Olympic National Park Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Seven fires burning in Olympic National Park; one evidence of what could come with climate change

By Lauren Gallup September 20, 2023

Smoke plume from Delabarre Fire on Sept. 16, 2023. (Courtesy: InciWeb)

Visible from the smoke they’re emitting, seven fires are burning within the wilderness of Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. Lightning strikes ignited the fires Aug. 28 and all were burning relatively small until this past weekend, when the Delabarre fire took advantage of hot, dry conditions and took off like a bandit, growing to over 3,500 acres. Read More

Tales of the forests through which we tromp

By Lauren Gallup August 30, 2023

Olympic National Park, summertime, sun cascading through trees. // CREDIT: Lauren Gallup NWPB

Moss drapes over trees in Olympic National Park like the table dressings of fairies and the blankets of sprites. This place inspires writers — from amateurs to poets to public radio reporters — and welcomes visitors each year into its majesty. Our national parks tend to do that; be places of awe-inspiring beauty, great adventures through bushwhacking and overnights Read More

Dead Gray Whale Found On Olympic Coast Is 24th On Pacific Northwest Beaches This Year

By Tom Banse May 24, 2019

Responders examine a malnourished adult gray whale on April 15, 2019 after it was towed to a remote beach after initially being found floating near downtown Seattle. CREDIT: CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

Olympic National Park said a decomposing gray whale washed ashore Friday morning north of Kalaloch Campground. That makes the 24th dead whale stranding in Oregon and Washington this year during the northbound migration.Read More

Local Impacts From Partial Government Shutdown Shouldn’t Be Too Bad — For Now

By Tom Banse December 22, 2018

File photo. Mount Rainier National Park was closed for 16 days in October 2013 during a government shutdown. TOM BANSE / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

National parks would be affected. The contingency plan for the National Park Service says to stop plowing roads. Given the current wintry weather, that would close Crater Lake and Mount Rainier National Parks in short order. Fort Clatsop would be likely to close too.Read More

Porcupines And Hares Beware! Weasel-Like Fishers Return To North Cascades

By Tom Banse December 7, 2018

Fishers are among the lesser known carnivores native to Pacific Northwest forests. CREDIT: JOHN JACOBSON / WDFW, FILE PHOTO.

An elusive carnivore in the weasel family is roaming free in Washington’s North Cascades for the first time in at least 70 years.Read More

Nearly 100 Olympic Mountain Goats Moved To North Cascades; 11 Dead After First Relocation

By Tom Banse September 28, 2018

A young male mountain goat rested in its crate shortly before release Wednesday. CREDIT: TOM BANSE / NW NEWS NETWORK

The eye-catching scenes of mountain goats flying through the air under helicopters, riding in refrigerated trucks and taking ferries to new homes are done for the year. Roundups and relocations of non-native Olympic National Park goats will resume next year.Read More

When Goats Fly! Olympic Range Mountain Goats Relocated By Helicopter To North Cascades

By Tom Banse September 13, 2018

Wildlife biologists have relocated the first two dozen of hundreds of non-native mountain goats slated for removal from Olympic National Park. The logistically-challenging capture and transfer of the woolly wild animals to the northern Cascade Range has been periodically slowed by weather this week.Read More

Listening For The Sound Of Silence In Washington’s Hoh Rain Forest

By NPR News August 16, 2018

Matt Mikkelsen carries "Fritz," his microphone system, to the path in the Hoh Rain Forest that leads to One Square Inch of Silence in Washington's Olympic National Park. CREDIT: SAMIR S. PATEL

In 2005, when Gordon Hempton founded One Square Inch of Silence, he designated a spot, a few miles up the Hoh River Trail into the rain forest, the quietest place in the U.S. and marked it with a small, red stone. "In a place like this your auditory horizon isn't just 1 or 2 miles," he says. "You can hear everything that's happening in this valley.Read More

Now There’s A Plan To Relocate Or Kill The Olympics’ Non-Native Mountain Goats

By Courtney Flatt May 4, 2018

Mountain goats entering a campsite in Olympic National Park. CREDIT: MAUREEN PARK

Mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains could soon be a thing of the past. The non-native goat population has rapidly grown over the past 14 years — to a point where it now could put hikers at risk and damage sensitive vegetation in the subalpine landscape.Read More

National Park Service To ‘Modestly’ Raise Entrance Fees In Plan To Cut Repair Backlog

By NPR News April 13, 2018

The National Park Service will increase entrance fees at 117 national parks by at least $5. The increases are far smaller than had previously been proposed by the Trump administration.Read More

Study: Olympic National Park Among Best Places To Bring Back Gray Wolves

By Courtney Flatt March 19, 2018

One of the most ideal places in the world to bring back gray wolves is right here in the Northwest, according to a new study. Researchers have found bringing the large carnivores back to the Olympic National Park could greatly help the ecosystem — and the predators.Read More

Olympic National Park Inches Ahead On Mountain Goat Control Plan

By Tom Banse July 24, 2017

Olympic National Park is inching ahead on a plan to reduce or eliminate its population of non-native mountain goats. A draft plan released Monday for public comment includes options to relocate or […]Read More