1/31 Banana slug, wintry weather, Trump's tariffs, Willamette R sewage, killer sea otter, orca ID, first 100 days, week in review

 

Banana slug

Banana slug Ariolimax
Banana slugs are a genus of air-breathing, terrestrial gastropod slugs in the family Ariolimacidae. Their often yellow color and elongated shape can resemble a banana, thus giving rise to their common name. (Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Kindling connections at the Fire and Story festival

Friday, and wintry weather is afoot!
A one-two punch of systems doubles up on us over the next 72 hours - prepare for lowland snow - Seattle's first opportunity since March of last year. Three lowland areas are under winter storm watches for 2-9" snowfall potential Saturday evening through Monday morning. (KOMO)

Trump says tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming Saturday, and he's deciding whether to tax their oil
President Donald Trump said his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday, but he’s still considering whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes. Trump said his decision will be based on whether the price of oil charged by the two trading partners is fair, although the basis of his threatened tariffs pertains to stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used for fentanyl. (Associated Press)

Portland celebrates a year of not polluting the Willamette River with sewage
Portland celebrated a big achievement this week: Going a whole year without sending poop and other sewage into the Willamette River. April Erlich reports. (OPB)

Sea otter off Vancouver Island prime suspect in river otter deaths. Researchers say that's not unusual
A sea otter off the coast of Vancouver Island is the prime suspect in a string of river otter deaths.  Mollie Cameron says that while she's never seen the otter — dubbed Ollie — kill any river otters, she has seen it carry their lifeless bodies around for "multiple days." Courtney Dickson reports. (CBC)

How To Tell Orcas Apart
Southern Resident (SRKW) and Transient (also known as Bigg’s) killer whales have several distinguishing characteristics, despite belonging to the same species. Here are the key differences. (All Points Bulletin)

The First 100 Days
Trump Administration Shocks Senior F.B.I. Ranks by Moving to Replace Them (NY Times)
Trump's FCC chief opens investigation into NPR and PBS (NPR)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 1/31/25: Scotch tape Friday, Tahlequah, Storming the Sound, BC orcas, enviro crimes, species comebacks, Fairy Cr

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Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PST Fri Jan 31 2025    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT    
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt, becoming W 25 to 30 kt with gusts  up to 40 kt late. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: S 3 ft at 5 seconds  and W 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain until late afternoon, then showers  late.
TONIGHT  W wind 25 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt, easing to  15 to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 6 to 9 ft, subsiding to 5 to  7 ft after midnight. Wave Detail: W 9 ft at 9 seconds. Showers  likely in the evening, then rain and snow showers after midnight.  
SAT  W wind 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W 7 ft at  10 seconds. Snow showers.  
SAT NIGHT  SW wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W  7 ft at 11 seconds. Snow showers.
SUN  S wind around 10 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W 6 ft  at 11 seconds. Snow 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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