Environmental

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, said President Trump ordered about 2,000 probationary, non-firefighting employees to be fired for efficiency’s sake.

The Center for Whale Research first spotted J62 at the beginning of January, bringing the total population of the pod to 26.

The new property will connect city-owned spaces to advance its goal of building a north-south trail connection between Whatcom Falls Park and Lake Padden Park.

The ordinance prevents people from removing or damaging any healthy tree with a trunk diameter of 36″ or more.

The cleanup is expected to begin later this year and will take roughly three years for the entire site.

Over 3,500 acres have been purchased by the City of Bellingham since 2001 to protect the watershed as well as the wildlife and ecosystem around it.

The Bellingham nonprofit has now planted over 2,800 trees and protected nearly 323,000.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife says fishery managers are forecasting that just over 7,000 wild steelhead will return this year.

The closure is due to a norovirus-type illness impacting shellfish and is set to remain in effect until Jan. 27.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the season will open Jan. 18, but Skagit County will remain closed due to low counts in the winter.