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Articles by Mandy Godwin
Nonprofit finds hope against wildfires with unexpected ally: charcoal
This story is part of the series Getting to Zero: Decarbonizing Cascadia, which explores the path to low-carbon energy for British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. This project is produced in partnership with InvestigateWest and other media outlets and is supported in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. “We don’t live in the Methow anymore,” says Gina McCoy. “We live in Mordor.” By the last week of July, there were fires burning on both sides of the Methow River.
Biochar ambassadors hope to save fire-ravaged Methow
In mid-summer, fires were burning on both sides of the Methow River. Air quality was bad enough to make national news. In better times, Central Washington’s Methow Valley is a destination for world-class climbing, hiking and skiing. It’s remote. It’s beautiful. But like much of the West, it’s increasingly aflame. On Aug.
Biochar Ambassadors Hope to Save Fire-Ravaged Methow
By MANDY GODWIN, InvestigateWest In mid-summer, fires were burning on both sides of the Methow River. Air quality was bad enough to make national news. In better times, Central Washington’s Methow Valley is a destination for world-class climbing, hiking and skiing. It’s remote. It’s beautiful. But like much of the West, it’s increasingly aflame. On Aug.
Biochar ambassadors hope to save fire-ravaged Methow
In mid-summer, fires were burning on both sides of the Methow River. Air quality was bad enough to make national news. In better times, Central Washington’s Methow Valley is a destination for world-class climbing, hiking and skiing. It’s remote. It’s beautiful. But like much of the West, it’s increasingly aflame. On Aug.
Nonprofit finds hope against wildfires with unexpected ally: charcoal
The machine, recently delivered to the McCoys from the University of California, Merced, is a pyrolyzer, which creates biochar, a form of charcoal, from organic matter. Through C6 Forest to Farm, a nonprofit they founded last year, the McCoys plan to accelerate forest restoration by creating a market for the small-diameter trees that are a symptom of unhealthy forests and fuel for giant fires. They’ll make biochar from trees cut down during forest thinning.
Biochar ambassadors hope to save the Methow
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes Couple launches a nonprofit project to improve forest health, limit fires and capture carbon. “We don’t live in the Methow anymore,” says Gina McCoy. “We live in Mordor.” By the last week of July, there were fires burning on both sides of the Methow River. Air quality was bad enough to make the national news. In better times, Central Washington’s Methow Valley is a destination for world-class climbing, hiking and skiing. It’s remote. It’s beautiful.
WA’s first climate assembly sends nearly 150 recommendations to lawmakers
That's the experiment the Washington Climate Assembly has been running for the past couple months — albeit on a micro scale, with 77 people representing the interests of 7.6 million. After some disagreement, a lot of conversation, and a marked absence of shouting, the assembly decided on 148 recommendations that they presented to the Washington State Legislature late last month.
Washington hosts first climate assembly in the United States Original
The 90 Washington residents who had gathered together virtually began to type responses into the chat feature. Gretchen Muller, the senior associate at Cascadia Consulting Group who ran the meeting, read aloud their contributions. “No homelessness. Telecommuting. A future where people will listen to different viewpoints without being judged.
Western Washington wildfire is different - and it’s coming
In the live-action remake of the wildfire evacuation of Diablo and Newhalem Fire Brigade Chief Cody Watson hears that there’s only way out of town. He then stares directly into the camera. “We need to get everyone out of there,” he says, whipping off his aviators, “safely.” Watson and his fake mustache star in “Escape From Diablo,” a 10-minute film created in the aftermath of the Goodell Creek Fire, which burned at the edge of North Cascades National Park in 2015.
Western Washington wildfire is different - and it’s coming
Watson and his fake mustache star in Escape From Diablo, a 10-minute film created in the aftermath of the Goodell Creek Fire, which burned at the edge of North Cascades National Park in 2015. All the characters in the film are played by actual Seattle City Light employees who work at the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. As fire chief there, Watson is usually the only full-time firefighter, with a volunteer force that includes everyone from gardeners to painters.
