Salish Sea News and Weather: September 2022

Friday, September 30, 2022

9/30 Truffles, Orange Shirt Day, changing racist names, hooligan whales, orca struggles, free rides

Truffles

Truffles
Truffles are the fruiting body of subterranean fungi, often found growing near tree roots. Although they’re basically a form of mushroom, truffles bear little resemblance or similarity in taste to the above-ground fungi found all over our forests. European truffle varieties such as the Italian white truffle and the French black truffle enjoy most of the culinary limelight—but Oregon’s truffles are nothing to be sniffed at! Their excellent culinary qualities are a well-kept secret. n the Pacific Northwest, truffles are found in young mixed Douglas-fir forests, typically 15-25 years old, at low elevations west of the Cascades. Former pastureland or agricultural land that’s been planted with Douglas-fir makes for especially prime truffle habitat. (NW Natural Resource Group)

Orange Shirt Day events in B.C. marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
...Sept. 30 was made a statutory holiday in 2021, days after the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation confirmed the discovery of about 200 potential burial sites on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops last July. Sept. 30 is also known as Orange Shirt Day, which honours people who were forced to attend residential schools. It began in 2013 to honour residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad, who had her orange shirt taken away on the first day of school. Winston Szeto reports. (CBC)

Changing names to step out of a racist shadow
Legacy, racism and inclusivity are at the core of the discussion in decisions to remove name dedications from the titles of institutions. Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

How Young Killer Whales Became Hooligans
Although killer whales are often observed interacting with boats, sea life, and ocean detritus there’s no clear explanation why gangs of young males suddenly began ramming boats around Portugal, Spain, and France this summer. Since July, they’ve sunk or damaged at least three. Shoshi Parks writes. (Atlas Obscura)

Understanding the Killer Whales’ Struggle to Survive
As Chinook salmon get thinner and fewer, southern resident killer whales struggle to find enough food. Fanny Couture writes. (The Tyee)

Welcome aboard, kids! Ferry rides are free for those 18 and under
The move to let children ride Washington State Ferries for free beginning this Saturday is the latest result of Move Ahead Washington legislation. Andrea Brown reports. (Everett Herald)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 9/30/22: Koala, volcanoes, Amtrak, BC tree protection, EPA enviro justice, salmon crisis racism, SRKW census, 'rainway,' sea weed toxics, WA salmon grants

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 245 AM PDT Fri Sep 30 2022
TODAY E wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 2 ft at 10 seconds building to 4 ft at 10 seconds after midnight.
SAT E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds.
SUN SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds.

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Thursday, September 29, 2022

9/29 Blueberry, sea weed contaminants, salmon recovery funding, freak heat wave, candidate antisemitism

Oval-leaved Blueberry [Native Plants PNW]

Oval-leaved Blueberry Vaccinium ovalifolium
There are about 450 species of Vaccinium worldwide, about 40 in North America with about 15 in the Pacific Northwest. The genus Vaccinium includes Blueberries, Huckleberries, Cranberries, Lingonberries, Whortleberries, Bilberries and Cowberries. This species is found from southern Alaska to Oregon in the west, including the Idaho Panhandle and Montana. In the eastern United States it is found only in Upper Michigan. It is found in all the Canadian provinces and territories, excluding Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Nunavut Territory. It is also found stretching across much of the Pacific Rim from the Aleutians to Japan and parts of the eastern mainland of Asia. Natives ate the tart, flavorful berries fresh, dried, or mixed with oil or oolichan grease. The berries also make excellent jelly or wine. (Native Plants PNW)

Study raises concerns about contaminants in edible seaweeds
A new study https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269269 just published by researchers at Western Washington University (WWU) reports concentrations of up to 162 chemical contaminants in three species of edible seaweeds gathered in the Salish Sea. (The Fish Site)

State Board awards nearly $76 Million in grants to fund salmon recovery projects
On Sept. 26, the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board announced the award of nearly $76 million in grants across the state to help ensure the survival of salmon in Washington. The grants that were funded went to 138 projects in 30 of the state’s 39 counties. The grants will pay for work to restore salmon habitat, including repairing degraded habitat in rivers, removing barriers blocking salmon migration and conserving pristine habitat. Cameron Sheppard reports. (Auburn Reporter)

Pacific Northwest heat wave was a freak, 10,000-year event, study finds
A new study finds the Pacific Northwest’s extreme heat wave last summer was a freak event that should only happen once in 10,000 years and it was even hotter because of climate change. Monica Samayoa reports. (OPB)

WA GOP candidate acknowledges social media post is antisemitic
A GOP candidate for the Washington Legislature has acknowledged that a post he put on social media in 2020 is antisemitic. Dan Johnson, of Laurel, who is running to represent part of Northwest Washington in the House, posted a meme on Facebook that showed a yellow Star of David with the words, “A new badge has been created which will allow you to go back to work, to travel in your state, to fly, catch a train or bus and to buy and sell,” The Bellingham Herald reported. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Thu Sep 29 2022
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

9/28 Cumacea, SRKW census, Nuchatlaht land claim, urban green spaces, plastics, youth on dams, Pier 58, tug sinking, Englishman River, shrinking deltas

Cumacea [Hans Hillewaert/WikiCommons]

Cumacea
Cumacea is an order of small marine crustaceans of the superorder Peracarida, occasionally called hooded shrimp or comma shrimp. Their unique appearance and uniform body plan makes them easy to distinguish from other crustaceans. They live in soft-bottoms such as mud and sand, mostly in the marine environment. Wikipedia

Killer whale census shows another down year, with three deaths and two births
Three deaths and two births. Over the past year, the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population has declined by a total of one, according to the annual census report submitted yesterday by the Center for Whale Research. Now the number of whales in all three pods stands at 73, down from 74 last year and declining from 98 animals the past 25 years. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound institute)

