible. More at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriost...
Although once considered to be a single species, genetic ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriost...
Although once considered to be a single species, genetic ...
November 22, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Earth star mushrooms are doing well now in the Burdoin Fire burn area of the Gorge. They bear spores in late winter & early spring. They are related to puffballs & are not edible. More at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriost...
Although once considered to be a single species, genetic ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriost...
Although once considered to be a single species, genetic ...
other marginalized groups. In addition, he created a top-heavy staff where 86% of donations go toward salaries rather than being spent on restoring & protecting habitat. Their communications routinely & purposefully omit "sexual orientation" when listing marginalized groups ...
November 21, 2025 at 11:45 PM
other marginalized groups. In addition, he created a top-heavy staff where 86% of donations go toward salaries rather than being spent on restoring & protecting habitat. Their communications routinely & purposefully omit "sexual orientation" when listing marginalized groups ...
The email I've been waiting for years to arrive finally did. Kevin Gorman is retiring as director of Friends of the Gorge. This is a critical step that might have positive implications for the nonprofit. Gorman presided over a policy of bigotry towards the LGBTQ+ community & ...
November 21, 2025 at 11:45 PM
The email I've been waiting for years to arrive finally did. Kevin Gorman is retiring as director of Friends of the Gorge. This is a critical step that might have positive implications for the nonprofit. Gorman presided over a policy of bigotry towards the LGBTQ+ community & ...
money & a bit more like a romance.
November 20, 2025 at 11:42 PM
money & a bit more like a romance.
the travelers left to stay at hotels in town. Sadilek & another driver, E.B. Marvin, didn't have enough money for a room so they camped in the tunnel, dining on goose & apples. Continued bad weather kept the highway closed so they eventually drove to a dock in Mosier & took a ...
November 20, 2025 at 11:42 PM
the travelers left to stay at hotels in town. Sadilek & another driver, E.B. Marvin, didn't have enough money for a room so they camped in the tunnel, dining on goose & apples. Continued bad weather kept the highway closed so they eventually drove to a dock in Mosier & took a ...
On November 19, 1921, a blizzard blocked the recently completed Columbia River Highway near Mosier. Snowdrifts trapped several travelers in tunnels west of town including Charles Sadilek, who was on a goose hunting trip. After a few days rescuers dug out the road. Some of ...
November 20, 2025 at 11:42 PM
On November 19, 1921, a blizzard blocked the recently completed Columbia River Highway near Mosier. Snowdrifts trapped several travelers in tunnels west of town including Charles Sadilek, who was on a goose hunting trip. After a few days rescuers dug out the road. Some of ...
After years of disrepair, the Trillium Lake loop trail has a fully accessible boardwalk. (Oregonian, 11/16/25, p. C5)
November 17, 2025 at 1:15 AM
After years of disrepair, the Trillium Lake loop trail has a fully accessible boardwalk. (Oregonian, 11/16/25, p. C5)
On Wed. 11/12, OHA reported no new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total remains at 10,888 for 5 straight weeks. CDC's website is now open, reporting 1.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 as of 10/25, compared to a national average of 0.8. Wastewater levels continue to drop statewide.
November 16, 2025 at 12:02 AM
On Wed. 11/12, OHA reported no new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total remains at 10,888 for 5 straight weeks. CDC's website is now open, reporting 1.3 hospitalizations per 100,000 as of 10/25, compared to a national average of 0.8. Wastewater levels continue to drop statewide.
If you’re in the east Gorge, you might be able to see the aurora right now.
November 12, 2025 at 4:16 AM
If you’re in the east Gorge, you might be able to see the aurora right now.
This year we collected 4.7 lb. of balsamroot seed. On Saturday, we started planting it in the burn area of the Burdoin Fire. The area has a lot of damage but will recover.
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
This year we collected 4.7 lb. of balsamroot seed. On Saturday, we started planting it in the burn area of the Burdoin Fire. The area has a lot of damage but will recover.
water are born without wings. They can move at speeds of over 100 body lengths per second. The secret to their speed & flotation? Tiny hairs on the legs that trap air, making legs extremely buoyant & able to repel water. The photo (b) is 100x magnification of photo (a) ...
November 8, 2025 at 7:32 PM
water are born without wings. They can move at speeds of over 100 body lengths per second. The secret to their speed & flotation? Tiny hairs on the legs that trap air, making legs extremely buoyant & able to repel water. The photo (b) is 100x magnification of photo (a) ...
