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!

JAHN: Next, on Oregon Field Guide: The journey of lamprey up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers is more than just a wildlife story.

MAN: It's the oldest living fish, and eel is what tribes call it.

Then, a competition to build some of the most elaborate sand sculptures in the world.

But first, a trip to Oregon's outback.

This next story is kind of fun.

It's about a man who's setting out to break a world record.

But to do it, he needs the kind of open space that in Oregon you can only get out here in the Alvord Desert.

McCLUSKEY: Alan Case is chasing a boyhood dream: To shoot an arrow farther than any human in recorded history.

And he's close.

Kind of surprised I haven't seen one.

Let's see how far out we are now.

We're-- so this is about a mile out.

Well, the arrow's intact.

So that one did not do anything like I expected.

That's only about 1,200 yards.

That's way short!

That's why we're testing.

Each summer, Alan and his daughters make an annual family camping trip to Oregon's Alvord Desert.

I think that's jasper.

Yeah?

Unlike most summer vacations, this tradition centers around shooting arrows... sometimes farther than a mile.

All right.

Alan can't just fire off arrows from his suburban home, so he comes here.

This ancient alkali lake bed, seven miles wide and twelve miles long, offers Alan an unobstructed expanse to test his equipment that he's made by hand.

Get this guy strung up.

Start putting tension in here.

Alan is an engineer by profession, and in his free time, he puts those skills towards designing and building each piece of his custom bow.

Takes a while.

Do you hear that pitch change?

So the first step on his trip begins with testing his homemade equipment.

The angle I have it set at, 40 degrees.

The brace height is 4.78 inches.

The goal of the day is to fire his bow by hand... and foot.

There.

But to dial in his equipment, he starts with a tripod... Fire in the hole.

...and a ratcheting crank.

A typical target-practice bow takes about 25 pounds of force to draw back.

And a powerful hunting bow, around 60 pounds.

But Alan's bow takes five times the strength at 300 pounds.

If you didn't see the arrow flying from the bow, neither did our cameras-- at first.

That's because the string released at a split second, a hundredth of a second to be exact... launching the tiny arrow at about 550 miles an hour.

Looking at the shape of the hole, and so that means the nock was here, the point was here, so it was like it was coming out like at an angle like this.

Maybe I didn't have it really lined up as well as I thought.

I'm going to try again.

[ clicking ] Target archery is all about accuracy of aim, but flight archery is only about distance.

So where Alan's arrows actually landed is anyone's guess.

You're always like, "Where really did this thing go?"

And then when you find it, like, out past a mile, you look back at the camp, and it's just a little tiny dot on the horizon.

I really love trying to figure out how to do this, because, unfortunately, the main guy that did this is no longer here.

He's been gone a long time.

Oh, geez!

Alan is talking about Harry Drake, who he first met when he was a 9-year-old boy in the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records.

I was just kind of thumbing through all the weird stuff, and then I flipped open this page, and it talked about this guy named Harry Drake who holds the world record for the farthest an arrow has ever been shot by a human.

That chance encounter set the trajectory of Alan's life.

For decades, Alan has been trying to duplicate what Harry Drake did in 1971.

There's only three people of all time that ever shot an arrow past a mile, and I'm one of them.

But I'm number two.

And then there's Harry Drake.

This is exactly the record distance I'm going for.

So Harry Drake's right there at the hammer, and I've put one right about here in official competition.

And, yeah, like I say, I could almost hear him probably whispering from here, like, "Stop."

[ chuckles ] Is it breaking his record, or is it just trying to rediscover what he did?

There's a lot of mysteries I still haven't figured out.

When he's not testing his bows and arrows in the Alvord, you can find Alan in his garage back in Portland, making them.

You just need one to break the record, so it's like, I take my time.

Even if I just end up with just one arrow as an output, it's going to be the best.

So I just treat each one like that.

It's a process.

A classic target arrow like this has an aluminum shaft and feathers, but Alan's bow is so powerful that it'd make this arrow explode into shards.

So Alan crafts his from solid carbon-fiber shafts, stainless steel tips, and even razor blades.

Instead of feathers, we use razor blades.

So there's this tuning of just this little piece.

[ laughs ] It makes a difference.

[ grunts ] The shooting Alan did in the morning was to adjust his bow and test some of his new arrows.

[ sighs ] But for Alan to shoot an arrow as far as Harry Drake, he has to do it the same way: on his back.

A style called foot bow.

Okay, ready?

Alan's youngest daughter, Joslin, helps spot him.

Oh, boy, yeah, you're way too far-- way too far left.

Yeah.

[ sighs ] Okay, that's a lot better.

That's perfect, actually.

[ Alan breathing heavily ] ALAN: That was actually a really good shot.

Yeah.

Alan's daughters aren't just a support team.

JOSLIN: I'll shoot this one first.

ALAN: Okay.

They've taken up competitive flight archery too.

JOSLIN: The whole family dynamic is a little bit interesting, because he's kind of my dad and he's kind of also my coach.

