Salish Sea News and Weather: August 2021

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

8/31 Boston ivy, La Nina, wetlands rule, BC power projects, rising heat, climate and health, Fairy Cr protest, Capitol Lake, lost wilderness

Boston ivy

Boston ivy Parthenocissus tricuspidata
Boston ivy is a flowering plant in the grape family native to eastern Asia in Korea, Japan, and northern and eastern China. Although unrelated to true ivy, it is commonly known as Boston ivy, grape ivy and Japanese ivy, and also as Japanese creeper, and by the name woodbine. (Wikipedia)

Forecasters eye La Niña for what fall, winter weather seasons could bring
Although long-range forecasts are subject to change, climate experts are expecting a cooler- and wetter-than-normal season, which could bring good ski conditions. "Even though we’re going into a La Niña, it is forecast to be a weak La Niña," said Dr. Robert Conrick, a meteorologist and post-doc weather researcher at the University of Washington. Abby Acone reports. (KOMO)

Federal judge throws out Trump administration rule allowing the draining and filling of streams, marshes and wetlands
A federal judge on Monday threw out a major Trump administration rule scaling back federal protections for streams, marshes and wetlands across the U.S., reversing one of the previous administration’s most significant environmental rollbacks. Dino Grandoni and Brady Dennis report. (Washington Post)

BC Is Blocking Needed First Nations Power Projects, Says Report
Renewable energy projects run by First Nations could help B.C. power through the climate crisis, but government roadblocks threaten their participation, says a recent report from the Pembina Institute and the New Relationship Trust. Zoe Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

A deadly message for a region unprepared for earth’s rising temperatures
This summer as a heat dome engulfed the Pacific Northwest at least 138 people died in Washington state. KNKX sought to learn more about those who lost their lives, at least in part, because of the heat wave in those final days in June, which experts say would not have happened without climate change. With the help of the Washington state Department of Health and by filing multiple public records requests for death certificates, KNKX compiled a list of all those in King and Pierce counties whom authorities identified and whose death listed heat as a contributing factor. Lilly Ann Fowlet and Bellamy Pailthorp report. (KNKX)

Biden Opens New Federal Office for Climate Change, Health and Equity
The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which the administration announced on Monday, will be the first federal program aimed specifically at understanding how planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels also affect human health. It will fall under the Department of Health and Human Services. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

Fairy Creek activists say RCMP more aggressive when no observers present, question police accountability
Police denied journalists vehicle access to Fairy Creek blockades last week; told them to walk 7 kilometres. Adam van der Zwan reports. (CBC)

What’s next after 800 comment on future of Capitol Lake?
State staff are reviewing and analyzing more than 800 comments the state Department of Enterprise Services received on the draft environmental impact statement on the options for the future of Capitol Lake in Olympia. All draft EIS comments received during the 62-day comment period that ended Sunday will be published on the project website by early October, DES said in a Monday news release. The final EIS will include a comment response summary that documents comments and how they were addressed. The final EIS is expected in 2022 and will identify a preferred alternative for long-term management of the man-made lake and the mouth of the Deschutes River, according to DES. (The Olympian)

Covering climate change means watching the Washington you love fade away
A reporter reflects on the disappearing hallmarks of the region’s natural spaces. Hannah Weinberger writes. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 237 AM PDT Tue Aug 31 2021
TODAY W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 5 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 4 ft at 8 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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Monday, August 30, 2021

8/30 Crocosmia, War in the Woods, Fairy Cr protest, Columbia steelhead, blue carbon, earthworms, Pebble Mine, bull kelp, derelict boats

Crocosmia

Crocosmia
Crocosmia, also known as montbretia, is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa to Sudan. One species is endemic to Madagascar. The alternative name montbretia is still widely used. The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning "saffron", and osme, meaning "odor" – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when immersed in hot water. (Wikipedia)

How Clayoquot Sound’s War in the Woods transformed a region
Almost 30 years after the ‘war in the woods’ stopped most industrial logging in Clayoquot Sound, the area has experienced a massive tourist boom. We visited the region to learn about solutions that emerged from the conflict and what challenges remain. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Protests over old-growth logging on Vancouver Island have sparked change, expert says
In the year since the first camp was set up to prevent old-growth logging around the Fairy Creek watershed on southern Vancouver Island, an expert in Canadian environmental movements says the protests have made a mark on politics and public discourse. Advocates have been calling for an end to old-growth logging in British Columbia for decades, but the issue flared again recently with more rallies, people speaking out, and media attention, said David Tindall, a professor in the sociology department at the University of British Columbia. Brenna Owen reports. (Canadian Press)

Record-low steelhead returns on Columbia River prompt call for fishing shutdown
Columbia River steelhead are in hot water. The number of steelhead returning from the Pacific Ocean to the river this year is the lowest ever recorded. As of this week, just over 29,000 steelhead passed Bonneville Dam since July 1 — that’s less than half the average of the past five years. The low number has led a coalition of conservation and fishing organizations to call for a shutdown of all recreational steelhead fishing in the Columbia Basin for the fall season. Bradley W. Parks reports. (OPB)

Local researchers examine blue carbon from Salish Sea to Arabian Gulf
How much of what is called blue carbon that various kinds of shoreline habitats are able store is a question scientists worldwide, including those in Skagit County, are trying to answer. The answer is one piece of the global puzzle for mitigating climate change. Stored blue carbon — primarily in the form of plant matter that gets buried under wet sediment, where oxygen can’t reach it to start the decomposition process — reduces the amount of climate change-inducing carbon dioxide that gets into the atmosphere. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Invasive earthworms are remaking our forests, and climate scientists are worried
For the past 300 years, a slow-motion invasion has been unfolding under our feet. Year by year, a plethora of invasive earthworms have been quietly burrowing their way through our forests' leaf litter, grasslands and backyard gardens. Although earthworms are beneficial for growing food, research shows they are harming our forests, and could potentially be contributing to climate change. Maya Lach-Aidelbaum reports. (CBC)

