10/28 Chinese lantern, container spill, Chinook study, Skagit dams, protecting wilderness, mining claims, kelp farming, local news

Chinese lantern [Love to Know]

 
Chinese lantern Physalis alkekengi
Chinese lantern, the bladder cherry, Japanese-lantern, strawberry groundcherry or winter cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is a close relative of the new world Physalis peruviana. (Wikipedia)

From sofas to car parts: 109 containers, not 40, missing from ship
Far more containers than originally believed — 109 rather than 40 — fell off the container ship Zim Kingston in heavy seas off the west coast of Vancouver Island last week, the coast guard says. The containers carried everything from Christmas decorations to sofas, poker tables, metal car parts, clothing, toys, yoga mats, stand-up paddleboards and industrial parts. At least three are believed to have come ashore at Cape Scott, along with some debris, said Maria McCooey, deputy federal incident commander for the Canadian Coast Guard. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

The hopeful orca study, and the backlash that ensued
We've been hearing for years now about the dwindling supply of Chinook salmon, the primary food source of the endangered population of southern resident orcas. But recently, researchers at the University of British Columbia published a paper that found an abundance of Chinook salmon in one area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where the southern residents forage for food. Researchers here in the Seattle area "stomped on it," according to Lynda Mapes, who covers the environment for The Seattle Times. Kim Malcolm and Andy Hurst report. (KUOW)

County resolution: Seattle City Light needs to do more for fish
The Skagit County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Monday asking Seattle City Light to commit to a “regionally equitable salmon investment” in the Skagit River watershed as the utility seeks a new federal license for its three dams on the river...The Skagit is the largest river in the Puget Sound region and home to all five salmon species as well as steelhead. Two of those species are listed under the Endangered Species Act, along with orca whales that depend on some of those fish for food. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

North Vancouver couple put up $1 million for wilderness protection
A North Vancouver couple is putting their money where their hearts are – in the wilderness. Al Collings and Hilary Stevens have donated $1 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The money will go to establish the Collings Stevens Conservation Acceleration Fund, which will be used to purchase ecologically important private lands across the province and protect them before someone else swoops in and develops the land. Brent Richter reports. (North Shore News)

Boost in Hatchery Salmon to Feed Endangered Southern Resident Orcas Reported
A new report from NOAA Fisheries says that federal, state and tribal salmon hatcheries in Washington and Oregon have boosted production of juvenile Chinook salmon over the past two years to help endangered southern resident orca whales recover...Federal funds for the project came in association with the Pacific Salmon Treaty, plus state funds from the Washington State Legislature. Hatcheries aim to increase prey for the top marine predators by roughly 4-5% as the young fish mature over the next two to three years. (Fishermen News)

The Gitxaala Nation Is Suing the Province Over Mining Claims
Dozens of claims have been staked on ‘sacred’ Banks Island, yet the nation has never been notified, it says. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Farming Kelp the Heiltsuk Way
New research braids Indigenous knowledge with Western science to demonstrate the sustainability of a small-scale kelp fishery. Emilee Gilpin reports. (Hakai Magazine)

League of Women Voters looks at local news landscape in Washington, possible impact on democracy
We know local news outlets nationwide are less robust than they once were. And we know that has far-reaching effects in communities. What does it mean for Washington state? A two-year study by the Washington chapter of the League of Women Voters is hoping to find out. Ed Ronco reports. (KUOW)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PDT Thu Oct 28 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 20 to 25 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 9 ft at 13 seconds.  Rain. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at 12 seconds. A chance of  rain in the evening.

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