10/21 Douglas squirrel, flooding, BC vote, oil tankers, women and orcas, BC hydrogen, glass recycle, Klamath salmon, berry farmer fined, Dune Peninsula, WA vote

 

Douglas squirrel

Douglas squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii
The Douglas squirrel,  or chickaree, measures 10 to 14 inches in length, including its tail. Its upper parts are reddish-or brownish-gray, and its underparts are orange to yellowish. The Douglas squirrel is found in stands of fir, pine, cedar, and other conifers in the Cascade Mountains and western parts of Washington. (WDFW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: At Bellingham Co-op stores, Real Change News provides opportunity, interaction

Atmospheric river brings heavy rain, floods to Metro Vancouver
Flooding is widespread across Metro Vancouver, with some streets and intersections closed to traffic. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. Election Results: Race too close to call as shadow of 2017 election looms large
Voters failed to deliver a clear result Saturday with the NDP one seat ahead of the Conservatives and a handful of recounts possible. Alec Lazenby reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Oil tanker traffic surges in WA waters with Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion
The May opening of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in British Columbia has led to a sevenfold increase in oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Juan de Fuca so far this year. On average before the expansion, which came online this spring, one tanker a week traveled through these transboundary waters. Now, a tanker a day is making the trip. The increased tanker traffic was anticipated, but only in recent months have onlookers realized a concerning development in Canada’s big bet on growing its oil exports: Not all of these tankers are heading for out-of-state ports. Gregory Scruggs reports. (Seattle Times)

What do women and female orcas have in common? A lot in midlife
Seattle author Angela Garbes has found a distinctly Pacific Northwest way to talk about female middle-age: a conversation about orcas, featuring a whale researcher who goes only by Giles. "Like Prince or Madonna," Garbes said of the preeminent Southern Resident killer whale researcher formerly — and formally — known as Dr. Deborah Giles. Katie Campbell reports. (KUOW)

Prince George, B.C., hydrogen project plans put on hold
An Australian-based minerals company is withdrawing from a project in Prince George, B.C., that would have been a key part of the province's plan to scale up production of hydrogen and reach net-zero emissions. The Coyote Hydrogen Project in Prince George would have produced 140,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year but was no longer "commercially unviable." Isaac Phan Nay reports. (CBC)

Clallam, Jefferson counties no longer able to recycle glass
Clallam and Jefferson counties are struggling with external market forces that have rendered them temporarily unable to recycle glass. Sequim, which uses a different glass recycling processor than the rest of the North Olympic Peninsula, will continue to recycle the glass it collects at its two drop boxes. Emma Maple reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Salmon return to Klamath Basin in Oregon after more than a century
Wildlife officials this week documented salmon above the former J.C. Boyle Dam in Southern Oregon for the first time in more than a century. It happened less than a month after removal of four Klamath River dams was completed to restore fish passage. (OPB)

State Ecology fines North Whatcom County berry farm for illegal use of water
Operators of a blueberry farm between Lynden and Sumas in northern Whatcom County have been fined for the second time in two years for “unpermitted” water use. RAN General Partnership and its owner, Rick Alamwala, were fined $20,000 for illegally irrigating about 40 acres of crops during the 2024 season, state Department of Ecology spokesman Jimmy Norris said in a statement Thursday. Alamwala was fined $12,000 in 2023 for the same violations, Norris said. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

This former Superfund site in Tacoma is ‘Dune’ just fine now, thanks
Dune Peninsula is located at 5361 Yacht Club Road on a triangle of land jutting into Commencement Bay that was, until recently, an EPA Superfund site where American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) ran a 500-plus-foot smokestack for its industrial smelter, filling the area’s air, soil and humans with toxic heavy metals. This engineering marvel/environmental cancer is reportedly one of the primary inspirations for the ecological themes in the eponymous novel “Dune,” as its author, Frank Herbert, was a Tacoma local and grew up in its dark shadow. Tantri Wija reports. (Seattle Times)

Your Vote: WA Statewide Voter Guide 2024
Welcome to your one-stop shop for Washington’s 2024 election. Whether you’re looking for info on the governor’s race, your local legislative district or the U.S. Congress, we can help you make a decision (although we won’t tell you how to vote). (CascadePBS)

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  230 AM PDT Mon Oct 21 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft  at 10 seconds. A slight chance of showers late this morning. A  chance of showers early this afternoon, then showers likely late.  
TONIGHT  NW wind around 5 kt, rising to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 9 seconds.  Showers likely, mainly in the evening.

---


"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 msato at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told