Ashley Ahearn

To Catch A Marten: Seeking Clues In Olympic National Forest

Ashley Ahearn — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:07:00 +0000

It's about 25 degrees on a clear Saturday morning when Gregg Treinish — executive director of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, a nonprofit that puts volunteers to work gathering data for scientists around the world — gathers a small group of outdoor adventurers around him near the Duckabush River in the Olympic National Forest in Washington state.

The mission for this group: help biologists figure out whether there are any martens left

What Killed Orca Victoria? Some Point To Naval Tests

Ashley Ahearn — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Few people know the orcas of Puget Sound as well as Ken Balcomb.

A researcher with the Center for Whale Research on Washington state's San Juan Island, Balcomb has been studying the whales for more than 30 years.

It takes Balcomb only a few seconds of listening to the squeaks and whistles of underwater whale recordings to recognize the different pods of orcas.

In one recording, Balcomb identifies the group known as the L Pod — the family many people in the area are talking about right now.

Orca L112, also known as Victoria, was a 3-year-old L Pod female who washed up dead on the Washin

Battling 'Red Tide,' Scientists Map Toxic Algae To Prevent Shellfish Poisoning

Ashley Ahearn — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Public health officials have their hands full keeping your clam chowder and raw oysters safe. That's due, in part, to red tides.

Red tides happen nearly every year as coastal waters warm, killing fish and poisoning shellfish along U.S. coasts.