11/16 Tidepool sculpin, weather effects, Skagit delta tidegate, Skookumchuck R, whiskey for salmon

Tidepool sculpin [Mick Otten]

Tidepool Sculpin Oligocottus maculosus
Tidepool sculpins are small, fairly sedentary fish typically found in sheltered areas or tidepools in temperate waters. They have a large head with a tapering body, large dorsal and anal fins, and dark splotches on their backs. These sculpins have the ability to camouflage themselves by changing color to blend into the background and hide from predators. They are able to tolerate both ocean and brackish water. Tidepool sculpins have a small home area where they remain their entire lives. Should they be displaced from this area, they can find their way home using their keen sense of smell. (Aquarium of the Pacific)

'It was terrifying': Rain storm's impact felt across southern B.C  Kevin Griffin and Denise Ryan report. (Vancouver Sun)  Mudslide in Whatcom County blocks portion of Interstate 5; heavy rain causes several slides  Daisy Zavala reports. (Seattle Times) Skagit River expected to crest Tuesday in Mount Vernon  Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) Flooding shuts down Highway 101, cutting off West End  Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Army Corps of Engineers makes concessions
In response to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s threat to sue, the Army Corps of Engineers agreed last week to take a new look at the regionally developed Skagit Delta Tidegate Fish Initiative under the federal Endangered Species Act. The initiative is a 2010 agreement in which local dike, drainage and irrigation districts agreed to restore a certain amount of estuary habitat in exchange for being able to maintain tidegates that can block fish from valuable habitat. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley herald)

Habitat project is ‘just the beginning of something great’ on the Skookumchuck Rive
Miles of rich riparian zones and fish habitat are slowly being reclaimed along the upper reaches of the Skookumchuck River, thanks to a collaborative process that has put a property owner, conservation districts and the state all on the same page. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) finished work on the two-year, $4 million Skookumchuck Early Action Reach River Restoration project in August. The project to install about 30 log jams across more than a mile of river and a high-flow channel was funded with state money funneled through the Chehalis Basin Board. Eric Rosane reports. (Centralia Chronicle)

This whiskey is for protecting salmon
Whiskey isn’t just for drinking anymore. A new craft whiskey is turning the old saying: “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting,” on its head. This whiskey is fighting to save salmon. Copperworks Distilling Co., based in Seattle, has released the first Salmon-Safe American single malt whiskey, made entirely from barley grown in one field in Walla Walla, Washington. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PST Tue Nov 16 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY   
TODAY  NW wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt later this  morning. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft later this  morning. NW swell 10 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of showers in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 9 ft at 10 seconds  becoming W 5 ft at 10 seconds after midnight.

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