Think Out Loud

Owyhee Canyonlands protection effort remains in limbo

The Owyhee Canyonlands area encompasses millions of acres along the Owyhee River on the borders of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. The land is rugged and remote and beautiful, and efforts to to protect it in some way have dragged out for years. There were pushes for the last two Democratic presidents to designate the area a national monument and most recently, a bill to protect over 1 million acres of the land as wilderness failed in Congress at the end of last year. We traveled to the area and talked to people about the land and the efforts to protect it. We stopped in Jordan Valley and talked to Mindy Kershner, a lifelong Jordan Valley resident, rancher, and owner of the Ranch Hand Hardware & Mercantile. Then we travelled down to Birch Creek Historic Ranch on the edge of the river to talk to Tim Davis, executive director of Friends of the Owyhee. We spoke to rancher Elias Eiguren on his family’s land in Arock. And then we talked to Reginald Sope, an elder of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes who lives near the head of the canyon in Nevada.

Portland nonprofit Smashing Barriers aims to improve the lives of young people through tennis

The Portland-based nonprofit Smashing Barriers [https://smashingbarriers.org/] works with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Friendly House. It offers free tennis clinics and organizes charity tournaments. Jiya Mehta and Rohan Shah, the co-founders, started the nonprofit while in high school. They aim to bring the organization to each state in the U.S. In addition to Oregon [https://www.instagram.com/smashing_barriers/], the nonprofit already has chapters in Arizona, California and Texas. We listen back to a conversation we first aired on Aug. 11, 2025 with Shah and Mehta who shared how tennis has shaped their lives and their plans for growing Smashing Barriers.

Researchers say network-forming fungi need more protection

LONG SYNOPSIS: Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a major hotspot for webs of mycorrhizal, or network-forming, fungi. Researchers at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) predict that nearly 90% of mycorrhizal networks around the world lie outside of protected areas, including those in the Pacific Northwest. These fungal networks help promote soil health and plant growth by moving nutrients between plants and soil.   Scientists at SPUN say that this hidden vital component of land-based ecosystems is deserving of more protection. But protection for these networks is different from typical land protection, since these fungal species are present in much of the soil in the U.S. Researchers say it’s important to find ways to protect this diverse fungi without keeping humans out of these areas entirely.   Kylie Mohr, a reporter with High Country News, wrote about the presence of these fungal networks in the West, and spoke with several experts who are imagining and calling for ways to preserve them. She joins us to break down the details.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson lays out his budget priorities

THE CITY OF PORTLAND IS FACING A $172 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL FOR VARIOUS REASONS, INCLUDING DECLINING TAX REVENUE, INFLATION, EXPIRATION OF PANDEMIC-ERA FUNDS AND INCREASED HEALTHCARE COSTS.  MAYOR KEITH WILSON SHARED A PROPOSAL LAST WEEK THAT WOULD CUT NEARLY 150 JOBS AND MAKE CUTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY, PARKS, TRANSPORTATION AND RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. MAYOR WILSON HAS SAID THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/20/portland-mayor-wilson-budget-deficit-cut-jobs-programs/] HE’S EVER DONE. HE JOINS US NOW TO SHARE MORE ON HIS BUDGET PROPOSAL AND THE FINANCIAL FUTURE OF THE CITY.

Is a liberal arts degree worth it?

Student debt in the U.S. has risen dramatically in the last few decades, while recent college graduates are having a harder time finding work. For the last five years, the unemployment rate of college graduates is above the national average and students graduate with an average of $40,000 dollars of debt. Meanwhile, students with degrees in technology or finance might find they are facing a work landscape transformed by artificial intelligence. But what about a liberal arts degree? We sit down with students, faculty and administrators at Linfield University to ask whether a liberal arts degree is still worth it.