by Bruce Rettig | Jul 12, 2019
As a ten-year-old science nerd, excitement during the days leading up to July 20, 1969, eclipsed that of the Superbowl, the World Series, or any other normally major event. All of the steps taken by scientists and engineers, and all the daunting hours of work and...
by Bruce Rettig | Jun 28, 2019
Part 3: Bristol Bay, Trolls, and the Pebble Mine The third and final post of this blog series focuses on a concentration of wild rivers located in Bristol Bay at the northeastern end of the Alaskan peninsula. This watershed supports the world’s largest...
by Bruce Rettig | Jun 21, 2019
Part 2: A Long Stretch of Rough Water. The West Coast’s wild rivers served as the lifeblood of indigenous tribes for thousands of years before the first settlers arrived. Coastal tribes relied on massive migrations of salmon for subsistence, and mountain tribes...
by Bruce Rettig | Jun 14, 2019
Part 1: It’s All About the Fish. We stood on a sidehill shaded by redwoods and Douglas firs, water cascading down the rugged canyon below. My uncle pointed to a deep pool at the base of a towering waterfall. “Look close—see ‘em?” he whispered. Dark...
by Bruce Rettig | May 10, 2019
Earlier this year, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) revealed that it had secretly shipped one-half metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium from South Carolina to a nuclear security site in Nevada. Despite the state’s protests and an injunction, the...
by Bruce Rettig | May 3, 2019
I once read a book in grammar school titled “The Pacing Mustang,” written by author and wildlife artist Ernest Thompson Seton. The main hero of the story is a black stallion, and the storyline is tethered in the horse’s ability to avoid capture by many a savvy...
