Ashley Ahearn, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Snow Melts, Anxiety Rises: Wildfire Season Is Here

By Ashley Ahearn May 1, 2019

Elise Walker poses for a portrait with her Great Pyrenees, Mina, on Monday, April 22, 2019, at her home on Old Highway 97 in Okanogan. Walker has three scanners in her home playing at all times to monitor fire calls. CREDIT:KUOW PHOTO/MEGAN FARMER

As wildfires become more frequent and intense, the disappearance of snow now ushers in a season of higher anxiety for those who have experienced the destruction of wildfire. And this spring feels particularly ominous, with water levels in ponds and lakes already exposing bathtub rings of pale earth that wouldn’t normally be visible until the end of the dry summer months.Read More

Washington’s I-1631 Is Latest In Long Line Of Attempts At Nation’s First-Ever Carbon Tax

By Ashley Ahearn November 5, 2018

Rancher Dave Creveling believes the cost of a new Washington state carbon fee would be passed along to rural people like him if voters approve it. CREDIT: ASHLEY AHEARN

Ballot Initiative 1631 is the latest in a string of failed legislative efforts in the state to charge polluters for the carbon they are emitting. This initiative is the first of its kind nationally because of the billions of dollars it would generate—and it's become one of the most expensive ballot initiative fights in Washington history.Read More

Four Years After Carlton Complex Devastated Okanogan County, What Have We Learned?

By Ashley Ahearn August 17, 2018

In this July 24, 2014, the remains of structures that were destroyed by wildfires near Pateros, Wash. The Carlton Complex fire was the largest in Washington State history. CREDIT: AP IMAGES/TED S. WARREN

For people living in the “wildland-urban interface,” wildfire risk is the new normal, and the risk is increasing as more people move into places where cul-de-sac meets forest or sagebrush. Read More