Green Wire: Monday Night

Handpicked headlines from around the region.

Booby Watchers Flock To Coos Bay

News that a brown booby has been spotted in Coos Bay spread like wildfire throughout Oregon’s birding community.  The local paper says the town saw a small boom in bird tourism over the weekend.  The booby is a tropical seabird rarely seen north of Mexico.  From the Coos Bay World.  Link has a good photo, too.

Federal Money To Expand Hells Canyon

Add the Hells Canyon Recreation Area to the list of Oregon projects that will be helped in the new appropriations bill for the Interior Department.  Hells Canyon is getting $1.5 million to buy up small “islands” of private property that are within the Recreation Area.  From the Baker City Herald.

Small Oil Spill In Yaquina Bay

About 30 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled into Yaquina Bay when a wooden fish boat sank. Various websites are following the story including Oregon Live, KPTV and KGW.

Don’t You Breathe The Yellow Air

DEQ has issued a “yellow” air quality alert for Klamath County. That means several types of burning are banned including, outdoor burning, fireplaces, and non-certified wood stoves and fireplace inserts. These are common sources of particulate pollution. The alert runs through Noon Tuesday. From the Klamath Falls Herald and News.

Geese In Bend Parks May Be Killed

Bend Parks and Recreation is considering a controversial plan to kill geese. Officials say they’ve tried non-lethal methods to control overpopulation of the birds, but they didn’t work. From the Bend Bulletin.

Feds May Hear Mt. St. Helens Report In December

Next month may be important to the future of Mt. St. Helens. Officials in Southwest Washington are trying to arrange a meeting with members of the state’s congressional delegation to present plans for the future of the volcano.  Right now, December is looking pretty good.  A meeting planned for August was canceled out of fear that it would be hijacked into a forum on health care.  From the Longview Daily News.

Is Climate Change Immoral?

The University of Oregon kicks off a two year program examining the ethics of climate change.  The first event is a public talk Tuesday night by New York University environmental studies and philosophy professor Dale Jamieson.  He argues people need to see climate change as socially unacceptable before we’ll get serious about solving the issue.  From the Eugene Register-Guard.