6/30 Tattler, Duwamish R., Moss Study, new big airport, crab season

Grey-tailed tattler [Joachim Bertrands/CBC]

Birders flock to B.C.'s North Coast to see rare grey-tailed tattler native to Asia and Australia
Birders from all over B.C., descended on the North Coast last week to catch a glimpse of a bird that rarely makes an appearance in Canada — the grey-tailed tattler.  The grey-tailed tattler is similar in size to a crow, and its body is similar to a sandpiper. They've got yellow feet and long beaks and a distinguishing white eyebrow. The bird, which is native to Asia and Australia, was spotted by Joachim Bertrands and Christian Kelly in Minette Bay near Kitimat, B.C, on the evening of June 23. (CBC)

How the Duwamish River defined Seattle — and could again
In a new history, author BJ Cummings explains how Seattle was built on the waterway at the expense of nearby communities and the river itself. Mandy Godwin reports. (Crosscut)

In South Seattle, teens collect moss to help ID air quality
Residents of Seattle’s Duwamish River Valley have long known they suffer from high levels of air pollution. Air pollution that comes from nearby heavy industry, highways and air traffic has plagued South Seattle neighborhoods. “To the point that we have 13 years of life expectancy difference between South Park and Magnolia, for example,” said Paulina Lopez, executive director of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. Now the coalition has collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service and several other partners to collect moss samples from a grid covering South Park and Georgetown. The Moss Study samples were analyzed for 25 heavy metals and other elements. The data will be used to decide where regulators should place high-tech sensors to follow up on hot spots. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

South Thurston County location under consideration for ‘Sea-Tac-size’ airport
A south Thurston County location is one of many being considered for a second, Sea-Tac-size airport. The state Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission gathered in April and took a straw poll of its members. Among the 25 members of the commission, 14 showed support for developing existing airports further to accommodate short-term needs while also building a large, new airport as the preferred strategy for addressing the long-term need for increased aviation capacity. (Centralia Chronicle)

Get cracking: Crabbing season opens Thursday
Boatloads of crabbers hope to kick off the Fourth of July weekend with a bang when the season officially opens Thursday, July 2...The daily limit throughout Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6 1/4 inches. People may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across. Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their harvest of Dungeness crab on their catch record cards immediately after retaining crab. Evan Caldwell reports. (Stanwood Camano News)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Tue Jun 30 2020   
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt. W swell 7 ft at 8 seconds. A chance  of showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 8 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

6/29 Greenling,, Roberts Bank 2, open-net farms, Seabeck bridge, sport fishing, quiet seas, wolf kill, flood risk, PSE oil gas, sick rabbits

Painted greenling [Tristan Blaine]

Painted greenling Oxylebius pictus
Painted greenling are found from the Gulf of Alaska to southern California, and are common near shore in sheltered water. Slow moving but not shy; adults more active in summer. They engage in elaborate courtship and the male actively defends egg masses (often of more than one female) against males of the same species. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans and the Strait of Georgia)

Roberts Bank Terminal 2 would make Fraser River estuary a ‘giant parking lot,’ observers warn
A review panel has concluded the proposed Vancouver port expansion threatens salmon, southern resident killer whales and Indigenous ways of life. Now critics are calling for a close look at the cumulative effects of existing industry and a slew of other proposed projects. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

First Nations call for end to B.C. open-net salmon farms
B.C.’s First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is calling for an immediate end to marine-based salmon farming in the province, following reports by B.C. fish farm owners that show 37 per cent of facilities, or 19 farms across the province, exceed government sea lice limits. The FNLC also point to a recent study by marine biologist Alexandra Morton that show high numbers of juvenile wild salmon migrating through southern B.C. waters were infected with the lethal parasite. The council now wants the federal government to fast-track its promise to end open-net farming by 2025.  Quinn Bender reports. (Westerly News)

New bridge in Seabeck will allow easier passage for salmon
Salmon will have an easier time passing through Seabeck Creek after a new bridge replaces a culvert on Seabeck Holly Road NW. The Kitsap County Public Works Department and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group are working together on the project, which will cause a road closure from mid-July likely through the rest of the year. Gus Johnson, project manager for Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, said Seabeck Creek is home to a number of native salmon populations. The undersized culvert at Seabeck Holly Road NW combined with an older fish ladder causes a big problem for adult salmon trying to spawn or juveniles trying to get through. Steelhead, fall chum, coho and coastal cutthroat trout all travel up Seabeck Creek. Jessie Darland reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Sport fishing outfitters claim new federal regulations unfairly target their business
Sport fishing outfitters on the B.C. coast say new federal regulations on chinook salmon announced late last week are hurting their businesses and don't line up with what they're seeing on the water. And that's not only bad news for the industry, they say, but bad science as well...The federal government says the new regulations are necessary to protect fragile chinook salmon stocks in the upper Fraser River.  Kieran Oudshoorn reports. (CBC)

Quiet Salish Sea gives scientists chance to study endangered killer whales
A significant drop in sea traffic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has created what scientists call a rare opportunity to study how quieter waters affect southern resident killer whales off the British Columbia coast. Ocean Networks Canada, which has been monitoring noise from ships and sounds made by marine mammals such as orcas, said it believes the change will be a boon for the animals. "The anticipation is that the quieter environment will help the killer whales in communicating, in socializing, in navigating and most importantly, in finding food," said Richard Dewey, the organization's associate director of science. A paper published last month in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America said there has been about a 30 per cent decrease in commercial shipping traffic into the Port of Vancouver from China due to COVID-19 in just the first four months of the year. Hima Alam reports. (CBC)

Washington Commission Rejects Petition To Limit Killing Of Wolves
A petition that called for new rules to limit when the state can kill endangered wolves that prey on livestock was rejected Friday by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The petition was filed in May by four conservation groups who sought to prevent conflicts that have led to the killing of 31 wolves in the state since 2012. The conservation groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians.  Nicholas K. Geranios reports. (AP)

