environment Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Good News For ‘Green’ Brews: Consumers Say They’ll Pay More For Sustainable Beer

By NPR News October 15, 2018

Allagash employees Salim Raal, left, and Brendan McKay stack bottles of Golden Brett, a limited release beer fermented with a house strain of Brettanomyces yeast. The Maine brewery recently installed solar panels as part of its sustainability initiatives. CREDIT: DEREK DAVIS

Breweries are quite creative these days when it comes to saving energy. Double Mountain Brewery in Oregon uses refillable beer bottles, Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing turns its waste grain and water into compost for aquaculture, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company recovers carbon dioxide from the fermentation cycle. Read More

Why Many Northwest Animals And Plants Need Wildfire

By Aaron Scott October 8, 2018

Not all wildfire is a force of destruction. Many of our favorite Northwest plants and animals have evolved to depend on it. Continue Reading Why Many Northwest Animals And Plants Need WildfireRead More

Old Growth Could Be Key For Native Songbird Species To Beat Climate-Change Heat

By Jes Burns October 1, 2018

OSU PhD student Hankyu Kim set a decoy designed to trigger the territorial instinct of hermit warblers. The small songbirds will be caught, tagged and released so their movements can be tracked. CREDIT: GREG DAVIS

Increasingly hot and dry summers in Oregon and Washington have started to affect some of our most impressive travelers – the songbirds that migrate thousands of miles to breed here each spring. Continue Reading Old Growth Could Read More

Washington Ecology Dept. Has Burning Desire To Clean Up Long-Smoldering Pasco Landfill

By Courtney Flatt September 27, 2018

This photo from the 1970s shows various solvents and industrial chemicals that Washington state Ecology officials are trying to clean up in a Pasco Superfund site. CREDIT: WA DOE

After nearly 20 years, a troubled landfill-turned Superfund site outside Pasco may soon have a final cleanup plan. Washington State Department of Ecology managers presented options Wednesday at a public meeting in the Tri-Cities. Read More

Oregon Now Has A Hypoxia Season, Just Like A Wildfire Season

By Kristian Foden-Vencil September 18, 2018

OSU oceanographer Jack Barth prepares a glider that will spend weeks flying through the ocean, collecting data on ocean acidification and oxygen levels. CREDIT: KRISTIAN FODEN-VENCIL

Scientists say warming ocean temperatures mean Oregon’s coastal waters now have a low-oxygen season, or hypoxia season, just as the state’s forests have a fire season. Continue Reading Oregon Now Has A Hypoxia Season, Just Like A Wildfire Read More

Report: Salem Knew For Years That Algae Could Threaten Water

By Dirk VanderHart September 17, 2018

File photo. Low levels of cyanotoxins were found in the Salem, Oregon, drinking water supply due to an algae bloom in Detroit Lake. CREDIT - SHEILA SUND/TINYURL.COM/YBQ8VPHD

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. Read More

U.S. Appeals Court Rules On Long-Running Columbia River Pollution Case From Canadian Smelter

By Doug Nadvornick September 14, 2018

In this 2002 photo, a dog drinks from the Columbia River in the shadow of Teck Cominco smelter, six miles north of the Canadian border at Trail, British Columbia. CREDIT: CHERYL HATCH/AP

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 Read More

Washington’s Biggest Toxic Waste Polluter: A Mine (With Hanford Not Far Behind)

By Esmy Jimenez September 8, 2018

The Pend Oreille Mine operated by Teck is located in northeastern Washington near Metaline Falls. CREDIT: GOOGLE EARTH

Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been keeping track of big polluters through their Toxic Waste Inventory or TRI. The EPA has released their latest data for 2017. We crunched some numbers for Washington, and here are the results. Read More

Do You Know The ‘Puffin Man’? Rediscovering Oregon’s Iconic Haystack Rock

By NPR News September 7, 2018

A rocky outcropping on Oregon's coast is home to dozens of rare tufted puffins and, this summer, volunteer Art Broszeit — a de facto expert on the exotic cold climate birds. Continue Reading Do You Know The ‘Puffin Man’? Read More

A Dispute Is Brewing Over Mercury Air Pollution In Columbia River Gorge

By Courtney Flatt August 24, 2018

A view of the Columbia River Gorge. CREDIT: GORD MCKENNA/FLICKR-CREATIVE COMMONS

Two hazardous waste companies operating along the Columbia River are arguing over mercury pollution getting into the air. One company, TD*X, is accusing the other, Chemical Waste Management, of releasing mercury into the air. The report goes on to say regulators aren’t requiring strong pollution controls. Read More

