Environment

Anthony Denice, left, and Jen Mannas releasing the bird on March 8, 2023 in Port Angeles, Washington. (Photo courtesy Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs)

PAWS gives injured albatross new wind beneath its wings

The seabird arrived in Lynnwood with an injured neck. But despite the odds, the bird kept up a “spicy” attitude.

Anthony Denice, left, and Jen Mannas releasing the bird on March 8, 2023 in Port Angeles, Washington. (Photo courtesy Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs)
An all-electric street sweeper is displayed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on Friday, March 10, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Futuristic zero-emission street sweepers could close climate gap

Electric cars have made big strides, but large vehicles lag. Everett’s airport could soon be swept up in the wave of the future.

An all-electric street sweeper is displayed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on Friday, March 10, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Bradley Barton with graduates of his Climate Crisis Solutions class at Maplewood Parent Cooperative school on Feb. 22, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. From left, the students are Maedot Yoseph, Talea Mustefa, Jaxon Kennard, M.J. Pankow and Ava Woodsum. (Julie Titone)

Amid smoke-filled summers, motivated teachers drive climate education

The ClimeTime program provides more resources to teach about climate change. And it gets kids thinking about solutions.

Bradley Barton with graduates of his Climate Crisis Solutions class at Maplewood Parent Cooperative school on Feb. 22, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. From left, the students are Maedot Yoseph, Talea Mustefa, Jaxon Kennard, M.J. Pankow and Ava Woodsum. (Julie Titone)
Sebastian Sanchez, left, instructor Hannah Dreesbach, center, and Kash Willis, right, learn how to identify trees near Darrington Elementary School in Darrington, Washington on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. Environmental and outdoor education lessons are woven throughout the in-school and after-school activities in this small community, thanks to the Glacier Peak Institute. The non-profit arose from community concerns in the wake of the Oso landslide disaster. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Darrington nonprofit puts kids in touch with timber town’s roots

Outdoor education is the Glacier Peak Institute’s mission. Even for kids living in the shadow of the Cascades, it’s often their first time camping.

Sebastian Sanchez, left, instructor Hannah Dreesbach, center, and Kash Willis, right, learn how to identify trees near Darrington Elementary School in Darrington, Washington on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. Environmental and outdoor education lessons are woven throughout the in-school and after-school activities in this small community, thanks to the Glacier Peak Institute. The non-profit arose from community concerns in the wake of the Oso landslide disaster. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Water runs through a ditch alongside the dike parallel to Skagit Bay on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, on the west end of Stanwood, Washington. Stanwood Mayor Sid Roberts noted that the farmland protected by the dike, seen right, appears to be slightly lower than the tidal land, seen left. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

With funds for dike repair, Stanwood steps toward reducing flood risk

A 100-year-old dike is showing its age, threatening farmland and homes. A county grant aims to spark a major renovation.

Water runs through a ditch alongside the dike parallel to Skagit Bay on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, on the west end of Stanwood, Washington. Stanwood Mayor Sid Roberts noted that the farmland protected by the dike, seen right, appears to be slightly lower than the tidal land, seen left. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Vehicles drive alongside the tree-lined median on Colby Avenue near 16th Street on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Plan begins to replace failing street trees in Everett

The first step will be a demonstration planting Wednesday and Thursday on Colby Avenue.

Vehicles drive alongside the tree-lined median on Colby Avenue near 16th Street on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Forester John Moon, left, and Acting Silviculture Manager Cody Topping, both from the DNR, cross a ditch along a temporary roadway at the site of the Middle May timber sale in the Reiter Foothills on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, outside Gold Bar, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

After controversial cutting, Middle May managers look to the future

The state-owned forest near Gold Bar was cut last year after a decade of debate. Soon, new trees will sprout in its place.

Forester John Moon, left, and Acting Silviculture Manager Cody Topping, both from the DNR, cross a ditch along a temporary roadway at the site of the Middle May timber sale in the Reiter Foothills on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, outside Gold Bar, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
A powerhouse employee takes a look at the “GE cabinet,” a manual control board for the different generators at the Henry M. Jackson Powerhouse on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, near Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

PUD eyeing conservation, innovation to meet growing energy need

Acquiring new energy generation is expensive, so staff are looking at solar and wind power storage as a solution.

