Endangered Species

Captains of big ships eased up on the throttle during trial slowdown to help endangered orcas

The majority of captains of big commercial ships entering and leaving Puget Sound are cooperating with a request to slow down temporarily to reduce underwater noise impacts to the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered killer whales. The duration of the experimental slowdown – modeled on a similar project in British Columbia – will be extended into the new year, organizers announced during a status report and celebration on the Seattle waterfront Friday.

Environment

'Yogurt for bats': A new way to fight a deadly pandemic

Washington scientists hope a strange new concoction can save these creatures of the night from their mortal enemy. They call it “yogurt for bats.”

Big ships transiting North Puget Sound asked to slow down, quiet down for orcas

Big ships entering and leaving Puget Sound will be asked to temporarily slow down to reduce underwater noise this fall. Washington state is importing this strategy from British Columbia on a trial basis in hopes of helping the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered killer whales.

Environment

Lawsuit aims to protect a rare West Coast carnivore, the fisher

You can tell that the fisher is a tough customer by its diet: It eats porcupines.

Environment

Unlock the secrets of Seattle's mysterious seed vault: Travel For Good

Seattle is home to the largest seed collection in the Pacific Northwest. It’s called the Miller Seed Vault, and it’s tucked away in a small building, surrounded by public gardens, on the edge of University of Washington campus.

Environment

Scientists race to rescue world’s fastest sea star from oblivion

Scientists are racing to revive a critically endangered species that has succumbed to a mysterious underwater pandemic up and down the West Coast.