12/1 Shiner perch, Giving Tuesday, COVID app, whale sounds, protection pollution, pipeline terrorism, Skagit mining, managing wildfires, Biden's green presidency

 

 Shiner perch [Liberal Dictionary]

Shiner perch Cymatogaster aggregata
Abundant in shallow water in summer; moves deeper in winter. Seen in schools in bays and estuaries, especially eelgrass beds. Well developed at birth; male can breed after just a few months. Adult feeds on muscles, small crustaceans, worms and snails . Southeastern Alaska to Baja California. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans, and the Strait of Georgia)

Editor's note: Today is Giving Tuesday, the day when you can help our region's not-for-profit organizations by making a donation. It can be a small but significant way to say you support their work to make the Salish Sea a better place to live. My favorite, among others, is personal: Amy Nelson and I launched Salish Current, an independent local news platform serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties, to keep local news reporting alive and our communities informed. Check it out and if you like, make a NewsMatch donation. Thank you! Mike

Washington launches COVID exposure alert app statewide. You need to turn it on
Washington state on Monday launched a coronavirus exposure alert tool for smartphone users statewide. Washington joined more than a dozen other states further east using an automated, anonymous notification system to aid in the fight against virus spread. Oregon and California are expected to roll out similar smartphone-enabled exposure alerts statewide soon, too. The smartphone app sends you an alert if you've had close contact with another user who later tests positive for the coronavirus. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

It’s Time to Listen
The onset of COVID-19 created devastation worldwide. But for whale researchers like Janie Wray, who has been studying the unique calls of killer, humpback, and fin whales in British Columbia for more than 20 years, the pandemic presented a unique opportunity—a chance to hear how whales respond to a quieter underwater world. Louisa Gilbert reports. (Hakai Magazine)

How your used face masks and gloves are contributing to water pollution
A complicated series of events has led to where we are now — from the pandemic to pollution. When the pandemic first hit in early 2020, people stocked up on face masks and gloves. And then people tossed those masks and gloves on the ground. And eventually, it all ended up in our sewage lines. That also means these discarded masks and gloves are potentially now floating in Lake Washington, Lake Union, or Puget Sound and interacting with wildlife. It also means they are adding to environmental problems down the line. Dyer Oxley reports. (KUOW)

Opposition to B.C. pipeline linked to terrorism charges in Washington state
Federal authorities in Seattle have charged two people with a terrorist attack on train tracks, suggesting they were motivated by opposition to the construction of a natural gas pipeline across British Columbia when they interfered with the operation of a railroad in Washington state. (Associated Press)

Local mining operation approved, two more under review
Skagit County Hearing Examiner Wick Dufford on Monday approved the expansion of a gravel and sand mine on Fidalgo Island. His granting of a special use permit will allow Lake Erie Pit to mine 60,000 tons of material per year for 60 years from 53.5 acres off Rosario Road near Lake Erie. Dufford's decision to allow the mine to expand from its current 17.7 acres comes about a month after hearing from 34 residents against the proposal. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Scientists say WA wildfire management must go beyond forests
Better management of dry rangelands east of the Cascades is key to slowing catastrophic fires. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

What will a Biden presidency mean for environmental protections and public lands — in Washington and beyond?
After four years of rollbacks to environmental protections and reductions to public lands introduced by the Trump administration, President-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration will be presented with a chance to reverse course, say outdoor recreation and advocacy groups. The Biden administration’s stated goals for conservation and stewardship — if upheld — would be a boon for Washington state’s outdoor recreation community, and the public lands they rely on. Megan Burbank reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  338 AM PST Tue Dec 1 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  10 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 8 ft at 13 seconds in the  afternoon.
 TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 6 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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