New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America
Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens. That new calculation, which takes into account sea-level rise, rainfall and flooding along smaller creeks not mapped federally, estimates that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps. A 100-year flood is one with a 1 percent chance of striking in any given year.  Christopher Flavelle, Denise Lu, Veronica Penney, Nadja Popovich and John Schwartz report. (NY Times)

Oil and gas coloring books teach kids safety, fossil fuel dependence
Last week, Puget Sound Energy, the Seattle-area utility, shared an odd activity on Twitter: “Color your way through Natural Gas Town and learn how natural gas provides energy to your neighborhood!” The tweet, later deleted, linked to an online coloring page showing a detailed map of how natural gas lines run underneath your yard and into your home. The image is from Energy Safe Kids, a national program that teaches children safety tips — like how to sniff out a gas leak and avoid pummeling natural gas meters with water balloons. Kate Yoder reports. (Grist)

The Rabbit Outbreak
This past February, a pet rabbit being boarded overnight at Manhattan’s Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, the busiest rabbit veterinary practice in New York City, died. The fact that the rabbit had seemed fine and then expired without warning was chalked up to the rabbit habit of feigning good health. Later that evening, another rabbit at the clinic died. The coincidence of the additional death was strange, especially because the first rabbit that died was elderly, and the second was young. A third rabbit that died the same night was middle-aged; even though she was known to have had an abdominal mass that compromised her well-being, there had been no reason to think she was about to perish. Two deaths might have been a fluke; three seemed ominous. Susan Orlean reports. (New Yorker)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PDT Mon Jun 29 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers after midnight. 






--
"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

6/26 Lamb's quarter, wetlands, Everett port snafu, Shaw octopus, Van Aqua, eelgrass, Vopak, glass sponge reefs, First Nation tourism, Colstrip, Climate Pledge Arena

Lamb's quarter

Lamb's quarter Chenopodium album
Originally from Eurasia but now widespread locally. Many aboriginal peoples have used the young leaves as a potherb in recent times. They contain oxalate salts and should not be eaten in quantity or continuously over many days. lamb's quarter should be lammas quarter because the plant blossoms around Lammas Day (August 1) the   first day of harvest thanksgiving festival. The leaves are supposedly shaped like the foot of a goose giving rise to both the Latin name Chenopodium, and the common name, 'goosefoot.'

State officials scramble to protect streams and wetlands in wake of federal rule
Federal protections for millions of small streams and wetlands across the country were eliminated on Monday, following an unsuccessful legal effort to block new regulations that redefine “waters of the United States.” Officials with the Washington Department of Ecology are scrambling to make sure that nobody proceeds to fill wetlands or damage waterways, now protected solely by state law. A major concern is the potential need for many more staffers to write permits and enforce state water-quality laws, according to Curt Hart, spokesman for Ecology. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Port makeover of old mill property loses $15.5 million grant Port makeover of old mill property loses $15.5 million grant
A key piece of financing is in doubt in the Port of Everett’s plan to build a cargo terminal on waterfront real estate that once was the site of a paper and pulp mill. The U.S. Department of Transportation has rescinded a $15.5 million grant for the project on the former Kimberly-Clark property due to what port officials are calling a technicality. The port has reapplied for additional grant money, which was expected to cover half of the cost of readying the land for cargo. Port CEO Lisa Lefeber said she’s “optimistic,” but the federal programs are highly competitive. If the U.S. DOT doesn’t pick the proposal, the port’s plan to start construction in 2021 and finish in 2022 would likely be derailed. Rachel Riley reports. (Everett Herald)

Vancouver Island aquarium names new octopus after Dr. Bonnie Henry
The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea is recognizing B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry by making its new giant Pacific octopus her namesake. Nina Grossman reports. (Coast Mountain News)

Vancouver Aquarium reopens with $2-million federal splash
The federal government has come up with $2 million to help the Vancouver Aquarium staunch some of the red ink the facility has been spilling since its shutdown March 17 due to COVID-19, officials will announce this morning...Burnaby North-Seymour MP Terry Beech is expected to unveil the $2 million in support to cover essential services and operating costs as the aquarium reopens to the public with a reimagined, so-called crowd free experience for visitors in time to capture some of the vital tourist season. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Puget Sound eelgrass beds create a 'halo' with fewer harmful algae, new method shows
DNA clues show that eelgrass growing underwater along Washington state shorelines is associated with fewer of the single-celled algae that produce harmful toxins in shellfish. Observations show this effect extends 45 feet beyond the edge of the eelgrass bed. (UW/Science Daily)

Vopak’s proposed Prince Rupert fuel export terminal: 7 things you need to know
Running at full capacity, the Vopak Pacific Canada facility would bring 240 rail cars filled with combustibles through northwest B.C. every day and send 150 oil tankers across the Pacific each year. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Here's how climate change affects this 'living dinosaur' on B.C.'s coast
They might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word 'dinosaur,' but B.C.'s glass sponge reefs were thought to be extinct for an astounding 40 million years before they were re-discovered in B.C. in 1986.  But these ancient aquatic creatures face an imminent threat.  According to new research from the University of British Columbia, "warming ocean temperatures and acidification drastically reduce the skeletal strength and filter-feeding capacity of glass sponges." Elana Shepert writes. (Vancouver Is Awesome)

Tourists face uncertainty as First Nations communities question safety
As the province presses forward with its next phase of reopening for local tourism, many First Nations are keeping their territories closed to outsiders to avoid contagion. “I’m getting 30, 40, 50 emails and phone calls asking me ‘Can I come?’ ‘Will there be blockades?’ and I just can’t keep up with them,” said Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. “If you plan to travel within a First Nation’s territory, call and ask them if they are open to visitors.” As the province presses forward with its next phase of reopening for local tourism, many First Nations are keeping their territories closed to outsiders to avoid contagion. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