Fall reflections on a quiet stream in the Gorge. Lower left, in the blue area, is a water strider. They are amazing insects. Besides being able to support 15 times their weight on water, they can also fly to access new wetlands. But some generations in areas with permanent ...
November 8, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Fall reflections on a quiet stream in the Gorge. Lower left, in the blue area, is a water strider. They are amazing insects. Besides being able to support 15 times their weight on water, they can also fly to access new wetlands. But some generations in areas with permanent ...
Here's the 2024 rail safety update: Union Pacific has finally achieved par with other railroads for fire/violent rupture incidents, the 1st time since 2011 this has happened. What's measured, improves. This is good news for the Gorge.
November 6, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Here's the 2024 rail safety update: Union Pacific has finally achieved par with other railroads for fire/violent rupture incidents, the 1st time since 2011 this has happened. What's measured, improves. This is good news for the Gorge.
Fall colors in the Gorge are looking near peak now, and could be at peak this weekend, when good weather is expected. The best oaks are along the Klickitat River (below).
November 5, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Fall colors in the Gorge are looking near peak now, and could be at peak this weekend, when good weather is expected. The best oaks are along the Klickitat River (below).
A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge has allowed an important lawsuit seeking to ban circumcision of baby boys to proceed to discovery. (Oregonian, 11/2/25, p. A12)
November 2, 2025 at 11:39 PM
A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge has allowed an important lawsuit seeking to ban circumcision of baby boys to proceed to discovery. (Oregonian, 11/2/25, p. A12)
October 29, OHA reported no new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is 10,888. This is the 3rd week in a row with no deaths, a 1st since the pandemic started. We're in a lull period with low wastewater levels. It's a good time to schedule high-risk activities such as dental visits.
November 2, 2025 at 11:28 PM
October 29, OHA reported no new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is 10,888. This is the 3rd week in a row with no deaths, a 1st since the pandemic started. We're in a lull period with low wastewater levels. It's a good time to schedule high-risk activities such as dental visits.
kidney stones. The flower turns into a blue fruit at the end of a long stem in late summer or fall. The fruits were also used to make a blue dye. Large amounts of fruit are needed to make the dye effective.
October 27, 2025 at 11:34 PM
kidney stones. The flower turns into a blue fruit at the end of a long stem in late summer or fall. The fruits were also used to make a blue dye. Large amounts of fruit are needed to make the dye effective.
Bead lily (Clintonia uniflora) or queen's cup, grows in moist coniferous forest in the Gorge. It blooms in summer. Native Americans used a juice from smashed plants as a wash for cuts & sore eyes & applied a poultice of the plant to wounds & eyes. The root juice was taken for ...
#Nativeplants
#Nativeplants
October 27, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Bead lily (Clintonia uniflora) or queen's cup, grows in moist coniferous forest in the Gorge. It blooms in summer. Native Americans used a juice from smashed plants as a wash for cuts & sore eyes & applied a poultice of the plant to wounds & eyes. The root juice was taken for ...
#Nativeplants
#Nativeplants
The lava covers an area of 164,000 sq. km. (63,320 sq. mi.) In some spots it's over 3,500 m (2.2 mi.) thick. New studies are finding the rock can absorb carbon dioxide and may in the future become a place to store it to address climate change. More at: volcano.oregonstate.edu/columbia-riv...
October 24, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The lava covers an area of 164,000 sq. km. (63,320 sq. mi.) In some spots it's over 3,500 m (2.2 mi.) thick. New studies are finding the rock can absorb carbon dioxide and may in the future become a place to store it to address climate change. More at: volcano.oregonstate.edu/columbia-riv...
Columbia River flood basalts formed in the Miocene from 6 to 17 million years ago. Today, they show up as horizontal bands in the Gorge. Some are tilted due to the uplift that formed the Cascade Range (distant right.) Could another eruption happen? It would be catastrophic ...
October 24, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Columbia River flood basalts formed in the Miocene from 6 to 17 million years ago. Today, they show up as horizontal bands in the Gorge. Some are tilted due to the uplift that formed the Cascade Range (distant right.) Could another eruption happen? It would be catastrophic ...
Vine maples are reaching their peak in the Gorge, & Mt. Hood finally has some snow on it. This shot was taken in 2007, titled "Autumn's Embrace." Provia 100F 4x5 chrome #BelieveinFilm
October 22, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Vine maples are reaching their peak in the Gorge, & Mt. Hood finally has some snow on it. This shot was taken in 2007, titled "Autumn's Embrace." Provia 100F 4x5 chrome #BelieveinFilm