06/30/2009 Protection sought again for giant, sweet-smelling worm Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the species.

Wash. receives $16.4M for coastal restoration
Washington state will receive about $16.4 million in federal stimulus money to restore damaged wetlands, reopen fish passages and improve habitat for threatened salmon.

06/29/2009 Baby heron that fell from nest rescued A Tacoma woman came to the rescue when a baby heron bounced out of its nest and was headed for trouble.

06/26/2009 Weather to blame for statewide mosquito boom Tests on spring mosquitoes in eastern Washington have already come back positive for West Nile.

Juanita Beach closed until further notice The city says the swimming area may not be safe, since water samples showed high levels of bacteria.

Frog expert has message for Washington residents Dr. Kerry Kriger is in Washington state to spread the word about his specialty: frogs.

EPA says Monsanto mine violates law
Federal regulators say an Idaho mine that Monsanto Co. depends on to make its Roundup weed killer has violated federal and state water quality laws, sending selenium and other heavy metals into the region's streams.

06/25/2009 Tips for successful food recycling Here's a few tips to make your food and yard waste less appealing to critters as the weather heats up. Keep smells, mess to a minimum

06/24/2009 WA air quality risk among worst in nation A new air quality study shows pollution in Washington state may be putting residents at a higher risk of health problems.

Air has elevated cancer risk in 600 neighborhoods Many people across the country are breathing concentrations of toxic air pollutants that put them at a much greater risk of contracting cancer, according to new data from the EPA.

Recycling refrigerators saves money and the environment
Seattle City Light is looking to dramatically increase the number of old "second fridges" their customers recycle.

• Seattle City Light offering rebates

06/23/2009 Future uncertain for Tacoma waterfront homes The Port of Tacoma wants to demolish a handful of waterfront homes known as the "Marine View Nine."

Army Corps says seepage at King Co. dam moving 'very fast' The Army Corps of Engineers says there could be internal erosion on the Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River.

$1,000 reward for info on dead, missing loons The Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office is investigating a case involving a dead male loon and missing chick on Yokum Lake.

Seattle's biodiesel producer hoping for a comeback A Seattle-based biodiesel producer that soared to economic prosperity in the first part of this decade has taken it on the chin over the last two years.

06/19/2009 Old analog TV's dumped in forests, streams A group that specializes in cleaning up garbage says the problem has gotten worse with the DTV switch. There are free, legal places to go

Butcher now making house calls A new mobile slaughterhouse will serve Western Washington's thriving organic meat industry. Meat will get USDA certification

06/18/2009 Climate change report devotes chapter to Alaska A new White House report on climate change says temperatures in Alaska have climbed at twice the rate of the rest of the nation over the last half-century.

Seattle cutting back on biodiesel The city is concerned that soy-based biodiesel causes more greenhouse gas impact. Looking for an alternative

06/17/2009 Two businesses share green vision In Seattle's Fremont district, two businesses have one common vision: to make the world a greener place and their wallets greener at the same time.

State prisons 'go green' to save more than planet Officials say recycling, conserving water and composting at state prisons could save millions of dollars in taxpayer money.

Oregon Coast Range forest may get federal protection
Oregon congressional members have proposed new protections for three areas in southwest Oregon.

Issaquah considering Styrofoam ban Following Seattle’s lead, Issaquah may soon ban Styrofoam products from restaurants and other food-related businesses within city limits.

06/16/2009 Fight over Dosewallips road continues A stretch of a popular forest road on the west side of Hood Canal was lost to a raging Dosewallips River in 2002. The road is still not repaired and the fight over what to do next is heating up.

Seattle Aquarium seal leaving on mission to save species Issac, a Northern Fur Seal, is moving to Boston in hopes of expanding the species that is now listed as "depleted."

06/15/2009 Fire bosses preparing for tough WA season With 27 straight days of no rain, Western Washington firefighters say there's lots of fuel for a big fire. 3-year cycle reaching peak

06/13/2009

Bainbridge sewage pipe leaked more than thought
New estimates say a corroded Bainbridge Island sewage pipe leaked about twice as much untreated sewage on the beach last week as originally estimated.

06/12/2009 Sockeye fishing season unlikely Early returns of sockeye salmon through the Lake Washington Ship Canal Fish Ladder appear dismal, making prospects unlikely for a summer sockeye fishing season.

Teen creates hybrid cardboard/plastic water bottle After learning of the danger accumulating plastic is having on the ocean, Jordan Steeves came up with a unique new product.

Scientists: 'Supervolcano' possibly brewing under Mount St. Helens New Zealand scientists say a huge pool of partially molten rock could be sitting under the mountain. Local scientists a bit more skeptical

06/10/2009 Greater Victoria to stop flushing untreated sewage After decades of complaints, the British Columbia capital of Victoria plans to stop flushing millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the waters between Vancouver Island and Washington state.

06/11/2009 Dead fish in Lake WA prompt concern The Department of Ecology is getting phone calls inquiring about tiny, dead fish showing up in Lake Washington. It seems shocking, but it's just nature doing its thing.