Lessons taught by 13,000 wildfires in Washington
Digging into DNR data offers insight into state’s forests Published: November 17, 2020, 6:00am 2 Photos The lift towers on the northbound span of the Interstate 5 Bridge in Vancouver are shrouded by smoky air from wildfires on Sept. 1. (The Columbian files) Photo Gallery By any measure, this year’s wildfire season was a scorcher.
Remaking Seattle
Seattle could become the next 15-minute city By making sure essential services are just a short walk or ride away, the city could recover from the pandemic and fight climate change at the same time. Pandemic streets showed the promise of car-free Seattle Seattle’s plan to give walkers and riders safer streets started with a bang. Whether it remains depends on how loudly residents fight to keep them. Western Washington wildfire is different — and it’s coming Here's how we prepare.
Third wave of COVID-19 spikes in King County - and we aren’t ready
COVID-19 positivity rates* in King County are surpassing case highs seen in the spring. The number of daily reported positive COVID-19 cases has trended upwards in King County since late September, and since the end of October those rates have doubled. According to Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer with Public Health — Seattle & King County, hospitalization rates in King County rose 30% over the past week.
What 13,000 wildfires teach us about Washington forests
The state Department of Natural Resources is Washington’s largest firefighting organization, with about 600 year-round and seasonal employees working to control fires on more than 13 million acres of forestland across the state. DNR has kept records of every reported wildfire in the state since 2008.
Bullitt Prize winner uses affordable housing to fight climate change Original
Malaba says that those same values she learned from her parents still serve as the bedrock of her work today as the director of government relations and policy at the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County.
Seattle police have occupied a public waterway for decades
Seven years ago, Hunter and Raaen, then both board members of the Wallingford Community Council, submitted an application asking for public access to this little strip of land and water that lies behind a “No Trespassing” sign on the fence surrounding the Harbor Patrol headquarters.
Gov. Inslee extends utility shutoff moratorium to Oct. 15
Facing pressure from environmental justice groups, the governor prohibits utilities from cutting off residential water, power and phone service. Activists stand on the steps of the Legislative Building in Olympia on July 30, 2020, in support of extending the statewide moratorium on residential utility shutoffs. (Puget Sound Sage). On Friday, July 31, one day before a 4½-month moratorium on shutting off utilities was set to expire across Washington state, Gov.
Following Seattle's Green New Deal out of quarantine
In this file photograph, members of activist choir The People's Echo sing a tune devoted to the Green New Deal during a public comment period of a council meeting at City Hall in Seattle, Aug. 12, 2019. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut) Sometimes a story starts with a tweet. I’m new, both to Seattle and to journalism, and since our newsroom switched to working remotely in March, I often think about what I’m missing by not meeting people in person.
City council fuels Seattle's Green New Deal with JumpStart tax
The “you” in question were community groups advocating a Green New Deal, and members of the city council did meet with advocates last year and passed Green New Deal initiatives. But much of what was promised never occurred, as the economic fallout from COVID-19 led the city and mayor’s office to pause Green New Deal work. But now the city council and community advocates are focusing on that work once again — with help from a new progressive business tax the council passed July 6 by a 7-2 vote.
How the Duwamish River defined Seattle - and could again
BJ Cummings founded the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition in 2001 — the same year that the river was listed as a Superfund site in need of cleanup. Cummings’ new book, The River That Made Seattle: A Human and Natural History of the Duwamish, chronicles the history of the river and the people whose lives have been intertwined with it. The book is being published by the University of Washington Press on July 11, 2020.
Seattle protests haven't contributed much to the spread of COVID-19 - so far
I chose to get tested because on June 3, I walked around the edge of the crowd at 11th Avenue and Pine Street on Capitol Hill, observing the scene while barricades still separated police and protesters. The call-and-response chant “Say his name: George Floyd!” by hundreds of voices filled the air, and a masked woman offered hand sanitizer to every passerby. There were as many people as I’d seen in one place in months, and I wondered if I’d been exposed to COVID-19. I wasn’t alone.
