Wildlife Habitat
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
How he got the shot
Photographer tells the story behind stunning cougar photos
Date: 05/25/2012 | Sirens
Cougar goes grudgingly
Found near Arlington, cougar is caught and released (gallery)
Date: 05/24/2012 | 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
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
A thirst we must quench
Protected against fire, overgrown forests steal vital water
Date: 05/13/2012 | Commentary
Estuary getting fresh start
Port Susan wetland to be restored 50 years later
Date: 05/11/2012 | 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
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
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
The least-wanted list
Meet the invasive animals in our area (photo gallery)
Date: 04/26/2012 | Need to Know
Puget Sound can't cure itself
Viewpoints: With commitment, we can restore our waters
Date: 04/21/2012 | Commentary
Birdwatcher with a purpose
Edmonds ecologist sees changes in local bird numbers
Date: 04/19/2012 | 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
Lessons to last lifetimes
Students mark Earth Day early by working at school wetland
Date: 04/12/2012 | 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
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
Help too late for injured eagle
No evidence raptor was injured by humans
Date: 04/04/2012 | Local News
On the whale's trail
Project highlights places to watch whales from the shore
Date: 03/30/2012 | Life
Lookout must come down
Judge rules its renovation violated wilderness rules
Date: 03/29/2012 | Local News
With spring here, Kodiak bears about to come out
KODIAK, Alaska -- With spring here and bears about to emerge from their dens on Kodiak Island, state biologist Larry Van Daele said it is time for homeowners to get busy and keep bears from coming around.
Date: 03/27/2012 | Northwest
Planning resumes for Suiattle River Road work
EVERETT -- In the big timber heyday, loaded log trucks rumbled down the Suiattle River Road to Darrington and lumber mills throughout the county.
Date: 03/24/2012 | Local News
Coal-terminal fight generates increasing heat
We've posted a brief story from the Bellingham Herald via The Associated Press about the proposal to build a rail-to-sea coal terminal within the
Date: 03/22/2012 | Bizblog
Public enemy
Forest Service wants your advice on tackling noxious weeds
Date: 03/19/2012 | Local News
Meet Sammy the Salmon at ecology program
Salmon will be strutting their stuff during a "salmon fashion show" at an Adopt A Stream program on Thursday."Sammy the Salmon" is the star of the show and he will be joined by members of the audience wearing some stylish salmon attire, including an egg costume and a baby salmon outfit.
Date: 03/19/2012 | Life
Mill Creek wetland boardwalk won’t soak feet after work is done
MILL CREEK -- The North Creek boardwalk floats on a marsh, giving visitors an up-close encounter with nature smack dab in the middle of suburbia.
Date: 03/14/2012 | Local News
Check out new ocean research lab
EVERETT -- Everett Community College's Ocean Research College Academy plans an open house at 6 p.m. March 29 at its new waterfront location, 1205 Craftsman Way, Suite 203.
Date: 03/14/2012 | Local News
Sonar testing raises whale worries
EVERETT -- Whale watchers and tour-boat operators are concerned about the effect the latest round of sonar testing at Naval Station Everett could have on marine mammals.
Date: 03/13/2012 | Local News
State creates website to report wolf sightings
YAKIMA -- People who think they've seen a wolf, heard one howl or found other evidence of wolves in Washington have a new place to share their story: a website to document wolf activity and help state wildlife officials manage the species.
Date: 03/09/2012 | Northwest
Ranchers seek bounty hunters to cut wolf numbers
HELENA, Mont. -- Southwestern Montana livestock owners fed up with rising wolf numbers say the state's efforts to reduce the predator population have fallen short and they want to give bounty hunters a shot.
Date: 03/02/2012 | Northwest
Biologists check health of Mount St. Helens elk
The Daily NewsMORTON, Wash. -- Pat Miller surveyed a table covered with oozing elk hearts, kidneys and other organs. He pointed out globs of white fat on some of the specimens.
Date: 03/02/2012 | Northwest
Plan to save spotted owl targets rival
WASHINGTON -- To save the imperiled spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a controversial plan to shoot barred owls, a rival bird that has shoved its smaller cousin aside.
Date: 02/28/2012 | Northwest
Why's it called a ladybug?
