Nick on the Rocks Big Four Mountain How did the slabs of Big Four Mountain end up with nearly vertical layers? Special thanks to Central Washington University as the original creator and collaborator for Nick on the Rocks. December 29, 2023
Environment The Skagit valley’s white winter birds bring beauty — and conflict Birders, hunters and farmers clash over the lesser snow geese and trumpeter and tundra swans that flock to the land in the colder months. by Adam M. Sowards Salish Current / December 25, 2023
Environment Nick on the Rocks: The mystery within Moses Coulee’s canyon walls Geologists believe the formation was created by floods 16,000 years ago, but its ghostly hanging valleys tell a different story. by Shannen Ortale / December 22, 2023
Nick on the Rocks Moses Coulee The ghostly hanging valleys on the canyon walls of Moses Coulee tell a different story. Special thanks to Central Washington University as the original creator and collaborator for Nick on the Rocks. December 22, 2023
Environment Nick on the Rocks: Wenatchee spires signal ancient volcanic power Towers at Saddle Rock were formed from 44-million-year-old vents of magma hidden deep under the Cascade mountains. by Shannen Ortale / December 15, 2023
Nick on the Rocks Saddle Rock Above Wenatchee, spires reveal volcanic history in 44-million-year-old rock. Special thanks to Central Washington University as the original creator and collaborator for Nick on the Rocks. December 15, 2023
Environment Nick on the Rocks: How the Ice Age carved WA’s labyrinth of canyons Host and geology professor Nick Zentner explores the Drumheller Channels near Othello — which resemble Southwest deserts — in the Season 5 premiere. by Shannen Ortale / December 8, 2023
News Tokitae’s death surfaced orcas’ complicated history in the PNW The death of the whale at a Miami amusement park just before her planned release highlighted the species’ fraught relationship with humans. by Knute Berger / December 4, 2023
Environment Washington’s climate woes: First wildfires, then debris flow Dry soil in burn scars can lead to roaring earthen rivers that are more powerful than mudslides. by Kylie Mohr High Country News / November 16, 2023
Environment PNW landfills reached ‘explosive’ methane emission levels in 2022 Washington and Oregon sites had leakages 20 times more concentrated than the Clean Air Act limit standards. by Joseph Winters Grist / November 3, 2023
Politics Why are gas prices rising at stations unaffected by cap-and-trade? Even oil companies not participating in the state’s new carbon auction system are pumping up the cost to the consumer. by John Stang / October 23, 2023
Environment Why isn’t the Pacific Coastal rainforest treated like the Amazon? Authors of a new book say the 2,500-mile-long ecosystem stores more carbon than other forests — but its lack of an ‘inspiring’ name is keeping it in the dark. by Ian Morse Undark / October 9, 2023
Investigations The effort to save SeaTac’s biggest forest amid airport expansion Community pressure and federal legislation could help protect a hard-won South King County park from long-term development. by Hannah Weinberger / September 28, 2023
Environment Could selling sewage save the Salish Sea? Waste flushed into Puget Sound harms fish and marine life. A nutrient pricing system — like WA’s cap-and-trade program — may curb pollution. by John Stang / September 21, 2023
Environment Federal affirmative action ruling may impact WA cap-and-trade Allocating funds from the carbon plan to minority communities most affected by pollution could draw legal battles based on the new SCOTUS decision. by Alex Brown Stateline / September 8, 2023