The management plan for a coastal Oregon estuary is getting its first update in four decades. The public can comment on the draft of the Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan released this week.

Lisa Phipps, Oregon Coastal Program manager with the Ocean/Coastal Services Division of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, said the bay is a natural extension of the community.

"It's just a really special place and it brings a lot to the community - from an economic perspective, from a recreational perspective, from an aesthetic perspective," she said.

The plan was developed with an array of partners, including Lincoln County, the nearby cities of Newport and Toledo, and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. Tribes were not involved in Oregon's first estuary management plans developed in 1982. Two in-person meetings and one virtual town hall will be held on the draft plan and are expected to begin in late June.

Estuaries provide a number of benefits, including for fisheries and as a way to sequester carbon. The Oregon coast also is affected by climate change, and Phipps said the Yaquina Bay plan includes the ability for communities to adapt to its impacts.

"It allows for the conversations to take place where it currently doesn't, and as information becomes more available and more vetted, and where people feel more confident in how it can be utilized, that space exists in the updated estuary management plan draft," she explained.

Phipps added this is a historic moment for Yaquina Bay and says it's important to reflect on this.

"It's just a great way to go, 'Oh, yeah! We have this here," she exclaimed. "This is really important and I'm really glad someone's paying attention, and making sure that the best things that can happen in there are being done.'"


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Wildlife advocates are alarmed by a new report from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife showing the state's wolf population fell nearly 10% last year.

The vast majority of the wolves were illegally and legally killed by humans. The report also showed the number of successful breeding pairs, a key population indicator, dropped 25% last year.

Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said seven illegal killings are under investigation, though the true number is likely higher.

"For every animal you find that has been illegally killed, there are one to two additional animals that were also illegally killed, whose deaths will never be discovered," Weiss explained.

Since 2016, wolf deaths in the state have continued to rise. Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a proposal to reduce protections for wolves from state endangered to state sensitive because of increased deaths.

Weiss argued many myths about wolves need debunking. She noted predator-related livestock deaths are rare, with most losses caused by issues like dehydration and birthing complications. In Washington, wolf-related losses made up less than a 10th of a percent of livestock deaths in 2024.

Weiss emphasized wolves are crucial for healthy ecosystems because they prevent overbrowsing by deer and elk.

"That allows vegetation to grow back and that provides building materials for beaver and nesting materials for migrating neotropical birds," Weiss outlined. "It provides all kinds of habitat for other species."

Weiss explained Washington's wolf plan splits the state into three recovery regions, aiming for breeding pairs in each. The third region, encompassing the southern Cascades and north coast, does not have any. As more wolves are killed in eastern Washington, Weiss added, fewer are left to move west, and they often fall victim to illegal killings.

Weiss stressed she wants the state to maintain protections for wolves: "And really do a lot more public education to help people understand we can live with them and that we need them," she urged.


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Frankfort is one of a number of communities across Kentucky grappling with a deluge of flash flooding from torrential rainfall over the past several days. More than a foot of rain in some parts of the state has caused rivers to rise, leading to evacuations along the Kentucky River.

Emergency officials have asked Frankfort residents to keep conserving water while the city works to bounce back.

Layne Wilkerson, mayor of Frankfort, said three shelters remain open, and encouraged residents to call the city's hotline, at 502-352-2252, for nonemergency help.

"We have people standing by to answer any questions, to make sure you get to the right area, and we'll make sure that you're taken care of," Wilkerson emphasized.

All state offices were closed on Monday. The widespread flooding across central and western Kentucky has caused numerous roadway closures and has, so far, killed two people: a nine-year-old child was swept away by floodwaters in Frankfort and a Nelson County adult was found submerged in a car.

Gov. Andy Beshear said the weather event is not over until the waters have receded, until the flooded areas are fully dry and until the ground, which could create mudslides over roads and bridges, is no longer saturated.

"Do not drive through water. Do not move barricades," Beshear urged. "Because remember, if you do that, you're not just making a bad decision for yourself. You could cause the harm or even death to that next person that comes along."

The Ohio River at Louisville is at 64 feet, double its normal depth, and flood walls closed Friday in preparation. The Ohio River at Paducah is at 45 feet, higher than even during the February floods. The Kentucky River at Frankfort is also flooded at nearly 49 feet, much higher than its normal depths of less than 20 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey.

This story is based on original reporting by Sarah Ladd and Liam Niemeyer for the Kentucky Lantern.


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New Mexico conservation advocates say the state's budget awaiting the governor's signature would make great strides in addressing climate change and protecting public health.

Justin Garoutte, advocate, climate and energy with the group Conservation Voters New Mexico, highlighted 21 bills awaiting the governor's signature that will protect air, land, water and wildlife resources. He said Senate Bill 48, known as the Community Benefit Fund, would be a groundbreaking investment in adapting to climate change through locally driven projects that strengthen communities and create jobs, including jobs for those employed in the extraction industry.

"So, helping workers in the oil and gas industry or other industries transition to more clean jobs - there's 17-million that's going to the workforce solutions department for clean-energy worker training," he explained.

SB 48, which passed by a vote of 39 to 26, would provide grants for infrastructure and clean energy projects that reduce pollution, improve resiliency against extreme weather, and enhance grid reliability in cities and towns across the state. The governor has until April 11th to approve spending for fiscal year 2026, which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th next year.

Garoutte said with state guidance, individual communities could implement projects unique to their region, prioritizing rural and underserved communities.

"The end goal is ensuring that we as a state continue advancing to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change that we're feeling now, right? We have to adapt, we have to do mitigation efforts, and we just want to keep moving forward as a state when we don't see that at the federal level," he continued.

Legislation included in the next budget includes two transportation provisions. $60 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for school districts and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure are part of the spending plan.


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