Since moving to the Pacific Northwest and becoming truly immersed in the outdoors, my relationship with the natural world has never run deeper. One of the places that has become home to me is in the Tillamook State Forest along the banks of the Wilson River. The beauty around every corner never gets old and makes one want to keep exploring.
My relationship with my food has also become extremely important after I moved out West and learned about the abundance of wild delicacies. The entire process of researching the resource, putting in the effort to harvest, processing and providing food for myself, family and friends brings a joy that’s hard to describe. It sets off primal reward systems that I didn’t know existed and has caused a sort of paradigm shift in how I view the natural world.
The Tillamook State Forest, an hour from downtown Portland, provides a wide variety of wild edibles, including salmon and steelhead, wild mushrooms, blackberries, lady fern fiddleheads and more. I have shared many great times, enriched friendships, grown personally and gained an even greater appreciation for the natural world in that forest. It has become dear to my heart.
We have until June 1 to communicate with federal agencies and to call for a strong habitat conservation plan that would provide wider stream buffers for salmon and steelhead and forest conservation areas for other endangered wildlife. Please #ProtectTheTillamook at forestlegacy.org.
Robert Keegan Murphy, Portland
Source: The Oregonian