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| Red octopus [Kirt L. Onthank] |
East Pacific red octopus is the most commonly occurring shallow-water octopus on much of the North American West Coast, and a ubiquitous benthic predator in these habitats. Its range extends from the southern Gulf of California at least to the Gulf of Alaska, but may also occur in the western Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia)
Temporary ban continues ‘protecting the people of Whatcom County and the environment’
Whatcom County Council members extended a temporary ban on shipment of unrefined fossil fuels from the oil refineries at Cherry Point on a 5-2 vote after a lengthy public hearing Tuesday night. Councilmember Todd Donovan said the moratorium was needed as county officials work toward updating a comprehensive plan for industry in the region. Council members Tyler Byrd and Barbara Brenner voted against the extension, which is the eighth such measure since mid-2016. It prevents new or expanded operations in the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area and the shipment of unrefined fossil fuels through its terminal. Brenner said the ban is bad for business because it creates uncertainty in the petroleum industry. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)
DNR adopts plan for marbled murrelet
The state Board of Natural Resources on Tuesday adopted a long-term conservation plan for the marbled murrelet, a threatened seabird that has been protected under a controversial interim plan for almost two decades. The Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday in a news release that the long-term plan will protect 168,000 acres of current marbled murrelet habitat while freeing up more than 100,000 acres where timber harvests were previously prohibited. The American Forest Resource Council, however, said the plan will directly harm rural jobs and decrease funding for public schools, fire departments, libraries, hospitals and other community services. The murrelet was listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1992. Five years later, Washington state released an interim plan to protect the bird. Rose Lundy reports. (Longview Daily News)
‘We’re part of the global movement’ fighting climate change, Bellingham marchers say
Approximately 500 people rallied downtown for the Bellingham Youth Climate Strike, part of a series of student-led demonstrations across Washington state and the nation on Friday... Similar Climate Strike rallies were underway Friday in several U.S. cities and in Washington state — including Seattle, Olympia, Kirkland, Everett, Sammamish and Tacoma, according to the national Climate Strike organization. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald) See also: Tacoma kids went on a climate strike Friday. At Lincoln, so did many of the teachers Matt Driscoll reports. (Tacoma News Tribune) See also: Greta Thunberg says school strikes have achieved nothing Activist says 4% greenhouse gas emissions rise since 2015 shows action is insufficient (Guardian) Also: University of British Columbia declares climate emergency The declaration comes after weeks of ongoing pressure from students and activists. (CBC)
Climate change: Oceans running out of oxygen as temperatures rise
Climate change and nutrient pollution are driving the oxygen from our oceans, and threatening many species of fish. That's the conclusion of the biggest study of its kind, undertaken by conservation group IUCN. While nutrient run-off has been known for decades, researchers say that climate change is making the lack of oxygen worse. Around 700 ocean sites are now suffering from low oxygen, compared with 45 in the 1960s. Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)
Guest blog: Poor Old Puget Sound
Pete Haase writes; "The Puget Sound Partnership’s “2019 State of the Sound” document is out. If you decide to give it a look-see and you get past the beautiful pictures that pop up, it is dismal. Just about everything being measured is getting worse, not better, and has been for about the past 25 tears – I mean years – damn fat fingers...." (read on)
No less controversial, Trans Mountain continues on with expansion
Construction crews remain busy driving piles for new facilities at Trans Mountain’s Westridge marine terminal on Burrard Inlet and clearing land at the Burnaby Mountain terminus of its pipeline, but industry leaders remain apprehensive about the expansion project. “Everyone is guarded about what does this mean,” said Chris Gardner, president of the Independent Contractors and Business Association about last week’s announcement that construction on the $7.4 billion project had officially restarted. “Are we stopping and starting and stopping and starting,” Gardner said. “There has been so much uncertainty, there is definitely a degree of skepticism about some of these announcements and activity we see.” Last Tuesday’s announcement near Edmonton by Trans Mountain CEO, accompanied by new Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Reagan and Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, marked the restart of putting new pipe in the ground for the twinned pipeline. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)
