Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.0.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Cascadia Times Journalism on Behalf of the Planet ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://times.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [OP-ED: OSU Feels the Heat of Forest Planning Ire](https://times.org/op-ed-osu-feels-the-heat-of-forest-planning-ire/) - Oregon State University, the nation’s leading forestry school, came under heavy fire recently as dozens of concerned citizens and even their own experts harshly criticized their forest planning process. - [Another Timber War Looms](https://times.org/another-timber-war-looms/) - Allowing the liquidation of old-growth forests could set off another era of conflict between loggers and environmentalists in the Pacific Northwest. - [The Logjam in Biden’s $50 Billion Dollar Wildfire Plan](https://times.org/the-logjam-in-bidens-50-billion-dollar-wildfire-plan/) - The administration’s plan to thin forests ignores an important way that wildfires spread and set houses aflame. Nov 23, 2023 - [Deep Cut](https://times.org/deep-cut/) - Washington has quietly made logging a part of the state's climate mitigation strategy. The Forest Behind Bruce Anderson’s home in the rolling foothills south of Puget Sound in Washington is densely packed with enormous Douglas fir trees, the most commercially harvested tree species in the United States. It is a natural forest, grown from seeds dispersed by a previous generation of conifers around the time of the Civil War. - [Carbon Conundrum](https://times.org/carbon-conundrum/) - AS THE SKY CLEARED over rain-swept Southeast Alaska one August afternoon in 2019, we flew over Prince of Wales Island to take in its lush forests. Numerous fresh clearcuts interrupted the deep green cover on the United States’ fourth largest island located at the southern end of Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest. In some spots, stands of younger trees stretched their canopies across older, logged areas. On the whole, though, the forest here looked rich and vast. - [Wrong Number](https://times.org/wrong-number/) - Protecting the environment is a game of numbers. The state’s new Cleaner Air Oregon program will soon decide such things as how much toxic air pollution each industry should be allowed to emit. It will also decide how much toxic pollution people can inhale harming their health. Unfortunately, Cleaner Air Oregon is about to dial-in a number that protects industry more than people. This number has been skewed to provide more protection for white people than African-Americans. - [Dioxin in The Dalles](https://times.org/dioxin-in-the-dalles/) - In 1991, an investigation by Union Pacific Railroad found dioxin, industry’s most dangerous pollutant, in the soil at its heavily contaminated Superfund site in The Dalles. - [Blood Under the Tracks](https://times.org/blood-under-the-tracks/) - BLOOD UNDER THE TRACKS: The dirty business of making railroad ties poisons Oregon town May 6, 2018 Part 1 People in The Dalles, Ore., say their air is being poisoned by a company that uses creosote to make railroad ties. Some say they are crazy, but a bevy of court documents and medical studies back - [How to manage a forest in a time of climate crisis](https://times.org/how-to-manage-a-forest-in-a-time-of-climate-crisis/) - In 2007, Richard Branson, the British business magnate, offered a $25 million prize to anyone who can invent a device capable of removing significant volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Andy Kerr, a noted Oregon environmentalist, drew a picture of a tree and sent it in. After all, a tree performs the job of sucking carbon out of the air far better than any technology yet devised by humans. But Kerr didn’t win, foiled by contest rules specifying the winner must be the inventor of such a device, and it’s certain neither Kerr nor anyone else invented the tree. An artificial tree might win if it could perform the implausible feat of inhaling CO2. - [Trump doubles down on his assault on Alaska's old-growth Forests](https://times.org/trump-doubles-down-on-his-assault-on-alaskas-old-growth-forests/) - DURING THE LAST HALF of the twentieth century, loggers cut down a hefty slice of old-growth forest blanketing Prince of Wales island, the fourth largest island in the United States located at the southern end of Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest. And now the Trump administration is coming back for the rest. - [Trump's great American forest liquidation sale](https://times.org/trumps-great-american-forest-liquidation-sale/) - Starting in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the Trump administration is proposing to eliminate long-standing rules protecting 50 million acres of ancient forests across the country from logging and roadbuilding, raising new alarms about the president’s disregard for the climate and wildlife. Taxpayers, already spending billions to keep Alaska’s timber industry afloat, could end up paying even more. If Trump strips roadless protection from the Tongass, no National Forest is safe. - [The Booty on Bokan Mountain](https://times.org/the-booty-on-bokan-mountain/) - The Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest, stretching from Northern California into Alaska, is known best for things that grow above the ground — like the world’s tallest trees, and in its waters, like the legendary salmon runs. But we know far less about treasures lurking underground, like the vein of rare earth elements tucked away deep within Alaska’s Tongass National Forest – America’s largest national forest. - [Native Alaskan Company Involved in Controversial Carbon Offsets Project to Quit Logging](https://times.org/native-alaskan-company-involved-in-controversial-carbon-offsets-project-to-quit-logging/) - After 35 years of clearcutting Southeast Alaska forests, Sealaska says it wants to generate “sustainable value” for shareholders. - [Tall and old or dense and young: Which kind of forest is better for the climate?](https://times.org/tall-and-old-or-dense-and-young-which-kind-of-forest-is-better-for-the-climate/) - Washington has quietly made logging a part of the state's climate mitigation strategy. The Forest Behind Bruce Anderson’s home in the rolling foothills south of Puget Sound in Washington is densely packed with enormous Douglas fir trees, the most commercially harvested tree species in the United States. It is a natural forest, grown from seeds dispersed by a previous generation of conifers around the time of the Civil War. - [The Silencing of Hector Valenzuela](https://times.org/the-silencing-of-hector-valenzuela/) - The Silencing of Hector Valenzuela BY PAUL KOBERSTEIN AND ELIZA MURPHY May 15, 2015 As the University of Hawai'i was cozying up to GMO giant Monsanto, one of the school's professors says that he was forced to tolerate a climate of "bigotry, retaliation and hostility" for speaking out about the potential risks of genetic engineering. The university - [The Kaua`i Cocktail](https://times.org/the-kauai-cocktail/) - Pesticides By PAUL KOBERSTEIN WAIMEA, HAWAI`I - The Hawaiian island of Kaua`i has become Ground Zero in the intense domestic political battle over genetically modified crops. But the fight isn't just about the merits or downsides of GMO technology. It's about regular old pesticides. The four transnational agribusinesses that are experimenting with genetically engineered crops - [Johnson Creek has a PCB problem](https://times.org/johnson-creek-has-a-pcb-problem/) - Johnson Creek has a PCB problem Three Oregon Department of Environmental Quality studies conducted from 2005 to 2014 found steadily increasing levels of contamination in the urban creek, and the highest levels were found in a 150-foot segment near a titanuim plant acquired this year by Warren Buffet's investment firm Berkshire Hathaway. Authorities never told - [The big stink](https://times.org/the-big-stink/) - The big stink DEQ has been asleep at the wheel for years while dozens of North Portland residents complained about nasty odors emanating from two oil recycling plants For years, dozens of North Portland residents have complained about whiffs of nauseating air seeping through their doors and windows at random hours of the day and - [Portland School Board Votes to Open Tubman Next August Pending Environmental Questions](https://times.org/portland-school-board-votes-to-open-tubman-next-august-pending-environmental-questions/) - Did DEQ Director Richard Whitman just help industry weaken Oregon's air toxic rules? UPDATED (2/16) Will the new Cleaner Air Oregon program die on the vine even before it goes into effect? And if so, many Oregonians are wondering whether DEQ Director Richard Whitman helped do it in. By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Whitman acknowledges that he helped - [Did DEQ Director Richard Whitman just help industry weaken Oregon’s air toxic rules?](https://times.org/did-deq-director-richard-whitman-just-help-industry-weaken-oregons-air-toxic-rules/) - Did DEQ Director Richard Whitman just help industry weaken Oregon's air toxic rules? UPDATED (2/16) Will the new Cleaner Air Oregon program die on the vine even before it goes into effect? And if so, many Oregonians are wondering whether DEQ Director Richard Whitman helped do it in. By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Whitman acknowledges that he helped - [Air Toxics Bill Stirs Opposition from Supporters of Cleaner Air Oregon](https://times.org/air-toxics-bill-stirs-opposition-from-supporters-of-cleaner-air-oregon/) - Air Toxics Bill Stirs Opposition from Supporters of Cleaner Air Oregon By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Senate Bill 1541, the bill that would gut many provisions of the proposed Cleaner Air Oregon program before they take effect, is getting critical reviews from clean air advocates, many of whom have taken to Facebook and other social media to - [Legislature “did not have the votes” to fund Cleaner Air Oregon without changes](https://times.org/legislature-did-not-have-the-votes-to-fund-cleaner-air-oregon-without-changes/) - Legislature "did not have the votes" to fund Cleaner Air Oregon without changes By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The proposed Clean Air Oregon air toxics program would have died in the current session of the Oregon Legislature without major changes, according to Sen. Michael Dembrow, a Democrat from Northeast Portland who is chair of the Senate Environment - [EDITORIAL: PASS SENATE BILL 1541](https://times.org/editorial-pass-senate-bill-1541/) - EDITORIAL: PASS SENATE BILL 1541 By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Sometime this weekend, maybe even as early as Friday, the Oregon Legislature will vote on Senate Bill 1541 - legislation that for the first time will enact legal restrictions on the toxic pollution that permeates much of Oregon's air. The Legislature should pass this bill. SB 1541 - [Cancer-Causing Hexavalent Chromium Detected in Portland Steel Foundry’s Air Emissions](https://times.org/blood-under-the-tracks-copy/) - Cancer-Causing Hexavalent Chromium Detected in Portland Steel Foundry's Air Emissions by PAUL KOBERSTEIN in the movie "Erin Brockovich," a