6/4 Sea star, parked ships, wildfire smoke, Olympic Discovery Trail, giant hornets, week in review

Ochre sea star [Melissa McFadden]

 
Ochre sea star Pisalter aochraceus
Ochre Sea Stars are the most commonly seen member of their group in many Pacific Northwest coastal areas. Virtual swarms of orange and/or purple starfish are exposed at especially low tides, often clustered under shady ledges or in crevices where they won’t get baked by the sun. From the numbers exposed as the tide goes out, they are clearly an intertidal animal. In fact, they are one of the more important intertidal animals. The species has been called a “keystone species,” as its presence or absence significantly affects the entire community in the intertidal zone. (Slater Museum/UPS)

'It's a nuisance': Container ships anchored in Puget Sound causing headaches for neighbors
Three boats are anchored in Holmes Harbor, nestled between Whidbey and Camano Islands. Approximately five more are sitting at Yukon Harbor near Blake Island. They're among about 15 ships currently anchored in Puget Sound because of a massive backlog of container ships up and down the West Coast. Ports from L.A. to B.C. are at capacity due to a supply chain surge that's sending goods from Asia flooding into America, as coronavirus loosens its grip on our economies. Unspecified railway issues in the Midwest are partially to blame for full ports in Seattle and Tacoma. Longshoremen have nowhere to load the containers once they come in. Eric Wilkimson reports. (KING)

Looking to escape wildfire smoke in WA this year? A new tool could help
Smoke forecasting is notoriously hard to do, but a new tool from the state Department of Ecology may help us anticipate hazardous air five days in the future. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Olympic Discovery Trail idea draws opposition
A controversial plan to study an alternate route for the Olympic Discovery Trail east of Port Angeles survived a flood of opposition this week. The City Council voted 4-2 Tuesday to keep an upland ODT plan as an unfunded line item in the city’s 2022-2027 capital facilities plan despite calls from more that two dozen trail users to remove it from the 318-page document. The council then voted unanimously — with Charlie McCaughan excused — to direct staff to move the upland ODT plan and nearly $600,000 worth of riprap repairs to the existing waterfront trail from parks to transportation projects in the five-year infrastructure plan. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Crews to set at least 1,200 Asian giant hornet traps across Washington this summer
WSDOT announced Wednesday that it, along with the Department of Agriculture and other agencies, will begin to set at least 1,200 traps in places across Washington, with the transportation department focused primarily on highways in the northwest part of the state. (KING)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 6/4/21: Gun Violence Day, TM pipe, Howe Sound maps, ANWR drilling, BC forestry plan, WA fish pen rules, Montana wind, Active Pass tankers, parked ships, wildfire smoke 

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  316 AM PDT Fri Jun 4 2021   
TODAY  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. A  slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds  building to 5 ft at 9 seconds after midnight. Rain in the evening  then rain likely after midnight. 
SAT  W wind 15 to 25 kt becoming 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. Rain likely in  the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft after  midnight. SW swell 3 ft at 14 seconds building to W 9 ft at  13 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 11 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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