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InciWebAs wildfires grow, so do the costs for fighting those fires. But many states are failing to adequately budget for wildfire costs, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts. -
Will Rubin/Department of Natural ResourcesScientists are studying old wildfires to find what forest treatments slowed the flames – and what treatments didn’t work so well. Researchers are looking closely at the Schneider Springs fire, the largest wildfire in Washington in 2021.
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Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often in the Pacific Northwest that ships collide with whales. But when it does, it's upsetting, tragic and the whale probably dies. Three separate teams have developed smartphone-based systems that can alert commercial mariners to watch out or slow down when there are whales nearby. A recent ride-along on a big container ship demonstrated that real-time whale alerts are still a work in progress. -
A large oil leak went undetected for 90 days at a dam on the Lower Snake River.
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Searching where salmon lay eggs is getting a boost from some eyes in the sky. Researchers are testing drones to survey for salmon nests.
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No, that’s not snowflakes you’re seeing on these sunny fall afternoons. Those flakes are clouds of aphids flying around the Northwest.
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Big ships entering and leaving Puget Sound will be asked to temporarily slow down to reduce underwater noise this fall. Washington state is importing this strategy from British Columbia on a trial basis in hopes of helping the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered killer whales.
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Rare sightings of a tiny butterfly, smaller than a thumbnail, have sprung up all over southeastern Washington. People are spotting these butterflies in some unusual places.
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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking for the public’s help to find who poisoned six wolves in northeastern Washington.
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This year’s fire season has been the mildest year for Washington in a decade. But, the season isn’t over yet.
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The United States and Canada will renegotiate how to handle flood control and hydropower on the Columbia River. However, salmon advocates also want negotiators to consider the health of the Columbia River ecosystem.
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Only 12 commercial fishing captains hold permits to go reefnet fishing in the Pacific Northwest out of a fleet that once numbered in the hundreds. The distinctive technique of reefnet fishing dates back thousands of years as a traditional Indigenous method to catch salmon. Its practitioners today say the gear should be the preferred way to harvest healthy salmon runs while avoiding fragile stocks.
