1/29 Mew gull, Navy training, Elwha genes, BC LNG poll, WA climate regs, steelhead opening, A68a, Trump's BLM, winery discharges

Mew gull [Teri Franzen]

Mew gull Larus canus
One of the smallest of the "white-headed" gulls, the Mew Gull is common along Pacific Coast beaches in winter. It also occurs in Eurasia, where it is known as the "Common Gull." The Mew Gull is the only "white-headed" gull that regularly uses trees for nesting. (All About Birds)

Washington state parks commission approves scaled-back proposal for Navy SEALs training 
A state commission has approved the Navy’s use of up to 17 Washington state parks for after-dark stealth training of SEAL teams. The 4-3 vote approves the training over the next five years. The Navy had sought to use up to 28 state parks for up to 48 hours at a stretch to enable special operation SEAL teams to make shoreline landings, then conduct surveillance of other military personnel dressed in plain clothes. Hal Bernton reports, (Seattle Times)

Genetic Resiliency of Elwha River Steelhead Outlasts Dams, New Study Finds
According to a new study examining the effects of removing dams on Washington’s Elwha River, dams do not impact the genetic diversity of steelhead. The findings indicate that steelhead populations cut off from the ocean by dams can rebound and maintain the same natural genetic diversity as fish populations below dams. The study published last week in the journal Genes is part of a special issue on salmon and steelhead genetics. (NOAA Fisheries)

British Columbians favour government investment in clean energy over LNG: poll
The majority of British Columbians want the province to prioritize renewable energy development over LNG, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Clean Energy Canada, a think tank based at Simon Fraser University. The survey found 61 per cent of British Columbians want the province to invest in renewables like hydroelectric power, hydrogen and clean technology. Less than a quarter of respondents said they’d prefer a focus on LNG. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

As climate proposals move through Legislature, offset provisions are causing controversy
The pressure is on to pass climate bills in Olympia. Attempts to pass policies that limit carbon pollution by putting a price on it have often failed here – including two statewide voter initiatives with broad or bipartisan support....Now, a bill called the Climate Commitment Act is moving forward. Commenters from numerous industries and a spectrum of environmental groups packed the 90-minute hearing to give comments after the first reading.  The act would authorize the state to put a price on carbon emissions and make big polluters pay unless they ratchet down their emissions. The money raised would be invested in cleaner transportation and other key projects, using a cap-and-trade market model, similar to California’s...But a number of environmental groups reject this approach because it allows companies to buy permits to keep polluting, often in places where people live. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Steelhead fishery to open on Skagit, Sauk rivers
Portions of the Skagit and Sauk rivers will open to steelhead fishing Monday. The state Department of Fish & Wildlife announced the opening Thursday. The fishery will run Feb. 1 to April 13 on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Up to two hatchery steelhead can be retained per angler. Wild fish must be released. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Split signals end for remnant of Antarctic iceberg A68a
The once-mighty iceberg A68a looks to be in its death throes. The largest fragment from a block of Antarctic ice that originally measured some 5,800 sq km (2,240 sq miles) in area has suffered another major split. Satellite imagery shows at least two segments drifting close together about 135km south-east of the British territory of South Georgia. They will no doubt soon move further apart. Jonathan Amos reports. (BBC)

Trump officials moved most Bureau of Land Management positions out of D.C. More than 87 percent quit instead.
The decision to relocate BLM headquarters to Colorado and redistribute jobs in the West prompted 287 employees to retire or find other jobs. The Trump administration’s decision to relocate most Bureau of Land Management headquarters staffers out West — a move designed to shift power away from the nation’s capital — prompted more than 87 percent of the affected employees either to resign or retire rather than move, according to new data obtained by The Washington Post. Juliet Eilperin reports. (Washington Post)

California to impose first statewide rules for winery wastewater, marking new era Hundreds of California wineries will for the first time be governed by statewide wastewater processing rules, a change from the long-held, regional approach that could increase production costs for wineries and protections for waterways while providing consistency for vintners across the state. The move toward a statewide regulatory framework, a five-year effort championed by industry leaders, was finalized this week by the State Water Resources Control Board, which approved an order setting up guidelines for wastewater processing at most of the more than 3,600 bonded wineries in the state. Tyler Silvy reports. (Press Democrat)

Now, your weekend tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  226 AM PST Fri Jan 29 2021   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 15 seconds. A  slight chance of rain in the morning. A chance of rain in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  4 ft at 19 seconds subsiding to 1 ft at 18 seconds after  midnight. Rain likely in the evening then rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at  16 seconds. Rain likely. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  9 ft at 15 seconds. 
SUN  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft at  15 seconds.

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1/28 Angled unicorn, fossil fuel fight, indigenous artifact, indigenous fisheries

Angled unicorn [Scott Loarie]

Angled unicorn Acanthina spirata
Found on rocks and pilings, among mussels and barnacles, in protected places; between high- and low-tide lines; Puget Sound to Baja California. (Audubon Guide: Pacific Coast)

As Biden vows monumental action on climate change, a fight with the fossil fuel industry has only begun
President Biden is determined to curb America's carbon output, including oil and gas production. It's not going to come without a fight. Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis report. (Washington Post)

Carved stone pillar found on B.C. beach identified as Indigenous artifact
A carved stone pillar found at low tide on a beach in Victoria last summer is an Indigenous cultural treasure, the Royal B.C. Museum has confirmed. The museum is working with the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations to determine the most suitable home for the pillar carved with the features of a face, Songhees Chief Ron Sam said in an interview on Wednesday. Over the years, many artifacts have been unearthed in the area, he said, but nothing has matched the 100-kilogram stone pillar. Brenna Owen reports. (Canadian Press)
 
Nisga’a scholar launches new Centre for Indigenous Fisheries at UBC
A new Centre for Indigenous Fisheries (CIF) is being launched at University of British Columbia, with Indigenous fisheries scientist, conservation biologist and Nisga’a Nation member Dr. Andrea Reid joining as Principal Investigator. The CIF, which will be based at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, aims to support the management of aquatic ecosystems and fisheries in Canada and beyond by combining Indigenous knowledge systems and modern science.  (University of British Columbia)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  258 AM PST Thu Jan 28 2021   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 13 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 12 seconds.

