11/7 Indian plum, 72 orcas, Penn Cove return, energy storage bans, sewer upgrades

Editor's Note: Thank you to those who read News and Weather and have donated to support Salish Current so it can continue to report and publish local news that everyone is free to read. Now, more than ever, please support news for people, not for profit. Support Salish Current. Thank you, Mike Sato.

Indian Plum

Indian Plum Oemleria cerasiformis
The genus is named after Augustus Gottlieb Oemler (1773-1852), a German naturalist from Savannah, Georgia, who was the first to collect the species. It is native from the area around Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia to Santa Barbara County in California on the west slope of the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas. Indian Plums were eaten in small quantities fresh, cooked, or dried by Native Americans.  Flavor of unripe fruit is bitter and astringent, but they become more palatable when they are fully ripe.  (Native Plants PNW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: ‘It's our identity, our culture, our everything’

Two southern residents missing, presumed dead in B.C. waters
Two southern resident killer whales are presumed dead after multiple sightings of two endangered pods failed to turn up a 30-year-old male and a calf.  The deaths of calf L128 and male K26, also known as Lobo, come after staff with the Washington state-based Center for Whale Research failed to record the orcas during three consecutive encounters with their families. The news reduces the southern resident population to 72 and delivers a further blow to recovery efforts. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Penn Cove Orcas Make Their First Return to the Site of Brutal 1970 Killings
Animal lovers may recognize the name Penn Cove thanks to a gruesome incident in the area from 1970. During the herding of more than 80 orcas, five were killed, and seven were captured. However, in a surprising change, orcas from the original 1970 pod were spotted swimming in Penn Cove in November 2024. Lauren Wellbank writes. (Green Matters)

Skagit County passes ordinance on energy storage systems
The Skagit County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance Monday that changes county code to keep electrical generation and storage facilities off county farmland. The move comes after three electrical utility developments have been proposed on agricultural land in the past two years. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Metro Vancouver hopes to dodge billions in sewer upgrades with plan
Shoring up problems in Metro's sewer systems could save the regional district from costly upgrades as well has help rehabilitate ecosystems that First Nations used to rely on. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

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-  206 AM PST Thu Nov 7 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt late. Seas  3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft at 3 seconds and W 5 ft at  15 seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W  6 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of rain after midnight.

---


"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