Northwest (OR WA)

"Climate Change, Beetle May Doom Rugged Pine" [1]

"Whitebark pines may be among the earliest victims of a warming climate in the Northwest, as rising temperatures at higher elevations have brought the trees into contact with the destructive mountain pine beetle."

Craig Welch reports for the Seattle Times November 7, 2011.
[2]

Forests [3]

Public [4]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Source: Seattle Times [2], 11/07/2011

Read more about "Climate Change, Beetle May Doom Rugged Pine" [1]

Federal Judge Backs Rules That Limit Pesticide Use Near Salmon Habitat [6]

"A federal judge [Monday] upheld new rules designed to protect West Coast salmon and steelhead from three widely used farm pesticides."

Agriculture [7]

Chemicals [8]

Fish & Fisheries [9]

Public [4]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Source: Portland Oregonian [10], 11/01/2011

Read more about Federal Judge Backs Rules That Limit Pesticide Use Near Salmon Habitat [6]

Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals [11]

As part of its push to improve the nation's power system, the Obama administration is trying to expedite construction of 7 transmission lines, in various stages of planning and design, spanning 3,100 miles in 12 states.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [12]

Topics on the Beat:

Laws & Regulations [13]

Environmental Politics [14]

Energy & Fuel [15]

Region:

Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [16]

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]

Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [18]

Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [20]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals [11]

EPA Finalizes 15 Additional Superfund Sites, Proposes 11 More [21]

Sites in CA, GA, IL, IN, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OR, SC, TN, and TX received a final designation of Superfund status, meaning they are among the most toxic in the country, due to contamination from industrial operations, mining, military activities, landfills, and other sources.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [12]

Topics on the Beat:

Pollution [22]

Chemicals [8]

Region:

California [23]

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]

Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [20]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about EPA Finalizes 15 Additional Superfund Sites, Proposes 11 More [21]

"Dam Removal Begins, And Soon the Fish Will Flow" [25]

"Port Angeles, Wash. — In a deep turquoise pool in a gorge of steep granite and thick Douglas fir, dozens of salmon swam fitfully. Swirling and slow, they made their way up one side of the riverbed, only to run into the steep concrete face of Elwha Dam — the formidable barrier that for nearly 100 years has cut off most of the Elwha River from the salmon that traditionally populated it."

Natural Resources [26]

Public [4]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Source: LA Times [27], 09/19/2011

Read more about "Dam Removal Begins, And Soon the Fish Will Flow" [25]

"Trouble in Sea Bird Paradise" [28]

"EAST SAND ISLAND, Wash. — It's been a dozen years since the federal government moved thousands of black-capped squawking seabirds here to reduce their diet of endangered fish. Things haven't exactly gone as planned."

Biodiversity [29]

Public [4]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Source: McClatchy [30], 09/07/2011

Read more about "Trouble in Sea Bird Paradise" [28]

"Largest U.S. Dam Removal to Restore Salmon Runs" [31]

On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, the nation's largest dam-removal project to day is poised to restore ancient salmon runs.

Fish & Fisheries [9]

Water & Oceans [32]

Public [4]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Source: National Geographic [33], 09/06/2011

Read more about "Largest U.S. Dam Removal to Restore Salmon Runs" [31]

No Water No Life [34]

[34]

Founded in 2006 by SEJ member Alison M. Jones, No Water No Life photography teams document historic, current and potential management issues of six case-study watersheds: North America’s Columbia, Mississippi and Raritan River Basins and northeastern Africa’s Nile, Omo and Mara River Basins.

Useful Links [35]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Africa [36]

SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]

Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [18]

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]

Water & Oceans [32]

Read more about No Water No Life [34]

Voluntary Sage-Grouse Protection Efforts Awarded $71 Million [37]

Greater sage-grouse are at just 3% of their historical numbers, and warrant protection, according to the Bureau of Land Management. But since other species are in even more dire straits, the birds haven't been declared a threatened or endangered species. The US Dept. of Agriculture money is a work-around aimed at saving the birds and their habitat.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [12]

Topics on the Beat:

Wildlife [38]

Biodiversity [29]

Region:

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [18]

Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [39]

California [23]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Voluntary Sage-Grouse Protection Efforts Awarded $71 Million [37]

Projects in 6 States Selected To Help Pioneer 3 Biofuels [40]

USDA continues to expand its Biomass Crop Assistance Program that provides financial incentives for producers of various biomass products with the latest selected project areas for growing camelina in CA, OR, WA, and MT, poplar trees in OR, and switchgrass in KS and OK.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [12]

Topics on the Beat:

Energy & Fuel [15]

Region:

California [23]

Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [39]

Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [18]

Northwest (OR WA) [5]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [20]

Visibility:

Public [4]