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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WA: Oceans

Eelgrass, pictured here at Joemma Beach State Park, provides food, shelter, and nursery habitat for a wide range of creatures, ranging from small invertebrates to commercially important fish species and wading birds. (WA DNR Nearshore Habitat Program)
WA kelp, eelgrass recovery plan tackles big losses in marine habitat

Bull Kelp in South and Central Puget Sound has declined more than 90% over the last 150 years - and eelgrass meadows severely declined as well…

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Salmon from the Columbia and Snake Rivers are a crucial food source for Southern Resident orcas. (RKP/Adobe Stock)
WA Orca Births Good Sign but Population Still Threatened

There's good news for orcas off Washington's coast: Two new calves have been spotted among the endangered population. However, the births also …

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The Duckabush River is cut off from nearby floodplains and wetlands by roads on the Olympic peninsula. (Washington Department of Ecology)
Orca Action Month: WA Estuary Restoration Project Helps Whale Recovery

It's Orca Action Month and a restoration project in Puget Sound will help provide more salmon to the aquatic mammals. Highway development has …

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A new law in Washington state creates a single buffer zone around orcas of 1,000 yards for small vessels. (Scott Bufkin/Adobe Stock)
WA Lawmakers Pass Legislative Wins for Ocean, Marine Wildlife

Advocates for ocean wildlife are touting wins from Olympia this legislative session. Nora Nickum - senior ocean policy manager with the Seattle …

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Kelp beds in Puget Sound are important habitat for marine life. (knelson20/Adobe Stock)
WA DNR Seeks Input on Kelp, Eelgrass Conservation

Kelp and eelgrass are in trouble, and Washington state wants help from the public identifying where these marine plant species should be saved…

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Whale-watching vehicles in Puget Sound are required to stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident orcas. (ronnybas/Adobe Stock)
WA Bill Supports Orcas' Need for More Space from Boaters

Whales are disturbed by vessel noise, but a measure in Olympia would provide a greater buffer for the endangered orcas in Puget Sound. The …

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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee established the Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Task Force in 2018. (Scott Bufkin/Adobe Stock)
Ships Slow Down for Puget 'Quiet Sound' Program to Aid Orcas

Ships are getting on board with a program to make Puget Sound quieter for the region's endangered orca population. Sixty-one percent of vessels …

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Southern Resident orca, which live along the West Coast, have been listed as endangered since 2005. (Valmedia/Adobe Stock)
Young People Gather to Save NW Salmon, Call for Dam Removal

Young people are leading the charge this weekend in the call to remove four dams conservation groups believe will aid the survival of salmon in the No…

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Kelp abundance has dropped by 80% from its peak in Puget Sound. (Gina Lusardi/Adobe Stock)
WA Kelp Decline Bad News Culturally, Environmentally for Northwest

Kelp forests in Puget Sound play an integral role environmentally and culturally, but they're in steep decline. There are more than 20 species of …

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A new report looks eelgrass restoration projects on the West Coast, including 14 in Washington state. (Danita Delimont/Adobe Stock)
Report: Vital Seagrass Restoration Needs Real Estate to Thrive

EVERETT, Wash. -- Eelgrass plays a vital role in marine habitats, but along the West Coast, it's disappearing at alarming rates. A new study found …

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Supporters of the seabed mining ban say the practice would hurt sensitive habitats on Washington's coast. (Ferrous Büller/Flickr)
Seabed Mining Opponents Off WA Coast Find Win in Legislature

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Jay Inslee signed a seabed mining ban into law Monday. The measure prohibits mineral extraction within three miles of …

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The sockeye salmon runs of Bristol Bay, Alaska, are world-renowned. (BB Armstrong/The Nature Conservancy)
Feds' Approval of AK Mine Raises Concerns for Salmon, Environment

SEATTLE - Conservation, tribal and fishing groups are condemning the Army Corps of Engineers' recommendation to permit the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay…

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