Murder kittens: Outdoor cats take heavy toll on wildlife Despite the wildlife hospital’s best efforts, 80% of cat-attack victims brought there do not survive. John Ryan Play AudioListen 2 mins
Could grizzly bears officially return to the North Cascades? The last confirmed grizzly bear sighting in the North Cascades was in 1996. But that could change. Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 22 mins
The case of the dying newts: an Olympic Peninsula mystery I can’t tell you where I interviewed Max Lambert, but I can tell you what we saw. It wasn’t pretty. John Ryan Play AudioListen 5 mins
This Ivy League wages hand-to-leaf combat against an English strangler No hallowed halls in this ivy league: just hard, dirty labor against an ‘evil’ foe. John Ryan Play AudioListen 5 mins
Breathing the world’s worst air Western Washington currently has some of the world’s dirtiest air due to smoke from wildfires in the Cascade Mountains. Fires have been burning for weeks, but people living close to the fire line say these past few days have been the worst conditions so far this year. Casey Martin Play AudioListen 2 mins
See the buzzworthy winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition This year's top prizes went to a teen from Thailand and an American who is just the fifth woman to win in 58 years. Karine Aigner spoke with NPR about the significance of the photo and the award. Rachel Treisman
Hear it again: How dramatic pandemic shifts affected Northwest birds While we were cooped up in Covid lockdowns, birds in the cities and suburbs of the Pacific Northwest were spreading their wings! And in a new University of Washington paper, ornithologists suggest that birds like crows, hummingbirds, finches, and chickadees were using a wider variety of public spaces during the early days of the pandemic. Olivia Sanderfoot was the lead researcher on the study. Jason Burrows Play AudioListen 15 mins
Female hummingbirds are mimicking males to avoid aggression Male Humming birds are not as sweet as they seem. Female hummingbirds are disguising themselves to look like males to avoid aggression. But, male hummingbirds are "willing to mate with pretty much anything", so the undercover females are still finding a mate! Natalie Akane Newcomb Play AudioListen 2 mins
Sharing 'a life-sustaining energy,' exploring Seward Park with naturalist Ed Dominguez Since 2011, Ed Dominguez has been working at Seward Park's Audubon Environmental Learning Center in one capacity or another, and has been the Lead Naturalist since 2018. After a pandemic induced year long hiatus, the center is back open, and Ed is leading groups of budding birders and long time nature lovers through the park. Jason Burrows Play AudioListen 6 mins
It's peak hiking season in the PNW. But who takes care of all our trails? Washington state has more than 700 miles of hiking trails in it state parks alone, alongside hundreds more in its national parks and national forests. With so much room to roam, keeping up with trail maintenance is a daunting task, and organizations like the forest service are constantly fighting a backlog of trail maintenance. What goes into trail design and upkeep? And what happens when trails are left unattended? Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 23 mins
