10/8 Minke whale, Snake dams removal, BC oil gas royalties, bad whale watching, Bears Ears protection, Gold Basin, King Co wastewater, new water bears, BC First Nation settlement

Minke whale

Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Minke whales are members of the baleen or “great” whale family and are the smallest of the rorquals. They are one of the most abundant rorqual in the world, and their population status is considered stable throughout almost their entire range (especially when compared to other species of large whales). The scientific names for minke whales translate to: "winged whale," (Balaenoptera) "sharp snout" (acutorostrata). They received their common name from a Norwegian novice whaling spotter named Meincke, who supposedly mistook a minke whale for a blue whale. (NOAA)

Poll finds many Washington voters support removing Snake River dams
A new poll supported by environmental groups found Washington voters West and East of the Cascades support dam removal. Many Washington voters support a plan to remove four dams on the Lower Snake River, according to a survey conducted for a coalition of environmental groups. The poll found 59% of 800 Washington voters surveyed support a plan to remove the dams in an effort to protect imperiled salmon and steelhead. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

B.C. commits to reviewing oil and gas royalties as experts find system in need of ‘comprehensive overhaul’
‘Little tweaks are not going to cut it’: independent assessment finds an overly complex system that’s inconsistent with commitments to fight climate crisis. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Some whale watchers ‘routinely’ too close to endangered resident orcas, report says
Environmental groups have issued a scathing review of some whale watchers and the lack of enforcement by Transport Canada to protect the endangered southern resident orcas. The groups say some whale-watching companies and recreational fishers in the Salish Sea are “routinely” violating a buffer zone of 400 metres, and sometimes are “pursuing” the orcas into U.S. waters. Darron Closter reports. (Times Colonist)

Biden to restore protections for the Bears Ears monument after Trump downsized it
President Biden will restore the boundaries of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments at a signing ceremony on Friday, the administration announced on Thursday evening. The Bears Ears National Monument, which was created by President Barack Obama shortly before he left office, will go back to 1.36 million acres acres and Grand Staircase will be restored to 1.87 million acres. Deepa Shivaram reports. (NPR)

At Gold Basin, a river is moved to save endangered salmon
A landslide had been dumping more than 40,000 tons of silt a year into the river. Not anymore. Zachariah Bryan reports. (Everett Herald)

Report identifies over 17 million gallons of untreated wastewater has been spilled into Puget Sound, Lake Washington in recent years
The King County Council’s Regional Water Quality Committee on Wednesday received a key report recommending electrical upgrades, strategies to adjust back-up power and more to prevent future wastewater spills like the failure that led to the spilling of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into Puget Sound and Lake Washington on January 13, 2021. The report identified that between the East Pine Pump Station, Medina Pump Station, the Richmond Beach Pump Station and the West Point Treatment Plant, over 17,000,000 gallons of untreated wastewater have been accidentally spilt into the Puget Sound and Lake Washington since May 2017. Cameron Sheppard reports. (Auburn Reporter)

Researchers found a new species of water bear fossilized in a hunk of ancient amber
The discovery of an incredibly rare fossil is helping scientists learn more about one of Earth's ancient and most resilient inhabitants: the microscopic tardigrade. Modern tardigrades are eight-legged micro-animals, also known as water bears or moss piglets. They're almost completely missing from the fossil record despite their long evolutionary history and ability to survive extreme conditions, including space. Now, scientists say they've discovered a new species of tardigrade suspended in 16 million-year-old amber — only the third clear tardigrade fossil ever found. Nell
Clark reports. (NPR)

B.C. reaches $65M funding deal with First Nation after Supreme Court ruling
The B.C. government has signed an agreement with a First Nation to provide $65 million in funding to support land restoration and cultural programs, four months after a court ruled the province had breached the nation's rights.d create jobs for band members and business opportunities for companies operating in the region. Nick Wells reports. (Canadian Press)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 10/8/21: Octopus Friday, hot water dams, new killer whale, sonar tests, coral kill, Yukon salmon, BP biofuels, oil spill, North Van wastewater, NEPA, beluga, dam removal, Bears Ears, wastewater spills, bad whale watching

Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PDT Fri Oct 8 2021   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds building to  5 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon. A chance of rain. 
TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening. A slight  chance of rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  rain. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming NW after midnight. Wind  waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds building to SW 6 ft at  9 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 6 ft at  9 seconds building to 8 ft at 9 seconds in the afternoon.

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