Author | Lightnews

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 1d

Washington says it will save 77,000 acres from logging. BUT Don’t applaud yet. Critics say the big plan amounts to “smoke and mirrors” and is “misleading”.
columbiainsight.org/wash-says-it...

Stephen Kropp, founder of the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, is skeptical of a new plan to save old trees in Washington

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 2d

8 new Washington bee species have been identified.
The unexpected finds in Chelan County have important implications for biodiversity and knowledge about expanding ranges. 6 of the 8 bees are pollinators. columbiainsight.org/8-new-washin...

The scopa on the abdomen of this female bee and its heavily pitted “terga” with inflated edges help to identify it as Dianthidium singulare.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 2d

Take part in a global effort to track sea level changes.
On the Oregon Coast the next King Tides are November 5 to 7. Participation is easy: choose a location along the coast, snap a photo when the tide is at its highest point, and share it at www.oregonkingtides.net.

The Oregon King Tides Photo Project, part of a global effort to track sea level changes, encourages anyone with a camera to join in and capture a preview of how rising sea levels might affect our communities in the future.

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 7d

A story from the archive for global climate awareness day:
Human activity is making it difficult to retain adequate water supplies.
Study also says climate change is making it harder to escape drought even as winters bring lots of precipitation.
columbiainsight.org/human-activi...

Rylee Buckley, 17, fills a water container with a neighbor’s hose in July 2021, in Klamath Falls, Ore. The Buckley’s house well ran dry following an historic drought in southern Oregon

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 8d

In Washington, one of last wolves of the Sherman pack has been issued a ‘lethal removal’ order.
If the pack loses another adult, the fate of the whole pack is in the balance. 70% of WDFW wolf killings are being carried out on behalf of a single landowner.

At the start of this year, northeast Washington’s Sherman wolf pack had five adult wolves. Today that number is down to two females, caring for up to six pups.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 9d

Idaho is the first state in US to try new firefighting tech.
The state has struck a deal with a German company for a satellite-based monitoring system already in use in Canada and Europe.
#firefighting #wildfire #wildlandsfire #forestfire
columbiainsight.org/idaho-first-...

Satellite view of Idaho’s 2024 Lava Fire, these images could help firefighters detect new fires in rapid time.

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 15d

Can luxury and wilderness co-exist? After a controversy in the Columbia River Gorge, the glamping alternative is under scrutiny.
columbiainsight.org/the-glamp-di...

Glamping—other than the most expensive options—may help make nature more accessible.

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 17d

A popular conservation organization, the Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington, is closing its doors. For the past 17 years the nonprofit organization, has planted hundreds of thousands of trees along creeks, streams and rivers.
This year will be its last.
columbiainsight.org/a-popular-co...

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 17d

How about a good news bat story?
Collaboration between government agencies and a mining company has transformed a dangerous but valuable property into prime bat real estate in Idaho.
columbiainsight.org/an-abandoned...

Bats at Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 17d

We're delighted that this story by @ianrosewrites.bsky.social‬ has been so well received and praised for it's research and accuracy.

Ian Rose @ianrosewrites.bsky.social · 22d

Emerald ash borers have killed millions of ash trees since they arrived in the US. They made it to Oregon in 2022, British Columbia in 2024 and this year, were detected in Portland. Washington is on alert.

My first story for @columbiainsight.bsky.social :

columbiainsight.org/tree-killing...

columbiainsight.org

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 18d

Bad news for PNW bats.
OR Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats has been detected in the state for the first time.
Read about the perilous lives of bats. Researchers are concerned about new threats to populations, especially in WA.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 22d

Emerald ash borers can kill an ash tree within three years of initial infestation. They have killed millions of ash trees since they arrived in the US. Having made it to Portland, Oregon, Washington is on alert. The Columbia River is not likely to be a barrier. columbiainsight.org/tree-killing...

Emerald ash borer, a small beetle native to northeast Asia, found it's way to the US and was dicovered in Portland, OR in 2022.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 24d

Unprecedented water restrictions imposed across Yakima River Basin. New curtailments will impact 1,500 water rights holders and local communities might need to restrict residential watering.

columbiainsight.org/unprecedente...