UCLA chemistry professor tells Julia Roberts, playing the title role, that there are three kinds of chromium. One form is necessary for good health, a second form, trivalent chromium, is relatively benign, and a third form, - [Bullseye Glass’s Hex-Chrome Emissions Test Mangled; Oregon’s 24-Hour Pollution Levels Bungled](https://times.org/bullseye-glasss-hex-chrome-emissions-test-mangled-oregons-24-hour-pollution-levels-bungled/) - Bullseye Glass's Hex-Chrome Emissions Test Mangled; Oregon's 24-Hour Pollution Levels Bungled By Daniel Forbes Five months into an air-toxics scare involving Southeast Portland's Bullseye Glass, neither it nor Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality are any closer to understanding how much hexavalent chromium (Cr VI), a virulent carcinogen, emerges from its stacks during the production of - [Trade Secrets](https://times.org/trade-secrets/) - Trade Secrets Meet the polluter in The Dalles, Ore., who thinks its toxic air emissions data are none of your business. May 14, 2018 Part 2 By PAUL KOBERSTEIN and JESSICA APPLEGATE Photographs by SARAH CLARK THE DALLES, Ore., - Union Pacific's creosote treatment plant in The Dalles for years resisted public demands for fewer - [Lagging traffic volumes could force taxpayers to cover bridge debt](https://times.org/lagging-traffic-volumes-could-force-taxpayers-to-cover-bridge-debt/) - Lagging traffic volumes could force taxpayers to cover bridge debt By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Construction of the Columbia River Crossing, - the $3.9 billion plan to build a new Interstate 5 bridge and expand the freeway between Portland and Vancouver - is several years off, but the project may already be in financial jeopardy because not - [Road Rage: Could fury over freeways topple plans for a new Columbia River bridge? Or will Portland join the “freeway arms race”?](https://times.org/road-rage-could-fury-over-freeways-topple-plans-for-a-new-columbia-river-bridge-or-will-portland-join-the-freeway-arms-race/) - Road Rage: Could fury over freeways topple plans for a new Columbia River bridge? Or will Portland join By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Portland is known as a test tube for radical ideas. Its critics have warned that, one day, Portland could choke on its own unique vision of "sustainability," or one of its other new age - [I-5 Expansion Plan and its Empty Promises](https://times.org/i-5-expansion-plan-and-its-empty-promises/) - I-5 Expansion Plan and its Empty Promises By PAUL KOBERSTEIN If you are looking to the proposed Columbia River Crossing for a quicker commute, healthy air, and progress toward a solution to global warming, you will may be disappointed. Despite promises, there's reason to doubt the CRC will deliver any of that. That statement summarizes - [An Environmental Injustice: Freeway Project Would Increase Pollution in Portland’s Most Polluted Neighborhood](https://times.org/an-environmental-injustice-freeway-project-would-increase-pollution-in-portlands-most-polluted-neighborhood/) - An Environmental Injustice: Freeway Project Would Increase Pollution in Portland's Most Polluted By PAUL KOBERSTEIN All traffic crossing the Columbia River emits toxic air pollution, which threatens the health of people living in North Portland neighborhoods - the dumping ground for much, if not most, of Portland's pollution for several decades. The CRC predicts traffic - [Global Warming and Freeways](https://times.org/global-warming-and-freeways-2/) - Global Warming and Freeways One of the most important questions connected to the Columbia River Crossing is how it will impact climate change. Traffic is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that are forcing global temperatures to rise. Nevertheless, the CRC's supporters say their project will be good for the planet. "The greenest bridge - [Halted Trinity River Project Back on Track](https://times.org/halted-trinity-river-project-back-on-track/) - Halted Trinity River Project Back on Track By ROBIN KLEIN Moves were undertaken long ago to rescue one of the most important rivers in America, the Trinity. Significant because it remains one of the most pristine and least hindered of large rivers, and has been a major source of irrigation water for California's parched Central - [The Last Undammed River in California](https://times.org/the-last-undammed-river-in-california/) - The Last Undammed River in California By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The Cosumnes River, a stream fed by rain and water drawn from aquifers, twists and surges in a narrow braid as it pours down from the Sierra Nevada and runs across the Sacramento plains to the Delta. The only undammed river in the Central Valley, the - [Meet the Miner Who Thinks He's Immune to Environmental Laws](https://times.org/meet-the-miner-who-thinks-hes-immune-to-environmental-laws/) - Meet the Miner Who Thinks He's Immune to Environmental Laws By Paul Koberstein and John Williams Joseph Leonard Hardesty never met an environmental law he wouldn't defy. Local gravel miners Hardesty, 55, and his business partner, Richard David Churches, 44, have earned the unsolicited adoration of tea party activists across the country for their unrelenting - [Adding Fluoride to Portland Drinking Water? Really?](https://times.org/adding-fluoride-to-portland-drinking-water-really/) - Adding Fluoride to Portland Drinking Water? Really? When the prospect of adding fluoride to Portland's drinking water reared it's head once again, our first reaction was how unlikely in today's times of enlightenment about toxins and the sacredness of all things natural, in a progressive city that historically has stood against conventional medicine by voting - [Portland environmentalist says billions are wasted in U.S. water pollution cleanup](https://times.org/portland-environmentalist-says-billions-are-wasted-in-u-s-water-pollution-cleanup/) - Portland environmentalist says billions are wasted in U.S. water pollution cleanup Originally published in the Portland Tribune Oct. 20, 2015) By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The United States spends about $10 billion combating water pollution every year, almost all of which is wasted, according to Joe Whitworth, executive director of the Freshwater Trust, a Portland-based environmental group. - [Enron's Fraudulent Dealings Cripple BPA](https://times.org/enrons-fraudulent-dealings-cripple-bpa/) - Enron's Fraudulent Dealings Cripple BPA Bonneville has a long history of making huge financial mistakes that have cost the salmon. In the 1970s, it campaigned for the construction of 13 mega-power plants, including 5 nuclear plants and 8 coal plants - even if they weren't needed at the time. "The prudent thing is to keep - [Do the legendary “June Hogs” still exist?](https://times.org/do-the-legendary-june-hogs-still-exist/) - Do the legendary "June Hogs" still exist? By PAUL KOBERSTEIN In the lore of Columbia River salmon, the legend of the "June Hogs" stands apart. June Hogs were said to be a line of supersalmon, capable of swimming 1,000 miles up the Columbia River and into Canada. They were reportedly as large as a small - [The Hanford Reach death trap](https://times.org/the-hanford-reach-death-trap/) - The Hanford Reach death trap By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The Bonneville Power Administration claims it is maintaining steady streamflows through Hanford Reach near Richland, Washington so that the eggs and emerging baby Chinook salmon are protected in the last free-flowing segment of the Columbia River. The Hanford Reach supports the largest and most productive population of - [The Benefits of Restoring Snake River Salmon](https://times.org/the-benefits-of-restoring-snake-river-salmon/) - The Benefits of Restoring Snake River Salmon By PAUL KOBERSTEIN In 1947, Paul Needham of the Oregon State Game Commission observed that if federal dam-builders followed through with plans to build five new dams, including four on the Lower Snake River and one on the Columbia, the salmon would be lost. "All western fishery biologists - [Bonneville’s long history of stiffing the salmon](https://times.org/bonnevilles-long-history-of-stiffing-the-salmon/) - Bonneville's long history of stiffing the salmon By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Throughout the year, the Columbia River system is carefully operated to help juvenile fish survive passage through the dams and reservoirs, or so Bonneville Power Administration wants you to think. But the agency doesn't like to talk about the trauma Bonneville is putting fish through - [The BPA's attacks on fishery scientists began in the 1980s](https://times.org/the-bpas-attacks-on-fishery-scientists-began-in-the-1980s/) - The BPA's attacks on fishery scientists began in the 1980s By PAUL KOBERSTEIN A January 2006 Bonneville Power Administration decision to kill the longstanding agency responsible for counting salmon at the Columbia Basin's dams is illegal, according to a recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. Bonneville's effort to quash the passage center was inspired - [Overfishing, dams led to tribal poverty](https://times.org/overfishing-dams-led-to-tribal-poverty/) - Overfishing, dams led to tribal poverty By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Over the decades, tribal access to their usual fishing places was often unenforced, usually disputed, and, since the completion of the hydro system, almost fully blocked, according to a thoroughly researched book published last year, The Si`lailo Way: Indians, Salmon and Law on the Columbia River, - [Fishing and conservation coalition seeks dam breaching study](https://times.org/fishing-and-conservation-coalition-seeks-dam-breaching-study/) - Fishing and conservation coalition seeks dam breaching study by PAUL KOBERSTEIN Save Our Wild Salmon, a coalition of fishing and conservation organizations, has called on Congress to fund an independent study of the potential effects and impacts of removing four dams in the Lower Snake River. The Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act would require - [‘Disastrous’ Coho Returns Threaten Western Washington Tribes](https://times.org/disastrous-coho-returns-threaten-western-washington-tribes/) - 'Disastrous' Coho Returns Threaten Western Washington Tribes By Terri Hansen Blame it on "the Blob"-four-plus degrees Fahrenheit, warmer-than-normal, nutrient-poor ocean waters hugging the Pacific coast-or El Niño, habitat destruction or toxic runoff. Whatever the cause of dwindling coho salmon runs, the effect on western Washington tribal fishing nations can be summed up in one word: - [‘Nightmare’ Yurok salmon fishery collapse](https://times.org/nightmare-yurok-salmon-fishery-collapse/) - 'Nightmare' Yurok salmon fishery collapse By Terri Hansen Anguish and uncertainty await Yurok Tribe as Klamath River Chinook salmon fishery hits bottom The number of Chinook salmon predicted to return to the Klamath River that runs between California and Oregon this fall fishing season is a mere 11,000 fish -- the lowest number in recorded - [California Salmon in Peril](https://times.org/california-salmon-in-peril/) - California Salmon in Peril By Terri HanseninShare Most