4/5 Opossum, Kiksilah R., Skagit dam, salmonella outbreak, Sequim lab, Britt Slough, Canada COVID

Opossum [photo: Amy Nelson]

 
Opossum Didelphis virginianus
The opossum is a marsupial of the order Didelphimorphia endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 110+ species in 19 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of the two continents.  In the United States and Canada, the only species found is the Virginia opossum. (Wikipedia)

How to heal a river
After more than a century of logging, agriculture and development, Vancouver Island's Koksilah River watershed and its salmon are in serious decline. A groundbreaking water sustainability plan that brings together diverse interests could not only restore the river, but point a new way forward for watersheds across B.C. Judith Lavoie reports. (The Narwhal)

Study plan for Skagit River dam relicensing expected this week
After several days of tense meetings in January and February and submitting hundreds of pages in feedback in early March, the government agencies, tribes and nonprofits that are considered license participants are awaiting Seattle City Light's next official move in the relicensing process for its Skagit River dams. The next step for the utility is filing a revised study plan for the proposed license. That plan is due to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by Wednesday. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Salmonella Outbreak Is Linked to Wild Birds and Feeders, C.D.C. Says
A salmonella outbreak linked to contact with wild songbirds and bird feeders has sickened 19 people across eight states, eight of whom have been hospitalized, federal health authorities said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was investigating salmonella infections in California, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington State in people ranging in age from 2 months to 89 years old. Jesus Jimenez reports. (NY Times)

National laboratory in Sequim planning facilities expansion
Broadening their organization’s scope with a new name, leaders with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are promoting expansion and refurbishment at the Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory along Sequim Bay. Millions of dollars in projects are planned for the lab in the near future — about $2 million annually — with more research and international collaboration anticipated through 2030 and beyond. Matthew Nash reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Skagit River's Britt Slough wetlands to be restored this year
Just southwest of the Mount Vernon city limits, along the south fork of the Skagit River, restoration of 7.8 acres of wetland habitat critical to threatened chinook salmon is planned for this year. Here, where a side channel called Britt Slough meets the river, high water levels seasonally fill wetlands that are a refuge for frogs, birds and fish. But when water levels abruptly drop, the species that use the wetlands are affected. The young salmon “might dry up and become raccoon food,” Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group Habitat Restoration Coordinator Erin Matthews said while walking the site Tuesday. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit valley Herald)

Canada Is One Big Pandemic Response Experiment. It Proves ‘Zero COVID’ Is Best
An extensive French study has surveyed nations’ responses to COVID-19 and concludes that those taking an aggressive “Zero COVID” approach fared better than others by both health and economic measures. The study rests its analysis in part on the experience of Canada, where six large provinces face steeply rising infection rates tied to evolved variants of the virus, while provinces and territories that hewed closer to the Zero COVID approach do not. Andrew Nikiforuk reports. (The Tyee)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PDT Mon Apr 5 2021   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 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 8 seconds.

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