11/2 Red elderberry, Intalco, rain, Pt Wells, PS Restoration Fund, wildfire logging, Site C dam, sea otters

Red elderberry [Native Plants PNW]

 
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa
Red Elderberry is native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North America.  It is found throughout most of the United States and Canada, excluding only the far north of Canada and Alaska, and the central and southern United States. Natives steamed the berries on rocks and put them in a container stored underground or in water, eating them later in winter.  Leaves, bark or roots were applied externally to abscesses, aching muscles, or sore joints.  Roots or bark were chewed or made into a tea to induce vomiting or as a laxative.  Flowers were boiled down to treat coughs and colds.  Hollow stems were used for whistles, pipes and toy blowguns. Dana Kelley Bressette writes. (Native Plants PNW)

Intalco’s closure brings pain for now — what may the future bring?
After 54 years in operation, the Intalco smelter near Ferndale this summer stopped producing aluminum, put hundreds out of work and sent shockwaves through the community. The pain cut deep but may point a way to cleaner, more competitive heavy industry. The 700-person operation was whittled down to 20 who are doing what Alcoa calls “care and maintenance.” For some local officials, including from the City of Ferndale and Whatcom County, that means it’s not too soon to start considering options for the industrial site should Alcoa make a permanent exit. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)

Three wet weather systems welcome November with rain, wind and colder temperatures coming to Seattle area  (Seattle Times) Heavy rainfall warning for B.C.'s South Coast while blizzard forecasted for northern regions  (CBC)

BSRE to again make case for Point Wells development  (Paywall)
A days-long hearing will start this week to determine the fate of a controversial proposal to turn an industrial site on Puget Sound, south of Edmonds, into thousands of condos. The public will have a chance on Wednesday to weigh in on developer BSRE Point Wells’ plan to build the high-rise community on roughly 60 acres in the southwest corner of the county. The hearing, to be held virtually before Snohomish County Hearing Examiner Peter Camp, is slated to continue on Thursday, Friday, Nov. 12 and Nov. 13. Rachel Riley reports. (Everett Herald)

Puget Sound Restoration Fund meets 10-year, 100-acre goal for restoring native oyster beds
Chris Dunagan writes: "A heartfelt congratulations goes out to Betsy Peabody, her staff at Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and the dozens of partner organizations working to restore our native Olympia oyster to Puget Sound. PSRF recently fulfilled its ambitious 10-year goal of planting the petite, succulent oysters across 100 acres of Puget Sound tidelands, establishing a foothold for future regeneration of even greater populations. I first met Betsy as the Olympia oyster project was getting off the ground in 1999. Her enthusiasm and vision for the future caused me to fall in love with these little oysters..." (Puget Sound Institute)

Despite what the logging industry says, cutting down trees isn’t stopping catastrophic wildfires
In the decades since government restrictions reduced logging on federal lands, the timber industry has promoted the idea that private lands are less prone to wildfires, saying that forests thick with trees fuel bigger, more destructive blazes. An analysis by OPB and ProPublica shows last month’s fires burned as intensely on private forests with large-scale logging operations as they did, on average, on federal lands that cut fewer trees. In fact, private lands that were clear-cut in the past five years, with thousands of trees removed at once, burned slightly hotter than federal lands, on average. On public lands, areas that were logged within the past five years burned with the same intensity as those that hadn’t been cut, according to the analysis. Tony Schick and Jes Burns report. (OPB)

When did BC Hydro really know about Site C dam stability issues? Utilities watchdog wants to know
The B.C. Utilities Commission — the body responsible for approving increases to hydro rates necessary to pay for Site C — is seeking details about the project’s deepening geotechnical problems and worsening finances. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Will Oregon see sea otters again?
Ron Jameson returns to Cobble Beach at Yaquina Head, holds up his binoculars, and scans the horizon. A retired federal biologist, Jameson did research on sea otters for over 30 years. When he scans the ocean, an image from nearly 50 years ago comes back in his memory: the sight of sea otters here on Oregon’s coast. Jameson was witness to an exciting moment in Oregon history — a massive attempt, unlike any other, to reestablish a population of sea otters on the Oregon Coast. That chapter ended nearly 40 years ago, when the marine mammals mysteriously vanished. Today, there is a renewed interest in bringing sea otters back to the Oregon Coast, layered with the lingering failure of the past. Researchers now wonder if we’ve learned enough to make a second attempt.
Ian McCluskey reports. (OPB)

Companies illegally dumped debris into Skykomish River for three years  (Paywall)
The dumping impacted almost three acres of wetlands and over 2,000 linear feet of streams. (Everett Herald)

Crews remove three more junk boats from the Snohomish River  (Paywall)
One more is slated for removal. Meanwhile, a new report evaluates the river’s 15,000 old wood pilings. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  209 AM PST Mon Nov 2 2020   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 15 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  8 ft at 15 seconds building to 10 ft at 13 seconds after  midnight. A chance of rain in the evening then rain after  midnight.

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