of California's salmon and trout could be gone in coming century if not saved now, study says Salmon are at the heart of tribal cultures up and down the West Coast-their diet, commerce, ceremonies, and spirituality. They appear in cave art of 10,000 or more years ago. - ['It's a fantastic day for Indian Country': Treaty tribes celebrate Supreme Court victory](https://times.org/its-a-fantastic-day-for-indian-country-treaty-tribes-celebrate-supreme-court-victory/) - 'It's a fantastic day for Indian Country': Treaty tribes celebrate Supreme Court victory Supreme Court Affirms Native American Treaty Rights to Harvest Salmon. The decision upholds 19th century promises and should increase the number of fish for everyone. By Terri Hansen The Supreme Court affirmed the treaty rights of tribal nations in Washington state today in - [The Most Endangered Salmon Runs in the Columbia Basin](https://times.org/the-most-endangered-salmon-runs-in-the-columbia-basin/) - The Most Endangered Salmon Runs in the Columbia Basin By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Salmon populations in the Columbia Basin are constantly changing. In some years, numbers increase, giving hope that recovery is on the way. Then they reverse direction. Hydrosystem operations in the basin affect trends, as do changes in rainfall and ocean conditions. In the - [Government Decisions Harm Tribal Culture and Economy](https://times.org/government-decisions-harm-tribal-culture-and-economy/) - Government Decisions Harm Tribal Culture and Economy By PAUL KOBERSTEIN In 1855 the Columbia River Indian tribes began leaving their traditional fishing grounds, moving upland from Chee-wan-a, or Big Water, one of the names given for the Columbia. In treaties they had ceded much of their land to the federal government, but had reserved the - [Pruitt’s Rejection of Chlorpyrifos Ban Seems Based on Alternative Facts](https://times.org/pruitts-rejection-of-chlorpyrifos-ban-seems-based-on-alternative-facts/) - Pruitt's Rejection of Chlorpyrifos Ban Seems Based on Alternative Facts By PAUL KOBERSTEIN This article was first published in Earth Island Journal. EPA chief fails to explain what data prompted his decision to allow continued use of the toxic pesticide, environmental groups file suit The US Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump may have stepped - [EPA Mulls Ban on Nation’s Most Heavily Used Insecticide](https://times.org/epa-mulls-ban-on-nations-most-heavily-used-insecticide/) - EPA Mulls Ban on Nation's Most Heavily Used Insecticide This article was first published in Earth Island Journal. By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Numerous studies have shown that Chlorpyrifos causes serious harm to children and farmworkers Scott Krogstad grows soybeans and sugar beets in the heart of the Red River Valley near Grand Forks, North Dakota. Like - [Pesticide Exposure Linked to Depression Among Ag Workers, Says Report](https://times.org/pesticide-exposure-linked-to-depression-among-ag-workers-says-report/) - Pesticide Exposure Linked to Depression Among Ag Workers, Says Report This article was first published in Earth Island Journal. By PAUL KOBERSTEIN It is not clear if farmer suicides are linked to pesticide use, says coauthor of study that's being cited in news reports connecting the two Is routine exposure to pesticides responsible for the - [The Ghost in the GMO Machine](https://times.org/the-ghost-in-the-gmo-machine-2/) - The Ghost in the GMO Machine By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Independent research shows that Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used in Kaua'i's GMO fields, can cause significant harm to children, but Dow Chemical is intent on convincing the EPA otherwise The bodies and minds of children living on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i are being threatened by exposure - [The Contamination of Natural Kaua`i](https://times.org/the-contamination-of-natural-kauai/) - The Contamination of Natural Kaua`i The rare plants and wildlife of Kaua`i are put at risk by the toxic chemicals used on the island's GMO test fields By PAUL KOBERSTEIN WAIMEA, HAWAI`I - Given its fragile and unusually rich ecology, the Hawaiian island of Kaua`i seems ill-suited as a site for agricultural experiments that use - [Where the forest has no name](https://times.org/where-the-forest-has-no-name/) - Driving up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco, you approach the world’s largest contiguous temperate rainforest. But don’t look for any markers or directions. There aren’t any. In fact, the rainforest, which stretches 2,500 miles from Northern California all the way to Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska – almost as far as the distance as from New York to Los Angeles – doesn’t even have an official name. - [Puget Sound's bottomfish may land on the Endangered Species List](https://times.org/puget-sounds-bottomfish-may-land-on-the-endangered-species-list/) - Puget Sound's bottomfish may land on the Endangered Species List The National Marine Fisheries Service said has begun a year-long biological "status review" of seven species of fish in Puget Sound as a first step to determine if they need protection under the Endangered Species Act. None of the species, interestingly, is a salmon. Several - [No Refuge Strictly speaking, our National Marine Sanctuaries aren't truly "sanctuaries" at all](https://times.org/no-refuge-strictly-speaking-our-national-marine-sanctuaries-arent-truly-sanctuaries-at-all/) - No Refuge Strictly speaking, our National Marine Sanctuaries aren't truly "sanctuaries" at all When Congress passed legislation creating National Marine Sanctuaries in 1972, it recognized that oceans are ecosystems, but lack the same kind of protection as special areas on land. "This Nation historically has recognized the importance of protecting special areas of its public - [Is it Fresh? ...and other important questions to ask at the seafood market](https://times.org/is-it-fresh-and-other-important-questions-to-ask-at-the-seafood-market/) - Is it Fresh? ...and other important questions to ask at the seafood market by Elizabeth Grossman At low tide in Sitka, Alaska, I watched bald eagles, ravens and small shore birds dive for fish and feast on sea creatures along the beach. That evening friends shared Dungeness crab they'd just hauled out of the bay, - [Rogues of The Pacific: Exploiting a Fragile Coral Reef Ecosystem for Fun and Profit](https://times.org/rogues-of-the-pacific-exploiting-a-fragile-coral-reef-ecosystem-for-fun-and-profit/) - Rogues of The Pacific: Exploiting a Fragile Coral Reef Ecosystem for Fun and Profit The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, America's largest coral reef ecosystem, have nurtured an exotic web of life for millions of years. Because of their isolated location - they are further from continents than any other islands on earth - life evolved on - [Predator Dominated Ecosystem](https://times.org/predator-dominated-ecosystem/) - Predator Dominated Ecosystem Galapagos sharks are a common predator in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and a predator to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. The Galapagos shark is found near islands such as Galapagos, Hawai`i, Virgin Islands and Bermuda. It is usually found in water between 16 and 200 feet deep. One of the most striking - [One of the World's Richest Ecosystems, the California Current Carries 10 Times ss Much Water as the Amazon](https://times.org/one-of-the-worlds-richest-ecosystems-the-california-current-carries-10-times-ss-much-water-as-the-amazon/) - One of the World's Richest Ecosystems, the California Current Carries 10 Times ss Much Water as the Amazon By Paul Koberstein The California Current spins clockwise along the West Coast, a cog in the enormous North Pacific Gyre. The California Current is said to be as rich if not richer with marine life than any - [New threats for leatherbacks](https://times.org/new-threats-for-leatherbacks/) - New threats for leatherbacks By Paul Koberstein It's August 2007 and scientists are heading for the beach - but not for a swim. It is just after sunset, and they are patrolling the sand for sea turtles whom they hope will crawl out of the surf and start digging their nests. The location is Jamursba-Medi, - [It’s All About the Ecosystem: Experts Urge Pacific Fisheries Council to Take a More Holistic Approach](https://times.org/its-all-about-the-ecosystem-experts-urge-pacific-fisheries-council-to-take-a-more-holistic-approach/) - It's All About the Ecosystem: Experts Urge Pacific Fisheries Council to Take a More Holistic Approach The catchphrase for President Clinton's 1992 campaign framed the main issue and probably helped win the election: "It's the economy, stupid." Today, in the California Current, it's all about the ecosystem, or more accurately, it's all about the neglect - [Return of the Native Coastal coho salmon have survived 150 dismal years, but barely. Now Oregon officials say coho are no longer threatened. Critics say that’s wishful thinking](https://times.org/return-of-the-native-coastal-coho-salmon-have-survived-150-dismal-years-but-barely-now-oregon-officials-say-coho-are-no-longer-threatened-critics-say-thats-wishful-thinking/) - Return of the Native Coastal coho salmon have survived 150 dismal years, but barely. Now Oregon officials say coho are no longer threatened. Critics say that's wishful thinking By Paul Koberstein YACHATS - A walk through the woods with Paul Engelmeyer is like a trip both back and forward in time. Since the late 1980s, - [Sand Lake, Oregon’s most untouched estuary. Soon to be a golf course?](https://times.org/sand-lake-oregons-most-untouched-estuary-soon-to-be-a-golf-course/) - Sand Lake, Oregon's most untouched estuary. Soon to be a golf course? By Paul Koberstein About 5 miles north of Pacific City, the tiny Sand Lake estuary has somehow been spared the development that has been transforming the rest of the Coast's tidal lands for 150 years. Other than a farm that operated beyond the - [Where’d They Put the Ocean? Sprawl obstructs views, pollutes beaches and mars Oregon’s scenic shoreline](https://times.org/whered-they-put-the-ocean-sprawl-obstructs-views-pollutes-beaches-and-mars-oregons-scenic-shoreline/) - Where'd They Put the Ocean? Sprawl obstructs views, pollutes beaches and mars Oregon's scenic shoreline By Paul Koberstein PACIFIC CITY - All year long, surfers ride the waves at this small Tillamook County town, one of Oregon's most popular beachfront resorts. Haystack Rock, the tallest of three towers by that name on the Coast, stands - [Is This What Gov. Tom McCall Had in Mind?](https://times.org/is-this-what-gov-tom-mccall-had-in-mind/) - Is This What Gov. Tom McCall Had in Mind? BY PAUL KOBERSTEIN Tom McCall called it a shameless threat to our environment and to our whole quality of life, an unfettered despoiling of the land, a "coastal condomania." In his opening address to the 1973 Oregon Legislature, Gov. McCall explained, "We are dismayed that we - [Breaking Point in the Bering Sea](https://times.org/breaking-point-in-the-bering-sea/) - Breaking Point in the Bering Sea By Paul Koberstein Shaped like a diamond and perched on top of