Where's my angle?

Oh, no, a little left.

No, a little right, sorry.

You were perfect.

That was good.

I am super stoked that I was able to be in a family that does stuff like this, because I think it's so cool, and I'm-- I don't know, being able to hang out with him and have that quality time, I think, is really cool.

I think he's one of the coolest people I've ever met.

You feel good?

JOSLIN: Yeah.

He's also one of the craziest people I've ever met.

And, I don't know, I feel like I'm starting to understand his crazy a little bit.

[ arrow fires ] Whoo!

That one's going to be a little bit of a bike ride.

Alan goes in search of his arrows.

He returns at dusk.

Let's measure that.

Oh, 5,055 feet.

That-- that was really good.

I mean, this was some light shooting we did today, so, uh, geez.

I'm thrilled.

So feeling real good about the next couple of days.

The first day of test shooting ends.

And tomorrow brings the chance for Alan to push the limits.

[ crickets chirping ] [ birds tweeting ] At first light, the air is still, the temperature cool... the perfect time to shoot an arrow really, really far.

But to do that, Alan has to push his prototype equipment to its very breaking point.

[ breathing heavily ] And that brings the very real danger of injury.

This will be a no-hernia zone.

Yeah, I'm an archer that managed to figure out a way to shoot himself in the foot.

When Alan says he shot himself in the foot, he doesn't mean metaphorically.

No, that's very literal.

In a competition in 2021, Alan's arrow misfired and lodged into his right foot.

That kind of sticks with you a little bit, because you go, "Okay, this is not a little bit of energy."

Your feet are just inches away from the path of this, pointed... Man, you start thinking about that, and then arrows start bouncing around.

And if it releases, it could be bad.

[ exhales sharply ] For a period of time, I was almost embarrassed to talk about this, because this was what you did when you were 9.

But it's like, no, I actually do get joy in this, all of this.

JOSLIN: It's like he's always solving a problem and he's got to find the answer.

And I don't think he can rest until he figures it out.

I do think he can break the record.

I think he's done it.

He just needs to figure out a better way to find his arrows.

ALAN: I keep looking, though.

[ wind whistling ] [ ♪♪♪ ] Every spring, Pacific lamprey leave the ocean and migrate up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

And for as long as anyone can remember, they've met Indigenous people who have harvested those lamprey here at Willamette Falls.

We partnered with Freshwaters Illustrated to share this story about how that special connection is maintained even today in this more urban environment.

[ ♪♪♪ ] MAN: For me, being able to go to the falls is a real privilege.

You just take in kind of the vastness of there: the water, the sounds, the crashing, you know, the rocks themselves and all that history.

But all of that really makes the experience of going to the falls very unique, very special.

And it comes with an inherent responsibility of continuing that cultural practice, you know, in spite of a lot of change in 170 years or so at that place.

Willamette Falls is an important inter-tribal harvest and gathering area, and always has been.

It's one of the few places where you can actively harvest lamprey today.

The species themselves are so much in decline and there's not many large rivers around that still support lamprey and then support a harvest area like Willamette Falls.

And for the few fish that are called back to the Willamette, this is literally kind of the last leg of their trip.

They've come a long way, and they're solely focused on returning to spawn.

And once they traverse the falls, that's not the last barrier that they really have to overcome.

[ water splashing softly ] Lamprey as a species have been around for 450 to 500 million years.

And to have seen such a decline within a very short time, you know, it's a strong indicator of kind of where we're at and of how we're able to steward or support forests, rivers, streams, riparian habitat, everything that lamprey utilize.

You know, typically in the small, medium-sized streams of the Pacific Northwest, they're homes to lamprey.

So they're all around us.

Many folks don't notice them just because they live in sediment.

Growing up, I always heard that larval lamprey or young lamprey would clean river systems.

They literally kind of feed on organic or detritus material.

And they like this kind of moveable, sandy sediment that they can burrow into.

Tryon Creek, as an urban stream, is pretty protected.

You know, about two-thirds of the stream is within Tryon Creek State Natural Area.

You know, you can have healthy habitat and a relatively healthy forest and pretty decent water quality, but if these fish aren't able to access this place, then they're not going to be here.

If I had to guess, I would say it's been 50 or 60 years plus that a lamprey has been in this creek.

It's a teaching moment.

And that's kind of what drives my work.

This is a common basketry item, gathering item for the original peoples of western Oregon.

These are native shrubs...

I've worked in fishery science, and I bring some of those tools into my role at the Friends of Tryon Creek, which is more education, community stewardship, restoration, and community reconnection.

MAN: I've been to Tryon a few times, too...

Does anybody know what this is?

Any guesses?

Or what it's carved as?

[ child responds indistinctly ] Good, a fish.

It's the oldest living fish.

It has a lot of different names.

An eel is what tribes call it.

In Western science, it's called a lamprey.

This forest is kind of our living laboratory, our meeting place.

So we're in a unique space, and this is a motivator to build those relationships with communities that don't have access.

