The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board today announced the award of $26.1 million in grants for projects across the state aimed at bringing salmon back from the brink of extinction. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the board’s creation and the suite of projects announced today brings the total amount of salmon recovery since […]
OLYMPIA–Pests looking to make their homes in Washington’s urban forests may now face a stronger defense, thanks to a new resource released this this month by the state’s Invasive Species Council. The Washington State Urban Forest Pest Readiness Playbook, published in partnership with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), contains guidelines that towns, […]
OLYMPIA – Coho salmon will have an easier time swimming up the Middle Fork of the Newaukum River near Chehalis this fall, thanks to a project funded by the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board. This is the first two miles of more than 201 miles of streams slated to open across the state after […]
OLYMPIA–The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office is recruiting 50 volunteers to fill positions on its 17 advisory committees, which evaluate grant proposals for parks, boating infrastructure, working farms and forests, and habitat conservation statewide. “As one of the state’s biggest investors in Washington’s outdoors, we want our state’s network of parks, trails, boating facilities […]
OLYMPIA–State, federal, and tribal governments will come together Oct. 23 at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area for the first on-the-ground exercise in the Columbia River basin to prepare for an infestation of quagga and zebra mussels. Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are small, nonnative, freshwater mollusks that have caused significant environmental and economic harm in […]
OLYMPIA–The Washington State and Recreation and Conservation Funding Board today announced the award of more than $5.2 million in grants to 12 projects that conserve working farms and forests around the state. “These grants help ensure our farms and forests, often at risk of being developed, are still available for growing timber and still available […]
OLYMPIA-The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office is recruiting for two new members for its Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which awards grants to improve parks, trails, boating amenities and access to shorelines. It also awards grants to conserve working lands, such as farms and forests, and to protect pristine wildlife and natural areas. During […]
OLYMPIA-The Washington Invasive Species Council is asking residents to check trees and swimming pools in their yards for harmful bugs as part of the national Tree Check Month in August. August is the peak time of year to look for invasive bugs and report any species that seem out of place. Trees near home and […]
OLYMPIA–Migrating fish soon will have access to more than 82 miles of streams in Washington, thanks to $25 million in grants from the Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board. The board will fund more than 50 projects in 20 counties to remove fish passage barriers that block salmon and steelhead from swimming upstream to their spawning […]
OLYMPIA–More than 14,000 kids who might not otherwise have opportunities to explore parks, forests and other outdoor places in Washington soon will be able to thanks to about $1.3 million in funding, which Gov. Jay Inslee announced today. Awarded by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the No Child Left Inside grants focus on […]
OLYMPIA–Efforts to restore Chinook salmon, a critical food source for endangered southern resident orcas, and other Puget Sound salmon populations just got a boost thanks to more than $45 million in grants announced today. The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, in partnership with the Puget Sound Partnership, awarded 64 grants in counties surrounding Puget […]
OLYMPIA–The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board today announced the award of more than $126 million in grants to a suite of 333 projects that build and maintain outdoor recreation facilities and conserve wildlife habitat and working farms and forests around the state. “Not only do these grants support our state’s parks, forests and […]
OLYMPIA–The newest member of the team that protects Washington’s waterways from invasive species has quite the ruff routine: Sniff, sit, play! Starting this spring, Puddles, a 2-year-old Jack Russel terrier mix, will use her keen sense of smell to help detect quagga and zebra mussel larvae on boats traveling through mandatory watercraft-inspection stations run by […]
OLYMPIA–Tribal, state and local governments will join forces at Lake Roosevelt this week to combat the spread of northern pike, recently recorded just two dams away from critical Columbia River salmon habitat. The lake’s co-managers at the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Spokane Tribe of Indians and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will […]
OLYMPIA–More than 750 scientists, salmon recovery experts and interested citizens from Washington and Oregon will meet in Tacoma next week for the seventh biennial Salmon Recovery Conference, marking the 20th anniversary of the Salmon Recovery Act. “By bringing together our state’s field biologists, engineers and policymakers, we’re providing a forum for information sharing and networking […]
OLYMPIA–Erik Neatherlin, a scientist and longtime manager in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been selected to lead the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, which coordinates statewide and regional efforts to return salmon from the brink of extinction. The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office coordinates the efforts of 25 community-based watershed groups and 7 regional […]
OLYMPIA–The state Recreation and Conservation Office is accepting grant applications now in three different programs: 1) to conserve working farms; 2) to conserve working forests; and 3) to build facilities for large boats. “As Washington’s population continues to grow, the pressure increases to turn working forests and working farms into subdivisions and strip malls,” said […]
OLYMPIA–In partnership with the Washington Invasive Species Council, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a proclamation recognizing the week of February 24 as Invasive Species Awareness Week in Washington State. “We are fortunate to live in a state filled with natural beauty and abundant natural resources,” Inslee said. “To keep it that way, we all must do […]
OLYMPIA–Despite two decades of efforts to recover them, wild salmon are still declining—and a report released today by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office stresses that adequate funding is needed to turn the tide on the iconic species’ future. In the past 10 years, regional recovery organizations received only a fraction—16 percent—of the $4.7 billion documented […]
OLYMPIA–Washington State is accepting applications for the No Child Left Inside grant program, which aims to give at-risk children opportunities to experience the outdoors. No Child Left Inside grants fund programs that provide youth in Washington with outdoor recreation and education programs, including summer camps, natural resource-based education programs and science, technology, engineering or math […]