the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea is one of the richest cold water ecosystems in the world, if not the very richest. Deep ocean currents gathering in far regions of the globe terminate in the Bering Sea - [Wildlife declines in the “ Galapagos of the North”](https://times.org/wildlife-declines-in-the-galapagos-of-the-north/) - Wildlife declines in the " Galapagos of the North" The Bering Sea, with its abundant marine mammal, fish and seabird species, has been compared to waters off the Galapagos Islands for its natural wealth as well as its fragility. Over the last half century, the U.S., Russia and Japan have transformed the Bering Sea into - [Alaska Pollock: Feeding Fish-Stick Nation](https://times.org/alaska-pollock-feeding-fish-stick-nation/) - Alaska Pollock: Feeding Fish-Stick Nation No place off America's coasts produces as much fish as the Bering Sea. And no fish is more plentiful in America's harvests than the Alaska pollock. Pollock is deep-fried and sold as "Fillet-O-Fish" sandwiches at McDonald's or frozen fish sticks. It is minced into a bland white substance and sold - [Slaves of the Fur Seal Harvest](https://times.org/slaves-of-the-fur-seal-harvest/) - Slaves of the Fur Seal Harvest For two centuries, the Native Aleuts who live on the Pribilof Islands were exploited by both the Russian and U.S. governments. "Our people were wards - some say slaves - of the United States government until fur seal harvesting was abolished in 1984 due to national and international environmental - [The Last Voyage of the Arctic Rose](https://times.org/the-last-voyage-of-the-arctic-rose/) - The Last Voyage of the Arctic Rose The calendar read January 2001 as the Arctic Rose set course for a Bering Sea teeming with controversy. The fishing vessel itself was in a world of trouble as it departed from Fisherman's Terminal in Seattle. In fact, the Arctic Rose may not have been seaworthy. In 1999, - [The Crash of the Northern Fur Seal](https://times.org/the-crash-of-the-northern-fur-seal/) - The Crash of the Northern Fur Seal Situated at the edge of the Continental Shelf, the Pribilof Islands are a group of five volcanic rocks some 300 miles off the west coast of Alaska. The Bering Sea surrounds the islands with its rich diversity of life. More than 70 percent of the world's northern fur - [The Saga of the Stellar Sea Lion](https://times.org/the-saga-of-the-stellar-sea-lion/) - The Saga of the Stellar Sea Lion For at least three decades, the Steller sea lion of western Alaska has been disappearing at alarming rates. Controversies over its decline have fueled headlines for half that time. In the early 1980s, the annual rate of decline averaged 5.9 percent. Scientists found evidence of low birth rates - [POACHERS R US: Overfishing of lobster pushes Hawaiian monk seals toward extinction. Who's accountable](https://times.org/poachers-r-us-overfishing-of-lobster-pushes-hawaiian-monk-seals-toward-extinction-whos-accountable/) - POACHERS R US: Overfishing of lobster pushes Hawaiian monk seals toward extinction. Who's accountable Just a few years ago, the seal likely would have been feasting on lobsters once abundant around the reefs. Not a single lobster can be seen in the video, although a seal is shown checking an abandoned lobster trap. Evidence shows - [Fixing our failed fisheries](https://times.org/fixing-our-failed-fisheries/) - Fixing our failed fisheries Naked self-interest, ignoring warning signs of declining species, knowingly permitting overfishing, and looking the other way when accidental catches - or bycatch - severely deplete vulnerable species such as sea turtles: these are just a few of the features of the failing management system that governs the precious resources of the - [Essential Coral Gardens: North Pacific council rejects plan to protect coral and sponge, though it meant little reduction in commercial fishing](https://times.org/essential-coral-gardens-north-pacific-council-rejects-plan-to-protect-coral-and-sponge-though-it-meant-little-reduction-in-commercial-fishing/) - Essential Coral Gardens: North Pacific council rejects plan to protect coral and sponge, though it meant little reduction in commercial fishing Every year, from Baja California to the Bering Sea, 1 million pounds of coral are scraped up in the pursuit of the groundfish that populate the cold, deep waters of the Continental Shelf. Commercial - [The ROCKFISH Files: Documents show the Pacific Fishery Management Council ignored scientific advice as it let the bottom dwellers crash](https://times.org/the-rockfish-files-documents-show-the-pacific-fishery-management-council-ignored-scientific-advice-as-it-let-the-bottom-dwellers-crash/) - The ROCKFISH Files: Documents show the Pacific Fishery Management Council ignored scientific advice as it let the bottom dwellers crash In 2000, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce declared a disaster in the groundfish fisheries off the West Coast. For many communities, the collapse of those fish stocks was a tragedy, but documents show that it - [Western Pacific Fishery Council Tries to Quash Coral Reserve](https://times.org/western-pacific-fishery-council-tries-to-quash-coral-reserve/) - Western Pacific Fishery Council Tries to Quash Coral Reserve "I am writing to ask for your help in reversing an 11th-hour decision' by former President Clinton that will have a devastating economic impact on the fishing industry of Hawaii," Linda Lingle, then a Republican candidate for governor of Hawaii, wrote in a letter two years - [The CATS who run the fishhouse](https://times.org/the-cats-who-run-the-fishhouse/) - The CATS who run the fishhouse by Paul Koberstein Imagine the CEO of Weyerhaeuser appointed to run the national forests. As part of the deal, he gets to keep his old job. Federal law wouldn't allow it, of course. It's a simple conflict of interest. But when it comes to the folks who regulate ocean - [The Long Tragic Trail of Defective General Electric Nuclear Reactors, from Hanford to Fukushima](https://times.org/the-long-tragic-trail-of-defective-general-electric-nuclear-reactors-from-hanford-to-fukushima/) - The Long Tragic Trail of Defective General Electric Nuclear Reactors, from Hanford to Fukushima Troubled throughout its entire history, the Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant at Hanford, Wash., will turn 30 years old in 2014. The plant's opening in 1984 was marred by the failure to complete four of its sister plants in what - [Leaks and Cracks in the Machine](https://times.org/leaks-and-cracks-in-the-machine/) - Leaks and Cracks in the Machine By PAUL KOBERSTEIN A nuclear power plant is one of the most dangerous machines ever devised. A nuclear plant with defects can be even more dangerous. Two major original components of the Columbia Generating Station came with serious defects, including the reactor containment system, as revealed in Part 1 - [Columbia Plant Frequently Violates Federal Nuclear Safety Rules](https://times.org/columbia-plant-frequently-violates-federal-nuclear-safety-rules/) - Columbia Plant Frequently Violates Federal Nuclear Safety Rules The Columbia Generating Station never had a better year than 2012. The Northwest's only nuclear power plant recorded the second highest amount of electricity produced in a single calendar year: 9.7 million megawatt-hours. It also went the longest amount of time without an emergency shutdown: 3 years, - [Secretive Industry Group Gives Columbia Nuclear Plant Low Marks](https://times.org/secretive-industry-group-gives-columbia-nuclear-plant-low-marks/) - Secretive Industry Group Gives Columbia Nuclear Plant Low Marks The Nuclear Regulatory Commission isn't the only organization that has expressed a low regard for the Columbia Generating Station and its poor performance over the years. By Paul Koberstein INPO, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, an industry group, conducted several evaluations of Columbia's operations over - [SCRAM! When Disaster Strikes](https://times.org/scram-when-disaster-strikes/) - SCRAM! When Disaster Strikes On 23 occasions since 2000, the Columbia Generating Station faced emergency situations that forced the plant to "scram" - a term defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as an unplanned automatic or manual shut down, usually achieved by the insertion of control rods into the reactor. In each of the 23 - [Cancer and the Nuclear Power Industry’s Radioactive Emissions](https://times.org/cancer-and-the-nuclear-power-industrys-radioactive-emissions/) - Cancer and the Nuclear Power Industry's Radioactive Emissions By Paul Koberstein Like all commercial nuclear power plants operating in the United States, the Columbia Generating Station, located on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in rural South-Central Washington, emits a small, but steady stream of radioactive pollution to the air. In the words of the plant's radiological - [The Relicensing of Columbia: Cover-Up or Gross Negligence?](https://times.org/the-relicensing-of-columbia-cover-up-or-gross-negligence/) - The Relicensing of Columbia: Cover-Up or Gross Negligence? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates commercial nuclear power plants in this country, has renewed and extended the Columbia nuclear plant's 40-year operating license to 2043, even though it wasn't due to expire until 2023. By Paul Koberstein The early license renewal meant the plant's aging components - [Northern Idaho's mining waste is now a problem for the Columbia River Basin](https://times.org/northern-idahos-mining-waste-is-now-a-problem-for-the-columbia-river-basin/) - Northern Idaho's mining waste is now a problem for the Columbia River Basin By PAUL KOBERSTEIN HARRISON, Idaho -- Over the last century, the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane River system has washed hundreds of millions of tons of mining waste along riverbottoms, floodplains, lakes and wetlands. Much of this waste contains toxic amounts of lead, cadmium, arsenic and - [Jailed activist claims mining industry retaliation](https://times.org/jailed-activist-claims-mining-industry-retaliation-2/) - The Union Pacific's Toxic Railroad By PAUL KOBERSTEIN HARRISON, Idaho -- To get an idea of the kind of cleanup the Environmental Protection Agency has in mind for the Coeur d'Alene Basin, consider its Superfund response to poisons within a critical sliver of land running through the guts of the basin: the 72-mile rail branch from - [Jailed activist claims mining industry retaliation](https://times.org/jailed-activist-claims-mining-industry-retaliation/) - Jailed activist claims mining industry retaliation By PAUL KOBERSTEIN WALLACE, Idaho -- Barbara Miller wore prison green as she spoke from inside the Shoshone County Jail. "I'm a political prisoner of the state of Idaho," she said defiantly. "I was put here by the good old boys and the mining industry in Shoshone County." Miller, - [There is no safe level of lead in the human body](https://times.org/there-is-no-safe-level-of-lead-in-the-human-body/) - There is no safe level of lead in the human body By PAUL KOBERSTEIN No one would benefit from a cleanup in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane Basin more than children, especially