5/27 Surge Narrows, Columbia R, snow melt, L Washington Chinook, Alaska LNG, Brian Heywood, grizzly reintro, fed housing funds, beekeeping, George Floyd fifth, DEI retreat, democracy watch

Surge Narrows [Trip Advisor]

Surge Narrows
Surge Narrows Park is located on the south end of Maurelle Island, east of Quadra Island off central Vancouver Island. With its high tidal changes and many reefs, this park has ideal conditions for marine life. Sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars and anemones flourish in these prime conditions.  A unique feature of this park are the tidal rapids caused by the convergence of two flood tides. (BC Parks)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Bellingham woman organizes support for Palestinian families

How we pushed the Columbia, the great river of the West, to its limit
Changes made by humans have pushed this river to the brink. We’ve hammered the habitat. Overfished the salmon. Mismanaged hatcheries. And most of all, harnessed the immense power of this river, turning its cold, fast waters to miles of warm, slackwater reservoirs. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Snow melting fast in WA, American West
On the heels of a winter that left Washington’s mountaintops relatively bare, warm spring temperatures are melting off remaining snowpack far earlier than normal, heightening drought concerns across the state. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

Snorkeler counts Chinook salmon in Lake Washington at night — here’s why
Fish ecologist Ashley Townes uses a remote controller to pilot an underwater remote-operated vehicle monitoring endangered Cedar River Chinook juvenile salmon at Be’er Sheva Park in Rainier Beach in Seattle. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times)

US invites Asian officials to Alaska, eyes $44 billion LNG project
The U.S. has invited officials from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to Alaska to discuss projects including a vast gas pipeline, two people familiar with the planning said, as Asian governments consider U.S. investments in the hopes of relief from President Donald Trump's tariffs. John Geddie, Tim Kelly and Timothy Gardner report. (Reuters)

GOP megadonor planning new round of initiatives on taxes, parents' rights
Brian Heywood, the founder of Let’s Go Washington, has filed new proposals to curb property taxes, create a new school choice funding program, target trans student athletes, and repeal the state Legislature’s recent changes to the “parents’ rights” law. (Jeanie Lindsay reports. (KUOW)

Grizzly reintroduction to North Cascades stalls
The plan was approved last summer, but some northeast Washington residents say their concerns were not represented in the decision-making process. Connor Zamora reports. (CascadePBS)

Housing providers already feeling the impact waiting for federal funds amidst new Trump conditions
New Trump administration conditions regarding gender ideology, elective abortions, DEI and immigration have pulled funding on over $2 million from three federal Housing and Urban Development grants budgeted by Share and Care House, a nonprofit in Pierce County that provides permanent supportive housing to over 140 people. Lauren Gallup reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

Island beekeepers face challenges from drought to disease
Summer drought makes it challenging for plants to produce enough of the crucial nectar that bees and other pollinators need to survive. Hannah Link reports. (Times Colonist)

Thousands mark 5th anniversary of George Floyd’s murder as they call for justice and decry Trump
Police reform and civil-rights activists joined thousands of ordinary people Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder and decry the Trump administration for actions they say set their efforts back decades. Mark Vancleave and Kendra LaFleur report. (Associated Press)

Corporate America's retreat from DEI has eliminated thousands of jobs
The anti-DEI "political climate" has been slowly bubbling up for years — even before President Trump was re-elected, and set things to a hard boil by immediately signing executive orders banning what he calls "illegal DEI." Now scores of employers are in all-out retreat from anything adjacent to the word "diversity" — including the experienced DEI specialists who were once in high demand. Maria Aspan reports. (NPR)

Democracy Watch

• Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans’ deportation protection (Washington Post)
  
• Trump says he’s pardoning a Virginia sheriff convicted on bribery charges (AP)
  
• E. coli outbreak sickened more than 80 people, but details didn’t surface (Washington Post)
  
• NPR and Colorado public radio stations sue Trump White House (AP)
  
• Texas oil executive on Musk team makes sweeping changes at Interior (AP)
  

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Tue May 27 2025    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 10 kt, easing to around 5 kt late. Seas 3 to  4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 10 seconds.  
TONIGHT  E wind around 5 kt, veering to SE after midnight. Seas  3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 9 seconds.

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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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