Inside the latest Indigenous push to stop a massive copper mine
For nearly 20 years, plans to mine near the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery have alternately raced forward and backward, with more whiplash than resolution for residents and fishermen in southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. Now, in an unusual move that represents the latest stumbling block in that saga, an Alaska Native group is preparing to give up development rights to nearly half its land along a key area for the Pebble Mine. While few are willing to declare the controversial mine stopped, the land deal is viewed as a major setback for the mine's backers. Ashley Braun reports. (Crosscut)

Kelp is struggling in central and south Puget Sound. Are Whatcom’s kelp beds next?
... Thriving bull kelp can also soften the blow of climate change, with Washington state’s bull kelp forests absorbing 27 to 136 metric tons of carbon each day, according to the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. Over the course of a year, that offsets the emissions of approximately 2,000 to 10,500 vehicles. The species is also culturally important to tribes in the Pacific Northwest, and the Samish Indian Nation has been researching populations in Skagit and San Juan counties since 2016.Ysabelle Kempe reports. (Bellingham Herald)

6 derelict boats in Everett on track to be hauled away
Six old and abandoned boats in Everett are nearing their final days in local waters. Snohomish County’s Public Works Department has placed legal notices on four derelict vessels — three in Steamboat Slough with a fourth at the Everett boat launch, and the city of Everett has claims for two more that are beached at Howarth Park. If the owners don’t take responsibility in the next 30 days, they’ll lose custody and the boats will be removed. Joseph Thompson reports. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 244 AM PDT Mon Aug 30 2021
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.

Friday, August 27, 2021

8/27 Cicada, salmon-killing tires, Fairy Cr protest, shipping delays

Cicada [Bruce Martin/WikiCommons]

Cicada
The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha,along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers...One exclusively North American genus, Magicicada (the periodical cicadas), which spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerge in predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and the location...Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have also been used in myth and folklore as symbols of carefree living and immortality. The cicada is also mentioned in Hesiod's Shield (ll.393–394), in which it is said to sing when millet first ripens. Cicadas are eaten by humans in various countries, including China, where the nymphs are served deep-fried in Shandong cuisine. (Wikipedia)

Discovery of tire-related chemical that kills coho salmon sparks widespread response
Scientists, legislators and manufacturers are responding in various ways to the recent groundbreaking discovery of a deadly chemical derived from automobile tires, a chemical that can rapidly kill coho salmon swimming in urban streams. Researchers are trying to better describe the chemical signature and biological function of the newfound chemical, 6PPD-quinone, along with related compounds. One major goal is to find an alternative chemical that can prevent dangerous cracking in tires without poisoning the environment. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Video of Mountie ordering journalist to 'be silent' at Fairy Creek protest raises press freedom concerns
Legal experts say they're concerned about a widely shared video showing an RCMP officer telling a journalist to be "silent" while she covered protests against old-growth logging on Vancouver Island "or you're gone."... That interaction is unacceptable to Veronica Martisius, staff counsel for policy at the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, who said reporters have a right to do their jobs without police interference. "For an officer to order a journalist not to engage … and to threaten that journalist, that if you do engage, I'm going to remove you, that's totally inappropriate," she told CBC News. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Shipping delays caused by full cargo ships waiting to unload along West Coast
The delays are due to continuing backups to unload cargo ships at West Coast ports, including in Seattle and Tacoma. Glenn Farley reports. (KING)

Salish Sea News and Weather Week in Review 8/27/21: Jan-ken-po, Van Is salmon, salmon temp, sea star die-off, Skagit dams, BC heat, kelp forests, tire chemicals

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 212 AM PDT Fri Aug 27 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 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 9 seconds.
SAT Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.

Thursday, August 26, 2021

8/26 Locust, Fairy Cr protest, Stillaguamish R reroute, tribal lands, BC chemicals, oil-eating bacteria, kelp forest

Locust

Locust
Locusts are a group of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming gregarious. (Wikipedia)

Fairy Creek is set to become the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada’s history
Amid escalating tensions with the RCMP, old-growth logging blockades on Vancouver Island show no signs of letting up. B.C.’s response, experts say, will determine the legacy of the new war in the woods. The Fairy Creek blockades are on the verge of setting a record for the number of arrests at a civil disobedience protest. At the time of publication, RCMP have arrested 796 people. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Stillaguamish River project underway to help region's chinook salmon
In an area where the south fork of the Stillaguamish River moves from mountain terrain to valley before winding its way toward the saltwater near Camano Island, the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians and U.S. Forest Service are working to reroute the river’s flow in order to improve habitat for fish. This rerouting of the river is taking place in what’s called the Gold Basin reach, near Granite Falls. In exchange for healthier water for threatened chinook salmon and other Stillaguamish River fish, some campsites at the Forest Service’s Gold Basin Campground are being removed. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Everett City Council adopts tribal land acknowledgement
The statement about the sduhubš and Tulalip Tribes people will be part of each council meeting. Ben Watanabe reports. (Everett Herald)

Environmental Law Centre calls for independent review of proposed B.C. petrochemical, plastics complex
Lawyers at the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre are calling for an independent assessment of three proposed petrochemical and plastics facilities in Prince George, B.C., that they say pose "profound risks to the global environment." The request filed with Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman asks him to refer West Coast Olefins' proposals for Prince George to an independent panel of experts that can assess the project in its entirety. Kate Partridge reports. (CBC)

Can 'Oil-Eating' Bacteria in Canadian Arctic Help Clean Up Oil Spill?
A new study suggests that a certain type of bacteria in the Canadian Arctic can break down diesel and oil, which could 'respond well to an oil spill' in the region. Scientists at the University of Calgary said these 'mysterious' microbes can be found in the icy waters of the Arctic, 'capable of biodegrading' the fossil fuels present in the Labrador Sea. Miguel Brown reports.. (Nature World News)

An Amazon Rainforest of the sea fights for survival beneath Puget Sound
An undersea expedition to a mysterious world beneath the waves has come to West Seattle's Lincoln Park. It's just one stop on a week-long mission to help understand and save one of our area's most important natural resources, its kelp forests. Jim Dever reports. (KING)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 210 AM PDT Thu Aug 26 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 7 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening.

