Primary results put affordability at center of Oregon governor’s race

River otters in Arcata Marsh are hunting ducks, not just fish

A river otter sneaks up on an unsuspecting Mallard duck at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2cee28c/2147483647/strip/false/crop/640x397+0+0/resize/640x397!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2F83%2F514427ca4f31921ad108066db328%2Fimage0.jpeg]A river otter sneaks up on an unsuspecting Mallard duck at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. (Credit Mark Larson Photography) Researchers at Cal Poly Humboldt [https://now.humboldt.edu/news/river-otters-arcata-marsh-they-eat-more-fish-video] have discovered that North American river otters at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary shift to a nearly all-duck diet during the winter, using dense vegetation and underwater ambushes to hunt migratory waterfowl. “We found that they actually were eating ducks almost exclusively during the winter months,” researcher Gina Culver said. By analyzing otter scat — a process Culver jokingly called a “dirty job” — researchers identified prey species, including buffleheads and ruddy ducks, by comparing recovered feathers with museum specimens. As thousands of migratory birds gather at the marsh each winter, otters use dense vegetation and underwater ambushes to hunt diving ducks before they can escape. Jeff Black, a professor at Cal Poly Humboldt who leads the long-running research project, calls river otters the “wolves of the wetlands.” Culver said the animals may appear “cute and adorable,” but they are also apex predators and an important keystone species. A river otter swims in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. It is among a population of more than 80 known otters that live in the region. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/430df8a/2147483647/strip/false/crop/434x640+0+0/resize/358x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F72%2F6c%2F0ab4426a41949d3765ba3f765fee%2Fimage1.jpeg]A river otter swims in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. It is among a population of more than 80 known otters that live in the region. (Credit Mark Larson Photography) For people hoping to witness the hunting behavior themselves, Culver offered a simple tip. “Look for the ducks that are flying frantically off the ponds and then look there,” she said. The research also relies heavily on citizen science. Local residents report sightings through QR codes, helping researchers track a population estimated at about 82 otters in North Coast wetlands. Researchers say the otters’ continued success at the marsh reflects the health of one of the North Coast’s most important wetland ecosystems. “River otters are known to have low tolerance to polluted water, so their presence is a really good indicator of a healthy ecosystem,” Culver said. GUEST * Gina Culver, researcher, Cal Poly Humboldt University

The race to save the history of Weed's Black community

Photo from a 1966 civil rights demonstration organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Weed, California. Black residents of the Lincoln Heights community protested chronic conditions stemming from systemic racial segregationist policies and practices in the town. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9c079c6/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1024x888+0+0/resize/609x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2F0e%2F8e99cf1c4dfbbb8fa64f941f7a09%2Fclub-restored.jpg]Photo from a 1966 civil rights demonstration organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Weed, California. Black residents protested chronic conditions stemming from systemic racial segregationist policies and practices in the town. (https://www.lincolnheightshistory.org/) Residents of Weed [https://ci.weed.ca.us/about-us/], California, are racing to preserve the history of one of the state’s oldest Black communities after a wildfire destroyed much of the neighborhood in 2022. The Lincoln Heights neighborhood, established during the Great Migration, was home to Black families who came to Weed in the early 20th century seeking work in the lumber industry. Many settled in a segregated area once known as “The Quarters.” The urgency of preserving that history intensified after the 2022 Mill Fire [https://www.kcra.com/article/mill-operations-caused-deadly-2022-mill-fire-in-weed-cal-fire-says/44234474] destroyed nearly three-quarters of the neighborhood. “It really tore apart the community,” said Mark Oliver, a filmmaker and historian who co-produced a documentary about the area. “I think our project is kind of a now-or-never project.” A CAL FIRE investigation [https://www.kcra.com/article/mill-operations-caused-deadly-2022-mill-fire-in-weed-cal-fire-says/44234474] found the fire originated on property owned by Roseburg Forest Products. Today, residents and historians, including former educator James Langford, are working through the Lincoln Heights Legacy Project [https://www.lincolnheightshistory.org/] to preserve the community’s history and create a museum and cultural center. Langford, who became Weed’s first Black teacher in 1974, said the neighborhood’s original name reflected the segregation Black residents faced. “If your place is called a quarter, that’s a negative,” Langford said. “That’s where slaves were kept.” In the 1960s, local activists successfully pushed to rename the neighborhood Lincoln Heights, honoring President Abraham Lincoln and reflecting what Langford described as the community’s identity as “a liberated people.” [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0656bdc/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1457x720+0+0/resize/792x391!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe3%2F46%2F70780dc64d8ea7452a9c0822be03%2Fposter-new-1.png](https://www.lincolnheightshistory.org/ ) The proposed Lincoln Heights Museum and Cultural Center is intended to serve as more than a historical archive. Langford said he hopes it will become a gathering place that encourages travelers to leave Interstate 5 and engage with the community’s history. “I want it to be a living cultural center,” Langford said. “I don’t want a lot of static displays of past relics.” The project recently received national support through Fieldwork, an initiative that provides architectural and strategic assistance to rural communities. Organizers also hope to preserve the legacy of the 1966 civil rights demonstrations organized by the Congress of Racial Equality and document the stories of the families who helped build the town. GUESTS * Mark Oliver [https://markoliver.org/], board member, Lincoln Heights Legacy Project * James Langford, Lincoln Heights Legacy Project