Seattle protests are barely spreading COVID-19 - so far
I chose to get tested because on June 3, I walked around the edge of the crowd at 11th Avenue and Pine Street on Capitol Hill, observing the scene while barricades still separated police and protesters. The call-and-response chant “Say his name: George Floyd!” by hundreds of voices filled the air, and a masked woman offered hand sanitizer to every passerby. There were as many people as I’d seen in one place in months, and I wondered if I’d been exposed to COVID-19. I wasn’t alone.
What does it take to reopen Washington's wilderness?
Behind the scenes during those weeks without wilderness, outdoor advocates and public lands managers had an inevitable challenge to consider: reopening.
Help eradicate Scotch broom, the pretty pest lining WA highways
“My camera has turned into this magical ‘what’s that plant’ machine,” Leach says.
When the Chehalis floods again, who pays the price?
“If we could start today, that’s where you and I would put it,” Pierson says of the surrounding hills. “You can’t blame somebody for past sins.” Then, on Dec. 3, 2007, the biggest flood on record inundated the Chehalis River Basin to reignite a century-old debate over how to manage flood risk.
Northwest Wonders
Apocalypse: Now What? License to drive Readers ask: When and where is it OK to get behind the wheel during a pandemic? We explore the gray area. Seattle’s motorcycle clubs ride free (but socially distanced) Coronavirus has scooter, moped and motorcycle enthusiasts rolling with caution. Coronavirus disrupts child custody plans for WA parents Family courts are closed except for emergencies, leaving many scrambling to improvise new parenting arrangements. Apocalypse: Now What?
Buyers and renters navigate moving while 'staying home'
Their move has been complicated by the fact that Smith’s parents, both in their 70s, relocated in January from Texas to a spare room in the Columbia City house he rents in preparation to live permanently in a new home with Smith, his wife and their two children. Because his father has preexisting health conditions, Smith says their family took extra precautions while viewing houses. “For the house we put an offer on, my dad didn’t even go to the showing. He was too paranoid,” Smith says.
National Forest trailheads close after ‘stay-at-home’ prompts rush to the outdoors
The Forest Service closures come in response to stay-at-home orders enacted a week ago by both Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington and Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon. Following those orders and previous social distancing measures, land managers across the state say they saw a surge in visitation to Forest Service land over the past several weeks.
'Nature’s not closed' during coronavirus, but should you still go hiking?
UPDATE: The Nature Conservancy closed all access to its lands as of March 24. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing all wildlife areas and water access to the public as of March 25, and the Department of Natural Resources will close all public access to state lands starting March 26. On March 15, Daniel Shinwoo Kim posed atop Mailbox Peak with a roll of toilet paper streaming from his raised ice ax.
How Washington allows clear-cut logging in cities that don’t want it
While the woodland appears identical in most respects to the parkland around it, it differs in a crucial way. Although the De Leo Wall Viewpoint Trail appears on the maps that hikers can pick up at a Cougar Mountain trailhead, it’s an informal and unauthorized path across property owned by James Dalpay, and his father before him, since before Newcastle became a city.
Why Washington allows clear-cut logging in cities that don’t want it
While the woodland appears identical in most respects to the parkland around it, it differs in a crucial way. Although the De Leo Wall Viewpoint Trail appears on the maps that hikers can pick up at a Cougar Mountain trailhead, it’s an informal and unauthorized path across property owned by James Dalpay, and his father before him, since before Newcastle became a city.