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

8/25 Grasshopper, Skagit dams, extreme heat, sea stars, electric grid, Point Roberts, BC vax proof

Grasshopper

Grasshopper
Grasshoppers are ground-dwelling insects which go through a phase of incomplete metamorphosis before developing into the adult stage. As grasshoppers mostly live on the ground, they have very powerful hind legs which are adapted for escape in case they are threatened. Grasshoppers are closely similar to locusts though grasshoppers can only fly for shorter distances. Grasshoppers mostly exist within a solitary phase with little to no threat to crops. Within the solitary phase, grasshoppers are disorganized, each leading its way of life. However, some grasshopper species develop gregarious behavior under suitable conditions, becoming locusts. (World Atlas)

Skagit County sues Seattle for public records in fight over fish passage at city dams
A fight over the lack of fish passage at Seattle City Light dams escalated Tuesday when Skagit County sued the city of Seattle in a bid to force the release of some of the utility’s financial records. The county named Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Light General Manager Debra Smith in its suit, seeking to compel the release of records under the state Public Records Act. The records include an accounting of the value of power sold from each of the three hydroelectric dams on the Skagit. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C.’s extreme heat is here to stay. Critics say government’s plan to deal with it is dangerously weak
From 570 devastating heat-induced deaths, to fish die-offs, to berries being baked on the stem, British Columbians are experiencing the multitude impacts of a growing climate emergency that the province urgently needs to adapt to. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Expert says B.C. sea stars melting away because of wasting disease
A new study published by the Royal Society said sea stars are getting close to extinction as waters along the west coast. Sea stars in the waters off British Columbia that died off in the billions about a decade ago are not recovering as expected, an expert says. Hina Alam reports. (The Canadian Press)

How the West’s divided electric grid slows green growth
A hodgepodge of utilities run the West’s electrical grid. Will billions in federal funding help them get along? Peter Fairley reports. (InvestigateWest)

Canadians still can't visit tiny Point Roberts, and community is losing hope
Point Roberts faces at least another month of isolation after President Joe Biden extended the Canadian border closure last week. The Washington exclave relies on cross-border business to operate, and Point Roberts’ Fire Chief Christopher Carleton says that the downtown is looking desolate after two seasons of lost tourist traffic. Anya Steinberg reports. (KNKX)

British Columbia Mandates Proof Of Vaccination for Most Indoor Activities
Starting Sept. 13, residents of British Columbia must show “B.C. Vaccine cards,” if they want to attend a movie or indoor activity, work out at a fitness center, eat indoors or on the patio of a restaurant, live in student housing, go to dance or the symphony, or gamble away Loonies at a casino. Joel Connelly reports. (Post Alley)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 251 AM PDT Wed Aug 25 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT NW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 1 ft at 8 seconds. Rain likely in the evening then a chance of rain after midnight.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

8/24 Katydid, Oly mega-ships, Fairy Cr protests, climate change, sea scallops

Drumming katydid [BugGuide]

Drumming katydid Meconema thalassinum
A tiny, sea-green katydid with a tympanum fully exposed on each foretibia. Forewings longer than hindwings. Range: Europe. Introduced into North America; currently Michigan & Ohio east to Atlantic coast; sw. British Columbia to w. Oregon, and likely still expanding. This species calls by drumming the hind tarsus on a leaf. (BugGuide)

Draft report for Capitol Lake shows port has interest in mega-ships
The draft environmental report for Capitol Lake shows the Port of Olympia has an interest in bringing Panama Canal-size ships to the marine terminal. The discovery was made by resident and former Port of Olympia commission candidate Helen Wheatley, who shared the information during public comment at Monday’s commission meeting. The port’s interest in large ships, known as Panamax and Neopanamax vessels, is spelled out in an attachment included in the draft environmental impact statement for Capitol Lake, which was released at the end of June by the state Department of Enterprise Services. DES is currently accepting comments on the document through Aug. 29. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

Federal NDP calling for investigation into RCMP actions at Fairy Creek protests
An NDP member of Parliament is calling for an investigation into RCMP actions at Fairy Creek after videos showing police using pepper spray on a crowd of protesters were shared online over the weekend. Jack Harris, the New Democrat critic for public safety and emergency preparedness, called on Bill Blair, the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, to initiate a “full and independent investigation into RCMP actions at Fairy Creek.” Roxanne Egan-Elliott reports. (Times Colonist)

Searching for clues to climate change at the bottom of the world
For scientists, building a true understanding of how climate change is affecting the planet is complicated. A conversation in a Portland pub led to one solution — find the tree at the bottom of the world and see how it’s being affected by rising temperatures. The idea took root a few years ago when University of Colorado associate professor Brian Buma attended a landscape ecology conference in Portland. Afterward, he went out for a beer with a Portland State University associate professor of geography, Andrés Holz. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports. (OPB/Crosscut)

Sea Scallops Farmed in Maine Aren’t Just Sustainable. They’re Helping Their Habitat.
There are only a handful of these farms in the United States, most run by fishing families in Maine. But their number is growing. Melissa Clark reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 242 AM PDT Tue Aug 24 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 7 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 6 seconds.

