WACD Reading List

In December 2021, several months after this article was originally published, Governor Inslee and legislative leaders announced that changes will be made to the long-term care program and that the Employment Security Department will not be collecting long-term care premiums from employers at this time in order to provide the legislature time to make these changes.

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

“It’s so transmissible,” said Dr. Katie Sharff, infectious disease specialist with Kaiser Permanente. “It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Under a broad range of values for each of these assumptions, at least 50% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections was estimated to have originated from exposure to individuals with infection but without symptoms.

...you might consider instead characterizing any no call, no show actions on the part of an employee as job abandonment.

While legislators attempted to lower expectations for the forthcoming short session, the lengthy list of emerging legislative proposals suggests the 2022 session will once again be fast-paced and filled with robust policy discussions.

When someone is told to stop whining, they are effectively being told to ignore their individual values. As a result, they may emotionally disengage, withholding potentially useful perspectives and insights which might be mined to improve service quantity, quality or responsiveness.

In the past few weeks, several lynx (wápupxn) have been captured in Canada and relocated to the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state in hopes that a resilient population will be established there.

The highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 has upended what was supposed to be a mostly in-person start to the 60-day session, at least in the House of Representatives.

A Dec. 6, 2019, rule required that 50% of matching funds from partners be in the form of direct payments, which made it more difficult for diverse types of groups to participate as partners in CREP. With this rule change, partners can now provide their negotiated level of matching funds in the form of cash, in-kind contributions, or technical assistance. This change allows for greater flexibility and opportunity for additional partners to participate in the program.

Profiting from Your Pivot is a new business service with one-on-one coaching for small or regional farms in Washington. COVID caused your business model to pivot, now it's time to focus on profit.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled an “unusually large” budget proposal of almost $62 billion Thursday that would continue focus on helping the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

New atmospheric research has found melting sea ice in the Arctic increases the risks for wildfires on the West Coast.

The Washington DNR Urban and Community Forestry Program is offering grants of up to $40,000 to increase forest health within communities. “We’re looking for applications from local governments, cities, towns, counties, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, tribes, special taxing districts like school districts, parks districts, conservation districts and what have you,” said Thompson.

Researchers with Oregon State University say the U.S. needs to establish new “Strategic Forest Reserves” to protect wildlife and reduce the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. A new study maps the Western forests that would store the most carbon and help the most species if they were given the same level of protection from logging, grazing and mining as designated wilderness areas receive.

Inslee announced Tuesday a proposed $187 million in investments for salmon recovery, as part of his policy and budget proposals for the 2022 legislative session. The plan includes correcting fish passage barriers, investing in clean water infrastructure and expanding monitoring of salmon populations statewide.

The weather was wilder than usual this year, and the reasons vary, climate experts say. But evidence increasingly shows that historic heat waves, monster rain events and ultra-intense storms are exacerbated by the warmer air and water of our overheating planet.

Lindquist said during a media briefing yesterday that he’s not concerned that it will prove to be more deadly, as it doesn’t appear to be so at this point, but that it may be more infectious.

Compassion is the power tool for energizing leaders and teams.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $15 million to conservation partners across the country for 19 new projects under the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.

La Nina has apparently arrived in the Northwest, signaling a shift to cooler weather and more promising snowpacks, Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond said Thursday. November was wet but warm, causing flooding in northwest Washington, but little snow in the Cascade Range. Bond said Thursday he anticipates weather patterns will change, dropping snow in the mountains without raising the risk of floods.

She gave the example of Clark Conservation District, which over the duration of the partnership was able to rebuild its staffing. The district, one of the primary organizations that works with private landowners in the county, has brought in more than $2.8 million for environmental work.

The 700-acre nonprofit is funded through multiple grants, including the Clark Conservation District, Clark Public Utilities, CPU, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Services Agency