--
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1/27 Seal Bay, Biden's climate, 1700 'big one,' grizzlies, Jordan Cove LNG

Self-portrait at Seal Bay [Sara Kempner/CBC]

 

B.C. photographer captures top prize in Canadian Geographic competition
For Sara Kempner, home is where the waves of the Salish Sea meet the driftwood-strewn shoreline of the east coast of Vancouver Island — and the Cumberland, B.C., resident has now welcomed millions of people to share it with her.  The emerging photographer is the winner of a recent competition held by Canadian Geographic magazine that asked people to submit an image that captures what home means to them. (CBC)

Biden to place environmental justice at center of sweeping climate plan
President Biden will make the needs of low-income Americans and communities of color the focus of his plan Wednesday, according to two individuals briefed on it, making environmental justice a top priority for the first time in a generation. Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and Darryl Fears report. (Washington Post) See also:  Biden To 'Pause' Oil And Gas Leasing On Public Lands And Waters  Nathan Rott and Scott Detrow report. (NPR)

On this day [Jan. 26] in 1700, the ‘really big one’ — a magnitude 9.0 earthquake — hit Western Washington
The last huge earthquake, the last really “Big One” to hit the Pacific Northwest Coast, struck around 9 p.m. on Jan. 26, 1700 — 321 years ago today. Called Cascadia, the magnitude 9.0 quake caused the entire Pacific Northwest coastline to suddenly drop 3 to 6 feet and sent a 33-foot high tsunami across the ocean to Japan. Christine Clarridge reports. (Seattle Times)

Where Now Grizzly Bear?
A bear emerges from dense vegetation and pauses on the shore. It’s early spring, and the young grizzly has only recently roused from hibernation, ravenous and driven. He lifts his head and gazes out across the falling tide to the opposite shore, where forested slopes are close enough to make out individual trees. The bear stands and sniffs the air. Grizzlies can see about as well as we can, but it’s their olfactory powers—at least 2,000 times more acute than ours—that most likely set them in motion.  Brian Payton reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Federal regulators deliver potentially fatal blow to Jordan Cove LNG terminal and Pacific Connector pipeline
Federal energy regulators on [Jan. 19] upheld the state of Oregon’s decision to deny a water quality certification for the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export terminal in Coos Bay and its feeder pipeline, the Pacific Connector, another sign that the massive energy project may be on its last legs. The project’s owner, Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp., did not respond to a request for comment. But the decision prompted an enthusiastic response from opponents of the project as well as politicians such as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Sen. Ron Wyden. Ted Sickinger reports. (Oregonian)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  224 AM PST Wed Jan 27 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less in the  afternoon. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds building to 10 ft at  16 seconds in the afternoon. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 14 seconds. A  chance of showers in the evening then a chance of rain after  midnight.

--
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1/26 Shore crab, B'Bay waterfront, saving orcas, feeder salmonella, Vic sewer, Site C dam, ice loss, drilling ban, GasLink pipe

Purple shore crab [Mary Jo Adams]

Purple shore crab Hemigrapsus nudis
The purple shore crab is easy to identify because it usually has purple spots on its claws. Although the carapace is usually purple, you might occasionally find one that is olive green or reddish brown and without the purple spots on its claws.   Check the walking legs for hair; this species will be hairless.   Hemigrapsus nudis tends to be found on beaches with a fair amount of wave energy hiding under boulders and in mussel beds. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

The future arrives on the Bellingham Bay waterfront
After more than a decade of discussion, planning and cleanup of an industrial waste site, the city’s partnership with the port and a contract with a Dublin-based company are putting the waterfront’s future on the ground. First will come high-end waterfront condos, then multi-generation housing, hotel, restaurants, and recreation and office facilities. Meet your future, City of Subdued Excitement. (Salish Current)

To readers: The story linked above was published Friday in Salish Current-- a not-for-profit, open access news platform serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Publisher Amy Nelson and I invite you to check out Salish Current. We email a free weekly newsletter featuring the week's original news stories written by professional freelance reporters, a curated compilation of regional news items, and fact-based community commentaries. Send me an email with your name and I'll add you to the mailing list. And you can always unsubscribe. Thanks, Mike Sato.

Tougher measures needed to save southern resident killer whales, experts warn
Humans beings, and nearly everything we do, present an existential threat to the 74 orcas that spend time in and around the Salish Sea, say experts. Airborne pollutants from industry and transport, waterborne toxins from agriculture, ship strikes, fishing pressure on their main food sources, and our past efforts to kidnap their young have all conspired to diminish their numbers, sicken the whales and interfere with their ability to reproduce. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Remove your bird feeders: SPCA warns of salmonella transmission
The pine siskin, a populous brown bird in the finch family, has been hit hard by the bacteria. The BCSPCA is asking the public to remove any backyard feeders temporarily to help curb the spread of the disease. J.J. Adams reports. (Vancouver Sun)

PHOTOS: Check out Greater Victoria’s new wasterwater treatment facilities
The Capital Regional District’s newly finished tertiary wastewater treatment plant and accompanying facilities have taken Greater Victoria into a new era of not flushing screened sewage into the Salish Sea. (Saanich News)

‘Nothing should be kept secret’: B.C. First Nation asks court to order release of Site C dam safety documents
Site C construction continues at an estimated cost of $3 million a day amid growing concerns about the stability of the dam and secrecy from BC Hydro and the B.C. government, which is withholding a recent status report on the over-budget project from the public. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Earth is now losing 1.2 trillion tons of ice each year. And it’s going to get worse.
Two new papers reveal the growing toll that human-caused global warming is having on the planet's ice. Chris Mooney and Andrew Freedman reports. (Washington Post)

Biden Launches Climate Change Efforts
President Biden on Wednesday will direct federal agencies to determine how expansive a ban on new oil and gas leasing on federal land should be, part of a suite of executive orders that will effectively launch his agenda to combat climate change, two people with knowledge of the president’s plans said Monday. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

A primer on the Coastal GasLink pipeline
From the project plan to the impact of COVID-19, here are six things to know about the pipeline project in northern B.C. (Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PST Tue Jan 26 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON 
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE  TONIGHT   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 9 ft at 13 seconds. A  slight chance of showers in the morning then a chance of rain in  the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 8 to 9 ft with a  dominant period of 12 seconds. Rain in the evening then a chance  of rain after midnight.