the smallest ones. Many residential yards throughout the upper reaches of the basin are still contaminated with high, unhealthy levels of lead dust. Soils on - [Journey to the Heart of the Great Bear Rainforest](https://times.org/journey-to-the-heart-of-the-great-bear-rainforest/) - Journey to the Heart of the Great Bear Rainforest by Paul Koberstein Situated just at the far edge of western markets, money and politics, the Great Bear Rainforest lives on as it has for 10,000 years. Nowhere else in the Earth's temperate zones can you find such a large, biologically rich, intact rainforest. Yet civilization - [George Bush of the North: Prime Minister's soup of right-wing politics wreaks havoc in the province](https://times.org/george-bush-of-the-north-prime-ministers-soup-of-right-wing-politics-wreaks-havoc-in-the-province/) - George Bush of the North: Prime Minister's soup of right-wing politics wreaks havoc in the province by Paul Koberstein VICTORIA - Let's play name that dictator: Since he came to power, he's undone tons of environmental laws meant to protect forests, wildlife and rivers. He is a classic cut, gut and clearcut politician: cut taxes - [Canadian Activist says Americans Can Help BC Save its Ancient Forests](https://times.org/canadian-activist-says-americans-can-help-bc-save-its-ancient-forests/) - Canadian Activist says Americans Can Help BC Save its Ancient Forests By Paul Koberstein For more than two decades, whenever an environmental crisis confronted British Columbia, you could be almost certain to find Vicky Husband in the thick of it. As a volunteer activist and Conservation Chair for the Sierra Club of Canada BC Chapter, - [Campbell’s new forest code: A “pathway to extinction”](https://times.org/campbells-new-forest-code-a-pathway-to-extinction/) - Campbell's new forest code: A "pathway to extinction" By Paul Koberstein Enacted in November 2002, British Columbia's "results- based" forest practices code replaces a 1995 law that was hailed at the time as a model for protecting wildlife. But the old Forest Practices Code never lived up to its reputation. It required the government to - [Vancouver Island Old-Growth Almost 75 Percent Gone](https://times.org/vancouver-island-old-growth-almost-75-percent-gone/) - Vancouver Island Old-Growth Almost 75 Percent Gone By the time the Clayoquot Peace Camp shut down in the fall of 1993, police had arrested 856 people for protesting clearcut logging in Clayoquot's ancient forest. The event soon became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada's history . Two years later the BC government put - [First Nations Go to Court for Land, Resources](https://times.org/first-nations-go-to-court-for-land-resources/) - First Nations Go to Court for Land, Resources Archaeological evidence shows that indigenous civilizations, known in Canada as "First Nations," have occupied British Columbia for at least 12,000 years. Before Canada was a country Britain recognized that aboriginal people living there had title to land. When BC joined Canada in 1871, only 14 treaties on - [BC’ s Shortchanged Species](https://times.org/bc-s-shortchanged-species/) - BC' s Shortchanged Species A decade ago, Canada led the global fight to preserve biological diversity . Canada was the first nation to sign the International Convention on Biodiversity at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and was the first industrialized nation to ratify it. So, what has Canada done since - [Citizens stand up to Bush in defense of ancient forests](https://times.org/citizens-stand-up-to-bush-in-defense-of-ancient-forests/) - Citizens stand up to Bush in defense of ancient forests By Paul Koberstein History is certain to judge the Bush years as a disaster for the nation's - and the planet's - environment. But as his second term winds down, it's worth noting that ancient forests in the Pacific Northwest are still standing, despite the - [The fallen lieutenant: ex-Interior official ran scheme to suppress science](https://times.org/the-fallen-lieutenant-ex-interior-official-ran-scheme-to-suppress-science/) - The fallen lieutenant: ex-Interior official ran scheme to suppress science By Paul Koberstein In Bush's war against the environment, Julie MacDonald, a deputy assistant Interior secretary, cast herself as the loyal lieutenant who led his fierce campaign to blunt efforts to recover imperiled species in favor of more grazing, timber production and fossil fuel extraction - [Truth and Other Casualties from Bush's War on Science](https://times.org/truth-and-other-casualties-from-bushs-war-on-science/) - Truth and Other Casualties from Bush's War on Science By Paul Koberstein The shocking behavior of Julie MacDonald, the disgraced ex-Interior Department official, creates a credibility problem for federal environmental agencies, and raises significant questions for the public. Who would believe anything that's been tainted with MacDonald's fingerprints? Who else has poisoned the science with - [Rethinking the Northwest Forest Plan](https://times.org/rethinking-the-northwest-forest-plan/) - Rethinking the Northwest Forest Plan Originally published in the Portland Tribune Feb. 19, 2015 By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Bill Clinton's visionary Northwest Forest Plan is on the chopping block. Twenty years ago, the federal government adopted the Northwest Forest Plan to safeguard remnants of the region's heavily logged ancient forests, and save imperiled wildlife that live - [Letting Gene Drives Loose Outside Labs is Too Risky, says Scientist Who Promoted Idea](https://times.org/letting-gene-drives-loose-outside-labs-is-too-risky-says-scientist-who-promoted-idea/) - Letting Gene Drives Loose Outside Labs is Too Risky, says Scientist Who Promoted Idea This article was first pubt published in Earth Island Journal. But other advocates of controversial genetic engineering technology are moving ahead with plans to conduct field trials in a few years By PAUL KOBERSTEIN A large cache of emails released this - [Editing Evolution](https://times.org/editing-evolution/) - Editing Evolution This article was first published in Earth Island Journal. Gene drive is a revolutionary new genetic technology that could help eradicate diseases and save species. But is it risk-free? By PAUL KOBERSTEIN No point in the incorporated United States is farther south than Palmyra Atoll, a four-square-mile speck of an island located near - [When it Comes to GMOs, the Devil is in the Details](https://times.org/when-it-comes-to-gmos-the-devil-is-in-the-details/) - When it Comes to GMOs, the Devil is in the Details This article was first published in Earth Island Journal. By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Unresolved safety questions about gene-editing technologies underscore need for caution While expressing support for the watered-down GMO labeling bill, which was passed by Congress last week and is now awaiting President Obama's - [A Very Different Kind of GMO is Headed to Supermarket Shelves](https://times.org/a-very-different-kind-of-gmo-is-headed-to-supermarket-shelves/) - A Very Different Kind of GMO is Headed to Supermarket Shelves By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Little is known about the environmental and public health impacts of crops using a new technology called RNAi Soon, maybe within a year, Americans could be eating two new varieties of apple that won't turn brown after slicing. To make these - [A harsh new reality transforms the Arctic](https://times.org/a-harsh-new-reality-transforms-the-arctic/) - A harsh new reality transforms the Arctic Dramatic climate changes in the Arctic are sending an unmistakable signal that global warming is advancing much more rapidly on Earth than scientists thought. Many now say that the time to deal with the crisis is rapidly running short. The Arctic, which plays a vital role in keeping - [The Walrus’ Fatal Reaction to Global Warming](https://times.org/the-walrus-fatal-reaction-to-global-warming/) - The Walrus' Fatal Reaction to Global Warming The Pacific walrus is tightly bound with the sea ice where it lives most of its time. The walrus spends the winter in the more southerly Bering Sea. When the sea ice in the Bering begins breaking up and melting in late March or April, they migrate northward - [“Drill, baby, drill”](https://times.org/drill-baby-drill/) - "Drill, baby, drill" By Paul Koberstein Stressed out Arctic wildlife face massive oil development All the easy places on Earth to find oil have been explored. The most fragile environments have been left for last. There's no place more challenging for oil exploration than the Arctic Ocean's continental shelf. Companies have drilled virtually every other - [Reinventing what it means to be Inuit: Indigenous peoples adapt to climate change](https://times.org/reinventing-what-it-means-to-be-inuit-indigenous-peoples-adapt-to-climate-change/) - Reinventing what it means to be Inuit: Indigenous peoples adapt to climate change nuit leader Jose A. Kusugak said that to address the impacts of climate change, it makes sense to consult with those most affected: the indigenous peoples who live in the Arctic. "Our millennia-old traditions are already being altered because of the warming - [Russian Oil Ambitions Collide with Ancient Reindeer Traditions](https://times.org/russian-oil-ambitions-collide-with-ancient-reindeer-traditions/) - Russian Oil Ambitions Collide with Ancient Reindeer Traditions Russia possesses nine of the top 15 oil fields in the Arctic and enormous gas reserves, according to the USGS. The largest deposits sit in the Yenisey-Khatanga basin, the West Siberian Basin and the Laptev Sea Shelf. But drilling interests could collide with the subsistence activities in - [2010: The Year Global Warming Turned a Monstrous Corner](https://times.org/2010-the-year-global-warming-turned-a-monstrous-corner/) - 2010: The Year Global Warming Turned a Monstrous Corner By PAUL KOBERSTEIN When Dr. James Hansen of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration arrived in Houston to speak in December 2009, he was greeted by an angry mob, a police escort, and death threats. This was odd. Houston, the home of Mission Control, normally treats - [Global Warming and freeways](https://times.org/global-warming-and-freeways/) - Global Warming and freeways By PAUL KOBERSTEIN One of the most important questions connected to the Columbia River Crossing is how it will impact climate change. Traffic is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that are forcing global temperatures to rise. Nevertheless, the CRC's supporters say their project will be good for the planet. - [Unskewing the climate math](https://times.org/unskewing-the-climate-math/) - Unskewing the climate math By PAUL KOBERSTEIN As you recall, during the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney and the Republicans had trouble making their budget numbers add up. As Bill Clinton pointed out at the 2012 Democratic convention, Republican policies simply "defied arithmetic." On Election Day, Karl Rove threw a fit on Fox News because the - [Say g’bye to summer hummers once global climate warms](https://times.org/say-gbye-to-summer-hummers-once-global-climate-warms/) - Say g'bye to summer hummers