A Man And The Orcas

Ken Balcomb (center) watching for orcas in the San Juan Islands. With him are the founders of the Annenberg Foundation's explore.org, Charlie Annenberg (left) and Tom Pollak (right).


by Ashley Ahearn

Former naval officer Ken Balcomb has been studying the endangered orcas of Puget Sound for over 30 years. In a way, they’re his children. When one of them washed up dead in February, Balcomb set out looking for answers. He thinks they lead to his former military branch. New: Orca Death Still Unsolved.


Which Mammals Will Adapt to Climate Change?


by Aaron Kunz

A new climate-change study published Monday surveyed nearly 500 mammals in the western hemisphere. It found that on the whole, mammals that can move quickly to new territory and adapt to human encroachment have good odds of surviving a warming planet. Mammals that stay put may not stick around.


New Research: Hatchery Salmon Posing Problems For Wild Stocks


by Ashley Ahearn

An estimated 5 billion hatchery fish are released into the Pacific Ocean each year. A collection of research released Monday raises concerns about how all those hatchery fish might be competing with wild salmon.


How Northwest Sewage Helps Plants Grow


by Courtney Flatt

If you live in Central Washington, the Portland suburbs or Idaho's capital, then odds are what comes out of your sewage treatment plant will help grow crops -- thanks to the Northwest's concentration of cutting-edge recycling technology.


Strange Wildflowers Thrive In Harsh Siskiyou Soils


by Amelia Templeton

Hike through the Siskiyou Mountains, and you can find dozens of species of flowers that bloom nowhere else in the world. Many of these mountains are made of rock that was once on the sea floor. Weird, beautiful, and carnivorous plants have adapted to survive in the nutrient poor soil.


Personal Care Products,’ Pharmaceutical Toxics Found in Columbia River Study


by Courtney Flatt

Large industries and toxic dump sites are no longer the only sources of major concern for water quality on the Columbia River. A study released today by the United States Geological Survey has found that our day-to-day life has a major impact as well.


EarthFix Conversation: 16 Years Later, Is the Columbia Still ‘A River Lost?’

by David Steves

Seattle journalist and author Blaine Harden spent time in Eastern Washington researching the book he wrote about the great river of the West: The Columbia. His resulting work, A River Lost, was published in 1996. Harden returned recently and updated his book. It was rereleased in April, 2012.










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