What's cooler than cool? Lake Washington The heat is hitting early this spring in Seattle and people are flocking outside. These sunny days are a great time to dust off your paddleboard or kayak. But that water is dangerously cold. Derek Van Dyke, an education coordinator with the Washington State Parks Boating Program will fill us in on the fun of being alert on the water. Patricia Murphy Brandi Fullwood Play AudioListen 11 mins
It’s tidepool time! How you can explore Puget Sound’s shoreline during the lowest tides of the year The sun is out and the tide is low — the lowest it’s been all year. That means the crabs, sea anemones and urchins that normally live just under the surface are hanging out on the beach for the day. We visited Alki with John Meyer, co-author of the book Between the Tides in Washington and Oregon, to spot some critters and learn his tips for tidepooling successfully and responsibly. Patricia Murphy Clare McGrane Play AudioListen 15 mins
Seattle Mountain Rescue celebrates first home base in North Bend For 75 years, Seattle Mountain Rescue has relied on a constellation of volunteers and a mixed bag of resources to help lost hikers and injured adventurers. As King County has exponentially grown, the demand for Mountain Rescue services has too. Now, for the first time, the non-profit will have a base of operations in North Bend. Alex Rochester Alec Cowan Play AudioListen 11 mins
Keep a cold campfire this NW summer We're just at the beginning stages of fire season, and as the west side of the cascades gets drier and drier, the Department of Natural Resources needs everyone’s help to prevent wildfire. Diana Opong Play AudioListen 1 min
What'd you do on summer vacation? Oh, just scaled Washington's 100 highest peaks One of the premier peak bagging objectives in the Pacific Northwest is to scale the 100 highest mountains in Washington state. That challenge is called the Bulger List. Two years ago, an Oregon man became the first to conquer all 100 peaks in a single season. Just in the past few days, a duo from Ellensburg, Washington, repeated the feat — not quite as fast, but with an extra-hard twist. Tom Banse Play AudioListen 5 mins
The love story that grew Seattle's 'secret garden' Since 1972, the Streissguth Gardens have become one of Seattle’s most unique landmarks. The gardens take up a full acre of hillside just west of Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park. If you’ve spent a morning running up the long Blaine Street Stairs, you’ve passed right by the gardens. But the story of how this unorthodox public garden came to be is one of coincidence, love, and perhaps a bit of magic. Diana Opong Alec Cowan Play AudioListen 14 mins
The North Cascades Highway goes wild for the winter A rare, yet annual, event took place Thursday night in Washington’s North Cascades. A roadless area roughly doubled in size. John Ryan
Few and far between, endangered wolverines are difficult to track Wolverines in the contiguous United States were listed as threatened by U.S. Fish and Wildlife last week. Hans Anderson Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 14 mins
UW researcher slows down hummingbirds to study them. What he found is amazing Alejandro Rico-Guevara has dedicated his life to looking at Hummingbirds in ways other people can’t. What he’s learned changed the world’s understanding of hummingbirds and, at times, has been of great use to humans. Hans Anderson Libby Denkmann Play AudioListen 9 mins
