Earth Share of Washington - News

Hatchery Salmon vs. Wild Salmon

Count wild fish separately, scientists urge

Six prominent scientists, members of an independent government advisory group, assert that a February federal court decision could lead to the extinction of wild-spawning salmon populations.

Many of the 26 salmon stocks listed as threatened or endangered on the West Coast could lose federal protection as a result of the recently upheld ruling -- which said the government must count hatchery-produced fish when deciding whether their wild kin deserve protection.

"We all looked at the data and concluded for al...Read the full story

March 26, 2004 | Comments Off

Changes in old-growth logging take effect in the Northwest

The Bush administration yesterday eased restrictions on logging old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, finalizing a previously announced rules change that says forest managers no longer have to look for rare plants and animals before logging.

Instead, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management will rely on information provided by Washington, Oregon and California in determining whether to allow logging, proscribed burns, and trail- or campground-building, said Forest Service spokesman Rex Holloway.

Environmentalists decried the change, saying it would do...Read the full story

March 24, 2004 | Comments Off

15th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Fifteen years ago tomorrow, at four minutes past midnight on March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez, loaded with 54 million gallons of North Slope crude oil, ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. Sadly, we in Washington State have still not completely learned the lessons of this disaster. Even now, the centerpiece of the state's oil spill prevention program--a rescue tug at Neah Bay--is only funded to work 200 days per year.

After the Exxon Valdez ran aground, 11 million gallons of spilled oil stretched about 470 miles from Prince William Sound to the southern Kodiak A...Read the full story

March 23, 2004 | Comments Off

Warning Sounded on Decline of Species

Scientists have produced the first comprehensive evidence that the diversity of butterflies, birds and plants is in decline in the UK. They say their research supports the argument that mass extinction threatens life on Earth.

In the past 20 years, according to a study in the US journal Science today, about 70% of all butterfly species in Britain have shown signs of decline. About 28% of plant species and 54% of bird species also declined in areas studied over long periods. The finding comes from government-funded scientists using data painstakingly amassed over the past 40 years by...Read the full story

March 19, 2004 | Comments Off

Earth Saving Tips - Good Wood

Courtesy of Earth Share of Washington member, Union of Concerned Scientists

In a very real sense, the health of our planet depends on the health of our forests. Not only are they home to more than half of all land-based species, they also help to preserve the climate and purify the air.

So, it's a matter of some urgency that we've destroyed a substantial portion of the world's forests--and continue to eat up more than 30 million acres a year.

But is there anything that you, as an individual, can do, besides recycling your paper? Yes! Insist on responsible wo...Read the full story

March 17, 2004 | Comments Off

Olympic National Park faces cutbacks

Olympic National Park is so pressed for cash that officials plan to close the visitors center in Forks and eliminate most seasonal rangers this summer, and they agreed to keep the popular Hurricane Ridge Road open in April only after the city of Port Angeles promised to help foot the snowplow bill.

The plans were brought to light by the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA), a national-parks advocacy group, which is releasing a report today suggesting that chronic money shortages and rising expenses are forcing park superintendents across the country to make painful dec...Read the full story

March 16, 2004 | Comments Off

State Employees Rank in Top Five in Generosity Nationally for Generosity

OLYMPIA - State employees and public agency retirees reaffirmed their commitment to giving, not only through their usual work effort, but also by giving back to their communities and the causes they believe in.

Employees and public agency retirees demonstrated their greatest level of generosity yet by contributing in excess of $5.1 million to non-profit agencies locally and around the world through the Combined Fund Drive (CFD), Washington State employees' charitable giving program.

Washington State employees became only the fifth state program in the nation to surpass $5...Read the full story

March 12, 2004 | Comments Off

The Spring Choir

by Naturalist Kevin Mack from Earth Share of Washington member PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, published in the May 10, 2004 edition of Wild Again

All around us, a choir that has been gathering members for millions of years is preparing for its annual performance. From the trees, from the bushes, from the rooftops, and from the telephone wires, every day I hear more voices warming up for spring. Some of them are already singing out, loud and clear. Others are just beginning to utter their first ten...Read the full story

March 11, 2004 | Comments Off

Washington ranks high on human health, trails in energy efficiency and smart growth

New regional scorecard marks state's progress in seven critical trends

Washington boasts increasingly long lifespans and improved forest stewardship, but lags significantly in energy efficiency and smart growth. That's according to the first edition of the Cascadia Scorecard, a new gauge of regional progress released today by Seattle-based research center Northwest Environment Watch. Overall, the state--and the Northwest as a whole--has made gains since 1990, according to the Scorecard, but its record is marred by failures. For example, Washington residents sti...Read the full story

March 10, 2004 | Comments Off

Washington Legislature Passes Historic Global Warming Bill

Limits on Carbon Emissions from New Power Plants Among Strongest in the Nation

OLYMPIA - Today Washington's House of Representatives gave final approval to a landmark bill requiring new power plants to mitigate 20 percent of their emissions of carbon dioxide, the principle pollutant responsible for global warming.

Substitute House Bill 3141 received strong bipartisan support in both the House (69-27) and in the Senate (40-6). It now goes to Gov. Gary Locke, who has supported the bill throughout the legislative process and is expected to sign it into law.

March 9, 2004 | Comments Off

UN Study: The real cost of a new PC

New report finds 1.8 tons of material are used to manufacture desktop PC and monitor

A United Nations University study into the environmental impact of personal computers, due to be published later Monday, has found that around 1.8 tons of raw material are required to manufacture the average desktop PC and monitor and that extending a machine's operational life through re-use holds a much greater potential for energy saving than recycling.

According to the study, the manufacturing of one desktop computer and 17-inch CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor requires a...Read the full story

March 8, 2004 | Comments Off

Safe Routes to School Program Passes WA Legislature

Both the Washington State House (HB2474) and the Senate (SB6215) have now included $1,000,000 in the supplemental transportation budget for a Safe Routes to School program.

Safe Routes to School will ensure a safer environment for children who already walk or bicycle to school, encourage more children to become physically active, improve traffic safety around schools, and reduce the cost of the school trip on both parents and the road network.

The Bicycle Alliance is working in partnership with the Traffic Safe...Read the full story

March 4, 2004 | Comments Off

What is Geocaching? Hidden Treasure or Trouble?

The new sport of geocaching offers high-tech fun but poses new challenges for the state's land managers
by Andrew Engelson, Washington Trails Association Managing Editor

There's hidden treasure in the mountains of Washington.

And in the foothills. And in city parks. And in downtown Seattle, Vancouver, and Spokane.

The "treasure" is part of the new and rapidly growing sport of geocaching. For those who haven't heard of it, geocaching is a high-tech game of hide-and-seek. Geo...Read the full story

March 3, 2004 | Comments Off

Washington Might List Orcas as Endangered Species

Department of Fish and Wildlife cites declining population

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed yesterday that Puget Sound's orcas be added to the state's list of endangered species, citing a dramatic decline in resident whales.

Providing endangered status at the state level doesn't do as much as a federal listing -- which is being reconsidered -- but environmentalists and orca researchers hope it will help.

"The state is in the driving role when it comes to pollution-control issues and habitat restoration and habitat destruction,"...Read the full story

March 2, 2004 | Comments Off