WA ranchers are losing land to solar farms and wine - but help is on the way
Leases canceled from the Department of Natural Resources are hurting ranchers. But a new bill would compensate those forced off public land for more profitable uses. A view of the Fernandez ranch outside Centerville, Klickitat County, near the Columbia River Gorge, as seen on March 5, 2020. Ann Fernandez’s two employees were working to move sheep in preparation for lambing season to begin. Fernandez and her husband, Max, raised sheep on the ranch for decades.
As landslides close roads, Washington's remote towns deal with isolation
The car dodged puddles as it headed toward the place where a landslide had taken out a lane and left an approximately 15-foot-deep crater. Peterson realized that the driver didn’t see the danger. He began to run, crossing his arms to signal the driver to stop. He met eyes with the driver. “Right at the end he could tell,” Peterson says. “He flew right into it, no slowing down.” Peterson jumped into the ditch to help the driver escape from the overturned vehicle and get back up to the road.
Missoulians open homes to strangers to foster community connection
Before he left the church and spent the better part of six years crisscrossing the country in the aftermath of his divorce, Dwayne Parton had planned on becoming a missionary. Even now, he’s got that missionary energy: easy smile, firm handshake, willingness to hold a gaze. It would be easy to mistake Parton as someone who’s never lacked for friends— in under an hour of sitting outside the Dram Shop in downtown Missoula, two people walking by stopped to say hello.
Libraries Serve Up Support, Inspiration for NaNoWriMo
On any Saturday this month, a visitor to the Chehalis or Centralia libraries won’t have to venture far from the stacks to find new novels being dreamed up. In the meeting room of the Vernetta Smith Chehalis Timberland Library and above the festively lit stairs of the Centralia Timberland Library, Lewis County writers will be talking about character development, tapping fingers against keyboards, and trying their hardest to write 50,000 words apiece before Dec. 1.
13 Top Authors on the Best Books of 2016
2016 has certainly seen its share of ups and downs. From the stress of the election to the loss of such artistic greats as Prince, David Bowie, and now Carrie Fisher, we need great literature now more than ever to challenge us and guide us into 2017. We polled the Heleo community, asking 13 of our favorite authors to name the best book of the last 12 months.
Announcing the Winner of the 2016 Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
The 2016 Financial Times & McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award was announced last night in London. Awarded annually since 2005, the prize is conferred upon the author whose book best provides insight into the issues and challenges facing contemporary business. This year’s award went to Sebastian Mallaby for The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan, an in-depth consideration of the impact and legacy of the former Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States.
What's Wrong with Being Busy?
Frantic, frenetic, on the go, on the phone, getting takeout, going to be late, sorry can’t make it, too much to do. Where does the time go? Sound familiar? Despite a global decline in working hours, people feel as harried as ever. An especially common complaint among the white collar working class, the anxious sense of being under a time crunch might actually reflect a state of mind even more than a state of scheduling. Being busy makes us feel important and desired.
So You Want to Be a Great Artist? Try Failing. A Lot.
You can’t be a great writer if you don’t write, a great chef if you only order takeout, or a great musician if all your solos happen on an air guitar in the shower. You can’t be great if you don’t do anything, in other words, but it can be all too easy to look at a picture-perfect Instagram feed, conclude that nothing you do will ever appear that flawless, give up all artistic pursuits and slouch behind a desk forever.
Of the Two Kinds of Happiness, This One Will Help You Be More Resilient
What is it about a night of fun that can leave you feeling empty? We’ve all experienced fleeting rushes of pleasure, the kind of happiness that comes from eating another scoop of ice cream. As delicious as it is in the moment, five minutes later you aren’t feeling so great.
Kameron Hurley on Geek Feminism and the Power of Narrative
I talk to science fiction writers who say, “Well, my dystopia already happened so I need to figure out a better dystopia.” Kameron Hurley is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer whose most recent essay collection, The Geek Feminist Revolution, explores the power of narrative in the geek space and beyond. Recently, Kameron spoke with Heleo’s Mandy Godwin about Game of Thrones, the necessity of challenging our own internal biases, and the persistence involved in fighting for change.
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