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| Nuttall's cockle [Alanah Nasadyk] |
Nuttall's cockle (Heart cockle) is found buried just beneath the surface of fine sand-gravel sediment, often among eelgrass beds. It inhabits the intertidal and shallow subtotal of protected shores. It is widespread and common but not usually present in high concentrations. Its range extends from Kamchatcka across the Bering Sea to Alaska and south to southern California. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)
After decades of debate, Victoria is building a sewage treatment plant
Along the rocky south coast of Vancouver Island, hundreds of construction workers are building a nearly $800 million dollar wastewater treatment facility — a project that has been debated for decades and described as long overdue by some, and completely unnecessary by others.... Wastewater facilities don't typically stoke civic pride, but the project and its history is unique because most of the Victoria area has never treated its sewage. Currently, it is screened and anything larger than 6mm is blocked. The rest flows into two separate outfall pipes, and is then discharged into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The region is the last major coastal community in North America to dispose of untreated sewage into the marine environment, according to the local government. Briar Stewart reports. (CBC)
Whale watching thrives, despite plight of Southern Resident orcas
Whale watching at its best means getting to see the region’s iconic orca whales, or maybe spotting minke, gray or humpback whales. At worst it means scanning the water for hours but seeing no whales. Despite its unpredictable nature, the prospect of seeing some of the Pacific Northwest’s largest wildlife continues to draw boatloads of whale watchers to the region, including those taking tours out of Anacortes. The Pacific Whale Watch Association estimates its members in Washington and British Columbia take about 500,000 passengers out on the water each year. Kimberly Cuavel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Orcas survive on chinook salmon, but dammed Idaho rivers spawn them
How we define our identity in this blessed corner of America's "Left Coast" is influenced by two enduring issues which must be solved -- recovery of salmon runs, and survival of the orcas which eat the salmon. The Pacific Northwest is any place to which a salmon can swim, a memorable thought from author Timothy Egan. With dams having decimated the Columbia River's once-mighty runs, we've spent $16 billion on salmon restoration in the past 20 years. "It's not working," Idaho's U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson said in a seminal speech delivered last month to a conference at the Andrus Center in Boise. Simpson, a Republican, shed light on the one real, long term solution to our problem of endangered salmon runs and the decline of southern resident killer whales. Salmon habitat must be restored. The best place to do it is on the Snake River. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI)
New Rules Make It Easier To Kill Sea Lions On The Columbia River
The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced new criteria for putting California sea lions on the list for lethal removal at Bonneville Dam. The new rules could allow wildlife managers to kill more sea lions to protect salmon on the Columbia River. Under the old rules, before a sea lion at the dam could be killed, it had to be seen eating a salmon or steelhead and be seen in the area for five days. Sea lions were also subjected to hazing with noisemakers meant to scare them off. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)
How $6.2 million could be used to help fish, protect Whatcom communities from floods
A $6.2 million infusion of state dollars will allow Whatcom County to move forward on a project to improve habitat in the Nooksack River as well as protect farms and communities from floodwaters. The money is part of the $50.4 million in grants the state Legislature is providing through the Floodplains by Design program, a public-private effort led by the Washington state Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Partnership and The Nature Conservancy that aims to restore the natural functions of the state’s rivers and floodplains. Healthy floodplains are important because they provide opportunities for recreation, help improve water quality, provide rich soil for farms, provide habitat for salmon and offer protection against flooding — provided rivers have a place to go and aren’t tightly constricted, proponents said. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)
‘The Wrong Mine for the Wrong Place’
A proposed Alaskan mine threatens the planet’s largest spawning ground for sockeye salmon and lays bare Trump's gaslighting of American sportsmen. Paul Greenberg, Mark Kurlansky, Carl Safina and John Waldman write about what's wrong with he proposed open-pit copper and gold Pebble Mine. (NY Times Opinion)
Major housing development planned on Indigenous land in heart of Vancouver
Walking along the base of the Burrard Street Bridge that crosses Vancouver's False Creek toward the downtown core, Khelsilem gestures across a gravel lot poised to become one of the largest Indigenous urban developments in Canada. The Squamish Nation councillor, who also goes by the name Dustin Rivers, is standing on a pinched triangle of reserve land near the city's centre that the First Nation won back in 2002 after decades of legal battles. The project is in its very early stages but if all goes as planned, the Squamish Nation will build about 3,000 housing units in a project that promises to answer some of the region's urgent housing needs at the same time that it presents a test of reconciliation. Amy Smart reports. (CBC)
Everett approves mixed-use development plan for riverfront
Everett City Council unanimously approved changes to its riverfront development plan Wednesday, allowing for construction to begin. Developers Riverfront Commercial Investment LLC plans to build a mixed-use development on the site of the former solid waste landfill. The development will include 230,000 square-feet of retail space, including a movie theater and specialty grocery store, 125,000 square feet of office space, 250 hotel rooms, and 1,250 condo or multi-family home units. Allison Sundell reports. (KING)
The Threat of a Large Oil Spill -- At What Cost to San Juan County
What would a large oil spill cost all of us? How long would it affect our communities, property values, businesses, and way of life? San Juan County's Environmental Resources Division and the Marine Resources Committee together with specialty consultants have completed an Oil Spill Consequences Assessment that estimates the catastrophic economic and ecosystem services losses that we would endure in the event of a large oil spill. A community presentation will be held on Wednesday May 8, 11 AM - 1 PM at the San Juan Island Grange in Friday Harbor. There will also be an online presentation via Webinar on Wednesday May 15, 12 PM – 1 PM. For more information and to download the reports please visit www.sjcmrc.org/projects/oil-spill-prevention/.
Trump Administration Moves To Roll Back Offshore Drilling Safety Regulations
The Trump Administration is rolling back some of the Obama-era safety regulations for offshore drilling that were meant to prevent a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The change pertains to rules aimed at keeping offshore oil and gas wells from "blowing out" – a sudden and uncontrollable release of crude oil. In its summary of the rule changes, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says the "revisions modify regulations pertaining to offshore oil and gas drilling, completions, workovers, and decommissioning ... to ensure safety and environmental protection, while correcting errors and reducing certain unnecessary regulatory burdens imposed under the existing regulations." (NPR)
Nature crisis: Humans 'threaten 1m species with extinction'
On land, in the seas, in the sky, the devastating impact of humans on nature is laid bare in a compelling UN report. One million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction. Nature everywhere is declining at a speed never previously seen and our need for ever more food and energy are the main drivers. These trends can be halted, the study says, but it will take "transformative change" in every aspect of how humans interact with nature. Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)
State Sen. Doug Ericksen's $500,000 contract with autocratic Cambodian regime draws scrutiny, condemnation
....[Senator Doug Ericksen's, R-Ferndale} parlaying of his elected position into a business relationship with the authoritarian Hun Sen regime is attracting condemnation from human-rights activists, local Cambodian Americans, exiled leaders of Cambodia’s opposition party and even a Republican congressman. U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Florida, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill seeking sanctions against Cambodian leaders over human-rights abuses, blistered Ericksen’s assessment of the country’s elections.... Ericksen, who tapped surplus campaign funds to pay for some of his Cambodia travel, has defended the contract as a legitimate second job for a part-time state legislator. According to PacRim’s federal filings, the firm will be paid $41,660 a month to meet with state and federal officials “to promote improved relations between the USA and the Kingdom of Cambodia and legislation that promotes improved relations.” Jim Brunner and Joseph O'Sullivan report. (Seattle Times)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 239 AM PDT Mon May 6 2019
TODAY Light wind becoming N to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
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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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