10/1 Osoberry, BC seamounts, kids climate, forage fish survey, Duwamish R parks, border boater, refinery flaring

Indian-plum [Greg Rabourn]

 
Indian-plum Oemlaria cerasiformis
Indian-plum also known as osoberry were eaten in small quantities fresh, cooked or dried by the Straits Salish, Halq'emeylem, Squamish and several Washington Salish groups. Some First Nations people call them 'choke-cherries' because they are astringent, but they are quite palatable when fully ripe. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

British Columbia’s Seamounts Are Becoming Uninhabitable
In the northeast Pacific, the upper 3,000 meters of water has lost 15 percent of its oxygen over the past 60 years, and the top 500 meters is simultaneously becoming more acidic at an unprecedented rate, a study by Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists has found. The changes, which the scientists say are a consequence of climate change, threaten the survival of the black coral, brittle stars, rockfish, and other species that live around the towering seamounts that lie off the British Columbia coast. The scientists say the seamount ecosystem—regarded as an oasis of life in the deep ocean—will be irreversibly changed, and there will likely be local extinctions. The research shows the previously studied large oxygen minimum zone between 480 and 1,700 meters has some of the lowest oxygen levels in the global ocean, and it is expanding. The 15 percent loss of oxygen puts the northeast Pacific way above the two percent loss seen in oceans globally over the past 70 years. Judith Lavoie reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Ottawa argues youth-led climate change lawsuit too broad to be tried in court
Federal lawyers argue that a lawsuit alleging the Canadian government has violated the charter rights of 15 youth is far too broad to be heard in court and should be thrown out. The case, La Rose et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen, was initially filed on Oct. 25, 2019, and involves more than a dozen children and teens from across Canada who are making a relatively novel legal argument — that their rights to life, liberty, security and equality are being violated because Ottawa has not done enough to protect against climate change. Hearings began in a federal court in Vancouver on Sept. 30 and are expected to last two days. Justice Michael Manson will then decide if the case should be heard in a federal court. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

Forage fish surveys resume on beaches
After a four-month hiatus and slow restart to adjust to COVID-19 safety protocols, volunteer forage fish surveys along Skagit County beaches are back in full swing. A group of new and seasoned volunteers walked a stretch of Fidalgo Bay shoreline under blue skies Monday, occasionally scooping up samples of gravel along the high tide line. They were searching for surf smelt eggs, which look like near-translucent, tiny beads. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Public scoring ends tonight [Wednesday] in Port of Seattle’s renaming campaign for 6 Duwamish River parks
The Port of Seattle owns and operates six public parks along the Duwamish River that many people don’t even know exist. That’s changing as the port engages community in a renaming process meant to help residents reclaim the properties and their heritage. The parks currently have forgettable, utilitarian names based on their function or geography: “Terminal 107,” for example — or “Eighth Avenue South Street End” or “Turning Basin 3.” “You know, they really have a romantic ring to them,” joked Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman. “So, we can only do better.” Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

U.S. boater fined $1,000 after illegally crossing marine border to pick up girlfriend in B.C.
RCMP have issued an American man a $1,000 fine for contravening Canada's Quarantine Act after he illegally boated across the Canada-U.S. marine border to pick up his girlfriend in B.C. Surrey RCMP say officers were patrolling the border near the Southern Gulf Islands on Sunday when they came across a boat anchored in the Crescent Beach Channel, located near Blackie Spit Park in Surrey, B.C. Officers discovered the man was from Bellingham, Wash., and had left his home port that morning to pick up his girlfriend at Elgin Park Marina in Surrey. Police arrested the man, seized his boat and fined him $1,000 under the Quarantine Act. He had also to pay another $1,000 for the return of his vessel and was ordered to leave Canada immediately. (CBC)

Swinomish seeking early, direct notice of refinery flaring issues
After spending Tuesday morning attending online meetings from inside his home, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Vice Chairman Joe Williams stepped outside to do yard work and was confronted with an overwhelming smell. “It was a definite chemical smell. Immediately what I thought was that something was burning at the refinery flare ... and I checked the wind direction,” he said. On Tuesday, Williams confirmed there was an unintended flaring incident at the Shell Puget Sound Refinery north of the reservation. He was impressed to learn that Swinomish police had promptly issued an alert for residents to stay indoors after the odor rolled in. “Our notification team was pretty rapid about making sure the word was out and that everybody stayed inside if possible,” Williams said. Direct notice from the refinery at March Point when something goes wrong would be better, he said. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Thu Oct 1 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. SW swell 4 ft at 14 seconds building to W 7 ft at  15 seconds in the afternoon. Haze in the morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds.

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