Major support for Oregon Field Guide is provided by... [ ♪♪♪ ] WOMAN: Come on!

There he is, there he is, there he is.

[ exclaims ] Get him out of there, buddy!

Good boy!

[ laughing ] WOMAN: Whoo, high five!

Yeah!

THOMAS: Next, on Oregon Field Guide: A donkey sanctuary that's not just for donkeys.

WOMAN: Being around the donkeys, it's incredibly peaceful.

[ Jahn exclaiming ] Then we bid a fond farewell to our host and adventurer-in-chief, Ed Jahn.

Ed Jahn, about to do the Godzilla hole.

But first... You'll find boats like these all around Oregon, some for weekend fun, others where people live.

But what happens when they're abandoned or completely sunk, like this sailboat?

We wanted to know who's responsible for the cleanup.

Turns out, it's more complicated than you might think.

[ backup warning beeping ] THOMAS: Boats like this used to be symbols of industry and prosperity.

But now they're just collections of rusted metal and broken fiberglass.

They're known as abandoned and derelict vessels, or boats that are no longer seaworthy.

And they're found all over Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

They can pose threats like oil leaks, navigation hazards, and damage to underwater habitats.

But identifying derelict boats isn't always straightforward.

It requires collaboration between public agencies, private organizations, and everyday citizens, with many factors at play.

The first step is figuring out where they are.

Today we're out in the Multnomah Channel with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, and we're going to be looking for abandoned and derelict vessels, and we'll be placing pre-seizure notices on the boats.

There's probably... a high likelihood that that boat that's there might be occupied, so we'll take a look, see what's happening.

SHERIFF: Hello!

Boats can legally anchor in one spot for up to 30 days.

Anything longer than that tends to draw the attention of law enforcement, especially if they're not registered.

[ knocking on hull ] Sheriff's Office!

Wouldn't call it a derelict boat, but it's at anchor without registration on this date, so we'll go ahead and put a tag on this and see if they'll follow up with us.

All right, we're good.

If the boat isn't removed and the owner doesn't contact the state, a post-seizure sticker comes next and the vessel becomes state property.

Who are you guys?

I'm with the Marine Board, yeah.

I figured as much.

Yeah, the funds for your vessel registration pays for Deputy Barrett, Deputy Diekmann, and this boat to be out here and be able to respond.

WOMAN: Awesome.

That's what I want.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You definitely need it registered, though.

[ sighs ] It's a sensitive area when we're not going to necessarily go remove housing or-- I don't want to say "housing," but shelter from somebody who might otherwise be houseless, right, in that circumstance, so... So a bit of a controversial subject, but you gotta kind of just be sensitive to it, right?

And do what we can.

No registration.

[ grunts softly ] Mm-hmm.

So is he-- is he living on the boat?

I met him about a week ago, riding around the country.

Yeah?

On a bicycle.

So I-- No, I don't know.

Okay, I put a sticker on the back of the boat, you know, and it'll have my phone number on it, but he needs to call me.

If not, we'll go through the process of taking the boat.

All right, you be safe.

[ indistinct conversation ] Oregon's been ramping up efforts to clear derelict boats from its waterways.

DIEKMANN: Where did this red one come from?

That's what we were just asking.

Yeah, we were just asking.

Let's, uh-- That one looks rough.

HUDSPETH: Although, it's got a blue sticker on it, so I think it's... Well done.

It's currently registered, so... BARRETT: Let me go and run it real quick.

Many boats have already been pulled from the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

But removal isn't cheap, running from 5,000 to over a million dollars per vessel.

And as old boats are removed, new ones often take their place.

[ gulls cawing ] Aaron Bretz manages the day-to-day operations at the Port of Newport.

He has a group of derelict vessels in his marina waiting to be disposed of.

But getting rid of these boats isn't as simple as towing a car.

Somebody abandons a vehicle in your parking lot, you put a sticker on it, you wait the required time, you call a tow-truck company who has an impound lot.

In the marine world, there isn't any such thing because they're much larger and there's a lot more expense involved.

If you go back long enough, a lot of the wooden boats that weren't any longer in service, a lot of times they would just push them up on shore someplace and burn 'em.