What World War I, the 1918 flu and Babe Ruth reveal about America

A display of United States flags on Memorial Day along a road in a cemetery near Dallas, Oregon. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/11ccf6d/2147483647/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/792x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fce%2F5c%2F2866b0ba4b63ac64eb1877aeac14%2Fadobestock-508053096.jpeg]A display of United States flags on Memorial Day along a road in a cemetary near Dallas Oregon(Bob - stock.adobe.com) Memorial Day honors U.S. military service members who died while serving the country. Historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith, co-authors of "War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War," examine a period when war reshaped American life. Their book focuses on the fall of 1918, when Americans faced the overlapping forces of World War I, a deadly influenza pandemic and sweeping social change. Through stories that range from baseball to politics and public life, the authors argue that those events helped redefine the country. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a5ebe43/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1056x480+0+0/resize/792x360!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9a%2F2a%2Fd700d49b4270a3666d13e9b3ddec%2Fjx-draw-47.jpg] In 1918, America found itself at a transformative crossroads. As World War I reached its climax, a deadly influenza pandemic swept across the country and a young pitcher named Babe Ruth began changing baseball. Roberts and Smith describe the period as a "braided narrative" of personal stories that reflect the American experience. At the center was Ruth's transition from standout left-handed pitcher to one of baseball's biggest stars. With rosters depleted by the military draft, Ruth had more opportunities to hit, helping change the way the game was played. “Writers portrayed him as a symbol of American manpower," Smith said. "They made these connections between Ruth's power at the plate and the manpower on the Western Front that was going to win this war.” Yet while Ruth's reputation grew, others fell under the weight of what the authors describe as "war fever." Karl Muck [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Muck], conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, became a target of anti-German sentiment and government scrutiny. Despite no evidence of espionage, he was eventually sent to an internment camp. Charles Whittlesey, leader of the "Lost Battalion," also became caught up in the era's intense nationalism. Though celebrated as a war hero, Roberts said the attention and pressure that followed ultimately took a heavy toll. Roberts said dissent during the war often carried consequences. "If you opposed the war, you were in trouble," he said. "If it was believed you opposed the war, you were in trouble." As the 1918 World Series unfolded in Boston, a more deadly wave of influenza spread through the city. The convergence of war, disease and social change helped shape a new American identity during a turbulent period in the nation's history. Guests * Randy Roberts, historian and co-author of "War Fever" * Johnny Smith, historian and co-author of "War Fever"

Archaeologists and community historians on the trail of Chinese cowboys in Eastern Oregon

