Citing declining snowpack and increased winter recreation, 10 environmental groups are planning to force the government to protect these elusive carnivores.
The faults under Eastern Washington aren't as famous as the feared Cascadia Subduction Zone, but they still pose a threat to communities like Walla Walla, Tri-Cities and Yakima.
Despite calls to remove the dams to save salmon and orcas, federal agencies say the risks to hydropower, navigation and electricity costs are too high.
A five-year battle over a bag of clams shows how a reliance on century-old treaties can lead authorities to treat members of some tribes differently than others.
Coastal gardens once saw harvests that rivaled today's commercial fisheries without exploiting the land. Some Native communities are now reviving the tradition.