10/31 Sooty grouse, sea level rise, warming ocean, bats, Clean Water Act

 

Sooty grouse

Sooty grouse Dendragapus fuliginosus
The Sooty grouse is a large game bird of the wet mountain forests of the Pacific Coast. Females are intricately camouflaged in brown, buff, and white. Males are a steely gray-blue, but during courtship they reveal orange eye combs and yellow-orange air sacs in the neck. They eat needles, buds, berries, and insects. Unlike their close relative the Dusky Grouse of the Rockies, Sooty Grouse display from perches high up in trees. Their deep, rhythmic hooting calls are loud, but can be difficult to locate. (All About Birds)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Washingtonians will make their voices heard on climate change on Election Day / So you're thinking of becoming a Canadian resident?

Atmospheric rivers could raise sea levels, drive flooding in B.C., says scientist
More powerful atmospheric rivers could lead to higher storm surges and flooding in the future, finds study. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Could a warming ocean bring more sharks into Puget Sound?
Soupfin sharks were not known to occur in Puget Sound until one was hooked by a fisherman in 2022. Scientists say warming oceans from a changing climate may be bringing more of the species into local waters. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Currents Magazine)

The secret lives of Vancouver’s bats — and the race to save them
Researchers hope a probiotic cocktail on bats’ wings — and public education — will help the ‘invisible mammal’ build resistance to a deadly fungal disease sweeping across North America.  Quinn Bender reports. (The Narwhal)

Iowa AG leads multi-state opposition to court decision on Clean Water Act
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and 24 other states filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday in support of the Port of Tacoma’s appeal of a U.S. circuit court decision that upheld a citizen’s ability to sue individuals for violating the Clean Water Act. The original case involved a citizen-led environmental group in Washington, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, who sued the Port of Tacoma and its tenants for not implementing stormwater controls in accordance with the state-issued pollutant discharge permits. Cami Koons reports. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Thu Oct 31 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON    
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 8 to 10 ft. Wave Detail: W 8  ft at 14 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of  tstms early this morning, then showers late this morning and  afternoon.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 15 kt, becoming E 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: E 5 ft at 4 seconds and W  6 ft at 13 seconds. Showers.

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



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