Environment
Environment
Paint A ‘Happy Little Tree’ Or Your Backyard Fence With Washington’s New Recycling Program
If you have half-used paint cans piling up in your garage and just don’t know how to get rid of them, you’re in luck. Washington has started a new paint recycling program. It follows a similar, decade-old program in Oregon.
‘It’s Irreversible’: Goldendale Green Energy Project Highlights A History Of Native Dispossession
The Goldendale Energy Storage Project would be a solution to generate energy when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. But, to the Yakama Nation, the destruction of those sites would add another heartbreak to an ever-expanding list. Countless important cultural areas have faced destruction across the Northwest, largely because they’re not understood by non-tribal members.
A Road Across Mount St. Helens Blast Zone Threatens One-Of-A-Kind Research, Lawsuit Says
Conservation groups and scientists are challenging a federal decision to build a road through the Mount St. Helens blast zone, saying it would damage more than two dozen decades worth of irreplaceable research plots.
Interest In Hydrogen Fuel Grows Across The Northwest – And Tax Dollars Follow
More folks from Northwest government and industry are jumping on the hydrogen bandwagon to test if the alternative fuel could be a viable and green replacement for diesel and gasoline in some situations. The potential converts include more than half a dozen transit agencies from Everett to Eugene, state legislators and Boeing’s drone subsidiary in the Columbia River Gorge.
Hazardous Waste Landfill Near Columbia River Seeks To Expand
Military cleanups, federal Superfund sites, firefighter training facilities — all are among reasons cited by Chemical Waste Management, or CWM, to expand its hazardous waste operation outside the Columbia River town of Arlington.
Once Imperiled, America’s Bald Eagle Populations Are Soaring
A new survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found there are more than 70,000 breeding pairs of the iconic raptor in the contiguous U.S. In the late 1960s, there were fewer than 500.
‘Blue Tides’ Of Sailor Jellies On Northwest Coast Correlate With Warmer Seas In Winter
New research out of the University of Washington finds a correlation between warmer ocean waters and mass strandings of By-the-wind sailor jellyfish over the past two decades. The brief, widespread beachings of “gazillions” of purplish-blue jellies along the Pacific Northwest coast create a memorable sight for those who chance to be in the right place at the right time.
Timber Wars Continued: Conservationists Sue To Save Spotted Owl Logging Protections
Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species.
Cascade Snowpack More Vulnerable To Climate Change Than Inland Neighbors, Study Suggests
Smaller, faster-melting snowpack could deplete water supplies, increase wildfire risk and invite invasive species. The Cascades might reach that point earlier.
A Mixed Bag: Northwest’s Iconic Salmon Face Tough Conditions During Ocean Journey
Salmon survive best when the water is cooler along the coast and warmer farther out. Colder La Niña conditions have also led to higher salmon counts. Right now, that’s exactly what’s happening. But things will likely change over the summer.
Interior Department Moves To Make It Illegal (Again) To Accidentally Kill Migratory Birds
The Interior Department rescinded a controversial Trump-era legal opinion Monday that limited the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It also said it will soon propose a rule to replace one enacted at the end of the Trump administration that did the same.
The Secret Life Of Trees: Researchers Probe Methane In Washington’s Coastal Forests
Trees have a little secret you might not know about. Yes, they produce oxygen. Yes, they take in carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. But, they also emit methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that can be significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.