A water shortage across the Yakima River Basin, WA, is threatening everything from farmers to salmon.

columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 24d

Quick reminder. If you are near the Vancouver area on Oct 16 don't miss the State of the Columbia discussion. Meet like minded people, experts and unsung heros. Reserve your ticket here...
columbiainsight.org/events/

Roughly the size of France the health of the Columbia River Basin is critical to life in the Pacific Northwest.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 27d

Now here's a story from our archives for #WorldAnimalDay!
How wildlife responds to hikers: Get lost.
New study suggests hikers should stay on one crowded trail rather than disperse across multiple, lesser-used ones.
columbiainsight.org/get-lost-how...

This racoon represents his animal clan. Wild animals don’t care about humans as much as humans care about them

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · 29d

Why the Pac NW needs to ban rat poison.
Wildlife, fish and pets are put at risk when alternative rat poison and rodent-control solutions are available.
Raptors play an outsized role in rodent control so poisoning them can actually worsen rodent problems.
#wildlife #raptors #ratpoison

Distressed northern spotted owl was found on the ground at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland. Testing showed the bird was suffering from secondary rodenticide poisoning.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Oct 1

Are we ready for an underwater power line in the Columbia River?
Permitting for the Cascade Renewable Transmission Project has hit a snag. Developers say it’s a minor hitch.

The Columbia River from Lyle, Washington

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 29

Join us for discussion on the State of the Columbia River Basin. A unique opportunity to connect with fellow river enthusiasts and deepen your understanding of this iconic river system! Tickets are free. Oct 16 at 7pm at the Ripple Center, Vancouver, WA 98660.
columbiainsight.org/events/
#PNW

Annual Susan Hess State of the Columbia River Basin Annual Fall Lecture/Dialogue!
Date: October 16th, 2025, 7pm – 9pm
Location: Ripple Space, 275 West 3rd St, Suite 400, Vancouver, WA 98660

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 25

Tracking wildlife from a helicopter: How it’s really done.
In this book, Chasing Wildlife Secrets, author Scott McCorquodale, offers a firsthand account of the lives of professional wildlife biologists.

Helicopter darting: The author of a new book demonstrates a common technique for capturing elk for research

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 18

In the past three years, scientists have documented a slow but steady increase in the number of Pacific Northwest species that are dying from avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.
columbiainsight.org/bird-flu-is-...

A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist collects a dead snow goose on a Camano Island near Skagit Bay during an avian influenza outbreak in northern Puget Sound

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Reposted by columbiainsight.org

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · Sep 10

Today, in a move that has alarmed conservationists, the Department of the Interior unveiled a proposal to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule—effectively removing conservation as an equal priority in public-land management.

#publiclands #BLM #protectpubliclands #parkchat

Interior Department Proposes to Rescind Wildly Popular Public Lands Rule

Mining, drilling, and logging is now officially more important than land conservation

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

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Reposted by columbiainsight.org

The Great Simplification @tgspodcast.bsky.social · Sep 10

Watershed restoration and ecosystem regeneration expert Zach Weiss explains how when it comes to our fresh water, we are taking much more than we are giving back.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 11

New wildlife area would alllow Umatilla Tribes to regain access to ancestral homeland. For the first time the Tribes might co-manage a wildlife area with Oregon for the proposed 11,500-acre Qapqápa Wildlife Area.
columbiainsight.org/new-wildlife...

Beaver Creek flows through part of the proposed Qapqápa Wildlife Area in northeastern Oregon.

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 9

Washington law aims to break link between warming climate, food waste. The Organics Management Law brings big changes in the ways residents and businesses get rid of organic trash.

Decomposing food releases methane, a heat-trapping gas that’s 25 times as potent as the carbon dioxide that spews from tailpipes. Each year, the state’s landfills produce emissions equivalent to the annual exhaust of 320,000 cars

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columbiainsight.org @columbiainsight.bsky.social · Sep 4

Washington is about to reform recycling. Revamping the state’s curbside recycling system and lowering garbage bills are part of the program.
#recycling #recycle
columbiainsight.org/washington-i...

Residents will have a single list of recyclable items that’s consistent across the state.

Rural communities will have better access to recycling.

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