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| Northern Fulmar [Stephen Mirik] |
Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
The gray-and-white Northern Fulmar looks like a gull, but its stiff-winged flight and swift glides, not to mention the nostril tubes on its bill, mark it as a relative of petrels and albatrosses. These stout-bodied seabirds are abundant in the bitterly cold northern Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, where they feed over deep waters. They use their powerful sense of smell to sniff out fish, squid, and crustaceans. After a short breeding season at colonies on steep cliffs, they return to the open ocean for the rest of the year. (All About Birds)
Today's top story in Salish Current: ‘Portraits in Sawdust’
New Amtrak trains coming soon to Pacific Northwest, but not in time for World Cup
Summer capacity in the region will remain limited due to a railcar shortage. New trainsets are still expected later in the year. Tom Banse Reports. (Washington State Standard)
NDP government to pause DRIPA amendments amid caucus divisions
The NDP government is pumping the brakes on its plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, as sources tell CBC News a growing number of NDP MLAs were concerned with the proposed changes. Katie DeRosa reports. (CBC) See also: DRIPA’s Deadlock. ‘We Will Not Back Down’ First Nations vow to fight the BC NDP in a showdown that could topple the government. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)
The Climate Commitment Act Five Years Later
This week, ahead of Earth Day, we’re focusing on stories about the environment, starting with a look at how Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is playing out 5 years after it was created. The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing companies to buy into a cap-and-invest auction system. Venice Buhain reports. (CascadePBS)
Bill could lift decades-old funding lockout for Nisqually fish hatchery
Once-abundant groundwater has dwindled at the Nisqually Clear Creek Hatchery near Olympia. Now, the hatchery needs drilled wells and water pumps to sustain the facility’s millions of Chinook and coho. Though the hatchery sits on Nisqually land and is run by the tribe, it belongs to the federal government — a legal technicality that shuts the tribe out of key federal grant funding and hinders the tribe’s ability to adapt the facility to the changing climate. New federal legislation attempts to remove this barrier. Anumita Kaur reports. (Seattle Times)
As DuPont eyes new lakeside trails, will they be on the hook for toxic soil?
DuPont is working with the Dept. of Ecology to clean up Old Fort Lake and the Bluff. The former explosives plant site will become trails and future housing. Becca Most reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)
Summer capacity in the region will remain limited due to a railcar shortage. New trainsets are still expected later in the year. Tom Banse Reports. (Washington State Standard)
NDP government to pause DRIPA amendments amid caucus divisions
The NDP government is pumping the brakes on its plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, as sources tell CBC News a growing number of NDP MLAs were concerned with the proposed changes. Katie DeRosa reports. (CBC) See also: DRIPA’s Deadlock. ‘We Will Not Back Down’ First Nations vow to fight the BC NDP in a showdown that could topple the government. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)
The Climate Commitment Act Five Years Later
This week, ahead of Earth Day, we’re focusing on stories about the environment, starting with a look at how Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is playing out 5 years after it was created. The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing companies to buy into a cap-and-invest auction system. Venice Buhain reports. (CascadePBS)
Bill could lift decades-old funding lockout for Nisqually fish hatchery
Once-abundant groundwater has dwindled at the Nisqually Clear Creek Hatchery near Olympia. Now, the hatchery needs drilled wells and water pumps to sustain the facility’s millions of Chinook and coho. Though the hatchery sits on Nisqually land and is run by the tribe, it belongs to the federal government — a legal technicality that shuts the tribe out of key federal grant funding and hinders the tribe’s ability to adapt the facility to the changing climate. New federal legislation attempts to remove this barrier. Anumita Kaur reports. (Seattle Times)
As DuPont eyes new lakeside trails, will they be on the hook for toxic soil?
DuPont is working with the Dept. of Ecology to clean up Old Fort Lake and the Bluff. The former explosives plant site will become trails and future housing. Becca Most reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)
Visit the home of Chief Seattle and the Suquamish across the Salish Sea
Before colonization, the Suquamish Tribe covered all of Kitsap County. Today, with 1,500 enrolled members, it is one of the smallest of the 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington. They’re definitely still here, with a vibrant, living culture. Caroline JiaYing Grygiel writes. (Seattle Times)
Before colonization, the Suquamish Tribe covered all of Kitsap County. Today, with 1,500 enrolled members, it is one of the smallest of the 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington. They’re definitely still here, with a vibrant, living culture. Caroline JiaYing Grygiel writes. (Seattle Times)
118-year-old Olympia tugboat has accrued $30K in fees, is set to be dismantled
The Sandman, a 60-foot wooden tugboat that was originally built in 1908, has racked up $30,000 in delinquent rent in the Port of Olympia’s boatyard. It may soon be taken off the historic register and dismantled, never to be active in the water again. Ty Vinson reports. (The Olympian)
Democracy Watch
The Sandman, a 60-foot wooden tugboat that was originally built in 1908, has racked up $30,000 in delinquent rent in the Port of Olympia’s boatyard. It may soon be taken off the historic register and dismantled, never to be active in the water again. Ty Vinson reports. (The Olympian)
Democracy Watch
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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 242 PM PDT Mon Apr 13 2026
TUE SW wind 20 to 25 kt. Gusts up to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: SW 5 ft at 5 seconds and W 6 ft at 8 seconds. Rain.
TUE NIGHT W wind 20 to 25 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 5 to 8 ft. Wave Detail: SW 2 ft at 7 seconds and W 8 ft at 8 seconds. Rain, mainly in the evening.
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 242 PM PDT Mon Apr 13 2026
TUE SW wind 20 to 25 kt. Gusts up to 35 kt in the afternoon. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: SW 5 ft at 5 seconds and W 6 ft at 8 seconds. Rain.
TUE NIGHT W wind 20 to 25 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 5 to 8 ft. Wave Detail: SW 2 ft at 7 seconds and W 8 ft at 8 seconds. Rain, mainly in the evening.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is
compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as
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