How To Clean Sand: Volunteers Take On Microplastics At Oregon’s Iconic Haystack Rock

By NWPB News August 20, 2018

Valerie Schockelt (left) and Marc Ward use a microplastics filtration device to filter sand on Cannon Beach with iconic Haystack Rock in the background. CREDIT: JOSEPH WINTERS, OPB/EARTHFIX

With the guidance of Seaside-based conservation group Sea Turtles Forever, about 50 volunteers gathered to clean the sand near Haystack Rock using unique screen filtration systems. Continue Reading How To Clean Sand: Read More

Gulf Of Alaska Cod Are Disappearing. Blame ‘The Blob’

By NPR News August 20, 2018

Fisherman Darius Kasprzak searches for cod in the Gulf of Alaska. The cod population there is at its lowest level on record. CREDIT: ANNIE FEIDT

The cod population in the Gulf of Alaska is at its lowest level on record. Scientists say the culprit is a warm-water mass known as "the blob." Continue Reading Gulf Of Alaska Cod Are Disappearing. Blame ‘The Blob’Read More

Four Years After Carlton Complex Devastated Okanogan County, What Have We Learned?

By Ashley Ahearn August 17, 2018

In this July 24, 2014, the remains of structures that were destroyed by wildfires near Pateros, Wash. The Carlton Complex fire was the largest in Washington State history. CREDIT: AP IMAGES/TED S. WARREN

For people living in the “wildland-urban interface,” wildfire risk is the new normal, and the risk is increasing as more people move into places where cul-de-sac meets forest or sagebrush. Continue Reading Four Read More

How Conservationists Are Using AI And Big Data To Aid Wildlife

By NWPB News August 15, 2018

A whale shark. Big data and AI allows scientists to rapidly comb through thousands of photos and identify individuals using the skin patterning behind the gills and any scars they might have. CREDIT: SIMON J. PIERCE/COURTESY WILD ME

A Portland-based organization has developed a digital tool called Wildbook that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to expedite wildlife identification. Continue Reading How Conservationists Are Using AI And Big Data To Aid Read More

Forest Service Chief Talks Need For New Fire Management, Fuel Treatments

By Tony Schick July 31, 2018

A line of wildland firefighters marches through the woods during the Yellowstone fires of 1988. The massive complex of fires, which burned more than 790,000 acres, was a transformative moment in the country's view of wildfire. CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

The West is in the midst of another intense fire season. Fires in California and Oregon have claimed lives and homes and burned up farmland. As part of EarthFix’s ongoing series on wildfire, reporter Tony Schick spoke with interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen about what her agency is doing to reform fire management and reverse the fire problem. Read More

In The Mountain West, Spring Is Springing Sooner, Throwing Nature’s Rhythm Out Of Whack

By NPR News July 24, 2018

A yellow-bellied marmot keeps an eye out while it gets a bite to eat. Related to groundhogs, yellow-bellied marmots are getting fatter and bigger because of the longer growing season brought on by climate change. CREDIT: Nathan Rott - NPR

A warming climate is knocking nature's rhythms out of sync. High in the Rocky Mountains, scientists have been tracking the impact for decades. Continue Reading In The Mountain West, Spring Is Springing Sooner, Throwing Read More

Trump Administration Proposes Changes To Limit Endangered Species Act

By Courtney Flatt July 19, 2018

The Trump administration is proposing key changes to the Endangered Species Act. It’s a move conservation groups say could greatly weaken the way animals and plants are protected. Continue Reading Trump Administration Proposes Changes To Read More

Lawmakers Set Sights On Changes To Endangered Species Act

By Jes Burns July 13, 2018

An endangered Western lily in full bloom. CREDIT: JES BURNS

Federal lawmakers are making a move to change the Endangered Species Act. On Thursday, members of the U.S. House announced legislation they say will “modernize” one of the country’s seminal environmental laws, originally passed in 1973. Continue Read More

What’s Up With The Algae Blooms In Northwest Lakes?

