Northwest News

Public participation in scientific research is mushrooming in the Northwest and across the country. The trend is called "citizen science." It can take the form of volunteer monitoring and data collection, or crowd-sourced science, or science education with a research component. One sign the movement is gaining acceptance and credibility: It's a big topic of discussion at a science conference in Portland this week. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.

The Pacific Northwest’s inland forests have dramatically changed over the past 100 years. That’s according to a new study by a conservation group. These changes can lead to larger fires and insect outbreaks.

People are walking more, especially in the West, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2005, 56 percent of adults reported walking for at least 10 minutes a week. Five years later, that percentage was up to 62 percent.

Two of the most productive silver mines in the Northwest will remain under separate ownership after several weeks of corporate wrangling.

Prolonged hot and dry weather is amping up wildfire activity across the inland Northwest.