A Black Hawk helicopter aids in the removal of a crashed helicopter in the Spada Lake watershed on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (Snohomish County Public Utility District)

Local News

Crashed tourism helicopter removed from Copper Lake

Officials saw a small sheen on the surface of a lake that provides drinking water to the county.…

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State Supervisor Brad Thompson speaks during a meeting for public comment on the topic of bringing grizzly bears to the North Cascades at Darrington High School Auditorium in Darrington, Washington on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Local News

‘Hell no to grizzlies’: Darrington locals give federal agencies an earful

At a public meeting, a chorus of residents aired fears over what reintroducing the bears could mean for…

Copper Lake as seen from Vesper Peak on Oct. 8, 2023. A helicopter trying to land on the south end of the lake — the nearest shoreline in the image — crashed into the water in early September, where it remained weeks later. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)

Local News

Crashed tourism helicopter in Copper Lake could stay there until 2024

Officials need good weather to remove the aircraft from the lake that provides drinking water to the county.…

Brenda Bolanos-Ivory and her cat Piccolo, left, along with Gail Chism look over a section of cleared plant growth at Lowell Riverfront Park on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Everett, Washington. The two Lowell residents feel the clearing of trees and undergrowth at the park is unacceptable. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

Trees cut down near Lowell Riverfront Trail to contain freeway runoff

Neighbors were concerned when they noticed felled trees. Official says the work will protect the surrounding waterways.

Keith Binkley, Natural Resources Manager at Snohomish County PUD, right, stands along the edge of the Sultan River while discussing habitat restoration efforts at Osprey Park on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

In Osprey Park, salmon embrace Sultan River’s newly restored channel

Snohomish County PUD promised in 2011 to create 10,000 feet of habitat in the Sultan. It has since…

One of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Stillaguamish Tribe to ‘repair, restore’ river with salmon funding

Over $1 million in grants will help the tribe to restore the Trafton floodplain and plant trees along…

Fourth and fifth graders from Hazelwood Elementary School participate in an orca parade at their school on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Orca Fest connects students to ‘water world’ at Hazelwood Elementary

Ahead of Orca Recovery Day, students participated in aquatic activities in Edmonds. Educators said kids will never forget…

A birder watches waterfowl with a pair of binoculars at the Edmonds Marsh on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

Advocates of Edmonds Marsh want salmon back, but they disagree on how

Property next to the marsh could be up for sale in 2024. Some believe only state ownership would…

FILE - Two brown bears look for salmon at Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska on July 4, 2013. Alaska's most watched popularity contest, picking your favorite brown bear which has been fattened up for winter by noshing on salmon they just caught in the park, could become a victim if the federal government shuts down Oct. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Opinion

Editorial: North Cascades need return of grizzly bears

Absent for more than a century, the apex predators are key to the North Cascades ecosystem’s health.

Spada Lake is seen from Culmback Dam on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, near Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

Helicopter crash in Copper Lake sparks environmental, health concerns

Rangers hadn’t heard of fly-in tourism in the area — which can harm the wilderness and people downstream,…

A person walks by a recently planted sapling along Beverly Lane next to the Four Corners Apartments development on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Millions of dollars for ‘tree equity’ head to Snohomish County

Trees will go to areas with little canopy cover in Everett, Marysville and elsewhere. “We’re doing 100% underrepresented…

A salmon leaps out of the water while migrating up Wood Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

As Woods Creek railroad trestle comes down, a new doorway for salmon

The trestle was a toxic, physical barrier for salmon since 1939. Now, migrating fish will benefit from its…

Mt. Baker visible from the summit of Mt. Dickerman on a late summer day in 2017. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)

Local News

Hornets pester hikers on popular Mountain Loop trails

“You cannot out run the stings,” one hiker wrote in a trip report. The Forest Service has posted…

A girl walks her dog along a path lined with dandelions at Willis D. Tucker Community Park on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Spraying in Willis Tucker Park resurfaces debate over herbicides

Park staff treated about 11,000 square feet with glyphosate and 2,4-D. When applied correctly, staff said they aren’t…

A great blue heron hunts along a channel on as the tide comes in on Spencer Island on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

On Spencer Island, groups aim to balance saving salmon, recreation

Tidal wetlands are crucial for Chinook salmon. But efforts to restore habitat may erase many of the island’s…

Homeowners Jim and Chris Hall stand beneath their new heat pump, at right, inside their Whidbey Island home on Thursday, Sep. 7, 2023, near Langley, Washington. The couple, who are from Alaska, have decreased their use of their wood burning stove to reduce their carbon footprint. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

Whidbey Island is ‘kicking gas’ in push for all-electric homes

In eight months, the Kicking Gas campaign helped 118 Whidbey Island homes install energy-efficient heat pumps. That’s just…

The Rucker Hill Reservoir on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

New Everett reservoirs built to weather big earthquake in $23M project

Two new reservoirs on Rucker Hill are nearly complete. The city plans to replace another off Evergreen Way…

An EA-18G Growler taxis down the airstrip on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during the squadron’s welcome home ceremony in August 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Wood/U.S. Navy)

Local News

Judge orders new Growler jet study on Whidbey Island

The Navy must redo an environmental study on the impact of expanded EA-18G Growler operations.

A black-tailed deer gazes at Plummer Mountain on a remote stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail, north of Glacier Peak in August 2019. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)

Local News

20-mile section of Pacific Crest Trail reopens in Snohomish County

Officials closed a stretch between Suiattle Pass and High Bridge due to the Dome Peak Fire. But rain…

A female common merganser speeds off along the Snohomish River on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at Bob Heirman Wildlife Park at Thomas’ Eddy in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Local News

State awards $10 million to Snohomish County for floodplain projects

The funding will help decrease flood risk and preserve farmland near Monroe and Sultan.