John Ryan
Environment Reporter
About
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region. He has also investigated toxic air pollution, landslides, failed cleanups, and money in politics for KUOW.
Over a quarter century as an environmental journalist, John has covered everything from Arctic drilling to Indonesian reef bombing. He has been a reporter at NPR stations in southeast and southwest Alaska (KTOO-Juneau and KUCB-Unalaska) and at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
John’s stories have won multiple national awards for KUOW, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi awards for Public Service in Radio Journalism and for Investigative Reporting, national Edward R. Murrow and PMJA/PRNDI awards for coverage of breaking news, and Society of Environmental Journalists awards for in-depth reporting.
John welcomes tips, documents, and feedback. Reach him at jryan@kuow.org or for secure, encrypted communication, he's at heyjohnryan@protonmail.com or 1-401-405-1206 on the Signal messaging app.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, some Spanish, some Indonesian
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA union member and former shop steward; Society of Environmental Journalists member and mentor
Stories
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Environment
Newborn orca spotted near Seattle off Bainbridge Island
Beachgoers and whale researchers were excited to spot a newborn calf swimming with the Northwest’s endangered orcas on Tuesday near Seattle.
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Environment
This week’s catch on the Skagit delta: Tasty crabs, toxic soil
As a fishing fleet hauled in 250,000 Dungeness crabs just offshore, backhoes dug up 23 truckloads of gasoline-tainted soil from the Skagit River delta on Tuesday.
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Environment
Salmon, rivers hit hard by recent Washington floods
The atmospheric river that hit the Pacific Northwest in early December took a heavy toll on salmon, biologists working with Puget Sound tribes say.
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Environment
The price of pollution in Washington state hits $2 billion
Washington state’s latest carbon auction has raised nearly a half-billion dollars from businesses that pollute the climate.
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Crime
Pierce County power-grid attacker sentenced to federal prison
A Puyallup man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for sabotaging four electrical substations in Pierce County on Christmas Day 2022.
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Environment
Washington state phases out super-polluting gases used in refrigerators, air conditioners
You’ve probably never seen or smelled a hydrofluorocarbon, but these synthetic gases are inside the air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps in most Washington homes and businesses.
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Environment
Quinault Tribe builds new village site away from rising seas
Construction crews have installed streets, sidewalks, and utilities for a neighborhood of 59 homes out of reach of ocean waves.
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Environment
Okanagan River salmon eyed for endangered-species protection
A fisheries agency is asking for public input on whether to list a salmon from the Columbia River Basin as an endangered species.
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Environment
The North Cascades Highway goes wild for the winter
A rare, yet annual, event took place Thursday night in Washington’s North Cascades. A roadless area roughly doubled in size.
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Environment
Incoming: King tides to Puget Sound
The highest tides of the year are on their way.