once global climate warms By PAUL KOBERSTEIN For a good part of the year, the colorful rufous hummingbird can be spotted all over Portland. After nesting and breeding here in the summer and fall, these feisty hummers migrate some 2,000 miles southward to winter in Mexico. But over the next - [DEQ announces air pollution controls for oil recyclers](https://times.org/deq-announces-air-pollution-controls-for-oil-recyclers/) - DEQ announces air pollution controls for oil recyclers Hayden Island residents still not happy with state agency's slow response to odor complaints The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced news last week that it hoped would please Hayden Island residents who have been inundated with toxic odors that have been making them sick and their - [Oil recycler's permit shows it emits more than foul odors](https://times.org/oil-recyclers-permit-shows-it-emits-more-than-foul-odors/) - Oil recycler's permit shows it emits more than foul odors DEQ requires new pollution controls at APES plant in North Portland, but its emissions still will be toxic For years, Hayden Island residents have claimed smelly discharges from nearby industries are making them sick. On its website, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality describes the - [APES' pollution control still up in the air](https://times.org/apes-pollution-control-still-up-in-the-air/) - APES' pollution control still up in the air Oil recyling refinery still hasn't installed anti-smog devices, facing fines by Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality. After years of dithering, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is finally trying to force a North Portland used-oil recycling refinery, American Petroleum Environmental Services, to construct and install air pollution - [City Inspections of oil recyclers reveal shaky history](https://times.org/city-inspections-of-oil-recyclers-reveal-shaky-history/) - CITY INSPECTIONS OF OIL RECYCLERS REVEAL SHAKY HISTORY Fire and safety violations plague ORRCO and EcoLube Recovery oil refineries in North Portland North Portland residents have complained for years about foul odors traced to air emissions of two refineries that recycle used oil. What they didn't know was that in addition to the stench sporadically - [Disaster narrowly averted in 2009 explosion, blaze](https://times.org/disaster-narrowly-averted-in-2009-explosion-blaze/) - Disaster narrowly averted in 2009 explosion, blaze Shortly after noon on July 24, 2009, two 25,000-gallon tanks and two 4,000-gallon tanks exploded at a refinery that recycles used oil near the Portland Expo Center, on North Force Avenue. As Portland firefighters raced to the scene, they observed a large smoke plume extending "several hundred feet - [Both North Portland oil recyclers rack up PCB violations](https://times.org/both-north-portland-oil-recyclers-rack-up-pcb-violations/) - Both North Portland oil recyclers rack up PCB violations EcoLube Recovery, which recycles used oil at a North Portland refinery, has been unlawfully accepting deliveries of waste contaminated with highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and storing it on site in violation of its solid waste disposal permit, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced - [Refinery stench lingers, despite new pollution control equipment](https://times.org/refinery-stench-lingers-despite-new-pollution-control-equipment/) - Refinery stench lingers, despite new pollution control equipment New thermal oxidizers ordered by DEQ didn't halt complaints about plant, as foul odors still waft into Portland Expo Center across the street. After 17 years of complaints, horrific odors traced to a North Portland refinery that recycles used oil have not gone away, despite its recent - [Protesters Target Precision Castparts](https://times.org/protesters-target-precision-castparts/) - Protesters Target Precision Castparts After battling two small eastside glass makers over toxic air emissions, Southeast Portland activists are turning their attention to a far-bigger target: Precision Castparts Corp., the worldwide metals manufacturer with two local plants and numerous past environmental violations. A database released in December by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed a - [Long history of Johnson Creek pollution winds back to Precision Castparts](https://times.org/long-history-of-johnson-creek-pollution-winds-back-to-precision-castparts/) - Long history of Johnson Creek pollution winds back to Precision Castparts Johnson Creek, at the Tideman-Johnson Natural Area, is located less than a half-mile downstream of Precision Castparts plants in the Errol Heights neighborhood.Johnson Creek begins its 26-mile journey from pristine headwaters in the Cascade foothills near Boring, but as it snakes through Gresham, Portland - [Precision Castparts pollution sparks city water concerns in Milwaukie](https://times.org/precision-castparts-pollution-sparks-city-water-concerns-in-milwaukie/) - Precision Castparts pollution sparks city water concerns in Milwaukie What's up with the water in the city of Milwaukie? Many residents say it has a foul taste and aroma that make it undrinkable. City officials insist that it is safe - but only after it passes through a special water treatment system. Milwaukie draws all - [Angry crowd confronts Precision Castparts](https://times.org/angry-crowd-confronts-precision-castparts/) - Angry crowd confronts Precision Castparts At an unusual community meeting last week with about 250 nearby residents, managers of the Precision Castparts factory in Southeast Portland received a welcome that ranged from boisterous to outright hostility. "On behalf of the more than 10,000 people in Southeast Portland and Milwaukie who live in the arsenic, nickel - [Dirty secrets in abandoned SE Portland landfill](https://times.org/dirty-secrets-in-abandoned-se-portland-landfill/) - Dirty secrets in abandoned SE Portland landfill Just south of Johnson Creek sits an abandoned landfill that time, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, forgot. Built in 1950 before modern landfill regulations were written, the dump at 7600 S.E. Johnson Creek Blvd. lacked a liner to prevent chemicals from leaking out the bottom, or - [Judge allows Bullseye class action lawsuit to proceed to trial](https://times.org/judge-allows-bullseye-class-action-lawsuit-to-proceed-to-trial/) - Judge allows Bullseye class action lawsuit to proceed to trial Last Friday, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Stephen K. Bushong ruled that a $1.2 billion class action lawsuit against Bullseye Glass can proceed to trial, which is set to begin on June 11. When originally filed in March 2016, the suit, known as Meeker et al. - [Bullseye says DEQ greatly exaggerated toxin danger](https://times.org/bullseye-says-deq-greatly-exaggerated-toxin-danger/) - Bullseye says DEQ greatly exaggerated toxin danger Glass company claims agency has let pollution of all sorts persist while it was targete Bullseye Glass, a Southeast Portland art-glass manufacturer that filed a $30 million federal lawsuit last week against Gov. Kate Brown and two state of Oregon agencies, claims the state is "simply making things - [Pollution contaminates soils at Bullseye Glass](https://times.org/pollution-contaminates-soils-at-bullseye-glass/) - Pollution contaminates soils at Bullseye Glass Art glass manufacturer fouled soil, water near its Southeast Portland plant Bullseye Glass, a Portland company known for its colorful glass artwork and past toxic air emissions, also has fouled the groundwater, soil and a dry well at its Southeast Portland site. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and - [Examining ESCO’s ‘no harm’ Claims](https://times.org/examining-escos-no-harm-claims/) - Examining ESCO's 'no harm' Claims By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Carter Webb, manager of safety and environment for ESCO Inc., the corporation that owns two steel foundries at the northern edge of the Northwest neighborhood, acknowledges that his company's air emissions have created some enemies as well as some alleged misery among its neighbors. "We're the focus - [ODOT May Nix Tubman Pollution Wall](https://times.org/odot-may-nix-tubman-pollution-wall/) - ODOT May Nix Tubman Pollution Wall By Daniel Forbes In a recent meeting, two senior Oregon Department of Transportation engineers informed Portland Public Schools that any pollution-mitigation wall the school district might build below Harriet Tubman School to try to block some portion of the toxic emissions coming off Interstate-5 may not survive the highway's - [Citizens, industry at odds over new air toxic rules](https://times.org/citizens-industry-at-odds-over-new-air-toxic-rules/) - Citizens, industry at odds over new air toxic rules By PAUL KOBERSTEIN DEQ falls short in protecting residents' health, some charge are recent hearing The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's new Cleaner Air Oregon program doesn't go far enough to protect the health of people who live near industries that emit toxic air pollution, several - [DEQ draft rules grapple with toxic air pollution](https://times.org/deq-draft-rules-grapple-with-toxic-air-pollution/) - DEQ officials say the program attempts to inventory all toxic emissions in the state and rein them in By PAUL KOBERSTEIN By now, many Portlanders have grown accustomed to the fact that their air can make them sick. Toxic air pollution has been an unhappy part of Portlanders' lives for decades, but the state's environmental - [Industry objects to toxic-air rules](https://times.org/industry-objects-to-toxic-air-rules/) - Associated Oregon Industries creates group to weaken tough new rules emerging from governor's Cleaner Air Oregon project By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Oregonians for Fair Air Regulations, newly formed by the Associated Oregon Industries business lobby, is calling for only narrowly focused changes in state air pollution rules in response to "last year's discovery of harmful emissions - [Cleaning up our toxic air](https://times.org/cleaning-up-our-toxic-air/) - Cleaning up our toxic air By PAUL KOBERSTEIN If a new panel appointed by Gov. Kate Brown has its way, Oregon could become a national leader in the battle against toxic air pollution from industrial sources. Brown's 18-member Cleaner Air Oregon advisory board has asked the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to bring health impacts - [New DEQ Air Toxic Rules Would Allow Disturbing Emissions of Carcinogenic Chromium](https://times.org/new-deq-air-toxic-rules-would-allow-disturbing-emissions-of-carcinogenic-chromium/) - New DEQ Air Toxic Rules Would Allow Disturbing Emissions of Carcinogenic Chromium By Daniel Forbes Change continues apace at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. On the heels of receiving a clarifying letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Bullseye Glass and Uroboros Glass actually do fall under existing federal regulation, [See Portland Mercury, here] - [THE AIR WE BREATHE: Dangerous contaminants hover over the city](https://times.org/the-air-we-breathe-dangerous-contaminants-hover-over-the-city/) - THE