11/13 Juniper, La Nina, bC fish farms, Clallam mining, glyphosate protest, Dave Quall, remote MPZ, exploded whale, border voting

Common juniper [Native Plants PNW]

 
Common Juniper Juniperus communis
Common Juniper lives up to its name, being the only circumpolar conifer of the northern hemisphere. It grows from near sea level in lowland bogs, in dry, open woods and on rocky slopes to subalpine ridges and alpine tundras. In the old world the berries are known for their use as the flavoring for gin. North American native used all parts of this plant for various medicinal purposes, They used the fragrant branches for rituals and in sweat lodges. The dried berries were used as beads to make necklaces and to decorate dresses by California tribes. (Dana Kelley Bressette/Native Plants PNW)

Chances for a La Niña winter in Pacific Northwest a 'sure bet,' meteorologists say
Meteorologists say they've watched the La Niña strengthen through the month of October and say it has about a 95% chance of driving our weather this winter. (KING)

B.C.'s open-net salmon farms on the way out, but replacement systems may differ by region
The federal government's plan to phase out open-net salmon farms on the B.C. coast could result in different rules for different areas of the province. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it is exploring the use of an "area-based management approach" to aquaculture that would take into account the cumulative impact of groups of fish farms in a certain area. (CBC)

County adopts mining laws, updates code for compliance
Clallam County has adopted new mining regulations as required by state law. The three commissioners have approved unanimously three ordinances related to mineral resources, saying they sought a balance between the need for sand and gravel mining and the need to protect the environment from its impacts...The ordinances affect nearly 300,000 acres of mineral resource lands in the county. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Protesters in Prince George, B.C., demand ban on controversial glyphosate herbicide
Approximately four dozen protesters — including local representatives of the B.C. Liberal and Green parties — rallied outside the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations office in Prince George, B.C., Thursday, demanding the provincial government ban the use of controversial herbicide glyphosate. The use of the chemical to kill trees considered non-harvestable by forestry companies has come under increased scrutiny as new research indicates it is having a negative impact on wildlife, and the ability to stave off forest fires. Andrew Kurjata and Tom Popyk report. (CBC)

Former state legislator Quall dies
Dave Quall, who carved out a long and sterling career as an educator, legislator and coach, died Thursday. He was 84. Quall, of Mount Vernon, served in the state House of Representatives for 18 years, where for years he chaired the Education Committee and — known for a dapper yellow jacket he’d wear when spring arrived — was dubbed “Mr. GQ” by then-Gov. Gary Locke. Quall was especially noted for his fierce dedication to education, with a 2010 House resolution noting his role in the creation of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Mount Vernon and the Marine Technology Center in Anacortes. Trevor Pyle reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

‘Most remote island’ creates massive marine protection zone
Tristan da Cunha, an island with 245 permanent residents, has created a marine protection zone to safeguard wildlife in an area of the South Atlantic three times the size of the United Kingdom. The government of the British overseas territory, which calls itself the most remote inhabited island on earth, said Friday that fishing and other “extractive activities” will be banned from an area of 627,247 square kilometers (242,181 square miles). Danica Kirka reports. (Associated Press)

Fifty years ago, Oregon exploded a whale in a burst that ‘blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds
On a clear November day in 1970 in Florence, Ore., state highway engineers lit 20 cases of dynamite to blow apart a 45-foot sperm whale carcass that had washed up on the beach and festered for three days. Unfortunately, the explosion did not go as planned. The engineers intended for the eight-ton carcass to be thrown into the ocean in pieces. Instead, chunks of flesh flew toward the beachside town and fell from the sky, crushing a car a quarter-mile away and raining down on a crowd who had gathered to watch the pyrotechnics. Katie Shepherd reports.(Washington Post)

The Canada-U.S. borderlands: How our closest neighbours voted
Port Angeles and Port Clinton are a match made in America. Port Angeles, in the Pacific Northwest, overlooks the Salish Sea. Thousands of miles away, Port Clinton is tucked into a corner of Lake Erie. Much of the country divides them, but they’re so much the same. Port Angeles holds an annual salmon derby. Port Clinton is the walleye capital of the world. Port Angeles named one of its main drags after a wartime president, Abraham Lincoln. Port Clinton gave the honour to another, James Madison. They both watch ferries leave their docks, whisking passengers north in the direction of Canada. And they have an uncanny knack for voting for the winning candidate in presidential elections. Port Clinton is the seat of Ohio’s Ottawa County, which had picked 13 in a row going back to Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The county stuck with Trump, same as so many bellwethers scattered across the land, ending its streak. The new title holder for Nation’s Best Bellwether is Washington’s Clallam County, where Port Angeles is the county seat and voters were last wrong in 1976, when they joined the rest of the state in voting for Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter. Nick Taylor-Vaisey writes. (Maclean's)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  402 AM PST Fri Nov 13 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W 25 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft building to 3 to 5 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds building to 9 ft at  15 seconds in the afternoon. Rain in the morning then a chance of  showers and a slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 13 ft at 10 seconds. A  slight chance of tstms in the evening. A chance of showers. 
SAT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 12 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers in  the morning then rain likely in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at 14 seconds. SUN  SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft  at 13 seconds.

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"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.

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