2/23 Death camus, devil's club, Snohomish R, green crabs, GasLink attack, BC budget, seaweed farming, AK mining road, wildfire risk, Build Back Better, WA senate, KING5

Death camus [Ben Legler]

Death camus Zigadenus venenosus
This deadly poisonous plant coincides closely with that of camus which was an important root food. The bulbs and leaves resemble those of blue camus but give a burning sensation when touched to the tongue and the flowers are cream colored rather than blue. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

Devil's club Oplopanax horridus
Yesterday's profile of Devil's club brought two responses, the first noted that the plant is edible, "Not easy to harvest but tasty with the right recipe." Actually, it is more than edible: "On the BC Coast it is one of the most important of all the major plants. The roots, and especially the greenish inner bark, were the major parts used for medicine." (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast) The second response was: "I've said that if I was about to fall off a cliff, and my other choice was to grab a devil's club, I'd take my chances on learning to fly. That being said, devil's club is a misanthrope's dream plant.  If you can find your way through a few yards of it into clearer areas beyond, your solitude is guaranteed."

Save salmon, create jobs: A new plan for Snohomish watershed
State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has a 100-page plan for the Snohomish watershed. At a news conference last week at Boxcar Park in Everett, overlooking Puget Sound, she unveiled the Watershed Resilience Action Plan, a “tree to sea” approach that will aim to address issues throughout the entire watershed. Zachariah Bryan reports. (Everett Herald)

New UW research explores a way to fight off invasive green crabs
An emerging surveillance tool could help the state and tribal partners expand detection and make trapping efforts more effective. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Coastal GasLink attack: Police release video of axe-wielding attackers
Police investigating the attack  at a Coastal GasLink camp near Houston, B.C., have released videos showing people wielding axes, hitting a truck with a company employee inside and firing off flares. The footage of the what RCMP called “acts of violence and damage” is from Feb. 17, just  after midnight, when police say about 20 people cut locks to the site then damaged heavy equipment and threatened workers. Joseph Ruttle reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Stay-the-Course BC Budget Offers Few Big Measures
Pandemic finances are better than expected. Funding targets housing affordability, child care. Largely thanks to increased revenues from corporate, sales and carbon taxes, a projected $9.7-billion deficit has shrunk to $483 million, with another $4.25 billion in pandemic recovery contingencies and forecast allowance still available. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Interest in seaweed farming across Puget Sound is 'booming'
In winter, when the water is cold and clear, the conditions in Puget Sound are ideal for shellfish,  Marine biologist Joth Davis says it's also great for kelp...Seaweed cultivation is a long-established industry in Asia. It has picked up on the East Coast, and aquaculture is valued in the Pacific Northwest. But seaweed production, in particular, has yet to catch on. "I think interest is booming," said Jodie Toft, deputy director at the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, a nonprofit that works to restore marine habitat through collaborative projects. But Toft is less certain if seaweed cultivation can become a wide-scale commercial operation in the Sound. Christine Pae reports. (KING)

Biden administration suspends approval of controversial Alaska mining road
The Biden administration on Tuesday said it found “significant deficiencies” in a Trump-era environmental analysis of a controversial mining road that would cut through wilderness and Indigenous territory in northwest Alaska. The construction of Ambler Road is one of the most high-profile environmental issues in Alaska, as it would bring 211 miles of new road through one of the largest roadless areas in the country. In a federal court filing Tuesday, the administration asked the U.S. District Court for Alaska to send the permit approval back to the department so it can conduct a new environmental analysis. Joshua Partlow reports. (Washington Post)

Climate Change Could Increase Risk of Wildfires 50% by Century's End
A landmark United Nations report has concluded that the risk of devastating wildfires around the world will surge in coming decades as climate change further intensifies what the report described as a “global wildfire crisis.” The scientific assessment is the first by the organization’s environmental authority to evaluate wildfire risks worldwide. Raymond Zhong reports. (NY Times)

What Does Building Back Better Look Like?
The United States has tentatively allocated $6-billion to conserve and restore coastal areas and prepare for a changing climate. We asked a range of experts how all that money should be spent. Ashley Braun reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Public to be allowed back in Washington Senate gallery
A limited number of members of the public who show a same-day negative COVID-19 test will be allowed to return to the galleries overseeing the Washington Senate floor, starting Friday. The Democratic-majority Senate Facilities and Operations Committee met via Zoom on Tuesday to update the chamber’s COVID-19 protocols as lawmakers enter the final weeks of the 60-day legislative session that began Jan. 10. Rachel La Corte reports. (Associated Press)

Hedge fund buys KING 5 owner Tegna for $5.4 billion
Standard General agreed to acquire KING 5 owner Tegna for $5.4 billion, consummating a yearslong takeover saga for the television broadcaster. In the Northwest, Tegna owns many of the media outlets formerly operated by King Broadcasting Co. In addition to KING and its sister station KONG, Tegna operates KREM 2 and KSKN 22 in Spokane, KGW 8 in Portland and KTVB 7 in Boise, Idaho. Scott Deveau and Liana Baker report. (Bloomberg)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  257 AM PST Wed Feb 23 2022   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 14 seconds. A slight chance of rain after midnight.

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