3/25 Herb Robert, Canada carbon price, enviro justice, spotted owl, California confor, By-the-wind sailor jellies

 

Herb Robert [Dreamstime.com/Seattle Times]

Herb Robert Geranium robertianum
Don’t let those ferny leaves and delicate pink blossoms fool you; this one’s a stinker. Literally: The plant is distinctly malodorous. Remove plants before they set seed, taking care to dig out the entire brittle root system. A prolific seeder, this weed is classified as a Class B (for stinky Bob?) Weed on the Washington State Noxious Weed List (nwcb.wa.gov). Legally, a noxious weed is a nonnative plant that, once established, is highly destructive, competitive or difficult to control. Herb Robert thrives in both sun and shade, and it often can be seen aggressively carpeting the ground in local parks, ravines and greenbelts. (Lorene Edwards Forkner Seattle Times)

Canada’s Supreme Court rules carbon price constitutional. Here’s what you need to know
In a 6-3 decision, the country’s highest court has ruled the federal price on carbon, which affects both consumers and large industrial emitters, does not violate the rights of individual provinces and is a critical response to the existential threat of climate change.  Fatima Syed reports. (The Narwhal)

Environmental justice moves to mainstream as governments embrace cause
Washington state’s five oil refineries all sit near, or on, Indian reservations. Environmental justice advocates say that fact reflects a national pattern of air pollution disproportionately hitting people of color. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Conservationists sue to save spotted owl logging protections
Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres (1.4 million hectares) of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cut the amount of protected federal old-growth forest by one-third in the final days of President Donald Trump's administration, a move that was cheered by the timber industry. Gillian Flaccus reports. (Associated Press)

California condors to return to Northwest skies after 100-year absence
The Yurok Tribe of Northern California has worked for decades to return California condors to the Pacific Northwest. They hope to release their first birds this fall. Bradley W. Parks reports. (OPB)

'Blue tides' of sailor jellies on Northwest coast correlate with warmer seas in winter
New research out of the University of Washington finds a correlation between warmer ocean waters and mass strandings of By-the-wind sailor jellyfish over the past two decades. The brief, widespread beachings of "gazillions" of purplish-blue jellies along the Pacific Northwest coast create a memorable sight for those who chance to be in the right place at the right time. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  412 AM PDT Thu Mar 25 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 11 ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  9 ft at 11 seconds subsiding to 7 ft at 11 seconds after  midnight.

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