Environmental Issues
Seattle City Council opposes coal-export ports
SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the development of coal-export terminals in Washington state after raising concerns about increased train traffic and potential harm to health and the environment.
Date: 05/29/2012 | Northwest
Book delves into complex lives of butterflies
You can have your punk/metal/rap/rock T-shirts, your Seahawks/Storm/Mariners (just kidding) jerseys, your Grand Canyon/Disneyland/Whistler sweatshirts.Entomologist David James prefers the butterfly motif.
Date: 05/26/2012 | Life
Key question at climate talks: Is China poor?
BONN, Germany -- Another round of U.N. climate talks closed Friday without resolving how to share the burden of curbing man-made global warming, mainly because countries don't agree on who is rich and who is poor.
Date: 05/25/2012 | Nation & World
Friends in high places
Influential voices line up for Green Mountain lookout
Date: 05/25/2012 | Local News
Brazil's leader vetoes portions of new forest law
SAO PAULO -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff used a line-item veto Friday to send back parts of a congressional bill that loosened the nation's benchmark law protecting the Amazon rainforest -- a veto the government said would prevent increased deforestation.
Date: 05/25/2012 | Nation & World
How he got the shot
Photographer tells the story behind stunning cougar photos
Date: 05/25/2012 | Sirens
Cedar Grove Composting drops plan to grow
EVERETT -- Cedar Grove Composting announced Thursday it will shelve the its proposal to build a $20 million anaerobic digester project it planned in Everett, following the ruling that a stringent environmental study was required.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Local News
Global warming winner: Once rare butterfly thrives
WASHINGTON -- Global warming is rescuing the once-rare brown Argus butterfly, scientists say.Man-made climate is threatening the existence of many species, such as the giant polar bear. But in the case of the small drab British butterfly, it took a species in trouble and made it thrive.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Nation & World
Cougar goes grudgingly
Found near Arlington, cougar is caught and released (gallery)
Date: 05/24/2012 | Local News
Tesla to start deliveries of Model S electrics
LOS ANGELES -- Tesla Motors Inc. said it will begin delivering its first mass production electric car -- the high-end Model S -- to customers starting June 22, about a month ahead of the expected schedule.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Business
Cedar Grove Composting's expansion plans stalled
EVERETT -- Cedar Grove Composting will have to undergo the most thorough type of environmental study required if it wants to continue to pursue building an anaerobic digester to generate electricity, the
Date: 05/23/2012 | Local News
Feds want new study of Makah whaling impact
PORT ANGELES -- Federal agencies want a new study of gray whales on the Washington coast before the Makah tribe is permitted to exercise its treaty right to whaling.
Date: 05/23/2012 | Northwest
Terrace park-and-ride earns green certification
The Mountlake Terrace park-and-ride center has received a Green Globes certification for its environmentally friendly features.The parking garage at the center is fitted with solar panels and efficient lighting and was built with recycled material.
Date: 05/23/2012 | Local News
Scientist shares expertise with Puget Sound pollution
If you want a good idea of what kinds of pollution are lurking in Puget Sound, and whether to worry about them, talking to Lincoln Loehr would be a good place to start.
Date: 05/22/2012 | Local News
Seattle takes greener approach to sewer overflows
SEATTLE -- A greener approach in Seattle aims to prevent untreated sewage and polluted runoff from flowing into Puget Sound by installing dozens of landscaped drainage systems in front of people's homes.
Date: 05/20/2012 | Northwest
Conservation topic of fair in Everett on Tuesday
EVERETT -- Learn how to recycle, re-use and reduce at the city's first-ever Conservation Carnival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Carl Gipson Senior Center, 3025 Lombard Ave.
Date: 05/18/2012 | Local News
Seattle chefs await Alaska's Copper River salmon
SEATTLE -- Some of the first salmon caught in Alaska's Copper River this year are schedule to arrive at Sea-Tac Airport on Friday aboard an Alaska Airlines cargo flight from Cordova.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Northwest
Elwha River dam removals ahead of schedule
PORT ANGELES-- Work to remove the Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River is ahead of schedule and should be completed next year -- a year earlier than expected.A Bureau of Land Management river expert, Tim Randle, updated the Port Angeles City Council Tuesday on the work.
