5/1 Emperor penguin, Qualicum Beach, Skagit dams, BC next spill, Duwamish restoration

Emperor penguin [Helene Peltier/BirdNote]

Which Bird Has the Most Feathers
In general, the bigger the bird, the higher the number of feathers. Someone counted the feathers on a Tundra Swan and came up with 25,216. At least 80% were on the swan’s neck. Penguins, on the other hand, have lots of small feathers all over their bodies. The largest species is the Emperor Penguin, and one project counted around 80,000 feathers on a single bird. That’s nearly sixty per square inch – keeping the penguin insulated and waterproof in harsh climates. But the most feathered creature ever? It may have been a dinosaur! (BirdNote)


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



‘We’re going to have no protected land at all’: locals fight wetland development on Vancouver Island
A conservation group in the town of Qualicum Beach says the local municipality circumvented its own bylaws when it permitted a housing development in a sensitive wetland without necessary authorizations. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

‘Status quo is not working,’ tribes say, as Seattle begins relicensing Skagit River Hydro 
Seattle City Light has started the process of relicensing three large dams in the North Cascades that supply the utility with about a third of its power. The utility will go through a detailed federal process over the next five years, to meet regulations to keep operating the 100-year-old Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. The current license was enacted in 1995 and expires on April 30, 2025. Among the interested parties are three tribes that have lived near the dams for as long as anyone can remember. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Preparing For the Next Spill
On Canada’s west coast, oil spill cleanup capacity is expanding. But is it enough? The Coastal Sentinel was designed to do one thing: clean up oil spills in the rough weather and big waves off British Columbia’s west coast. The CAN $5.8-million, 25-meter-long, custom-built ship is part of the Canadian government’s promise to create “world-leading” oil spill response capacity in the Pacific—an expansion tied to that of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Now owned by the Canadian government, the contentious project will triple the amount of oil moving from Alberta to the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, near Vancouver, and increase the number of oil tankers plying BC waters from about 30 per year to 400. Ryan Stuart reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Port Commission Moves Forward on 14 Acres of Habitat Restoration on the Duwamish River
The Port of Seattle Commission took action today to construct a new 13.5-acre Duwamish River park with 2,500 linear feet of shoreline. The Terminal 117 Habitat Restoration and Duwamish Shoreline Access Project will create upland habitat and restore priority habitat for Chinook salmon and other imperiled species in the Duwamish River. (Port of Seattle)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 11 seconds. A chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NE wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of rain  in the evening then rain likely after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 11 seconds. Rain in the  morning then showers in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft  at 12 seconds.




--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told