And ultimately, that will benefit and better this place if more people care about it, more people are stewarding it, and more people have that knowledge to take wherever they go in life.

So eels are an important presence today.

There's not a whole lot left.

So folks like myself and Greg are looking to you all to kind of step up and protect and save 'em.

It's definitely a good way to talk about the work, is that you need all of the complexities in place to make things happen.

Lamprey are a great teacher of that.

Modern Western society has created a lot of barriers both physical and also socio-emotional.

Whether it's in a river or it's a societal structure that limits folks from continuing their cultural knowledge or even accessing a forest like this.

So we're working to promote holistic access for people into this park.

We're also working to restore Native communities that fish and provide them holistic access to this place which is also their home.

We're laying that groundwork where lamprey will return to this creek and bring it intact again.

[ ♪♪♪ ] Did you know that some of the greatest sculptors on Earth are from right here in Oregon?

And their medium of choice: sand.

Noah Thomas has this postcard from the annual Sand Castle Competition from right here in St. Helens.

THOMAS: If you ever wander onto a beach full of professional sand sculptors, you might see something like this.

I know what you're thinking.

It's not a birthday cake.

That's David Smith.

He's one of 18 contestants in the annual St. Helens Sand Castle Competition.

They're about to spend the next three days building giant sculptures out of sand.

[ laughing ] That one got me a little low!

The sculptors mix sand with water so it's dense and easier to carve.

Then they spend hours pounding the sand... until it becomes almost rock solid.

This is not the fun part.

The two-person teams are randomly selected.

Some sculptors have years of experience, while others are brand-new.

Like Hayden Wright, who's a professional wood carver.

This will be the first sand sculpting I've ever done.

Bill Rose, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran.

I've been doing this for almost 30 years.

Chris Foltz is paired with Leonard Gonzales, who's been sculpting since elementary school.

FOLTZ: This is my second year doing sand.

I'm lucky to be paired up with a guy that's been, you know, carving sand for a long time.

So it's pretty cool.

Okay, we're ready to start carving between these two lines.

FOLTZ: We're blocking out our design, trying to find everything and how it's going to lay out in our forms.

WOMAN: We have stone work in here.

MAN: So I guess, like, similar to drawing, this would be the sketch phase, where you're putting your foundation down.

Then you can get rid of all the stuff that you don't want.

And then start refining it into the detail work.

Full sketch.

Here's with the pound-up.

These are for our references.

So you want this arm out, or you want it behind her like it is?

I'd like to put it behind her.

So I'll start on this side, and then I'll take this line the rest of the way.

I'll take this line the rest of the way while you take away this side.

[ ♪♪♪ ] When it comes to tools, the artists pretty much use anything that will get the job done: eraser sponges, drywall trowels, and even beer bottles.

MAN: You can only find these tools at specialty stores.

ROSE: When we get into doing the details, we have a mantra that it's "spray, cut, blow."

You spray what you're doing, you cut it, and we blow the sand away.

MAN: You definitely get really focused once you get deep into something like a face or working on a hand.

And you start looking at your own hand as a model.

ROSE: There's a couple of the guys that give me poop about, you know, "You never talk when you're doing it."

It's because I'm into it.

I'm thinking what's going on and where I gotta go after this.

You have to be focused.

My piece this weekend, we called it "Oregon's Harvest Moon."

And it was really just a look at different styles of fishing throughout history.

It started with a Native American spearfishing out of a canoe, and then off to the side, a bear who's fishing the natural way, the really natural way-- no tools, just his paw.

[ ♪♪♪ ] Just sort of think about what we want to do with the base.

It's the last day of the competition, and the teams are discussing their strategies.

I kind of like how it dips down like this.

Yeah, I like that too.

Just taking this little bit here gives that hip a twist.

So much work goes into sculptures that will wash away with the tide in a matter of weeks.

ROSE: I don't even think about it as being temporary.

In fact, I have to tell myself that sometimes.

When you're in doing something, it's like it's good enough right now, 'cause it's not going to be here tomorrow.

LAPP: They're all world-class competitors, so I expected them to, you know, make amazing pieces and just hoping that my piece is anywhere close as good as theirs or better.

The competition is winding down, and the artists put the finishing touches on their sculptures.

I kind of like the back between the cut-through.

There's coral in there.

I can do some bottom teeth on the skull-- I realized I didn't do that.

MAN: Yeah?

Oh, I love it.

MAN: All right.

Two minutes!

[ crowd cheering, applauding ] MAN: Just in time.

After three long days, the winner is selected.

It's Chris and Leonard's piece, "Harvest Moon."

GONZALES: It's very immediate and it's only a temporary art.

And when I let it go, I'm done.

I'm glad that the tide is going to take it away.

And I get to get my mind wrapped around whatever the next project is.

It's not just an art form for me.

It's actually a way of life.

So there's a whole different appreciation for me when it comes to sand sculpting.

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

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

[ crickets chirping ] 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.