Low rainfall during November contributes to smaller salmon runs
Salmon managers are reporting dismal returns of chum and coho salmon to Puget Sound streams this fall, and a sparsity of rainfall during November could result in low salmon survival during the next generation. “The run (of chum) was pretty darn small,” said Jon Oleyar, salmon biologist for the Suquamish Tribe who walks many streams on the Kitsap Peninsula. His surveys of living and dead salmon are used to estimate escapement — the number of migrating salmon that return to their home streams. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)
Seattle Aquarium plans $113 million pavilion with sharks, sting rays for new waterfront promenade
The cars that until recently whizzed past downtown Seattle on the Alaskan Way Viaduct may soon be replaced by tropical sharks cruising through a huge tank shaped like a martini glass, with viewing portals for people above and below. The 325,000-gallon tank with 6-foot-long sharks and 6-foot-wide sting rays native to the South Pacific would be the main draw inside a new Ocean Pavilion that the Seattle Aquarium intends to build, with taxpayers’ assistance, between Pike Place Market and Piers 59 and 60. The space could open as early as 2023. Daniel Beekman reports. (Seattle Times)
Don't mess with the 'Magic Skagit': River resists 40 years of environmental assaults
Joel Connelly writes: "The Skagit River in northwest Washington is where valley-flooding dam projects, nuclear plants with 500-foot cooling towers, clear cut logging operations and gargantuan proposed gravel mines go to die. The latest victory for the "Magic Skagit" came this week, when the British Columbia government pulled the plug on logging in two headwaters valleys, a 12,000-acre "donut hole" between two provincial parks. The Skagit rises in Canada, and crosses the 49th Parallel at the north end of Ross Lake." (SeattlePI.com)
Biologist with Pacific Wildlife Foundation compiles atlas of Salish Sea marine life
For about the past decade, biologist Rob Butler has gone where no one else goes — our own backyard. In his quest to create an atlas of the Salish Sea, he has conducted detailed monthly transects in a small boat in the Gulf Islands, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, Indian Arm, English Bay and off the Fraser River. What strikes Butler is how, within a metropolis of about 2.5 million people, he and his collaborator, Rod MacVicar, both of the Pacific Wildlife Foundation, would often be all alone with nature. Robert Smith writes. (Valliant News)
Fungus Among Us: 5 Incredible Ways That Mushrooms Are Transforming The World
Who knew there were so many remarkable uses for mushrooms? From the creation of innovative leather and plastic alternatives to eco-friendly funeral garments, more and more products are now being fashioned from simple fungi. Often using mycelium – the filament-like network of roots growing beneath mushrooms – manufacturers are producing a host of incredible, and sometimes beautifully engineered, goods. Proving far more sustainable than foam, plastic and leather, mycelium has the added benefit of being totally compostable after it has outlived its uses. So it’s no wonder that consumers are increasingly eating up the idea of the versatile woodland material for cutting down on waste and creating ever-greener products with less negative impact on the planet. David Carpenter reports. (Forbes)
Trump Wants a Review of Toilets: Americans Are Flushing ‘10 Times, 15 Times’
President Trump is taking on Americans’ flushing habits and the country’s water efficiency standards. “We have a situation where we’re looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms, where you turn the faucet on — in areas where there’s tremendous amounts of water, where the water rushes out to sea because you could never handle it — you turn on the faucet, you don’t get any water,” he said Friday at a White House meeting about small businesses and reducing red tape. Mr. Trump also noted that “people are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times as opposed to once” and that “they end up using more water,” according to a transcript of the discussion. He said the federal Environmental Protection Agency was looking at the issue at his suggestion. Johnny Diaz reports. (NY Times)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 243 AM PST Mon Dec 9 2019
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 14 seconds.
TONIGHT SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 13 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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