Current Stories
Editor's Top Picks
Arrests in massive shellfish poaching
Seattle Times
03/18/2010
Wildlife police arrested two men in connection with the theft of several hundred thousand dollars worth of oysters and clams from public and private beaches along Puget Sound's Hood Canal.
Go to article.
Natural weed killer
Coos Bay World
03/18/2010
Hundreds of goats browse through a Bend field, nibbling and foraging through the available fare. These aren't just any goats. They've been hired to chow through noxious weeds that threaten to overrun native plant species.
Go to article.
Protect whales or the salmon they eat?
Bellingham Herald
03/17/2010
When it comes to dinner, Puget Sound's killer whales show no respect for international boundaries. Using new tests, scientists say that as much as 90 percent of the Chinook they eat are from Canada's Fraser River.
Go to article.
Howls of protest against BC wolf kill
Vancouver Sun
03/17/2010
The public has rejected the idea of an aerial wolf kill in British Columbia to benefit threatened mountain caribou, even before the first gun has been loaded.
Go to article.
Pacific smelt listed as threatened
Seattle Times
03/16/2010
The Pacific smelt, a small silvery fish that was a staple of Northwest American Indian tribes when the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived, is getting federal protection because it's been declining toward extinction due to global warming and other factors.
Go to article.
Views: Rainwater runoff the key to a green city
Victoria Times Colonist
03/17/2010
Stormwater runoff carries vast quantities of pollution into our streams and oceans. But rainwater management practices have recently been developed that make the 21st-century green city possible. Instead of relying heavily on pipes and concrete, this new approach relies upon soil, trees and open space to naturally absorb, store, evaporate and filter rainwater.
Go to article.
Pacific smelt listed under Endangered Species Act
Oregonian
03/16/2010
The Obama Administration has decided to list the Pacific smelt population that frequents the Columbia River as threatened. The decision doesn't pack the drama or economic wallop of salmon listings, but it will affect river habitat plans, fishing seasons, water flow from dams and permits for dredging and other work in and around Northwest rivers.
Go to article.
New protections set for Twain's jumping frog
Seattle Times
03/16/2010
Mark Twain celebrated them, hungry gold prospectors ate them, and rural landowners cursed the name of the California red-legged frog. Now, the jumping frog, whose dwindling numbers empowered anti-sprawl advocates while thwarting farmers, ranchers and developers across California, is getting an established habitat to protect its recovery. Maybe.
Go to article.
Orcas have big brains to go with their brawn
Los Angeles Times
03/16/2010
Interest in killer whales has surged since one killed a Florida trainer. Researchers are amazed by orcas' intellect and communication skills, as neuroscientists explored the brain of a dead killer whale with an MRI and found an astounding potential for intelligence.
Go to article.
Fish and Game officials count 843 wolves in Idaho
Seattle Times
03/15/2010
Wildlife biologists with the department estimated a minimum of 843 wolves lived in Idaho in 2009. That compares to the estimate of a minimum of 856 wolves in 2008.
Go to article.
Views: Federal government needs to justify habitat designation
Juneau Empire
03/15/2010
Alaska's political leadership has condemned the National Marine Fisheries Service's proposed designation of the "critical habitat" needed for Cook Inlet's beluga whale population to recover. The federal agency needs to take these concerns seriously and modify its proposal.
Go to article.
WA environmental bills that lived and died
KPLU
03/14/2010
In the regular legislative session that just wrapped up in Olympia, Washington lawmakers considered a raft of environmental proposals. Here's what passed, and what didn't.
Go to article.
Oregon's brown pelicans won't fly south
Oregonian
03/14/2010
Biologists are worried. Birds have starved to death and been pummeled by storms. Scientists are also perplexed about why they've altered their habits. Climate change could be a factor - no one really knows for sure.
Go to article.
Ocean acidification: new path to carbon limits?
Christian Science Monitor
03/12/2010
Move over global warming. Ocean acidification is getting its day in court. In a legal settlement, the EPA has agreed to help states test coastal waters for acidity, and to weigh whether to tighten rules on carbon emissions to address ocean acidification.
Go to article.
Grizzly-shoot bookings rise in BC
Vancouver Sun
03/12/2010
BC guide outfitters say bookings are strong from American trophy hunters willing to spend $20,000 US to shoot a grizzly this spring, despite a major campaign by environmentalists and coastal natives to end the practice.
Go to article.
Views: As the gray wolf recovers, who are its friends?
Crosscut
03/12/2010
The species is back in parts of Washington state. But can a recovering species return to the Olympic Peninsula?
Go to article.
Global warming's 'evil twin'
Corvallis Gazette-Times
03/11/2010
The US Environmental Protection Agency will consider ways the states can address rising acidity levels in oceans, which poses a serious threat to shellfish and other marine life and has been called "global warming's evil twin."
Go to article.
Views: An upstream battle over chinook salmon
Los Angeles Times
03/12/2010
Last week and this, wildlife officials have killed six of the most incorrigible sea lions gorging on endangered salmon at the Bonneville Dam, which have refused to be dissuaded by noise, rubber bullets or other harassing techniques. As regrettable as the dilemma is, the government made the right choice.
Go to article.
In NW waters, scientists track 'dead zones'
Tacoma News Tribune
03/11/2010
Lower levels of oxygen in oceans, particularly off the Northwest coast, could be another sign of fundamental changes linked to global climate change, scientists say.
Go to article.
Humpback whales rebound
Eureka Times-Standard
03/11/2010
Humpback whales have made a comeback along the California and Oregon coasts, where as recently as the early 1960s some 2,000 humpbacks were killed.
Go to article.
Rural county compensated for harm from dam
KPLU
03/10/2010
A rural county in northeast Washington is getting a bit of relief, courtesy of the state legislature and Seattle City Light. Lawmakers in Olympia are requiring the utility to pay compensation for the effects of a hydroelectric dam.
Go to article.
US moves to list loggerhead turtles
Los Angeles Times
03/11/2010
With populations continuing to decline, wildlife agencies issue a plan to designate critical habitat zones to protect the species -- included two zones in the Pacific. Such listing could affect offshore drilling and other activities.
Go to article.
Hazardous-chemicals tax gaining momentum
Seattle Times
03/10/2010
Environmentalists seeking to clean up Puget Sound may be on the verge of a major political victory, with a proposal to boost the state's hazardous-substances tax to deal with polluted stormwater gaining traction in the closing days of the legislative session.
Go to article.
Lone wolverine still looking for a date
Seattle Times
03/09/2010
A lone wolverine discovered in California almost 90 years after the species supposedly went extinct here is apparently searching for a mate that he might never find.
Go to article.
Oregon issues sea lion death warrants
Coos Bay World
03/09/2010
Wildlife officials have tried to keep sea lions from eating Columbia River's endangered salmon, dropping under-water bombs and firing rubber bullets and bean bags. Now they are issuing death sentences to the most chronic offenders.
Go to article.
