Environment

Hot, dry weather is partly to blame for a wildfire in an unexpected place. At San Juan Island National Historical Park, hot metal debris from a historic weapons demonstration on Sunday caused a blaze that quickly spread across parched grassland prairie.

It’s the height of summer and the forecast is looking very sunny, providing great conditions for water sports on local lakes.

That also means a higher risk of swimmer's itch, which is linked to another feature of summer that many people enjoy: the presence of waterfowl.

Starbucks has announced long-awaited plans to phase out plastic straws. The company will replace them with a strawless lid that looks a bit like a child’s sippy cup. They’ll also be offering straws made out of alternative materials such as paper and corn-based plastics that can be composted.

The policy applies to all of Starbucks’ stores around the globe. It is to be implemented worldwide, by 2020. The company says this builds on a $10 million commitment it made in March to work harder on creating truly recyclable cups.

Public officials often express concern about emergency preparedness, with a key message to residents that we should have enough food, water and medication stowed in our homes to sustain us for at least a few days and as long as two or three weeks.

A new study ranks Washington State second in the country for natural disaster preparedness related to extreme weather. Oregon comes in third.

You may have noticed more food service providers changing the kinds of disposable utensils you get with takeout. In Seattle, a ban on plastic straws and cutlery officially kicks in this weekend. As of July 1, all eateries in city limits are required to provide straws and utensils that can be composted.

Trees provide lots of benefits that make cities more livable and ecosystems healthier. Smaller cities around the region, including Redmond and Lake Forest Park, have ordinances in place to protect larger trees from being cut down by developers or homeowners.

Summer this year in the Pacific Northwest is once again expected to be hotter and drier than normal. That means higher potential for wildfires from July through September.

Just in time for the heat, a new book on fighting and managing those fires is out from local publisher, Mountaineers Books. It’s focused on an elite wildland firefighting force in Boulder, Colorado.

Less than a week into an event that was expected to last well into July, Seattle climate rower Eliza Dawson is back on land.

All are safe, but strong Pacific winds ultimately thwarted her four-woman team’s attempt to travel 2,400 miles across the Pacific, on human-power alone.  

Tribes and conservationists are celebrating a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that upholds tribal treaty fishing rights. The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which had already ruled squarely in favor of the tribes.

About fifty citizen scientists and volunteer experts are converging in the south Sound Saturday for a "bioblitz." That’s when people get together for a few hours and try to document as many species as possible in one place.

Canada’s government is buying the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline. It connects tar sands oil fields in Alberta to a terminus in British Columbia. Hidden in the details of the agreement with the Kinder Morgan corporation is a surprising fact that connects the deal to Washington state.   

The Olympic Peninsula is often thought of as a destination for coastal hikes along rugged beaches or cozy restaurants with stunning mountain backdrops. Olympic National Park, the "un-dammed" Elwha River, and the annual Lavender Festival in Sequim are some of the main attractions.

There’s also a year-round Saturday farmers market in Port Angeles that has been going since the early 1980s. It was one of the first in the region. At this time of year, it’s rich with all kinds of colorful produce, as well as arts and crafts.

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell is advocating for more use of prescribed burns to protect communities and their firefighters.

Seattle Climate Rower Eliza Dawson is in California now, in the final phases of training for the Great Pacific Race.

A diverse array of groups from all over Washington State gathered in Seattle this week to rally support for Initiative 1631. That’s the latest proposal to curb carbon emissions by imposing fees on big polluters.

It would be a bit of a stretch to call zoologist John Fleckenstein a beginner.  He recently retired from a long career as a kind of wildlife detective. He worked with Washington State’s Natural Heritage Program, looking for and studying the behaviors of all kinds of rare creatures.

Saving salmon and steelhead in Washington state can seem like a mission with miserable prospects.

But one nonprofit has made it into a game that they say is a lot like fantasy football, and schools are involved this year.

Wildfire season used to start in mid-June, say state officials coordinating the response. Now they’re already out fighting wildfires in April, even in places west of the Cascades.

"Fire season is already here,” said Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hillary Franz.

Concerns about the future of Bothell Country Village top the agenda of the city’s Landmark Preservation Board meeting Tuesday evening.