Environment

Both folks and fish can have their way, thanks to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Siuslaw National Forest’s new mitigation project at Bull Creek.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) wants volunteers in the Mid-Willamette Valley to help determine what is in their groundwater.

On Saturday, Land Trusts around Oregon are encouraging people to “Walk the Land”. The idea is to bring people to special natural areas that aren’t always open to the public and highlight the work of conservation groups. For a preview, McKenzie River Trust Executive Director Joe Moll took KLCC’s Rachael McDonald to their largest property, Green Island, north of Eugene on a windy day.

Fire restrictions are in effect beginning today on more than a million acres in Douglas County.  KLCC’s Brian Bull reports. 

The Oregon Coast Aquarium has been ranked among the top ten in North America. As part of our 50th Anniversary Road Trip Series, KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert shares the sights and sounds during a private tour of Newport’s 25-year old aquarium.

The EPA has awarded half a million dollars to a coalition representing Eugene-Springfield and Lane County, for possible clean-up of former or potential business sites.  KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

A tri-state collaboration aims to tackle energy, water, and food issues across the Pacific Northwest.  As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, the long-term goal is to improve regional economies as well as human and environmental health. 

A sit-in protest is being staged in the Goose Timber sale area around McKenzie Bridge, east of Eugene. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, environmentalists want to keep the timber from being harvested. 

A ballot measure that bans the aerial spraying of pesticides in Lincoln County has passed by a margin of 61 votes. Supporters say theirs is the first county in the U.S. to enact such a ban by a vote of the people.

Heavy rainfall this spring helped boost Oregon's snowpack after several years of below-average levels. Depending on how wet or dry the rest of the spring turns out, the 2017 wildfire season could be less dramatic than in previous years.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) a grant for recovery costs related to last winter’s major ice storm.  KLCC’s Brian Bull has more.  

In the last few weeks, there have been roughly a dozen cougar sightings across Lane County.  As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, wildlife officials are urging locals to keep calm.

Behind the glitz and glitter, high fashion is a dirty business. According to Ecowatch, the clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world—the first is oil. As KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert reports, a few designers in Eugene are promoting “conscious consumerism” this Saturday with a different kind of fashion show.

The 2ND Annual Eco-Couture “Trashion Show” is designed to shed light on just how much waste we make and toss away. Farale Nelson is with Of the Earth apparel and The Eco Boutique.

We’re all about sound here at KLCC.  And so is the Ocean Acoustics Program at NOAA’s facility in Newport.  Its program manager, Bob Dziak  and his team of nine researchers, analyze underwater recordings which help gauge the health and activity of the waters.  KLCC’s Brian Bull visited Dziak recently as part of our ongoing 50th Anniversary Road Trip. 

Elk research and habitat restoration in Oregon has just received nearly $270,000 in grant money. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports. 

The Oregon State Parks Foundation hopes “eclipse fever” will help boost their membership. The non-profit will soon auction off 30 campsites within the path of totality for the solar eclipse on August 21st.

A Eugene non-profit is cheering a decision by garden retailers to stop selling pesticides that are dangerous to bees.

A federal judge in Eugene says the Trump administration is, quote, “putting the cart before the horse” by appealing a climate lawsuit brought by 21 young people. The case has already survived 2 motions for dismissal and is set to go to trial later this year.

The kids who are suing the government over climate change are in Washington D.C. this week. They’re joining the People’s Climate March Saturday.

A new Oregon State University study shows forest fires have increased across the Pacific Northwest, with more severe blazes negatively affecting old growth forests.  KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.  

The Trump Administration has issued executive orders rolling back vehicle gas mileage minimums and the Clean Power Plan, both of which would have put the United States on a path to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

A bill restricting the use of a certain class of insecticide will have a formal hearing Monday afternoon in the Oregon legislature.  KLCC’s Brian Bull has more.  

Petroleum industry groups have joined the Trump Administration in seeking appeal of a climate change lawsuit that’s set to go to trial next fall. The suit was brought against the federal government by 21 youth plaintiffs.