9/25 Yarrow, super pod, Lolita, crab poaching, Skagit salmon, sage grouse, Trump's SCOTUS, eelgrass

Common Yarrow [Native Plants PNW]

 
Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium 
Yarrow is common throughout much of the northern hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is long been used as a medicinal herb. The genus name Achillea is derived from Achilles, who reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. It is great for a butterfly garden. It can be mowed and is often a component of eco-lawns. (Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest)

A bouncing baby orca boy! And other promising killer whale news from Puget Sound
On the day the orca baby was born, the whales partied into the night. “That day, on September 5, was really remarkable,” said Howard Garrett, co-founder of the Orca Network. Whales from three pods converged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, north of the Olympic Peninsula. The J-Pod orcas swam down from the Georgia Strait, where they’d been for five days. Angela King and Kim Shepard report. (KUOW)

On Lolita’s 50th Anniversary At Miami Seaquarium, Native American Tribe Lumni Nation Wants To Bring Whale Home
Thursday marked 50 years of Lolita’s arrival at the Miami Seaquarium and members of the Lumni Nation traveled across the country to hold a ceremony asking for the orca’s release...They held a live-streamed virtual event bringing global Indigenous voices together with those from the worlds of education, Western science, and law, all standing in solidarity with Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Lolita). Lolita has lived at the marine park since 1970. (CBS Miami)

Fisheries officials seize 316 Canadian crab traps set in U.S. water as part of annual sting
Officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have seized 316 crab traps they claim were illegally set in U.S. water this month, as part of an annual enforcement operation coordinated with their American counterparts. Art Demsky, field office supervisor with the DFO's conservation and protection detachment, was on the water on the first day of the operation, Sept. 11. He said the conditions were very smokey, with low visibility that made it challenging to catch the fishers crossing the boundary. Demsky said the traps they seized, along with four vessels from the 24-boat Boundary Bay dungeness crab fishing fleet, may only represent half of  the number of infractions of fishery laws. Rafferty Baker reports. (CBC)

Group: Collaboration key, challenges remain for salmon recovery
Few things bring diverse groups together like a shared love for the Skagit River watershed. That was a theme shared by local tribal members, government leaders and conservation group staff at the Skagit Watershed Council’s annual meeting, held Wednesday over Zoom to discuss the latest efforts to save the salmon of the Skagit River and Salish Sea...The Skagit Watershed Council is the lead agency for prioritizing local salmon recovery projects and seeking grant funding to complete that work. The council is comprised of 44 member organizations, including tribes, government agencies and nonprofits. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

In 'Grouse,' one odd bird helps explain WA's political divisions
Seattle journalist Ashley Ahearn's move to the Methow Valley inspired a podcast that seeks to understand her rural neighbors through the controversial sage grouse. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Supreme Court Could Give Trump Second Chance at Environmental Rollbacks
President Trump has initiated the most aggressive environmental deregulation agenda in modern history, but as his first term drives to a close, many of his policies are being cut down by the courts — even by Republican-appointed jurists who the administration had hoped would be friendly. Those losses have actually heightened the stakes in the election and the fight over a replacement on the Supreme Court for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A second term, coupled with a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court, could save some of his biggest environmental rollbacks. Lisa Friedman and John Schwartz report. (NY Times)

Important transplants took place in Mannion Bay last week
Over the past few years, SeaChange has done eelgrass transplants across the sound (including four on Gambier, one on Keats, and two on Bowen––last year in Tunstall Bay), as well as subtidal garbage cleanups, replanting vegetation along shorelines, community engagement and some eelgrass mapping. Bronwyn Beairsto reports. (Bowen Island Undercurrent)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  640 AM PDT Fri Sep 25 2020   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING  THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SW wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the  morning then becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Combined seas  13 to 14 ft with a dominant period of 13 seconds. Rain in the  morning then showers likely in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  12 ft at 12 seconds subsiding to 10 ft at 11 seconds after  midnight. Showers likely in the evening then a chance of showers  after midnight. 
SAT  SW wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 10 seconds. Showers  likely. 
SAT NIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds.

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