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Chad Devereaux examines bricks that fell from three sides of his in-laws' home in Sparks, Oklahoma after two earthquakes that hit the area in less than 24 hours in 2011.
(The Associated Press/2011)
Democratic lawmakers from Oregon, Washington and California are asking their colleagues in the House of Representatives for cash to fund the region's earthquake early warning system.
Earthfix reports the system only gives residents a minute or less warning of an oncoming quake - not enough to prevent much harm. Oregon's Suzanne Bonamici and others want money to fund a pilot project aimed at building a new system with longer warning times.
Could Oregon's fourth straight year of drought be a sign of things to come? The Oregonian/Oregonlive took a hard look at what the lack of winter snowpack in the Pacific Northwest means for the coming summer and beyond. What we found: In the immediate future, too little snowpack will leave farmers, ranchers, and animals hurting, and will increase the risk of bigger, hotter wildfires. Long-term, repeat occurrences of this year's weather patterns (something scientists expect as climate change progresses) could pose serious liabilities for Oregon's ecosystems and economy.
Oregon has reached a major milestone in the effort to stave off an endangered species listing for the greater sage grouse. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the news Friday that the entirety of the bird's habitat in the state is now eligible for so-called candidate conservation agreements. By entering into the agreements, landowners and ranchers who graze cattle on public land vow to take measures to protect the grouse, such as improving their fire prevention tactics and grazing less aggressively on sage grouse habitat. In return, they get the security of knowing that, should the federal government enact protections for the bird, their land would be exempt from the new rules.
--Kelly House
khouse@oregonian.com
503-221-8178
@Kelly_M_House