There's a higher threshold for that sort of activity nowadays, and with that comes more cost.

It's more expensive and it's a little more difficult to do it.

It's a pretty complex issue.

That complexity is highlighted by this 100-foot dredge which takes a massive amount of labor, resources, and coordination to remove.

In situations like this, the state will typically rely on contractors who have the space, tools, and know-how to dismantle a vessel this big.

We've been contacted by the state to move the vessel and put it into our dry docks, where we can dismantle it safely there, where we do not have an environmental release of any fluids that may still be in the vessel that we don't know about.

This operation will cost just slightly-- a little bit north of a million dollars when we're all done.

Looking at the dredge Herb Anderson in a dry dock behind me here.

This vessel was up in Rainier for decades, and we determined that it was time for the state to have to intervene on this.

It was presenting a navigational hazard, environmental hazard.

And just to get it here, there was an immense amount of very technical work that had to happen.

So, who's paying for all this?

Some of it falls on taxpayers, but most of the funds come from a $700 million settlement with the biotech giant Monsanto for its role in polluting the state over the course of decades.

Nineteen million of that was set aside for removals, and whoever owned the boat is ultimately responsible for paying the disposal costs.

This fishing boat in Charleston was seized by the state.

It's being temporarily held in a shipyard.

So this is the vessel Miss Stacey.

It was moored illegal on Department of State lands.

We're assisting the state of Oregon by providing a haul-out location for them.

What we're doing right now is our staff is scraping all the barnacles off of it.

There's a process we have to go through to make sure that everything is environmentally safe.

Our goal is not to take somebody's boat.

We want people to be able to take care of their own boats.

But ultimately, people get into a situation where they're not able to, whether it's financially or they don't have the knowledge or whatever the situation is.

The owner was living on this boat when it was taken, and if it's not repaired, it'll probably get demolished by an excavator and end up in a landfill.

WOMAN: Let's carry those in.

Zora Hess knows a lot about life on the water.

She takes regular kayaking trips down the Willamette River, making house calls along the way.

Most people out here are working, and it's really hard to work when you have not a stable home, you don't have an address.

It's sheer impossible, because you're-- being alive is a full day's job.

But people still do, and, you know, we approach-- I always approach people and I always have lovely conversations.

[ dog barking ] Hi, I'm Zora.

I will bring some food.

Okay, if I'm not here... Actually, I drop it off here?

Yeah.

We've been living here for three years now.

So we're homeless, you know, we're struggling.

Most of these marinas want a 12-year contract and 350 a month.

I mean, we can't afford a registration, let alone 350 bucks a month, you know?

Pete Sostilio bought his boat in an auction for well below market value.

These low-cost boats usually require significant repairs and are often non-operational.

Pete also lacks registration, which means his boat could be targeted for seizure.

HESS: Hey, Steve, are you sleeping?

How are you doing with food?

I'm low.

Okay, I have just a little bit with me.

So you've got some bread.

STEVE: Make some tuna fish sandwiches.

I've lived in this boat for 16 years.

Sheriffs come by, they don't bother me.

They're pretty nice about things.

I'm all legal.

I got my registration right there.

So this is what-- it's an old bag for this... But it has a battery, it has... Steve Dusek is up to date on his registration and his boat is operational, but he refuses to pay to moor at a marina.

He prefers living on the water because of the rising costs of living on land.

When all your Social Security money goes out to your rent, you don't have much money left for doing anything.

Everything is just so expensive.

At first glance, a lot of derelict boats might seem like an eyesore.

But beneath the peeling paint and rusted decks, there's a deeper, more human story.

Basically our shipyard is halfway full of just vessels that have been abandoned that we need to take care of.

Ultimately, you've got dreams here that just don't become reality.

Somebody doesn't have the ability to take care of it or the financial backing, or it was just too big of a project for 'em.

So it's harder and harder and harder all the time to make it work.

It's a complicated issue with no simple solution.

At one point, these boats were someone's prized possession, a means of adventure or livelihood.

Now they're worn and weathered relics, no longer destined for a life on the water.

[ ♪♪♪ ] I'm here in Oregon City with some of my new best friends.

