3/27 Earthworm, Coast Guard budget, ESA pesticides, pink blossoms, Puget Sound growth

Eathworm [Dennis Paulson]

Earthworm (Lumbricus sp.)
Although we can go long times without seeing one, earthworms are among the most common and widespread organisms. They are under our feet, ubiquitous in moist soils. Their abundance can be seen after a rain, when many of them come to the surface. Crawling above ground, some become stranded on sidewalks and streets.... Earthworms are very efficient dirt-eaters. They take in bits of the soil through which they burrow and extract nutrients from the organic matter they digest. Their feces fertilize the soil even after they have extracted most nutrients, and their burrowing aerates the soil to the advantage of plant roots and the abundant soil fauna. They can also come to the surface and take in organic detritus such as pieces of dead leaves through their suckerlike mouth. (Slater Museum)

Unsecured, adrift vessels draining Washington U.S. Coast Guard resources
Local Coast Guard crews are dealing with a big problem in our waters. So far this year, Washington search and rescue crews have already responded to 21 cases of adrift vessels with no one on them. In each case, the United States Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound must assume that someone could be overboard. The Coast Guard says these adrift vessels – boats, kayaks, canoes - waste valuable resources and tie up the teams for people who actually need their help. Deedee Sun reports. (KIRO)

Interior Nominee Intervened to Block Report on Endangered Species
After years of effort, scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service had a moment of celebration as they wrapped up a comprehensive analysis of the threat that three widely used pesticides present to hundreds of endangered species, like the kit fox and the seaside sparrow.... Their analysis found that two of the pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos, were so toxic that they “jeopardize the continued existence” of more than 1,200 endangered birds, fish and other animals and plants, a conclusion that could lead to tighter restrictions on use of the chemicals. But just before the team planned to make its findings public in November 2017, something unexpected happened: Top political appointees of the Interior Department, which oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service, blocked the release and set in motion a new process intended to apply a much narrower standard to determine the risks from the pesticides. Eric Lipton reports. (NY Times)

Iconic UW cherry blossoms expected to fully bloom this weekend!
It's a sign of spring in Puget Sound -- the iconic cherry blossoms on the University of Washington campus are almost at full bloom! The school arborist says right now, the 29 large cherry trees in the Quad are blooming at 25 percent. That means this weekend will be prime time for viewing the blossoms -- but expect big crowds. Every year the full bloom brings out hundreds of visitors to the campus, especially if the sun is out. (KCPQ) See also: Plum blossoms smell better, emerge first, but cherry blooms get the love, expert says   (CBC)

Can Puget Sound make room for 1.8M people without pushing anyone out?
If you think the Puget Sound region is crowded now, give it another 30 years. There are currently about 4.1 million people and 2.2 million jobs in the four counties that surround Puget Sound — King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) predicts that by 2050, those numbers will rise to 5.8 million residents and 3.4 million jobs. Where those people and employers end up locating has huge implications for what life will be like in the four-county region. Attempting to shape that growth is the job of the PSRC and its Vision 2050 plan, which updates the metropolitan planning agency’s road map for the next 30 years of growth in the Puget Sound region. Josh Cohen reports. (Crosscut)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  308 AM PDT Wed Mar 27 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS  MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft  at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NE to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A  chance of showers after midnight.



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