Steigerwald Lake a birding paradise

 Refuge opens to public after 24-year wait

By Ellen Spitaleri /
Pamplin Media Group
Thu, Feb 11, 2010

It’s been a 24-year wait, but birders and hikers finally can trek through Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, opened to the public last June, is located a few miles east of Washougal, Wash., and it’s well worth the drive. “Because of its l…

Debate: Face-off over cap and trade

Pamplin Media Group
Thu, Feb 11, 2010

John Charles shocked local greenies when he left the helm of the Oregon Environmental Council several years ago to work for the Cascade Policy …

Robotics team tackles real life

By Eric Bartels /
Pamplin Media Group
Thu, Feb 11, 2010

Without really being asked, Amiel Patton-Hall and her team of robot engineers are remaking their world, and little plastic blocks are the …

Sugar cane stalks supplant plastic vessels By Ellen Spitaleri / Pamplin Media Group Thu, Feb 11, 2010 Tired of that guilty feeling from bringing home grocery items or takeout food in hard plastic or Styrofoam containers — which can languish for …

Utility turns cow poop into gas

By Jennifer Anderson /
Pamplin Media Group
Thu, Feb 11, 2010

With so much talk about driving less, electric cars and alternative fuels, you’d think transportation was the No. 1 producer of the …