The study is published! Part 3: the Carcus Creek/Lava Creek complex

After all that work collecting data and studying habitat associations, we identified five habitats as the greatest conservation priorities for reptiles and amphibians in Columbia County. The first of those is the Carcus Creek / Lava Creek complex. Introduction to the Land The area in question is ~6 miles east of Mist in the centerContinue reading “The study is published! Part 3: the Carcus Creek/Lava Creek complex”

The study is published! Part 2: Where are these animals found?

One of our goals was to determine where each species was found. We ended up with much more interesting data than we had expected. The reptiles and amphibians of Columbia County fall into four major distribution patterns, all of which are closely tied to the geographic features of the county. The shaded squares in theContinue reading “The study is published! Part 2: Where are these animals found?”

The study is published! Part 1: What animals did we find?

Our paper is finally published! This was a labor of love, the product of years of research, over a thousand hours of surveying, and months of writing and editing. We deeply thank the hundreds of contributors who provided us with data, the scores of landowners who let us survey on their property, and the dozensContinue reading “The study is published! Part 1: What animals did we find?”

July Bird Forum with the Scappoose Bay Watershed Council

Have you ever tried to decode bird language? Wondered which birds flock together and which birds squabble over air space? Well this is the forum for you! Scappoose Bay Watershed Council is hosting an online forum for bird lovers on July 9th from 4 – 6 pm via Zoom. The forum will feature talks fromContinue reading “July Bird Forum with the Scappoose Bay Watershed Council”

Children’s herping outing was a big success

A great time was had by all at the Wild Columbia children’s outing on March 23rd. Despite typical dreary Oregon weather conditions, around 15 children showed up along with nearly as many parents and grandparents. Passion was tremendous among both the young and old. You can see some of the pictures taken by Emily UrferContinue reading “Children’s herping outing was a big success”

Turtle forum on March 13th!

The Scappoose Bay Watershed Council is hosting a zoom forum on our local turtles at 4pm on March 13th. The presenters will be as follows: Susan Barnes, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: A wildlife biologist with ODFW for the last twenty years, Susan has been at the forefront of many of their turtle effortsContinue reading “Turtle forum on March 13th!”

Writing our report on Reptiles and Amphibians – with pictures!

We have to apologize for the lack of posts recently. Both Matt and I have been extremely busy, and one of the tasks keeping us busy is putting together the report for the Columbia County Reptiles and Amphibians study that we’ve been working on for nearly five years. This is your last reminder – ifContinue reading “Writing our report on Reptiles and Amphibians – with pictures!”

The scientific basis for “Columbia County Reptiles and Amphibians”

We’re close to finishing our survey, and thought it would be a good time to share the video we presented last year to the Northwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NW PARC). This video explains in depth how we set up the project and what we hope to get out of it. Since weContinue reading “The scientific basis for “Columbia County Reptiles and Amphibians””

Peace, Porcupines, and Stream Ecology at Clear Creek

Have you spotted a Porcupine in the woods? Still looking for your first Western Terrestrial Garter Snake? Want to see a sprawling Beaver pond? Clear Creek Road has blessed us with these unusual finds. Tucked away on Columbia County’s southern border, Clear Creek is primarily frequented by rockhounds and elk hunters. It’s a Weyerhaeuser property,Continue reading “Peace, Porcupines, and Stream Ecology at Clear Creek”

What would you like to see more of on Wild Columbia?

I looked at the stats for June and saw we had 12,880 visits for the month. Not bad for a county with a population of 50,000. We knew when we started that this website would fill a need, but I didn’t dream it would be this popular. Thank you for being a part of ourContinue reading “What would you like to see more of on Wild Columbia?”