Bellingham nonprofit organizations strive to enhance awareness of salmon preservation
By Ikumi Mashiko | May 6Why it matters and small steps everyone can take to help this iconic symbol.
Environment
Student leaders at Western create Sustainability Round Table
By Katie McNabb | December 19
Letter from the editor: Nov. 22: The Climate Frontier
By Cliff Heberden | November 22
More Environment
Environment
Over 50 partnering organizations gathered to raise awareness on Orca Recovery Day
By Bella Neff | October 26On Oct. 16, volunteers across the Puget Sound region gathered in local events for Orca Recovery Day, to help protect the endangered Southern Resident orca population and work towards salmon restoration.
Washington State
Abnormally high summer temperatures bring wildfires, droughts
By Aria Nguyen | August 18The threat of wildfires looms over western Washington, as Gov. Jay Inslee warns Washington state residents of the potential dangers “abnormally high temperatures and dry conditions” may bring.
Environment
Students engage in sustainable practices with new Climate Leadership Certificate
By Rowan Westwood | July 11Western Washington University's new Climate Leadership Certificate program is about giving students power.
Environment
Whatcom Land Trust bought 1,000 acres of land from commercial logging
By Maddie Federici | July 8Whatcom Land Trust purchased 1,130 acres of land along Upper Skookum Creek from commercial logging company Weyerhaeuser to preserve the land, provide public access and restore critical habitat for spring Chinook salmon.
Environment
Bringing fishers back to Washington
By Luisa Loi | June 24Fishers, cat-sized mammals related to the weasel family, are slowly making a comeback in Washington after their extirpation in the mid 1900s due to habitat loss, over-trapping and incidental deaths.
Education
Students for sustainable food choices
By Brianna Poulos | May 24Western Washington University student advocates for sustainability continue to work on and off campus to encourage food choice awareness for the health of themselves, their community and the planet.
Washington State
Centering overburdened and underserved communities in environmental policy
By Cliff Heberden | May 21Editor's note: This story has been amended to clarify the relationship between tribal and federal governments. The clarification was made to a quotation from an interview with Millie Piazza, at her request. Additional information regarding section 6 of the Climate Commitment Act has been added to the story as well.
Environment
How the funeral industry is embracing environmentalism
By Luisa Loi | May 18Steve Webster gently pushes the long steel tray where the lifeless body lays, covered with a biodegradable sheet. The tray slides inside the machine’s 7-feet-long tube. He closes its round door — the same type of door used for submarines.
Washington State
Southern Resident Orcas are threatened by Whatcom County oil refineries
By Cameron Baird | May 17Southern Resident killer whales, a population of Orcas in the Salish Sea, may benefit from a recent court ruling imposing regulations on the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Ferndale.
Environment
Local beer helps local salmon
By Liz McLane | May 10The health of local ecosystems might not be the first thing on someone’s mind when sitting down and cracking open a cold one. Bellingham-based Aslan Brewing Co. is changing that.
Washington State
A mysterious disease is wreaking havoc on Pacific Coast sea stars
By Luisa Loi | May 8A mysterious illness that appeared eight years ago and nearly wiped out sea star populations along the Pacific Coast is continuing to leave researchers puzzled.
Recreation
Summer boating season and invasive aquatic species — things to know
By Clay Wren | May 7Boating season in Whatcom County began April 24, with boat check stations opening at Lake Samish, Bloedel Donovan Park and Sudden Valley Marina, according to the City of Bellingham website. The Lake Whatcom South Bay station opened on May 2.
Environment
Campus is seeing more scavenging than studying lately
By The Front | May 6Saving baby raccoons, controlling bats in residence halls and taking in orphaned kittens are all a part of the job for Western’s pest biologist, Sarah Neugebauer.
Environment
Port of Bellingham to use 100% renewable energy
By Luisa Loi | April 26The Port of Bellingham is reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 86% after signing an 18-year-contract with Puget Sound Energy, according to a press release from the port.
