3/4 Skunk cabbage, Tokitae, BC Russian resources, biodiversity at risk, Pierce Co sewage, TM pipe, BC water rights, week in review

Western skunk cabbage
[Martin Bravenboer/WikiCommons]

Western skunk cabbage Lysichiton americanus
Western skunk cabbage is a plant found in swamps and wet woods, along streams and in other wet areas of the Pacific Northwest, where it is one of the few native species in the arum family. The plant is called skunk cabbage because of the distinctive "skunky" odor that it emits when it blooms. This odor will permeate the area where the plant grows, and can be detected even in old, dried specimens. The distinctive odor attracts its pollinators, scavenging flies and beetles. (Wikipedia)

Last remaining southern resident orca in captivity will no longer perform at Miami Seaquarium
In a surprise move the federal agency in charge of the welfare of captive marine mammals has brought the curtain down on Lolita, the captive performing killer whale, a fixture of performances at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 50 years. It remains to be seen if the move by the U.S. Department of Agriculture adds to momentum for the southern resident killer whale’s release. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

SNC-Lavalin, Kinross Gold among Canadian players still dealing in Russian resources
Despite sweeping sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine, some Canadian resource extraction and manufacturing ventures haven’t been directly punished for continued business with Russian partners. Carl Meyer and Emma McIntosh report. (The Narwhal)

This Map Shows Where Biodiversity Is Most at Risk in America
Let your eyes wander to the areas of this map that deepen into red. They are the places in the lower 48 United States most likely to have plants and animals at high risk of global extinction. It’s the most detailed map of its kind so far. Animals like the black-footed ferret and California condor are represented, but so are groups often left out of such analyses: species of bees, butterflies, fish, mussels, crayfish and flowering plants. Not included are gray wolves, grizzly bears and other wildlife not at risk of global extinction.  Catrin Einhorn and Nadja Popovich report.(NY Times)

Sewage spills reported at creeks in Fife, Fircrest after heavy rain in Pierce County
After record-setting levels of rain fell in Tacoma and Pierce County this week — causing flooding and landslides — the storm water overwhelmed sewer capacities, leading to combined sewer overflows that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into creeks in Fife and Fircrest. The spills at Hylebos Creek in Fife and Leach Creek in Fircrest led the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to issue an advisory Wednesday telling people to stay out of the water. Spokesperson Kenny Via said 150,000 to 200,000 gallons of sewage spilled at Hylebos Creek and 112,000 gallons spilled at Leach Creek. Peter Talbot reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Trudeau’s Trans Mountain pipeline investment ‘clearly’ not profitable: watchdog
Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux says the Trudeau government is ‘very unlikely’ to recoup its multibillion-dollar investment in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. anada’s financial watchdog says the federal government is “very unlikely” to recoup its $4.5-billion investment in the Trans Mountain pipeline now that the project’s costs have soared by 70 per cent. On Feb. 18, Trans Mountain Corporation announced the projected cost of the pipeline expansion has risen from $12.6 billion to $21.4 billion. Natasha Bulowski reports. (The Narwhal)

Government’s Effort to License Groundwater Falls Short
Despite a last-minute rush in applications from B.C. businesses seeking licences to keep using groundwater, about 60 per cent of existing users missed the March 1 deadline and risk losing their access to water. As of the Tuesday deadline the government had received almost 8,000 applications. More than half of users face losing access to water critical for farms and industry. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 3/4/22: Waltz Friday, Leque Is salmon, stream shade, Rosalinda Guillen, sea level rise, Tacoma warehouse, suffocating crabs, kelp beds, salmon rights, new baby orca, Tokitae, biodiversity risk

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PST Fri Mar 4 2022   
TODAY  NW wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming N to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds  building to 8 ft at 9 seconds after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft  at 10 seconds subsiding to 7 ft at 9 seconds in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 13 seconds. 
SUN  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 14 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