Date: 05/17/2012 | Northwest
Biofuels firm to repay county
Company failed to fulfill contract for canola project
Date: 05/16/2012 | Local News
Rescued seal dies, tangled in fishing line in Edmonds
EDMONDS -- A harbor seal nicknamed Sandy, originally rescued off a beach in West Seattle in August 2011 and rehabilitated at PAWS in Lynnwood, was found dead recently.
Date: 05/16/2012 | Local News
Mid-Atlantic wind transmission line clears hurdle
WASHINGTON -- A huge underwater power line to serve wind farms planned off the East Coast cleared a regulatory hurdle Monday, although construction is still years away.
Date: 05/14/2012 | Nation & World
Congo rebels threaten rare mountain gorillas
GOMA, Congo -- There are only about 800 mountain gorillas left in the world and most of them live in Virunga National Park, in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.But their home territory is occupied by heavily armed rebels fighting the Congolese government.
Date: 05/14/2012 | Nation & World
Public wants access to waterfront via mill site
EVERETT -- Public access to the waterfront should be a top concern for the redevelopment of the Kimberly-Clark mill site.That's one of the key findings of a city survey that asked the public what they think should happen to the prime waterfront land.
Date: 05/14/2012 | Local News
Man, eagle helped each other to health
You can learn more than facts about nature.Freedom the bald eagle will teach you about friendship.Freedom is the featured guest -- along with her human friend Jeff Guidry -- during the Streamkeeper Academy program called "Eagles" on Saturday.
Date: 05/14/2012 | Life
Port considers buying K-C mill site
EVERETT -- The Port of Everett is aggressively exploring whether it should buy the 66-acre Kimberly-Clark site, which is for sale after the waterfront pulp-paper mill closed last month.
Date: 05/13/2012 | Local News
A thirst we must quench
Protected against fire, overgrown forests steal vital water
Date: 05/13/2012 | Commentary
Investors powering Tesla
LOS ANGELES -- DeLorean Motor Co. never had a future to get back to. Tucker Corp. got torpedoed. Fisker Automotive doesn't seem to have good karma.Launching a new auto business and building a brand in the United States is no simple task.
Date: 05/12/2012 | Business
Navy: Sonar, blasts may hurt more sea life
HONOLULU -- The U.S. Navy says its training and testing using sonar and explosives could potentially hurt more dolphins and whales in Hawaii and California waters than previously thought.
Date: 05/11/2012 | Nation & World
Estuary getting fresh start
Port Susan wetland to be restored 50 years later
Date: 05/11/2012 | Local News
Everett council fast-tracks sewer pipe fix
EVERETT -- The Everett City Council passed an emergency resolution Wednesday night so crews could get to work faster replacing a faulty sewer pipe that collects the waste of 15,000...
Date: 05/11/2012 | Local News
Researchers: Ocean garbage gyre impacting sea life
SAN DIEGO -- An increase in plastic debris floating in a zone between Hawaii and California is changing the environment of at least one marine critter, scientists reported.
Date: 05/09/2012 | Nation & World
Panel: Reduced salmon fishing may not help orcas
SEATTLE -- Reducing fishermen's catch of chinook salmon may not increase the availability of prey for endangered Puget Sound orcas, a panel of U.S. and Canadian scientists have found.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Local News
RFK Jr. calls coal 'corrupting' at Portland rally
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that a proposal to bring coal to Oregon and Washington state will lead to political corruption and environmental damage, while the actual number of jobs it will create is minimal.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Northwest
Terrace park-and-ride adds electric car chargers
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE -- People with electric cars now will have the option of charging up while they ride the bus to work.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Local News
Front Porch: Wellington Hills park meeting
Snohomish County Parks and Recreation staff have planned a meeting Tuesday night to get people's thoughts on how to develop the newly acquired Wellington Hills Regional Sports Park.
