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Science / Environment

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Strains in the green-growth coalition

Posted Wed, Jul 1, 6 a.m.

The battle for candidate endorsements reveals some ideological divides between local environmentalists, developers, and independent thinkers who wonder if all urban growth is good.

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Cabin fever

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 6 a.m.

Architect Wendell Lovett designed a nuclear reactor building and the home of a space-junketing billionaire, but it's his little San Juans retreat that says the most about him.

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The little tugboat that could

Posted Fri, Jun 12, 6 a.m.

The legislative session wasn't generous to the environment, especially Puget Sound. But there was one victory of 'dumb doggedness': the rescue tug at Neah Bay, a key to fighting oil spills.

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And for Seattle's next 'world's fair,'...

Posted Fri, Jun 5, 6 a.m.

Puget Sound boosters are proposing to launch an annual Global Health Celebration in 2012 to re-brand Seattle for the new century.

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Tracking down the right tool

Posted Thu, Jun 4, 6 a.m.

A search for a well-made scythe leads to an appreciation of the great toolmakers who lived here 13,000 years ago.

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Mud fight on the Skagit

Posted Thu, Jun 4, 6 a.m.

Which is more threatened: wetlands or farmlands? And bear in mind that Skagit Valley farmland is perhaps the finest dirt in the world.

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The ultimate beach boy

Posted Wed, Jun 3, 6 a.m.

A Puget Sound beachcomber and U.W. oceanographer has expanded our understanding of the oceans by studying driftwood and rubber duckies. Here's an unbeatable "beach read" for the summer.

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Is Cascadia's train coming in?

Posted Tue, May 12, 6 a.m.

High-speed rail between Seattle and Vancouver could be a catalyst for regional development, and identity.

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Federal stimulus spending could take us down the wrong road

Posted Wed, May 6, 6 a.m.

We should not use this money to build Oil Age infrastructure, compounding our energy problems. Yet the state, like many others, is doing just that.

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If sturgeon could talk

Posted Wed, Apr 29, 6 a.m.

A short history of Lake Washington, as told to our author by one very long fish

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Obama: Good news for Columbia River salmon

Posted Thu, Apr 23, 6 a.m.

The courts, which have rejected plans for Columbia River dams for decades, finally have a good governmental partner. But plenty of legal snarls remain, along with issues relating to climate change.

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Back to the drawing board on spotted owls

Posted Fri, Apr 17, 6 a.m.

A new administration signals yet another deep examination about how to save forest habitats for endangered spotted owls. After decades of studies and litigation and administrative maneuvers, are we any closer to a solution?

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Saving our region: Nice plans, but...

Posted Thu, Apr 16, 6 a.m.

A candid look at the efforts to preserve Puget Sound and surrounding lands discovers inconvenient truths. Population growth is not going where planned. Studies replace courageous action on Puget Sound. And land use loopholes invite blockbuster developments in rural areas.

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Save the planet: Get rid of your cat

Posted Thu, Apr 2, 6 a.m.

Evidence is mounting that having a cat isn't very green: Along with humans, they are having a devastating impact on birds and marine life.

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Muddy waters of the Salish Sea

Posted Fri, Mar 27, 6 a.m.

A new name for the Northwest waters could be a setback for those charged with cleaning up Puget Sound. On the other hand, maybe a fresh start is what's needed.

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What we need is 'one orca, one vote'

Posted Fri, Mar 20, 5:26 a.m.

It’s hard to save Puget Sound when we're rummaging under the couch for spare change.

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The Bush court sets back environmental litigation

Posted Mon, Mar 9, 6 a.m.

While Obama is undoing some Bush rules on endangered species, the Supreme Court renders a verdict that could be a serious blow to future environmental lawsuits.

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Is Seattle's growth unstoppable?

Posted Mon, Feb 23, 6 a.m.

Walling off migration is not possible. But there are ways to downsize our ambitions to a Lesser Seattle, which might be good for America and the environment.

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New light on the mystery of the vanished Clovis people

Posted Wed, Feb 11, 6 a.m.

An Oregon scientist's theory says incoming space junk wiped out the Clovis people 13,000 years ago, leaving diamonds behind as an intriguing clue.

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Can you get a merit badge in clear-cutting?

Posted Tue, Feb 3, 6 a.m.

A Hearst investigative series reveals the Boy Scouts to be chainsaw-wielding maniacs, confirming the author's long suspicion that scouting is a fraud.

READ MORE 14 COMMENTS

Other media

EPA muzzles a climate change skeptic The Obama campaign made hay over the way the Bush administration silenced dissidents to its views on global warming. Is turnabout fair play?

Paul Krugman: Contempt for climate science still alive in Congress Such blindness to the evidence is treason to the planet

Why the green economy remains so elusive It feels like 1977 again, when there were all kinds of predictions of shifting to green technology that proved to be a false dawn.

Greens hope to stiffen the climate change bill in the Senate The House version is a wobbly compromise, but at least it's a start. Here's why environmentalists are unhappy with it.

Climate taking a toll on Alaska King salmon It's more than over-fishing causing a collapse of King runs, but the full reasons why are unclear. Ocean temperatures are a factor but "It's wacky out there," says one baffled researcher.

Blog posts

Is Great White Worm endangered?

Posted Thu, Jul 2, 9:06 p.m.

Environmentalists push again to protect the elusive Northwest critter, assuming it still exists.

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Climate change comes to our National Parks

Posted Fri, Jun 5, 6 a.m.

The problems (frequent 100-year storms, closed roads, vanishing glaciers) are straining the systems. Some conferences begin to grapple with the immense consequences and trade-offs.

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River of coffee?

Posted Thu, Apr 2, 2 p.m.

A Washington place name proposal that could make a mark in latte land.

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Canada and the U.S.: Dumb and dumber

Posted Wed, Feb 18, 10 a.m.

When it comes to ignorance on evolution, America is still Number One!

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Coal ash for a Christmas gift in Tennessee

Posted Sat, Dec 27, 5 p.m. 2008

The clean coal debate just got a new twist, after a dam holding an ashy sludge breaks in Appalachia.

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Sobering lessons for Puget Sound clean-up

Posted Mon, Dec 29, noon 2008

A Washington Post story indicates that after a major multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar effort, there's little or no progress in saving Chesapeake Bay.

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Oregon State University: front and center for marine science

Posted Thu, Dec 25, 4:26 p.m. 2008

Jane Lubchenco's designation to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), signals Barack Obama's intent to get serious about climate change. It is also recognition of Pacific Northwest leadership in marine science.

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Dear Barack: Here's your handy green agenda

Posted Thu, Dec 18, 6 a.m. 2008

A large group of environmental organizations send Obama suggestions for his first 200 days or undoing Bush policies and getting serious about modern forest protection.

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Can Ken Salazar clean the stables at Interior?

Posted Thu, Dec 18, noon 2008

The office has attracted scoundrels who shamelessly favored private resource interests. Also, it's become a chance for presidents to make a political statement.

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Is this any way to protect Puget Sound?

Posted Mon, Dec 8, 3 p.m. 2008

Gathered on the shore of Maury Island, residents wonder how we could be allowing Glacier Northwest to start loading nearly 3 million tons of gravel a year.

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