April Ehrlich
@aprilehrlich.bsky.social
Environment reporter @opb.org in Portland, Oregon. Wildfires, forests, public lands, wildlife, pollution. She/her. aehrlich@opb.org Signal: aprilehrlich.10
Most of the PNW fires are burning in remote forests and grasslands that are naturally accustomed to fire, but these areas can be critical to ranchers whose livelihoods depend on their cattle. I joined one family as they tried to rope in their cows from public lands. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Oregon ranchers race to protect cattle from Grasshopper Fire
A longtime ranching family in north-central Oregon risks it all for their cattle as a wildfire heads toward them.
opb.org
Another wildfire year where people don’t know where to find evacuation information because Oregon lacks a single cohesive place to find it. WatchDuty links to maps that crash. Local govts are relying on Facebook to share critical information.
Strong winds and low humidity will produce critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions from the Northwest into the northern Rockies on Saturday and Sunday. Use caution with any potential ignition sources. Stay aware and follow instructions from emergency officials. weather.gov for more.
So much of Oregon is on fire. More than 6,200 people under evacuation. About 12,000 firefighters are on the line. And it could get worse: We might get more thunderstorms on Thursday. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Live updates: Oregon wildfires explode with no signs of slowing down
People on the Warm Springs Reservation have evacuated, and other communities in Central and Eastern Oregon are threatened as more than 1 million acres in Oregon have been consumed by wildfires.
opb.org
The entire Warm Springs reservation is under evacuation. The highway connecting it to Madras opened this morning, though officials on social media warn that it could close again. More from my colleagues at OPB: opb.org/article/2026...
Bench Fire explodes overnight, forcing Warm Springs to evacuate
The Bench Fire is one of several burning through Central Oregon, as hot and dry conditions continue to challenge fire crews.
opb.org
Wildfires have closed the main highway between the Warm Springs Reservation and Madras, so people evacuating have to drive north toward Mt Hood. The nearest hotel is an hour away, and prices are around $350 a room.
Large data centers rely on dozens, sometimes hundreds, of industrial diesel generators for backup power. If an hour-long blackout hit the Lower Umatilla Basin in Oregon, data centers could release as much pollution as 38,000 semi-trucks driving for an hour. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Why data centers pose an outsized threat to Eastern Oregon’s air quality
Under an unstable grid, diesel pollution could threaten communities with large clusters of data centers.
opb.org
As of this morning, Oregon wildfires covered 415,000 acres, already surpassing last year’s total acres burned. More than 1,000 people have had to evacuate. With thunderstorms & heatwaves on the horizon, wildfires could get worse this week. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Thunderstorms could bring more wildfires to Central Oregon
More than 1,000 people in Oregon have been ordered to evacuate their homes this week
opb.org
The latest story from @thewesternedge.bsky.social dives into the very gray space that exists in some spiritual communities, where one man is exalted as near god like and students are encouraged to not ask questions.
‘Give Your Mind Over’: Power and Devotion Inside Oregon Buddhist Communities
Women inside some Northwest Buddhist centers say the faith has long struggled to stop predatory behavior by spiritual leaders, and in some cases brushed it aside.
thewesternedge.media
His colleagues, family, friends and sources remember Zane Sparling as a talented reporter with a flair for language and an offbeat sense of humor that kept the job light even on days the work — and his health — were bleak. Read more at theoregonian.visitlink.me/QxR5KI
The Trump administration aims to triple logging outputs in 5 million acres of the Blue Mountains area in Oregon & Washington. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Trump administration to propose tripling logging in Blue Mountains forests
The proposal could bring drastic changes to 5 million acres of forests and grasslands in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
opb.org
A bill that would have increased prescribed fire in federal forests was largely uncontroversial and supported across the aisle. Then Sen. Mike Lee of Utah attached an amendment that would rescind the roadless rule. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Senate Republicans propose rescinding ‘roadless rule’ — by tacking it onto federal wildfire bill
The roadless rule has long prevented new road construction in certain forests, including 4 million acres in Oregon and Washington.
opb.org
Two years ago, OPB & ProPublica investigated a logging project in coastal Southern Oregon that included large, ancient trees. A federal judge just ruled that the Bureau of Land Management's project broke environmental laws. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Ruling halts logging project in Southern Oregon
The federal government planned to log forests in Southern Oregon that included large, old trees. A federal judge ruled that those plans broke environmental laws.
opb.org
President Trump is allowing the military to flout water pollution laws so it can continue flying supersonic fighter jets in the Owyhee desert in Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. www.opb.org/article/2026...
