John McLaughlin

A new hydroelectric dam may be erected in the South Fork of the Skykomish River — one of the last free-flowing rivers in Washington.
Snohomish Public Utilities District (SnoPUD) is planning the installation of a 7-foot-tall inflatable dam that would stretch across the river above Sunset…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new plan to accelerate forest and watershed restoration.

Officials say $40 million has been allocated to fund several projects nationwide, including two forests in Eastern Washington state.

Back in the 1980s, when conservation advocates were trying to stop logging in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, they relied on a 1982 regulation that required the National Forest Service to protect wildlife such as the spotted owl throughout its range. They won, and a new Northwest…

Volunteer Citizen Scientists are being recruited for the Cascades Butterfly Project, a long-term effort in six locations in the Cascades Mountains to help biologists identify and count subalpine butterflies. North Cascades National Park and Mount Rainier National Park are among the participating…

The Obama administration recently proposed a new rule to direct planning and management of U.S. national forests. The rule should matter to people in our region.

National forest lands provide clean drinking water for most of Whatcom County. They are the river sources for most of the…