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.




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