
The Columbia Slough in Portland, Oregon, often gets a bad rap. It's been called a "swamp," an "open sewer," even the "slough of despond." But clean-up efforts in recent years have begun to rehabilitate the slough's reputation and restore its value as a thin ribbon of connectivity...

Moving to a log house bordering the Columbia Slough, a couple discovers a vest-pocket Valhalla within the city, a place where nature's rough magic captivates them. The rich floodplain that once nourished Chinookan peoples is gone, its wetlands channelized by 20th century landowners...