7/11 Pacific wren, Wenatchee, WA wildfires, tax credit loss, WA climate plan, BPA power market, David Suzuki, big fish, chemtrails, eagle parents, border traffic, democracy watch, week in review

Pacific Wren

 
Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
The Pacific Wren is a tiny woodland bird whose song is as elaborate as its plumage is drab. This wren is dark brown and mottled overall, with a buff eye-line. It has a short tail that it holds upright. Pacific Wrens are found most often in closed-canopy conifer forests at all elevations, although they also live in other forest types as long as there is dense understory. (BirdWeb)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Memories, legacy remain 30 years after campus shooting

Washington’s first battery ferry to enter service next week
Vintage 1998 diesel ferry Wenatchee underwent a challenging 22-month conversion to hybrid-electric. Tom Banse reports. (Washington State Standard)

Fires on Olympic Peninsula ignite forests: Still no end in sight
Early July wildfires in Mason County have yet to be contained as the weekend approaches, which is expected to bring warmer weather that officials warn could further fan the flames. The Toonerville Fire near Belfair and the Bear Gulch Fire north of Lake Cushman have caused evacuations and closures while local firefighters and state resources work to stop the spread of flames. Marissa Conter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion
Washington households could see electricity costs increase $115 per year by 2029; 21,800 workers could lose their jobs by 2030, analysts say. Emily Fitzgerald reports. (Washington State Standard)

State’s draft of climate action plan open for public comment
The Washington Department of Commerce released a draft of its Comprehensive Climate Action Plan which is now open for public comment through Aug. 22. The final version will be published Dec. 1. The plan will serve as a road map for the state to meet its emission mandates, acting as a guide for adopting useful policies and practices to achieve goals. Eliza Aronson reports. (Everett Herald)

Environmental groups sue BPA over power market choice
A group of five Northwest energy and environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court over Bonneville Power Administration’s recent decision to join Southwest Power Pool’s Markets+, a power market operator, alleging that BPA, a federal agency that provides around 32% of the power generated in the Northwest, improperly rushed to join Markets+, violating laws and leading to more expensive electricity for customers. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times)

No, David Suzuki hasn't given up on the climate fight — but his battle plan is changing
Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki made headlines last week when he said in an interview with iPolitics that humanity has lost its fight against climate change. Though he made it clear that he hasn't entirely given up, Suzuki says that rather than getting caught up in trying to force change through legal, political and economic systems, we now need to focus on community action. ridget Stringer-Holden reports. (CBC)

Fishers in Lillooet, B.C., hook massive 700-pound sturgeon in Fraser River
A group of fishermen in B.C.'s Interior are still raving about what they reeled in recently. (CBC)

No, Chemtrails Are Not Real or Causing Floods, E.P.A. Says
The agency took the unusual step of creating websites debunking the conspiracy theory that chemicals are being sprayed in the sky to control the weather or do other things. Maxine Joselow reports. (NY Times) h

Emptying the nest: parenting lessons from bald eagles
A photographer follows a pair of bald eagles along the Nith River, returning to their nest year after year to raise a new crop of young, and send them off. Paul Gains reports. (The Narwhal)

Canadian travel to the U.S. plummets — but Americans are staying home, too
The number of Americans coming to Canada is also dropping off. New data published by Statistics Canada Thursday shows a 10.4 per cent decline in U.S. resident trips by automobile in June — a steeper drop than what was registered the month before. John Paul Tasker reports. (CBC)

Democracy Watch

• ‘Stay indoors’: ICE reports lead California mayor to issue warning to residents (Mercury News)
  
• The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty (NY Times)
  
• Federal judge to pause Trump’s birthright citizenship order (NPR)
  
• Trump escalates pressure on Fed chair Powell with renovation scrutiny (AP)
  
• Views on immigration are more positive since Trump took office (AP)
  

Salish Sea News Week in Review 7/11/25: Rainier cherry, drought, EPA suspension, save the whales, asbestos ban, Brian Footen, acid seas, canoe journey, marbled murrelets.

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Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  203 AM PDT Fri Jul 11 2025    
DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING    
TODAY  W wind around 5 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to  4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 9 seconds. Areas of dense fog.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 9 seconds. Areas  of dense fog in the evening, then widespread dense fog after  midnight.  
SAT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft at  11 seconds. Patchy dense fog in the morning.  
SAT NIGHT  W wind around 10 kt, easing to around 5 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft at 10 seconds.  
SUN  W wind around 5 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 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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