8/22 Crane fly, Jay Inslee, climate change, salmon disaster, estuaries, BC Ferries' cameras, beach clean, Arctic 'riches'

Crane fly

Mosquito Hawk? Skeeter Eater? Giant Mosquito? No, No, and No
That inch-long, gangly-legged insect that sneaks into your house and bounces around the walls and ceiling is a crane fly, and despite rumors to the contrary, it is neither a predator of mosquitoes nor a colossal mosquito. And it’s harmless... The 15,000 or so known true crane flies in the family Tipulidae also share a somewhat similar appearance to mosquitoes. They have a narrow body with two long and slender wings, as well as six stilt-like legs that can be twice as long as the body. Crane flies are diverse in wing pattern, color, and size. Leslie Mertz reports. (Entomolgy Today)

Jay Inslee exits presidential race; plans run for 3rd term as governor
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ended his presidential run Wednesday evening, announcing it had become clear that his climate change-focused campaign would not succeed. The Associated Press, citing two people close to Inslee, reported that he plans to run for a third term as governor. Since launching his campaign in March, Inslee has laid out a series of ambitious plans to combat climate change, calling it the preeminent issue the next president must tackle. Those plans drew praise from activists, environmentalists and even his fellow candidates, but Inslee was unable to catch on with voters in early polls. David Gutman, Joseph O’Sullivan, and Asia Fields report. (Seattle Times)

Activists Push Democrats On Climate Change, A New Priority For Party's Base
Democratic National Committee officials will vote today on whether to hold a presidential primary debate focused only on climate change. Amid a rise in extreme weather events and increasingly dire scientific reports, the issue has already received more attention than in all debates combined in the last presidential election. But activists with a group called the Sunrise Movement think it deserves more and have campaigned for a climate debate. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

'They're flat broke': Salmon fishermen demand disaster relief for failed season
With some of this year's salmon runs projected to be the lowest on record, West Coast salmon fishermen are demanding disaster relief from the federal and provincial governments. The Pacific Salmon Commission is forecasting a total return of only 447,000 sockeye salmon to the Fraser, one of the world's richest salmon rivers, this year. "This is the lowest run size ever estimated since estimates began in 1893, and lower than the previous record for lowest run size of 858,000 observed in 2016," its report read. Just nine years ago, in 2010, the forecasted return of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River was 34.5 million. The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union says those with salmon-only licenses have been devastated. Roshini Nair reports. (CBC)

Many Of The American West's Estuaries Have Vanished: Here's Why That Matters
Most of the West Coast’s estuary habitat has vanished, according to a new study, the most thorough of its kind. The mapping project found that, today, less than 15% of historic estuaries remain along the Washington, Oregon and California coastlines. Estuaries form where fresh water from rivers and streams meets the salt water of the ocean. They take the form of salt marshes, tidal forests, beaches and steep river mouths. They are among the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth. Estuaries are also among the most endangered habitats on the planet. The study found that, at one point, salt marshes covered roughly 2,800 square miles of the West Coast. That’s an area larger than the state of Delaware. But today, that number has been reduced by more than 85%. Other research indicates rising seas caused by climate change could soon drown much of the little estuary habitat that remains. Erin Ross reports. (NPR)

BC Ferries installs underwater thermal imaging cameras to monitor threatened whales
B.C. scientists are trying to get a better look at one of the South Coast's most threatened marine mammals using thermal imaging cameras installed off Galiano Island, B.C.  The cameras were installed underwater at the Sturdies Bay terminal in June and are part of a year-long pilot project aimed at improving detection of southern resident killer whales in the heavily trafficked Salish Sea. In a written statement, BC Ferries said federal scientists are trying to determine if the use of thermal imagery together with visual and acoustic surveillance is a reliable way to detect whales in the Salish Sea which is used by commercial ships and supports several passenger ferry routes. The cameras are able to "see" whales by detecting temperature differences between marine mammals, ships and the surrounding water, even at night. (CBC)

Beach clean-up helps turn the tide on pollution in east Drayton Harbor
At low tide, the beach at east Drayton Harbor reveals what cannot normally be seen: piles of marine debris, from house shingles to pieces of linoleum and even golf balls. Nets tangle with rocks, and tires sink into the mucky shore. As a North Sound Steward – a citizen scientist – Margarette Grant is responsible for surveying the beach every month, and has done so since last September. She reports her findings of debris to the University of Washington’s Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)... Surrounded by friends and neighbors from her block, who she called to action with an explanatory letter posted on their doors, Grant rapidly gathers shingles and linoleum pieces. She smiles as she unearths one of the larger pieces of litter she’s noticed before while walking on the beach, a length of aqua-colored PVC pipe... Equipped with gloves, other volunteers stoop to pick up smaller pieces of plastic litter and building materials that can be loaded into garbage bags. A neighbor, Mary Amsberry, brought her grandchildren along to the clean-up, who delighted in collecting golf balls found on the shore. Kira Erickson reports. (Northern Light)

The White House Saw Riches in the Arctic Refuge, but Reality May Fall Short
When the Trump administration first pushed to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration, it predicted that drilling would generate a windfall for the federal Treasury: $1.8 billion, by a White House estimate. But two years later, with the expected sale of the first oil and gas leases just months away, a New York Times analysis of prior lease sales suggests that the new activity may yield as little as $45 million over the next decade. Even the latest federal government estimate is half the figure the White House predicted. The lofty original projection was just one element of a campaign within the administration to present in the best possible light the idea of opening the refuge’s coastal plain after decades of being stymied by Democrats and environmentalists, according to internal government communications and other documents reviewed by The Times. Henry Fountain and Steve Eder report. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Thu Aug 22 2019   TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 9 seconds.



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