National Geographic takes a breathtaking look at Mount St. Helens, and the Washington ecosystem around it, both as it was before the devastating volcanic eruption of 30 years ago and as it is today after recovery.

"ANACORTES, Wash. -- Officials say four workers are injured and three are missing in an explosion and fire at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes."

"Farmers raising the cattle and horses -- and those applying to be designated official certified organic vegetable growers -- are organizing to oppose plans by the city of Seaside [OR] to spray biosolids on a local farmer's property."

"Close to 40 percent of Puget Sound's shorelines have been covered in concrete or otherwise walled off from the tides. State officials say restoring the health of Puget Sound will require removing some of those walls. But it's local governments that control the shore, and property owners want to build more seawalls as coastal developments expand."

"Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a handful of environmental protection bills into law Thursday, including a ban on the sale of children’s drinking cups that contain the plastics hardener bisphenol-A, or BPA."

"The federal government is doing what once had been unthinkable: Building a new stretch of pipeline and draining more water from the Columbia River system to aid farmers. The pipeline is approved to carry just a trickle, but will be designed to handle much more water than that. New proposals would dramatically increase the amount of river water provided to Columbia Basin farmers."

"Maybe the Klamath River basin would have turned itself around without Jeff Mitchell. Back in 2001, at the pinnacle of the conflict over the river’s fate, when the Klamath earned its reputation as the most contentious river basin in the country, Mitchell planted a seed."