By Eilís O'Neil July 12, 2018

Jackson Ludwig loves to swim in Washington lakes. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL

Our region’s booming growth is also part of the problem. More overuse of fertilizers, pet waste, leaky septic tanks, people feeding ducks and geese — all give cyanobacteria the nutrients it needs to grow. Continue Reading What’s Up With The Algae Blooms Read More

Nearly 100 Oregon Municipal Water Systems Will Test For Algae Toxins

By Dirk VanderHart June 29, 2018

Nearly 100 water systems in Oregon will begin collecting samples for harmful contaminants from algae blooms. Shown is Bull Run Reservoir 1, part of Portland's water system. CREDIT: FINETOOTH

Nearly 100 public water systems around Oregon—including the state’s largest—will be required to begin testing for harmful contaminants from algae blooms under new rules unveiled by the Oregon Health Authority. Continue Reading Nearly 100 Read More

A Baby Boom Is Helping West Coast Starfish Recover After Die-Off

By Cassandra Profita June 27, 2018

Malformed juvenile starfish in Puget Sound. CREDIT: KATIE CAMPBELL

Scientists say a starfish populations are recovering from a devastating die-off with help from a massive baby boom. Continue Reading A Baby Boom Is Helping West Coast Starfish Recover After Die-OffRead More

Bumblebee Blues: An Important Northwest Pollinator In Trouble

By NWPB News June 19, 2018

Hundreds of citizen scientists have begun buzzing through locations across the Pacific Northwest seeking a better understanding about nearly 30 bumblebee species. Continue Reading Bumblebee Blues: An Important Northwest Pollinator In TroubleRead More

This Is Why A Lot Of Our Recycling Is Going To Landfills

By Cassandra Profita June 13, 2018

Rogue Waste System’s Scott Fowler (left) and Laura Leebrick (center) have nowhere to send about 2,000 tons of baled and stacked of co-mingled recycling. CREDIT: JES BURNS

Over the past year, more than 10,000 tons of Oregon’s recycling has been dumped in landfills because there was nowhere else for it to go. It’s one of the consequences of new restrictions on shipping recyclables to China. Continue Reading This Is Why A Read More

Gas-Guzzling Cities, State Blow Past Deadline For Electric Vehicles In Washington

By John Ryan June 3, 2018

A parking spot is designated for electric vehicles at the charging station outside of the Ballard Market on Monday, December 11, 2017, in Seattle. CREDIT MEGAN FARMER - KUOW

Washington state’s electric vehicle law is being widely ignored, according to a new report. June 1 was the deadline set by a decade-old law that requires vehicles in government fleets to run on electricity or biofuel. But just two percent of the state's motor pool is electric now, and many cities and counties have no electric vehicles at all. Read More

You Thought The Eagle Creek Fire Was Out? Think Again.

By Cassandra Profita May 29, 2018

A hot spot in the Eagle Creek Fire was spotted at 2 a.m. Tuesday near the Herman Creek Trailhead. CREDIT: U.S. FOREST SERVICE

A small hot spot flared up early Tuesday morning about a half-mile east of the Herman Creek Trailhead. It’s less than a quarter of an acre with little chance that it will spread. Firefighters are using nearby creek water to extinguish it. Continue Reading Read More

New Hope To Stop Relentless Erosion Of Washington’s ‘Washaway Beach’

By Tom Banse May 23, 2018

This animation shows the extreme rate of coastal erosion at North Cove, Washington. The red line indicates the shoreline in 1990. CREDIT: GOOGLE EARTH

Aptly nicknamed Washaway Beach in Pacific County, Washington, has long suffered from the most extreme coastal erosion along the whole U.S. West Coast. Now a relatively low cost defense is raising hopes among property owners and nearby cranberry growers. Read More

Senators Look To Expand Thinning Work In National Forests

By Tony Schick May 15, 2018

Forest thinning, such as this work done in the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon, may be of value for some purposes but will also increase carbon emissions to atmosphere, researchers say. CREDIT: OREGON STATE UNVERSITY

A group of senators from western states want to expand a national effort to boost timber production and restore natural conditions on overstocked forests using thinning and other restoration work. Continue Reading Senators Look To Expand Thinning Work Read More

Tracking Whales In Puget Sound Is As Easy As Following Genetic ‘Bread Crumbs’ Left Behind

By Jes Burns April 22, 2018

Members of Puget Sound's south resident orca population. CREDIT: NOAA

Researchers at Oregon State University have worked out a way to detect and identify whales long after they move on — just by sampling the water. Continue Reading Tracking Whales In Puget Sound Is As Easy As Following Read More

Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke Downplays Possibility Of Drilling Off Washington, Oregon Coasts

By Tom Banse April 11, 2018

File photo of an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke expressed doubt drilling would ever happen along the Pacific Northwest coast. CREDIT: BERARDO62 / TINYURL.COM/Y8KHPH57

In congressional testimony Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said he has heard the strong opposition from the West Coast to the Trump administration's plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. He expressed doubt drilling would ever happen along the Pacific Northwest coast. Read More