--
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1/25 Tufted puffin, climate blueprint, BC Skagit mine, enviro racism, culvert fix funds, WA legislature access

Tufted puffin [Seattle Aquarium]

 

Will Puget Sound lose the tufted puffin?
Eric Wagner writes: "In the December 3, 2020 issue of the Federal Register, tucked between a correction from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and a NOAA decision on Pacific cod fishing permits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice saying the agency was declining to list eleven species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Many of the species I had never heard of: three types of pyrgs (snails), the relict dace (a fish), the Clear Lake hitch (another fish). But one I knew well: the tufted puffin." (Puget Sound Institute)

After climate-protection drift and despair, a blueprint for success emerges in Cascadia
Washington state’s redoubled climate goals and fresh action plan revive hope to cut emissions. But ongoing fossil fuel development in BC could undercut Cascadia’s progress. Peter Fairley reports. (InvestigateWest)

Potential B.C. mine remains a concern for those downstream 
As elected leaders in British Columbia settle into new terms, a broad coalition of Canadian and U.S. elected officials, indigenous representatives, and conservation and recreation groups are calling on them to address a looming transboundary concern on the Skagit River. While B.C.’s government moved in late 2019 to prohibit additional logging in a region of the upper Skagit River watershed in response to environmental concerns, the potential for mining in the area hasn’t been addressed. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit valley Herald)

With a new administration, activists hope for a focus on environmental racism
On his first day in office, President Biden signed executive orders that reversed much of the Trump administration’s environmental policies, including blocking the Keystone XL pipeline that had been opposed by many Indigenous leaders. That, along with his nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) as interior secretary, the first Native American in that role, has given environmental justice activists hope that the new administration will focus on an often overlooked issue: environmental racism. Rachel Hatzipanagos (Washington Post)

Inslee pauses local highway projects to fund culverts fix
Gov. Jay Inslee has put the brakes on highway projects, including three in Snohomish County, as he pushes lawmakers to get serious about complying with a federal court order to remove hundreds of culverts blocking salmon from thousands of miles of habitat. Inslee directed the state Department of Transportation to not solicit bids for two projects on Highway 9 in Lake Stevens, whose contracts were to be advertised last week, and one at the interchange of Highway 529 and I-5 in Everett, which was to move forward in April. They were on hold Friday as the governor negotiated with lawmakers on ways to significantly increase the amount of money spent on removing barriers to fish passage in the next two-year transportation budget. Saturday morning Inslee signalled he may change course and lift the pause if “an alternate approach” can be found. Jerry Cornfield and Ian Davis-Leonard report. (Everett Herald)

How to follow and participate in the Washington state Legislature
With the pandemic forcing lawmakers to meet remotely, it’s never been easier to make your voice heard right from home. Mohammed Kloub reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  239 AM PST Mon Jan 25 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 12 seconds. A slight  chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  10 ft at 14 seconds. A slight chance of showers.

--
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1/22 Red-tailed hawk, 'Desired Outcomes,' sewer loan, Biden's environment, herons with eagles, Navy park training

Red-tailed hawk [Kathryn Kent/Aububon]

Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis
Red-tailed Hawks are the most common and widespread hawk in North America. Red-tail numbers have increased significantly as a result of forest fragmentation that creates the mosaic of interspersed wooded and open areas they prefer. Red-tailed Hawks can be found year round throughout most of Washington, including in developed areas such as the city of Seattle. One species, the Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk, winters regularly in small numbers near Bellingham and is found regularly in Skagit and Snohomish Counties, but rarely in other areas either side of the Cascades. (BirdWeb)

Puget Sound Partnership proposing ‘Desired Outcomes’ for ongoing ecosystem recovery
Puget Sound Action Agenda, often referred to as Puget Sound Partnership’s blueprint for ecological recovery, continues to evolve. The next Action Agenda — scheduled to go into effect a year from now — will incorporate an expanded long-range vision for Puget Sound, complete with broad-based strategies, not just near-term actions. “Desired Outcomes,” the first major component of the next Action Agenda, will be unveiled...(Thursday) before the Ecosystem Coordination Board, the wide-ranging, 27-member committee that advises the Leadership Council in its recovery oversight and strategic planning. A live video of the discussion can been viewed online, as described in the meeting agenda. “Desired Outcomes are statements that describe what we intend to accomplish — the positive change we want to see in Puget Sound,” states a fact sheet describing the next Action Agenda update. The idea is that near-term actions proposed over four years should fit into a larger vision leading to “transformational change and bold progress toward Puget Sound recovery.” Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

EPA loans King County $96.8 million to prevent untreated water from spilling into Puget Sound
The Environmental Protection Agency has given King County a $96.8 million loan to improve water treatment infrastructure and reduce harmful spillovers into the Puget Sound its tributaries. The announcement of this loan comes only about a week after power outages and heavy rainfalls caused a handful of water treatment and pumping stations in the county to collectively spill over 10 million gallons of untreated water into the Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Cameron Sheppard reports. (Bellevue Reporter)

Piggyback Plant
Betsy Gross reports that her neighbor Jenny Hahn says the piggyback plant featured yesterday is also known as the 'youth on age' plant. According to Plants For A Future, the plant is also known as Mother-of-Thousands plant and Pickaback plant.