President Trump OKs supersonic jets over Owyhee desert — even if they pollute rivers
President Donald Trump is invoking an obscure law that allows the military to pollute waterways.
opb.org
The federal government accidentally killed two gray wolves during a coyote cull in Oregon, according to a state report. One was a collared wolf from California. More from my colleague Alejandro Figueroa: opb.org/article/2026...
Federal agency accidentally killed 2 protected Oregon wolves last year, state report reveals
Wildlife Services, a program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, accidentally killed two protected Oregon wolves last summer. Wildlife conservation groups are skeptical it was a mistake.
opb.org
A U.S. District Court judge found that President Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment. n.pr/3PUBm6t
Federal judge finds Trump violated free speech by ordering NPR defunded
A U.S. District Court judge found that President Trump's executive ordering the defunding of NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment.
n.pr
Inbox: U.S. Forest Service moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah. Trump admin calls the move "common sense."
Don’t make fun of Portlanders for driving Subarus. They need them for the potholes and unimproved roads. 😔
This is heartbreaking. Rogue Rock Gym is a community space for so many people in the Medford-Ashland area. It’s the only rock gym here — the nearest other gym is 3 hours away. rv-times.com/2026/02/17/r...
Rogue Rock Gym in Medford announces sudden closure | Rogue Valley Times
Indoor climbing community reacts to announcement, rallies to find solutions to save the 21-year-old space; GoFundMe could help it reopen
rv-times.com
Like 10yrs ago I was telling my husband how much food to feed our cat, Sam: "He gets two cans — Because he's Two Can Sam 😀😀😀" & he didn't laugh & I'm bitter about it to this day.
A small part of Oregon's recycling system is on hold after a judge issued a preliminary injunction. The new system charges corporations for their product packaging. Today, more businesses called on lawmakers for a broader halt. www.opb.org/article/2026...
More businesses demand pause on Oregon’s new recycling fees, following court decision
A small part of Oregon’s new statewide recycling system is on hold, after a judge issued an injunction in response to a lawsuit filed by product distributors.
opb.org
The 17-acre Leach Botanical Garden in far southeast Portland says it will close if it doesn't get more funding soon. The public park is owned by the city, but managed by a nonprofit. The city hasn't provided funding since last year. www.opb.org/article/2026...
Nonprofit says Portland’s Leach Botanical Garden will close in March without additional funding
The 17-acre public park in outer southeast Portland is part of a coalition that provides environmental education to Black and brown children and teenagers.
opb.org
Weekend protests in Portland against federal immigration actions were again met with thick clouds of tear gas outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. Here's what to know about how the city is reacting to tear gas, ICE’s use of force and other factors tied to the facility.
How Portland is using city policies to try and punish an ICE facility
Local officials are also looking toward a number of bureaucratic sanctions within their control to limit ICE’s actions against protesters.
opb.org
Officials in The Dalles issued a public statement criticizing an OPB investigation into data centers, Google and water. Here are the facts underpinning that story, and why OPB stands by this reporting.
The Dalles’ mayor called OPB’s data center story inaccurate. Here are the facts
Officials in The Dalles issued a public statement criticizing an OPB investigation into data centers, Google and water. Here are the facts underpinning that story, and why OPB stands by this reporting.
opb.org
The Dalles city officials issued a public statement criticizing my investigation into data centers, Google and water. My editors and I have poured over every sentence. Here are the facts underpinning that story, and why we stand by it. www.opb.org/article/2026...
The Dalles’ mayor called OPB’s data center story inaccurate. Here are the facts
Officials in The Dalles issued a public statement criticizing an OPB investigation into data centers, Google and water. Here are the facts underpinning that story, and why OPB stands by this reporting...
opb.org
DO NOT PLUG SPACE HEATERS INTO POWER STRIPS DO NOT PLUG SPACE HEATERS INTO POWER STRIPS DO NOT PLUG SPACE HEATERS INTO ANYTHING BUT A GROUNDED, WALL SOCKET
So the Trump Administration is refusing to promise not to look at materials seized from a WaPo reporter even though that seizure is being challenged in court and may have been illegal www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Can you imagine just waking up and looking like this? With no effort whatsoever? He doesn’t even shower.
“The company plans to build new data centers using a closed-loop water system that recycles the water… Microsoft also pledged not to accept tax incentives or subsidies from local communities, and made other commitments around workforce training.”
OPB@opb.org · 7mo agoUnder the plan, Microsoft says it will ask local utilities to charge rates high enough to cover data center energy usage and upgrade electrical infrastructure without raising prices for residents.