Answers to this and other questions in our nature quiz
Date: 02/25/2012 | Life
If you’ve thought about being a Beach Watcher, training starts soon
If you're looking for an active role as a steward of Puget Sound, now's your chance.Washington State University Beach Watchers are offering annual training for volunteers who want to join their program. But act quick; the application deadline is March 5.
Date: 02/24/2012 | Local News
Don't harm hydrangeas
Prune at the right time, or find a place where they'll flourish
Date: 02/23/2012 | Home and Garden
Ratlike nutria show damage that nonnative species can cause
The list of unintended consequences that humans fail to realize (or ignore) before committing is long. Want to raise fur-bearing animals? Import nutrias from South America, starting in California in 1899. Don't worry about the escapees. Fur market collapses? Release the animals.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Life
Want to see snowy owls?
Head north to Canada’s nearby Boundary Bay (gallery)
Date: 02/18/2012 | Life
Seals don't belong in bathtubs
Signs warn people against disturbing the marine mammals
Date: 02/16/2012 | Local News
Judge rules SW Idaho grazing allotments illegal
BOISE, Idaho -- A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management violated federal laws in issuing grazing permits without first conducting needed assessments on five allotments in southwestern Idaho analyzing how grazing could harm sage grouse.
Date: 02/11/2012 | Northwest
Work to restore salmon habitat on Stillaguamish River near Darrington nearly complete
DARRINGTON -- A side channel along the North Fork Stillaguamish River once provided salmon habitat, until railroad tracks cut it off from the river's main channel in the 1930s.Now, work by the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians to restore the waterway is nearly complete.
Date: 02/10/2012 | Local News
OSU students to haze Columbia River seabirds
LONGVIEW -- The Corps of Engineers will try hazing seabirds at the mouth of the Columbia River in an attempt to reduce the size of a "super colony" that has been taking about one-fifth of the young salmon before they reach the ocean.
Date: 02/08/2012 | Northwest
Hydrophones pick up sonar pings in waters near San Juans
FRIDAY HARBOR -- Hydrophones near the San Juan Islands have picked up dozens of sonar pings, raising worries the noise could harm marine mammals.
Date: 02/07/2012 | Northwest
New forest plan weakens protection for wildlife
WASHINGTON -- Back in the 1980s, when conservation advocates were trying to stop logging in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, they relied on a 1982 regulation that required the National Forest Service to protect wildlife such as the spotted owl throughout its range. They won, and a new...
Date: 02/05/2012 | Nation & World
Federal plans for caribou protection draw fire
COOLIN, Idaho -- Woodland caribou, rarely-seen creatures that with their antlers stand as tall as a man, are struggling to survive in the United States, precariously occupying one remote area of the Northwest as a final toehold in the Lower 48.
Date: 02/04/2012 | Northwest
Mussels gauge sea's health
Volunteers gather samples for crucial testing
Date: 02/04/2012 | Local News
Citizen counts help bird studies
The country is too big and the number of professional bird-related occupations too small to produce more than a scientific sampling of nationwide bird counts, migrations, ebb and flow of bird populations, bird diseases and other facets.
Date: 02/04/2012 | Life
Judge rejects challenge on sage grouse listing
CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A federal judge on Thursday rejected a challenge from environmental groups seeking to force the federal government to take immediate action to increase protections for the sage grouse. Had their request been granted, it could have curtailed new energy production on public lands...
Date: 02/03/2012 | Northwest
Everett joining other cities to fight lawsuit seeking limits on shoreline development
Everett is one of a dozen cities joining together to fight a legal threat that could make it impossible to develop along shorelines.
Date: 01/26/2012 | Local News
Is tagging orcas worth it?
Plan to dart-tag and track Puget Sound icon raises concerns
Date: 01/25/2012 | Northwest
Happy trails, thanks to volunteers
Kudos to the 2,600 Washington Trails Association volunteers who put in 100,000 hours to work on maintaining and improving 153 state trails in 2011.
Date: 01/21/2012 | Life
Endangered turtle gains protections off West Coast
LOS ANGELES -- The National Marine Fisheries Service has designated more than 41,000 square miles off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington as critical habitat for endangered leatherback sea turtles.
Date: 01/20/2012 | Northwest
See a free showing of 'Winged Migration'
The winter birds are back in town, trumpeter swans, snow geese and snowy owls. To celebrate their arrival and learn more about them the Adopt A Stream Foundation and the Snohomish County Parks Department present a free screening of "Winged Migration."
