The Port of Tacoma is celebrating Earth Day, April 22, with a free guided bus tour of its restored wildlife habitat and environmental projects.

"Discover how the Port of Tacoma is protecting Commencement Bay, home to marine birds, fish, mammals and other wildlife, as well as one of North America’s largest container ports," the port said in a news release.

The tour will begin at 9:30 a.m. and return to the port headquarters about noon.

Reservations are required. Children age 6 and older are welcome. Photo identification is required for passengers 17 and older, the port said.

The tour will involve minor hiking. Comfortable, durable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended.

Reservations are available by calling 253-383-9463 or e-mailing bustours@portoftacoma.com

An iconic Northwest merchant, sporting goods retailer Joe's Sports and Outdoor, is liquidating the contents of its 31 Pacific Northwest stores beginning Friday.

Joe's, which sought bankruptcy last month, is selling off its merchandise and closing its stores after it was unable to find a buyer.

Boston's Gordon Brothers Group will conducted the liquidation sales.

The company claimed it will offer substantial discounts from Joe's regular prices during the "everything goes" sales.

The fate of the Wilsonville, Ore. sporting goods store's 1,600 employees isn't yet clear, but presumably they will be losing their jobs as the liquidation winds down.

The chain has 12 Puget Sound area stores including stores in Lakewood, Puyallup, Federal Way, Kent and Renton in the South Sound.

At the Joe's store in Puyallup, duty manager Randy Rust said some 40 people work at the store.

Rust said he was given a quick briefing Thursday morning about the liquidation. He didn't know many details.

"I presume it will last until all the goods are gone," he said. "That could take two days or two months."

Meanwhile at the company headquarters a corporate spokeswoman said she was banned from discussing the liquidation.

"There is nothing I can tell you," said the spokeswoman Shannon Burley.

The company's fate was determined Thursday morning in a Delware bankruptcy court.

Joe's was celebrating the 57th anniversary of its founding by former serviceman Edward Orkney when it entered bankruptcy.

Orkney bought 2,000 World War II sleeping bags from the Army and sold them out of his station wagon in Portland to start his business.

The company subsequently moved to a tent and then to an older building in Portland.

Until recently known as GI Joe's, the retail chain was sold in 2007 to a San Francisco investment firm.

Kenmore Air is scheduling three-times-daily seaplane service between Seattle's Lake Union and the Olympic Peninsula during this spring's six-week closure of the Hood Canal Bridge, the airline said today.

The new service will connect both Port Ludlow and Port Hadlock with Seattle. Van service will be available to and from Port Townsend from both Olympic Peninsula destinations for $5 each way.

The flights are scheduled to take between 20 and 35 minutes each way depending on the routing. Fares on the route will be $79 each way, the airline said.

"The impetus for this new service really came from the communities themselves," said Kenmore Air vice president of flight operations Tim Brooks. "We were approached by folks who were very concerned about the potential impacts of the bridge closure on their lives and businesses."

The Washington Department of Transportation will be replacing sections of the eastern part of the bridge during the closure.

The bridge is now being scheduled for closure from May 1 through June 15. The DOT is providing a free passenger ferry between both sides of the bridge, but vehicles will have to drive around or take the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry.

Boeing will reduce its production of its twin-jet 777 from seven a month to five monthly beginning in the first quarter next year.

The company also announced today it is postponing its planned modest increase in production rates for its 747-8 and 767 aircraft. All three wide-bodied aircraft are built at Boeing's Everett plant.

The production changes will reduce Boeing's projected earnings by about 38 cents a share during next year's first quarter, the company said.

Boeing blamed the production decrease on global economic conditions. The company also said that pricing of aircraft is also being affected by reduced demand.

"These are extremely difficult economic times for our customers," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson. "It's necessary to adjust our production plans to align supply with these tough market conditions. We are in close contact with our customers as we continue to monitor this dynamic business environment."

No customers have yet canceled their orders for the 777, 787 or 767, though several have sought deferred delivery dates for the plans.