Environment A decade after the Oso landslide, WA works to improve preparedness The Snohomish County disaster killed 43 residents in 2014. Today, geologists can better help people get out of harm’s way due to boosts in tech and funding. by Tom Banse Washington State Standard / March 20, 2024
Environment Inside the tumultuous debate behind Seattle’s tree ordinance The debate over more density or more tree canopy got personal as developers clashed with the city’s Urban Forestry Commission. by Eric Scigliano / September 1, 2023 / Updated at 9:40 a.m. on Sept. 3
Environment How politics have stalled tsunami prep efforts on the WA coast It’s not a matter of if but when the tsunami comes. Whether Washington is prepared depends a lot on the will of voters. by Eric Scigliano / May 26, 2022 / Updated at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 16
Environment Pacific Northwest forests fit trifecta for curbing climate change — if we stop logging them Study shows trees along the coast and in the Cascade and Olympic mountains have the most potential to sequester carbon. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / January 1, 2020
Environment ‘Rife with flawed science’: OR and WA fight Trump’s emissions rollback The states join 26 others to argue the president's plan increases public health risks and violates the federal Clean Air Act. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / June 4, 2020
Environment Rockfish are bouncing back from years of overfishing After years of conservation efforts, surveys show depleted populations of groundfish are rebounding ahead of schedule. by Cassandra Profita OPB / December 20, 2018
Environment A year after Oregon’s Eagle Creek fire, see how much has changed In this 360 video, see how the Eagle Creek Fire changed the forest and its popular hiking trails. by Cassandra Profita EarthFix/OPB / September 10, 2018
Environment This Portland design lab wants to eliminate plastic packaging As more cities like Seattle ban plastic straws, Swedish-owned BillerudKorsnäs design lab has is developing a solution. by Cassandra Profita OPB/EarthFix / November 1, 2018
Environment Want to prevent megafires? Let forests burn To prevent large-scale wildfires, we'll need to allow some blazes to burn — and set others ourselves. by Cassandra Profita & Jeff Mapes / August 24, 2018
Environment A proposed San Juans sanctuary may offer hope for captive orcas — and risks for wild ones Nonprofit advocates think sea pens will improve the retired killer whales' quality of life. SeaWorld vets disagree. by Tom Banse Northwest News Network / July 17, 2019