Courtney Flatt, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Salmon Conference Calls For Innovative Solutions To Protect Fish

By Courtney Flatt April 24, 2019

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

What to do with the four Lower Snake River dams and how to best protect imperiled salmon have been a tough questions for decades. They were the focus at a conference on salmon Tuesday at Boise State University’s Andrus Center for Public Policy.Read More

‘Good Fire’ Season: How Land Managers Select Areas For Prescribed Burns

By Courtney Flatt April 15, 2019

A member of the Wolf Creek Hotshots uses a drip torch to ignite the forest floor during a prescribed burn near Sisters, Oregon. CREDIT: JES BURNS

Land managers are using prescribed burns -- also called "good fire" -- and thinning to restore forests and reduce the extra wood, sticks and needles that fuel megafires. Different land managers look for certain things when they’re selecting where prescribed fires will work best.Read More

Western Washington Has A New Wolf Pack, First In Decades

By Courtney Flatt April 6, 2019

A trail camera captures one of the Diobsud Creek wolf pack. The two wolves are the first pack in Western Washington in decades. Courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

There’s a new wolf pack on the western side of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Wildlife officials say it’s the first time they’ve documented a pack there since wolves were wiped out decades ago.Read More

Fuel Producers, Consumers Take Sides On Washington’s Debate Over Lower-Carbon Transportation

By Courtney Flatt March 27, 2019

Tailpipe exhaust is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state and nationwide. CREDIT: RICK BOWMER/AP

Washington lawmakers are developing a low carbon fuels standard. If signed into law, new rules would limit the amount of carbon coming out of car and truck tailpipes. Backers say it’s necessary to combat climate change. Critics say it will increase the price at the pump.Read More

Bird Advocates Question Raven-Killing Plans To Protect Sage Grouse

By Courtney Flatt March 21, 2019

A male greater sage grouse struts its stuff on Bureau of Land Management land in this April 21, 2012, photo. CREDIT: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT/FLICKR

Deep in Oregon’s sagebrush country, there’s one county with an abundance of ravens. Biologists say those ravens like to eat sage grouse eggs, and they’ve come up with plans to take care of the raven problem. That’s got bird advocates questioning whether killing one bird for the sake of another is the right move.Read More

Federal Action Removes Grazing Restrictions Meant To Protect Sage Grouse In Western States

By Courtney Flatt March 15, 2019

A male greater sage grouse struts its stuff on Bureau of Land Management land in this April 21, 2012, photo. Bureau of Land Management

The Trump administration is lifting restrictions meant to protect greater sage grouse across seven western states. In Oregon grazing restrictions are being removed in 13 locations that provide habitat for the imperiled birds.Read More

Genetically Engineered Salmon Swim Closer To Store Shelves, Concerning Tribes And Food Groups

By Courtney Flatt March 13, 2019

By engineering a regular Atlantic salmon, front, with a chinook gene that instructs growth hormones, AquaBounty can produce a faster-growing genetically modified salmon, back. Here's a comparison of the two at the same age. AquaBounty Technologies

Genetically engineered salmon are one step closer to winding up on store shelves, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted an import ban. It’s a move that’s concerning to tribes, food groups and environmentalists.Read More

Study Shows Potential Link Between Parkinson’s And Widely Used Herbicide In Agricultural Regions

By Courtney Flatt March 12, 2019

One of the most heavily relied on herbicides in the nation could be linked to an increase in early deaths Parkinson’s Disease for people who live nearby, according to new research on farmlands in Washington. CREDIT: WA Department of Agriculture, Flickr Creative Commons

One of the country’s most widely-used herbicides could be linked to an increase in early deaths from Parkinson’s disease for people who live near farmlands, according to new research in Washington.Read More

Wolf-Delisting Plan Would Remove Federal Protections In Washington And Oregon

By Courtney Flatt March 6, 2019

This Feb. 2017, file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a gray wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured on a remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in Oregon's northern Wallowa County. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE/AP

President Donald Trump’s acting interior secretary announced plans Wednesday to lift protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48. The move will likely spur controversy in the Northwest.Read More

