Think Out Loud

New film showcases 3 Bend athletes’ commitment to outdoor sports after life-changing spinal cord injuries

Josh Hancock, Danielle Doelling and Anna Soens are all athletes based in Bend who suffered life-changing accidents, leaving them with varied levels of spinal cord injury. All three of these athletes spent their lives before injury participating in extreme outdoor sports. The film “Adapted” follows these athletes on their journeys to get back to the activities they love, and finding new accessible ways to access the outdoors.  Paul Bikis, the director of the film, noticed the threads through all of their stories, and created a feature-length film showcasing the Hancock, Doellning and Soens’ unique journeys through their respective outdoor feats. “Adapted” premieres in Bend on April 23rd, and in Portland on April 30th. “Think Out Loud” spoke with Anna Soens [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/24/think-out-loud-paraplegic-skier-paralympic-winter-games/] ahead of her Paralympic debut in Milan-Cortina earlier this year. We’re joined by director Paul Bikis, and athletes Josh Hancock and Danielle Doelling to talk about the new film.

How some dogs are trained to find native and invasive wildlife

From the Emerald Ash Borer to Zebra Mussels, Oregon is no stranger to invasive species [https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/invasive_species.asp]. The state has a management plan [https://www.oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org/statewide-plans] in place that aims to detect invasive species early on, educate the public and prevent their entry into Oregon to begin with. But there are other tools that government agencies [https://ambrook.com/offrange/labor/hunt-that-lanternfly] and researchers use around the world: dogs. Conservation dogs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_eHGykuuQ] are trained canines that help locate invasive and endangered species, as well as playing a role in data collection for research. Jennifer Hartman and Heath Smith are co-founders of Rogue Detection Dogs [https://roguedogs.org/]. They both join us to share more on what makes a good conservation dog and how they got into this work to begin with.

Portland emergency medical response now among the best in the world

Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications [https://www.portland.gov/911/about] has drastically improved its 9-1-1 [https://www.portland.gov/911] call times and medical response. Just a few years ago, the agency was short staffed [https://www.opb.org/article/2022/11/28/portland-oregon-911-emergency-call-wait-times-long/] and response times were far below national standards. But the efforts the Bureau has made have yielded dramatic results: it recently earned accreditation [https://www.portland.gov/911/news/2026/4/6/bureau-emergency-communications-911-earns-elite-accreditation] by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch, which put it in the top 10 percent of dispatch agencies [https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/portland-911-dispatchers-international-accreditation/283-a53d92fc-20b9-4f13-ab21-30154b986f28] in the world. We talk with Steve Mawdsley, the interim director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications, and call dispatcher Hannah Kimbell to hear about the improvements they've made, and what it’s like to be the first call in an emergency.

REBROADCAST: Portland author's new book celebrates threatened ponderosa pine trees

Ponderosa pine trees dominate parts of Eastern Oregon and Washington and have long been an icon of the American West, but in the past decade more than two hundred million ponderosa have died. Particularly in the Southwest, scientists estimate that by mid-century less than 5% of the ponderosa trees may remain. We revisit a conversation we first aired on Dec. 22, 2025 with Portland author Gary Ferguson about the history and the future of the ponderosa forests of the Southwest in his new book, “The Twilight Forest.”

Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival of new plays offers audiences an enormous variety

The Fertile Ground festival of news plays in development has become a staple of the Portland theatre scene since it first began in 2009. This year’s festival has expanded to 17 days, the longest festival yet, to take in the 80-some different productions that run through April 26. We talk with the festival director Tamara Carroll and Kristin Tehrani, who helped create “When I Was a Mexican: A Bollywood Musical.”