Tracking Biden’s environmental actions 
President Biden placed climate change squarely at the center of his White House agenda on Wednesday, using his first hours in office to rejoin the Paris climate accord and begin overturning more than 100 environmental actions taken by the Trump administration. Administration officials are suggesting that they will go well beyond reversing Trump’s policies. On Thursday U.S. presidential climate envoy John F. Kerry said the U.S. and other nations must commit to much deeper carbon cuts to avert dire climate impacts, and the Interior Department issued an order requiring signoff from a top political appointee for any new oil and gas lease or drilling activity. The directive, which could slow approval for more than 400 drilling permit applications, prompted an immediate outcry from the oil and gas industry.  Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and John Muyskens report. (Washington Post)

How Biden Plans to Reverse Trump’s Environmental Strategy
President Biden, vowing to restore environmental protections frayed over the past four years, has ordered the review of more than 100 rules and regulations on air, water, public lands, endangered species and climate change that were weakened or rolled back by his predecessor. But legal experts warn that it could take two to three years — and in some cases, most of Mr. Biden’s term — to put many of the old rules back in place. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Sleeping with the Enemy
Great blue herons are seeking safety by nesting beside predatory eagles. Researchers call it the “mafia protection racket.” Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Comments due today on Navy training plans
The public comment period regarding the U.S. Navy’s proposal for SEAL training at 28 state parks ends today at 5 p.m... [Comments} can be submitted through an online form at parks.state.wa.us/1168/Navy-training-proposal or emailed to Commission@parks.wa.gov. Zach Jablonsk reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PST Fri Jan 22 2021   TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 13 seconds. 
SAT  S wind to 10 kt becoming SW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 7 ft at 14 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 14 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming NE 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less in the  afternoon. W swell 7 ft at 19 seconds.

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1/21 Piggyback plant, Biden's orders, climate accord, Keystone XL, AnWR leases, BC salmon farms, chlorpyrifos, fish DNA

Piggyback Plant [Dan Legler]

 
Piggyback Plant Tolmiea menziesii
Piggyback Plant’s mounds of scalloped leaves make it a handsome semi-evergreen ground-cover in shade or part sun. Slender flower stalks in April to June grow one to three feet tall, and sport small, odd, chocolate-purple flowers. Piggyback Plant grows from spreading underground stems, and it’s happiest in shade. Piggyback Plant is what botanists call monotypic. They mean that in the scientific genus Tolmiea, there’s only one species, Tolmiea menziesii. Named after two early botanical collectors in the region, William Fraser Tolmie of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and Archibald Menzies of Vancouver’s expedition, Piggyback Plant is native to only one part of the world—western North America. (Sarah Gage/WNPS)

President Biden's 17 Executive Orders in Detail
Among executive orders signed on his first day in office, President Biden:
-signed a letter to re-enter the United States in the Paris climate accords in 30 days;
-revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline;
-reversed the rollbacks to vehicle emissions standards;
-undid decisions to slash the size of several national monuments;
-enforced a temporary moratorium on oil and natural gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
-re-established a working group on the social costs of greenhouse gasses;
-and issued a freeze on all new regulations put in motion by his predecessor to give his administration time to evaluate which ones it wants to move forward. (NY Times)

Biden rejoins Paris climate accord, works to overturn Trump’s climate policies
President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign a slew of executive orders Wednesday afternoon aimed at unwinding President Trump’s environmental legacy, from restoring boundaries to national monuments to rejoining the Paris climate accord to reviving the government's role in protecting the air, water and endangered species. Juliet Eilperin, Steven Mufson and Brady Dennis report. (Washington Post)

Keystone Rejection Tests Trudeau’s Balancing Act on Climate and Energy
One of President Biden’s first acts upon taking office was to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the long-debated project to transport crude from Canada’s oil sands to the United States. But Canadian officials, notably in Alberta, the province where the pipeline originates, are not giving up so fast...Days before Mr. Biden’s official announcement, the premier of Alberta had issued a statement vowing legal action. On Wednesday, Jason Kenney, the premier, demanded that Mr. Trudeau also bring trade sanctions against the United States if he is unable to persuade the American president to reverse course. Ian Austen reports. (NY Times)

Trump administration issues most leases sold for ANWR oil and gas development
The Trump administration on Tuesday issued 10-year leases on nine tracts in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, teeing up a last-minute effort to allow oil and gas drilling there that will likely soon be opposed by President-elect Joe Biden and the newly Democratic-led Congress. Two of the tracts that received bids in the lease sale will not be issued, after the Alaska state agency that bid on them decided not to pursue the leases, an official confirmed Tuesday. Alex DeMarban reports. (Anchorage Daily News)

Discovery Islands salmon farms seek judicial review of federal phase out
Two salmon farming operations have applied to the Federal Court of Canada in Vancouver for a judicial review of a decision made by Fisheries Minster Bernadette Jordan to phase out fish farms on B.C.'s Discovery Islands. The decision, released on Dec. 17, 2020, states all 19 farms have to be free of fish by June 30, 2022, when their renewed 18-month licences expire and that no new fish can be brought in. (CBC)

Toxic Pesticide Faces New Scrutiny From Biden Administration
President Biden's initial wave of planned executive actions includes an order to reexamine one controversial, but widely used, pesticide called chlorpyrifos. The Trump administration had stepped in to keep the chemical on the market after Obama-era officials tried to ban it. It's just one in a long list of science-related Trump administration actions that the incoming Biden team will now revisit. In a statement, Biden promised to take a close look at all policies "that were harmful to public health, damaging to the environment, unsupported by the best available science, or otherwise not in the national interest." Dan Charles reports. (NPR)

Decades of DNA in the Ocean Depths Could Help Track Fish Populations
There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but how many did there used to be? The answer to that question is lurking in DNA hidden at the bottom of the ocean. Japanese scientists who analyzed DNA trapped in seafloor sediments have now shown, for the first time, how this preserved genetic material can be used to chart changes in fish populations over centuries. The new technique, reported in a recent study, could be used to help understand population dynamics of marine species. Mara Johnson-Groh reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PST Thu Jan 21 2021  
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 12 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the morning. TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 14 seconds.

