Jule Gilfillan

Nov 23, 2024 | opb.org | Jule Gilfillan

“We’re above 48 degrees right now, and the pavement’s wet,” said St. Johns resident Philip Fensterer. “I think it could be a really good night.”The late winter sky was darkening as the small group of damp but buoyant volunteers gathered around Fensterer in March, some scanning weather apps on their phones for the tell-tale radar blobs that promise a shower. Fensterer is the self-described “frog taxi captain,” and these volunteers provide a unique taxi service for the resident frogs of Forest Park.

Sep 30, 2024 | opb.org | Jenn Chavez |Jule Gilfillan

Your browser does not support the audio element. For some 30 years in the early 20th century, Oregonian Jean Birnie led a trailblazing group of horsewomen called the Hen Party on annual horse packing trips in northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. Inspired by their legacy, a group of Hen Party descendants retraced the steps of their foremothers on an adventure into the Wallowas of their own, almost a century later.

Aug 12, 2024 | opb.org | Jenn Chavez |Jule Gilfillan

Your browser does not support the audio element. What if a spider could play the harp? OK, sure, there aren’t spider virtuosos in little tuxedos out there performing harp concerts. But there is a harp-like musical instrument inspired by a spider’s web, complete with a mechanical spider perched in the middle, and it was dreamt up in Oregon. It’s meant to simulate how spiders use vibrations in their webs to understand the world around them.

Jul 10, 2024 | opb.org | Jule Gilfillan

For more than 20 years, Baker City’s Blue Mountain Fine Art has been helping artists, both local and international, turn their creations into artworks that will last the ages by casting them in bronze, aluminum and stainless steel. The facility’s owner, Tyler Fouts, grew up in Walla Walla, Washington, and got his start working with foundry casting right out of high school.

Apr 6, 2024 | lagrandeobserver.com | Jule Gilfillan

LA GRANDE — By all accounts, Jean MacDonald Birnie and Grace Carter McKennon were unusual women for their time. Born in 1885 in Island City, outside of La Grande in Eastern Oregon, they were lifelong friends. As girls, they’d ride their horses in the hills above the Grande Ronde Valley in search of wildflowers and dine on berries they foraged along the way. kAm“t2C=J @?[ y62? 2?5 vC246 H@F=5 E2<6 @77 @? E96:C @H?