3/27 House sparrow, stranded orca, new orca names, BC gas, Power Plant sale, coastal martens, plastic trash buttons

 

House sparrow [Adam Jackson]

House sparrow Passer domesticus
You can find House Sparrows most places where there are houses (or other buildings), and few places where there aren’t. Along with two other introduced species, the European Starling and the Rock Pigeon, these are some of our most common birds. (All About Birds)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Children of the Setting Sun Productions receives $2 million gift from Yield Giving

Stranded orca was pregnant, while efforts to save her other calf go on
The young whale, which has been in the area since Saturday, has so far resisted their efforts to leave the lagoon. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)  A community pulls together in efforts to save orphaned orca The Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation is pulling together amid the death of a stranded orca and efforts to save its orphaned calf. Darren Kloster and Dirk Meissner report. (Times Colonist)

Under a new proposal, our local orcas — resident and Bigg’s killer whales — would each become a new species
This single-species convention could soon undergo a decisive change, thanks to advanced genetic techniques used to discern evolutionary patterns. Following years of study and consideration, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have proposed two new species of killer whales, Orcinus ater for residents and Orcinus rectipinnus for Bigg’s. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents Magazine)

Meet the Killer Whales You Thought You Knew
The iconic marine mammals may not belong to one species but several. Surprise! Craig Welch reports.(Hakai Magazine)

BC Has Ambitious Climate Goals. Do They Leave Room for Gas?
Natural gas giant FortisBC drew a plan the regulator has ruled ‘a reasonable first step towards a low carbon future.’ What’s in it? Zoë Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

Cancellation of Power Plant sale celebrated
On. Dec. 18, State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz publicly announced the cancellation of the Power Plant timber sale totaling 126 acres located in the Elwha River basin 7 miles west of Port Angeles. A total of 69 acres were nominated for permanent conservation while the future of the other 57 acres remains unclear. [On Sunday] more than 50 people gathered at a parking area on Colville Road to celebrate the cancellation. Brian Gawley reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Conservationists to sue for better protections of Oregon’s coastal martens
A conservation group says it’s going to sue the U.S. Forest Service for failing to protect a rare and endangered species in Oregon. There are fewer than 400 coastal martens in the wild, according to estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The small, weasel-like animal was federally recognized as a threatened species in 2020. Nathan Will reports. (KLCC)

Trash to treasure: Victoria fashion brand makes use of ocean plastic waste
While work has been done to get plastic out of the ocean, where it ends up after removal continues to be a problem without a solution. This is the issue that Victoria clothing brand ANIÁN looks to address in its partnership with the Ocean Legacy Foundation, a non-profit that removes plastic from the ocean. They’ve teamed up to create buttons made entirely of recycled oyster trays found in the Salish Sea. Robyn Bell reports. (Capital Daily)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Wed Mar 27 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH  THURSDAY AFTERNOON    
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 15 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  2 to 7 ft at 14 seconds building to 5 to 10 ft at 13 seconds  after midnight.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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