1/7 Pygmy-owl, Duwamish cleanup, Duwamish Tribe, WA redistricting, Green Amendment, owl cull, week in review

Northern pygmy-owl [Gregg Thompson]

Northern pygmy-owl
The Northern Pygmy-Owl is a small, long-tailed owl, with yellow eyes and feet. It has only small and inconspicuous ear-tufts, which are seldom seen in the field. Its plumage is reddish-brown spotted with white. Like all members of its genus, it has false eye-spots, black outlined in white, on the back of its neck. Its belly is white, with dark streaks. It usually perches in a diagonal rather than upright position. (BirdWeb)

‘They are supposed to protect us’: Community wants more from EPA for Duwamish Superfund cleanup
...New plans to complete a cleanup where the Duwamish meets Elliott Bay and Puget Sound are under discussion, and contested. The East Waterway is part of the larger Harbor Island Superfund site. The 157-acre cleanup area stretches for 1 mile, and is located immediately downstream and north of another Superfund site, the Lower Duwamish Waterway...Most of the East Waterway will be dredged to remove contaminated sediment. The cleanup could cost up to $400 million and take three to five years to design and eight to 10 years to complete. Managers at the EPA, Port, city and King County — the responsible parties in the cleanup — have argued that goals set in 2014 for the Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup, right upstream and now underway, are unrealistic. They have discussed weakening levels for PCBs, arsenic, dioxins and furans. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Echoes of Injustice
The Duwamish Tribe is fighting for federal recognition, which would give them access to important funding and resources. Dena Muething reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Supreme Court won’t take up lawsuits challenging redistricting
The state Supreme Court said Thursday it won’t dive back into the fight over redistricting. In a unanimous vote, justices declined two lawsuits that sought to toss out political maps because state redistricting commissioners negotiated in secret, purportedly in violation of open meeting laws. Jerry Cornfield reports (Everett Herald)

Green Amendment would add ‘healthy environment’ to constitutional rights in Washington
Two state lawmakers are proposing a new Green Amendment for Washington, to enshrine the right to a clean and healthy environment as the law of the land...Prime sponsor of this quest is Washington’s only Native American lawmaker, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, who centers much of her work around environmental stewardship. (KNKX)

Save at-risk owls by culling rivals? Tough choices in US Northwest
In the 1990s, you couldn’t talk about logging in the Pacific Northwest without talking about the spotted owl. The medium-sized, dark-brown owl was at the center of a fierce conflict between the powerful timber industry and environmentalists trying to protect old-growth forests. The owl, which prefers such forests, was barreling toward extinction due to logging and other habitat destruction....And there’s another culprit: the barred owl that is invading old-growth forests in Oregon, Washington, and California, putting it in scientists’ crosshairs – literally. Grant Stringer reports. (Christian Science Monitor)

Salish Sea News and Weather Week in Review 1/7/22: Bobblehead day! WA WQ, BC climate proofing, sea star ESA, Snoqualmie Falls, refinery transition, China MPAs, Tulalip clam suit, EPA air pollutant, Duwamish cleanup

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PST Fri Jan 7 2022   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  W wind 25 to 35 kt with gusts near 50 kt. Combined seas  10 to 12 ft with a dominant period of 12 seconds. A chance of  rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 8 ft at 16 seconds. A  chance of rain. 
SAT  S wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 7 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of  rain in the morning then rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell  4 ft at 13 seconds. 
SUN  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at  12 seconds.

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