The obituary of 'Buckaroo Sam' (left) was published in a 1935 edition of the East Oregonian. Sam was a well-known cowboy buckaroo in eastern Oregon. He is pictured in his later years in the John Day Chinatown. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ef4562/2147483647/strip/false/crop/469x438+0+0/resize/469x438!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F49%2F6d%2Fe42e429e4618a2dcf5b9f47587b3%2Fchinese-cowboy-buckaroo-opb-soula.png]The obituary of 'Buckaroo Sam' (left) was published in a 1935 edition of the East Oregonian. Sam was a well-known cowboy buckaroo in eastern Oregon. He is pictured in his later years in the John Day Chinatown. ( https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/19/the-evergreen-podcast-eastern-oregon-chinese-cowboys/) This story is a special collaboration with the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology and the Oregon Historical Society, with support from Roundhouse Foundation [https://roundhousefoundation.org/]. Dale Hom looks out over the wild expanse surrounding Stewart Ranch in Grant County, one of dozens of historic ranches that have been linked with early Chinese immigrants in Eastern Oregon. Hom, a retired forester and artist, has been part of a wider movement to add Chinese pioneers back into Western scenes like this one. The site is now part of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area [https://myodfw.com/phillip-w-schneider-wildlife-area-visitors-guide], accessible only by a rugged dirt road. This remote location has helped to preserve the early ranch and kept the modern world at bay, allowing researchers to search for evidence of the little known Chinese cowboys and ranch hands employed here in the early 20th century. Over the course of a hot and dusty week in July 2025, Southern Oregon University archaeologists and project partners dug into the compacted soils of Stewart Ranch in search of tangible traces of men who’ve left only sparse paper trails in the documentary record. Men like Buckaroo Sam, Markee Tom, Fon Chung, Jim Lee, Tom Lim and Hi Moon. Working as cowboys, cooks, shepherds, foreman and even as ranchers themselves, these individuals have been hidden in plain sight on the Oregon frontier. THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN COWBOY Scholars have worked hard to tease fact from fiction and update the archetypal American Cowboy. While Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp and other white cowboys may be real historical figures, historians have estimated that, in reality, one in four cowboys were Black [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lesser-known-history-african-american-cowboys-180962144/]. The original cowboys came into the American West from Mexico as early as the 18th century. These vaqueros [https://www.loc.gov/collections/ranching-culture-in-northern-nevada-from-1945-to-1982/articles-and-essays/buckaroo-views-of-a-western-way-of-life/vaqueros/] — a name that stems from vaca, the Spanish word for cow — brought with them the pointed boots, wide-brimmed hats, bandanas and chaps that form the core suite of cowboy material culture that defines the genre to this day. The term buckaroo is an anglicized version of vaquero and is often used interchangeably with “cowboy.” However, the buckaroo tradition is more specific to California and the Great Basin, which extends up into Eastern Oregon. Over the 20th century, mainstream American cowboy culture and imagery was romanticized into a fantasy version that largely erased its Mexican, Black [https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/high-horse-black-cowboy/] and Chinese heritage. Left: A black-and-white historic portrait shows five cowboys, including Chinese American ranch hand Markee Tom, posing together in western clothing and hats around 1900. Right: A painted recreation depicts the same group of cowboys in warm colors and period dress. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b91090d/2147483647/strip/false/crop/786x442+0+0/resize/786x442!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fc5%2F2860e89d4a65b2d81bc0d0774380%2Fcowboy-photo-and-painting.jpg]Chinese American cowboy Markee Tom (L, on far left) photographed circa 1900. Tom worked for the J.C. Moore family at their ranch near Dayville, Ore., as a cook and ranch hand. Dale Hom’s 2023 painting (R) imagines the informal shared moment between friends just before the photograph was taken.(Courtesy of the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site and Dale Hom) Work is underway to reclaim those lost histories. In 2021, the Oregon Historical Quarterly published Dale Hom’s comic, “They Called Him…Buckaroo Sam [https://www.ohs.org/oregon-historical-quarterly/back-issues/winter-2021.cfm]” in a special issue dedicated to Oregon’s Chinese diaspora. Hom draws from his personal experience as a Chinese American who spent decades exploring the great outdoors and pairs it with the scattered photographs, newspaper clippings and oral histories to imagine the life of a Chinese cowboy — giving visibility to these men for the first time. Buckaroo Sam has been linked to the now publicly-owned Stewart Ranch. According to his obituary printed in the May 8, 1935 East Oregonian, Sam was “considered one of the best horseman” and “qualified as a real hand with his riding, roping or any of the work of a western cow hand.” Locals described Sam as never without his red handkerchief and skilled at hand rolling cigarettes without losing tobacco. He had a distinctive scar and potentially some paralysis on his face from getting bucked off a horse. Stewart Ranch also had a series of Chinese cooks, including Jim Lee and a man named Chung. Lee was described as a “really, really good cook” in an oral history by Eminger Stewart — grandson of ranch founder and namesake Eminger “Billie” Stewart. “Particularly good with desserts.” After his tenure working on cattle and sheep ranches, Jim Lee worked in, and even owned, restaurants across Grant and Baker counties. UNCOVERING OREGON HISTORY WITH THE CHINESE DIASPORA PROJECT Ongoing efforts to rustle up evidence of early Chinese American cowboys fall under the umbrella of the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project [https://oregon-chinese-diaspora-project-sou.hub.arcgis.com/] (OCDP), a grassroots, multi-agency collaboration that focuses on documentation of early Chinese Oregonians in rural parts of the state. Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/07/eastern-oregon-chinese-cowboys-trail/] (SOULA) partnered with ODFW archaeologists on a summer field school at Stewart Ranch, where investigations focused on two historical bunkhouses associated with the property. The collaborative project included community outreach, public programming and field assistance from local volunteers and the Burns Paiute Tribe’s Youth Opportunity Program. SOULA’s excavations at the site targeted bunkhouses and areas where food remains and trash might be discarded by Chinese American cowboys and cooks. The team recovered buttons, broken dishes and bottles. They also discovered flakes representing the byproducts of stone tools made by Indigenous peoples that lived at the site long before the first livestock arrived. Left: A woman wearing glasses, braids, gloves and a red bandana examines a small artifact outdoors at an archaeological field school site. Right: Three archaeology students kneel beside an excavation pit in a dry grassy field while documenting soil layers and findings. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f5111f4/2147483647/strip/false/crop/786x442+0+0/resize/786x442!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9b%2Fb6%2Ff875d5a14bf48438777141b0156e%2Fsoula-field-school-students.jpg]SOULA field school student Rebecca Chapman holds up a small ceramic fragment for inspection (R). Students Zoey Ahl and Victoria Mozdy learn from archaeologist Tyler Davis how to describe sediments using a Munsell soil color chart (L). Grant County, Ore., July 15, 2025.(Courtesy of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology) Buttons and rivets reflect sturdy workwear, spent ammunition suggests hunting or protecting livestock from predators and food remains provide a glimpse into the meals prepared by the Chinese cooks working on site. Katie Johnson, a zooarchaeologist with SOULA, found evidence of hearty communal meals in the animal bones recovered from outside the cookhouse. Elements representing lower limbs from mammals would be tougher, “So you would’ve put them into stews or soups where you can make a large portion to share with the group that’s working there.” The fragmented bones show beef and deer were enjoyed, along with cuts from a medium-sized mammal that could represent sheep—mutton reportedly being one of Jim Lee’s signature dishes. PIECING TOGETHER OREGON’S EARLY COWBOYS While Indiana Jones emphasizes the adventurous side of archaeology, in reality the bulk of the work is tedious and happens away from the dig site. Artifacts from the Stewart Ranch dig are being carefully cleaned and sorted in the lab by staff and students. Time-consuming research continues, including scouring historical newspapers and photographs as well as ongoing conversations between project partners and stakeholders. Much of the OCDP’s access comes from local partnerships with the Grant County Ranch and Rodeo Museum [https://www.facebook.com/GCRanchnRodeoMuseum/] and Friends of Kam Wah Chung [https://friendsofkamwahchung.com/] in John Day, who helped make connections between the project and local ranching family descendants. As the project continues, the OCDP will rely on these community relationships to interpret and contextualize findings and track down and access additional sites. A group of archaeologists, students and community historians sit and stand inside a wood-paneled museum room filled with framed photographs, saddles and ranching artifacts while listening to a presentation about Grant County history. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ba48d08/2147483647/strip/false/crop/786x442+0+0/resize/786x442!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F30%2Fe4%2Fa3c147b64356adf8085276fabd38%2Fsoula-staff-et-all.jpg]SOULA staff and students and OCDP project partners meet with Howard Gieger of the Grant County Ranch and Rodeo Museum in John Day. July 14, 2025.( Courtesy of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology) Archaeology allows for small finds to make big changes, and is actively helping to counter the erasure of Chinese Americans from Oregon history. Decades of anti-Chinese sentiment, culminating in state, federal, and local laws effectively deterred or prohibited, in some cases violently, many Chinese Americans from building generational roots. Census records for Grant County listed more than 40% of its total population as being of Chinese descent in the 1870s. In 2020, that dropped to less than 1% reporting Asian ancestry. While the dozens of Chinatowns in Eastern Oregon were abandoned by the early 20th century, the Chinese Americans who stayed, built careers and lived out their lives in these communities — including some of the former ranch hands. Jim Lee spent his final days under the care of the Catholic Home in Baker City. According to a local rancher that was one of Lee’s friends and former employers, he left the Catholic Home his sizable estate upon his death. Buckaroo Sam retired to the John Day Chinatown when he got too old for cowboying. He lost his home and savings to a catastrophic fire in 1927. The family that ran the city’s Benson Hotel took him in, where he performed odd jobs in exchange for room and board. An oral history with Loyce Phillips, granddaughter of the hotel owners, is on file at the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site [https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=5]. In it, she speaks with great fondness about Sam, how he helped the family and took particular care to watch out for her. A fuller and more complex picture of life in Eastern Oregon is emerging, allowing for what Dale Hom describes as a “retelling of a story” by artists, archaeologists and others helping to sweep away the dust of time. “The more we find out, the greater it expands on what it means to be an American and be an American cowboy here out in the West.” Two women stand outdoors under a tree during an archaeological field project, smiling and talking while one carries a camera rig and backpack and the other wears black western-style clothing and a cowboy hat. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e565a47/2147483647/strip/false/crop/786x442+0+0/resize/786x442!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe0%2F75%2F5a972ce043968a453db7fd26bd30%2Fgoshe-and-chelsea-rose.jpg]Cinematographer and editor Christie Goshe (L) with Producer Chelsea Rose (R) during a break in filming.(Courtesy of Parker Loris Underkoffler)