--
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1/20 Inauguration Day, Kalama methanol, 'dead zones,' sewage spills, virtual climate Site C slides

Inauguration Day 2021

State Ecology Department rejects permit for Kalama methanol plant on Columbia River
The state Department of Ecology has denied a request for a shoreline permit required to build a $2 billion Kalama methanol plant that would export the chemical to China. The permit rejection is a serious setback for a project that would be one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest industrial users of natural gas — the feedstock for methanol — and has generated intense controversy since first proposed back in 2014. Critics have attacked the NW Innovation Works project as a major new source of Pacific Northwest greenhouse gas emissions that would pollute for decades into a future when the imperatives of climate change call for cutting back such pollution. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Human-caused ‘dead zones’ threaten health of Puget Sound
One of the most common nutrients that boosts these algae blooms is nitrogen, and according to the Washington State Department of Ecology, wastewater treatment plants contribute significantly to low oxygen levels. Nitrogen in urine isn’t treated in most wastewater plants anywhere in Puget Sound, and King County’s West Point plant is one of the largest. A 2019 report from the Salish Sea Model found that during the warm spring and summer months, wastewater treatment plants account for about 70% of the excess nutrients in Puget Sound. Much of the nitrogen in Puget Sound is from the Pacific Ocean, but human-caused nitrogen compounds this....Because of their concerns, Ecology decided in January 2020 to move forward with drafting a nutrients permit, specifically for filtering out nitrogen, that would be applied to the nearly 70 Puget Sound wastewater treatment plants. Aaron Kunkler reports. (Bellevue Reporter)

Power outages cause massive wastewater spill into Puget Sound, Lake Washington
Power outages last week caused a few of King County’s wastewater treatment facilities to spill more than 10 million gallons of untreated overflow into the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, according to the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks...According to the department, a combination of pump station failures caused by power outages and increased rainwater runoff created flooding overflows at the West Point Treatment Plant, Richmond Beach Pump Station, East Pine Pump Station and Medina Pump Station. Cameron Sheppard reports. (Seattle Weekly)

Washington hosts first climate assembly in the United States
Residents from all over the state begin virtual meetings to decide which climate change solutions to recommend to the Legislature in Olympia. Mandy Godwin reports. (Crosscut)

Gould's baby chiton
Gene Helfman of Lopez wrote joyfully: "The chiton piece brought back fond memories. My very first publication, as an undergrad at Berkeley ca 1967 was a note: 'A ctenostomatous ectoproct epizoic on the chiton Ischnochiton mertensii.' Now how's that for a gripping title? Sorry, I don't have any reprints. Thanks; I hadn't thought about that for decades."

Homeowners near Site C project sue after landslides wiped out property values
Thirty-five homeowners in the small B.C. community of Old Fort — just south of Fort St. John — are suing the province and BC Hydro after two landslides they claim were caused by Site C dam construction rendered their properties worthless.  On Monday, the group filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court saying the excavation activities carried out by BC Hydro on the $10-billion dam project have destabilized the soil that supports their properties. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  149 AM PST Wed Jan 20 2021   TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  7 ft at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell

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1/19 Baby chiton, Keystone XL, indigenous rights, peregrine nest, eagle festival, harbor cleanup, mapping kelp

Gould's baby chiton [Mary Jo Adams]

Gould's baby chiton Lepidochitona dentiens
A small chiton, the maximum length of this species is 1.1 inches (2.7 cm.).  It has a somewhat elongated appearance compared to other chitons in our region and the girdle is relatively narrow.  Color varies but the valves are most often olive green or reddish brown and may have light colored speckles.  The girdle is banded or has white spots.  Gould’s baby chiton is found on rocks or kelp stipes in the middle and low intertidal zones and in tidepools.  This species has previously been known under the scientific names Isnochiton dentiens, Cyanoplax dentiens, and Cyanoplax raymoudi. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

Biden expected to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on first day
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day in office, quickly reversing his predecessor’s approval of a project to move oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, according to a person familiar with Biden’s plans for his first days in office. Environmentalists have long targeted the nearly 1,200-mile pipeline as both a contributor to climate change and a physical symbol of the country’s unwillingness to move away from an oil-based economy. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, argued the pipeline would create jobs and help local economies. Michael Shear reports. (NY Times)

UN committee rebukes Canada for failing to get Indigenous Peoples’ consent for industrial projects
One of the world’s leading human rights bodies calls for work to stop on Coastal GasLink pipeline, Trans Mountain pipeline and Site C dam, saying Canada is failing to comply with international law. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Province gives go-ahead to Abbotsford quarry to destroy peregrine falcon nesting ledge
An Abbotsford, B.C., company has been given the go-ahead from the province to remove a peregrine falcon nesting site from a quarry it plans to reopen. The decision is a blow to a group of 17 local homeowners and conservationists who have been campaigning to preserve a rocky ledge at the site, which has been a productive nesting area for the dynamic bird of prey that has been on and off the federal government's endangered list as vulnerable to decline. Peregrine falcons in B.C. still remain on government lists that include animals or ecosystems of concern or that are threatened. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Cancellation of Skagit River Eagle Festival a blow to east Skagit County
The Skagit River, particularly upstream of Concrete, is a stronghold for bald eagles that eat spawning salmon each winter. While the iconic birds are back in the area, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Skagit Eagle Festival to be canceled for the first time in its history. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Port of Port Angeles nearing deal for harbor cleanup
The Port of Port Angeles is closer to resolving a major claim over the cleanup of industrial pollution in west Port Angeles Harbor following action from port commissioners. The city of Port Angeles is not far behind, a city official said. Following an executive session Tuesday, port commissioners unanimously authorized Executive Director Karen Goschen to settle the claim for a federal natural resource damage assessment associated with the harbor and report back to them with a signed agreement for their approval. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Sea charts and satellites: Mapping critical kelp beds along the Pacific coast
An ambitious project to map and monitor sea kelp forests along the entire B.C. coast is afoot, and scientists are using seemly disparate tools — both ancient and modern — to do it. Researchers are using centuries-old British sea charts and advanced technology, such as camera drones and satellite images, to trace shifts in the abundance and distribution of kelp beds over time, said geographer Maycira Costa. Rochelle Baker reports. (National Observer)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PST Tue Jan 19 2021   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Wind waves  2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 13 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 14 seconds. A slight chance  of rain in the evening.