2018 Colstrip problems at center of $23.8 million rate increase hearing
The summer-long shutdown of the Colstrip power plant in 2018 took center stage Wednesday as NorthWestern Energy made its case for a $23.8 million rate increase to cover unexpected costs. The charges stem from unexpected power purchases during parts of 2018 and 2019, during which the monopoly utility bought 220,546 more megawatt hours of electricity than it had expected. The $23.8 million amount was attributed to higher than expected market prices. Tom Luted reports. (Ravalli Republic)

Amazon buys naming rights to KeyArena, will call it Climate Pledge Arena
The arena, home to the city’s incoming NHL franchise and WNBA's Storm, will be powered 100% by renewable electricity and seek to achieve a zero carbon footprint. NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke said the arena aims to produce zero waste, will source food locally and reduce all plastics by 2024. Geoff Baker reports. (Seattle Times)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  257 AM PDT Fri Jun 26 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. A chance of  showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 7 seconds building to 5 ft  at 7 seconds after midnight. A slight chance of showers. 
SAT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at  7 seconds. A slight chance of showers. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds. 
SUN  NW wind to 10 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 8 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

6/25 Crab grass, PCB, Roundup, arsenic, Fishtrap Cr, Norbeck Cr, toilet paper, cougars, salmon cannon, Intalco, wildfire smoke

Crab grass

Crab grass Digitaria sanguinalis
Introduced European weed that has become established although not abundantly locally. Digitaria from the Latin digitus ('finger'), because of the long finger-like arrangement of the inflorescence. The name 'crab grass' might allude to the long, creeping stems that freely root at the nodes, which bear some resemblance to crabs.

Monsanto to pay $95 million over PCB pollution in Washington state 
The agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit that blamed it for pervasive pollution from PCBs — toxic industrial chemicals that have accumulated in plants, fish and people around the globe for decades.Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Roundup Maker to Pay $10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits
When Bayer, the giant German chemical and pharmaceutical maker, acquired Monsanto two years ago, the company knew it was also buying the world’s best-known weedkiller. What it didn’t anticipate was a legal firestorm over claims that the herbicide, Roundup, caused cancer. Now Bayer is moving to put those troubles behind it, agreeing to pay more than $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims while continuing to sell the product without adding warning labels about its safety. Patricia Cohen reports. (NY Times)

Is pollution at old mill site reaching the Snohomish River?
Over 20 years after an initial cleanup of the former site of a Weyerhaeuser mill along the Snohomish River, the state isn't sure arsenic on the 9-acre lot is contained. Julia-grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald/paywall)

EPA fines company in Lynden $41,500 for releasing pollutants into Fishtrap Creek
A cold storage and food warehouse in Lynden has agreed to pay $41,500 for violating the federal Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency announced this week. Americold Logistics, 406 2nd St., was fined for violations that included discharging pollutants into Fishtrap Creek, which flows into the Nooksack River, the EPA said. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Regulators fine Everett manufacturer $327,000 for oil spills 
Two oil spills in July 2018 polluted a stormwater pond and tainted wildlife near Narbeck Creek. Janice Podsada reports. (Everett Herald/paywall)

Toilet paper wars: Contested report claims TP production devastating Canadian forests
U.S. group says toilet paper companies are fueling boreal deforestation. The forest industry disagrees. The toilet paper crisis of 2020 will probably be remembered as a strange and humorous aside to the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new report from the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defence Council says there's a different but more worrisome toilet paper crisis now looming in Canada, and it's driving global climate change. The Issue with Tissue 2.0: How the tree-to-toilet pipeline fuels our climate crisis, claims that a million acres of Canadian boreal forest is being clear cut every year, with a significant portion of the virgin wood fibre going to large American toilet paper producers. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Native and WA scientists join forces to secure cougars' future
As the I-5 corridor grows, both groups are working to safeguard big cats making the trek to the Olympic Peninsula. Rico Moore reports. (High Country News/Crosscut)

'Salmon cannon' up and running at B.C. landslide, but fish slow to arrive
A pump system dubbed the salmon cannon is up and running along a remote stretch of British Columbia's Fraser River in order to help fish move past a massive landslide. But Gwil Roberts, who's the director of the response to the slide for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said very few fish have arrived because of abnormally high snowpacks around the Fraser and its tributaries. Brenna Owen reports. (CBD)

Helter Smelter
...Before the pandemic, Intalco was making roughly $230 million annually. It has already lost $24 million this year. As a result, Intalco’s first wave of layoffs started on June 4. More than half of the 720 workers will be unemployed by June 21, said Glenn Farmer, the business representative for the International Association of Machinists in Ferndale. The second wave will likely take place by the end of July or early August, leaving only 25 workers to keep the equipment in working order, he said. Layoffs will continue with a target of 14 workers in about 12 months. Jacob Pederson reports. (The Planet)

Harmful effects of wildfire smoke are immediate and could make COVID-19 symptoms worse, UBC study warns
A study by University of British Columbia researchers underscores the immediate, harmful health effects of wildfire smoke and says there are concerning implications during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, published in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives, explores a link between high levels of fine particulates in wildfire smoke and increased ambulance dispatches. (Canadian Press)




Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Thu Jun 25 2020   
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Patchy fog in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 8 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

6/24 Hairy cat's ear, 'vital sign' indicators revised, wetlands rule, LNG by rail, ocean trash, faux fish

Hairy cat's ear [Harry Rose]

Hairy cat's ear Hypochaeris radicata
Hairy cat's ear is a perennial herb introduced from Europe. It is found in roadsides, lawns, pastures and disturbed ground most common in low elevations and around settled areas. It is listed as a noxious weed by Washington state and thought to be poisonous.

