A much-awaited report said removing the four Lower Snake River dams shouldn't happen right now, but dam removal is the best way to protect Snake River salmon.Read More
Environment
Two Pacific lamprey have made history. The eel-like fish have made it past the Soda Springs Dam on Oregon’s North Umpqua River.Read More
Even with smoke, you can breathe easier. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have practical tips to keep the air clean inside homes despite the smoke in Northwest skies.Read More
A federal study ordered by Congress concluded it would be feasible to reintroduce sea otters to the Oregon and northern California coasts. However, that finding doesn't mean the super-cute predators will be relocated into their former ocean habitat anytime soon.Read More
Up on a hilltop in Yakima County, Carole Degrave used to spend hours outside, watching wildlife, eating an apple, and enjoying the calm. In her backyard, wind chimes blow softly in the breeze. A 30-year-old apricot tree shades the center of her yard.Read More
Checking every inch of a streambed for freshwater mussels requires a snorkel and a wetsuit. It’s a messy job, but it’s vitally important as these keystone species are declining throughout the West.Read More
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are tagging and releasing lamprey to learn more about their journey to sea from inland rivers.Read More
To recover healthy salmon populations, one or more of the Snake River dams must be breached, in addition to other actions, according to a new draft report released Tuesday by federal officials.Read More
Part 1: To Unravel Some Of The Ocean’s Mysteries, Scientists Head To Sea At least twice a year, scientists board the Bell M. Shimada, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]Read More
Storing renewable energy is critical in the Northwest. A draft review for the region’s largest proposed energy storage project is available for public comment.Read More
The Bell M. Shimada is designed to gather scientific information. But the collaborative effort of the crew and officers makes scientific endeavors at sea possible.Read More
One single-celled oceanic organism could provide big answers to questions about climate change.Read More
Phytoplankton make up an extremely important part of the ocean’s food chain, serving as food for organisms that feed young salmon and other fish in the ocean.Read More
Scientists aboard the Bell M. Shimada keep an eye out for whales. One scientist hopes to help predict where whales will show up by studying the food they eat.Read More
At least twice a year, a team of scientists on NOAA's research vessel Bell M. Shimada survey waters along the Washington and Oregon coast.Read More
Breaching the dams would be the best way to remove Snake River salmon runs from the Endangered Species List and the best way to maintain treaty and trust obligations with tribes, according to the report. It could cost from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion.Read More
Eastern Washington is in for another hot, dry summer. But – spring rains mean the west side of the state will no longer face a drought.Read More
The place where salmon spend most of their lives also is the place scientists know the least about: the ocean.Read More
Fewer people in the Northwest are learning to hunt, which causes funding problems for state fish and wildlife departments. To solve the funding problem, experienced hunters are teaching newbies how to get involved in the sport.Read More
A recent salmon field trip has helped students become more curious about salmon.Read More
The Washington State Parks Commission says it wants more Black community members to enjoy the outdoors.Read More
Bringing salmon back to the Upper Columbia River will take a lot of time and a lot of money, according to the Upper Columbia United Tribes.Read More
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
Concerns about habitat for the Marbled Murrelet may have touched off the current fight for legacy forests / Photo: USFWS Listen NWPB’s Lauren Gallup continues her series “The Fight For […]Read More
The Washington Department of Natural Resources manages 3 million acres of forest land / Photo by Olena Sergienko, Unsplash In this Facebook Live Reporter Debrief, Northwest Public Broadcasting reporter Lauren […]Read More
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
A battle is raging over how the DNR is managing and selling logging rights to state forest lands Listen NWPB reporter Lauren Gallup introduces us to her 8-part series on […]Read More
Efforts to keep a toothy, invasive fish behind Grand Coulee Dam are paying off.Read More
Gangs of wild elk are attacking farmers’ haystacks in Washington and Oregon. They’re hungry, after a long drought and record mountain snow this winter has driven animals down to the lowlands. Climate scientists say things may only get worse in the future.Read More
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
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
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will reconsider a controversial spring bear hunt that the commission had recently postponed.Read More
Firefighters say toxic chemicals in their protective equipment are a big concern and need to be replaced with safer alternatives.Read More
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
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
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
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
Climate change is forcing creative water storage options in the Yakima River Basin to ensure enough water for fish, cities and farmers. Read More
Two surveys about breaching the Snake River dams show opposing results.Read More
Recent atmospheric research may help Northwest forest managers better prepare for wildfires.Read More
Columbia River fish could have another challenge to their ecosystem. Growing numbers of American shad could challenge salmon and steelhead.Read More
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
Soon, it could be easier to track young sockeye salmon around dams.Read More
This winter, the Kettle River Range in north-central Washington will be a little more wild.Read More
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
Upper Columbia tribes want help to continue reintroducing salmon above Grand Coulee Dam.Read More
Whiskey isn’t just for drinking anymore. A new craft whiskey is turning the old saying: “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting,” on its head. This whiskey is fighting to save salmon.Read More
One family’s continuous wildfire preparation paid off this summer in North Central Washington.Read More
Washington’s state vehicles soon will plug in instead of gas up.Read More
Whale watchers have spotted a record number of humpback calves in inland Pacific Northwest waters this season. There was also a record streak of Bigg's killer whale sightings that just ended, according to a local whale research nonprofit. Those observations offer some good news to offset the ongoing concern about the survival of the Northwest's iconic, but critically Read More
