Environment
Environment
As Western U.S. Grows, Water Use Declines Thanks To Better Toilets
Despite the growth of population in the western U.S., water use in cities such as Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix is going down. The reason? High-tech, low-flow toilets. Continue Reading As Western U.S. Grows, Water Use Declines Thanks To Better Toilets
City Fruit: Seattle’s Urban Harvest
Once upon a time when Seattle was smaller, orchards dotted the shores of Lake Washington. Today, many of those old apple, plum and fig trees… Continue Reading City Fruit: Seattle’s Urban Harvest
Report: Salem Knew For Years That Algae Could Threaten Water
When toxins from algae made Salem’s drinking water potentially hazardous earlier this year, the city was unprepared to deal with both the public relations fallout from the breach and the more concrete matter of helping citizens access clean water. Continue Reading Report: Salem Knew For Years That Algae Could Threaten Water
Once Making Nuclear Weapons, Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge Now Hosts Migratory Birds
The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge sits on more than 5,000 acres of trees, wetlands and pristine rolling prairie about 16 miles northwest of Denver. It hosts 239 migratory and resident species, from falcons and elk to the threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse. It also used to be the site of a federal nuclear weapons facility — and it’s reopening to the public this weekend. Continue Reading Once Making Nuclear Weapons, Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge Now Hosts Migratory Birds
U.S. Appeals Court Rules On Long-Running Columbia River Pollution Case From Canadian Smelter
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling in a case that revolves around metals pollution from a Trail, British Columbia smelter dumping in the Columbia River and flowing south to Washington state. Continue Reading U.S. Appeals Court Rules On Long-Running Columbia River Pollution Case From Canadian Smelter
Study: Fire-Filled Future Could Lead To More Smoke-Related Deaths
Deaths related to air pollution from wildfires could double by the end of the century, according to newly published research into the links between climate change, wildfires and human health. Continue Reading Study: Fire-Filled Future Could Lead To More Smoke-Related Deaths
When Goats Fly! Olympic Range Mountain Goats Relocated By Helicopter To North Cascades
Wildlife biologists have relocated the first two dozen of hundreds of non-native mountain goats slated for removal from Olympic National Park. The logistically-challenging capture and transfer of the woolly wild animals to the northern Cascade Range has been periodically slowed by weather this week. Continue Reading When Goats Fly! Olympic Range Mountain Goats Relocated By Helicopter To North Cascades
Efforts Continue To Save ‘Critically Endangered’ J-50 Orca, But It May Be Too Late
Officials in Canada and the U.S. are hatching a plan to temporarily capture and treat an emaciated orca. The young whale known as J-50 hasn’t been spotted in nearly a week and could already be dead. Continue Reading Efforts Continue To Save ‘Critically Endangered’ J-50 Orca, But It May Be Too Late
After The Wildfires: Artist Captures Plight Of Napa’s Undocumented Workers
When wildfires ripped through California’s Napa Valley in October 2017, local artist Arleene Correa Valencia was shocked to hear that farm workers were continuing to work in the vineyards — even as smoke surrounded the area, and the locals were evacuating. Continue Reading After The Wildfires: Artist Captures Plight Of Napa’s Undocumented Workers
Oregon Hiker Likely Killed By Cougar, Authorities Say. Would Be First Documented Fatality In State
Authorities say a dead hiker whose body was recovered this week was likely killed by a cougar, marking the first fatal attack by a wild cougar in Oregon and the second in the Northwest this year. Continue Reading Oregon Hiker Likely Killed By Cougar, Authorities Say. Would Be First Documented Fatality In State
Closing Hwy 97 At Blewett Pass: Inconvenient For Drivers, Possibly Critical For Salmon
On Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation closed Blewett Pass for five days to replace fish-blocking pipes with a fish-friendly concrete box. The construction will cost taxpayers $1.2 million, although that’s nowhere near the full cost of the project. Continue Reading Closing Hwy 97 At Blewett Pass: Inconvenient For Drivers, Possibly Critical For Salmon
50 Years On, North Cascades National Park Envisions The Next 50
Despite its popularity, few know that it took skillful political compromise in the 1960s to establish North Cascades National Park and the adjacent Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Continue Reading 50 Years On, North Cascades National Park Envisions The Next 50