The Way Deer Escape Wolves Could Change How Hunters Hunt

By Courtney Flatt March 3, 2019

Mule deer taken from a trail camera near Republic, Washington. As wolves return to Washington state, deer have taken notice. Researchers found deer change how they react when wolves are near – and that could eventually change how hunters hunt. Courtesy of the University of Washington

As wolves return to the Northwest, deer have taken notice. Researchers found deer in Washington change how they react when wolves are near – and that could eventually change how hunters hunt.Read More

Washington May Soon Join Its West Coast Neighbors In Mandating Lower Carbon Fuels

By Courtney Flatt February 26, 2019

File photo of tailpipe vehicle emissions. CREDIT: Flickr/eutopication and hypoxia

Washington could soon join the ranks of its West Coast neighbors, requiring fuels at the pump that produce less carbon pollution. A low-carbon fuels bill passed its first big test Monday, moving out of the House Appropriations Committee.Read More

Utility Plans 1st-Of-Its-Kind Renewable Energy Site In Eastern Oregon

By Courtney Flatt February 19, 2019

A wind mill supplies water to a stock tank, surrounded by wind turbines of the Smoky Hills Wind Project near Wilson, Kansas. CREDIT: ORLIN WAGNER/AP

Eastern Oregon may soon be home to a next-generation renewable energy project. Portland General Electric is making plans to build the country’s first large-scale energy facility that combines wind turbines, solar panels and battery storage.Read More

To Save Endangered Species, Conservationists Want You To ‘Wrap It Up’

By Courtney Flatt February 15, 2019

The Center For Biological Diversity is promoting population control with condoms that bear conservation messages.

Before you wrap up that date with your special someone, there’s something else conservationists hope you wrap up as well … for the love of wildlife. They say preventing unplanned pregnancies could actually help save endangered species.Read More

Sweeping Public Lands Bill Would Protect Washington Lands, Waters

By Courtney Flatt February 13, 2019

The U.S. Senate Tuesday passed a sweeping public lands bill, with measures meant to protect lands across the country. It’s expected to have a big impact on Washington’s lands, rivers and more.Read More

Federal, Washington Officials Spar Over Water Quality Regulations At Dams

By Courtney Flatt February 8, 2019

Fish advocates say sending water through spill bays is the best way to ensure fish survival through dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

Washington regulators want water at dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers to meet state standards.Read More

To Help Orcas Catch More Salmon, Washington Plans To Increase Spill At Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 30, 2019

A young resident killer whale chasing a Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091.

In an effort to help imperiled salmon, Washington officials are proposing more water be spilled at dams during fish migration. The hope is that this would also increase the amount of food for orcas in Puget Sound.Read More

Columbia River Salmon Face Another (Previously Underestimated) Threat: Gulls

By Courtney Flatt January 27, 2019

Biologist think gulls are eating more juvenile salmon on the Columbia River than they realized. To help salmon, some fish advocates are proposing to shoot problem gulls during salmon migration. CREDIT: Ronald Woan, Flickr Creative Commons

There are a lot of predators known to eat imperiled salmon, from sea lions to double-crested cormorants. For a long time, biologists thought gulls weren’t a big part of the problem. Now, they say that was a miscalculation.Read More

Voters’ Environmental Support Climbs With Republican Presidents, Study Finds

By Courtney Flatt January 24, 2019

Washington State University sociologist Erik Johnson has found that support for public spending to protect the environment goes down during Democratic presidential administrations. CREDIT: ERIK JOHNSON/WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

If you think environmental policies get more support under Democratic presidents, think again. A new study finds the opposite might actually be true.Read More

Study: Millions Of Americans Could Be Drinking Water High In Nitrates

By Courtney Flatt January 23, 2019

Martin Yanez and his sister Rosalinda Elsa Pina live in the Yakima Valley, near a large dairy. Their well water has high levels of nitrates, which can cause health problems. In the winter Elsa Pina uses extra gallons of water to make caldos, or stews. Boiling water with high levels of nitrates actually concentrates the contamination. CREDIT: ESMY JIMENEZ/NWPB

