Many years ago, when we were renting a house in a town outside of Seattle, some neighborhood kids came over to ask if they could mow our lawn. They let on that their parents had put them up to it…
As I write this, it is difficult to look away from news that conveys the horrors of war, which are immediate, malevolent, and devastating. The immediacy of this may have overshadowed another item in this month’s news—the release of the…
Lake Abert, a remote saltwater lake in Oregon’s high desert, is shrinking. In the last decade, its water volume has dropped more than 90 percent. Oregon’s only saline lake, it has gone dry twice in the last eight years: in…
I can’t imagine hummingbirds not bringing a smile to your face! I hope all of you get a chance to watch them as they flit, dive, fly sideways, hover, and engage in aerial dogfights. Hummingbirds are beautiful, small, fast, tough,…
Hello Lane Audubon, my name is Katie McInnis. I’m here to tell you about the Bird City Americas program. Bird Cities is a program that was launched in Wisconsin in 2003. The goal was to help municipalities do their part…
EPA Bans Chlorpyrifos Years of commenting on the dangerous effects of the pesticide chlorpyrifos has paid off. In August, the EPA banned the use of this toxin on fruits and veggies. Chlorpyrifos was banned due to the documented risks to…
We are pleased to share the news that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife voted to uplist the Marbled Murrelet from threatened to endangered status under the state Endangered Species Act. It is our hope that this results in…
What’s the largest native bird in North American? That’s easy. With a wingspan of nearly 10 feet, California Condors (CACO) win the prize. Soaring above the landscape, they use their keen eyesight to search for carrion and provide important “clean-up”…
Riddle: You’re out hiking one day, and you catch glimpses of osprey, kingfishers, American Dippers, herons, perhaps a flycatcher, a woodpecker, a warbling vireo. Where are you? As you listen to the bird calls, the sun glints off the…
Under review by the new administration: One hundred (that’s 100!) anti-environmental regulations. Dare we hope that as we move forward, the health of the environment becomes a priority for decision makers? I hear the birds singing and remain cautiously optimistic.…