A rare inland sighting of a white-winged scoter was recorded along the Columbia River near Pasco, Washington, with a birder photographing the sea duck at McNary National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 26. Biologists say a recent storm may have blown the typically coastal species off course.

A study in Biological Conservation led by a WSU scientist documents the steep decline of monarch butterflies in the West. They could be functionally extinct within a few decades.