3/26 Dandelion, WA budget proposal, Snake R dams, Aboriginal titles, Shannnon Pt research, Fairy Cr protest, Salish Sea Wonders, bald eagles

Dandelion [Dreamstime.com/Seattle Times]

 
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale
Dandelion, with sunny yellow flowers and puffy seedheads, is the common weed everyone knows. In fact, dandelion is a bit of an eco-hero. The plant’s tenaciously persistent taproot helps break up heavy soil and compacted clay, and the prolific early spring flowers are a valuable food source for pollinators. Remove the entire root, or dandelions surely will double down on you. (Lorene Edwards Forkner Seattle Times)

Washington Senate Democrats propose new, $59.2 billion budget with COVID-19 funds and a 7% capital-gains tax 
Flush with rebounding tax collections and a windfall in federal aid, Washington Senate Democrats on Thursday released a new budget plan that funds public health amid COVID-19, provides relief for immigrants and renters, gives new aid for businesses, child care programs and funds a tax exemption for low-income families. The new, proposed $59.2 billion state operating budget for 2021-23 doesn’t even reflect the magnitude. Lawmakers are spending an additional roughly $7 billion from the federal government’s COVID-19 relief package on programs. In short: it’s a big proposal.  Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

Northwest tribes call for removal of Lower Snake River dams
Tribal leaders from Washington and Oregon are calling on Congress and the Biden administration to remove the four dams on the Lower Snake River. The tribal leaders sent a letter to the White House and to Congressional representatives in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In it, they describe the salmon crisis as being at a breaking point. And they call the potential for extinction "a moral failure of the highest order."  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

British Columbians in for a big adjustment with Aboriginal title settlement, lawyer says
British Columbians are in for a big shock when ownership of large parts of the province switches from the Crown to First Nations, says Aboriginal rights and title lawyer Jack Woodward. Woodward, who acts on behalf of First Nations in court, believes it’s going to be a big adjustment but that’s going to be a good thing for the province.British Columbians are in for a big shock when ownership of large parts of the province switches from the Crown to First Nations, says Aboriginal rights and title lawyer Jack Woodward. Alistair Taylor reports. (Campbell River Mirror)

Pushing Past the Pandemic: Research 'crawling back' at Shannon Point Marine Research Center
While the labs, halls and dorms at Western Washington University’s Shannon Point Marine Center remain quieter than normal, some research has resumed, and plans are taking shape to make way for more. “It has definitely been a slowdown,” the center’s Director of Marine and Coastal Science Brian Bingham said earlier this week. “We’re crawling back.” Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley herald)

The Blockaders
As logging resisters near month eight in Fairy Creek, a judge may order their surrender. Inside their last stand for old growth. Serena Renner and Zoë Yunker report. (The Tyee)

Wonders of the Salish Sea 2021
Jump into the Salish Sea on four Monday evenings beginning April 12 from 7-9 p.m. by subscribing to the Wonders of the Salish Sea, an environmental adult education program designed to awaken a sense of wonder and foster a deep connection in the Salish Sea ecosystem. Topics covered in the 2021 program are: Oceanography of the Salish Sea 101, Plankton Dynamics; Seaweeds with a Focus on Coralline Algae; BC Shellfish; A Collaborative and Place-Based Approach to Healing in the Face of the Rising Tide of Global Collapse;  Return of the Humpbacks; Sea Bird Trends and Citizen Science; The Coastal Forest Ecosystem. Cost is $25 for all four programs via Zoom.

Once Imperiled, America's Bald Eagle Populations Are Soaring
The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 U.S. states — a population once on the brink of extinction — has quadrupled in the last dozen years to more than 316,000, federal wildlife officials say, despite steep declines in other American bird populations. A new survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found there are more than 70,000 breeding pairs of the iconic raptor in the contiguous U.S. In the late 1960s, there were fewer than 500. Nathan Rott reports. (NPR)

Salish Sea News and Weather Week In Review 3/26/21
ICYMI: Spinach, shore restoration, TMX fight, "HEAL' Act, WA forests, Oso slide, dead herring, spill response, Lubchenco, enviro justice, spotted owl, carbon pricing, dam removal, tribe title settlements

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Fri Mar 26 2021   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. 
SAT  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at  8 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. 
SUN  SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft  at 13 seconds building to 8 ft at 7 seconds in the afternoon.

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