8/21 Snowberry, Vancouver sewage, salmon funds, permafrost melt, Port Angeles woes, BC COVID, Victoria reef, WA ferries

Snowberry [Native Plants PNW]

 
Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus
Common Snowberry is found from southeast Alaska to southern California; all across the northern United States and the Canadian provinces. Snowberries are high in saponins, which are poorly absorbed by the body.  Although they are largely considered poisonous, (given names like ‘corpse berry’ or ‘snake’s berry’), some tribes ate them fresh or dried them for later consumption.  The berries were used as a shampoo to clean hair.  Crushed berries were also rubbed on the skin to treat burns, warts, rashes and sores; and rubbed in armpits as an antiperspirant.  Various parts were infused and used as an eyewash for sore eyes.  A tea made from the roots was used for stomach disorders; a tea made from the twigs was used for fevers.  Branches were tied together to make brooms.  Bird arrows were also made from the stems. Dana Kelley Brissette writes. (Native Plants PNW)

Metro Vancouver’s Biggest Sewage Plant Is Getting an Upgrade. Many Are Watching
Metro Vancouver’s plan to clean up wastewater from its largest treatment plant is welcome, say environmental advocates. But more details are needed to ensure everything will be done to protect the Fraser River and Salish Sea, they warn. The Metro Vancouver board approved a plan to upgrade the 57-year-old Iona Island treatment plant at the mouth of the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport on July 31. The plant treats more than 200 billion litres of wastewater a year from some 600,000 residents and businesses and industry — roughly the equivalent of a supertanker’s cargo being released into the Fraser River every day. Braela Kwan reports. (The Type)

Funding comes in for salmon projects
Salmon habitat projects planned for Barnaby Reach near Rockport and Hansen Creek near Sedro-Woolley have been awarded funding aimed at restoring chinook that can help save the endangered Southern Resident orcas. Those two projects netted about $675,000 as part of an $11 million grant package from the state Recreation and Conservation Office. NOAA Fisheries is distributing the Pacific Salmon Treaty grant funding throughout Puget Sound and the West Coast to support recovery of the chinook and the region’s orcas that depend on them for food. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Culvert removal to boost fish habitat  The removal of a culvert at Bonnie Rae Park in Mount Vernon is expected to improve habitat for fish, including coho salmon and cutthroat trout. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Climate change is causing more rain in the North. That’s bad news for permafrost
New study shows wetter weather is thawing the frozen ground that covers a quarter of the northern hemisphere, threatening to release massive stores of carbon. Julien Gignac reports. (The Narwhal)

With Canadian border closed, Port Angeles businesses worry for the future
Without foreign travelers, the Coho Ferry is closed — and the town around it is holding its breath. Manola Secaira reports. (Crosscut)

Death toll from COVID-19 in B.C. reaches 200, as case numbers continue to surge
Officials announce 80 new confirmed cases and 2 more deaths from the disease. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC) See also: B.C. public safety minister set to clamp down on COVID-19 enforcement  (Canadian Press)

Artificial reefs under construction in Victoria harbour
Salish Sea Industrial Services, part of the Ralmax Group, is building five new rock reefs to meet a condition of approval for a new graving dock at Point Hope Maritime on Harbour Road. The loss of habitat on that site required new habitat to be found elsewhere in the harbour. Don Descoteau reports. (Victoria News)

Increased service returning to 3 Puget Sound ferry runs
More sailings on three Puget Sound ferry routes should cut down on backups starting this weekend and return service nearly to pre-pandemic levels on those runs. Washington State Ferries officials say they are resuming two-boat weekend service on the Mukilteo-Clinton and Edmonds-Kingston routes starting Saturday. The Seattle-Bainbridge Island route will resume two-vessel service seven days a week on Aug. 30. Theron Zahn reports. (KOMO)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  231 AM PDT Fri Aug 21 2020   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 9 seconds. Showers and a slight chance of tstms. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds. Showers likely in the  evening. 
SAT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. 
SUN  Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds.

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