Think Out Loud

OMSI exhibit looks at geological events of Pacific Northwest through a Nez Perce lens

Much of our understanding about the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods that shaped the geology of the Pacific Northwest comes from Western scientists. But those records almost always overlook the oral traditions of Native American tribes who witnessed those events.   An exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry [https://omsi.edu/exhibits/heads-hearts/] in Portland looks at the eruption of Mount Mazama, the Ice Age floods and other geological events through the perspective of the Nez Perce and other Columbia Basin tribes. “Heads & Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes” is on display through Feb. 16.   Geologists Roger Amerman [https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/05/roger-amerman-echo-marvel-beadwork-whitman/] and Ellen Bishop [http://www.ellenmorrisbishop.com/] created the exhibit, which originally appeared at the Josephy Center for Arts & Culture [https://josephy.org/] in Joseph. They join us to talk about how Native oral traditions can — and should — inform modern science.

US Rep. Maxine Dexter rescues 7-year-old and her parents from ICE detention in Texas

Rep. Maxine Dexter [https://dexter.house.gov/] (D-Portland) escorted a family — including a 7-year-old girl — from an ICE detention facility [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/06/gresham-crespo-gonzalez-leave-texas/] in Texas back to Oregon on Saturday. The Crespo-Gonzalez family was detained last month while bringing their sick child to urgent care. We sit down with Dexter to hear about that experience [https://dexter.house.gov/media/press-releases/dexter-brings-crespo-gonzalez-family-home] and her work in Congress focused on ICE funding and policy. OPB reporter Holly Bartholomew covers Portland’s suburban communities as a Report for America Corps Member. We also talk with her about how the family is doing now [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/11/maxine-dexter-legitimacy-gresham-family-detention/] and the latest developments around federal immigration actions in Oregon.

Author Imani Perry at Woodburn High School

In books like “Breathe” and “South to America,” National Book Award and MacArthur “genius” grant winner Imani Perry writes about Blackness in America with clarity, elegance, rage, and joy. Perry is a Professor of Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Her latest book is “Black in Blues,” a meditation on the color blue and its role in Black history and culture. Perry talks to us in front of an audience of students at Woodburn High School.

Former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams on loss of institutional knowledge within the agency

When Chuck Sams was sworn in [https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/director-chuck-sams.htm] as director of the National Park Service in 2021, he became the first Native American to lead the agency. Sams previously served as a member of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and as executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.   Not long after Sams returned to Oregon after leaving the agency last year, the Trump administration fired nearly 1,000 [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/27/chuck-sams-first-native-national-parks-director-trump-cuts/] park service employees without warning. The agency lost nearly a quarter [https://www.npca.org/articles/9551-staffing-crisis-at-national-parks-reaches-breaking-point-new-data-shows-24] of its permanent staff in the following months.  Sams has denounced the loss [https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27012026/the-biggest-tragedy-of-trumps-gutting-of-the-national-park-service/] of institutional knowledge within the National Park Service. He joins us to share his thoughts.

Two perspectives on bipartisan bill that would hike Oregon’s lodging tax to help wildlife

Lawmakers are meeting in Salem to discuss and decide the fate of a flurry of bills during Oregon’s short legislative session this year. One of those is a bipartisan bill [https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Measures/Overview/HB4134] that would hike the state’s lodging tax at places like campgrounds, hotels and Airbnbs from 1.5% to 2.75%.    The tax increase is expected to raise tens of millions of dollars [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/16/oregon-lodging-tax-wildlife-habitat-conservation/] for wildlife protection, habitat conservation, anti-poaching efforts, combating invasive species and mitigating wildfires. It would also compensate ranchers for cattle killed by wolves.    The bill’s sponsors – Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane) and Rep. Ken Helm (D-Beaverton)  – join us to share why they support it and why they revived it this year after it died in the final days of last year’s session. Jason Brandt, President and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, also joins us to share his opposition to the bill.