Puget Sound Leadership Council revises list of 'Vital Sign' indicators
It was ten years ago this summer that the Puget Sound Partnership first established what it called Puget Sound’s ‘Vital Signs,’ 25 indicators of Puget Sound health ranging from levels of toxic chemicals in fish to the abundance of Chinook salmon and southern resident orcas. Those indicators have now been revised and expanded, setting off a new chapter for Puget Sound recovery efforts.  Jeff Rice reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

'Firing up the bulldozers': Revamped WOTUS is here
The Trump administration's rule narrowing the scope of which wetlands and waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act takes effect in most of the country today [Monday], opening the door to developers eager to get to work ahead of a change in administration or future legal action. In the latest legal battle, a coalition of Native American tribes and environmental groups filed two lawsuits today [Monday] challenging the rule. EPA first unveiled its Navigable Waters Protection Rule in January. The regulation, also known as the Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS, rule, which is now the law of the land in every state but Colorado, pulls back federal oversight of up to half the nation's wetlands and 18% of streams — many of which had been protected since the Reagan administration.  Hannah Northey and Jeremy P. Jacobs report. (E&E News)

LNG Shipments by Rail Approved in US Amid Pipeline Battles
The Trump administration has taken the final step to allow rail shipments of liquefied natural gas, a new front in the movement of energy products that had been opposed by environmental groups and 15 states. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration published the rule late last week for shipments of the flammable and odorless liquid known as LNG. The rule comes amid foundering prices for natural gas in the U.S., as court and regulatory battles over pipeline projects have slowed movement of the nation's world-leading gas production to markets. Marc Levy reports. (Associated Press)

Ocean Voyages Institute hauls in record 103 tons of trash from Pacific Ocean
The Ocean Voyages Institute [Tuesday] morning pulled into Pier 29 in Honolulu with more than 100 tons of marine trash hauled from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, mission completed despite the ongoing pandemic. The Sausalito, Calf.-based nonprofit once again chartered the locally-based, sailing cargo ship Kwai for the 48-day expedition that set out in early May. Crews early this morning unloaded the trash — 103 tons of it — from the ship, heralding it as a record amount ever to be collected from within the depths and surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Nina Wu reports. (Star-Advertiser)

The Faux Fish Coming to a Restaurant Near You
Alternative fish has arrived on the market. Can it help save marine life and feed a hungry world? Brian Payton reports. (Hakai Magazine)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  238 AM PDT Wed Jun 24 2020   
TODAY  Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 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

6/23 Bear grass, WA water quality, Fraser salt marsh, Arctic warming, fish fleet virus

Bear grass [Barbara Mumblo/USFS]

Bear grass Xerophyllum tenax
The species grows from near sea level to over 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in open coniferous woods, dry ridges, rocky slopes and clearings. It ranges over a wide geographic area in western North America [and] is a common occurrence in the Olympic, Cascade, northern Sierra Nevada, and Rocky Mountains. Native Americans have long used bear grass for a variety of purposes. Leaves were used for basket weaving, leaf fibers for clothing and the rhizomes roasted for food. Eastern prairie tribes boiled the roots for a hair tonic and the treatment for sprains. Russ Holmes writes. (US Forest Service)

Washington’s water quality standards back in court after EPA rollback
A coalition of environmental groups, commercial fishermen and the Makah Tribe are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency over its decision to roll back water quality regulations in Washington state. At issue are human health standards that the EPA itself forced the state to adopt just a few years ago. Washington updated its water quality standards in 2016 to bring the state in line with the Clean Water Act. But, after litigation from environmental groups, the EPA forced the state to adopt stricter standards, to ensure that people who consume large amounts of fish are protected. Now, the EPA has retracted those rules.  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

How a salt marsh could be a secret weapon against sea level rise in B.C.’s Fraser delta
An often-underrated ecosystem supports millions of migratory birds, provides critical habitat for young salmon, absorbs carbon and plays an essential role in flood prevention. An ambitious project aims to draw on the power of the salt marsh, gradually raising its level to create a ‘living dike' Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Arctic Circle sees 'highest-ever' recorded temperatures
Temperatures in the Arctic Circle are likely to have hit an all-time record on Saturday, reaching a scorching 38C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, a Siberian town. The record still needs to be verified, but it appears to have been 18C higher than the average maximum daily temperature in June. Hot summer weather is not uncommon in the Arctic Circle, but recent months have seen abnormally high temperatures. The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average. (BBC)

Coronavirus is making it difficult for Whatcom’s commercial fishing fleet this season
The commercial fishing industry is facing an uncertain summer as Whatcom County’s economy reopens from the global new coronavirus pandemic. A new report from the Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham indicates the local fishing fleet is dealing with a host of hurdles this summer, particularly for fishing boat captains who want to go to Alaska. Crew safety is proving to be particularly tough to figure out, as shown by the three American Seafoods fishing boats that had more than 100 crew members test positive for the virus after docking at Bellingham Cold Storage in late May and early June. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PDT Tue Jun 23 2020   
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. W swell  4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  rain.




--
"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

6/22 Foxglove, Fraser chinook, border closure, spotted owl, butterflies, 'exploding whale,' sea otters, Trump's toxins

Foxglove

Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials commonly called foxgloves. The best-known species is the common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. This biennial plant is often grown as an ornamental plant due to its vivid flowers which range in colour from various purple tints through pink, and purely white. The term digitalis is also used for drug preparations that contain cardiac glycosides, particularly one called digoxin, extracted from various plants of this genus. Foxglove has medicinal uses but can also be toxic to humans and other animals. (Wikipedia)

Ottawa announces 'unprecedented action' to protect Fraser River chinook
Expanded fishing closures and size restrictions are part of new actions announced by the federal government to protect threatened Fraser River chinook salmon. Terry Beech, parliamentary secretary to the fisheries minister, says large areas of the ocean near the mouth of the Fraser River will be closed to fishing and chinook that are more 80 centimetres long must be released. He says they're taking the unprecedented action because of historic low populations of chinook salmon, which are the favoured food of endangered southern resident killer whales. (CBC)