A powerhouse employee takes a look at the “GE cabinet,” a manual control board for the different generators at the Henry M. Jackson Powerhouse on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, near Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
no caption needed. Pie chart breaking down SnoCo's C02 emissions in 2019. Source: Puget Sound Regional Emissions Analysis (Kate Erickson / The Herald)

Snohomish County greenhouse emissions up, largely due to cars

A new report released shows greenhouse gases went up 7% over five years. Leaders are planning for the long term.

no caption needed. Pie chart breaking down SnoCo's C02 emissions in 2019. Source: Puget Sound Regional Emissions Analysis (Kate Erickson / The Herald)
Community Transit is leasing a 60-foot articulated BYD battery electric bus this year as an early step in the zero emission planning process. (Community Transit)

Community Transit testing 60-foot electric bus

The agency leased the BYD K11M for $132,000 this year as the first step in its zero-emission planning process.

Community Transit is leasing a 60-foot articulated BYD battery electric bus this year as an early step in the zero emission planning process. (Community Transit)
A section of contaminated Wicks tidelands on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Port acquisition marks next step in toxic cleanup on Everett waterfront

Private owners donated land near the contaminated Wicks Tide Flats to the Port of Everett. Cleanup work could begin within the year.

A section of contaminated Wicks tidelands on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
John Herrmann and Keith Hume, both of the Surface Water Management team at the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, prepare to install a staff gauge at the mouth of Lunds Gulch Creek at Meadowdale Beach Park on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Edmonds, Washington. Part of the park’s redesign involved widening the waterway and returning it to a more natural state to provide better habitat for fish and other wildlife. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Meadowdale Beach updates give fish, hikers more room to roam

Beach access at the Edmonds park has been closed since 2021. The new renovations restored salmon habitat and park facilities.

John Herrmann and Keith Hume, both of the Surface Water Management team at the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, prepare to install a staff gauge at the mouth of Lunds Gulch Creek at Meadowdale Beach Park on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Edmonds, Washington. Part of the park’s redesign involved widening the waterway and returning it to a more natural state to provide better habitat for fish and other wildlife. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Olaf Strad tributary flows through a small plot of land owned by the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

For the second time, salmon get a breather in Olaf Strad Creek

The stream was built from scratch in 2021. After another successful spawning season, volunteers say there’s more work to be done

Olaf Strad tributary flows through a small plot of land owned by the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Master Gardener Jackie Trimble, 68, checks on compost in the backyard of her home in Lake Stevens, Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)

DIY composting puts table scraps to good use

Composting is low-effort and high-reward: “It improves all kinds of soils, including dense and waterlogged.”

Master Gardener Jackie Trimble, 68, checks on compost in the backyard of her home in Lake Stevens, Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
A Waste Management truck dumps a load of compostable waste at Cedar Grove Composting on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

New law aims to break link between food waste, warming climate

Much of our garbage is food that was still edible. Yet over 10 percent of Washingtonians don’t know where their next meal will come from.

A Waste Management truck dumps a load of compostable waste at Cedar Grove Composting on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A paddleboarder makes their way across Lake Ballinger on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Decade after golf course closed, Ballinger Park taking shape

Mountlake Terrace is spending millions to revamp the former nine-hole course into a regional lakeside park.

A paddleboarder makes their way across Lake Ballinger on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
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)

Tulalip Tribes, Snohomish County receive grants for coastal preservation

The money will help county and tribal leaders create healthier habitat for future generations of fish — and people, too.

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)
An electric vehicle charges at an EVgo fast charging station in Detroit, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Editorial: Start work now to power electric vehicle future

The goal for more electric cars will require a beefed-up grid and a network of charging stations.

An electric vehicle charges at an EVgo fast charging station in Detroit, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A floating offshore wind turbine platform is part of a six-turbine, 50 megawatt wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. (Starkraft)

Editorial: Answer for environment, maritime jobs blowing in wind

Floating offshore wind farms could be a boon for maritime employers like Everett’s Dunlap Towing.

A floating offshore wind turbine platform is part of a six-turbine, 50 megawatt wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. (Starkraft)
Beating the heat in their lawn chairs at Lake Roesiger County Park in July 2018, when a hot streak began, were Sonny Taulbee (left) his wife, Carissa and daughter, Ashlyn, 14.  (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Lake Roesiger property owners to pay fee to clean invasive plants

Snohomish County Council voted 4-1 on a new service charge, dividing the cost among 463 shoreline properties.

Beating the heat in their lawn chairs at Lake Roesiger County Park in July 2018, when a hot streak began, were Sonny Taulbee (left) his wife, Carissa and daughter, Ashlyn, 14.  (Dan Bates / The Herald)