Explore Oregon Podcast: Biggest stories of summer ’22 include wildfires, campsite pirates, permits

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness breaks down the biggest stories from the summer.

He details the wildfire season and how this year compared to previous years, including acres burned, homes lost and days with unhealthy air. He also gets into the summer climate, Oregon's "year of the permit," conservation legislation and recreation trends that include growing anger and hostility among campers.

Urness then gets into the sad and strange tale of a hike, a plane crash and reality television star Heavy D in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.

Never miss an episode: Listen to the entire episode above or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud or Amazon Music and subscribe on your platform of choice to get future episodes.

Find every episode: All 80 episodes of the Explore Oregon Podcast, featuring stories and travel tip to places such as Silver Falls State Park, Oregon's Coast Range and deep into the Steens and Hart Mountain desert country, are available online.

Read more about the stories mentioned in the podcast

Fire year 2022: 'Started late and went long': Even in quieter season, wildfire impact felt across Oregon

Fistfights, 'campsite pirates': Anger boils at crowded Oregon campsites

Answering plea for help: Reality stars Heavy D and Diesel Dave help remove plane wreck from Jefferson Wilderness

Weather whiplash: Oregon rain and snow to clear the air after hottest, driest autumn on record

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Podcast: Biggest stories of Oregon's outdoors in 2022