Date: 05/07/2012 | Local News
Crab fishermen save entangled gray whale
SAN FRANCISCO -- Crab fishermen working off the Northern California coast have managed to free a gray whale that was tangled in a large fishing line and that had disappeared after a previous rescue attempt, federal wildlife officials said.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Nation & World
What mill left behind
Pollution, including dioxins in waterway, must be cleaned up
Date: 05/06/2012 | Local News
How long will the cleanup effort take?
EVERETT -- The time, money and effort required to clean up after former pulp-and-paper mills similar to Everett's Kimberly-Clark plant can vary, depending on conditions, officials with the state Department of Ecology say.An example of a successful cleanup can be found not far from Everett.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Local News
Comments in on future of Suiattle River Road
DARRINGTON -- Many people in Snohomish County remember driving up Suiattle River Road in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, also known as Forest Road 26, to popular trailheads, hunting and fishing spots and campgrounds.
Date: 05/05/2012 | Local News
New Forest Service official focused on stewardship
EVERETT -- For the first time in its 100-year history, the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is under the leadership of a woman.
Date: 05/04/2012 | Local News
Cedar Grove under fire
Compost facility hasn’t fulfilled obligations, opponents say
Date: 05/04/2012 | Local News
William O. Douglas and the fall of the wild
Recent weeks have seen a lot of controversy about the fate of the historic U.S. Forest Service lookout atop Green Mountain near Darrington.
Date: 05/03/2012 | Need to Know
How to control pests without harsh chemicals
The Snohomish County Fruit Society will host a presentation on managing pests from 7 to 9 p.m. May 10 at the Snohomish Library.
Date: 05/03/2012 | Home and Garden
Big wind power farm planned near Oakesdale
SPOKANE -- A major wind power farm will be built in the Palouse this summer, Boston-based First Wind announced Tuesday.
Date: 05/01/2012 | Northwest
Everett stream nearly back to normal after sewage spill
EVERETT -- The water in a south Everett stream inundated by raw sewage earlier this month is just about back to normal, according to water quality tests.The city is tallying up what the spill cost. The best guess by the public works director: $250,000.
Date: 04/30/2012 | Local News
Sediment from Elwha River begins to enter sea
PORT ANGELES -- Backed up for decades, murky sediment from the newly liberated Elwha River has begun to form a plume as it empties into the blue waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Date: 04/29/2012 | Northwest
Who belongs here?
Take our quiz and pick out the non-native critters
Date: 04/29/2012 | Need to Know
6 new books for nature lovers
It's always a pleasure to pick up a book or field guide pamphlet created by Rick Harbo.The writer/photographer and Harbour Publishing have that knack of packaging information, photographs and graphics in a way that keeps the pages turning.
Date: 04/28/2012 | Life
DNA study: Ancient migrants spread farming in Europe
NEW YORK — Thousands of years ago, farming spread across Europe and replaced the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of early inhabitants. Now a study of ancient DNA says that trend was driven by farmers moving from place to place.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
Organic farms can boost their output, study finds
LOS ANGELES -- Organic agriculture generally comes at a cost of smaller harvests compared with conventional agriculture, but that gap can be narrowed with careful selection of crop type, growing conditions and management techniques, according a new study.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
Warm water quickens melting of Antarctic ice
WASHINGTON -- Antarctica's massive ice shelves are shrinking because they are being eaten away from below by warm water, a new study finds. That suggests that future sea levels could rise faster than many scientists have been predicting.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
Callenbach, author of 'Ecotopia,' dies at 83
Ernest "Chick" Callenbach, a film scholar and environmentalist who created a cult favorite in "Ecotopia," a 1975 novel that predicted with uncanny accuracy a world where recycling is commonplace, food is locally grown and energy comes from the sun, died April 16 in Berkeley, Calif.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Nation & World
The least-wanted list
Meet the invasive animals in our area (photo gallery)
Date: 04/26/2012 | Need to Know
Tribes celebrate new treaty fishing access site
YAKIMA -- Native American tribes celebrated the completion of the last of 31 tribal treaty fishing access sites along the lower Columbia River on Monday.
Date: 04/25/2012 | Northwest
Ore. garbage burner to get tougher emissions rules
SALEM, Ore. -- A garbage burner that produces electricity along I-5 in the Willamette Valley must meet new and stricter emissions requirements as it renews its air pollution permit.
