OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is now accepting grant applications for volunteer projects that benefit the state’s fish and wildlife resources and the public’s enjoyment of them.WDFW estimates having approximately $896,900 available for grants, funded through the state’s Aquatic Land Enhancement Account (ALEA), for projects occurring between July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.  The final amount available will be subject to legislative appropriation and won’t be finalized unless approved in the 2025 legislative session.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a Department-wide effort increasing wildlife habitat and corridor connectivity on National Forests and agricultural lands.

A gush of public spending is opening streams to salmon. Four years after lawmakers ordered a strategy, agencies have an algorithm to pick the best projects.

As marine heat waves wreak havoc on Oregon’s ocean ecosystems, the collapse of kelp forests could prove catastrophic to marine life, fisheries and tribes.

It’s the largest habitat restoration project ever completed on the Lower Columbia River.

The effort will go toward rehabilitating site of 2020 Indian Creek Fire that destroyed more than 48,000 acres

While the annual State of the Sound report isn’t due out until Nov. 1, an overview of the report was presented at a Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council meeting this week.

The Northwest's Bull Kelp fields support a wide array of sea life, but they're disappearing.

This spring, biologists discovered something they weren’t expecting to see. Male sage grouse proudly strutting during their quirky mating dances. The strange thing was, these birds were puffing up the bulbous air sacs on their chests, their songs calling out to nearby hens, right in the middle of a giant burn scar. “You’ll see these males displaying out in a completely burned, barren landscape. And they seem to be able to handle it,” says Michael Schroeder, who’s been working on sage grouse issues for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for nearly 30 years.

The San Juan County Land Bank is offering a rare opportunity to purchase locally grown wildflowers native to San Juan County. Reserve plants online at sjclandbank.org, March 5 to 12, and pick them up on Saturday, March 20 at locations on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan islands.

To hear about what key players in Washington’s broad environmental coalition would like to see prioritized in budget proposals, I spoke to Adam Maxwell, Campaigns Manager for the Washington Audubon Society, a group focused on conserving natural ecosystems and building healthy communities.

The fire impacted rabbits and sage grouse across their range, further complicating the recovery of each of these very at-risk species. Burned-bare soil across the landscape lies vulnerable to rapid colonization by quick-spreading invasive plants and grasses.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will be conducting a prescribed burn next week in the north Potholes area of the Columbia Wildlife Area. The goal of the burn is to improve habitat for the northern leopard frog.

The big beige blur in the middle of the state may seem boring, but it is essential to the survival of grouse, orcas and people.