11/17 Periwinkle, I5 NB cleared, Skagit wall worked, Port of Seattle funding, BC GasLink eviction, BC forestry, tribal estuary retoration

Checkered periwinkle [sandiego.edu]

 
Checkered Periwinkle Littorina scutulata
This small (up to 1.5 cm long), sharply pointed snail is abundant on rocks in the high intertidal zone of Puget Sound. Periwinkles are herbivores, scraping soft-bodied algae from the rocks with their radula; tiny animals living on the algae may also be ingested. As food is abundant for them, the snails can be abundant as well, sometimes in masses on an exposed rock surface. Because they live high in their zone, they are often exposed to the air, and they can close their shell tightly with the horny operculum attached to their foot to keep water inside and to avoid both desiccation and suffocation. (Slater Museum)

Northbound traffic on Interstate 5 has reopened south of Bellingham
Northbound traffic on Interstate 5 reopened last night, according to a tweet from Washington state DOT. (Bellingham Herald)

A wall to hold back the Skagit River survives its first major test
The Skagit River crested in Mount Vernon on Tuesday morning, but this time the town was ready to hold back the flood. Joshua McNichols reports. (KUOW)

Seattle agrees to fund studies, habitat to offset future harm to endangered orcas
The Port of Seattle agreed Tuesday to take steps to help endangered Southern Resident killer whales survive in the Salish Sea to offset the harm caused by the port’s dredging project. Karina Brown reports. (Courthouse News)

Wet’suwet’en land defenders say B.C., federal inaction prompted enforcement of Coastal GasLink eviction
When the pipeline company failed to act on an immediate evacuation order, land defenders decommissioned a service road, cutting off access to project sites and work camps housing more than 500 individuals. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal) Over 500 pipeline workers stranded behind Wet'suwet'en clan blockades, Coastal GasLink says  (CBC)

New forest legislation aims to transfer forest tenures to First Nations and open opportunities to smaller players
There is approximately 33,500 square kilometres of land currently under timber tenures in B.C. but any future transfers would only apply to the 26,000 square kilometres of old growth forest land that government announced would be deferred earlier this month. Lisa Cordasco reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Making room for salmon
How can Puget Sound generate more salmon? That question has been at the center of ecosystem recovery efforts for decades. But even as scientists and conservationists make progress on many fronts — from breaching dams to cleaning up the water — they have faced one especially complicated and frustrating limitation: Salmon need more estuaries. We look at how local tribes are working to restore this critical habitat. Sarah DeWeerdt reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  514 AM PST Wed Nov 17 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING  THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   TODAY  E wind 10 to 20 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W 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 mikesato772 (@) gmail.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