In response to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Rivers, the National Marine Fisheries Service has made an initial finding that Endangered Species Act protections may be warranted for Washington coast Chinook salmon. The agency will initiate a status review for Washington coast spring-run and fall-run salmon populations.
Two new research studies describe the increasing accuracy of specialized scientific models in forecasting changes in the ocean up to a year in advance.
NOAA this month announced the availability of up to $106 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund for Pacific salmon and steelhead recovery and conservation projects. This funding — which includes funding from the Infrastructure Law — will support state and tribal salmon restoration projects and activities to protect, conserve and restore these fish populations and their habitats.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on a draft recovery plan for the lower 48 distinct population segment of Canada lynx, informed by an updated species status assessment.
North America’s 2021 heat wave was Washington’s deadliest weather-related disaster, claiming over 100 lives in the evergreen state and many others in neighboring regions. Scientists not only suggest that such heat waves will grow more intense and strike more often—in new work, they reveal the underlying mechanism behind these strengthened heat waves.
Even in the precipitation-heavy Pacific Northwest, more frequent heatwaves are threatening a key source of water supply.
A draft agreement mediated by the Biden Administration outlining investments in Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead recovery that was to remain confidential until mid-December was leaked early this week by Washington and Oregon members of Congress.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced its final rule to list the distinct population segment of the North American wolverine in the contiguous U.S. as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Earlier this month, crews put the final touches on the removal of the Copco No. 2 Dam and its diversion infrastructure on the Klamath River.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investing $31,768,530 million in projects and programs to reduce toxics in fish and water in the Columbia River Basin.
More than 93% of young Chinook safely passed Rocky Reach Hydroelectric Project last spring, says Chelan PUD. The results represent the most successful survival study of yearling Chinook in the 21-year history of the Rocky Reach Habitat Conservation Plan.
The Bonneville Power Administration says it ended fiscal year 2023 on solid financial footing, exceeding expectations of previous quarterly forecasts that indicated the agency would miss net revenues and expense targets. The agency’s annual report describes how the agency bounced back in the fourth quarter, offsetting cost pressures primarily from the 13th driest year on record.
Oregon U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced this week a total of $4.1 million in federal investments from the Infrastructure Law are heading to the Crooked River Watershed Council and the Deschutes Land Trust. The funds are intended to boost collaborative projects focusing on water conservation, management, and restoration efforts. In addition, the Oregon Water Resources Department announced grants for four significant water conservation projects in Central Oregon.
Conservation groups this week filed an appeal asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to order the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft enforceable rules that limit when the state can kill endangered wolves for conflicts with livestock.
Forest modeling by Oregon State University scientists shows that a site’s productivity – an indicator of how fast trees grow and how much biomass they accumulate – is the main factor that determines which time period between timber harvests allows for maximum above-ground carbon sequestration.
A Pacific County judge has sentenced a recreational fisherman to 50 days in jail, fined him $1,500, and imposed a five-year fishing license suspension for repeat salmon snagging violations, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
More than 15 Northwest Tribal Nations gathered in early November to share stories about salmon, orca, water, and the land — and to demand the federal government uphold Tribal treaty obligations to recover and restore salmon in the Snake River and Columbia River Basin.
The thousands of double-crested cormorants nesting on the 5-mile-long Astoria-Megler Bridge in the Columbia River estuary that are damaging the bridge, causing safety problems and eating more salmon and steelhead smolts must go, according to a value engineering study led by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Idaho completed a 10-day treatment to rid a sixteen-mile section of the mid-Snake River near Twin Falls of quagga mussel larvae (veligers) and at least two adult mussels. The state says the treatment was largely successful, although it and other partners will continue to test for at least the next five years.
The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) released this week finds that the impacts of weather extremes — exacerbated by climate change — are far-reaching across every region of the United States. And it indicates a warming future threatens Northwest salmon recovery.
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted a petition submitted by the Yurok, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Puyallup Tribes, which asked EPA to develop regulations that prohibit the use of the chemical 6PPD in tires due to the lethal effects on salmon, steelhead trout, and other wildlife.
The Department of the Interior this week announced $51 million provided by the two-year-old Infrastructure Law for 30 new Environmental Water Resource Projects in 11 states through the Bureau of Reclamation, including multi-million dollar projects in Oregon, Idaho and Washington that will aid fish protection and restoration.
The U.S. Department of Justice this month announced a proposed settlement valued at approximately $33.2 million to compensate for natural resource injuries that resulted from hazardous substance releases and oil discharges into the Willamette River and Portland Harbor in Oregon.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-OR, who represents eastern, central and southern Oregon is requesting the White House Council on Environmental Quality release documents related to CEQ’s role in mediation and settlement discussions regarding the Lower Snake River Dams.
The public was split at a listening session this week on whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should deauthorize hydroelectric turbines at its projects on the Willamette River, according to a small number of people who testified at the first of the Corps’ three listening sessions this week.
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