Monday, August 23, 2021

8/23 Cricket, Van Is salmon, water temp, Grant Jones, BC marmots, breeding sea stars, border closure, BC grizzlies, ferry Elwha

Field cricket

Field cricket Gryllus spp.
Field Crickets are a common site throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Warm summer nights bring them out en masse as the males loudly chirp up to 30 times a minute in an effort to attract a female. The noise is a pleasant reminder of the season and will immediately stop if the crickets are approached too closely. (Insect Identification)

‘It’s pretty dire’: Vancouver Island salmon under threat from climate change-induced droughts
As the island enters the most severe level of drought in the province, experts warn B.C. has much work to do to manage for watershed health in the midst of prolonged dry spells. Braela Kwan reports. (The Narwhal)

Taking the temperature of salmon
Warming waters threaten the recovery of salmon in Puget Sound. New findings about stream temperature could help salmon survive the threats of climate change. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Remembering Northwest Poet/Architect Grant Jones (1938-2021)
Late last June, landscape architect and poet Grant Richard Jones, FASLA, passed away at age 82 in his cabin on the Similkameen River in north central Washington. As co-founder of Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects, Grant had a lasting impact on how we cohabitate with the land, and on generations of design professionals, planners, government and NGO leaders in the Pacific Northwest and internationally. His abiding vision was “to serve the land.” Barbara Swift writes. (Post Alley)

'A thrilling sign': Researchers discover secret colony of highly endangered marmots on Vancouver Island
New colony in Strathcona Park of around 10 to 12 individuals has adults, yearlings and pups. (CBC)

After mystery sea star die-off, could captive breeding rebalance California’s underwater forests?
Without sea stars, an explosion of sea urchins knocked the ecosystem off balance. Now scientists are racing to breed a new generation of their predators. Chris Iovenko reports. (National Geographic)

U.S. extends ban on nonessential crossings at Canada, Mexico borders
The U.S. government on Friday extended a ban on nonessential travel along the borders with Canada and Mexico to slow the spread of COVID-19 despite increasing pressure to lift the restriction. )Associated {Press)

Grizzly territories in B.C. line up with Indigenous language communities, new study suggests
The finding aligns with First Nations practice of treating bears as part of family, Indigenous scientist says. Winston Szeto reports. (CBC)

A ferry tale | Remembering the Elwha
A local bar created a drink in her honor. A local band celebrated her with a song. A local landmark was named after her. The Washington Post published an article about her. She appeared in a Seattle Times column among “Seattle’s Dubious Distinctions.” She has her own page on Wikipedia. This is the saga of the Elwha, possibly the most famous — or infamous — ferry in the Washington State Ferries system. Or should I say, since she was taken out of service in 2019, this is an overdue obituary. David Hampshire writes. (San Juan Journal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 249 AM PDT Mon Aug 23 2021
TODAY E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.

Friday, August 20, 2021

8/20 Catkins, Duwamish R cleanup, Namu the Killer Whale, punishing protests, week's news in review

Catkin

Catkin
A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated but sometimes insect-pollinated. They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem that is often drooping. (Wikipedia)

Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition calls on EPA to maintain standards set in 2014
A polluted river runs through the heart of industrial Seattle. The Lower Duwamish waterway was designated a Superfund site in 2001. Now the community coalition that has spent years helping shape the cleanup plan for this 5-mile stretch of the river says that plan is under assault. For 13 years, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition worked with federal regulators at the EPA to reach a pact on how to remove and contain polluted sediment. That agreement came out in 2014. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Namu the Killer Whale premieres at Orpheum Theatre in Seattle on August 1, 1966.
On August 1, 1966, at a charity event at the Orpheum Theatre in Seattle, an audience views the first showing of the movie Namu the Killer Whale, produced by Ivan Tors (1916-1983) and filmed in the San Juan Islands and at Rich Cove in Kitsap County. Lynn Weber/Roochvarg writes. (HistoryLink)

Erin O’Toole vows to increase criminal punishment for people who disrupt pipelines and railways
The Conservative Party leader wants to amend Canada’s Criminal Code to stop protests that disrupt key infrastructure, in a move some say will unfairly target Indigenous land defenders and criminalize those who challenge government and industry to respond to the global climate crisis. Fatima Syed
reports. (The Narwhal)

Salish Sea News and Weather Week in Review 8/20/21: World Mosquito Day, sage grouse, BC steelhead, K21, ghost boats, sea otters, Coast Salish stories, Chuck Sams, skinny orcas, AK drilling, chlorpyrifos, Duwamish R, Namu

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 239 AM PDT Fri Aug 20 2021
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 9 seconds subsiding to 6 ft at 9 seconds in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers in the morning then a chance of showers in the afternoon.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming W to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves less 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds. A slight chance of showers.
SAT W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 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

Thursday, August 19, 2021

8/19 Rattlesnake plantain, chlorpyrifos, Willow, skinny orcas, jet noise, hydrogen ship, Puget pilots, Chuck Sams, Fairy Cr protest, BC climate, indigenous ecosystem management, fish passage

Rattlesnake plantain

Rattlesnake plantain Goodyera oblongifolia
Goodyera oblongifolia is a species of orchid known by the common names western rattlesnake plantain and giant rattlesnake plantain. The common name stems from the leaves, which have marks resembling snakeskin; the plant is also said to have been used to treat snakebites. (Wikipedia)