More people than expected are drinking water that could be harmful to their health. That’s according to a new study that looked at a water contaminate that’s been an issue in one of the Northwest’s most productive farming regions.Read More

Washington Lawmakers Open Debate On Clean Fuel Standard

By Courtney Flatt January 16, 2019

Tailpipe emissions. CREDIT: FLICKR/EUTOPICATION AND HYPOXIA

The gas and diesel you use to fuel your car are some of the biggest sources of greenhouse gasses and air pollution in Washington. Some lawmakers want to change that.Read More

Northwest Utilities Plan For Future As Regional Coal-Power Plants Are Phased Out

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2019

Portland General Electric's coal-fired Boardman Power Plant along the Columbia River. Courtesy PGE

A new federal report shows the amount of coal burned for power has fallen to its lowest point in almost 40 years. That’s because natural gas is cheap, renewable energy is growing and coal plants are shutting down.Read More

As Ryan Zinke Departs Interior, Chances Dim For North Cascades Grizzly Reintroduction

By Courtney Flatt December 23, 2018

This undated file photo provided by the National Park Service shows a grizzly bear walking along a ridge in Montana.National Park Service CREDIT: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

A controversial plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to Washington’s North Cascades will not be finished by the end of the year. Federal officials had pushed to bring grizzlies back to wilder parts of the state. Those efforts have stalled.Read More

Grazing Restrictions Could Be Lifted On Some Of Oregon’s Sage Grouse Habitat

By Courtney Flatt December 7, 2018

The Trump administration wants to reduce restrictions for greater sage grouse across seven states. For the imperiled birds in Oregon, that means fewer grazing restrictions in some specific habitat. The decision has rankled conservation and hunting groups and been supported by ranchers.Read More

Gone Fisher-ing: An Elusive Predator Soon Returns To The North Cascades

By Courtney Flatt December 2, 2018

Fishers were once plentiful across the western United States until fur trappers wiped out their population. CREDIT: GREG DAVIS/OPB

Washington’s North Cascades will soon see the return of a small, weasel-like predator called the fisher. The carnivores have been missing from the area since the 1930s. Biologists hope the reintroduction next week will follow in the footsteps of other successful efforts in Washington.Read More

Conservationists Worry As U.S. House Votes To End Wolf Protections, Senate to Consider

By Courtney Flatt November 16, 2018

The U.S. House passed a bill Friday that would end federal protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. For wolves in the Northwest, that would mean protections fall to state agencies. Read More

From I-90 To North-Central Washington, Bridges And Tunnels Save Animals And Prevent Wrecks

By Courtney Flatt November 12, 2018

A 12-mile stretch of Highway 97 in north-central Washington outside Omak is one of the state’s most dangerous corridors for wildlife collisions. More than 350 deer are hit each year. New wildlife crossings like those seen over Interstate 90 and Snoqualmie Pass may help.Read More

Helicoptering Logs In Yakima Valley For The Northwest’s Largest River Restoration

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

A helicopter is used to fly logs from a staging area to streams that need restoration but are no longer reached by roads. This is the largest stream restoration effort ever in the Northwest. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT

Almost 40 years ago, Scott Nicolai started his stream restoration career taking logs out of the water. A project that’s putting more than 6,000 logs back into remote streams across Central Washington.Read More

More Wolf Kills Authorized By Wildlife Managers In Northeastern Washington

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

This Togo pack wolf, an adult male shown when he was radio-collared in early June, is now marked for death by Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife. CREDIT: WDFW

Washington officials have authorized the killing of wolves in two more of the state’s packs. Conservationists oppose the move. They say it could only worsen wolf-livestock conflicts. The order comes after wildlife officials confirmed wolves preyed on four cows in one attack and six in another this past fall.Read More

Lost No More: Coho Salmon Return To Oregon’s Lostine River After 40 Years

By Courtney Flatt November 2, 2018

Coho salmon have returned to Oregon's Lostine River in late 2018. CREDIT: RICK SWART/OREGON DEPT. OF FISH & WILDLIFE

For the last 40 years, something has been missing from Oregon’s Lostine River: coho salmon. Now, 42 coho have made it to the waters in the last two weeks.Read More

