Same-day reservations program expands across Washington
OLYMPIA — June 6, 2024 — Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) is excited to announce its same-day reservation pilot program has expanded to 26 parks across the state.
Additionally, Parks has implemented a new flexible dates feature in its reservations system. Rather than searching for exact dates, visitors can now choose the flexible booking dates option and see when different sites are available. This great new feature lets campers with flexibility find a site, especially during peak season, at busier parks.
Analysis by Sally Fallon Morell
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- The campaign against raw milk began with a fabricated 1945 article in Coronet magazine claiming a deadly brucellosis outbreak in a nonexistent town, leading to restrictive laws against raw milk starting in Michigan in 1948
- A 2007 PowerPoint presentation by an FDA official falsely maligned raw milk using flawed reports; none of these reports proved pasteurization would have prevented alleged outbreaks
- The 2024 USDA announcement attributed symptoms in dairy cows to avian flu without confirmed viral presence in milk, relying on questionable PCR testing methods
- Despite claims, there is no peer-reviewed evidence supporting transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza from raw milk to humans
- While pasteurization is promoted as making milk safe, the actual diversion or destruction of milk from infected animals suggests that pasteurization may not guarantee safety
By Jeff Rice
Original Posting Here
Thousands of different chemicals are flushed into Puget Sound every day through wastewater treatment plants, but some of these chemicals may cause more harm than others. Relatively benign compounds like caffeine and sucralose are found alongside cancer drugs and synthetic hormones that can disrupt the development and breeding of fish and other wildlife.
Scientists at the Puget Sound Institute are working to prioritize these contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) with an eye toward gauging which of these poorly understood chemicals are the most harmful and which should be targeted for further investigation. A recent study, in collaboration with researchers at Western Washington University, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians has identified 57 high priority CECs for further monitoring and research. Many of the chemicals on the list are synthetically derived but researchers also identified a prevalence of naturally occurring hormones that humans create in their own bodies. Among these are estrogens (like 17 beta-estradiol) which primarily originate from females but are excreted by all humans.
In studies published last year by the Puget Sound Institute in collaboration with the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program, researchers found that concentrations of some estrogen hormones measured in English sole from Puget Sound matched concentrations previously shown to affect endocrine function. Traces of estrogen were also found in Chinook blood plasma in levels that raise worries about the potential effects on these endangered salmon.
Factor in no income tax and the fact that the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful regions in the US, and it is easy to see why those who live in Washington live so long.
- Cost Of Living For One Adult, No Children: $40,722
- Median House Price: $562,290
- Median Rental Price: $1,995/month
- Crime Rate: 5,759 per 100,000 people
- Safety Index Rating: 19th safest state in the US
- Great Cities To Live In: Westlake, Education Hill, Southeast Redmond