EPA bans pesticide chlorpyrifos for use on food crops
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced it will stop the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all edible crops. A federal appeals court ruled in April that the agency had to either ban chlorpyrifos — which has been linked to neurological damage, particularly in children and farmworkers — or prove that it was safe. The EPA determined that it had no “reasonable certainty” that the pesticide would cause no harm to human health. Bradley W. Parks reports. (OPB)

Court Blocks a Vast Alaskan Drilling Project, Citing Climate Dangers
The multibillion-dollar ConocoPhillips plan, known as Willow, was approved under the Trump administration and then legally supported by the Biden administration. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Skinny orcas are up to 3 times more likely to die than healthy whales, new research shows
Skinny southern resident killer whales are two to three times more likely to die in the next year than whales in a healthy condition, new research shows. In a paper titled, “Survival of the Fattest,” scientists used drone images taken between 2008 and 2019 of the J, K and L pods of endangered southern resident killer whales to explore the link between food and survival. They found a clear connection: poor body condition in living whales is a good predictor of dead ones. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Groups vow to continue fighting Navy over jet noise
More than two years after lawsuits were filed over Naval Air Station Whidbey Island's growing EA-18G Growler fleet and increasing practice flights, the issue of whether the Navy adequately assessed the environmental and public health impacts of such growth remains tied up in court. The two lawsuits filed July 9, 2019 by the state of Washington and the nonprofit Citizens for the Ebey's Reserve, were combined in October of that year. Thousands of pages in briefings, declarations and motions have been filed since. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

This ‘monumental’ step toward more sustainable shipping taken in Bellingham
Bellingham Bay was home to a noteworthy moment in the effort to reduce planet-warming emissions from ships and boats this week. The first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vessel in the U.S. was officially launched on Thursday, Aug. 12, and will soon begin trips in California’s Bay Area, according to a news release from Bellingham-based shipbuilder All American Marine and investment company SWITCH Maritime. Ysabelle Kempe reports. (Bellingham Herald)

These Puget Sound pilots don't fly
Safely navigating narrow Puget Sound passages is tricky business, especially for cargo boats. Port pilots and scientists make these journeys possible. Paige Browning, Jennie Cecil Moore and Kristin Leong report/ (KU)W)

Biden to nominate Umatilla tribal leader Chuck Sams to direct National Park Service
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Oregon tribal leader Charles “Chuck” Sams III to direct the National Park Service. Sams is the former director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation as well as a current member of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. He is the first Native American to be nominated for the National Park Service director post. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)

Fairy Creek: RCMP arrest 49 at blockade protesting old-growth logging
RCMP arrested another 49 people as officers continued to enforce a B.C. Supreme Court injunction order in the Fairy Creek watershed area on Wednesday. Police say protesters continued to use locking or tripod-like devices and deep trenches to block access to the area. In a release, the Mounties say officers were also met with a large group of demonstrators who refused to leave the area, resulting in their arrests. (Canadian Press)

Suzuki, Atwood, Ondaatje, Lewis Call for Emergency Leaders Debate on Climate
David Johnston, head of the Leaders Debate Commission, has been asked to hold a special Climate Emergency Leadership Debate as part of the 2021 federal election. “Canadians need a chance to assess whether those who seek national leadership understand the severity of the crisis, and what their plan is to combat it,” an Aug. 16 letter sent to Johnston said. The letter was signed by four distinguished members of the Order of Canada Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Stephen Lewis and David Suzuki. Michael Harris reports. (The Tyee)

The Americas’ First Ecosystem Managers
When it comes to sea otters, modern conservation goals are overlooking the firm hand Indigenous people wielded through time. Jessa Gamble reports.(Hakai Magazine)

Could a new fish passage system help Snake River salmon?
Whooshh Innovations said its fish passage system could transport salmon quickly over the Snake River dams – and generate $60 million over 10 years by diverting water from fish ladders to hydropower turbines. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

How Indigenous cultural burning practices benefit biodiversity
Indigenous Peoples comprise only five per cent of the world’s population but protect approximately 85 per cent of the world’s biodiversity through stewardship of Indigenous-managed lands, including the purposeful use of fire. Sara Wickham, Andrew Trant, Emma Davis and Kira Hoffman report. (The Narwhal/The Conversation Canada)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 248 AM PDT Thu Aug 19 2021
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft after midnight. W swell 8 ft at 9 seconds.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

8/18 Duckweed, BC LNG, real Salish history, catch more crabs campaign

Common duckweed

Common duckweed Lemna minor
The duckweeds (genus Lemna) and related genera of the duckweed family (Lemnaceae) are the smallest flowering plants known. Individual plants consist of a single, flat oval leaf (technically a modified stem) no more than ¼ of an inch long that floats on the surface of still-moving ponds, lakes, and sloughs. (US Forest Service)

Nurses and Doctors Take Aim at BC’s LNG Ambitions
People heading toward the Tsawwassen ferry terminal last weekend may have spotted an eerie sign of the times — a handful of doctors and nurses, standing under smoky skies, hoisting banners warning against the climate threat from liquified natural gas. The group gathered to launch Unnatural Gas, a public awareness campaign by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment about the climate and health damage from natural gas. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

They want to tell the real history, celebrate vibrant people of the Coast Salish
Robert Jago wants Northwesterners to learn the real history of this land. Jago says the places where we work, live and play today are also sites of religious significance or legendary battles for Indigenous peoples. But most of that history is buried and forgotten. That’s why Jago launched the Coast Salish History Project in July. Ed Ronco & Anya Steinberg report. (KNKX)

Lost to Found: How the Catch More Crab Campaign in Puget Sound, WA is saving crabs AND filling crab pots!
Hilary Wilkinson in her Conservation Cafe podcast talks with Jason Morgan, Derelict Fishing Gear Manager for the Northwest Straits Foundation, about a highly successful campaign which has reduced the number of lost crab pots – and lost crabs! – to the benefit of wildlife and people.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 325 AM PDT Wed Aug 18 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

