Residents worry about helicopters landing regularly near trails, campgrounds and wildlife.
Washington
Posted inArticles
Marijuana in Washington: The long road to legalization
Over a year later, officials are navigating thorny legal issues from taxes to licensure.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
As wildfires get bigger, is there any way to be ready?
After one record-setting wildfire, a Washington county prepares for more.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Plants that burn fastest in a wildfire
Lichen burns cool and quick, while spruce burns slow and hot.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
When the wildfire season never ends
As fire season gets longer, fire managers scramble to keep up.
Posted inArticles
Climate showdown on the Willamette in Oregon
Activists target shipping hubs to influence fossil fuel development in Alaska.
Posted inArticles
Hot times usher in early Northwest wildfire season
While Oregon and Washington broil, the Southwest and Southern Rockies enjoy a welcome reprieve of moisture
Posted inMay 11, 2015: The Wetland Wars
Wins for workers
Western cities lead the national movement for a higher minimum wage.
Posted inArticles
Washington’s Swinomish sue to halt Bakken oil trains
Many communities fight transport of crude oil through their towns; some find legal footing to succeed.
Posted inArticles
Drought persists in the Northwest, despite winter rains
Water supplies and drought outlooks are grim in most Western states.
Posted inMarch 16, 2015: Wild Ride
Latest: A Washington county puts the brakes on a new oil-train facility
In the wake of recent oil-train derailments, Skagit County wants Shell to do a full environmental review.
Posted inArticles
Washington’s wolverines stage tenuous comeback
The carnivores are recolonizing the northern Cascades, but they face an uncertain climate future.
Posted inMarch 2, 2015: Unite and Conquer
Big dig, big disgrace
A new mega-tunnel won’t save Seattle from the tyranny of traffic.
Posted inArticles
After a string of accidents, refinery workers strike for safety
Federal and state investigations have found lax safety practices at oil refineries going back a decade.
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Dry January means more drought across West
After a rainy December, many states now have lower-than-normal snowpacks.
Posted inArticles
Livin’ on the dredge: Army Corps mucks out the Snake
Do the benefits of barge traffic outweigh the cost of dams?
Posted inArticles
Salmon ground is holy ground
As bishop of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, my territory is home to the Columbia River, one of the great rivers of our continent. Whenever I have time and the Spirit allows, I travel throughout this region learning about its history and cultures, and studying its blessings and gifts. In Christian […]
Posted inDecember 22, 2014: The Dust Detectives
The Latest: EPA released final cleanup order for Duwamish River
A million cubic yards of toxic sludge will be dredged from Seattle’s only river.
Posted inArticles
Duwamish River to get $342 million more for cleanup
The EPA’s order aims to undo decades of industrial pollution to Seattle’s only river.
Posted inNovember 24, 2014: Transportation Transformation
Trains carrying oil raise tough questions in Northwest
As crude oil rail shipments increase, residents fear derailments and explosions.