4/1 Heather, BC crab co-management, BC covid, EPA science, Achilles USA spill, 'zombie' urchins, West Point sewage, Homewaters

 

Heather

Heather Calluna vulgaris
Common heather, ling, or simply heather is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade. Heather is seen as iconic of Scotland, where the plant grows widely. When poems like Bonnie Auld Scotland speak of "fragrant hills of purple heather', when the hero of Kidnapped flees through the heather, when heather and Scotland are linked in the same sentence, the heather talked about is Calluna vulgaris.

B.C. First Nations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada protect crab for Indigenous food, social and ceremonial purposes
A groundbreaking co-management decision by four First Nations and Fisheries and Oceans Canada will protect 17 crab harvesting sites on B.C.’s central coast for Indigenous food, social and ceremonial purposes starting April 1.  After 14 years of collecting data and aligning Indigenous knowledge and fisheries science, the federal department and the Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv nations decided to close the commercial and recreational fisheries in those areas indefinitely. The decision was the first made as part of a collaborative governance framework that will guide future management decisions for several species in the region over the coming years.  Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

B.C. reports record 1,013 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 more deaths
B.C. has recorded the highest single-day number of new cases of COVID-19 to date, with 1,013 confirmed cases and three more deaths. The new numbers mean the province has now recorded more than 100,000 cases of the novel coronavirus for the first time since the pandemic began, with a total of 100,048 so far, including 1,458 people who have lost their lives to the disease. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

EPA dismisses dozens of key science advisers picked under Trump
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan will purge more than 40 outside experts appointed by President Donald Trump from two key advisory panels, a move he says will help restore the role of science at the agency and reduce the heavy influence of industry over environmental regulations. Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post)

Everett manufacturer settles oil spill fines for $222,000
An Everett manufacturer is paying $222,200 to settle fines for two oil spills that polluted a stormwater pond and tainted local wildlife near Narbeck Creek. In July 2018, an Achilles USA employee dropped a moving tote with lubricating oil at the company’s south Everett facility, causing the container to rupture and spill into the building’s stormwater system. From there, the oil was flushed into a retention pond outside, where animals are known to hang out. While cleaning up that spill, responders found that an overflowing collection pit inside the facility was also draining into the retention pond. In all, 340 gallons of oil were dumped into the pond. It took three weeks to clean. Zachariah Bryan reports.

In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing 
Purple sea urchins have exploded in recent years off California, covering the ocean floor in what divers describe as a "purple carpet." And they devour kelp: the once-lush forests of seaweed that hugged the coastline are disappearing. Since 2014, 95 percent of the kelp have vanished across a large part of Northern California, most of it bull kelp. Lauren Sommers reports. (NPR)

County approves spending $65 million for West Point treatment Plant upgrades
The King County Council last week approved dedicating $65 million to make important upgrades to the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Magnolia’s Discovery Park to prevent untreated waste and stormwater from being released into the Puget Sound. A storm Jan. 13 created a series of voltage fluctuations at the treatment plant that caused the in-plant pumping station to shut down repeatedly between midnight and 2 a.m. As a result, the emergency caused an estimated 11 million gallons of stormwater and sewage to overflow without treatment into Puget Sound. Approximately 80 percent was stormwater and 20 percent was sewage.(Queen Anne&Magnolia News)

Book Excerpt: Homewaters
To say that David Williams enjoys discovering the undiscovered is an understatement. Williams’ latest book, Homewaters, skillfully explores the ecological complexities of the Puget Sound region, including the Coast Salish Indigenous peoples who lived along the Sound. The book focuses on the area south of Port Townsend and between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, exploring the more than 250 species of fish and 150-year-old clams that make up the terrestrial ecosystem. Rob Smith writes. (Seattle Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PDT Thu Apr 1 2021   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft  at 14 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the morning. A chance  of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 11 seconds.

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