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| Elwha nearshore 9/27/19 [CWI] |
Anne Schafer of Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "Elwha nearshore ecosystem restoration is largely based on the re-connection of complex hydrodynamic and sediment processes. Here are few brief glimpses of what we mean. How many interactions do you see? Thank you to CWI for continuing to provide these photos of this important place and time. Celebrate the (sometimes surprising) challenges of fall."
'We don't want to be here, we have to be here': Students strike for climate action in Vancouver
Protesters too young to vote made their voices heard by skipping school and gathering outside Vancouver City Hall on Friday to demand adults get serious about protecting their futures. The strike for climate justice was one of many events happening in cities across the world, timed to coincide with the United Nations Climate Action Summit underway this week in New York. By 2 p.m. Vancouver's Cambie Street Bridge was completely shut down by police as protesters converged on Vancouver city hall. Police estimated the crowd to be about 100,000 people and described it as peaceful. (CBC) See also: Greta Thunberg after meeting Justin Trudeau: ‘He’s, of course, obviously not doing enough’ Mike Blanchfield reports. (Canadian Press)
Developer plans e-commerce warehouse on Duwamish River property coveted by salmon advocates
f a single parcel of land could tell a story of the Puget Sound region, and raise some of the biggest questions about its future, the Desimone Oxbow is it. The developer sees a trash-strewn, skid-marked parking lot along the heavily industrialized Duwamish River waiting to be cleaned up and put to more profitable use. Dermody Properties inked a long-term lease last year and recently filed plans to build a modern warehouse here, perhaps for Amazon or one of its competitors seeking scarce space for their goods close to customers in a growing city. Conservationists picture the land inside the oxbow as it may once have been — when the riversides were home to the Duwamish people for whom it is named — woven with side channels where the salt and fresh waters mingle. They have long coveted the property for its potential as a habitat for young salmon, and to help repair a fractured link in a food chain that has contributed to a perilous decline for southern resident orcas. Lynda Mapes and Benjamin Romano report. (Seattle Times)
'Early migration gene' tied to unique population of Chinook
Recent studies have shown that Chinook salmon that spawn in the spring are genetically distinct from varieties that spawn during fall months. Experts are confronting the resulting ecological, social and legal implications of that finding. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)
In California, orcas and salmon have become so scarce people have forgotten what once was. Will the Northwest be next?
In California, orcas and salmon have become so scarce people have forgotten what once was. Will the Northwest be next? ....The orcas, called southern residents for a reason, cruise all the way to California to feed on Central Valley salmon runs. L pod was off Monterey early this year. The oldest whale among all the southern residents, L25, born about 1928, led the way. She brought her whole family because her mother did before her, and her grandmother before that. In the southern resident pods, the matriarchs lead the search for food — particularly in times of scarcity. But was L pod chasing fish in California — or only L25’s memory of them? The fish have become so scarce, it is hard to know if the whales got any nourishment. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)
Columbia River Closed To Salmon And Steelhead Fishing
Most of the Columbia River will close to all recreational salmon and steelhead fishing, with the exception of the Hanford Reach. The Tri-City Herald reports the closure went into effect Thursday. Bill Tweit, special assistant with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, says it comes at the tail end of a challenging year on the Columbia that saw low returns for many salmon and steelhead runs. The commercial harvest on the Columbia River will have to be reduced by fishery managers in Washington and Oregon to account for the number of upriver bright Chinook caught during the fall season. (Associated Press)
‘Do it now,’ residents tell Bellingham as they push for reserve for these iconic birds
Residents are pushing the city to protect Bellingham’s only great blue heron nesting site by buying undeveloped land near the birds’ colony and creating a reserve for them. The colony is at the edge of Fairhaven, in a forested strip owned by the city of Bellingham. It’s between the Post Point Waste Water Treatment Plant and privately owned land that hasn’t been developed in south Bellingham. Fairhaven resident Jamie Donaldson is leading the effort to permanently protect the colony.This isn’t the first time she’s tackled the issue, she said, but this one was spurred by a proposal to develop land at 20 Shorewood Drive for housing. Donaldson and supporters, including birding and environmental groups North Cascades Audubon Society and the Mt. Baker Group of the Sierra Club, have signed petitions, written letters, met with Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville and implored the City Council over a number of months to buy the land and create the reserve. Kim Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)
Researchers take new look at longtime non-native snails in Padilla Bay
When low tide exposes the dark mud and green eelgrass of Padilla Bay, the shells of a critter that doesn't belong here are a more common sight than those of clams and crabs that do. It's the Japanese mudsnail, or Batillaria, which ranges in size and color but generally has a narrow, spiral shell about the size of a pen cap....These non-native Japanese mudsnails have found a home in Padilla Bay since around the 1930s, when they were inadvertently imported with Pacific oysters from Asia, according to various sources. While various agencies have documented the presence of the snails in Padilla Bay over the past nearly 100 years, little is known about their role in — or impact on — the natural environment. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Everett’s single-use plastic bag ban starts Monday
Fewer plastic bags will be floating around Everett. At least that’s the goal of a single-use plastic bag ban going into effect Monday. At check-out, shoppers will instead have to purchase a paper or thicker plastic bag for 5 cents — or bring their own sack, which is what the fee is designed to encourage. The ban also applies to restaurants and carry-out orders, except for bags used to prevent spillage. Dry cleaning and newspaper sacks will be permitted. Lizz Giordano reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Portland's New Plastics Policy Is Almost Here. Here's What You Should Know Rebecca Ellis reports. (OPB)
Cleaning up: The slow slide into Swift Creek
Mention “landslide” and it usually conjures an image of a sudden and violent collapse of a mountain slope or hillside. Insert “Sumas Mountain” before that word and residents of eastern Whatcom County will recognize a slow slide that for decades has clogged and flooded Swift Creek. For many years the creek, which flows west to join the Sumas River, was dredged to manage the sediment and limit downstream flooding. But, several years ago, the 225-acre slide was found to contain naturally-occurring asbestos and metals – chromium, cobalt and nickel. When the sediment dries, the asbestos can become airborne and present a risk to human health and the environment. The metals can affect plants on land and aquatic life. Larry Altose writes. (WA Dept of Ecology)
Feds seek new comments on grizzly bear plans
Controversial proposals to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem are once again open for public comment. The plan, drafted by the National Park Service and U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, drew mixed responses from locals in 2017. It includes four options for grizzly bear recovery. Three would bring bears in from elsewhere to bolster the local population. The goal would be to reach 200 bears. A fourth proposal calls for continuing current efforts to keep habitat healthy, but would not bring in additional bears. Grizzlies were listed as a threatened species in the U.S. in 1975 and as endangered in Washington in 1980. Now, scientists do not have enough evidence to say there is any population in the North Cascades. Work on the proposals was halted by the Trump administration in December of 2017. Then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke ordered work stop on a key planning document — the environmental impact statement for the grizzly restoration project. He then restarted that work in 2018. The document is available for review online. Julia-Grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 253 AM PDT Mon Sep 30 2019
TODAY NE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 2 ft at 16 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt becoming NW after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 2 ft at 16 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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