Date: 01/16/2012 | Life
Animal behavior explored in engaging book
Mice and rats giggle when tickled. Ants build cemeteries for their dead. Parrots make up their own jokes. A lone coyote can sound like a pack. What a female bird may want from a mate can change from year to year.
Date: 01/14/2012 | Life
Digging in the dirt
EdCC environmental anthropology students plant trees
Date: 01/09/2012 | Local News
Community Calendar
BreakfastMill Creek Senior Center Waffle Breakfast, 8:30 to 11 a.m. Jan. 19, Merrill Gardens Retirement Community, 14905 Bothell Everett Highway, Mill Creek. Waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, beverages. $10. 425-948-7170.Brunch
Date: 01/08/2012 | Local News
Tissue from sick seals in Alaska to be tested for radiation
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Tissue samples from Alaska's sickened ringed seals will be analyzed for evidence of radiation, but the scientist preparing to do so says he doubts there's a connection to the Japanese nuclear plant damaged by a tsunami last year.
Date: 01/03/2012 | Northwest
82-acres in Pierce County to be wildlife preserve
TACOMA -- An 82-acre peninsula in Pierce County has been purchased for protection as a wildlife preserve.
Date: 01/03/2012 | Northwest
See bald eagles in action at Skagit River hatchery tour
Seeing bald eagles and learning more about our region's iconic fish make these free hatchery tours in Skagit County a total nature experience.
Date: 12/26/2011 | Life
More tiny, but harmful, coqui frogs showing up in Hawaii
HONOLULU -- The coqui is a tiny, coin-sized frog whose distinctive nightly mating calls are a beloved sound in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. But people in Hawaii don't share the same sentiment.
Date: 12/25/2011 | Nation & World
Mount Rainier ecologists puts foxes on ‘do not feed’ list
PARADISE -- Sure, they're cute and they've learned to beg along the roadway, but don't feed the Cascade foxes, ecologists at Mount Rainier National Park say.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Life
Amazing clip reshapes opinion about the Internet
I've had a love-hate relationship with the Internet from the beginning.
Date: 12/17/2011 | Life
Reader photos offer new glimpses of world
The Herald posts readers' photographs online at tinyurl.com/HeraldReaderPix.It's a fun way to see work from folks all around our communities.Thanks to John Schmitt for submitting a photo of the moon during a recent eclipse.
Date: 12/16/2011 | Local News
Three Edmonds streams in good health but few hurdles remain for salmon
EDMONDS -- An ecological audit of three Edmonds-area streams say that each has a good habitat supporting fish but barriers remain that prevent salmon and trout from traveling to the streamhead to spawn.
Date: 12/14/2011 | Local News
Lawsuit: Overfishing leaves salmon, whales hungry
SAN FRANCISCO -- A conservation group has sued federal West Coast fisheries managers, claiming they are letting fishermen harvest too many sardines and other small fish, while leaving too few in the ocean for salmon, whales and sea lions.
Date: 12/13/2011 | Northwest
A solution to Lake Ballinger overflow
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE -- For years, people who live on Lake Ballinger have been sweating every rainstorm, wondering how close the water will come to their homes.Now, for the first time in many years, some action could be taken.
Date: 12/05/2011 | Local News
State commission approves wolf management plan
OLYMPIA -- The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on Saturday approved a proposed plan for managing gray wolves, a decision sure to spark criticism from hunting and livestock groups that complained it calls for too many of the predators.
Date: 12/03/2011 | Northwest
Inspiration shared in avian-themed books
Let's praise the fierce predators of the avian world, the ones that hunt, kill and devour. And let's applaud the photographers whose time, energy and skills brought us "Raptors of the West: Captured in Photographs" ($30).
Date: 11/26/2011 | Life
Alaska officials pan endangered species law
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The endangered species law is being used to gain control over landscapes and seascapes rather than to protect species, according to the Alaska wildlife official who works on state responses to federal species listings.
Date: 11/15/2011 | Nation & World
Idaho and Montana state wolf hunts head to court
PASADENA, Calif. -- Wildlife advocates appeared in federal court Tuesday seeking an injunction to stop gray wolf hunts already well under way in the Northern Rockies, arguing that Congress overstepped its authority in stripping federal protections from the canines.
