A month and half after the Beachie Creek fire in 2020, Megan Selvig cried as she flew by helicopter over the Opal Creek natural area known by generations of Oregonians as a sanctuary of old-growth forest and crystal clear waters. From the air, she could see the vastness and severity of the burn scar. When they touched down, she surveyed the ruins of Jawbone Flats, the old mining settlement at the heart of the rugged expanse east of Salem where she worked for the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, a destination for thousands of hikers and Oregon schoolchildren each year. Five years later, as Selvig made her way up the same trail last week, toppled trees were still piled up like matchsticks, the bridge over the creek was gone and debris made it impossible to reach the cliff over Opal Pool. Yet progress appeared under foot. Read more at the link in our bio. 📸: seanspix #opalcreek #labordaydire #wildfire #oregon #environment #theoregonian