Here’s some fantastic news about the humpback whale population in the Salish Sea! Enjoy this quick, positive read. Happy Monday!

SEATTLE – More humpback whale calves have been born this season in the Salish Sea than ever recorded.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association reported Friday its researchers have counted 21 calves this season throughout inland Washington and British Columbia.

There were just 11 reported in 2020.

“2021 has been a banner year for female humpbacks coming into the Salish Sea with new calves,” says Wendi Robinson, naturalist with Puget Sound Express. “Calves only travel with mom for a year or so and then they’re on their own. Once they’re familiar with our waters, they will often return year after year…

Good morning from BYB! In Positive News today, a large grant has been awarded to a team of researchers at OSU with hopes of finding a way to reduce harmful emissions from wood-burning stoves. Check out this article by Central Oregon Daily News to learn more.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A team of Oregon State University researchers has received a $2.5 million federal grant to work on reducing harmful emissions from wood-burning stoves, a primary source of heat in Native American communities and in low-resource areas in the United States.

Nordica MacCarty of the OSU College of Engineering is the principal investigator on the award from the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office.

MacCarty will…

Check out this article by Robby Berman and the Big Think about how crows and the rest of the corvid family are more human-like than once thought! Have a happy Monday!

It’s no surprise that corvids — the “crow family” of birds that also includes ravens, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers — are smart. They use tools, recognize faces, leave gifts for people they like, and there’s…