AIR WE BREATHE: Dangerous contaminants hover over the city On a hazy summer day, sometimes you can see toxic substances in Portland's air. In some neighborhoods throughout the year, you can smell them. Some Northwest Portland residents report they can even taste the metallic tinge that toxics leave on the palate, and they stay - [Portland: One of the worst 15 places to breathe in America](https://times.org/portland-one-of-the-worst-15-places-to-breathe-in-america/) - Portland: One of the worst 15 places to breathe in America More bad air news for Portland. The cancer risk for breathing in Portland is 7th worst in the nation, out of 3,000 counties. Only in New York and Southern California is the air more carcinogenic. The risk is small, but very real. Portland's air - [ESCO Fills Portland Air WIth Carcinogens](https://times.org/esco-fills-portland-air-with-carcinogens/) - ESCO Fills Portland Air WIth Carcinogens By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Portland has worked hard at building a reputation as a sustainable community, and people around the world have taken notice. In 2008, the online eco-magazine Grist ranked Portland as the second most sustainable city on the planet, behind Reykjavik, Iceland. This lofty ranking is not just - [Aberdeen: Sierra Pacific’s Polluted Prison](https://times.org/aberdeen-sierra-pacifics-polluted-prison/) - Aberdeen: Sierra Pacific's Polluted Prison By John Williams When Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) opened a new lumber mill across the road from Steve Wycoff's metal shop in Aberdeen, Washington, Steve hoped the new jobs might help turn the local economy around. But instead SPI turned Steve's cozy metal shop, where he'd worked for 15 years, - [Our choice, our future](https://times.org/our-choice-our-future/) - Our choice, our future By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Portlanders are driving less, and have greater needs than a new I-5 bridge - we should clean up our toxic air, rebuild our bus system, and earthquake-proof our city first There's no doubt that Interstate 5 is congested, which slows down commuters and the flow of commerce. Traffic - [OPINION: Did The Oregonian misinform its readers about an expensive, unneeded bridge to an unwary public?](https://times.org/opinion-did-the-oregonian-misinform-its-readers-about-an-expensive-unneeded-bridge-to-an-unwary-public/) - OPINION: Did The Oregonian misinform its readers about an expensive, unneeded bridge to an unwary public? Commentary by Ronald A. Buel The Oregonian, as many of us have known it over a lifetime of daily reading, has been a critically important part of the Portland region's life. There was a time, not so very long - [Region’s rail system has some unfinished business](https://times.org/regions-rail-system-has-some-unfinished-business/) - Region's rail system has some unfinished business By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Last week's opening of the Orange MAX light-rail line to Milwaukie serves as a gentle reminder that Portland's mass-transit system has some unfinished business - primarily the extension of the northbound Yellow line across the Columbia River and into Vancouver, Wash. Though often proposed by - [Cascadia Times shares Kaua`i pesticide data](https://times.org/cascadia-times-shares-kauai-pesticide-data/) - Cascadia Times shares Kaua`i pesticide data The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, a trade group representing the agricultural seed industry in Hawaii, is saying in a statement on its web site and in stories published in a Hawaiian newspaper that it is "disturbed" by our alleged "lack of understanding" of farming practices and "complete disregard for - [Washington Department of Ecology told to “do the right thing’ at Hanford](https://times.org/washington-department-of-ecology-told-to-do-the-right-thing-at-hanford/) - Washington Department of Ecology told to "do the right thing' at Hanford By ROBIN KLEIN A standing-room only crowd filled a hearing room next to the Columbia River in Portland on May 16 urging the Washington Department of Ecology to forbid disposal of additional radioactive wastes at the US Department of Energy's Hanford nuclear site, - [The Most Dangerous Nuclear Power Plants in America](https://times.org/the-most-dangerous-nuclear-power-plants-in-america/) - The Most Dangerous Nuclear Power Plants in America In this report, we learned that the Columbia Generating Station has faced some serious problems with aging and defective components and has frequently violated nuclear safety regulations. The plant emits measurable amounts of radioactive pollution on a continuing basis. But how is the Columbia plant doing in - [REDACTED: The safety report that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn’t want you to see](https://times.org/redacted-the-safety-report-that-the-nuclear-regulatory-commission-doesnt-want-you-to-see/) - REDACTED: The safety report that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn't want you to see By PAUL KOBERSTEIN A quarter of the 104 nuclear power reactors in the United States may be at risk to a newly identified safety hazard. It's a concern has generated eerie comparisons with the tsunami that crippled reactors at Fukushima, Japan. - [Wallace schools censored lead health information from student handbook](https://times.org/wallace-schools-censored-lead-health-information-from-student-handbook/) - Wallace schools censored lead health information from student handbook By PAUL KOBERSTEIN WALLACE, Idaho In 1999, the Wallace School District briefly considered the idea of warning students about lead hazards on school playgrounds. The school board decided not to insert a warning into the student handbook, despite a plea from the district superintendent, Nancy J. - [Cost of repairing mining's damage to the West? $2.5 billion](https://times.org/cost-of-repairing-minings-damage-to-the-west-2-5-billion/) - Cost of repairing mining's damage to the West? $2.5 billion By PAUL KOBERSTEIN Last December, the U.S. Forest Service approved an exploratory permit for a controversial new hard rock mine adjacent to and underneath the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness of western Montana. Rock Creek Mine would be dug deep below the Wilderness Area, one of the - [Idaho's Sore Thumb](https://times.org/idahos-sore-thumb/) - Idaho's Sore Thumb By PAUL KOBERSTEIN COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- It's a fact of history that Congress once voted to sever Northern Idaho from the rest of the state and attach it to Washington, but President Grover Cleveland thought it was a bad idea and pocket-vetoed the law in 1887. The northern part of the state - [Truce over Northwest forests unraveling](https://times.org/truce-over-northwest-forests-unraveling/) - Truce over Northwest forests unraveling (Originally published in the Portland Tribune April 7, 2015) By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The Northwest Forest Plan, the icy truce that ended the 1990s timber wars, continues to unravel as two federal agencies look for new ways to manage forests. By late April, the Bureau of Land Management says it will - [State forestry agency videos offer timber industry propaganda](https://times.org/state-forestry-agency-videos-offer-timber-industry-propaganda/) - State forestry agency videos offer timber industry propaganda By PAUL KOBERSTEIN The Oregon Forest Resources Institute, a state agency created by the Legislature in 1991, lists one of its chief goals as providing "objective information about responsible forest management." But critics say its materials seem more like propaganda. "I would call it greenwashing," says Mary - [Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, Too Little Too Late ?](https://times.org/spotted-owl-recovery-plan-too-little-too-late/) - Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, Too Little Too Late ? By ROBIN KLEIN Hopes have been high since Barack Obama took office that rampant logging on public lands would cease and that the adorable northern spotted owl could be brought back from the brink of extinction brought on by habitat loss in old growth forests. Promising - [The Ghost in the GMO Machine](https://times.org/the-ghost-in-the-gmo-machine/) - The Ghost in the GMO Machine By PAUL KOBERSTEIN While independent research shows that Chlorpyrifos, a Dow Chemical insecticide used in Kaua'i's GMO fields, can cause significant harm to children nearby, Dow is intent on convincing the EPA otherwise.he bodies and minds of children living on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i are being threatened by - [GMO industry suffers rare setbacks](https://times.org/gmo-industry-suffers-rare-setbacks/) - GMO industry suffers rare setbacks (Originally published in the Portland Tribune Aug. 5, 2015). By PAUL KOBERSTEIN People who question the wisdom of growing genetically modified organisms - or doubt their safety when eaten - often are overwhelmed by the powerful biotech industry. But cracks in the industry's case began to appear this year, in - [A sneak peek at the Islands of Portland](https://times.org/a-sneak-peek-at-the-islands-of-portland/) - A sneak peek at the Islands of Portland By PAUL KOBERSTEIN His Portland map shows an inland sea sloshing over the low-lying downtown and most of its neighborhoods, with up to 262 feet of probably very polluted water. City Hall and the Moda Center, literally, would become fish bowls. In this future Portland, almost every - [Global warming: Science vs. politics](https://times.org/global-warming-science-vs-politics/) - Global warming: Science vs. politics By PAUL KOBERSTEIN On a frigid late-February day in the nation's capital, U.S. Senator James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, brought a snowball to the Senate floor to lend credence to his claim that global warming is a hoax. Inhofe's strategy has been to discredit the work of climate scientists who have found - [Sierra Club turns up heat on PacifiCorp](https://times.org/sierra-club-turns-up-heat-on-pacificorp/) - Sierra Club turns up heat on PacifiCorp (Originally published in the Portland Tribune Nov. 13, 2014) By PAUL KOBERSTEIN After all-time monthly records in average global temperatures were set in May, June, August and September, 2014 is looking like it will be the warmest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ## Pages - [Home](https://times.org/) - Cascadia Times publishes environmental journalism from the Cascadia Bioregion: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Northern California, as well as marine ecosystems in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Arctic. Cascadia Times investigates governmental and corporate decisions and actions that affect the environment in the Cascadia Bioregion, with an emphasis on making connections between people, wildlife and habitats. We seek not only to inform citizens but to empower the people and organizations working to protect our environmental resources and heritage. - [Archive](https://times.org/archive/) - Journalism on Behalf of the Planet. Powered by its readers. Donate Today - [Transportation](https://times.org/transportation/) - AllTransporation An Environmental Injustice: Freeway Project