11/23 Cinnamon teal, orca recovery, BC indigenous CG, Skagit dams, dying cedars, logging, green Biden, Navy training, dungeness season, Pebble Mine, sage grouse, BC fishers, feeding orcas

Cinnamon teal [Audubon]

 
Cinnamon teal Spatula cyanoptera
Unique among our northern dabbling ducks, this teal also has nesting populations in South America. A close relative of Blue-winged Teal (and sometimes hybridizing with it), the Cinnamon Teal has a slightly larger bill, better developed for straining food items out of the water. In some ways this species seems intermediate between Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shoveler. (Audubon Field Guide)

Regional proposal would reduce fisheries to help orcas
Plans for managing coastal chinook salmon fisheries that take into account endangered Southern Resident orca whales are taking shape. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manages coastal fisheries along Washington, Oregon and California, approved rules Monday to ensure salmon are available for the imperiled whales to eat. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Canada's 1st Indigenous coast guard auxiliary has launched in B.C.
First Nations along B.C.'s West Coast have a long history of responding to emergencies in the Pacific. Now, more than four years since it was announced, the Indigenous Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary has fully launched in B.C. — already having completed a number of missions. The auxiliary consists of 50 volunteer members from five first nations along B.C.'s coast — the Ahousat, the Heiltsuk, the Gitxaala, the Nisgaa and the Kitasoo.(CBC)

Fish passage studies sought in Skagit River dam relicensing
The series of concrete dams strung across the upper Skagit River predate construction of the North Cascades Highway and the establishing of North Cascades National Park.  Their construction — starting in 1917 with Gorge, then Diablo and finally Ross — also predates the listing of Puget Sound chinook salmon and steelhead trout as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1999 and 2007. Whether the dams harm those threatened fish is getting ample attention as Seattle City Light, which operates the three-dam Skagit River Hydroelectric Project, seeks a new license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Parksville, B.C., looks at ways to manage dying Western red cedars
In Parksville, B.C., over half of the Western red cedars in the existing canopy are dying. Now the city's parks department is looking for more resources to manage what's left.  Over the last few decades, the Western red cedar, British Columbia's provincial tree, has struggled with drier climate conditions brought on by climate change, says Guy Martin, the parks and facilities manager for the city of Parksville. (CBC)

‘Put away your power saws’: First Nations leaders, conservationists have a new plan to protect old-growth
Ancient forest advocates are weary of political promises that have so far been unable to slow the pace of clearcut logging in B.C. Here’s how visionaries think the province should move forward to protect beloved trees and critical habitat while making good on commitments to uphold Indigenous rights. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

What Biden's agenda on the environment could mean for the Pacific Northwest
From reintroduction of the grizzly bear to its wild North Cascades redoubt to attacking climate change, a wide range of environmental policies could see a new direction in the Pacific Northwest under a Biden administration. For starters, government and nonprofit policy leaders say they are looking forward to a return to science as a basis for environmental policymaking. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than on climate warming. Lynda Mapes and Hal Bernton report. (Seattle Times)

Navy training proposal met with concern
The State Parks Commission is in the midst of discussions about whether public lands, including Deception Pass State Park, are appropriate place for the military to train. Two Navy officials spoke with the seven-member commission Thursday, answering questions about the Navy's proposal to train on public lands and acknowledging the need to address the public's concerns. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed
The Dec. 1 commercial Dungeness crab season has been delayed until at least Dec. 16 for the entire Oregon coast because testing shows crabs are too low in meat yield. (Associated Press)

Congress Seeks Answers on Alaskan Mine Project
House investigators are seeking records from the developers of the Pebble Mine project and the Army Corps of Engineers, to determine whether the company misrepresented its plans. Henry Fountain reports. (NY Times)

Sage grouse meets lame duck: New rules loosen restrictions on grazing, mining and drilling 
The Trump administration announced plans Friday to lessen protections for sage grouse in Oregon and six other Western states. The announcement is in line with the administration’s long-stated goal to clear the way for drilling, mining and grazing on public land. The latter of those three has historically gained the most attention in Oregon. Bradley Parks reports. (OPB)

B.C. government gives okay to trap endangered fishers for fur as scientists warn of impending extinctions
Unlike six other provinces, B.C. has no endangered species legislation, which allows species at risk to be killed outside of protected areas. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Can we and should we feed the orcas?
Lynne Barre, NOAA’s recovery coordinator for the southern resident killer whales, said feeding salmon or other fish to orcas can be detremental for their survival. Steve Bunin reports. (KING)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  234 AM PST Mon Nov 23 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft  at 13 seconds building to 10 ft at 13 seconds in the afternoon. A  chance of rain. 
TONIGHT  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. W swell 10 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 8 ft at  12 seconds after midnight. A chance of rain.

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