12/20 Poinsettia, compost pollution, bad oysters, ivy ban, bird flu, NW hydrogen hub, week in review

 

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Poinsettia

Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima
Poinsettia is a well-known member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), commonly sold as an ornamental at Christmastime. The poinsettia is native to Mexico and Central America, where it grows in moist, wet, wooded ravines and on rocky hillsides.  Cultivated varieties are available with white, pink, mottled, and striped bracts, but the solid red varieties, in several shades, remain in greatest demand during the Christmas season. (Brittanica)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Seeking festive cheer while struggling with financial fears / Invasive ‘murder hornets’ found in Washington have been eradicated, officials say

Abbotsford composting company fined nearly $120,000 for polluting waterways
Pacific Coast Renewables Corp. was found to be releasing effluent with unsafe levels of contaminants such as ammonia into waterways that reached the Fraser River. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Dozens get sick with 'norovirus-like' illness after eating raw B.C. oysters
Health officials in British Columbia say at least 64 people have become sick after eating raw oysters from restaurants and retail locations. A statement from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and the provincial health authority says the "norovirus-like" gastrointestinal illnesses have been reported since Nov. 1 in the Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Island Health regions. (Canadian Press)

Why Washington state aims to ban English ivy
It’s not a war on Christmas. But two botanical symbols of the holiday — holly and ivy — face increasing controls in Washington due to the ecological havoc they can wreak when they escape into the wild. The Washington State Department of Agriculture is proposing to ban the sale or transport of English ivy and its cousin, Atlantic ivy, by adding the plants to the state’s list of quarantined species. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Bird flu kills Olympic Peninsula cougars in WA
Two wild cougars on the Olympic Peninsula have been killed by bird flu, as the disease continues to spread to more species. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, confirmed the deaths Thursday. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)  See also: How Worried Should We Be about Bird Flu, Lyme Disease and Rabies? California declaring a public health emergency over bird flu, which hospitalized a British Columbia teenager for weeks. A fourth case of chronic wasting disease among deer. Tens of thousands of sea lions dying of H5N1. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Regulators to assess environmental risks of Northwest Hydrogen Hub
The U.S. Department of Energy is beginning its environmental impact assessment of the program, which promises about $1 billion in federal funding for the region. Alex Baumhardt reports. (Washington State Standard)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 12/20/24: Sacagawea Friday, WA budget, Fairy Cr, WQ standards, Columbia R salmon, youth climate cases, Columbia R Superfund listing, dam operations, Whitman College dining.

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  209 AM PST Fri Dec 20 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM PST THIS MORNING  THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON    
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 20 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas  4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft at 4 seconds, SW 4 ft at  12 seconds and W 4 ft at 14 seconds. Rain early this morning,  then a chance of rain late this morning. Rain this afternoon.  
TONIGHT  E wind 10 to 15 kt, rising to 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft at 5 seconds, SW  4 ft at 12 seconds and W 5 ft at 16 seconds. Rain after midnight.  
SAT  SE wind 15 to 20 kt, veering to S in the afternoon. Seas  5 to 8 ft. Wave Detail: E 4 ft at 5 seconds, SW 4 ft at  14 seconds and W 8 ft at 15 seconds. Rain.  
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 10 to 15 kt, rising to 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Seas 6 to 9 ft. Wave Detail: E 3 ft at 4 seconds and SW  9 ft at 15 seconds. Rain.  
SUN  SE wind 20 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt. Seas 6 to  9 ft. Wave Detail: E 5 ft at 5 seconds, W 8 ft at 14 seconds and  SW 4 ft at 14 seconds. Rain.

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