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Good morning, Northwest.

A mining company hopes to begin exploratory drilling for lithium in the heart of southeastern Oregon, a high desert habitat home to sage grouse.

This morning, OPB’s science and environment journalist Cassandra Profit reports on the role lithium plays in the current push to move away from fossil fuels.

But the act of extracting lithium from the earth could hurt sage grouse conservation efforts that have been championed by hundreds of local ranchers over the last decade.

Meanwhile at higher elevations, OPB’s Kristian Foden-Vencil shares the latest on the state’s mountains, where snow still isn’t sticking, to the frustration of avid skiers across the Pacific Northwest.

Here’s your First Look at Friday’s news.

— Sukhjot Sal

Ranchers in southeast Oregon helped keep sage grouse off the endangered list. Now, lithium mining could pose a new threat

Over the last 10 years, nearly 1,500 private landowners across 11 Western states have been working to minimize their impacts on sage grouse and improve the birds’ habitat.

So far, they’ve managed to avoid an endangered species listing.

But now, in the heart of a sage grouse stronghold in southeast Oregon, there’s a new threat looming from mining companies that want to drill for lithium, a valuable metal in batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.

On Monday, a mining company got federal approval to do exploratory drilling for lithium on federal land southeast of Roaring Springs Ranch, which could eventually lead to a lithium mine.

As the Trump administration pushes for U.S. energy dominance, similar threats to sage grouse habitat are multiplying on federal land across the West and could upset the delicate balance ranchers have worked hard to strike with their sage grouse neighbors. (Cassandra Profita)

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3 things to know this morning

• The holiday season is underway, but Oregon’s ski areas are still waiting for snow. While the Pacific Northwest has had plenty of moisture, freezing levels haven’t stayed low enough to accumulate snow. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
• The union representing more than 24,000 Oregon nurses has called out management at Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for jeopardizing the rights, health and safety of patients in custody of immigration enforcement agencies. (Holly Bartholomew)
• Oregon could see two of the state’s oldest colleges, Willamette University and Pacific University, merge into a new private university system, unlike any in the Northwest, as early as next year. It would become the state’s largest private university with more than 6,000 students. (Tiffany Camhi)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Oregon moves forward with a new education accountability plan (Elizabeth Miller)
• New phase of Rose Quarter project to proceed, despite funding hole (Dirk VanderHart)
• ICE queries Waldport resort, prompting city to pass resolution in opposition (Brian Bahouth)
• Eugene Airport seeks sources of public and private support to fund a concourse expansion (Zac Ziegler)
• Why has whooping cough surged in Oregon? It’s complicated (Amelia Templeton)
• Shaedon Sharpe leads short-handed Blazers with 21 points but it isn’t enough as Pelicans win 143-120 (Associated Press)
• When Christmas is a little too bright ... look to Krampus (NPR)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Three Portland-area counties launch regional climate health dashboard
• Rose City Coffee Co. in Southeast Portland moves to 24-hour service

Superabundant recipe: This easy glühwein is so cozy you can get that holiday glow without the booze

Between the hot buttered rum, Irish coffee and hot toddies, there are so many delicious ways to take holiday coziness by the mugful. But don’t overlook glühwein, a German mulled wine that really brings the gemütlichkeit.

It’s even delicious booze-free, yet still brings a rosy glow to the cheeks — after all, glühwein does mean “glow wine.”

With this recipe, the tannin bomb and tannenbaum collide with the help of cranberry and tart cherry juices, and a variety of warm spices make it festive. If your guests do want to add a kick to the holiday cheer, they can add a nip of brandy or rum. (Heather Arndt Anderson)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/12/opbs-first-look-sage-lithium-pose-environmental-paradox-in-southeast-oregon-between-conservation-and-clean-energy/