Environment

Communities around Puget Sound have invested about $150 million over the past two decades to clean up the water and improve habitat for endangered salmon. Yet we continue to lose ground when it comes to a crucial part of that environment. King County watershed managers recently hosted a guided boat tour to spread the word about the importance of restoration work in recovering the so-called ‘nearshore.’ The nearshore environment is the place where the water meets the land. That intertidal area is

August is the peak time of year to find aggressive wood-boring insects that lay their eggs beneath tree bark. Early detection can prevent pests from laying waste to forests and urban tree canopy. That’s why state agencies are asking residents to check their yards for harmful pests this month. The USDA has dubbed August national Tree Check Month and they’re asking people to take ten minutes to look for signs of trouble. “So people should be looking for tree damage, things like sudden die back or

Seattle’s Seward Park is located in one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse zip codes. It’s also home to one of the city’s chapters of the Audubon Society and is part of the national conservation organization’s push to build a constituency that is “as diverse as nature.” So what’s Seward Park Audubon’s summer camp like? KPLU environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp met with Audubon Center Director Joey Manson to learn more. The forest at the heart of Bailey Peninsula makes up the bulk of the

The Pacific Northwest is known as a Mecca for bird watchers. Diverse habitats offer shelter for hundreds of species throughout the state. In summer, urban parks offer viewing of everything from osprey and bald eagles to chickadees and warblers, hummingbirds, owls and woodpeckers. But what if while pursuing that passion you felt out of place, because of the color of your skin? Wildlife ecologist and avid birder Drew Lanham uses satire to get people talking about it. His essay “9 Rules for the

When the marbled murrelet was first listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1992, so little was known about the elusive sea bird that the state postponed finalizing its long-term habitat conservation plan, opting instead for interim strategies until more scientific research could inform the best strategies. Now the Washington State Board of Natural Resources is completing that work. It’s considering six alternatives for how to manage forests on state trust lands to grow more habitat. The

Think of it as a sperm bank for honey bees. That is essentially what you’ll find at Washington State University’s apiary lab. There’s even a “fertility clinic” where researchers artificially inseminate the queens. If all that sounds like sticky business, try explaining it to a customs agent at the airport. Once a year, researchers bring the sperm home in metal canisters full of liquid nitrogen to keep it frozen. They fly it in from far-flung places like Kazakhstan. This delicate work is all

Marine scientists are on alert as hundreds of seabirds have been washing up dead on local beaches. Since May, the bodies of more than 300 rhinoceros auklets have been collected around the eastern side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Washington’s Protection Island Wildlife Refuge, near Port Townsend, is home to one of the world’s largest known colonies of the puffin-like bird, which is named for its unique appearance. “Because it has a big horn right on the top of its bill, so it looks like a

There’s just one week left for the public to comment on preferred alternatives for completion of the missing link in Seattle’s Burke Gilman Trail. The nearly 20-mile trail extends from Ballard to Bothell and is one of the region’s most popular bike routes. The missing link of the trail is a mile-and-a-half stretch through one of Ballard’s most industrial parts: the Salmon Bay waterfront. Concern about conflicts between bikes and trucks in the area has led to lawsuits against the city, which have

Boats will soon be forbidden from releasing sewage anywhere in Puget Sound if the state Department of Ecology has its way. The agency is seeking federal protection, asking the EPA to declare the Sound a “no discharge zone” for vessel sewage. Local regulators have been working for years to clean up Puget Sound. State agencies have upgraded wastewater treatment plants, provided funds for repair and maintenance of failing septic systems and worked to prevent polluted storm water runoff from cities

The Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes is among six in the nation that will receive new equipment to reduce toxic air pollution. It’s part of a $425 million settlement for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the deal in Seattle, calling it the largest settlement to date of its kind. The agreement requires installation of new equipment at all six refineries, worth a total more than $400-million. It will reduce