2/19 Skink, new orca calf, transforming biosolids, African farm, swallow homes, receding glaciers, AK oil drilling.

Western skink [WDFW]

Western skink Plestiodon skiltonianus
Western skinks can be found in eastern Washington, Idaho, from south-central British Columbia to southern Baja California, eastwards to western Montana, eastern Utah, north-central Arizona, and southern Nevada. The western skink is the only lizard in Washington that has a bright blue tail, shiny smooth scales, and stripes running along the length of their body. If caught by a predator, the western skink can detach its tail. The bright blue tail then moves vigorously around, distracting the predator while the skink tries to escape. The tail will eventually grow back, but oftentimes the new tail is darker and more oddly shaped than the original. (Burke Museum)

Today's top story in Salish Current:  An interview with Jessica Rienstra

New Southern Resident orca calf spotted in L pod
he Center for Whale Research spotted a new Southern Resident orca calf traveling with L pod on Feb. 16 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Designated L129, the calf was seen with two females, the 49‑year‑old L55 and her daughter L103. Researchers said it is too early to know which whale is the mother. AARON GRANILLO Aaron Granillo reports. (KIRO) 

CRD launches survey, open house on proposed thermal treatment plant
The plant would transform biosolids into biochar, a charcoal-like product that can be used in everything from green building materials to stormwater filtration. Andrew A. Duffy reports.(Times Colonist) 

As grocery prices climb, one farmer bets on growing African staples in B.C.
People said he was crazy to start a farm based in African foods. ‘It’s good to be crazy in a good way,’ Canadian Black Farmers Association founder Toyin Kayo-Ajayi says. Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood reports. (The Narwhal) 

Beautiful new waterfront homes built along Tacoma shoreline — for beloved birds
This month Parks Tacoma staff put up some beautiful waterfront housing. But it’s not for us. It’s for a new purple martin colony to lure North America’s largest swallows back home to the Ruston waterfront. Becca Most reports. (Tacoma News Tribune) 

Vonn, Shiffrin and Brignone among the Olympic skiers voicing concern over receding glaciers
Team USA skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, along with Italy’s Federica Brignone, are among the many skiers who have expressed concern during these Olympic Games about the accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers. Jennifer McDermott reports. (Associated Press) 

Lawsuits challenge renewed push for oil drilling in Alaska petroleum reserve and upcoming lease sale
Conservation organizations and an Iñupiat group filed legal challenges Tuesday to the Trump administration’s renewed push for oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and an upcoming lease sale that they say improperly makes available ecologically sensitive lands that have been long protected. Becky Bohrer reports.(Associated Press) 

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Here's your tug weather— 
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 PM PST Wed Feb 18 2026   
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING    THU  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: E 3 ft at  4 seconds and W 4 ft at 10 seconds.  THU NIGHT  E wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E  2 ft at 4 seconds and W 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain and  snow after midnight.

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