Whatcom jobs, families depend on an open U.S.-Canada border. Here’s the summer outlook
Fully reopening the U.S.-Canadian border is going to take time, and it will be even longer before cross-border shopping and visits recover. That’s one of the assessments made by a group of panelists during a Western Washington University presentation held via Zoom on Friday, June 19. Three experts talked about the future of the border in the presentation, which was moderated by Laurie Trautman, director at Western’s Border Policy Research Institute. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham HeraldO\)

Tracking The Sound Of The Spotted Owl's Extinction
The spotted owl changed the fate of Northwest forests in the summer of 1990. Thirty years later, what hope, if any, do biologists hold for the fate of the spotted owl? Ian McCluskey writes. (OPB)

Citizen scientists fan out to identify, photograph local butterflies
A growing army of 200 citizen scientists will deploy across the Lower Mainland starting Monday, hoping to find and document local butterflies. The effort is part of National Pollinators Week and sponsored by the David Suzuki Foundation. It's part of the BIMBY program — short for butterflies in my backyard. According to project lead Winnie Hwo, volunteers were already busy in April, planting butterfly-friendly native plants to build a network or "butterflyway" that also supports birds and bees. (CBC)

‘Exploding Whale’ Park Memorializes Blubber Blast 50 Years Later
Residents of a coastal Oregon city voted to name a park for a 1970 explosion that rained chunks of rotting whale flesh on curious bystanders. Bryan Pietsch reports. (NY Times)

But does cuteness count? A cost-benefit analysis of sea otters encourages Oregon return backers
A study of sea otter restoration in British Columbia is giving encouragement to a group that wants to bring sea otters back to the Oregon Coast. A research report in the June 12 issue of the journal Science found that the return of sea otters yields far more in ecological benefits and ecotourism dollars than in costs to commercial fisheries. The research team led by the University of British Columbia analyzed the rebound in sea otters off the coast of Vancouver Island. The researchers wrote that the return of the keystone species from near-extinction resulted in healthier kelp forests, which in turn could store carbon and spur increased fish populations and catches. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Trump’s toxic torrent of environmental rollbacks impedes social justice
At this point, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the White House is pursuing a massive rollback of our nation’s environmental protections. Given everything going on in the world today, many people probably don’t realize that the most critical — and most egregious — of these rollbacks has been finalized just in the last three months. To put it bluntly, while our country wrestles with a devastating disease outbreak, a debilitating economic crisis, and an outpouring of anger and grief over racial injustice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies have quietly burned the midnight oil to complete a march of policies certain to worsen our health, damage our environment and leave a toxic legacy for our children. Laura Watson writes. (Seattle Times)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PDT Mon Jun 22 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 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

6/19 Cattail, Peace Arch Park, MacKay Cr, Fish Geek, BC Ferries, Trump's rollbacks, national parks help, gas plant cleanup, 30-yr mortgage

Cattail

Cattail Typha latifolia
Coastal aboriginal peoples wove leaves of cattail and bulrushes into mats for bedding, sitting or kneeling on in canoes, as insulation for winter homes, or for capes, hats, blankets or bags. Cattail seed fluff was used as stuffing for pillows and mattresses, as a wound dressing and for diapers. Cattail provides important habitat and food for many marsh animals such as wrens, blackbirds, waterfowl and muskrats. (Plants of the Pacific NW Coast)

B.C. closing Peace Arch park at Canada-U.S. border due to 'significant' number of visitors 
The province of British Columbia is closing its portion of Peace Arch Park on the U.S.-Canada border, saying a "significant" increase in the number of visitors over the last month has created public safety concerns. The park has been a loophole for loved ones and families separated since the international border closed, providing a mutual cross-country meeting point between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash. The park straddles the 49th parallel and is a space shared by both Canada and the United States, where it is known as Peace Arch Historical State Park. B.C. Parks owns the northern half, while Washington State Parks owns the southern half. The U.S. portion of the park is still open for day use, according to the Washington State Parks website. (CBC)

Transformation of North Shore's MacKay Creek takes seven years 
Restoring MacKay Creek and estuary in North Vancouver has meant removing at least 16 tonnes of invasive species and debris since 2013. The transformation of the lower part of the creek has created a much more welcoming environment for many bird species as well as for coho, chum and pink salmon, according to Krystal Brennan, outreach coordinator for Wildcoast Ecological Society. The society, along with project partners Echo Ecological, still has more restoration work to do. On Sunday, they completed a video showing how the waterway has been transformed since BCIT students started working on the estuary. Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun)

If you like to watch: The Natural History of the Fish Geek
As a playful Salish Sea Wild prescription for troubled times, Dr. Joe “Fish Geek” Gaydos and Bob “Attenborough” Friel present a lighthearted take on SeaDoc’s citizen science partnership with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).

Province bails out B.C. Ferries to stave off coastal ferry cuts
B.C.’s transportation minister abruptly reversed course Thursday and found the necessary funding to prevent cuts to ferry sailings on the coast. Claire Trevena said Thursday that government will pay for sailings that were slated to be eliminated on 11 minor routes, after a standoff in recent weeks between the province and B.C. Ferries over funding...The province currently provides B.C. Ferries almost $200 million annually to help run the coastal ferry system, with ticket fares, retail sales and a small subsidy from Ottawa making up the rest of the corporation’s revenue. The new funding, around $180,000, will temporarily stave off the cuts to 11 coastal routes until September. After that, Trevena said the hope is B.C. Ferries’ finances will have stabilized and it can resume operations without the extra money. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Trump Is Using the Pandemic to Undo Environmental Rules. It’s Hurting Black Americans.
Under the cover of the pandemic, the Trump administration has been hard at work dismantling the rules that protect public health...These rollbacks do not affect everyone equally—they’re particularly devastating for people of color. Rebecca Leber reports. (Mother Jones)

US Senate Passes Funding Boost To Conservation Fund, Help For National Parks
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would further protect public lands and recreation across the country. The legislation would also help relieve a massive maintenance backlog on federal lands... The Great American Outdoors Act would permanently allocate $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which finally lapsed almost two years ago. Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell pushed to fully authorize the fund at $900 million per year. That would nearly double the fund’s allotment in recent years. Last year, she co-sponsored a bill to permanently reauthorize the fund. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

