Elwha river reborn red? More on "Beautiful clouds of goo"
Here are some more amazing shots of the red goo phenom on the Elwha River, from Anna Torrance and Heidi Hugunin, fish techs for the National Park Service. They are out on the Elwha all the time,...
View ArticleThe mystery spider is revealed
In my last post I challenged people to identify this unusual red-fronted spider, and many readers were familiar with it.According to Rod Crawford, the curator of arachnids at the Burke Museum, this...
View ArticleComing Monday: A look beneath the surface of Northwest waters
KCTS 9 will air a special at 7:30 p.m. Monday on the threat of stormwater to the waters of Puget Sound. The special includes underwater footage shot by local diver Laura James. For more, check out this...
View ArticleWildflowers now in bloom in Columbia River Gorge
We've waited, and now we get our reward: Wildflowers are just coming into bloom. Need some sun and flowers? Head to the Columbia River Gorge to enjoy the spectacular bloom now underway. I met up with...
View ArticleTwo desert beauties protected under ESA
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will protect two desert plants under the Endangered Species Act, the agency announced Monday.Umtanum desert buckwheat and White Bluffs bladderpod have two things in...
View ArticleAn unexpected urban nature story
Sometimes nature can wow you, often at an unexpected moment.Most outdoors lovers have a story about a surprise display of natural action on a hike, a fishing expedition or a mushroom hunt.But in the...
View ArticleAt Town Hall: The Kingdom of the Rarities
Author Eric Dinerstein will talk about his new book at Town Hall April 29. The Kingdom of Rarities, new from Island Press, is Dinerstein's magnum tour of rare species around the world, and he will...
View ArticleWeaving a connection with nature
In reflections on the remarkable life of Fran James, the master Lummi weaver who passed away this week, her friends and family and admirers noted her connection with nature and its cycles, through her...
View ArticleRidding Hope Island of the wiley invader Scot's broom
We arrived by boat, puttering along through the jade swell of Puget Sound to Hope Island, part of Deception Pass State Park. And there we met the enemy: Scot's broom. A pernicious invasive weed, there...
View ArticleSunshine plus Puget Sound equals red algae
With the warm spring sunshine, a familiar sight is back in Puget Sound: red algae blooms.While experts at the state Department of Ecology could not confirm it without testing, this bloom, spotted by...
View ArticleHow much is 34 million cubic yards?
Scientists now estimate that about 34 million cubic yards of sediment is going to be managed in the removal of two dams on the Elwha. Just how much, though, is that?It's always been a hard thing for me...
View ArticleBiscuit: the scotch broom commando
Last week I wrote about Scotch Broom, those loathsome if lovely invasive plants glowing yellow as they peak in full bloom all over roadsides, vacant lots, and clearcuts all over Puget Sound Country and...
View ArticleSpring means time for a butterfly hike
If you like the outdoors, there are a lot of reasons to like spring. One that would be near the top of my list is the fact that spring hikes often coincides with emergence of the butterflies.The...
View ArticleA tough and fragile beauty: desert wildflowers now in bloom
If you haven't made a trip to Washington's east side yet for your spring desert wildflower treat, it is not too late.Covering more than 100,000 acres, a trip to the state L.T. Murray wildlife area last...
View ArticleA new eaglet at Union Bay
There's a new eaglet in town. Here's its baby picture, the original photo sourced from Union Bay Watch:I am a huge fan of this blog, in which Larry was tracking the fate of Eva, the eagle left behind...
View ArticleIt's summer travel season: watch for and report wildlife on I-90
This Memorial Day weekend passed without dreadful news such as the death of a black bear killed by a car on I-90, as occurred last year at this time. (The driver sped from the scene, unharmed.) The...
View ArticleHearings on marbled murrelet conservation start Wednesday
What is to be the long term conservation strategy for marbled murrelets? The secretive seabird that nests in old growth trees has been managed under an interim policy on state timber lands since 1997....
View ArticleSpring snowmelt about to peak, Elwha set to spew
Peak spring snowmelt flows will hit the Elwha soon, notes Andy Ritchie, restoration hydrologist for the Olympic National Park. And that means a whole lot of sediment coming out of the Elwha River,...
View ArticleBack by popular demand: "What about those promises?"
The Lummi Nation rocked the house last week with a sold-out performance at Bellingham High School of What About Those Promises? an original historical stageplay about the tribe's way of life and...
View ArticleA short post on our little Northwest frog
This post will be short and hopefully sweet, just like this little frog.With so much being written in recent years about the decline of frog populations both around the region and around the world, I...
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