9/15 Bear-grass, dead orca calf, BC old-growth war, tufted puffin, Bill McKibben, wildfire smoke, Climate Working Group, Hispanic Heritage Month, nautical history, democracy watch

 Bear-grass [Barbara Mumblo]

 

Bear-grass Xerophyllum tenax
Bear-grass is in the Liliaceae (lily family) which contains 478 species in North America and approximately 4,200 species worldwide distributed mostly in the tropics. It is a diverse plant family and includes numerous important ornamentals, a number of important agricultural crops and has been the source of valuable pharmacopoeia. (US Forest Service)

Today's top story in Salish Current: What’s the craic? Look inside the local Celtic music scene

Orca mom carries dead newborn calf in San Juans
An endangered orca was spotted Friday carrying a dead newborn on her nose, umbilical cord still attached, between Orcas Island and Cypress Island in Washington state. Whale watching boats reported seeing the 26-year-old female known as J36 or “Alki” carrying the dead baby orca, which researchers presume was born near or at full term given its size. John Ryan reports. (KUOW) 

4 years after Fairy Creek, a new battle over B.C.’s old-growth forests looms in the Walbran Valley
 A B.C. justice has granted an injunction against a group of people blocking a logging road on southern Vancouver Island. The decision paves the way for the RCMP to move in. Shannon Waters reports. (The Narwhal) 

A PNW bird is in mysterious decline. Two Salish Sea islands hold clues
In Washington, the tufted puffin has seen a 90% reduction in population in recent decades with fewer than 2,000 of the birds remaining on the West Coast. The bird isn’t at risk for extinction (over a million still live in Alaska), but when Washington listed the species as endangered in 2015, the agency wrote that with the current rate of decline, the state’s population could be gone by 2055. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times) 

Climate activist Bill McKibben argues there’s still hope for clean energy in the U.S.
Bill McKibben who will be in Seattle on Tuesday is among the first to join the fight against climate change in the United States. In his new book, "Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization," ihe argues that it’s not too late for clean energy to take hold. Bellamy Paithorp reports. (KNKX) 

Canada’s 2023 Wildfire Season Linked to 82,000 Deaths Worldwide
We need to reduce our smoke exposure, says one researcher. But that’s not possible for outdoor workers. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee) 

Trump's Energy Department disbands group that sowed doubt about climate chang
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has disbanded the Department of Energy's controversial Climate Working Group, which wrote a report that prompted dozens of independent scientists to issue a joint rebuttal saying the report was full of errors and misrepresented climate science.  Jeff Brady and Julia Simon report. (NPR) 

Months of deportation fears have shaken Northwest Latino cultural events ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month
Concerns about rising U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests have had a chilling effect on many Latino cultural events in the Pacific Northwest this year. Many landmark events have been canceled, including several that celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month which starts on Sept. 15. Reported by Adia White, Holly Bartholomew and Kathryn Styer Martínez (OPB), Freddy Monares (KNKX) and Monica Carrillo-Casas (SPR). (KUOW) 

Museum acquires virtual encyclopedia of nautical history
The Nauticapedia’s vessel databases, articles, reference tables and images attract four million web hits from 130 countries annually. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist) 

Democracy Watch

• After Trump’s Cuts, ‘Crippled’ NPR and PBS Stations Must Transform (NY Times) 
• How much freedom of speech do you have at work? Experts weigh in after Charlie Kirk's death (AP) 
• Travel ban keeps international students from attending US colleges (AP) 

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Mon Sep 15 2025    
TODAY  NW wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft  at 9 seconds.  
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 10 kt, becoming E 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 3 ft at 4 seconds and W   5 ft at 12 seconds.

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