Coastal Counties Put Heads Together To Avoid Future Tsunami Alert Glitches

By Tom Banse April 6, 2018

Emergency managers from Washington coastal counties and tribes practiced tsunami alert communication and coordination with state and federal partners Thursday. They're trying to smooth out glitches revealed after an undersea earthquake in Alaska in January. Read More

Fight Over Salmon-Killing Roads In Washington Now A Supreme Court Case About Native Rights

By Eilís O'Neil March 31, 2018

Salmon on their way up from northwest Washington's Skagit River have to leap two feet onto the jagged edge of this pipe to make it to habitat upstream. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL/EARTHFIX

Seventeen years ago, 21 tribes sued Washington state to fix road culverts. On April 18, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to take on the case. The question is whether state taxpayers should have to dish out billions to dig up roads so salmon can get through. The court’s decision will have repercussions for tribes all over the West. Read More

Study: Olympic National Park Among Best Places To Bring Back Gray Wolves

By Courtney Flatt March 19, 2018

One of the most ideal places in the world to bring back gray wolves is right here in the Northwest, according to a new study. Researchers have found bringing the large carnivores back to the Olympic National Park could greatly help the ecosystem — and the predators. Read More

Not Too Late To Save Northwest’s Critically Endangered Orcas Say State Leaders And Feds

By Tom Banse March 15, 2018

An endangered Southern Resident orca pursues a coho salmon off San Juan Island. CREDIT: CANDICE EMMONS / NOAA FISHERIES/NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

The Northwest’s beloved orcas will not survive unless humans do more to ensure adequate food and cleaner, quieter waters. That was one of the messages at a crowded signing ceremony in Seattle convened by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. The population of genetically-distinct resident orcas has dwindled to a critically low level. Only 76 remain as of the last count. Read More

Interior Secretary Zinke: West Coast Lacks ‘Resources Of Any Weight’ For Offshore Drilling

By Ericka Cruz Guevarra March 13, 2018

Drilling platform off Southern California

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell that his proposal for offshore oil and gas drilling will reflect the “interests of Washington.” “You should know off the coast of Oregon, Washington, most of California, there are no known resources of any weight,” Zinke said. Read More

How This Washington Family Brought Oysters Back From The Brink

By Ruby de Luna March 7, 2018

Jerry Yamashita stands with his mother, Masako, and father, Masahide, in 1927. Courtesy of Patrick Yamashita

Oysters are a cornerstone of Pacific Northwest cuisine. But there was a time when our region’s oysters were in trouble, all but obliterated by over-harvesting and pollution. Then a Japanese immigrant helped turn things around. Continue Reading How This Washington Read More

Electric Car Tax Break Could Disappear In The Northwest

By Tom Banse March 6, 2018

Plug-in cars charge up at the Washington State Capitol Campus. A disproportionately high number of the state's legislators drive electric vehicles compared to the general population. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

If you're thinking about buying an electric car in Washington, you might want to act fast. That's because the state Legislature is on the verge of letting a hefty sales tax break expire. In Oregon, an electric car rebate faces a challenge in court next week. Read More

Washington Could Be First State To Ban Toxic Firefighting Foams

By Courtney Flatt February 28, 2018

EA-16G Growler Jet - Jared Rusk KCTS9-EarthFix

Washington lawmakers have agreed to ban firefighting foam that contains harmful chemicals. Perfluorinated chemicals are used in firefighting foam to help contain petroleum fires. Firefighters have sprayed the foam around Washington’s military airstrips and fire-training facilities. Read More

Washington’s Port Of Vancouver Votes To Immediately End Oil Terminal Lease

By Molly Solomon February 27, 2018

A bowl of buttons sit on top a pile of campaign signs against various fossil fuel projects in the Pacific Northwest. CREDIT: MOLLY SOLOMON

The long-proposed Vancouver Energy oil terminal project officially died Tuesday. Vancouver, Washington, port commissioners made it official by unanimously voting to cancel the lease. Continue Reading Washington’s Port Of Vancouver Votes To Read More

Climate Activists Protest Puget Sound Energy Plan To Keep Using Coal

By Eilís O'Neil February 22, 2018

Activists gather outside the Renton Community Center to protest Puget Sound Energy's plan to continue using electricity from coal.