And some of these guys have had kind of tough lives.

But luckily, they landed here at the Oregon Donkey Sanctuary.

[ donkey braying ] GILFILLAN: Finding an escape from the pressures of a busy world isn't always easy.

[ laughing ] Yes.

He's my boy.

You can't go in the house.

You're too big.

But Jim and Rhonda Urquhart of Oregon City have got your solution.

Come on, guys.

Jim, my husband, and I, we bought this property in 2006, and I kept hearing a donkey braying across the way.

And I said to Jim, "Oh, it'd be kind of fun to have a couple of donkeys, honey."

That idle thought soon blossomed into the Oregon Donkey Sanctuary.

[ donkeys braying ] It's a permanent home for 26 donkeys, ranging in size from the tiniest miniatures to almost horse-sized.

The general opinion of a donkey is they're bite-y, kick-y, stubborn, and that is so untrue.

They are incredibly intelligent, and they want to be, you know, with people.

Would you like to come in?

You guys have to get back.

We've taken in several donkeys that were just abandoned.

Vincent is almost 30, and we got a call that he'd been abandoned.

We have taken in abuse cases.

Mike is 11.

He came in with arsenic poisoning from a water well.

And several starvation cases.

And then back here we have Gage.

Gage is a Bureau of Land Management donkey.

He was captured in Utah, and during the capture, he was injured.

He's crooked, but he's-- he's not in pain.

You can stand up, bud.

So you can see his fetlock down here is torqued.

Known in the wild as burros, donkeys like Gage had to fight for survival.

You can see part of the ear is missing.

Gage came to us, he was pretty shut down, and now he's happy.

It just takes him a while to get around, right?

That's right.

You've got a good life now.

This good life is provided in large part by volunteers.

It's almost there, buddy.

There you go.

So we've grown from about 10 regular volunteers to more than a hundred in the last two years.

We currently have a waiting list of more than 200 people who are interested in volunteering with us.

We work really hard, but we really enjoy every minute of it.

All right, Shreky.

Here we go.

Shreky here, he has arthritis in his rear end, so we give him massage every day to just loosen that up, and he seems to really enjoy it.

Volunteer coordinator Melissa Gray seems to have found Shrek's special spot.

So he's making the happy face now.

[ Melissa chuckles ] That is the spot.

Clearly, this is a sanctuary not just for donkeys.

For me, this is where I come to refill my cup.

Being around the donkeys, it's incredibly peaceful.

It's fun, it's relaxing, and it's-- it's really lovely.

And that seems to be true even when the work is a bit messy.

What are you doing, hm?

This is Dave.

And he needs to be fed this way because his mouth doesn't work properly.

The doctors think that he was hit and it damaged the nerves in his mouth or his neck, so he has to have help.

It's not work, you know, because you're doing it for someone you love.

These are our friends.

We love all these guys.

Everybody here is a volunteer and feels the same way.

He's a great listener.

Tell him everything, he won't tell on you.

Keeps the secrets, right, Dave?

[ chuckles softly ] Everybody loves Dave.

You're all right, Dave.

You're all right.

Good boy.

Dave also gets stimulating acupuncture treatments to improve sensation in his damaged nerves.

RHONDA: Oh, you scared now?

It's interesting how they understand when you're trying to help them.

[ whispers ] Such a good boy.

They have a sense about that.

And they'll be very compliant with treatments that you would think that they would not.

[ whispers indistinctly ] [ whispers ] You're a good boy.

Once fed and watered... I don't want to pay his bar tab, I'll tell you that.

[ all laugh ] ...the donkeys are ready to go to work.

JIM: Their job is being just an amazing resource for calming nervous people.

Everything from special needs to people that have PTSD.

We're not really a licensed therapy facility, but we do call it donkey-assisted activities where people can come out and spend some time with them and escape the everyday craziness that's in the world right now.

Today's visitors come from Housing Independence, a metro-area organization that supports adults with disabilities to live independently.

JIM: Hi, guys!

WOMAN: Good morning.

Welcome to Oregon Donkey Sanctuary, guys.

There you go, just take your time.

We're in no-- we're on donkey time here.

So there's no rush.