Date: 11/08/2011 | Nation & World
The dead trees of life
It may be surprising, but dead and dying trees are very important to various wildlife species, in both natural and landscaped settings.
Date: 11/07/2011 | Life
Readers' wildlife close-ups
Stories and photos of wildlife straying into our back yards
Date: 11/05/2011 | Life
Learn about wildlife tracking
Susan Morse lectures on wildlife tracking and conservation at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Black Box Theatre at Edmonds Community College.
Date: 11/05/2011 | Life
Study tracks pollutants in waterways
OLYMPIA -- There's more information now than ever about how pollution gets into Puget Sound and other waterways of Western Washington, thanks to a recently completed five-year study.
Date: 11/04/2011 | Local News
Talk of new dam on Skykomish above falls resisted
INDEX -- Just as the Snohomish County PUD has finished building its first mini-dam, it's encountering resistance to the possibility of another.
Date: 11/03/2011 | Local News
Wolves plan gets meeting in Spokane
SPOKANE -- The state's controversial plan for managing wolves is scheduled to get a final public meeting in Spokane on Thursday, in a meeting that was moved after residents objected to the original location of Olympia.
Date: 11/02/2011 | Northwest
Judge upholds pesticide restrictions for salmon
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal judge has upheld federal restrictions on agricultural pesticides designed to protect endangered salmon and steelhead in the West.
Date: 11/02/2011 | Northwest
Texas is shooting donkeys, stirring burro backlash
PRESIDIO, Texas -- Unofficially, the state of Texas celebrates donkeys and their historical and cultural significance in shaping the American West.Officially? The policy on wild burros out here is shoot to kill.
Date: 11/01/2011 | Nation & World
A lecturer at ease with grizzlies
Snohomish County is the home of the the Silvertips hockey team, so why not bear down and learn some grizzly facts?
Date: 10/31/2011 | Life
Keep the bears at bay
Before hibernation, bears look to bulk up on garbage, birdseed
Date: 10/29/2011 | Local News
Video: Rare images of extinct, 2-foot-tall imperial woodpecker released
ALBANY, N.Y. — A snippet of film shot by an amateur ornithologist in 1956 is providing researchers and bird enthusiasts with a rare opportunity to observe the behavior of the imperial woodpecker, a giant resident of Mexico's Sierra Madre now presumed extinct.
Date: 10/26/2011 | Nation & World
Deer crossing
It's the season when deer and drivers dangerously cross paths
Date: 10/19/2011 | Local News
Federal judge orders more review on polar bears
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has thrown out a key section of an Interior Department rule concerning the threat to polar bears posed by global warming.
Date: 10/17/2011 | Nation & World
Even most active of people likely will never see reclusive bobcat
It would be rare to see a bobcat in a suburban neighborhood, but that doesn't mean the animals aren't out from dusk to dawn as they adapt to a human-changed environment.
Date: 10/15/2011 | Life
Environmental plan earns Sultan River dam a new 45-year license
SULTAN -- For the next 45 years, Snohomish County's largest dam is expected to be easier on the environment than it's been for the past 45.
Date: 10/13/2011 | Local News
More seal pups spotted ashore in Seattle
SEATTLE -- A bumper crop of chubby, adorable harbor seal pups has been hauling out on rocks and beaches of West Seattle in recent weeks.
Date: 10/12/2011 | Northwest
Money to restore Great Lakes still flows ... for now
DETROIT -- At a time when many government programs are fighting for survival, there's one place the money is still flowing for now: the Great Lakes.
Date: 10/12/2011 | Nation & World
Rare Ore. spotted frogs released at Lewis-McChord wetland
SEATTLE -- The population of rare Oregon spotted frogs in Washington took a leap forward with the release of 1,200 of the amphibians Thursday in a protected wetland at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Date: 10/07/2011 | Northwest
Travel to new places with nature-related books for all ages
By now, most rufous-sided hummingbirds are wintering in the warmth of Mexico.
Date: 10/01/2011 | Life
Learn all about orcas Saturday
Take a fun plunge into the world of killer whales Saturday and you'll become somewhat of an orca expert.After attending this show called "Killer Whale Tales," you'll be able to recognize whether an orca is hunting for salmon, playing or taking a nap.
Date: 09/26/2011 | Life
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