8/17 Chickweed, sea otters, Gorge Dam, ghost boats, Fairy Cr protest, TM protest, GasLink spill

Chickweed [Gardening Know How]

Chickweed Stellaria media
Chickweed is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world. This species is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human and poultry consumption. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed. The plant germinates in autumn or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage. (Wikipedia)

Skeptics of sea otter reintroduction getting organized on Pacific Coast
Sea otters are undeniably cute, but cuteness only goes so far when major economic interests are at stake. That's an inference you can make from the emergence of organized pushback to the possible reintroduction of sea otters along the Oregon Coast. A trade group, the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, enlisted 24 maritime interests to sign on to a letter expressing grave concerns about bringing back sea otters. Some of the signatories include the ports of Ilwaco, Astoria, Newport, Coos Bay and Brookings, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers and Columbia River crab fishermen. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Controversy continues between Seattle, tribes over Skagit River dam
Disagreement continues over how to approach Seattle City Light’s Gorge Dam during relicensing of the city’s three-dam hydropower system on the upper Skagit River. Differences of opinion include the extent to which Gorge, the lowest of the three dams, impacts Skagit River fish, as well as how best to approach a potential remedy. In the past week, Seattle City Light announced that it will analyze whether considering removal of any or all of the dams is necessary, while also arguing in federal court that a lawsuit the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe filed over fish passage issues at Gorge Dam should be tossed out. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Ghost boats are haunting Puget Sound waters
It can cost over $10,000 to properly dispose of a boat that is no longer in working order. Some owners are choosing to abandon ship instead; causing big problems for marina managers and the environment. Paige Browning, Alec Cowan and Kristin Leong report. (KUOW)

A Judge Rebuked Illegal RCMP Tactics at Fairy Creek. They Continue
B.C.’s Supreme Court delivered “precedent setting” comments last week slamming RCMP tactics at the Fairy Creek blockades against old-growth logging, according to legal experts. Justice Douglas Thompson laid out in sharp detail why the court found unlawful the force’s use of “exclusion zones” to place certain areas off limits to protesters, members of the media and observers. Zoe Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

Anti-pipeline activists mark one year of treetop occupation in Burnaby
Protesters have been living in tree houses to block the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

Coastal GasLink Spills More Contaminants in Wet’suwet’en Territory
For the second time in a little over a year, the Office of the Wet’suwet’en is asking why it wasn’t immediately notified after 1,000 litres of contaminants were spilled on the nation’s traditional territory at a Coastal GasLink pipeline work camp. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee) RCMP Has Spent Almost $20 Million Policing Wet’suwet’en Territory Costs include almost $6 million in the last fiscal year. But local residents say police presence has been reduced. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 232 AM PDT Tue Aug 17 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds.

Monday, August 16, 2021

8/16 Lamb's quarter, K21, Fraser steelhead, pond turtles, sage grouse land, no Point No Point launch, Van Aquarium, toilets and trash

Lamb's quarters [Brittanica]

Lamb’s quarters Chenopodium album
Lamb's quarters, also called pigweed, is an annual weedy plant of the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), of wide distribution in Asia, Europe, and North America. It can grow up to 3 metres (about 10 feet) but is usually a smaller plant. The blue-green leaves are variable in size and shape but are often white and mealy beneath. The tender young shoots in spring are sometimes gathered for potherbs and are a good source of vitamin A and iron. (Brittanica)

Did the oldest male southern resident orca die too young — at just 35?
He was last seen struggling against the current, terribly emaciated, one of the skinniest orcas ever seen alive. The dorsal fin that once towered from his trademark starburst saddle patch was completely collapsed across his back. He had lost so much body fat, he could barely keep his body afloat.K21 is presumed dead since that terrible sighting on July 29. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Extinction of B.C. Interior steelhead runs imminent: experts
Only 19 spawning adults returned to the Chilcotin watershed this spring, down from 418 in 2015 and a peak of 3,149 in 1985. Sarah Grochowski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

35 western pond turtles are released in Lakewood pond, bolstering endangered population
....The turtles, raised during a historic heat wave and a pandemic, were the latest batch to emerge from a desperate recovery program launched by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Woodland Park Zoo to help bring western pond turtles back from the brink of extinction in the state. Daniel Wu reports. (Seattle Times)

US Bureau of Land Management reconsiders protecting 10 million acres of sage grouse habitat
The Obama administration temporarily enacted a plan to withdraw what are called “sagebrush focal areas” from mining and drilling during the president’s second term, but called for a full environmental review to make the withdrawal permanent. The Trump administration, upon taking office, abandoned that plan, opening those 10 million acres for business. Bradley W. Parks reports. (OPB)

Army Corps blocks Point No Point boat launch, citing objections from Suquamish Tribe
A large waterfront parking lot at Point No Point sits waiting for angling activity, and it appears that it won't come any time soon, or maybe ever, after the Army Corps of Engineers blocked long-running plans for rebuilding a public boat ramp at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, citing objections raised by the Suquamish Tribe. The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has been pursuing construction of a new boat launch on Admiralty Inlet for years after it closed a launch at the site near the Point No Point Lighthouse for safety reasons in 2002. The agency submitted an application to the Army Corps of Engineers in 2009 and moved ahead with installing a parking lot for vehicles and trailers in anticipation of the ramp being built. Nathan Piling reports. (Kitsap Sun)

COVID-19: Vancouver Aquarium reopens iconic Stanley Park attraction to the public
The Vancouver Aquarium again opens its doors to the public Monday, after 14 months of closure and a brush with insolvency, which longtime volunteer and aquarium supporter Krista Tulloch welcomes as a "huge moment," for the storied Stanley Park institution. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Toilets and trash featured in Victoria exhibition about local history of water and waste
Using images, stories, and artifacts, Springs and Scavengers: Waste and Water in Victoria, 1842 to 1915 tells the story of basic human needs, and how those needs were dealt with back in the day. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 238 AM PDT Mon Aug 16 2021
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 10 seconds. Rain likely.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 8 seconds. A slight chance of rain.

