1/18 Kinnikinnick, oil train, NW salmon, female orca disturbance, Trump;s last days, climate activists, Skagit fish passage, Octopus Islands, Navy park training

 

Kinnikinnick  [Beaverton Public Works]

 Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Glossy leaves that stay green all year, bright red berries that glisten into winter --as C.L. Hitchcock, dean of Northwest botany, wrote: “one of the finest groundcovers known.” Happy in full sun to part shade and dry soils, it’s a well-mannered alternative to that thug, English ivy.  Kinnikinnick has many names, most referring to its fruits. Arctostaphylos (Greek) and uva-ursi (Latin) both mean “bear grapes.” The name kinnikinnick itself is an Algonquian word referring to the dried leaves’ use in smoking mixtures. (Sarah Gage/Washington Native Plants Society)

Oil train derailment in Whatcom County drives home transport risk concerns
When an oil train derailed in a fiery crash in Custer in December, about 29,000 gallons of the cargo was spilled. Some of it burned, some of it was vacuumed onto container trucks along with firefighting foam and water, and some of it settled into the soil. Up to about 8,000 gallons remain unaccounted for, according to numbers the state Department of Ecology released Tuesday, three weeks after the incident. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)

To readers: Salish Current from which the previous story comes is a year-old, not-for-profit, open access news platform serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. If you are interested in news of this region, publisher Amy Nelson and managing editor Mike Sato invite you to check out Salish Current. We email a weekly newsletter featuring the week's original news stories written by professional freelance reporters, a curated compilation of regional news items, and fact-based community commentaries. If you'd like to try out the newsletter, simply reply to me and you'll get the next issue. Thank you, Mike Sato.

Report lays out bleak picture of Northwest salmon 'teetering on the brink of extinction'
Washington’s salmon are “teetering on the brink of extinction,” according to a new report. It says the state must change how it’s responding to climate change and the growing number of people in Washington. Washington’s State of Salmon in Watersheds report says time is running out for the Northwest’s iconic fish. The report, which is issued every two years, shows a trend of warming waters and habitat degradation is causing trouble for its salmon runs. Ten of the 14 threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead runs in the state are not getting any better. Of those, five are “in crisis.” Courtney Flatt and Bellamy Pailthorp report. (KNKX)

Female resident orcas especially disturbed by vessels, new research shows
Female orcas are most thrown off from foraging when boats and vessels intrude closer than 400 yards, according to new research — troubling findings for the endangered population of southern resident orcas that desperately needs every mother and calf to survive. The research, gathered by attaching suction-cup electronic tags to the whales, is a clear wake-up call to the protection endangered mother orcas need, researchers and experts say. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

In Trump’s last days, a spree of environmental rollbacks
The Trump administration went on a final spree of environmental rollbacks with just days left in office, scaling back standards for equipment Americans use to heat their homes, habitat for the northern spotted owl, and protections for conservation lands in California and Utah. Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post) See also: Surprise attack on the spotted owl is Trump team’s parting shot at the Northwest  This past week, as people and politicians alike were consumed with the fallout of the Capitol riot, the Trump administration put out a “midnight regulation” — a sweeping rule change on your way out the door — that slams the Northwest’s signature, struggling northern spotted owl. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

How Cascadia’s climate activists fought off fossil fuels and succeeded
During a decade when the region’s governments flouted their carbon emissions goals, activists who came together to stop exports surpassed their wildest expectations. Robert McClure reports. (InvestigateWest)

Clean water finally brings hope of renewal to Semiahmoo reserve
The Semiahmoo reserve nestled between White Rock and the Peace Arch border crossing is about to get clean, fresh water after living with a boil water advisory since 2005. And with it comes new hope for the growth of the community and its economy. Denise Ryan reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Disagreement remains on Skagit River fish passage
The relicensing process for the three dams along the Skagit River continues to spark debate on whether fish ever used habitat upstream of the dams before they were built. Matt Cutlip of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that oversees hydroelectric licensing said this kind of debate is new to him. “I’ve never seen a situation like this before where there’s actually a dispute about whether fish ever even did use habitat above one of the dams or two of the dams. This is a very unusual case,” Cutlip said...Seattle City Light, FERC and stakeholders are in the process of discussing study plans meant to determine what will be allowed and required under a new license. Several meetings are set through March in an effort to hash out disagreements before data collection gets underway in the spring. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Province acquires more land for Octopus Islands Marine Park
Located near Quadra Island, Octopus Islands Marine Provincial Park was established in 1974 to provide opportunities for marine recreation and protect a fragile coastal western hemlock ecosystem and habitat for a variety of marine species. The size of the park has been growing since then with the help of Creek and the B.C. Marine Parks Forever Society, a volunteer organization that raises funds to help BC Parks acquire land for new marine parks and enhance existing ones. Since the society was founded in 1990 by the Council of BC Yacht Clubs, it has received more than $2 million in donations to help purchase land for 10 marine parks, including the Octopus Islands. Three donations have been made for the Octopus Islands. This includes the most recent $100,000 donation that has helped BC Parks purchase a 20-hectare island intended to be added to the 862-hectare park. (Campbell River Mirror)

Navy training at state parks:public comments
Register to make public comments about the proposed Navy operations at Deception Pass Park and 27 other state parks at a special Zoom meeting with Washington State Parks and Recreation January 26, 4-8 p.m. For directions on how to sign up to comment, go to https://parks.state.wa.us/1168/Navy-proposal. Written comments can be sent to Commission@parks.wa.gov no later than January 22. A decision on the request is expected at the Washington Parks and Recreation meeting on January 28. To read some comments already submitted, go here https://parks.state.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/16267/07-Comments-received-thru-Dec-18-2020

Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PST Mon Jan 18 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  N wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 16 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  8 ft at 14 seconds.

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