Date: 04/23/2012 | Northwest
State's fish diet spurs look at water quality
SPOKANE -- Washington residents eat more fish than the national average, yet the state's water quality standards are based on the assumption that people here eat one 7-ounce serving of fish per month, according to a toxicologist with the state Department of Health.
Date: 04/23/2012 | Local News
Improved Oregon stock means more salmon near state
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Improved salmon stocks from the Klamath and Sacramento rivers in Oregon mean a longer fishing season near the Washington border.
Date: 04/21/2012 | Northwest
Puget Sound can't cure itself
Viewpoints: With commitment, we can restore our waters
Date: 04/21/2012 | Commentary
PUD reports record energy savings
EVERETT -- Customers of the Snohomish County Public Utility District saved more energy in 2011 through conservation measures than ever before, according to the PUD's calculations.
Date: 04/20/2012 | Local News
Celebrate Earth Day on Whidbey
Whidbey Island's sixth annual Earth Day festival celebrates the planet through dance, drama and a huge human peace symbol on Sunday.The Earth Day Festival begins at noon in Langley with Dances of Universal Peace, in which audience members can take part.Other events:
Date: 04/20/2012 | Entertainment
Birdwatcher with a purpose
Edmonds ecologist sees changes in local bird numbers
Date: 04/19/2012 | Local News
Gov. Kitzhaber, Sen. Wyden have reservations about Oregon coal plan
PENDLETON, Ore. — Two of Oregon’s top political leaders have expressed reservations about a plan to move Great Plains coal through Oregon by rail and barge, while a member of the state House is working as a consultant to build local support for the project’s Australian...
Date: 04/18/2012 | Northwest
Celebrate Earth Day on Whidbey
WHIDBEY ISLAND -- Celebrate Earth Day at a weekend festival on Whidbey Island.
Date: 04/18/2012 | Local News
Gas prices jumpstart sales of hybrid vehicles
DETROIT -- Americans are buying record numbers of hybrid and electric cars as gas prices climb and new models arrive in showrooms, giving the vehicles their greatest share yet of the U.S. auto market.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Business
Everett looks into 'significant' sewage spill in North Creek
EVERETT -- City officials still don't know what caused a 20-inch sewer pipe to crack Thursday morning, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage directly through one man's yard and into North Creek.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Local News
Group nears goal to save island in San Juans
A $6.4 million calculated gamble in December by San Juan Preservation Trust has, at least temporarily, preserved uninhabited Vendovi Island in the San Juans.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Life
Learn why catch and release is important
It's almost opening day of fishing season, so before you bait your hook, you and your family can learn from a beautiful rainbow trout the benefits of catch and release.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Life
Warm March across U.S. shatters records
WASHINGTON -- The weird warmth of March brought out the tank tops and shorts in many parts of the country. In fact, it was the warmest March on record for the Lower 48 states dating back to when records began in 1895.
Date: 04/13/2012 | Nation & World
Arlington earns 10th tree award
ARLINGTON-- The city has been awarded its 10th consecutive Tree City USA award from the National Arbor Day Foundation, and city officials plan to celebrate Saturday by planting more trees.
Date: 04/13/2012 | Local News
Crews work to stop sewage leak into Everett creek
EVERETT -- City crews planned to work into the evening Thursday repairing a 20-inch iron sewer pipe that broke near the 11800 block of Silver Way, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into nearby North Creek.
Date: 04/13/2012 | Local News
Lessons to last lifetimes
Students mark Earth Day early by working at school wetland
Date: 04/12/2012 | Local News
Tribes, government agree to $1 billion settlement
YAKIMA -- The federal government will pay more than $1 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by American Indian tribes over mismanagement of tribal money and trust lands, under a settlement announced Wednesday.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Northwest
Study blames ocean CO2 for oyster declines
Scientists are blaming slightly higher levels of carbon dioxide in Pacific Ocean waters caused by global warming for the failure of oyster larvae to survive in an Oregon hatchery.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Northwest
Seattle to explore fewer trash pickups, more recycling
SEATTLE -- Striving to reduce the trash it sends to landfills, Seattle has banned foam take-out containers and plastic bags, told residents they must recycle cardboard and compost food scraps, and set up a registry for people to opt-out of getting phonebooks.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Northwest
Bighorn sheep targeted in lawsuit and by disease
LEWISTON, Idaho -- Three environmental groups are challenging a decision by the Payette National Forest to stop implementing new grazing restrictions designed to protect bighorn sheep in north-central Idaho.