Troubled Oregon Dairy Announces Shut Down

By Courtney Flatt October 26, 2018

A controversial dairy in Oregon has been cited for numerous manure and waste violations. Courtesy of Friends of Family Farmers

A troubled mega-dairy in Oregon has announced its plans to shut down. After racking up multiple environmental violations, Lost Valley Farm’s owner has been fired and a trustee wants to sell the property.Read More

Hanford Workers Get ‘All Clear’ After Shelter Indoors Order During Tunnel-Filling Operation

By Courtney Flatt October 26, 2018

This photo from Hanford shows where workers observed steam from one of the PUREX plant tunnels Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. CREDIT: US DEPT. OF ENERGY

Officials at the Hanford Nuclear Site ordered workers to stay indoors Friday morning as a precaution. They discovered steam rising from an unexpected part of a tunnel filled with highly contaminated waste. By mid-day, officials had announced they found no contamination.Read More

A Rare Political Common Ground: Rooftop Solar

By Courtney Flatt October 19, 2018

New research suggests Democrats and Republicans can find common ground on rooftop solar panels. CREDIT: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LAB

Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, chances are you support rooftop solar. New research suggests there’s a reason why two groups that normally disagree on environmental issues both like certain types of renewable energy.Read More

EPA Must Protect Northwest Salmon From Warming Waters, Judge Rules

By Courtney Flatt October 18, 2018

A federal court ruled Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must come up with a plan to protect salmon from warm water temperatures.Read More

Public Lands Grazing Helps Ranchers, Sage Grouse, Study Says

By Courtney Flatt October 6, 2018

Grazing restrictions on public lands may have unintended consequences for greater sage grouse, according to a recent study. The imperiled birds depend on habitat on both public and private lands, and much of that habitat can be lost when ranching operations go under.Read More

Orcas Need Salmon. Dams Hinder Salmon. Remove Snake River Dams? Feds Say It’s Not So Simple

By Courtney Flatt October 5, 2018

As the Northwest’s killer whales have gained worldwide attention, more calls are being made to bolster the population of salmon they eat. One big way to do that, supporters say, is by removing Lower Snake River dams. But the federal government isn’t so sure that’s the answer.Read More

Washington Ecology Dept. Has Burning Desire To Clean Up Long-Smoldering Pasco Landfill

By Courtney Flatt September 27, 2018

This photo from the 1970s shows various solvents and industrial chemicals that Washington state Ecology officials are trying to clean up in a Pasco Superfund site. CREDIT: WA DOE

After nearly 20 years, a troubled landfill-turned Superfund site outside Pasco may soon have a final cleanup plan. Washington State Department of Ecology managers presented options Wednesday at a public meeting in the Tri-Cities.Read More

Study: Climate Change Hits National Parks Hard. North Cascades Is No Exception

By Courtney Flatt September 25, 2018

A view of the North Cascades view from Eldorado Peak. CREDIT: RICHARD DROKER/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR

Climate change is heating up national parks much faster than the rest of the U.S. That’s according to a first-of-its-kind study that looked all 417 national parks, including those in the Northwest.Read More

In Washington’s Methow Valley, Fire Means Danger, Loss, Smoke And Big Job Prospects

By Courtney Flatt September 19, 2018

Wildfire represents both risk and reward for some small communities in Washington. Walking the line between a "good fire" and a "bad fire" can be tricky.Read More

A Dispute Is Brewing Over Mercury Air Pollution In Columbia River Gorge

By Courtney Flatt August 24, 2018

A view of the Columbia River Gorge. CREDIT: GORD MCKENNA/FLICKR-CREATIVE COMMONS

Two hazardous waste companies operating along the Columbia River are arguing over mercury pollution getting into the air. One company, TD*X, is accusing the other, Chemical Waste Management, of releasing mercury into the air. The report goes on to say regulators aren’t requiring strong pollution controls.Read More

Can Oregon Control The Wild Horse Population? Advocacy Group Says Sterilization Too Dangerous

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2018

Wild horses graze on the Warm Springs reservation in Central Oregon. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