Friday, August 13, 2021

8/13 Italian prune plum, indigenous protected areas, murder hornet, BC fish farms, old-growth deferral, oil dispersant review, news week in review

(Italian) prune plum [Nature Hills]

(Italian) prune plum Prunus domestica subsp. domestica
The prune plum is a fruit-bearing tree, or its fruit. It is a subspecies of the plum Prunus domestica. The freestone fruit is similar to, but distinct from, the clingstone damson and is especially popular in Central Europe.(Wikipedia)

Canada commits $340 million to Indigenous protected areas, guardians programs
The federal government announced it will provide funding over the next five years to support Indigenous-led stewardship of lands and waters under its $2.3 billion commitment to nature conservation. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Murder hornet sighted in Washington state’s Whatcom County
The second sighting of a so-called murder hornet this year was reported by a person in Whatcom County this week, the Washington state Department of Agriculture said Thursday. The Asian giant hornet was reported by a Whatcom County resident on Wednesday. Entomologists confirmed the sighting Thursday. The resident’s report included a photograph of the hornet attacking a paper wasp nest in a rural area east of the town of Blaine, about two miles from where state workers eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest in the United States last October. Nicholas K. Geranos reports. (Associated Press)

‘We need that plan’: 109 B.C. fish farm licences soon set to expire, but federal transition strategy missing
On the heels of a new stakeholder engagement report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, scientists and Indigenous advocates are renewing calls to phase out west coast fish farms and restore devastated wild salmon stocks. Braela Kwan reports. (The Narwhal)

Fairy Creek Got an Old-Growth Deferral. Now Some First Nations Call for More
Putting a stop to at-risk old-growth logging is just the first step, say leaders. The real issue is jurisdiction. Zoe Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

EPA ordered to update rules on oil spill-fighting chemicals
A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must update nearly three-decade-old regulations about the chemicals that can be used to disperse offshore oil spills, which some environmental groups contend cause serious health problems...The EPA now has a deadline of May 31, 2023, to take final action on listing and authorizing the chemicals and in the meantime must submit regular status reports. (Associate Press)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 8/13/21:: Friday the 13th, Cooke Aqua, dead orca, stop old-growth logging, climate report, TM pipe, infrastructure $s, Lorraine Loomis, shellfish disaster, Fraser salmon, Capitol Lake, indigenous protected areas

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 222 AM PDT Fri Aug 13 2021
TODAY NW wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds. Haze and areas of smoke.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds. Haze.
SAT NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds. Haze in the morning.
SAT NIGHT NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.
SUN W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

8/12 Brazil nut, heat's on, shellfish farms, lower Fraser habitat, Capitol Lake estuary, kelp, northern leopard frogs

Brazil nut [anuts]

Brazil nut Bertholletia excelsa
The Brazil nut is a South American tree in the family Lecythidaceae, and it is also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seeds. It is one of the largest and longest-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest. (Wikipedia)

Excessive Heat Warning Issued Across Puget Sound
The National Weather Service predicts that temperatures could get nearly as hot as June's deadly heat wave. Charles Woodman reports. (Patch) Vancouver Weather: Hot and humid A heat warning remains in effect for Metro Vancouver, with temperatures expected to reach 29 C and 36 C inland today. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Shellfish farmers line up for disaster aid after heat wave decimates oysters and clams
Sixty shellfish farms in Washington state have applied for federal disaster aid after a double whammy of extreme heat and afternoon low tides killed most of their oysters and clams in June. They’re bracing for a second heat wave this week. Many shellfish operations in south Puget Sound and Hood Canal reported losing the majority of of their saltwater livestock during the June heat wave, according to Travis Martin with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. John Ryan reports (KUOW)

From Delta to Hope, 85% of B.C.’s lower Fraser salmon habitat no longer accessible to declining fish populations
Using field manuals from 170 years ago, scientists have identified the monumental impact human development has had on B.C.’s struggling Fraser salmon — and what can be done to reverse it. Brishti Basu reports. (The Narwhal)

Olympia City Council wants Capitol Lake to become an estuary
The Olympia City Council has decided to support a plan to allow Capitol Lake to revert to an estuary. The man-made lake that serves as a reflecting pool for the state Capitol has long been a symbol of Olympia. But for years the lake has been closed due to poor water quality and invasive species that threaten the lake’s ecosystem. After years of study and debate about the lake’s future, at the end of June, the state Department of Enterprise Services (DES) released a draft environmental report on Capitol Lake and surrounding bodies of water that lists options. Leo Brine reports (Olympian)

‘Kelp Expedition’ stops in PT for research, celebration
The beds of kelp floating just offshore of Port Townsend’s North Beach County Park are a fixture of the landscape, familiar to those who stroll the beach and kayak the waters alike. However, these beds are only just the canopy of a dense forest that rises from the bottom of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Among the stalks of bull kelp that grow to up to 130 feet long, an entire ecosystem of marine life thrives. But while North Beach’s kelp forest may be rich with life, others across the Puget Sound and Salish Sea are disappearing, taking with them the ecosystems that depend on them. Brennan LaBrie reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

Hopping into the wild: endangered frog release could help boost only known population in Washington
Northern leopard frogs are rapidly disappearing in the Northwest. Hundreds of endangered northern leopard frogs have hopped into the only wild place these frogs are found in Washington...These tiny frogs first hatched at the Oregon Zoo and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Washington’s Pierce County. Now that they’ve grown to roughly six centimeters long, the frogs are ready to join the state’s only known population at Central Washington’s Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 344 AM PDT Thu Aug 12 2021
TODAY E 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 NW wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds.

