Courtney Flatt, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Conservation Funding For States One Step Closer To Becoming Law

By Courtney Flatt April 7, 2022

A bill moving through Congress could help state wildlife agencies conserve more species, such as the fisher, a member of the weasel family.

A bill that could provide the most significant wildlife funding in 50 years is a little closer to becoming law, according to conservation groups. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act on Thursday passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.Read More

Court Ruling: Navy SEALs Cannot Use WA State Parks For Training

By Courtney Flatt April 2, 2022

A judge ruled against a decision to allow the Navy to use Washington State Parks for covert training. Deception Pass State Park had been on the list of potential training […]Read More

La Carrera Para Salvar A Los Conejos Pigmeos En Peligro De Extinción En Washington

By Courtney Flatt March 31, 2022

Instalación de trampas para capturar conejos pigmeos

Paula Clements, técnica del Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Washington, pone una trampa Tomahawk para atrapar conejos pigmeos. Los investigadores esperan vacunar a los conejos, en peligro de […]Read More

Freshwater Mussels Declining Throughout The Northwest

By Courtney Flatt March 30, 2022

Biologist Jordan Richard pulls a freshwater mussel off the bottom of the Clinch River to see if it's alive. Hundreds of thousands of mussels have perished in the ongoing die-off. CREDIT: Nathan Rott/NPR

The decline of freshwater mussels could have a negative impact of waterways throughout the West CREDIT: Nathan Rott/NPR Listen Courtney Flatt reports on the decline of freshwater mussels in the […]Read More

The Race To Save Endangered Pygmy Rabbits In Washington

By Courtney Flatt March 26, 2022

Paula Clements, a technician with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, sets a tomahawk trap to catch pygmy rabbits. The researchers hope to vaccinate the endangered rabbits before a […]Read More

No Washington Spring Black Bear Hunt In 2022

By Courtney Flatt March 21, 2022

The Fish and Wildlife Commission narrowly rejected a 2022 spring black bear hunt Read Hunters won’t get a chance to hunt for black bears in Washington this spring. The Washington […]Read More

Salmon Release In Hangman Creek ‘a great thing’ For Coeur d’Alene Tribe

By Courtney Flatt March 19, 2022

A line of people pass buckets of summer chinook salmon to be released into Hangman Creek Read Courtney Flatt/Northwest News NetworkCoeur d’ Alene tribal members Bobbie White (left) and Vince […]Read More

Newly Released Data Could Help Fish At Dams Around The World

By Courtney Flatt March 15, 2022

Researchers at PNNL tag young chinook salmon with tags slightly larger than a grain of rice Listen: Northwest News Network’s Courtney Flatt reports on data released that tracks fish and […]Read More

Black Bears Are The Target Of Debate Again In Washington State

By Courtney Flatt March 12, 2022

The debate is on over a 2022 black bear hunting season Listen: Reporter Courtney Flatt reports on debate over a 2022 black bear hunting season in Washington State / Runtime: […]Read More

Study Says Plans Needed To Replace Snake River Dams Power Generation

By Courtney Flatt March 8, 2022

According to a new survey, a majority of people in the Northwest want the four Lower Snake River dams removed.

According to a new report, new forms of energy technology could replace 4 Snake River dams. CREDIT: Bonneville Power Administration Listen Read A new report says renewable energy could replace […]Read More

Northern Pike Suppression Efforts Push Back Invasive Fish In Lake Roosevelt

By Courtney Flatt February 16, 2022

Biologists are catching as many northern pike as they can in Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir held back by the Grand Coulee Dam.

Efforts to keep a toothy, invasive fish behind Grand Coulee Dam are paying off.Read More

New Hope For A Rare Plant At Hanford Reach

By Courtney Flatt January 29, 2022

Wildfires, invasive species and climate change are seriously threatening the Hanford Reach National Monument, and with it, a rare plant that grows only in one place in the world.Read More

Pilot Project Aims To Clean Up Some Central Washington Soil Contamination

By Courtney Flatt January 27, 2022

A Wenatchee sprayer made by A. D. Browning, Wenatchee. Two men, one with bamboo spray pole, and one small boy sitting on top of sprayer pulled by one horse in a fruit orchard in Wenatchee.

New homes built in Central Washington could be constructed on top of old orchards, where soils might contain the remnants of pesticides from the early 1900s.Read More

Washington Commission To Reconsider 2022 Spring Bear Hunt

By Courtney Flatt January 24, 2022

A controversial spring bear hunt in Washington may reopen.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will reconsider a controversial spring bear hunt that the commission had recently postponed.Read More

Firefighters Hope Washington Bill Will Help Remove Toxic Chemicals From Protective Gear

By Courtney Flatt January 24, 2022

A new bill in Washington could help speed the process to regulate toxic chemicals in products such as structural firefighter protective gear.

Firefighters say toxic chemicals in their protective equipment are a big concern and need to be replaced with safer alternatives.Read More

Washington Bill Aims To Stop Controversial Cougar Hunts In Klickitat County

By Courtney Flatt January 19, 2022

A new bill aims to stop a controversial cougar hunting posse in one Washington county.

