8/11 Dock, heat, Lynda Mapes, Cowichan tribes, river temperatures, eastern WA groundwater, energy bills, Site C dam, monument fishing, wildfire misinformation, democracy watch

 Dock [Richard Old]

Dock Rumex obtusifolius
Rumex obtusifolius, commonly known as bitter dock, broad-leaved dock, bluntleaf dock, dock leaf, dockens or butter dock, is a perennial plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to Europe, but is found on all temperate continents. Wikipedia

Today's top story in Salish Current: Final landing at Elwha brings challenges

Highs in 90s this week around Puget Sound region 
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for most of Western Washington until Tuesday evening. Caitlyn Freeman reports. (Seattle Times)  Heat warnings issued for large sections of southern B.C. Heat warnings include Interior, eastern Vancouver Island and more. Akshay Kulkarni reports. (CBC)

Environment reporter Lynda Mapes dove into Seattle’s Elliott Bay, and found some big changes
An interview with Lynda Mapes about her recent piece for the Seattle Times, "The vibrant world under Seattle’s new waterfront."  Kim Malcomb and John O'Brien report. (KUOW) [Lynda Mapes speaks at Salish Current's "Voices of the Northwest" Knowledge Festival Sept. 9 in Bellingham.]

Cowichan tribes win title to Richmond land, fishing rights
Landmark ruling grants decedents of the Cowichan Nation title to lands surrounding historic fishing village in Richmond, B.C.; rights to fish the south arm of the Fraser River. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist) 

How NASA satellites help researchers better understand NW river temperatures
Using satellite remote sensing to measure water temperature has been heavily underutilized, but UW graduate student George Darkwah has developed an open-source tool and website, called Thermal History of Regulated Rivers, or THORR. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting) 

Eastern Washington’s rapidly declining groundwater highlighted in new study 
The Washington State University study evaluated groundwater levels throughout the Washington portion of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, which spans areas of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and supplies up to a third of the region’s irrigation water. Researchers found that the Odessa region and the Yakima Basin in eastern Washington are seeing groundwater levels drop by at least 2 to 3 feet per year. The declines in those areas are primarily attributed to a combination of groundwater overuse and climate variability. Emily Fitzgerald reports. (Washington State Standard) 

Rising electric bills: How states are tackling Big Tech's energy demands 
Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers. Marc Levy reports.  (Associated Press) 

Site C dam energy project now fully operational, B.C. Hydro says
Power utility says sixth and final generating unit on hydroelectric megaproject in northeast B.C. now online. (CBC) 

Commercial fishing in a vast Pacific nature area is halted after a judge blocks a Trump order
Commercial fishing that recently resumed in a vast protected area of the remote Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument must halt once again, after a judge in Hawaii sided this week with environmentalists challenging a Trump administration rollback of federal ocean protections. Jennifer Cinco Kelleher and Audrey McAvoy report. (Associated Press) 

AI images of B.C. wildfire fuel misinformation
Experts warn of a 'supercharged' era of misinformation, as AI-generated images are increasingly shared on social media. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist) 

Democracy Watch

• Hegseth reposts video featuring pastors opposing women's right to vote (AP) 
• Trump's executive order gives political appointees control over all federal grants (AP) 
• Trump removes Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than 2 months after his confirmation (AP) 
• In Election Cases, Supreme Court Keeps Removing Guardrails (NY Times) 
• Asylum-seekers thought they were following the rules. Now some are told to start over (NPR) 

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PDT Mon Aug 11 2025    
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt, backing to NW late. Seas 4 to 6 ft.  Wave Detail: W 7 ft at 10 seconds. Widespread dense fog early this  morning, then patchy fog late this morning.  
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W 7  ft at 11 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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