An independent environmental scientist was charged with trespass again in late July. Norm Buske was collecting mulberry leaves for analysis under contract with the Government Accountability Project, a watchdog group monitoring the Hanford nuclear weapons plant site in eastern Washington state. Buske and others suspect radioactive strontium contamination is seeping into the Columbia River faster than the government admits, harming the native salmon population. The scientist was cited in 1994 and 1995 while collecting samples from Puget Sound for evidence of radiation contamination from the Trident submarine base at Bangor, Washington.

Benton County sheriff's deputies cited Buske after Hanford security officials detained him 170' inland from the Columbia River near the K Reactors Area. Buske claims the high-water mark of the river is the traditional boundary, and he stayed below that line but above the current water level.

Buske was released pending a hearing in August.