5/20 Forsythia, green crab, BC oil subsidies, Biden forest plan, San Juans cap, BC spring melt, managing waste, Whatcom heat and floods, oysters, Intalco smelter, SEA Discovery Center, Steingerwald NWR, drought, seafood shift, week in review

Forsythia [The Spruce/Evgeniya Vlasova]

Forsythia
Forsythia is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. Forsythia – also one of the plant's common names – is named after William Forsyth. (Wikipedia)

Invasive European green crab found in Hood Canal for first time
A European green crab was captured in Hood Canal on Tuesday, the farthest south the invasive species has been found in the Salish Sea. Volunteers with Washington Sea Grant, tasked by the state with early detection of the crab’s spread, trapped the male European green crab in Nick’s Lagoon near Seabeck, Kitsap County. (Seattle Times)

B.C. overhauls oil and gas royalty system by changing 'broken system' of subsidies
After a review of B.C.'s 30-year-old oil and gas royalty system, the province says it plans to phase out its current fossil fuel subsidies and introduce a new system for royalty payments. (CBC)

Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as "old"
President Joe Biden's order to protect the nation’s oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old? Millions of acres are potentially on the line — federal land that could eventually get new protections or remain open to logging as the administration decides which trees to count under Biden's order covering "old growth” and “mature” forests. (Associated Press)

San Juans adopt island-by-island vacation rental cap
How much tourism is too much? San Juan County sets a cap on vacation rental permits. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current)

B.C. river watchers worried spring snowmelt may wash flood debris downstream to ocean
While cleanup is continuing on the Fraser and Chiliwack rivers, hundreds of debris sites along eight B.C. waterways have been cleared. Glenda Luymes reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Managing waste: what’s in your bins? https://salish-current.org/2022/05/18/managing-waste-whats-in-your-bins/
China’s 2018 steps back in accepting the world’s throw-aways have resulted in better local systems for managing our millions of tons of waste and recyclables—but more needs to be done. Clifford Heberden reports. (Salish Current)

When National Policy Stalled, This Community Took Climate Action Into Its Own Hands
How Whatcom County tribes, governments and people met the challenges of heat wave and flooding. Jenna Travers reports. (State of the Planet)

Local oyster company exploring new farms in Drayton Harbor
The Drayton Harbor Oyster Company is exploring a new site for its oyster farm about 3,000 feet off shore. The off-bottom farm is still just a proposal, but owner Stephen Seymour hopes to have permits in hand later this year. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

Union cements contract with Blue Wolf for potential smelter restart
Ferndale’s local machinists' union has finalized a collective bargaining agreement with Blue Wolf Capital Partners, the private equity firm attempting to restart the curtailed Intalco aluminum smelter. Below-cost power contract still being negotiated. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

Sea creatures at home at SEA Discovery Center in Poulsbo after pandemic closure
About 300 sea creatures have returned home from "foster" facilities around Puget Sound nearly two years after leaving their home aquarium in Poulsbo following a pandemic shutdown. Downtown Poulsbo's SEA Discovery Center, owned and operated by Western Washington University, will reopen on Friday. Peiyu Lin reports. (Kitsap Sun)

What the largest project of its kind on Lower Columbia means for salmon, waterfowl
Two years, $32 million and 1.7 million cubic yards of soil later, the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge has reopened to the public. Deborah Bloom reports. (Columbia Insight)

Spring rains ‘not nearly enough’ to overcome Northwest drought, wildfire risk, experts say
Spring showers have helped alleviate drought and wildfire risks in Western Washington but large swaths of the Pacific Northwest remain dry, if not drier than usual. Last month was the state’s 10th-wettest April in 128 years, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. And yet, more than half of Washington state is abnormally dry or experiencing moderate drought, nearly 25% is in the midst of severe drought and 3.9% is facing extreme drought. Nicholas Turner reports. (Seattle Times)

Climate Change is Shifting What Seafood Restaurants like Tojo’s Source and Serve
A new UBC study says we can expect more warm-water-loving species on our plates. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 5/20/22: Pac-Man Friday, DFO salmon farms, WA hydrogen, Springer, humpback mothers, Haida Gawaii, salmon knowledge, Hood Canal green crab, Whatcom's challenge

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  234 AM PDT Fri May 20 2022   
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 7 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 6 seconds. 
SAT  Light wind becoming N to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 6 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 9 seconds. 
SUN  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at  11 seconds.

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"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.

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