All posts tagged: western Washington

Once the Wildfires Stop, the Landslides Begin

Once the Wildfires Stop, the Landslides Begin

Published by skeptic

This article was originally published by High Country News. Two Septembers ago, the residents of Grotto, Washington, woke to the Bolt Creek Fire ripping through the mountains above their homes. “This doesn’t happen here,” Patricia Vasquez remembers saying at the time, shocked. Though areas east of the state’s Cascade mountains frequently burn in the summer, Grotto is on the mountains’ western side, in a wetter climate, where fires had been infrequent but are becoming more common. Vasquez evacuated with her husband, Lorenzo; their dog, Ava; and the fresh Alaska halibut they’d just caught while on vacation. Elizabeth Walther, their neighbor, evacuated with a puppy, but her husband, Richard, a ski patroller, stayed behind to hose down the house. No one died, and no houses burned. But wildfire survivors in Washington now face a new threat: debris flows. Wildfires can lessen the soil’s ability to absorb water, so when thunderstorms, rapid snowmelt, atmospheric rivers, or rain falling on snow occur in a burned area, that can create a roaring earthen river. Debris flows can move quickly—30 …

Don’t Underestimate the Japanese Beetle

Don’t Underestimate the Japanese Beetle

Published by skeptic

This story was originally published in High Country News. On an early July day, Amber Betts spent the afternoon in the community rose garden in Grandview, Washington. Several weeks earlier, invasive Japanese beetles had emerged in droves everywhere in Grandview, a town in central Washington’s Yakima Valley. The infestation had since quieted, but she still spotted a few insects: A cluster of fingernail-size iridescent green beetles, their coppery wings shining, were devouring a rose. Unchecked, Japanese beetles’ numbers can skyrocket, and the insects can do extensive damage to plants, Betts, a public-information officer at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told me. Cherries and hops, which collectively generated more than $800 million of revenue for the state last year, are among the 300 plants the beetles are known to eat. Although a population has taken up residence in Grandview, the beetles have not yet spread throughout Washington. Greg Haubrich, the manager of the pest program at the state’s department of agriculture, told me that officials are trying to eliminate the insect from the entire state. …