Mayor Kathy Sell on keeping Eagle Point’s small-town feel amid growth

City of Eagle Point sign greeting road traffic. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c731d3e/2147483647/strip/false/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/704x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F57%2F8e%2F9c6ccc3349dc818c51d7a034c1a8%2Feagle-point-oregon-sign.jpg]City of Eagle Point sign greeting road traffic. (https://www.facebook.com/HaleSigns/ ) Eagle Point, Oregon, is navigating rapid growth while trying to preserve its small-town identity. When Mayor Kathy Sell moved there in 1985, about 1,300 people lived there. Today, the population is approaching 10,000, but leaders say the community still embraces its "Welcome to the Neighborhood" character. Eagle Point’s identity reflects its history. Landmarks such as the Butte Creek Mill and the covered bridge over the creek are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area was once known for agriculture and served as a food hub for the Rogue Valley Kathy Sell, mayor of Eagle Point, Oregon. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/54d3e96/2147483647/strip/false/crop/606x606+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5d%2Fc8%2Fe63cefe04cae997eb826c1011eed%2Fkathy-sell-square.JPG] Kathy Sell, mayor of Eagle Point, Oregon. ( City of Eagle Point) The city also drew well-known residents over time. Actor Ginger Rogers owned a ranch there for nearly five decades. The additions of an 18-hole golf course and upscale housing as attracted other Hollywood celebrities, such as actor Jim Belushi. BALANCING HISTORY AND GROWTH Sell said Eagle Point's appeal remains rooted in its atmosphere. “Everyone wants to live in Eagle Point because of the small-town feel,” she said Sell said managing growth is her primary challenge as mayor. The city is working to expand afforable housing, including through a 50-acre annexation. "To keep that up, you have to plan well and encourage people to get to know their neighbors because that's really what a small town does," Sell said. As Eagle Point expands, Sell said she and other city leaders aim to balance development with preserving the neighborly spirit that defines the town. GUEST * Kathy Sell, mayor, Eagle Point, OR