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

8/11 Thai basil, Lorraine Loomis, culvert removal, Perseid meteors, March Pt Heronry, bug-eating plant

Thai basil [Urban Leaf]

Thai basil Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora
Thai basil is a member of the mint family and as such has a particular sweet flavor reminiscent of anise, licorice, and clove. Popular among the cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. (Gardening Know How]

Swinomish, regional tribal leader Lorraine Loomis dies at 81
Longtime tribal fisheries advocate Lorraine Loomis of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community died Tuesday. She was 81. Loomis spent the last about 40 years serving the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, most recently as chairperson. She began her career in fisheries working in fish processing in 1970, and then became fisheries manager for her home tribe following the 1974 Boldt decision that reaffirmed tribes’ treaty-protected fishing rights. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

U.S. Senate infrastructure package could ‘significantly improve’ salmon habitat
Funding to help fix culverts could open up cold water habitat to Northwest salmon...The $1 trillion infrastructure package includes $1 billion over a five-year period to help states remove pipes, known as culverts, that allow streams to flow under roadways. Improperly designed culverts can deter salmon from reaching significant portions of their habitat. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

The ‘best meteor shower of the year’ is peaking soon. Here’s how you can watch
The Perseid meteor shower is upon us, peaking this week, and it will fill the night sky with streaks of light and color until Aug. 24. Known as the "best meteor shower of the year" by NASA because of its fast, bright and plentiful meteors that can be easily viewed outside during the warm summer months, the shower is not one to be missed. It will peak around Aug. 12, where up to 100 meteors an hour can be caught shooting across the sky at 37 miles per second, leaving long streaks in their wake. Josie Fischels reports. (NPR)

March Point Heronry grows with Land Trust purchase
The patch of forested land protected at March Point to support great blue heron nesting is growing this summer to 15.5 acres. The Skagit Land Trust announced recently that it was able to purchase a 3.5-acre addition to what’s called the March Point Heronry thanks to donations from about 200 families, businesses and organizations over the past month. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Common B.C. flower is actually a carnivorous bug eater
It's a bad time to be a small insect in Cypress Provincial Park. Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have identified the first new carnivorous plant in 20 years. In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers discovered that the Triantha occidentalis in the park, a species of false asphodel, was missing a gene consistently seen in other carnivorous plants. The stem of Triantha contains sticky red hairs that trap small insects, such as midges and flies as they pass by. The plant produces a digestive enzyme called phosphatase, which allows it to feast on the insect. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Wed Aug 11 2021
TODAY Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Areas of dense fog in the morning.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

8/10 Chinese parsley, border opening, climate report, Trans Mtn, Quinault Nation, old growth logging

Chinese parsley [Plant World]

Chinese parsley Coriandrum sativum
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley, dhania or cilantro. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds (as a spice) are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.

Canada reopens its border for vaccinated U.S. visitors
Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit on Monday while the United States is maintaining similar restrictions for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. Lisa Baumann and Wilson Ring report. (Associated Press) See also: Hundreds line up at B.C.'s Peace Arch crossing as COVID border restrictions lift Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

This is the most sobering report card yet on climate change and Earth’s future. Here’s what you need to know
There is little good news in the 3,900 pages of text released today. But there is still time to avert the worst of the climate catastrophe — if humanity chooses to. Pep Canadell, Joelle Gergis, Malte Meinshausen, Mark Hemer and Michael Grose report. (The Narwhal) See also: Critics question B.C.'s growing fossil fuel subsidies in wake of dire new climate change report Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Ottawa says it must maximize revenue from the Trans Mountain pipeline to fight climate change
The minister responsible for Canada's role in fighting climate change is defending his government's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline after a landmark UN report said the continued use of fossil fuels is pushing the climate toward catastrophe. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson said today that revenue generated by the project will help Canada achieve its long-term climate objectives. Nick Boisvert reports. (CBC) See also: Trans Mountain pipeline tries to override Burnaby to gain permits for clearing 86 trees The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has once again asked a federal regulator to overrule the City of Burnaby and allow the Crown corporation to cut down 86 trees near the boundary between Burnaby and New Westminster. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

This tribe has lived on the coast of Washington for thousands of years. Now climate change is forcing it uphill
[TAHOLAH, Grays Harbor County] The village provided a somber backdrop Monday during a historic visit from Deb Haaland, the secretary of interior — and the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary. While meeting with tribal leaders, she promised hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to tribal nations to combat the threat of a warming planet. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Forest defenders present 150,000-name petition to stop old-growth logging
Environmentalists and the B.C. Green party are demanding the provincial government implement the promises it made to preserve B.C.’s forests, starting with putting an immediate end to old-growth logging. The group Stand.earth presented Green Leader Sonia Furstenau with a petition containing 150,000 signatures on the steps of the legislature in Victoria Monday. Lisa Cordasco reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: 33 Fairy Creek activists arrested as tents and vehicles block service roads, police say Since enforcement began, 556 people have been arrested on Vancouver Island. (CBC)

Paradise Logged
The Discovery Islands lie at the far northern reach of the Salish Sea. Just 140 years ago, they were home to magnificent ocean-bounded forests of giant trees. The legacy of first settler impacts is enormous stumps that are a haunting memory: this archipelago once harboured vast carbon stores and enormous biodiversity. Lannie Keller writes. (Watershed Sentinel)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 301 AM PDT Tue Aug 10 2021
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.