These are the next steps in proposed cleanup of former gas plant at Boulevard Park
Public comments will be accepted through July 21 for a proposed $9.3 million cleanup of pollutants left behind by a former gas manufacturing plant and other historic industries on the north end of Boulevard Park. An online public meeting for the project for the South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant Site has been set for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald) And if you like to watch: Take a self-guided tour of the South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant Site and make a public comment on the cleanup action plan.  (RE Sources)

Rising Seas Threaten an American Institution: The 30-Year Mortgage
Climate change is starting to transform the classic home loan, a fixture of the American experience and financial system that dates back generations. Christopher Flavelle reports. (NY Times)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PDT Fri Jun 19 2020   
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 11 seconds. A slight chance of showers  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds. Showers  likely in the evening then showers after midnight. 
SAT  E wind to 10 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Showers in the morning  then a chance of showers in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 10 seconds. 
SUN  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 9 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

6/18 Horsetail, shellfish permit, Kay Treakle, TM oil spill, helping salmon, BC ferries, Salish Sea stewards

Common horsetail [US Forest Service]

Common Horsetail Equisetum arvense
An herbaceous perennial relative of ferns, common horsetail consists of two types of stems; sterile, non- reproductive and photosynthetic, and reproductive and non- photosynthetic. Common horsetail is distributed throughout temperate and arctic areas of the northern hemisphere, growing typically in moist soils.  It has a long history of cultural use with Native Americans and ancient Roman and Chinese physicians using it to treat a variety of ailments. It is still of interest today as an herbal remedy because of its purported effectiveness as a diuretic. Robinson Sudan writes. (US Forest Service)

Washington shellfish growers reeling after judge throws out general permit
A federal judge has thrown out a general permit for the shellfish industry in Washington that has reduced the regulatory burden on them for decades. Now, growers will have to apply individually to continue existing operations. And an industry group is planning to appeal. Criticism of the commercial shellfish industry in Washington’s tidelands has been mounting for years, because of concerns about its impacts on the iconic coastal waters and ecosystems. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX) See also: Farmed Shellfish Is Not Immune to Climate Change  Touted as a sustainable source of protein, shellfish aquaculture may reach a tipping point by 2060. Kimberly Riskas reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Kay Treakle took on oil tankers and nuclear reactors. Cancer took the Tacoma activist too soon.
Kay Treakle, according to her longtime husband, Bruce Hoeft, was fearless and funny. Blunt and unflinching. Strategic and whip smart. Tireless, empathetic and a constant advocate for the underdog. Treakle, an accomplished and steadfast environmental activist who died June 10 at the age of 65 after a two-year battle with liver cancer, was also unquestionably Tacoma, until the very end, Hoeft explained. “She just wanted to get (expletive) done, always,” Hoeft, said Tuesday, channeling a small slice of his wife’s no-nonsense style. Matt Driscoll reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Trans Mountain oil spill bolsters Sumas First Nation opposition to twinned pipeline
An oil spill at a Trans Mountain pipeline pump station in Abbotsford, B.C., over the weekend has bolstered the Sumas First Nation's opposition to seeing the pipeline twinned through its territory.... Sumas First Nation Chief Dalton Silver said trust is stretched thin and that the spill response co-ordination has been frustrating. "It's not going all that well as far as Indigenous involvement in a territory that we look at as unceded territory," he said.  He said since learning about the spill on Saturday morning it's been a challenge to get independent monitors on-site. He's also concerned about how and when details are being communicated to the Nation.  Chantelle Bellrichard reports. (CBC)

Everything counts when helping young salmon survive their risky journey to the sea
Chris Dunagan follows up with more reporting on salmon survival, the Seattle seawall, a fish ladder on the Green River's Howard Hansen Dam, and the history of the 'no net loss' policy of wetlands and critical shoreline habitats. (Puget Sound Institute)

The scramble to help Chinook salmon past landslide danger zone
One of the most important food sources for the Northwest’s endangered orcas was devastated by a rockslide last year, Canadian officials have revealed. Officials are now scrambling to help this year’s Chinook salmon migrate past the danger zone on Canada’s Fraser River to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Transport minister unhappy with B.C. Ferries' plans to cut sailings
A plan by B.C. Ferries to cut sailings on many minor routes is unfortunate and premature, B.C.’s transportation minister says. Claire Trevena is calling on the company to put a hold on the cuts to 11 routes — including to her home on Quadra Island — as it negotiates with the provincial and federal governments...B.C. Ferries is targeting the most underutilized sailings on the 11 routes — Salt Spring/Vesuvius–Crofton, Earls Cove–Saltery Bay, Snug Cove–Horseshoe Bay, Powell River–Comox, Powell River–Texada, Nanaimo–Gabriola, Denman and Hornby islands, Campbell River–Quadra Island, Quadra–Cortes, and Skidegate–Alliford Bay on Haida Gwaii. The ferry corporation has not indicated when it intends to make the cuts. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Newest Salish Sea Stewards at the ready — and waiting
The popular volunteer training program that prepares participants for summer beach, boat and education work was held remotely this year due to the pandemic. Despite it marking the first time Salish Sea Stewards trainees didn't get their feet muddy or hands wet during the program, 22 new volunteers completed the 40 hours of lessons last week.   They join the roster of now hundreds of Salish Sea Stewards at the ready for projects including kayaking to monitor kelp, digging to monitor shellfish, seining beaches to evaluate marine life at restoration sites and staffing the visitor center at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  225 AM PDT Thu Jun 18 2020   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 3  ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 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

6/17 Canarygrass, border closure, SRKW hunting, BC gas pipe, rising emissions, energy overhaul, manure

