The best thing about our first edition of Oregon Outdoors was that no one called up to complain about it. The responses we received were just the opposite. People liked the section.
Bill O'Brien at Hoodoo.
One of them was Jan Roberts Dominguez, longtime food writer for the Gazette-Times, who sent me an email this afternoon. She had this to say:
“Nice to wake up to such a gorgeous photo on this morning’s Outdoor section. Thanks.
“Maybe you’d like to consider some sort of ‘outdoor cookery’ story for later this summer? Back packing fare is one of my favorite topics.”
Cheadle Lake in Lebanon
Good idea. … And the “gorgeous photo” of Hoodoo that Jan mentioned was taken by Debbie Burchfiel of Albany on her cell phone camera.
Cathy Florence sent an email to GT sports reporter Cliff Kirkpatrick:
“I’m the current president of Corvallis Trail Riders, an equestrian group that has been active in Corvallis for over 50 years. This morning I wa
s introduced to your new recreation section in my paper. I loved it. My suggestion is outlining the host of equine organizations and activities that take place in Corvallis, Philomath, Albany, surrounding communities.”
Another good idea. And here’s one more:
“My name is Ollie Richardson and I teach at Newport High School. I just read the “Oregon Outdoors Coming Monday” article and it made me think of the class I co-teach with 3 other teachers. We have been teaching OREGON OUTDOORS for 3 years now, where students learn how to surf, kiteboard, scuba dive, fly tying & fishing, how to identify fish
species, hunter safety education, how to identify various types of fauna in the pacific NW, and get their Oregon Boater Education cards.”
We’ll welcome ideas for the section.
This week we’re doing the planning for the second edition, which will publish March 21 in the Democrat-Herald and Gazette-Times and March 23 in the Lebanon Express.
A few thanks are in order for our inaugural edition. GT copy editor Wendy Kieffer designed a great-looking section. Skiers Bill O’Brien, Debbie Burchfiel and Laurie Adams contributed photos for the “Taste of Spring” story. Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank, who co-edit, the Neighborhood Naturalist, wrote the Field Guide and Watchable Wildlife stories and Lisa contributed the photos. Rod Sell, chairman of Build Lebanon Trails, went out of his way to provide information and maps I needed for the Cheadle Lake story. GT reporter Emily Gillespie volunteered to write the bicycling basics story. Outdoors writer Bill Barker wrote “Fishing memories of South Santiam brighten winter” on relatively short notice. And we thank everyone who uploaded their fishing images to our photo-sharing sites.
We’re looking forward to producing many more Oregon Outdoors.