We like donkey time.

Oh, am I on TV?

Uh, maybe!

[ laughs ] Hi, everybody.

Hi, Mom.

Hi, Dad.

[ Jim laughing ] So let's go meet some donkeys.

Donkeys don't react to stimuli as much as a horse, so we feel relatively confident that they're-- you know, we're going to be safe around the donkeys.

[ indistinct conversations ] RHONDA: Donkeys have connected with people in a way that has changed their lives.

Sometimes words are not available to people who come here.

And they feel the stillness that donkeys can offer.

It's surprising how they can connect with people in silence.

There you go, donkey.

This one likes getting her tail brushed.

[ overlapping conversations ] [ coughs ] I know, all the dust.

Yeah.

Isn't that horrible?

Do you want to come over on this side so you're not right behind the donkey?

Toby.

Toby, really... [ all exclaim ] Did he lick you?

Yes.

Ew!

[ indistinct conversations ] You like this ear thing?

Oh, you like that, don't you?

Oh, she loves that.

Mm-hmm.

Wish you had one named after a famous actor like Eddie Murphy.

We have Eddie Haskell.

There you go!

It almost feels like touching a stuffed animal or something.

It feels amazing.

It just... It's so soft.

I like this.

RHONDA: They are so kind, they are so gentle, they're so loving.

So anytime that we can have people and groups come here and experience that themselves, I mean, that's a joyous thing to do.

And there's nothing I'd rather be doing.

That a whimsical idea would turn into a life's mission was a big surprise for Jim and Rhonda.

We had no idea.

I mean, this was not on the bingo card at all.

You know, we've been just overwhelmed with the response that we've received already from the general public.

I mean, we have on average probably 4- to 5,000 people out here a year, and what we would like to do is turn this into a therapy facility.

That would certainly be kind of a long-term goal.

Toby, what are you doing on my back?

[ people laughing ] Oh, right there, that's a good spot.

RHONDA: Donkeys are magic.

And it sounds silly, but people leave here happier than when they arrived.

And that's a testament to the donkeys.

[ ♪♪♪ ] This is going to be more of an adventure, actually, than I originally anticipated.

You may have noticed that this season of Oregon Field Guide is missing a familiar face.

Our longtime host Ed Jahn is off on new adventures, so let's take a look at how he shaped the show and where we're heading next.

[ theme music playing ] GILFILLAN: In 2000, Oregon Field Guide had been OPB's flagship TV show for about 10 years.

And then, a young guy from New Jersey came along.

STEVE AMEN: One of our producers finally left.

We had an opening.

It turns out that Ed was a stalker.

He had been following the show for years.

He loved everything outdoors, he loved telling stories, he loved the environment, and this job was perfect for Ed.

[ Jahn exclaims ] AMEN: So we had this young kid, "Hey, do we have a story that's a little bit more physical or a little bit more dangerous?

Let's send Ed on it!"

JAHN: Hold on.

GILFILLAN: Ed dove in to the most challenging stories, bringing Field Guide's small team of daring photographers right along with him.

SONFLIETH: Ed would always take me on a mountain climb or down a big river.

Not a bad spot, huh, Todd?

Every time, I'd say, "Ed, this is it, this is the last time I'm doing this."

And then a month later, he had dragged me into something else.

There's no trails down this place, so, really, this is the only way to get in here.

One unforgettable story Ed produced was waterfall kayakers.

SONFLIETH: That was really dangerous, you know, with cliffs that were super steep and, yeah, that was one I was kind of swearing at Ed a little bit, giving him a few four-letter words.

JAHN: How's it feel now, Todd?

I don't know, Ed.

It... It was a bit much.

He also profiled mountain unicyclers... [ people exclaiming ] BOY: Awesome!

...a muskrat trapper... Rope!

...and a newly discovered system of glacier caves on Mount Hood.

The half-hour special earned Ed two Northwest Emmys and a national Edward R. Murrow Award.

AMEN: But that wasn't enough for Ed.

A couple years later, he decided, "Hey, wait, there's a glacial cave in Mount St.

Helens, in the crater.

Let's check that one out."

[ chuckles ] I had to think about it for a bit, but I was like, "Oh, okay, I'll go."

