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| Buried anemone [Mary Jo Adams] |
This species can be found in areas of muddy sand and also on rockier beaches where there are areas of gravel or shell fragments. Normally only the oral disk and tentacles are visible with the column buried beneath the substrate. The crown of tentacles may reach a diameter of 4 inches (10 cm.)with the tentacles colored pink, orange, green, blue, or brown and in our area often display banding. When waters recede, the tentacles withdraw below the surface. (Sound Water Stewards)
Canada: Sanctuaries and food for our endangered killer whales
Canada has announced big-scale measures to safeguard and feed endangered killer whales in the Salish Sea, a day after Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law measures to protect endangered orcas on the U.S. side of the border. The Canadians, in measures announced Friday, put a lot of emphasis on slowing down ships, establishing vessel-free "sanctuary zones" and keeping all boats 400 meters (1,300-plus feet) away from the endangered whales.... Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is also undertaking to put food in the water for the southern residents. The orcas are an endangered species dependent on another endangered species -- chinook salmon. The DFO will release one million juvenile chinook salmon annually from its Chilliwack Hatchery along the Fraser River, for the next five years. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI) See also: Ships must keep 400 metres away from killer whales off B.C. coast
Laura Kane reports. (Canadian Press)
May heat shrinks Washington snowpack, raising risk for tight water flows for fish and farmers
The Pacific Northwest is again experiencing surging spring heat that shattered temperatures this past week and prompted red-flag warnings for fire risks in lowland portions of Southwest Washington. Last year, intense May warmth brought a sudden melt of a big mountain snowpack, causing flooding in north central and northeast Washington as the Okanogan River reached its highest flood stage in four decades. This year, the statewide snowpack, as of Friday, averaged only 58 percent of the median amount for that date. So instead of being concerned about high water, state officials are preparing for summer drought, which can raise the potential for wildfires, reduce irrigation flows to farmers and make life difficult for salmon that depend on cool water to survive. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)
Canada-U.S. border transfers raise fear of delayed crossings
Hundreds of border agents from across the U.S. are being temporarily transferred south ahead of the busy summer tourism season, worrying those along the northern border who rely on cross-border commerce — including U.S. innkeepers, shop owners and restaurateurs who fear their Canadian customers could be caught in backups at border crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says 731 northern border agents from land, sea and airports are in the process of being sent to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they will help their southern counterparts handle the influx of families and unaccompanied children from Central America. The move comes as businesses gear up for the summer season, when tens of thousands of Canadian tourists help buoy the economies of communities in border states and elsewhere deeper inside the United States. Since U.S.-Canada border security was ramped up shortly after the 9-11 attacks, local and state officials have worried heightened security could hurt trade and the free flow of people back and forth across the 5,525-mile (8,891-kilometre) border. Wilson Ring reports. (Canadian Press)
State official supports delisting wolves in all Washington
Wolves should be removed from the federal endangered species list throughout Washington state, Washington Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind wrote in a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released this week.... The federal government has already delisted wolves in the eastern one-third of Washington and Oregon, as well as in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Wolves were wiped out in Washington early in the last century, largely on behalf of livestock interests. The animals began moving back into the state about 20 years ago from neighboring Idaho and British Columbia. The state in 2018 counted a minimum of 126 wolves in 27 packs with 15 successful breeding pairs, defined as male and female adults that have raised at least two pups that survived through the end of the year. The latest census also for the first time recorded a wolf pack west of the Cascade Range, in Skagit County. Nicholas K. Geranios reports. (AP)
Environmentalists threaten legal action if B.C. spotted owls' habitat not protected
Conservationists are demanding Ottawa do more to protect the spotted owl, and are threatening legal action against the federal government if it doesn't take more steps to save one of the most endangered animals in Canada. Environmental advocate group Ecojustice says that there are an estimated six spotted owls left in the wild in Canada — all in B.C. — and the animals are at risk of being completely wiped out. Ecojustice and the Wilderness Committee want the federal government to come to the rescue of the birds by committing to a tougher plan for the spotted owl in southwestern B.C. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC) See also: Bird lovers get rare look at youngest member of one of the most endangered species in Canada (Canadian Press)
North Dakota to sue Washington state over oil train standard
North Dakota is preparing to sue Washington state over a new Washington law requiring oil shipped by rail through that state to have more of its volatile gases removed, which supporters say would reduce the risk of explosive and potentially deadly derailments. North Dakota officials say the law will make Pacific Northwest refineries off-limits to the energy industry of North Dakota, which is the nation’s No. 2 crude producer. They are also reaching out to other oil-producing states to garner support for the lawsuit, which they expect to file within weeks in federal court. Blake Nicholson reports. (AP)
Alcoa’s Intalco smelter agrees to reduce pollution emissions. Here’s what that means
Alcoa’s aluminum smelter near Ferndale has agreed to a plan to install pollution equipment that will reduce sulfur dioxide releases. Washington State’s Department of Ecology announced last week that Alcoa Intalco Works has agreed to put in a wet scrubber to reduce emissions of the gas, which is known for its sharp smell that can cause breathing and other health issues. The cost of the scrubber installation project is estimated to be $15 million, and it is expected to be in place by the end of 2022, according to a news release from Alcoa. ave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)
Sandra Staples-Bortner to retire from Great Peninsula Conservancy
Sandra Staples-Bortner, executive director of the Great Peninsula Conservancy, will retire at the end of this month after 11 years on the job. Those involved in the regional land trust say she will leave the organization much larger and stronger than before her arrival. Great Peninsula Conservancy — which protects salmon streams, forests and shorelines — was formed in 2000 by the merger of four smaller land trusts: Kitsap, Hood Canal, Indianola and Peninsula Heritage land trusts. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)
Party City closing 45 stores as helium shortage hurts sales. Why is the gas scarce?
The CEO of Party City cited a global helium shortage as he announced on Thursday that the retail chain will close 45 of its 870 stores this year. But the scarcity of the important gas isn’t just a party-pooper: Helium is also essential in semiconductor manufacturing, scientific research and medical tools like MRIs, according to Sophia E. Hayes, a professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. “We’ve heard that we have roughly a 200-year supply, at current consumption rates,” Hayes said in a statement released by the university last month. “That sounds pretty comforting, because 200 years sounds like a big window. But the demand for helium is also going up at 10 percent a year, roughly, worldwide — in part driven by the semiconductor industry out of Asia.” Jared Gilmour reports. (McClatchy)
Canada-geese numbers to increase despite limited control measures
The number of Canada geese are likely to grow incrementally this summer despite measures by the Vancouver park board to control their spread into city beaches and parks. There are about 2,500 Canada geese in Vancouver, according to Nick Page, biologist with the Vancouver park board. The main method of population control is sterilizing eggs by shaking a fertilized one and then replacing it with a frozen one to trick the mother to continue nesting. If all the Canada geese paired up, there could be as many as 1,250 nests around the city, but the park board has so far addled about 50 nests and 255 eggs. Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun)
Mariana Trench: Deepest-ever sub dive finds plastic bag
An American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive. Victor Vescovo descended nearly 11km (seven miles) to the deepest place in the ocean - the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. He spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. He found sea creatures, but also found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers. Rebecca Morelle reports. (BBC)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 248 AM PDT Mon May 13 2019
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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