5/30 Sechelt Rapids, oil companies sued, Lost Lagoon, beneficial fire, quake and sea rise, waterfront park, Boeing's DEI, watershed motion, Arctic ice, democracy watch, week in review

Sechelt Rapids

 Sechelt Rapids
Skookumchuck Narrows is a 4 mile long passageway, the only link between the inner Inlets, Sechelt, Narrows and Salmon with the open ocean. Glaciology created a unique situation here. Bottom shallowing and an island plug serve to restrict water moving between the Inlets and the ocean. Water speeds up to compensate for the restriction, and the result is North America’s fastest tidal currents, the Sechelt Rapids. (Sunshine Coast Tours)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Community Transitions paves the way to independence, adulthood

Oil Companies Are Sued Over Death of Woman in 2021 Heat Wave
Experts said it is the first wrongful death case targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming. David Gelles reports. (NY Times)

Vancouver's Lost Lagoon is covered in a thick layer of algae. What's being done about it?
The algae blooms on Lost Lagoon — the park's the largest body of water — can lead to low oxygen levels and fish mortality. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

In a world on fire, making the case for burning more
As bigger and hotter wildfires become part of the fabric of life on earth, some wildfire experts argue we need to find a way to get more ‘beneficial fire’ on the landscape. Matt Simmons writes. (The Narwhal)

Double threat of Cascadia earthquake and sea-level rise could change Pacific Northwest coast forever
While the U.S. East Coast is expected to see roughly 11-16 inches of sea level rise by 2050 under a high-emission scenario, our coast will see closer to 3-7 inches. Now scientists working in Oregon are adding a new wrinkle to these presumptions, showing the risks could be far greater. Jes Burns reports. (OPB)

Seattle's new Waterfront Park set for summer debut
It has been a transformational six years on Seattle’s waterfront. In 2019, runners and walkers took part in a race, which ended on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Joy Shigaki, the CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park says the event happened just a few months before the viaduct was torn down. On Saturday, the Meet Me at Waterfront Park 5k takes place, kicking off the 20 acre park’s first full summer open to the public. Emil Moffatt reports. (KNKX)

Boeing puts another DEI effort on ice, cites ‘shifting environment’ in US
Boeing is scaling back some workplace diversity programs to “ensure compliance with the law,” the company’s latest action to more closely align itself with the White House’s campaign against the diversity, equity and inclusion movement. Boeing told employees last week it was pausing events and suspending funding for two internal programs — diversity councils and business resource groups, or BRGs — “in light of the dynamically shifting environment in the United States.” Lauren Rosenblatt reports. (Seattle Times)

Lens of Time: A Watershed in Motion
Where does our water come from, how do the variations in its flow affect the ecosystems it feeds, and how can timelapse photography help land managers understand and protect this valuable resource? Produced by Katie Garrett. (bioGraphic)

Dispatches from the Last Ice Area
The Arctic is losing ice—fast. To better predict the future, scientists headed to the North’s last bastion of multiyear sea ice. Alice Sun reports. (bioGraphic)

Democracy Watch

• Supreme Court lets Trump end legal protections for over 500,000 immigrants from 4 countries (AP)
  
• Trump suffered 'mental anguish' from disputed CBS News interview with Harris, lawyer says (AP)
  
• Trump makes 'sanctuary jurisdictions' list public to increase pressure (AP)
  
• Trump Nominates a Former Far-Right Podcast Host to Head an Ethics Watchdog (NY Times)
  
• Judge extends order blocking Trump ban on foreign students at Harvard (AP)
  
• Judge says White House wrongly ended humanitarian parole (AP)
  
• Federal court temporarily reinstates Trump's tariffs on dozens of countries (Politico)
  

Salish Sea News Week in Review 5/30/25: Aloha Sun Ra, Columbia R, snowpack, Brian Heywood, Burrard Inlet dredging, grizzly reintroduction, fast-track project bill, tourism 'green fee,' George Floyd 5th.

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Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  219 AM PDT Fri May 30 2025    
TODAY  E wind around 5 kt, backing to W late. Seas 3 to 4 ft.  Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft  at 11 seconds.  
SAT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, rising to 15 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: NW 3 ft at 6 seconds and  W 5 ft at 10 seconds. Rain, mainly in the morning.  
SAT NIGHT  W wind 15 to 20 kt, becoming NW 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas 5 to 8 ft. Wave Detail: NW 2 ft at 7 seconds and W  8 ft at 9 seconds.  
SUN  NW wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W 7 ft at  10 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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