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1/18 Kinnikinnick, oil train, NW salmon, female orca disturbance, Trump;s last days, climate activists, Skagit fish passage, Octopus Islands, Navy park training

 

Kinnikinnick  [Beaverton Public Works]

 Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Glossy leaves that stay green all year, bright red berries that glisten into winter --as C.L. Hitchcock, dean of Northwest botany, wrote: “one of the finest groundcovers known.” Happy in full sun to part shade and dry soils, it’s a well-mannered alternative to that thug, English ivy.  Kinnikinnick has many names, most referring to its fruits. Arctostaphylos (Greek) and uva-ursi (Latin) both mean “bear grapes.” The name kinnikinnick itself is an Algonquian word referring to the dried leaves’ use in smoking mixtures. (Sarah Gage/Washington Native Plants Society)

Oil train derailment in Whatcom County drives home transport risk concerns
When an oil train derailed in a fiery crash in Custer in December, about 29,000 gallons of the cargo was spilled. Some of it burned, some of it was vacuumed onto container trucks along with firefighting foam and water, and some of it settled into the soil. Up to about 8,000 gallons remain unaccounted for, according to numbers the state Department of Ecology released Tuesday, three weeks after the incident. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)

To readers: Salish Current from which the previous story comes is a year-old, not-for-profit, open access news platform serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. If you are interested in news of this region, publisher Amy Nelson and managing editor Mike Sato invite you to check out Salish Current. We email a weekly newsletter featuring the week's original news stories written by professional freelance reporters, a curated compilation of regional news items, and fact-based community commentaries. If you'd like to try out the newsletter, simply reply to me and you'll get the next issue. Thank you, Mike Sato.

Report lays out bleak picture of Northwest salmon 'teetering on the brink of extinction'
Washington’s salmon are “teetering on the brink of extinction,” according to a new report. It says the state must change how it’s responding to climate change and the growing number of people in Washington. Washington’s State of Salmon in Watersheds report says time is running out for the Northwest’s iconic fish. The report, which is issued every two years, shows a trend of warming waters and habitat degradation is causing trouble for its salmon runs. Ten of the 14 threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the state are not getting any better. Of those, five are “in crisis.” Courtney Flatt and Bellamy Pailthorp report. (KNKX)

Female resident orcas especially disturbed by vessels, new research shows
Female orcas are most thrown off from foraging when boats and vessels intrude closer than 400 yards, according to new research — troubling findings for the endangered population of southern resident orcas that desperately needs every mother and calf to survive. The research, gathered by attaching suction-cup electronic tags to the whales, is a clear wake-up call to the protection endangered mother orcas need, researchers and experts say. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

In Trump’s last days, a spree of environmental rollbacks
The Trump administration went on a final spree of environmental rollbacks with just days left in office, scaling back standards for equipment Americans use to heat their homes, habitat for the northern spotted owl, and protections for conservation lands in California and Utah. Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post) See also: Surprise attack on the spotted owl is Trump team’s parting shot at the Northwest  This past week, as people and politicians alike were consumed with the fallout of the Capitol riot, the Trump administration put out a “midnight regulation” — a sweeping rule change on your way out the door — that slams the Northwest’s signature, struggling northern spotted owl. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

How Cascadia’s climate activists fought off fossil fuels and succeeded
During a decade when the region’s governments flouted their carbon emissions goals, activists who came together to stop exports surpassed their wildest expectations. Robert McClure reports. (InvestigateWest)

Clean water finally brings hope of renewal to Semiahmoo reserve
The Semiahmoo reserve nestled between White Rock and the Peace Arch border crossing is about to get clean, fresh water after living with a boil water advisory since 2005. And with it comes new hope for the growth of the community and its economy. Denise Ryan reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Disagreement remains on Skagit River fish passage
The relicensing process for the three dams along the Skagit River continues to spark debate on whether fish ever used habitat upstream of the dams before they were built. Matt Cutlip of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that oversees hydroelectric licensing said this kind of debate is new to him. “I’ve never seen a situation like this before where there’s actually a dispute about whether fish ever even did use habitat above one of the dams or two of the dams. This is a very unusual case,” Cutlip said...Seattle City Light, FERC and stakeholders are in the process of discussing study plans meant to determine what will be allowed and required under a new license. Several meetings are set through March in an effort to hash out disagreements before data collection gets underway in the spring. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Province acquires more land for Octopus Islands Marine Park
Located near Quadra Island, Octopus Islands Marine Provincial Park was established in 1974 to provide opportunities for marine recreation and protect a fragile coastal western hemlock ecosystem and habitat for a variety of marine species. The size of the park has been growing since then with the help of Creek and the B.C. Marine Parks Forever Society, a volunteer organization that raises funds to help BC Parks acquire land for new marine parks and enhance existing ones. Since the society was founded in 1990 by the Council of BC Yacht Clubs, it has received more than $2 million in donations to help purchase land for 10 marine parks, including the Octopus Islands. Three donations have been made for the Octopus Islands. This includes the most recent $100,000 donation that has helped BC Parks purchase a 20-hectare island intended to be added to the 862-hectare park. (Campbell River Mirror)

Navy training at state parks:public comments
Register to make public comments about the proposed Navy operations at Deception Pass Park and 27 other state parks at a special Zoom meeting with Washington State Parks and Recreation January 26, 4-8 p.m. For directions on how to sign up to comment, go to https://parks.state.wa.us/1168/Navy-proposal. Written comments can be sent to Commission@parks.wa.gov no later than January 22. A decision on the request is expected at the Washington Parks and Recreation meeting on January 28. To read some comments already submitted, go here https://parks.state.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/16267/07-Comments-received-thru-Dec-18-2020

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PST Mon Jan 18 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  N wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 16 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  8 ft at 14 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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1/15 Earthworm, shoreline structures, orca tech, gray wolf, Site C dam safety, white greens, borders, climate poll

Earthworm [Dennis Paulson]

 
Earthworm Lumbricus sp.
Earthworms look like a cylinder pointed at both ends, but in fact they are bilaterally symmetrical and with much the same organ systems as we have. Above all, they are many-segmented, each segment much like the others in basic form and appendages. They have longitudinal muscles running along their bodies and circular muscles running around each segment, and by contracting and relaxing these muscles in turn, they burrow through the soil, crawl on the substrate, or even swim. Each segment has a set of tiny spines called chaetae that anchor parts of the body as it is pushed and pulled through the soil. (Slater Museum)

