Think Out Loud

Northern California condors suspected to be tending region’s first egg in more than a century

California condors, the largest land bird in North America, almost went extinct in the late 1980s. But successful breeding programs such as the one at the Oregon Zoo [https://www.oregonzoo.org/condors] have helped raise their worldwide population from a low of 22 birds to roughly 600.    Since 2022, the Yurok Tribe has partnered with Redwood National and State Park to release condors [https://www.yuroktribe.org/yurok-condor-restoration-program] bred in captivity into the wild. A pair of those birds are believed to be tending the region’s first egg [https://www.underscore.news/land/nesting-condors-spark-hope-of-an-egg-in-northern-california/] in more than a century. The nest is too remote for wildlife managers to see the egg itself, but they say the birds’ behavior is consistent with nesting and incubation.   Marti Jenkins is the lead keeper at the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, which hosts its condor breeding program. Chris West is the manager of the Northern California Condor Restoration Program and a senior wildlife biologist with the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department. They both join us to talk about the significance of returning California condors to the Pacific Northwest.

As the West faces an unprecedented snow drought, ski resorts are left scrambling

Low snowpack and high temperatures [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/27/oregon-farmers-water-irrigation-summer-droughts/] have jeopardized ski resorts across the region this year. While some resorts have held on, most have been facing closures or abnormally short seasons. Skiers are cancelling trips, and seasonal workers have had to shift their plans for work during this abnormal winter. Mountain towns are facing major economic uncertainty [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/travel/snow-drought-ski-rocky-mountains.html] – some offering major sales on gear, or pivoting to warm-weather recreation. Mt. Hood Meadows is the latest ski resort to announce its closure - it will officially wrap up this year’s operations on April 12, as it announced in a recent blog post.  [https://www.skihood.com/blog/meadows-closing-for-the-season-april-12-2026-due-to-low-snowpack]   Greg Pack is the president and general manager at Mt. Hood Meadows. He’ll join us to discuss the weather’s impact on this year’s ski season.

Oregon Secretary of State plans to challenge Trump executive order on mail-in voting

PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/31/nx-s1-5508948/trump-voter-list-mail-ballots-executive-order] TUESDAY THAT INSTRUCTS THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE TO ONLY SEND MAIL-IN BALLOTS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DEEMED ELIGIBLE BY THE ADMINISTRATION. OREGON SECRETARY OF STATE TOBIAS READ HAS VOWED TO CHALLENGE [https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/SOS/Posts/Post/secretary-read-pledges-to-defend-oregon-elections] THE ORDER IN COURT, ALONG WITH OTHER SECRETARIES OF STATE [https://time.com/article/2026/04/01/trump-executive-order-mail-in-voting-states-rebuke-legal-challenge/].    MEANWHILE, THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS POISED TO OVERTURN [https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/court-appears-ready-to-overturn-state-law-allowing-for-late-arriving-mail-in-ballots/] A MISSISSIPPI LAW THAT ALLOWS MAIL-IN BALLOTS THAT ARRIVE LATE TO BE COUNTED AS LONG AS THEY’RE POSTMARKED ON OR BEFORE ELECTION DAY. OREGON HAS HAD A SIMILAR LAW IN PLACE [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/24/supreme-court-could-end-oregon-accepting-late-ballots/] SINCE 2022.     READ JOINS US TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THESE CHANGES COULD MEAN FOR OREGON’S VOTE-BY-MAIL SYSTEM.

New film ‘The 100 Year Effect’ explores Oregon researcher’s quest to bring chronic disease knowledge to the world

KENT THORNBURG IS A PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE EMERITUS AT OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY [https://www.ohsu.edu/people/kent-l-thornburg-phd]. BUT HE IS FAR FROM RETIRED. HE’S ACTIVELY PROMOTING THE RESEARCH HE AND OTHERS HAVE DONE INTO THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. THORNBURG COINED THE PHRASE “THE 100 YEAR EFFECT” TO DESCRIBE HOW “EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT” BEFORE AND DURING  PREGNANCY CAN AFFECT THE LIFETIME RISKS OF CHRONIC DISEASES — AND HOW THOSE EFFECTS CAN ACTUALLY BE TRACED TO NOT JUST  NOT JUST TO BOTH PARENTS, BUT GRANDPARENTS AS WELL.   A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT BOTH THE RESEARCH, AND THORNBURG’S UNCONVENTIONAL CAMPAIGN MEANT TO GALVANIZE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS RESEARCH PREMIERED AT OHSU ON MARCH 20. THE DATE WAS CHOSEN [https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/march/national-future-generations-day-third-friday-in-march] IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NATIONAL FUTURE GENERATIONS DAY. “THE 100 YEAR EFFECT” [https://100yeareffect.com/] IS NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW FREE OF CHARGE BY REQUEST FOR INDIVIDUALS OR COMMUNITY SCREENINGS ON THE FILM WEBSITE. Thornburg says the only way anything will change is if young people and community leaders get energized and motivated. That’s where people like Kelsey Mueller Wendt come in. She is herself a young mother and the coordinator for the Nutrition Oregon Campaign Hub in Klamath Falls [http://www.healthyklamath.org]. Mueller Wendt and Thornburg join us to share more about larger education campaign and the film, which is both a showcase and an invitation into the larger effort to eliminate chronic disease.

Portland women’s health and wellness coach highlights gaps in research, education for women in sports

When Greta Jarvis was 16 years old and on her high school’s lacrosse team, her menstrual cycle completely stopped. When she went to an OBGYN to discuss the issue, doctors told her this symptom was completely normal for female athletes.   Nearly ten years later, she learned that her period loss, or amenorrhea, was abnormal and actually dangerous. In fact, it’s the body’s response to too few calories, too much exercise, and extreme stress. It’s also extremely common among young female athletes, and intensified by scarce targeted education on nutrition, body image and hormone health within women and girls'sports.   Now, Jarvis coaches the same team she played on in high school, and she wants to provide the education that she didn’t have when she was growing up. She founded the Center for Active Women, where she organizes workshops for teams, schools and sports organizations to equip women and girls with the skills to develop healthy relationships with body, food, and exercise. She joins us to discuss her work.