4/23 Blackbird, Intalco closed, Crab Team awarded, hatchery hassle, restoring coast wetlands

Red-winged blackbird [Phil Kahler]

Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Look for Red-winged Blackbirds in fresh and saltwater marshes, along watercourses, water hazards on golf courses, and wet roadsides, as well as drier meadows and old fields. In winter, you can find them at crop fields, feedlots, and pastures. Male Red-winged Blackbirds do everything they can to get noticed, sitting on high perches and belting out their conk-la-ree! song all day long. Females stay lower, skulking through vegetation for food and quietly weaving together their remarkable nests. In winter Red-winged Blackbirds gather in huge flocks to eat grains with other blackbird species and starlings. (All About Birds)


*EDITOR'S NOTE: Access updates on the COVID-19 virus at national and regional print publications like the CBC, the Seattle Times, the Peninsula Daily News, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
 

Alcoa to close Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale, lays off around 700 employees
Alcoa Corporation announced that it will close its Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale amid declining market conditions, laying off around 700 employees. The curtailment is expected to be complete by the end of July 2020. The announcement was made in a news release on Wednesday afternoon, April 22. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

SeaDoc Awards Salish Sea Science Prize to Crab Team 
The European green crab is a damaging invasive species that has wreaked havoc on ecosystems around the world, and recently they’ve found their way into the Salish Sea. Thanks to Washington Sea Grant’s Crab Team, major scientifically based efforts are being made to stop its spread before it starts. For this use of science to improve the health of the Salish Sea, this Earth Day they have been announced as winners of the SeaDoc Society’s 2020 Salish Sea Science Prize, which comes with a $2,000 no-strings-attached cash award.

The Hatchery Hassle
A look at the role of hatcheries in salmon stock enhancement, the Lummi Nation’s Skookum Creek Hatchery in Acme, Washington, and the issues raised by a proposal to build a private nonprofit hatchery modeled after the Douglas Island Pink and Chum Hatchery (DIPAC) in Alaska. Laurel Messenger reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Ecology: Saving Dynamic Coastal Wetland Habitat
The Washington State Department of Ecology has secured seven National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants worth more than $5 million. The 2020 federal grants will help local partners restore and enhance nearly 500 acres of coastal wetlands and 17,500 feet of marine shoreline in Jefferson, Kitsap, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties. (Dredging Today)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  240 AM PDT Thu Apr 23 2020   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 15 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind waves  1 ft. W swell 6 ft at 14 seconds.




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