2/12 Northern harrier, Boldt ruling, Rayonier cleanup, Seattle schools energy, salmon eyes

Juvenile Northern Harrier
[hand-colored drawning by Tony Angell]

 
Tailored to the task
Tony Angell writes: "Throughout the fall and winter, the northern harrier is regular presence along the outer fields, sloughs and dikes bordering the Salish Sea. While the adults and a juvenile bird (pictured here) are attired  in different plumages, they all share the distinctive stark white rump patch, sleek elongated body, and the habits of flying continuously just over the marshes.   From aloft they plunge to reach deep into the thick grassy cover with their exceptionally long feet and toes to seize prey, most often meadow voles. Following these birds in the field, one soon discovers these medium-sized hawks to be acrobatic in flight as they make startling turns and twists from their flight line  It's not unusual here to find harriers in  company with the very diurnal short-eared owls also wintering within the same locations.  The two species chase competitors like ravens and rough-legged hawks from the territory they hold in common.  Find some public access to the open tidal marshes near you and discover this spectacle."

Federal Judge George Boldt issues historic ruling affirming Native American treaty fishing rights on February 12, 1974
On February 12, 1974, Federal Judge George Boldt (1903-1984) issues an historic ruling reaffirming the rights of Washington's Indian tribes to fish in accustomed places. The "Boldt Decision" allocates 50 percent of the annual catch to treaty tribes, which enrages other fishermen. At the same time Judge Boldt denies landless tribes -- among them the Samish, Snoqualmie, Steilacoom, and Duwamish -- federal recognition and treaty rights. Western Washington tribes had been assured the right to fish at "usual and accustomed grounds and stations" by Federal treaties signed in 1854 and 1855, but during the next 50 years Euro-American immigrants -- armed with larger boats, modern technology, and the regulatory muscle of the state -- gradually displaced them. The campaign to reassert Native American fishing rights began in 1964 with "fish-ins" on the Puyallup River led by Robert Satiacum (1929-1991) and Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014), who defied Washington state attempts to regulate their fishing. (History Link)

Rayonier site cleanup plan upgraded
The Rayonier pulp mill property, zoned for multiple uses, will be cleaned of pollutants to an unrestricted-use standard with contaminants capped but remaining on the property, according to the Department of Ecology. However, cleanup of the 75-acre parcel east of downtown, owned by Rayonier Advanced Materials, could take an estimated seven to 10 years, 50 participants learned Tuesday evening during a two-hour Ecology virtual public meeting. And that timeline won’t likely start until 2023, an Ecology department head said Thursday. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Seattle Public Schools commits to weaning off fossil fuels over next 20 years
Nearly two years after scores of its students missed class to demand action on climate change, Washington state’s largest school district now has a 2040 deadline to run on 100% clean and renewable energy. The commitment, approved unanimously by the Seattle School Board this week, would eventually mean an end to the district’s reliance on fossil fuels to heat buildings, prepare meals and transport students. Getting there would require the district to invest in electric school buses and heating methods that use electricity instead of natural gas. District officials estimate the transition will cost more than $1 billion, with some cost-saving benefits down the road. Dahlia Bazzaz reports. (Seattle Times)

Seeing The World Through Salmon Eyes
The saying goes, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” But for fish, the eyes are the window to the stomach.  As one California biologist recently learned, the eyes of Chinook salmon are like a tiny diet journal of everything it ate. But to read that journal, you have to peel back the layers of the eye, like it’s the world’s tiniest onion. (Science Friday)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PST Fri Feb 12 2021   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 5 to 7 ft with a  dominant period of 9 seconds. A slight chance of snow in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 6 to 8 ft with a  dominant period of 11 seconds. A chance of snow in the evening  then snow after midnight. 
SAT  E wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Combined seas 5 to 8 ft with a dominant period of 9 seconds. A  chance of snow in the morning then a chance of rain in the  afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 17 seconds  building to 10 ft at 17 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 10 ft at 16 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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