8/28 Poison oak, firefighter arrests, 'Roadless Rule' revision, PFAS rules revision, green crabs, tree stress, Susan Monarez fired, orca show, Tokitae exhibit, democracy watch

 Pacific poison oak

Pacific poison oak Toxicodendron diversilobum
Pacific poison oak or western poison oak is a woody vine or shrub in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. It is widely distributed in western North America, inhabiting conifer and mixed broadleaf forests, woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral biomes. T. diversilobum causes itching and allergic rashes in most people after contact by touch or smoke inhalation. Despite its name, it is not closely related to oaks, nor is it a true tree. (Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Peace Corps volunteers bring the world back home

Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire 
Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video...Over three hours, federal agents demanded identification from the members of two private contractor crews. The crews were among the 400 people including including firefighters deployed to fight the wildfire, the largest active blaze in Washington state. Isabella Breda and Conrad Swanson report. (Seattle Times) 

Trump administration advances plan to reverse federal rule that limits logging in national forests
The ‘Roadless Rule’ has prohibited new road construction, a prerequisite for large-scale logging, on vast swaths of federal land since 2001. James Brooks reports. (Alaska Beacon) 

Steven Cook, a Former Chemical Industry Lawyer, Now at E.P.A., Wants to Change PFAS Rules 
A Trump appointee has proposed rewriting a measure that requires companies to clean up “forever chemicals,” documents show. The new version would shift costs from polluters. Hiroko Tabuchi reports. (NY Times) 

Ten years of confronting a costly green crab invasion in Puget Sound
It was a cool, pleasant morning on San Juan Island, Aug. 30, 2016. A few “citizen scientists” were out checking their crab traps in Westcott Bay in the northwest corner of the island when they noticed that one trap had captured a creature that did not belong in Puget Sound. Since that first discovery, nearly nine years ago, green crabs have spread to more than 30 trapping sites throughout the northern half of Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents Magazine) 

When heat and drought stress trees, the consequences can be tragic
Repeated drought in British Columbia mixed with heat stress increased the likelihood of branches breaking off, and this could even happen on a "perfectly calm day" without any breeze. Nono Shen reports. (Canadian Press) 

CDC director Susan Monarez is fired after less than a month on the job
The director of the nation’s top public health agency has been fired after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. Susan Monarez isn’t “aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda and refused to resign, so the White House terminated her, spokesman Kush Desai said Wednesday night. Her lawyers said she was targeted for standing up for science. Mike Stobbe reports. (Associated Press) 

'Quite the show': Video shows orcas getting up close with B.C. boaters
Orcas show off in front of friends enjoying their sunny weekend on the B.C. coast. Fatima Raza reports. (Canadian Press) 

New Whidbey Island exhibit honors famed orca ‘Tokitae’
The Langley Whale Center on Whidbey Island will open a new interactive exhibit titled “Toki’s Legacy” on Saturday, Aug. 30. (My Bellingham Now) 

Democracy Watch

• Louisiana urges Supreme Court to bar use of race in redistricting in attack on Voting Rights Act (AP) 
• Mystery around $1.2B Army contract for Texas detention tent camp (AP) 
• A Washington senator prepares to block one of Trump's federal prosecutor picks (Washington State Standard) 
• WA cuts off ICE access to data system used for immigration enforcement (Seattle Times) 

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  204 AM PDT Thu Aug 28 2025    
TODAY  W wind around 5 kt. Seas around 2 ft or less. Wave  Detail: W 2 ft at 6 seconds. A chance of showers, mainly this  morning. Patchy dense fog.  
TONIGHT  W wind around 5 kt. Seas around 2 ft or less. Patchy  fog.

---


"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.



savesalishsea@bluesky.social

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told