Our Organic Northwest

Hunting Tradition Stays Strong in Idaho

(photo: Hunter Todd Hoffman heads downhill in the direction of sounds made by a small elk herd.)

Every five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counts how many Americans hunt. That number has fallen steadily since the 1970s, even in the rural West. Some of the decline is due to demographics; more people live in cities and they’re less likely to hunt.

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FDA Approves Microwave Preservation Process for Prepared Foods

PULLMAN, WA - In next few years, you can look forward to a greater variety of prepared foods that don’t need refrigeration at the grocery store. The Food and Drug Administration has approved an alternative to the traditional canning process. It was developed at Washington State University.

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Task Forces Aim to Solve Issues of Geese, Bottles and Taxes

(photo: This parking lot in Salem is a frequent water fowl hang-out. An issue being looked at by a task force to solve the problem.)

SALEM, OR - When lawmakers can't agree on a thorny issue, they often simply create a task force. The theory goes that if you bring in fresh voices and give them time, they'll come up with a better plan that all sides can agree on. But the recommendations of several recent high-profile task forces have been completely ignored by the Oregon Legislature.

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Red Tide Along NW Coast Threatens Wildlife

(photo: Volunteers and Coast Guard crewmembers in Asotria, Oregon load hundreds of weakened seabirds for transport to a wildlife rehab center in northern California.)

ASTORIA, OR - It’s like an oil spill, but without the oil. That’s how wildlife rescue people are describing an unusual red tide along the Northwest coast. The algal bloom is causing hundreds upon hundreds of dead or dying seabirds to wash up on coastal beaches. Today, the deluge of distress shows signs of tapering off.

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Coeur d’Alene Indians Celebrate Water Potato Harvest

(Photo: Coeur d’Alene tribal members dig up water potatoes in the fall. It’s one of their traditional foods.)

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - Coeur d’Alene tribal members are finishing the harvest of traditional foods that their ancestors relied on to stay alive. In the fall, they dig up small tubers known as water potatoes.

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1910 Big Burn Fire Anniversary Reignites Pulaski's Legend

COEUR DE' ALENE, ID - The country was riveted by images of wildfires burning the southern California hills during the summer. Though modern wildfires are strong, none compare to the 1910 blaze known as the Big Burn. It charred three million acres of forest in Idaho and Montana and killed 86 people. It also sparked the legend of Ed Pulaski. He’s one of the main characters in author Tim Egan’s new book about the fire.

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Army Corps of Engineers At Work in WA's Nile Valley

YAKIMA, WA - Residents of the Nile Valley in Eastern Washington are getting some extra help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps specializes in rebuilding infrastructure after natural disasters and war. The State of Washington is struggling to keep the Valley passable after a massive landslide destroyed a portion of Highway 410.

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Tree Farmers May Profit From Climate Regulation

(Photo: Small woodland owner Ken Falk hopes to sell carbon offsets tied to these trees in Monroe, Oregon.)

MONROE, OR - Some airlines are starting to do it. Some Northwest ski resorts, too. They’re inviting people like you to pay a little bit extra to offset the global warming pollution resulting from an activity such as a trip. A carbon offset is a bit like an indulgence... a polluter pays someone else to remove an equivalent amount of global warming gases from the atmosphere. In our region, private timberland owners, farmers, and some tribal governments are dreaming dollar signs.

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UI Agriculture Funding Plan Deadline Looming

MOSCOW, ID - The University of Idaho says early November is the deadline to have a funding plan in place for its agriculture and extension services. The problem facing the UI and the agriculture industry in the state is the $4.7 million cut in the university’s agricultural research and extension budget, stemming from two state budget cuts. The proposed closure of research centers in the state, including one at Parma, raised alarms earlier this year.

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Forest Service Tries to Resurrects White Pine in Idaho

(Photo: Forester David Cobb checks the status of a tiny white pine seedling that the Forest Service planted last June on a hillside above Priest Lake in north Idaho.)

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - A lot of small towns in Idaho date back to the 1800s, when loggers were drawn to the area by huge white pines. It’s a tree that towered over all the others and was so common that it became Idaho’s state tree. But 100 years ago, the Great Fire of 1910 burned three million acres of timber and marked the decline of the white pine. Now the US Forest Service is trying to help the tree regain its former prominence.

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