A new bill in the Washington Senate aims to stop a controversial policy in Klickitat County, where the sheriff deputized six hound handlers to track and kill any cougars he deemed to be a safety threat.Read More

Army Corps Continues To Investigate 30 Steelhead Found Dead Near An Idaho Dam

By Courtney Flatt January 19, 2022

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is investigating numerous steelhead deaths on the North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is continuing its investigation into the deaths of around 30 steelhead trout near Idaho’s Dworshak Dam on the North Fork of the Clearwater River.Read More

Northwest Energy Generation Continues To Green Up

By Courtney Flatt January 13, 2022

Coal plant closures in the Northwest decreased heat-trapping emissions that contribute to climate change. The Boardman Power Plant closed in October 2020.

Coal plant closures in the Northwest and an increase in natural gas generation meant fewer heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions recently contributed to climate change, according to new data from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.Read More

Around 30 Steelhead Found Dead Near Idaho’s Dworshak Dam

By Courtney Flatt January 13, 2022

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is investigating numerous steelhead deaths on the North Fork of the Clearwater River in Idaho. Pictured here, an adult steelhead jumps in a holding pond at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery.

The Army Corps of Engineers is investigating whether the start-up of Dworshak Dam’s turbines are responsible for the deaths of around 30 steelhead, according to a press release from the Army Corps.Read More

Lethal Removal, Range Rider Concerns Raised At Washington Wolf Advisory Group Meeting

By Courtney Flatt January 9, 2022

For the first time, a wolf wearing a radio collar traveled south of Interstate-90 into Washington’s Southern Cascade Mountains. Photo Credit: Eric Kilby Flickr – Tinyurl.Com/Gngh5n7 Listen Read For the […]Read More

Good Ocean Conditions Could Be Good News For Salmon, NOAA Says

By Courtney Flatt January 5, 2022

A small fish is held in the palm of a hand.

Fish swimming out to sea over the past year have lucked into some of the best water temperatures and food abundance along the West Coast in the last 24 years, according to an analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began monitoring ocean conditions.Read More

Yakima Water Woes Need More Storage Options, Advocacy Group Says

By Courtney Flatt December 23, 2021

The view of Bumping Lake from the bank near Chris Maykut's cabin. A Yakima Basin water plan could enlarge the central Washington lake, which would flood a small, shoreline community.

Climate change is forcing creative water storage options in the Yakima River Basin to ensure enough water for fish, cities and farmers. Read More

New Survey Shows Support For Snake River Dams, In Contrast To Earlier Survey

By Courtney Flatt December 23, 2021

Two surveys about breaching the Snake River dams show opposing results.Read More

How Melting Sea Ice Increases Wildfire Risk In The Northwest

By Courtney Flatt December 17, 2021

New atmospheric research has found melting sea ice in the Arctic increases the risks for wildfires on the West Coast.

Recent atmospheric research may help Northwest forest managers better prepare for wildfires.Read More

Will A Shad Horde Take Over The Columbia River?

By Courtney Flatt December 15, 2021

A close-up of an American shad against a black background.

Columbia River fish could have another challenge to their ecosystem. Growing numbers of American shad could challenge salmon and steelhead.Read More

Judges Dismiss Long-Running Court Case Over Sacred Site In Oregon

By Courtney Flatt November 26, 2021

From left to right, hereditary chief Wilbur Slockish, tribal elder Carol Logan, and hereditary chief Johnny Jackson. The tribal leaders sued the federal government after a sacred site near Mount Hood was destroyed during a highway safety project.

A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit from Yakama Nation and Grand Ronde tribal leaders, who claimed a 2008 highway expansion destroyed a sacred site near Mount Hood.Read More

Smaller Fish Tags To Help Sockeye Studies Above Grand Coulee Dam

By Courtney Flatt November 26, 2021

New, tiny batteries, designed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will allow researchers to better study young sockeye salmon above Grand Coulee Dam, part of reintroduction efforts for salmon in the Upper Columbia River.

Soon, it could be easier to track young sockeye salmon around dams.Read More

More Lynx Are Coming Soon To Washington’s Kettle Range

By Courtney Flatt November 23, 2021

A Canada lynx is released into Washington's Kettle River Range. The Colville Tribes are relocating lynx from Canada, with a goal of transporting 10 lynx per year.

This winter, the Kettle River Range in north-central Washington will be a little more wild.Read More

Washington Pauses Controversial Spring Bear Hunt

By Courtney Flatt November 22, 2021

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission suspended the 2022 spring bear hunt season after a split vote to authorize the controversial hunt.

Spring bear hunts in Washington are postponed for 2022, following a vote of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in a meeting on Friday.Read More

Tribes Ask For More Support For Salmon Reintroduction To The Upper Columbia

By Courtney Flatt November 17, 2021

Casey Baldwin, a research scientist with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, points out a salmon nest, or redd, on the Sanpoil River.

Upper Columbia tribes want help to continue reintroducing salmon above Grand Coulee Dam.Read More

Long-Running Battle Over A Sacred Tribal Site At Mount Hood Back In Court

By Courtney Flatt November 17, 2021

Tribal leaders from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde said that the federal government knowingly destroyed a sacred religious site near Mount Hood in 2008 when it bulldozed the area for a highway safety project. The long-running case over religious freedom was back in court Tuesday.Read More

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