Date: 04/11/2012 | Northwest
Coal exports surge to highest level since 1991
BILLINGS, Mont. -- U.S. coal exports reached their highest level in two decades last year as strong demand from Asia and Europe offered an outlet for a fuel that is falling from favor at home.
Date: 04/10/2012 | Business
Agencies prepare for tsunami debris
Later this year, it might not be such an uncommon sight to see a refrigerator, a car bumper or a garage door wash up on beaches in the state.
Date: 04/10/2012 | Local News
Fed evaluation: 3 more pesticides may harm salmon
A draft federal evaluation has found that three more common pesticides used on home lawns and agricultural crops jeopardize the survival of West Coast salmon.
Date: 04/09/2012 | Nation & World
Help restore estuary on Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22, but really, all of April rains with activities to celebrate all things earthy.
Date: 04/09/2012 | Life
Discover Spencer Island
River estuary near Everett is full of wildlife (photo gallery)
Date: 04/08/2012 | Sports
Failing Columbia River dike threatens deer refuge
CATHLAMET -- A dike near the mouth of the Columbia River near Cathlamet is failing, and a collapse could flood part of a 2,000-acre refuge for endangered Columbian white-tailed deer.
Date: 04/05/2012 | Northwest
PUD’s Sultan dam honored by energy group
SULTAN -- The Youngs Creek hydropower project, recently built by the Snohomish County Public Utility District, has been selected by Renewable Energy World as the winner of its Hydro Project of the Year...
Date: 04/05/2012 | Local News
Warm, fuzzy T. rex? New evidence surprises
LOS ANGELES — The discovery of a giant meat-eating dinosaur sporting a downy coat has some scientists reimagining the look of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Date: 04/04/2012 | Nation & World
Help too late for injured eagle
No evidence raptor was injured by humans
Date: 04/04/2012 | Local News
Apple plans nation's biggest private fuel cell energy project in N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina will be home to the nation's largest private fuel cell energy project, a nonpolluting, silent power plant that will generate electricity from hydrogen.
Date: 04/04/2012 | Business
Everett may spend $3M to upgrade water meters
EVERETT -- Staff is recommending the Everett City Council to award a $3 million contract for new water meters without accepting other bids.
Date: 04/04/2012 | Local News
Rule could eliminate coal plant construction
The Obama administration's proposal last week to put the first limits on greenhouse gases from new power plants probably will mean that no new coal-fired U.S. plants will be built after this year, but that won't slash coal use anytime soon.
Date: 04/01/2012 | Nation & World
Wapato fined for excess pollution discharges
WAPATO -- The federal Environmental Protection Agency says the city of Wapato, has been fined $57,000 for excess pollution discharges from its sewage plant.
Date: 03/30/2012 | Northwest
On the whale's trail
Project highlights places to watch whales from the shore
Date: 03/30/2012 | Life
Removal of Mill Pond Dam approved
SPOKANE -- The state has given approval to remove a defunct dam in northeastern Washington, an action that will restore Sullivan Creek to a pristine state.
Date: 03/30/2012 | Northwest
Lookout must come down
Judge rules its renovation violated wilderness rules
Date: 03/29/2012 | Local News
Conservatives have lost faith in science, study shows
As the Republican presidential race has shown, the conservatives who dominate the primaries are deeply skeptical of science -- making Newt Gingrich, for one, regret he ever settled onto a couch with Nancy Pelosi to chat about global warming.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Nation & World
New fossil suggests a relative of ancient Lucy skeleton
Lucy, that starlet among ancient human relatives, may have shared the stage with a hominin very different from herself, a newly found fossil suggests.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Nation & World
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