Ree canarygrass

Reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea
Reed canarygrass typically occurs in soils that are saturated or nearly saturated for most of the growing season. Established stands can tolerate extended periods of inundation. It grows in roadside ditches, river dikes, shallow marshes, wetlands and meadows.  Canarygrass is a major threat to natural wetlands. It out competes most native species as it forms large, single-species stands, outcompeting other species. Dense stands have little wildlife habitat value. Its invasion can cause siltation in irrigation ditches. Reed canarygrass can spread by seeds or by creeping rhizomes. The species will also produce roots and shoots from the nodes of freshly cut stems. (Washington Toxic Weed Control)

Canada-U.S. border to remain closed to non-essential travel for another month
An agreement has once again been reached between Canada and the United States to keep the border closed to all non-essential or "discretionary" travel for another month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced. The extension on the existing agreement means that the border restrictions will stay in place until July 21, even as both countries continue to reopen their economies. Brooklyn Neustaeter (CTVNews)

Sound Strategy: Hunting with the Southern Residents
Southern Resident killer whales can tell a lot about salmon using only sound. This is especially interesting to Marla Holt, who studies how integral sound is to the lives of Southern Resident killer whales. Indeed, it’s critical to their hunting abilities. It is so precise that the whales can tell one species of fish from another. Their hunting is also easily interrupted by noise. Along with disturbance from boat traffic, noise is considered one of the key threats to these endangered whales. (NOAA Fisheries)

Coastal GasLink ramps up pipeline work, 4 months after Wet'suwet'en land conflict sparked rail blockades
Coastal GasLink is ramping up construction across northern B.C, just months after a high profile conflict over Wet'suwet'en land rights sparked RCMP raids on the pipeline route and rail blockades across the country. Now, the company says about 2,500 people will be putting pipe in the ground by September, along the 670 kilometre route, from the gas fields of northeastern B.C. to the Pacific. The $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline will carry natural gas to a $40 billion LNG terminal under construction in Kitimat, representing one of the largest private sector investments in Canadian history. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

Emissions Are Surging Back as Countries and States Reopen
After a drastic decline this spring, global greenhouse gas emissions are now rebounding sharply, scientists reported, as countries relax their coronavirus lockdowns and traffic surges back onto roads. It’s a stark reminder that even as the pandemic rages, the world is still far from getting global warming under control. Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich report. (NY Times)

Absent From Stimulus Packages: Overhauling Energy, Climate Programs
Around the world leaders see opportunity in the global pandemic to address the other big problem humanity faces: climate change. The United Nations and International Energy Agency suggest all nations consider climate when drafting stimulus plans. The European Union is developing a plan that does that. But here in the United States, climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions have not been a part of the $3 trillion in relief packages passed so far. That’s despite the country’s history of passing big energy programs to boost the economy. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

B.C. fossil discovery demonstrates 50-million-year-old link between Canada and Australia
An insect fossil found near Kamloops, B.C., has researchers questioning the global movement of animals and evolutionary changes based on climate.  The fossil, estimated to be 50 million years old, was found in B.C., but its closest relatives now live exclusively in Australia. This has experts contemplating a Canada-Australia connection that had not been considered.  "I'm starting to see insects which are shared with Australia today and that's a little bit harder to explain, that's more mysterious," said paleontologist Bruce Archibald, who discovered the fossil. "Australia was not connected by land with B.C. [at that time]." (CBC)

Turning manure into money
Farmers and utilities are burning methane for energy — and curtailing a powerful greenhouse gas in the process. Jim Morrison reports. (Washington Post)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  229 AM PDT Wed Jun 17 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 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  5 ft at 9 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

6/16 Skunk cabbage, BC salmon, BC old-growth, BC forestry watchdog

Skunk cabbage

Skunk cabbage
Skunk cabbage is a perennial wildflower that grows in swampy, wet areas of forest lands. This unusual plant sprouts very early in the spring, and has an odd chemistry that creates its own heat, often melting the snow around itself as it first sprouts in the spring. (Gardening Knowhow)

Governments commit $3M to projects restoring B.C. salmon habitat
The B.C. and federal governments have announced funding for seven projects that will help restore salmon habitats in the province. The projects will receive $3 million over five years under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund. New applications for the funding will be accepted from July 15 to Sept. 15. The projects will help salmon get upstream to reach spawning grounds, provide new information about their habits and populations, and contribute to ongoing efforts to have healthy salmon populations in the Pacific. (Canadian Press)

Scientists say the last of British Columbia’s old-growth trees will soon be gone, if policies don’t change 
Most of British Columbia’s old-growth forests of big trees live only on maps, and what’s left on the ground is fast disappearing, a team of independent scientists has found. A recent report revealed the amount of old-growth forest still standing in the province has been overestimated by more than 20% and most of the last of what’s left is at risk of being logged within the next 12 years. In the report, the scientists revealed most of the forest counted as old growth by the province is actually small alpine or boggy forest. It’s old — but the trees are not the giants most people think of when they are referring to old growth. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C.’s forestry watchdog needs greater independence, ‘new path forward’: former board members
The 25-year-old institution must better address Indigenous Rights, climate change and the public interest, critics say. It’s up for the challenge, board chair promises. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  228 AM PDT Tue Jun 16 2020   
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 7 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 10 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

6/15 Dogwood, TM pipe spill, anchovies, reusable bags, plastic everywhere, rat poison, climate science, sea otters

Pacific Dogwood [Native Plants PNW]

Pacific Dogwood Cornus nuttallii
Dogwood is found from southwest British Columbia, western Washington and Oregon and on the west slopes of the Californian mountain ranges. Natives used the hard, dried wood for harpoon shafts and other implements.  The wood has also been used to make thread spindles, golf club heads and piano keys. It was named after Thomas Nuttall, an English botanist and zoologist. (Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest)

