Environment
Environment
![Photo of two salmon swimming up a creek or river.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-7-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Senate Infrastructure Package Could ‘Significantly Improve’ Salmon Habitat
Funding to help fix culverts could open up cold water habitat to Northwest salmon.
![Fish Managers Say Salmon Runs ‘Could Have Been Worse,’ After Underwater Video Shows Heat-Stressed Salmon](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/salmon-500x500.jpg)
Fish Managers Say Salmon Runs ‘Could Have Been Worse,’ After Underwater Video Shows Heat-Stressed Salmon
This summer’s heat wave led to some unhealthy hot water for salmon. But, fish managers said it hasn’t been as devastating for salmon runs as the warm water temperatures were in 2015.
![Tree climber Matt Zhun reaches through the branches of a whitebark pine to find cones.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tree-climber-matt-zhun-500x500.jpg)
Pining For Whitebarks: Researchers Work Across The Northwest To Save ‘Quintessential Wilderness Trees’
If you’ve ever backpacked in the Northwest’s mountaintops, you’ve likely spent some time among whitebark pines. These important trees are bringing together researchers across the West, who want to save them from a fatal fungus.
![Cut hay laying in rows drying in the sun with a farm sprinkler in background.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Hay-500x500.jpg)
Western Ranchers Are Cuttin’ Herds Like Mad To Prep For A Winter With Short Hay
From Oregon to the Dakotas, hay stocks for hungry cattle are already low. On top of that, ranchers say summer pastures are dry from the widespread drought.
![The vessel Marcus Langseth in Washington state.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Marcus-Langseth-vessel-500x500.jpg)
Seismic Research Ship Goes Boom-Boom To Seek Answers At Origin Of The Next Big One
Earthquake researchers are eager to dig into a trove of new data about the offshore Cascadia fault zone. When Cascadia ruptures, it can trigger a megaquake known as “the Big One.” The valuable new imaging of the geology off the Oregon, Washington and British Columbia coasts comes from a specialized research vessel.
![Photo of researchers on the icey mountain.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/dsc02703_custom-0aa5af551e9aede6db8eb8e8ccf736ca16c04383-500x500.jpg)
The Mysterious Return Of Glacier Ice Worms On Mount Rainier
There are thread-like worms on Mount Rainier that reserachers are looking at live at 32 degrees or they die… called ice worms.
![Manatees crowd together near the warm-water outflows from Florida Power & Light's plant in Riviera Beach, Fla., on Feb. 5. More manatees have died already in 2021 than in any other year in Florida's recorded history, primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds. Greg Lovett/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ap21192810744489-f4465059053ee28c0263709ea1e786c81b95f495-500x500.jpg)
Florida Breaks Annual Manatee Death Record In First 6 Months Of 2021
More manatees have died already this year than in any other year in Florida’s recorded history, primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds, state officials said.
![A sign on the side of trailer in Stevens County, Washington, near Chewelah off U.S. Highway 395 prompts people to report "dangerous wildlife" like cougars and wolves. CREDIT: Scott Leadingham/NWPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Dangerous-Wildlife-sign-wolves-and-cougars-Stevens-County-Washington-Chewelah-CREDIT-Scott-Leadingham-NWPB-500x500.jpg)
A Wolf In Northeastern Washington Was Killed Illegally. Here’s Why It’s A Big Deal
Wolf poachers go mostly undiscovered — but that hasn’t stopped nonprofit organizations from putting up significant cash rewards for information about these incidents. While rewards generally don’t lead to convictions, Defenders of Wildlife’s Gwen Dobbs says reward offers in cases of wildlife poaching can help raise public awareness, “hopefully serving as a deterrent against potential future incidents, even if a reward does not directly lead to a conviction.”
![The milking parlor at Jason Sheehan’s dairy operates nearly 24 hours a day. He ships around 20,000 gallons of milk each day. As a member of the groundwater advisory committee, he’s worked to show people the updates he’s made to reduce nitrates from his operation. He says nitrates also come from irrigated agriculture and septic tanks. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT/NWPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/milking-1-500x500.jpeg)
Washington Court Rules In Favor Of Conservation Groups In Fight Over Cattle Lots And Groundwater
It’s back to the drawing board for state regulators, after the Washington Court of Appeals ordered the Department of Ecology to rework permits for confined animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs. A panel of judges ruled that current waste discharge permits don’t adequately protect groundwater and don’t take climate change into account.
![Much of the Inland Northwest will experience the peak temperatures of the heat wave on Tuesday, June 29. CREDIT: National Weather Service](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Inland-Northwest-Heat-062921-CREDIT-National-Weather-Service-500x500.jpg)
Not Official (Yet): High Heat Means High Need To Record Records Accurately. Here’s How It’s Done
Right now, those all-time heat records are preliminary. It will take a committee, more measurements and tests before those numbers can be officially entered into the record books.
![Salem Fire Department paramedics and employees of Falck Northwest ambulances respond to a heat exposure call during a heat wave, June 26, 2021, in Salem, Ore. CREDIT: Nathan Howard/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Salem-Fire-Department-heat-wave-heat-exposure-calls-062621-CREDIT-Nathan-Howard-AP-500x500.jpeg)
Despite Cooling Centers, Hundreds Of People Suspected Dead In Northwest Heat Wave
As forecasters warned of a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada last weekend, officials set up cooling centers, distributed water to the homeless and took other steps. Still, hundreds of people are believed to have died from Friday to Tuesday.
![The logo for ExxonMobil above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The company has apologized after one of its lobbyists talked about undermining climate action in an undercover video. CREDIT: Richard Drew/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ap19012769166538-5b601cf3e0c9777bb1d2f7d9c7ce60a738f8d7e1.jpg)
Exxon Lobbyist Caught On Video Talks About Undermining President Biden’s Climate Push
Indiscrete comments made by an ExxonMobil lobbyist to undercover activists may figure prominently in upcoming congressional hearings about the role of oil companies in the battle against climate change.