7/14 Burning bush, ecosystem action plan, shellfish loss, defamation case, B'ham Bay cleanup, golden paintbrush, Fairy Cr protest, Lytton fire

Burning bush [Chris Barton/WikiMedia]

 

Burning bush Euonymus alatus
Euonymus alatus, known variously as winged spindle, winged euonymus, or burning bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea. The common name "burning bush" comes from the bright red fall color. (Wikipedia)

Canada and the United States release new action plan for Salish Sea Ecosystem
...Today, the governments of Canada and the United States announced that they have signed a new four-year "Action Plan" under their Joint Statement of Cooperation—first signed in 2000—that commits both countries to work together on transboundary issues and challenges facing the Salish Sea ecosystem. Under the action plan, the two nations will continue to engage with partners across the region to advance shared priorities for ecosystem health, including information sharing, improving transboundary coordination, and reporting on ecosystem health. Environment and Climate Change Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also updated their joint "Health of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Report" analyzing ten indicators of the health of the Salish Sea. Overall trends described in this report reveal some improvement, but also areas of no change or decline that can be identified as ecosystem priorities for future action. (Yahoo Finance)

Can biologists estimate the massive loss of shellfish caused by low tides, high temps?
The putrid smell of rotting shellfish on some beaches in Puget Sound and elsewhere along the West Coast were a clear sign that large numbers of clams, mussels, oysters and other intertidal creatures were killed from exposure to extreme low tides, record-breaking temperatures and a blazing hot sun. The total losses of shellfish that perished late last month may be difficult to estimate, but experts are beginning to piece together evidence from shoreline residents, state and tribal biologists, and commercial shellfish growers. Their goal is to describe what took place during the record-breaking temperatures of June 25-29 during some of the lowest tides of the past century. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Conservationists’ fight against developer’s defamation case a test of B.C.’s law to protect free speech
Lawyers say Todsen Design and Construction’s libel case against two individuals and the Qualicum Beach Preservation Society — each fighting to protect a small coastal Douglas fir forest from development — will test a fairly new provincial law designed to halt strategic lawsuits against public participation. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

This Bellingham Bay cleanup is taking longer than expected. Here’s why
If you’ve strolled along Bellingham Bay at any point in the last few years, you’ve probably seen the sign on South Bay Trail — the city of Bellingham has big plans to clean up two former industrial sites, transforming the waterfront area into a public access point informally called Cornwall Beach Park....The only challenge? The cleanup planning process has been in the works for nearly a decade, due to lengthy bureaucratic processes at the city, state and federal levels. In 2015, construction was expected to begin in 2017. Now, officials are hoping for a start date of 2023. The project is currently in the engineering design process and permitting is anticipated to begin in the coming months. Ysabelle Kempe reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Golden paintbrush prairie flower proposed as no longer threatened
The bright visage of butterflies fluttering in a field of swaying golden paintbrush flowers was a rare sight up until a few years ago. The perennial flower, native to prairie lands in the Pacific Northwest, became elusive in areas it once blanketed and was listed as threatened in 1997 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Twenty-four years later, the agency has proposed it be taken off the Endangered Species Act — which lists both threatened and endangered species. Daisy Zavala reports. (Seattle Times)

Six more old-growth logging protesters arrested on Vancouver Island
Six more people protesting old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek watershed area of Vancouver Island were arrested on Tuesday for breaching a court injunction. Five of them were locked in an interconnected arrangement of devices dug in a series of trenches in the area of Reid Mainline Road. To make matters more difficult, a number of large boulders had been perched above the heads of the people lying in the trenches. Mike Raptis reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Did a Train Start the Lytton Fire?
Experts say it’s likely. And last year CN paid $16.6 million for sparking another blaze near the community. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PDT Wed Jul 14 2021   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell  4 ft at 8 seconds.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told