Feature Articles

Why Aren’t We Still Talking About The Coal Train?
By Georgina Armstrong

The coal train continues to travel through Edmonds, on its way to the Westshore Coal Terminal (WCT) in Delta, B.C.

As Washington has continually pledged to reduce, and even eliminate, its reliance on fossil fuels in light of global warming, residents in Edmonds are still reminded nine times a day of how our state is, in fact, permitting and supporting the use of fossil fuels globally. Read the full article HERE.

And, a little good news on the transition away from coal.

Photo by Larry Vogel

From Larry: All the photo equipment in the world won’t get you a view of Puget Sound when a coal train passes through Edmonds. This Sunset Avenue photographer was trying for some good wildlife images when he was interrupted Tuesday afternoon by one of the increasing number of coal trains blocking physical and visual access to the waterfront.

Backyard Bird Counting in Edmonds and County
By Alan Mearns

Three billion North American birds have disappeared since 1970, per 2019 reports, drawing on multiple studies of declining bird populations in North America since 1970. The figures were published in Science magazine (science.org).
The scientific literature is full of studies documenting the changes and exploring causes. Among them are climate change-related weather extremes, pesticides, development, feral cats and disease outbreaks. Read more HERE.

Progress and Concerns Surface at Underwater Park
By Bruce Higgins

The Edmonds Underwater Park is a marine protected area established in 1970 and expanded to its current size of 27 acres in 1975. This City of Edmonds park is the home of various diving features as well as some significant native ones, like open sand substrate and eelgrass beds. The Underwater Park is cared for by a volunteer stewardship diving group. Read more HERE.

Shoreline’s Miyawaki Urban Forest
By Georgina Armstrong

The idea for what is also called a “Tiny Forest” was first conceived in the 1970s by Akira Miyawaki, who was a Blue Planet Prize-winning Japanese botanist. Read more HERE.