Volatile wildfire 'devastates' Douglas County community east of Lake Chelan
Firefighters have scaled back the Chelan Hills Fire to about 9,400 acres after it surged to 20,000 acres overnight, but authorities say danger remains.
New ‘fish bubbler’ could help migrating salmon survive hot summer water
A new technology could be a cost effective, simple way to help salmon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed “fish bubblers” at several dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
People all over Washington are using this planting method to adapt to a changing climate
Tiny, pocket forests are sprouting up all around Washington state: on old, abandoned fields and in people’s backyards. They’re meant to mimic nature – and to grow quickly and increase biodiversity.
Crews strengthen lines on Kartar Fire | Free | omakchronicle.com
OMAK — Firefighters continued suppression efforts Saturday on the Kartar Fire, which has burned 11,706 acres in the Kartar Valley and Omak Lake area on the Colville Reservation since it started June 16.
WA governor’s office warns agencies to prepare for ‘significant budget shortfalls’ • Washington State Standard
State agency leaders received a dire warning from Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday that they’re headed toward “what will likely be the most challenging budget any of us has yet faced.”“There will be significant budget shortfalls next biennium in both operating and transportation budgets,” the governor’s budget director, K.D. Chapman-See wrote in a three-page memo.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Unveils New Conservation Priorities to Keep Working Lands in Working Hands | Natural Resources Conservation Service
Wildfires surround Tri-Cities: Evacuations, Washington strike teams and aerial firefighting - The Columbian
Firefighters were scrambling to fight fires across Benton and Franklin counties and the western edge of Walla Walla County over the weekend, with the start of summer still a week away.
Twin Sisters fire in Walla Walla County grows to over 3,600 acres
State assistance was called out Sunday morning to Walla Walla County to help fight a blaze near U.S. Highway 730 that grew to more than 3,600 acres by late afternoon, according to an update from the National Interagency Fire Center.
El Nino forms; by winter, odds are it will be ‘very strong’ | Capital Press
Condition could produce warm temperatures and low snowpacks A weak El Nino has formed, but by winter it could be “very strong,” according to the National Weather Service, increasing the […]
Risk period for big Western fires arriving early | Capital Press
The high-risk period for big wildfires in the West is coming early in many locations as summer’s expected above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall follow paltry snowpack and a largely dry […]
Forecasters see Northwest as summer’s hot spot | Capital Press
El Nino is likely to form soon The Pacific Northwest has the best chance among all U.S. regions of having a hotter-than-average summer, the National Weather Service said May 21. […]
Secrets of the bees: Revealing the sneaky genius of nature's brightest thinkers | National Geographic
New science is showing that nature’s vital pollinators are smarter than we ever imagined. Here’s why that discovery should change what we think about one of the world’s most important animals.
El Niño is coming, chances rising it will be historically strong | CNN
El Niño is emerging even faster than expected in the Pacific Ocean and odds are increasing that it could become historically strong — a rare “Super” El Niño — by fall or winter.
USDA to survey 90,000 U.S. farmers | Capital Press
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will contact more than 90,000 producers to determine crop acreage and stock levels for its June Agricultural Survey. “The June Agricultural Survey is one of […]
Thurston County warns of microcystins at Lake Lawrence | The Olympian
Thurston County issued a toxic algae advisory for Lake Lawrence after microcystin levels tested 45.9 µg/L; avoid water, keep pets away, and don't eat lake fish.
Washington Ecology describes what it considers ideal farming | Capital Press
The Washington Department of Ecology has finished a 12-chapter paper on agricultural “best management practices,” a years-long project that walks a fine line between advice and rules. Ecology titles the […]
Forest Service plan to close research stations stokes fear as wildfire season approaches • Stateline
The U.S. Forest Service’s plan to close scores of research stations could threaten the nation’s wildfire readiness, many foresters fear, and erode decades of work to understand timber production, soil health, pests and diseases, watersheds and wildlife.