06/10/2009 Research suggests winds dying down The wind, a favorite power source of the green energy movement, seems to be dying down across the United States. And the cause, ironically, may be global warming - the very problem wind power seeks to address.

06/09/2009 Tre Arrow settles into Oregon halfway house The radical environmentalist and arsonist flew into Portland today and bicycled to a halfway house where he'll finish his prison sentence.

06/08/2009 Seattle preparing for electric vehicles By the time Nissan Corporation launches its new all electric vehicle in 2010, Seattle will already have a system in place to help owners charge up.

06/04/2009 Effort under way to save famed climbing wall A group in Index, Wash. has 18 months to come up with the money needed to save the Index Lower Town Wall, a favorite climbing spot.

Edmonds ready to ban free plastic bags Another vote will be required before the ban becomes law.

06/03/2009 Wooden pipes are common in the Northwest The recent failure of a 30-year-old sewer pipe on Bainbridge Island raises questions about the age of other sewer systems.

Energy Northwest considers more nuclear power A quarter century after its ambitious plan to build five nuclear plants crumbled into a punch line for government incompetence, a regional power consortium in the Pacific Northwest is quietly shopping the idea of building another reactor.

06/02/2009 Wildlife agents pull arrow out of sea lion It took weeks, but the arrow is no longer sticking out of a giant and grumpy sea lion. Slide show

Conservation groups sue over gray wolf delisting
Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit today to have wolves in Idaho and Montana put back on the endangered species list.

Dry spell means early fire season While most of us are enjoying the warm weather, this unusual spring dry spell could mean an early fire season. Small fires already starting

06/01/2009 Bird group claims feral cat program is killing birds The group claims that because of a widely used neutering program, feral cats are being allowed to kill millions of songbirds.

05/31/2009 Mount Redoubt quieter but still busy The volcano has quietly continued to ooze lava from its vent, creating a massive hardened dome that could blow at any moment and unleash another ash fall on Southcentral Alaska.

05/30/2009 Free e-cycling event draws a crowd Kenny Becker's SBK Recycling turned Curtis High School's parking lot into a makeshift dump today. He wants all new or used electronics, no matter how old.

05/29/2009 Ballard filmmakers focus on new ocean threat Sven Huseby and his wife are premiering their film, A Sea Change. The film addresses a newly recognized threat to the world's oceans: acidification.

05/28/2009 Obama moves to curb road-building in forests The Obama administration is ordering a one-year moratorium on most road-building and other development on about 50 million acres of remote national forests.

Dance group brings the forest to the stage The show "Biome," debuting in Seattle, is a collaboration of a San Francisco dance group and a Western Washington professor. Spent weeks dancing in the forest

House approves Oregon marine reserves
The Oregon House has approved establishment of Oregon's first two marine reserves, and funding to keep discussions going on creation of four others.

Obama calls for ban on road-building in forests Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a directive Thursday reinstating for one year a Clinton-era ban against new road construction in national forests.

05/27/2009 Young hawks relocated from nests near Sea-Tac Airport Bird experts today moved several baby redtail hawks from their nests in an effort to keep both the birds and airline passengers safe. Raw video of young birds

05/26/2009 Woodinville rescue group greening up the greyhound world A Woodinville organization that rescues retired racing dogs ended up on an eco-friendly track.

05/25/2009 Westport sea lion shot with arrow A large sea lion is cruising through the marina with an arrow sticking out of its side, and federal wildlife officials want to know who's responsible.

05/24/2009 Boat checks aimed at stopping aquatic invasive species Boaters heading to Washington waterways may encounter new mandatory stops by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

05/22/2009 Study: Some plastic bottles emit toxic chemical Scientists say some hard-plastic drinking bottles transmit potentially dangerous chemicals to the human body.

05/21/2009 Gregoire signs order to reduce greenhouse gases The state of Washington and a congressional committee today took big steps on the climate change front. Seattleites rally

05/20/2009 Unique research voyage to set sail from Seattle The Ocean Watch is a unique sailing vessel that will become a floating platform for science research as it circumnavigates the Americas.

05/21/2009 Mandatory boat checks to stop aquatic invasive species Starting Memorial Day weekend, boaters heading to Washington waterways may encounter new mandatory stops by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to check for aquatic invasive species.

05/20/2009 Washington inland waters could be named 'Salish Sea' The proposal would not rename Puget Sound and two neighboring straits, it would simply group them together.

05/19/2009 Judge to Feds: Protect salmon now A U.S. District Judge told federal agencies to do more to help Columbia Basin salmon survive or he will find the latest restoration plan in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

05/18/2009 Kitsap bee population still buzzing Bee enthusiasts say that honeybees are thriving in Kitsap County despite the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" afflicting hives nationwide.

05/16/2009 Salmon opener yields mixed result The opening of the Copper River salmon season has exceeded expectations for red salmon, but fewer kings than anticipated were caught by commercial fishermen.

03/09/2009 Inside the search for Washington's wolves For the first time in nearly a century, a wolf pack is leaving tracks in the snow-covered Cascades. It's an unexpected return that will bring sudden changes to the scenic Methow Valley.