Repairs of bulkheads, docks and other structures now involve habitat assessment
In a major policy shift by federal authorities, waterfront maintenance and reconstruction projects are undergoing increased scrutiny — not only for their environmental impacts during and after construction but for effects that ripple through time. The change, imposed by NOAA Fisheries to protect threatened and endangered species, requires compensation for environmental damage calculated over the life of a shoreline structure. So compensation comes into play even where a structure is merely replacing an old one. Previously, in most cases, the agency did not require environmental compensation for repair and replacement projects permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers — unless the projects were some type of expansion. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Coast guard throws technology behind protecting southern resident killer whales
The Canadian Coast Guard is throwing technology behind an effort to better protect southern resident killer whales and other cetaceans in B.C. waters from ship traffic, vessel strikes and entanglements. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says a "first of its kind" marine mammal desk will work to "report whale sightings in real time and advise vessel traffic by providing enhanced situational awareness of the activities of endangered southern resident killer whales and other cetaceans, such as humpback and grey whales." Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Gray wolf to get its day in court after removal from endangered species list
Environmental groups have filed a flurry of lawsuits against the Trump administration over its removal of Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed the wolf from the endangered species list last week. The rule applies to all gray wolves in the lower 48 states, except for experimental packs of Mexican gray wolves living in the American Southwest. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that gray wolves do not, by law, constitute a species and thus must be removed from the endangered species list. The lawsuits allege the administration acted prematurely and ignored the best available science in its decision. Bradley Parks reports. (OPB)

Horgan announces two new expert reviews amid mounting Site C dam safety concerns
In the first public update on the troubled Site C dam since last July, B.C. Premier John Horgan’s surprise announcement about a proposed fix to geotechnical problems raised yet more questions about the viability of the over-budget project. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

The numbers don't lie': The green movement remains overwhelmingly white, report finds
A report released Wednesday by Green 2.0, an independent advocacy campaign that tracks racial and gender diversity within the environmental movement, found that while strides have been made in recent years, it has been at an incremental pace that begs for "improvement at all levels," said Andrés Jimenez, the campaign's executive director. Erik Ortiz reports. (NBC)

Poll finds most Canadians want borders closed to vacationers
As flights continue to whisk Canadians off to warmer climes, a majority of Canadians would be OK with the government closing borders to international travel given a rise in COVID-19, according to a new poll. The Angus Reid Institute poll, released Thursday, found 65 per cent say if the decision were up to them, they would prohibit personal travel. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Climate Change Survey: Majority of Voters Support Initiatives
A majority of registered voters of both parties in the United States support initiatives to fight climate change, including many that are outlined in the climate plans announced by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr, according to a new survey. The survey, which was conducted after the presidential election, suggests that a majority of Americans in both parties want a government that deals forcefully with climate change instead of denying its urgency — or denying that it exists at all. John Schwartz reports. (NY Times)

Now, your weekend tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  332 AM PST Fri Jan 15 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell  12 ft at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  14 ft at 16 seconds. 
SAT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 14 ft at 15 seconds subsiding to  12 ft at 14 seconds in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 14 seconds  subsiding to 8 ft at 13 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 11 ft at 15 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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1/14 Sea cuke, runoff protection, orca hunting, sewage spills, Site C dam, Trump's owl, sage grouse, mircroplastics

White sea cucumber [Slater Museum]

 
White sea cucumber Eupentacta quinquesemita
The white sea cucumber is a common species in rocky areas in the middle intertidal zone and below. Up to about 10 cm in length when relaxed, it is easily recognized by its whitish color and long oral tentacles. The animal is often partially hidden in a crevice with only the feeding apparatus sticking out. (Slater Museum)

Settlement agreement says state must protect endangered species from polluted runoff 
Endangered species in Washington will get a much-needed boost following the settlement of a major lawsuit about runoff and water quality.  The case is about what’s known as non-point water pollution. This is mostly runoff that comes typically from farms and cities when it rains. Nitrogen from fertilizers or oily remnants from fossil fuel-burning engines are carried into streams and major waterbodies. Leaky septic systems are another problem. The pollution also includes logging practices that cause water to warm up, when shorelines and streambeds are denuded...Part of the problem, says Nina Bell with Northwest Environmental Advocates, which brought the suit, has been political interference from powerful lobbying groups...The agreement lays out a timeline for the state Department of Ecology to regulate farming practices and implement other specific rules, such as replanting trees in streamside buffers that keep water cool, in consultation with the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Salish Sea Killer Whales Have a Surprising New Way of Hunting
Bigg’s, or transient, killer whales use stealth and teamwork to hunt their marine mammal prey. For a seal hightailing it from an attack, the best bet for survival is to get out of the water. But now, even dry land is not safe. Demonstrating a dramatic behavior previously only observed in some killer whales in the southern hemisphere, Bigg’s killer whales in the Salish Sea have now been seen deliberately running aground to ambush prey. The behavior, witnessed at Protection Island, a national wildlife refuge near the mouth of Discovery Bay in Washington State, in August 2016, was described in a recent study. Carolyn Cowan reports. (Hakai Magazine)

11 million gallons of stormwater, sewage flow into Puget Sound from King County plant
The West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle sent 11 million gallons of untreated stormwater and sewage into Puget Sound on Wednesday, King County's wastewater treatment division announced, blaming the release on widespread power outages. Additionally, heavy rainfall overwhelmed the capacity of the county's Shoreline pump station, while flow volumes did the same at its Medina facility, sending overflows of 165,000 gallons and 80,600 gallons, respectively, into Puget Sound. Nathan Pilling reports. (Kitsap Sun)

BC Hydro granted $171 million in no-bid Site C dam contracts as project troubles were kept secret from public
Documents obtained by The Narwhal show BC Hydro’s former chief engineer and SNC Lavalin are among the recipients of lucrative and previously undisclosed direct-award contracts, fuelling calls for a public inquiry into the behind-schedule and over-budget hydro project. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