Would Increase Pollution in Portland's Most Polluted Neighborhood Read More → Global Warming and Freeways Read More → I-5 Expansion Plan and its Empty Promises Read More → Lagging traffic volumes could force taxpayers to cover bridge debt Read More → OPINION: Did The Oregonian misinform its readers about - [Salmon](https://times.org/salmon/) - AllRemembering Celilo (2007)Tribes, Salmon and CultureWater and Ecology ‘It’s a fantastic day for Indian Country’: Treaty tribes celebrate Supreme Court victory Read More → 'Disastrous' Coho Returns Threaten Western Washington Tribes Read More → 'Nightmare' Yurok salmon fishery collapse Read More → Adding Fluoride to Portland Drinking Water? Really? Read More → Bonneville's long history - [Pesticides](https://times.org/pesticides/) - AllPesticides Cascadia Times shares Kaua`i pesticide data Read More → EPA Mulls Ban on Nation's Most Heavily Used Insecticide Read More → Pesticide Exposure Linked to Depression Among Ag Workers, Says Report Read More → Pruitt's Rejection of Chlorpyrifos Ban Seems Based on Alternative Facts Read More → The Contamination of Natural Kaua`i Read More - [Oceans](https://times.org/oceans/) - All OceansBreaking Point in the Bering SeaOur Undersea YellowstonesPlundering the PacificRogues of the PacificThe California CurrentTreasures of the Oregon Coast Alaska Pollock: Feeding Fish-Stick Nation Read More → Breaking Point in the Bering Sea Read More → Essential Coral Gardens: North Pacific council rejects plan to protect coral and sponge, though it meant little reduction - [Nuclear Power and Waste](https://times.org/nuclear-power-and-waste/) - AllNuclear Power and Waste Cancer and the Nuclear Power Industry's Radioactive Emissions Read More → Columbia Plant Frequently Violates Federal Nuclear Safety Rules Read More → Leaks and Cracks in the Machine Read More → REDACTED: The safety report that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn't want you to see Read More → SCRAM! When Disaster - [Mining](https://times.org/mining/) - AllMining Cost of repairing mining’s damage to the West? $2.5 billion Read More → Idaho’s Sore Thumb Read More → Jailed activist claims mining industry retaliation Read More → Jailed activist claims mining industry retaliation Read More → Northern Idaho’s mining waste is now a problem for the Columbia River Basin Read More → There - [Forests](https://times.org/forests/) - AllForests The Logjam in Biden's $50 Billion Dollar Wildfire Plan Read More → Another Timber War Looms Read More → Deep Cut Read More → Carbon Conundrum Read More → Native Alaskan Company Involved in Controversial Carbon Offsets Project to Quit Logging Read More → Trump’s great American forest liquidation sale Read More → Where - [Genetic Engineering](https://times.org/genetic-engineering/) - AllGenetic Engineering A Very Different Kind of GMO is Headed to Supermarket Shelves Read More → Editing Evolution Read More → GMO industry suffers rare setbacks Read More → Letting Gene Drives Loose Outside Labs is Too Risky, says Scientist Who Promoted Idea Read More → The Ghost in the GMO Machine Read More → - [Climate Change](https://times.org/climate-change/) - All Climate ChangeArctic MeltdownClimate Change The Logjam in Biden's $50 Billion Dollar Wildfire Plan Read More → Carbon Conundrum Read More → "Drill, baby, drill" Read More → 2010: The Year Global Warming Turned a Monstrous Corner Read More → A harsh new reality transforms the Arctic Read More → A sneak peek at the - [Air Polution](https://times.org/air-polution/) - All Air PollutionBlood Under the TracksBullseye GlassCleaner Air OregonOil RefineriesPrecision Castparts Carbon Conundrum Read More → Aberdeen: Sierra Pacific's Polluted Prison Read More → Air Toxics Bill Stirs Opposition from Supporters of Cleaner Air Oregon Read More → Angry crowd confronts Precision Castparts Read More → APES’ pollution control still up in the air Read - [Canopy of Titans](https://times.org/canapy-of-titans/) - New Book! CANOPY OF TITANS: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest PAUL KOBERSTEIN and JESSICA APPLEGATE "An eloquent plea for saving one of North America's last great forests." -Elizabeth Kolbert "We've understood that the Amazon rainforest is crucial to the planet but, as this very fine book makes clear, it - [Staff](https://times.org/staff/) - Staff Paul Koberstein is co-author, with Jessica Applegate, of Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest, which was published in August 2023 by OR Books. This rainforest sequesters more carbon per hectare than any other forest worldwide. Paul is co-editor of Cascadia Times, a regional environmental journal published - [Investigations](https://times.org/investigations/) - AllAir PollutionClimate ChangeForestsGenetic EngineeringMiningNuclear Power and WasteOceansPesticidesSalmonTransporation Deep Cut Read More → The Logjam in Biden's $50 Billion Dollar Wildfire Plan Read More → Carbon Conundrum Read More → Native Alaskan Company Involved in Controversial Carbon Offsets Project to Quit Logging Read More → Trump’s great American forest liquidation sale Read More → Where the - [Remembering Terri Hansen](https://times.org/remembering-terri-hansen/) - Remembering Terri Hansen We were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Terri Crawford Hansen, who wrote "A Resilient Community,' Chapter 12 of Canopy of Titans. Her chapter tells the story of indigenous communities in the Pacific coastal temperate rainforest and how they are leading the way in preparing strategies to meet the challenges of - [Awards](https://times.org/awards/) - Awards 2021 Excellence in Journalism Award from Northern California Society of Professional Journalists 2021 Award for Investigative Journalism San Francisco Press Club 2021 Society for Environmental Journalism Grant 2017 Bruce Baer Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in Oregon 1996-2006 Utne Reader Alternative Journalism Award* 2004 John B Oakes Award The John B. Oakes Award for - [Donate](https://times.org/donate/) - Donate Journalism on Behalf of the Planet. Powered by its readers. Since 1995, Cascadia Times has been covering stories that make a difference in western North America and the North Pacific Ocean, often referred to as the Cascadia Bioregion. Our award-winning reporting focuses on environmental issues and their impacts. We are changing lives for the better, holding the powerful accountable, and shining a light - [Contact](https://times.org/contact/) - Contact Start a conversation with us. Tell us something we don't know. Send a letter to the editor. Send us a tip. Ask a question. Report an error. Thank you! Subscribe to Our Newsletter * indicates required Email Address * Journalism on Behalf of the Planet. Powered by its readers. Donate Today - [Remembering Kathie Durbin](https://times.org/remembering-kathie-durbin/) - Remembering Kathie Durbin (March 13, 2013) The passing last week of Kathie Durbin hit me hard. We lost not only a great journalist. She was a friend to the fragile forest ecosystems that give life to the Northwest and set them apart from the rest of the planet. To me, she was a friend and - [About](https://times.org/about/) - About Cascadia Times publishes environmental journalism from the Cascadia Bioregion: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Northern California, as well as marine ecosystems in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Arctic. Cascadia Times investigates governmental and corporate decisions and actions that affect the environment in the Cascadia Bioregion, with an - [Donor Dashboard](https://times.org/donor-dashboard/) - [Donation Failed](https://times.org/donation-failed/) - We're sorry, your donation failed to process. Please try again or contact site support. - [Donation Confirmation](https://times.org/donation-confirmation/) - [test](https://times.org/test/) - [Search](https://times.org/archive/search/) - [hmm](https://times.org/hmm/) - [Sample Page](https://times.org/sample-page/) - This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I'm a bike messenger ## Events - [Oregon Wild Webinar: Canopy of Titans](https://times.org/event/oregon-wild-webinar-canopy-of-titans/) - Join authors Paul Koberstein and Jessica Applegate to discover the untold story of one of the world's most vital and majestic ecosystems—the Pacific coastal temperate rainforest. 6 pm Wednesday Jan. 29, 2025. - [Canopy of Titans Book Event](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-event/) - University of Washington Bookstore 4326 University Way NE Seattle Hear Jessica Applegate and Paul Koberstein, the authors of Canopy of Titans, talk about the value of forests to the climate in the context of the vast temperate rainforest on the northern Pacific coast. This event is free to attend, though registration is required. To make - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-7/) - [Wild Arts Festival Book Fair](https://times.org/event/wild-arts-festival-book-fair/) - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-6/) - in Tofino, BC, time and place to be announced. - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-5/) - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-4/) - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-3/) - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour-2/) - [Canopy of Titans Book Launch Tour](https://times.org/event/canopy-of-titans-book-launch-tour/) ## Categories - [Air Pollution](https://times.org/category/air-pollution/) - [Climate Change](https://times.org/category/climate-change/) - [Genetic Engineering](https://times.org/category/genetic-engineering/) - [Forests](https://times.org/category/forests/) - [Mining](https://times.org/category/mining/) - [Nuclear Power and Waste](https://times.org/category/nuclear-power-and-waste/) - [Oceans](https://times.org/category/oceans/) - [Pesticides](https://times.org/category/pesticides/) - [Salmon](https://times.org/category/salmon/) - [Transporation](https://times.org/category/transporation/) - [Featured](https://times.org/category/featured/) - [Blood Under the Tracks](https://times.org/category/blood-under-the-tracks/) - [Cleaner Air Oregon](https://times.org/category/cleaner-air-oregon/) - [Bullseye Glass](https://times.org/category/bullseye-glass/) - [Precision Castparts](https://times.org/category/precision-castparts/) - [Oil Refineries](https://times.org/category/oil-refineries/) - [Arctic Meltdown](https://times.org/category/arctic-meltdown/) - [The California Current](https://times.org/category/the-california-current/) - [Rogues of the Pacific](https://times.org/category/rogues-of-the-pacific/) - [Treasures of the Oregon Coast](https://times.org/category/treasures-of-the-oregon-coast/) - [Breaking Point in the Bering Sea](https://times.org/category/breaking-point-in-the-bering-sea/) - [Plundering the Pacific](https://times.org/category/plundering-the-pacific/) - [Our Undersea Yellowstones](https://times.org/category/our-undersea-yellowstones/) - [Remembering Celilo (2007)](https://times.org/category/remembering-celilo-2007/) - [Tribes, Salmon and Culture](https://times.org/category/tribes-salmon-and-culture/) - [Water and Ecology](https://times.org/category/water-and-ecology/) - [nowhere](https://times.org/category/nowhere/)