Trans Mountain Pipeline spill in Abbotsford estimated at up to 190,000 litres of crude oil
A spill of light crude oil on Saturday from the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Abbotsford, B.C. has now been estimated at between 150,000 to 190,000 litres, or up to 1,195 barrels. Trans Mountain says the pipeline was immediately shut down after learning of a spill at its Sumas Pump Station early Saturday morning.  It says the spill was confined to the facility's property and no waterways were impacted. (CBC)

How blooms of northern anchovies are helping bring more sea life back to Burrard Inlet
It's not easy to spot northern anchovies in murky sea water, but a school of these 10-centimetre-long fish can often set off a frenzy of hungry seabirds and sea mammals that reveals their underwater dance. The sight of anchovy scales catching the glint of the sun is becoming more common in B.C. waters, marine biologists say, and that could be drawing other, bigger species back to busy waterways like the Burrard Inlet in Metro Vancouver. Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

Reusable bags slowly return to B.C. stores as plastic ones used during pandemic pile up
One of the unexpected consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was the sudden pause imposed on the increasingly widespread acceptance and usage of reusable bags. But as some stores across B.C. are once again allowing shoppers to use their own bags to pack their groceries, returning to a habit many had before the height of the pandemic has been slow. Provincial officials lifted guidelines advising against reusable bags seven weeks ago, but some stores and shoppers have yet to return to the bring-your-own-bag routine.  Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

From national parks to the deep sea, plastic pollution is showing up wherever scientists look
In 2017, Janice Brahney was examining dust that had blown across the wilderness of the Western United States to determine its nutrient composition. She slid her samples under a microscope, expecting to see the usual quartz and feldspar grains, pollen and random bug parts. Instead, what leaped from the lens were candy-colored shards and spherules — blue, pink and red plastics mixed with the dust like foul confetti. John Metcalfe reports. (Washington Post)

North Vancouver district to vote on banning rat poison over fears of impact on wildlife
District of North Vancouver council is voting to ban the use of rodenticides on its municipal properties because of the threat it poses to local wildlife. Council will vote on the ban Monday, and urge the province to consider B.C.-wide prohibition of anticoagulant rodenticides. Rat poison has been widely criticised for how it moves through the food chain after it's ingested by a rat. Trace amounts are found in local wildlife and can be harmful to predators like owls, according to a council report. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)


A War Against Climate Science, Waged by Washington’s Rank and File
Efforts to undermine climate change science in the federal government, once orchestrated largely by President Trump’s political appointees, are now increasingly driven by midlevel managers trying to protect their jobs and budgets and wary of the scrutiny of senior officials, according to interviews and newly revealed reports and surveys. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

What Happens When Sea Otters Eat 15 Pounds of Shellfish A Day 
Sea otter populations are rebounding in the eastern North Pacific. There, they devour huge quantities of shellfish and other marine critters that people like to eat, too. But any commercial losses to fisheries are far outweighed by economic benefits associated with the otters, according to a new study. The analysis, published in the journal Science, suggests that when sea otters return to their historic habitats, they fundamentally alter the ecosystem and produce financial gains that are potentially more than seven times greater than the costs. Nell Greenfieldboyce reports. (NPR)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  248 AM PDT Mon Jun 15 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. Rain  in the morning then showers likely in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft o




--
"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

6/12 Dogfish, Nuu-hhah-nulth land, 2nd hornet, Wood Creek trees, sea otters, tompot blennies

Pacific spiny dogfish

Pacific Spiny Dogfish Squalus suckleyi
Pacific spiny dogfish are more common off the U.S. West Coast and British Columbia than in the Gulf of Alaska or the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region. Spiny dogfish can live more than 80 years. Spiny dogfish aren’t able to reproduce until they’re older – females mature at an average age of 35, males mature at an average age of 19. Female spiny dogfish are internally fertilized, and pups are retained in utero for 18 to 22 months. Depending on their size, female spiny dogfish can have up to 22 pups each reproductive cycle. Females generally release their young during the fall in shallow bays. The newborn pups range in length from 8½ to 12 inches. (NOAA)
 
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council refusing to reopen territory until specific COVID-19 protocols in place
A Vancouver Island First Nation has issued an order aimed at protecting its members from COVID-19, just as the B.C. government is making plans to reopen tourism. On Tuesday, the Nuu-hhah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC), representing 14 First Nations along 300 kilometres of territory, passed a motion prohibiting visitors on Nuu-hhah-nulth land until the health and safety of its own members can be guaranteed by the province. Bridgette Watson reports. (CBC)

2nd confirmed Asian giant hornet this year found 15 miles from 1st location
Officials with the Washington State Department of Agriculture reported today that the 2nd confirmed sighting of an Asian giant hornet (AGH) this year has been made. Officials say a resident in Bellingham reported finding what they suspected to be an AGH on Saturday, June 6th. WSDA officials said the resident found it on their porch wiggling around and stepped on it. (My Ferndale News)

Everett yanks Wood Creek acreage from surplus property list
The Wood Creek watershed will remain in its natural state for now. People rallied to keep 92½ acres of city-owned land just south of the Valley View neighborhood off the surplus property list last month. Mayor Cassie Franklin removed it May 27 during the Everett City Council meeting in response to public comment, city spokesperson Kimberley Cline said in an email. Ben Watanabe reports. (Everett Herald)

Sea Otters Can Be Money Makers, But Not Everyone Benefits
Sea otter populations are rebounding in the eastern North Pacific. There, they devour huge quantities of shellfish and other marine critters that people like to eat, too. But any commercial losses to fisheries are far outweighed by economic benefits associated with the otters, according to a new study. The analysis, published in the journal Science, suggests that when sea otters return to their historic habitats, they fundamentally alter the ecosystem and produce financial gains that are potentially more than seven times greater than the costs. Nell Greenfieldboyce reports. (NPR)

One Great Shot: Fighting to Mate
These British fish aren’t too polite to duke it out for mating rights. Henley Spiers writes. (Hakai Magazine)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PDT Fri Jun 12 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain in the  morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
SAT  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. Showers likely. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 8 seconds. 
SUN  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 8 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