An animal advocacy group says the federal government shouldn’t perform sterilization surgeries on wild horses in southeastern Oregon to control their numbers.Read More

Logging Potential Drove Recommendation On Shrinking Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou Monument

By Courtney Flatt July 25, 2018

A hiker on Soda Mountain in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Courtesy of the BLM

While deciding whether to shrink Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Interior Department officials focused on the land’s logging potential. The information was revealed in mistakenly-released documents.Read More

Amendment Defunding Grizzly Reintroduction In Washington Passes U.S. House

By Courtney Flatt July 23, 2018

An amendment to prevent the relocation of grizzly bears to Washington’s North Cascades has passed the U.S. House. The move is opposed by conservation groups, which say more grizzly bears are needed in the state.Read More

Trump Administration Proposes Changes To Limit Endangered Species Act

By Courtney Flatt July 19, 2018

The Trump administration is proposing key changes to the Endangered Species Act. It’s a move conservation groups say could greatly weaken the way animals and plants are protected.Read More

Washington Salmon Researcher Safe After Wolf Encounter

By Courtney Flatt July 13, 2018

A gray wolf. A salmon researcher had to escape two wolves by climbing a tree. CREDIT: FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS, USFWS - PACIFIC REGION

Thanks to quick thinking, a tree and a helicopter, a salmon researcher in Washington was able to evade two wolves she couldn’t scare off.Read More

Today’s Northwest Wolves Have Roots In Coastal Rainforests And Rocky Mountains

By Courtney Flatt June 18, 2018

A wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured ona remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in northern Wallowa County. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

New genetic research on the Northwest’s wolves finds they descended from a mix of two different types — some from the northern Rocky Mountains and some from coastal rain forests. That means the packs that form in our region have more genetic diversity — a key to survival.Read More

Record Lamprey Return A Cultural Win For Native Tribes

By Courtney Flatt June 18, 2018

The upcoming generation of lamprey harvesters. Henry Begay helps his younger sister, Jackie, scale the slippery rocks at the base of Willamette Falls. CREDIT: IAN MCCLUSKEY

With funding help from the Bonneville Power Administration, the tribes have worked to move lamprey around the dams and up to the Umatilla River. Tribal members were excited when they saw the fish start returning. In 2011, Jackson thought 129 fish in the river was a major step.Read More

Grizzlies Coming Back To North Cascades? What Washington Can Learn From Montana

By Courtney Flatt June 7, 2018

Montana officials immobilization and processing a male grizzly bear that they’re transporting to a remote location. The 3-year-old bear had been wandering close to homes and eating bird seed and garbage. Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

People in Montana say what’s happened with grizzlies in their state could be a guide for Washington, where the bears are in big trouble but on the verge of getting reinforcements.Read More

A Year’s Worth Of Controversy Hasn’t Put This Oregon Dairy Under … Yet

By Courtney Flatt June 1, 2018

A controversial dairy in Oregon has been cited for numerous manure and waste violations. Many people are wondering how problems at Lost Valley Farms got so bad. Courtesy of Friends of Family Farmers

One of the Northwest’s largest dairies has faced some big troubles in its first year of operation. The rise and rapid fall of Lost Valley Farm has deeply frustrated environmentalists and has shocked neighboring farms and fellow dairy operators.Read More

Federal Government Says It Won’t Sell Off Bonneville Power Administration Transmission Lines

By Courtney Flatt May 25, 2018

File photo of the power lines at Bonneville Dam. CREDIT: BRADLEY W. PARKS/OPB

The Trump administration has abandoned its bid to sell off the Pacific Northwest’s publicly owned utility transmission lines, according to Republican members of Congress who were briefed on the decision.Read More

Paradise Lost? Cell Service Coming To Mount Rainier, Despite Pleas To Protect Solitude

By Courtney Flatt May 23, 2018

Mount Rainier National Park could soon have cellphone access at Paradise and on nearby hikes. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL

There won’t be any cell towers — but there could soon be cell signals at the most popular place at Mount Rainier. The National Park Service has decided limited range cell service can be installed at Paradise.Read More

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