8/2 St John's wort, Nooksack dam, ferry crash, cleaner Duwamish R, Columbia Basin water, boreal forest, Queen Anne's lace

St. John’s Wort [Gardening Know How]

 

St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum
St. John’s wort is a plant with yellow flowers that has been used in traditional European medicine as far back as the ancient Greeks. The name St. John’s wort apparently refers to John the Baptist, as the plant blooms around the time of the feast of St. John the Baptist in late June. Historically, St. John’s wort has been used for a variety of conditions, including kidney and lung ailments, insomnia, and depression, and to aid wound healing. (NIH)

Two years ago a Nooksack dam was destroyed. Now, where are the salmon?
Two years after the $20 million removal of the Middle Fork Nooksack dam, salmon have safe passage through the river, but none have been seen — so now local tribes and wildlife officials are planning a monitoring program to find them. One of the major reasons to remove the dam was to restore the habitat of salmon and other fish species that once called the watershed home. Before removal, a computer model of the river estimated a 30% increase in Chinook salmon populations and the increased abundance of other fish species after the dam was removed. So far, monitoring efforts of the river have not shown evidence of fish passage or population increases. Zach Kortge reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Captain of wrecked WA ferry resigns
The captain of the Cathlamet ferry, which veered off course near West Seattle on Thursday and slammed into some pilings, resigned on Monday. David Kroman and Mike Lindblom report. (Seattle Times)

Envisioning a cleaner Duwamish River in South Park
The Duwamish River is one of the most toxic hazardous waste sites in the country and communities around the river have long been affected by higher rates of asthma and a lower life expectancy than residents of other Seattle neighborhoods. The Duwamish River People's Park and Shoreline Habitat is a model for what a less-polluted river might look. Libby Denkmann reports. (KUOW)

Rising temperatures will shift timing of water availability, amplifying vulnerabilities in Columbia River Basin over next 20 years
Anticipated future shifts in water supply and water demands will combine to create potential vulnerabilities related to water availability across many areas of eastern Washington, according to a new report  from the Washington Department of Ecology, Washington State University, and the State of Washington Water Research Center. (Dept of Ecology)

Canada's great expanse of boreal forest is changing due to climate change. But not all hope is lost
It's the world's largest forest of least disturbance. A stretch of trees sweeping around the globe, accounting for a third of the Earth's forested area. We're talking about the boreal forest. The planet's coldest forest – a massive store for carbon accumulated over thousands of years and a thriving ecosystem for plants and animals.  In Canada, over 300 million hectares of boreal forest stretches from Yukon all the way through the northern half of the provinces, east towards Newfoundland. The boreal forest is home to half the nation's species of birds, and 3.7 million people. As our climate changes, this great expanse of cold forest is getting warmer. Average temperatures across the Prairies are 1.9C warmer since the mid-20th century, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Christy Climenhaga reports. (CBC)

Queen Anne's lace
A reader responded to yesterday's item on Queen Anne's lace that the claim. "many people have died eating what they thought was the carrot-like root of Queen Anne’s lace plant," is undocumented and that "such abstract, unverified assertions become a basis for a greater danger: the rampant use of chemical sprays that we KNOW can be toxic under some conditions." The reader recommends removal of the plant by hand-pulling, taking care to avoid the sap.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  319 AM PDT Tue Aug 2 2022   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 5 ft at 7 seconds. Patchy fog in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 3 ft at 7 seconds.

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