No-contact advisories issued for Dyes Inlet, Port Washington Narrows and Sinclair Inlet after 35,000-gallon sewage spill
An almost 35,000-gallon combined sewage spill led the Kitsap Public Health District to issue no-contact advisories for Dyes Inlet, the Port Washington Narrows and Sinclair Inlet on Wednesday afternoon. Bremerton Public Works reported a 2,000-gallon spill in Sinclair Inlet and a 32,350-gallon spill in Dyes Inlet and Port Washington Narrows. The spills come after a month of heavy rains across Kitsap and the region. Christian Vosler reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Trump administration slashes critical habitat for northern spotted owl by 3.4 million acres
The Trump administration has cut designated critical habitat for the northern spotted owl by millions of acres in Oregon, Washington and California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that it would remove 3.4 million acres of critical habitat protections for the bird, including all of what’s known as the O&C Lands, which is big timber territory in Western Oregon. It’s the latest jab at the northern spotted owl on the president’s way out the door. Bradley W. Parks reports. (OPB)

Sage grouse review done, but scant time for Trump’s changes
The Trump administration has completed a review of plans to ease protections for a struggling bird species in seven states in the U.S. West, but there’s little time to put the relaxed rules for industry into action before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The ground-dwelling, chicken-sized greater sage grouse has been at the center of a long-running dispute over how much of the American West's expansive public lands should be developed. Matthew Brown report.s (Associated Press)

Microplastics are permeating the Arctic Ocean and the culprit could be our own clothes 
A new study shows that the synthetic fibres found throughout the Arctic Ocean are threatening wildlife and Indigenous ways of life. Peter Ross writes. (The Conversation/The Narwhale) See also: A bucket of water can reveal climate change impacts on marine life in the Arctic  (Science Daily)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  251 AM PST Thu Jan 14 2021   SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SE wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 9 ft at 12 seconds  subsiding to 7 ft at 12 seconds in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind  waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. Rain.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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1/13 Mud snail, border closure, DNR fire fund, bird salmonellosis, Seabeck bridge, big fuel tanks, Trump's climate, EPA science rule, Site C turbines, fisheries hit

Mud snail [Mary Jo Adams]

 

Asian mud snail Battlearia attramentaria
Although not native to the Pacific Northwest, this 2 inch (5 cm.) snail is present in large numbers along some Washington shorelines including Skagit County’s Padilla and Samish Bays.  Look for it in high and middle intertidal zones of muddy bays where large populations of up to 1000 individuals /square meter are possible.  The snail is gray in color with brown beading and has 8-9 whorls.  It feeds on diatoms.  (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

Canada-U.S. border closure extended to Feb. 21 as coronavirus cases soar: Trudeau
The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed until at least Feb. 21 in an effort to curb rising cases of the novel coronavirus, Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. Katie Dangerfield reports. (Global News)

Washington state's public lands chief tries new tactic in push for $125 million to fight, prevent fires
For at least the last three years, as Washington has seen some of the worst wildfires in recent memory, state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has pushed legislation to try to get a permanent funding source to fight and prevent fires. She’s failed each time. The Legislature balked at a tax on property and casualty insurance and it balked at a surcharge on insurance premiums. This year, Franz is back with a comprehensive plan to prevent, protect from and fight wildfires: Funding source TBA. David Gutman reports. (Seattle Times)

Help protect wild birds from deadly salmonellosis
Recent reports of sick or dead birds at backyard feeders in King, Kitsap, Skagit, Snohomish, and Thurston counties is prompting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to recommend that people temporarily discontinue feeding wild birds or take extra steps to maintain their feeders. The current die-off of finches- such as pine siskins- as well as other songbirds, is attributed to salmonellosis, a common and usually fatal bird disease caused by the salmonella bacteria, according to WDFW veterinarian Kristin Mansfield. (WDFW)

New Seabeck bridge opens to vehicle and salmon traffic
Salmon have already been seen crossing a passage previously difficult to swim through under a new bridge in Seabeck. The bridge at Seabeck Holly Road NW opened a week before Christmas, replacing a culvert too small for the water and sediment flow the creek experiences and difficult for fish to pass through. Jesse Darland reports. (Kitsap Sun)

EPA Eases Inspections For Large Oil & Gas Storage Tanks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized new amendments to its rules governing inspections for large oil and gas liquid storage tanks, saying the changes would cut down on industry costs and reduce emissions in the process. (Environmental Law 360/paywall)

A Late Burst of Climate Denial Extends the Era of Trump Disinformation
President Trump’s Twitter megaphone may be silenced, but his administration’s disinformation flows on. David Legates, a climate denialist installed last year by the Trump administration to oversee scientific work on climate change, has posted a series of debunked reports that appear to claim to represent research on global warming produced for the United States government, drawing a disavowal from the White House science office. Lisa Friedman and Christopher Flavelle report. (NY Times)

EPA's Science Rule Implemented Too Soon, Advocates Say
Environmental advocates on Monday sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its recent rule intended to make it more difficult to use scientific studies that rely on confidential research in certain rulemakings, arguing the rule is procedurally flawed and went into effect too quickly. (Environmental Law 360/paywall)

Massive turbines trucked toward B.C.'s Site C dam in wide, slow convoy
Two eight-metre-wide by five-metre-tall turbine runners are being transported from the Port of Prince Rupert to the Chetwynd area and drivers are warned of more overnight closures as the wide load turns north. The runners are the heart of a turbine where water power is changed into rotational force, driving the generator that produces hydroelectricity. Site C will need six of the 170-tonne runners, and the two in transport have been crawling east on Highway 16 since Sunday, moving in stages overnight because they are so wide the route must be closed for safety.(Vancouver Sun)

US Fisheries Hit Hard by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world for much of the past year has disrupted many industries, and fisheries are no exception. An early analysis estimates that in the United States, the pandemic has caused fresh seafood catches to decline by 40 percent relative to 2019, while imports fell by 37 percent and exports by 43 percent. Brian Owens reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  322 AM PST Wed Jan 13 2021   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH  LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  W wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Combined seas 17 to 18 ft with a dominant period of  16 seconds subsiding to 15 ft with a dominant period of  11 seconds in the afternoon. A chance of rain in the morning then  a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft after  midnight. W swell 13 ft at 11 seconds subsiding to 11 ft at  12 seconds after midnight.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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