About 100 activists gathered Wednesday, Feb. 21 to protest Puget Sound Energy’s plan to keep producing electricity from coal until 2035. PSE is the company that likely keeps your lights and Wifi on if you live in the Puget Sound area but not in Seattle. Their main concern was climate change. Read More

Listen Up: Northwest Researchers Have Started Tracking Salmon With Sound

By Courtney Flatt February 21, 2018

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

Salmon researchers in the Northwest are turning to sound to learn more about the fish they’re trying to understand. Continue Reading Listen Up: Northwest Researchers Have Started Tracking Salmon With SoundRead More

How A Grassroots Effort In Vancouver Fought Big Oil — And Won

By Molly Solomon February 16, 2018

East Vancouver residents Alona and Don Steinke have been protesting the Vancouver Energy oil terminal since 2013. CREDIT: MOLLY SOLOMON

Early this year, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said no to a massive oil-by-rail terminal proposed in Vancouver, Wash. The $210 million Vancouver Energy project, a joint venture from Tesoro and Savage, would have brought up to 360,000 gallons of crude oil a day on trains traveling along the Columbia River. Read More

Trump Administration Budget Proposes Selling Off Bonneville Power Transmission Lines

By Courtney Flatt February 15, 2018

President Trump's proposed budget includes a plan to sell off the Bonneville Power Administration's transmission assets. CREDIT: KEVIN DOOLEY

The Trump administration wants to sell off publicly-owned utility transmission lines. The most recent budget proposal also suggests a move that could raise rates for Bonneville Power Administration customers. Continue Read More

Researchers In Seattle Show Polluted Stormwater Hurts Fish Survival

By Eilís O'Neil February 13, 2018

Jenifer McIntyre, WSU researcher, scrutinizes juvenile coho salmon that had been exposed to stormwater in this 2012 file photo. CREDIT: KATIE CAMPBELL

Each time it rained during an eight-week period in the winter of 2015, someone from Jenifer McIntyre’s team drove up to Seattle and collected stormwater near the Highway 520 bridge across Lake Washington. Continue Reading Researchers In Seattle Read More

Critics Call Proposed Cuts To Hanford Cleanup Budget ‘Downright Dangerous’

By Anna King February 12, 2018

Demolition work at the Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site is a year behind schedule and the project has been plagued with the spread of radioactive waste. CREDIT: ANNA KING

Reaction in the Northwest was swift to President Trump’s proposed cuts to the cleanup budget at the Hanford Site. The budget request cuts $61 million from the budget for Hanford's Office of River Protection, and $169 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office. Read More

How Do Whales Respond To Noise Pollution? Drones May Tell Us

By Cassandra Profita February 9, 2018

Dr. Leigh Torres releases a drone to study audio pollution in the area. CREDIT: EARTHFIX

The whales off the West Coast depend on sound to communicate, navigate and find food. So, what happens to their health when we fill their habitat with noisy ship traffic? Continue Reading How Do Whales Respond To Noise Pollution? Drones May Tell UsRead More

Washington ‘Valve Turner’ Sentenced To Prison For Shutting Down Oil Pipeline

By Courtney Flatt February 7, 2018

The five climate activists arrested after shutting down Canada-to-U.S. pipelines pose for a photo. They were identified by Climate Direct Action as (left to right): Emily Johnston, Annette Klapstein, Leonard Higgins, Ken Ward, and Michael Foster.

A Washington climate activist is the first “valve turner” to go to prison for shutting off the flow of oil from Canada’s tar sands region into the U.S. Continue Reading Washington ‘Valve Turner’ Sentenced To Prison For Shutting Down Read More

Washington Could Use Taxes, Lawsuits To Oppose Offshore Drilling

By Courtney Flatt February 6, 2018

Washington doesn’t want your offshore drilling. That was Gov. Jay Inslee’s resounding message at a press conference Monday, where he spoke out against a federal plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. Continue Reading Washington Could Use Taxes, Lawsuits Read More

New Portland Lead Dust Rules Could Pave Way For Safer Demolitions Statewide

By Amelia Templeton February 2, 2018

Portland City Council closed a major loophole in regulations protecting children from exposure to lead in paint. Lead-based paint in homes is the leading cause of lead poising in the nation. Continue Reading New Portland Lead Dust Rules Could Read More

Can Kelp And Seagrass Help The Northwest Adapt To Ocean Change?

By Jes Burns January 31, 2018

The oceans off Oregon and Washington are ground zero for acidification, and Northwest scientists are working on new ways to adapt. Continue Reading Can Kelp And Seagrass Help The Northwest Adapt To Ocean Change?Read More

Washington Governor Jay Inslee Rejects Vancouver Oil Terminal

By Molly Solomon January 29, 2018

Vancouver Energy’s proposed facility at Terminal 5 at the Port of Vancouver.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has rejected a permit to build the nation’s largest oil-by-rail terminal in Vancouver. Inslee sided with state regulators, who unanimously voted late last year to reject the project, citing significant and unavoidable risks. Read More