[ exclaims ] Ed Jahn, about to do the Godzilla hole.

SONFLIETH: Once we were in the crater, the weather blew in.

We think the gusts have been about 40 miles an hour.

A helicopter was supposed to come get us.

He had to cancel because of weather.

So we ended up having to walk out of the crater.

JAHN: You got it?

It's always an adventure shooting with Ed.

[ laughs ] But Ed did more than just experience all the Northwest had to offer.

He also sought to protect it.

MAN: One invasive species can come in and completely change the world that you live in.

SONFLIETH: Ed really cares about the outdoors, and he really wanted to have some sort of impact.

He decided to put it all together into what turned out to be a great special.

NARRATOR: In Hells Canyon, an invader from Europe is on the attack.

It's a super weed called yellow star.

GILFILLAN: Along with Emmys for best documentary and writing, Silent Invasion won a duPont Columbia Award, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism.

Ed's next special was even more ambitious.

JAHN: How will Oregon survive a major earthquake?

AMEN: The special that Ed did on Unprepared was a major, major project for Oregon Field Guide.

And what he was able to do was to really show people exactly how unprepared Oregon is if it comes to an earthquake.

We're in probably one of the most dangerous places in Oregon.

The school district in Seaside used that project to move the schools from the ocean level up to a hilltop above Seaside.

They told us that that-- it was all because of our project.

So that's cool, to think that we had an impact like that.

GILFILLAN: In 2017, Ed took over as executive producer and expanded Oregon Field Guide to new platforms to reach new audiences.

BURNS: What if we could look back in time to learn from past earthquakes?

GILFILLAN: He launched the web series All Science.

No Fiction., hosted by Jes Burns.

--next big one hits.

And that's all science, no fiction.

[ theme music plays ] GILFILLAN: And the award-winning podcast "Timber Wars" with Aaron Scott.

JAHN: --in a fight over giant trees, spotted owls, and the very meaning of the natural world.

GILFILLAN: After 25 years on Oregon Field Guide, Ed is off to new adventures.

But as you'll see in this preview of our new season, his impact is here to stay.

WOMAN: Color coordination, honey!

SEARS: Ed has demonstrated a really good way of immersing the audience in the story.

You know, no gimmicks, no forcing emotion on the audience.

It's just we're there, we're in it, learning about something that we might have never learned about before.

WOMAN: Looks like there's eight of these guys, and we'll get them their first vaccine series in preparation to go to rescue.

SEARS: Ed really understood what it took to connect with the people in the story in a non-extractive way, in a respectful way, which is extremely important and what the world needs right now, and he really demonstrated that.

THOMAS: Ed's thing is always like, "If you want to tell a story a certain way or..." Usually I'm behind the camera.

"...you want to maintain authenticity in your storytelling, like, hold on to that.

Fight for it."

MAN: Yeah, Kelly!

THOMAS: That's one thing that everyone on our team is going to take from him, because it's worth it for the audience.

Ed gave us a road map.

"Look for the little.

You look for the unusual.

Find the person with the mud on their boots."

No one's home.

"It's not necessarily the headline news, but it's something that kind of registers in their soul."

And I think that's... That's the heart that Ed gave the show.

So with that sort of road map, we'll have stories forever.

--brand-new season of Oregon Field Guide is ready to launch.

[ ♪♪♪ ] You can now find many Oregon Field Guide stories and episodes online.

And to be part of the conversation about nature and the outdoors here in the Northwest, join us on Facebook.

[ gulls cawing ] [ donkeys braying ] Fun stuff.

The Alvord Desert... Wallowa Mountains... And in northeast Oregon... The Oregon coast... Along the lush Wood River in the often parched Klamath County.

[ sighs, mutters ] One more time.

For keeps.

"In northeast Oregon, the Nature Conservancy."

[ babbles ] Let's try that again.

That was kind of slurry.

[ voice breaks ] But it is pretty cool... 14-year-old voice coming out.

[ laughs ] Hanging around teenagers too much.

Three, two, one... Major support for Oregon Field Guide is provided by... Additional support provided by... and the following... and contributing members of OPB and viewers like you.