B.C. Supreme Court hears closing arguments on Nuchatlaht First Nation's land claim
Nuchatlaht seeks Aboriginal title over 300 kilometres of Crown land on Nootka Island northwest of Victoria. Brieanna Charlebois reports. (Canadian Press)

From pavement to gardens: how urban green spaces can alleviate flood problems
By 2050, Vancouver is expected to see more rain during the fall, winter, and spring months due to human-caused climate change. Without new measures to manage heavy rainstorms, the city could see more flooding. A new 'rainway' in Vancouver aims to combat climate change and prevent flooding in the city, while also supporting biodiversity. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Recycling isn't enough to slow plastic pollution, WA scientists say
Despite new tech and materials, the most realistic solution is to use less plastic in packaging. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (InvestigateWest)

Youth rally to protect salmon in the Snake River
Everyone must come together to protect salmon. That’s the message from teens at a salmon youth rally on the banks of the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho. At the rally, teens with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Youth Council asked that politicians protect salmon by removing the four Lower Snake River dams. The four dams in southeastern Washington make it harder for endangered salmon to reach spawning grounds in Idaho. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Seattle’s new Pier 58 will include massive jellyfish, classic bronze fountain
An 18-foot-tall jellyfish is coming to Seattle’s downtown waterfront. Work began Monday on the city’s new Pier 58 park, which will feature scenic views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains, a tree grove, an elevated lawn, a plaza for events and a marine-themed playground with a jellyfish-inspired structure for kids to climb up, balance on and slide down. It’s slated to be completed in 2025. Daniel Beekman reports. (Seattle Times)

Transport Canada issues $62,000 in penalties in tugboat sinking
The tugboat Ingenika sank in frigid waters near Kitimat in February 2021, killing two members of its three-person crew. Cheryl Chan reports. (Vancouver Sun) https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/transport-canada-issues-62000-in-penalties-in-tugboat-sinking

Nearly 30 hectares of land along Vancouver Island river donated for conservation
A donation to the Nature Trust of B.C. will help ensure a large strip of land along the Englishman River, near Parksville — about 37 kilometres north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island — remains protected. The 71 acres, or 28.7 hectares of land worth over $5 million was donated to the trust by the Emil Anderson Group, a Chilliwack, B.C.-based contracting company. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

River Deltas Are Running Out of Land
Millions of people live on river deltas, occupying land that exists in the delicate balance between a river’s push and the ocean’s pull. Deltas are inherently transient, but according to a new study, many may be even more precarious than once thought, with unexpectedly high levels of land loss threatening to submerge these low-lying landscapes. J. Besl reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 243 AM PDT Wed Sep 28 2022
TODAY E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds building to SW 6 ft at 10 seconds in the afternoon. Rain likely.
TONIGHT NE wind to 10 kt becoming W after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

9/27 Heron, Amtrak, B'ham sewage, BC geothermal, heat mortality, nature's abundance, Elwha birds, reef fish, coral breeding, Camano parks

Connie's heron

Connie's heron
Connie Gallant of Quilcene writes: "While recently docked at the Boat Haven, Port Townsend, I got off my sailboat and while walking the dock early in the morning, this beauty was standing there, letting me get closer and closer. Finally it took off and I got this shot on my iPhone."

After 2-year pandemic pause, Seattle-BC train service returns
Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., is back up and running as of Monday, Sept. 26. The service, which crosses the U.S.-Canada border, was shut down for two years by the Covid-19 pandemic...Just one daily round trip will be offered, at first, while Amtrak gets its staffing and equipment levels back up to par. (KUOW)

Bellingham council votes to suspend anaerobic digestion project
The City of Bellingham will stop pursuing anaerobic digestion projects at the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant following a unanimous city council vote Monday afternoon. (Bioenergy Insight)

Old volcanoes, big energy
Volcanoes beneath mountains near Whistler, B.C., hold a big green energy promise. But can scientists and industry deliver? Molly Segal reports. (CBC)

Heat-related mortality risk is widespread across Washington state, study shows
Heat-related deaths are an issue across Washington state, and they occur even in regions that typically have milder climates, according to a University of Washington study published Aug. 30 in the journal Atmosphere. This is the most extensive study yet of heat-related mortality in Washington state, and the first to look beyond the major population centers to include rural areas. Hannah Hickey reports. (UW News)

Notes from the field: The Illusion of abundance
How much do we really know about the health of seemingly abundant bird populations like pigeon guillemots on Protection Island? (Aug. 29) Eric Wagner reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Bird populations improve after Elwha Dam removals
Dam removals are often associated with salmon recovery, but new research on the Elwha River suggests that birds also benefit. Scientists say birds are a sometimes-overlooked indicator of river health. (Aug. 22) Alyssa Sargent reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

On the Origins of Reef Fishes
Fossils pulled from the quarry of an ancient Maya city reveal the dawn of reef fishes. Jesse Kathan reports. (Hakai Magazine)

A Moonshot for Coral Breeding Was Successful
But the coral are trapped in tanks, still waiting to be released on the reefs. Alex Riley reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Camano's state parks boast unique pasts
On July 27, 1949, about 900 Stanwood and Camano area residents came together to build the Camano Island State Park in just one day. Organized by the South Camano Grange, volunteers gathered in the early hours on a temperate mid-summer day to get to work, tools in hand. Mary Jennings reports. (Stanwood Camano News)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 214 AM PDT Tue Sep 27 2022
TODAY W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Areas of fog in the morning. A slight chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. Rain likely in the evening then rain after midnight.

Monday, September 26, 2022

9/26 Squirrelly, BC big trees, renaming WA locations, Whatcom extremist candidate, EPA enviro office, salmon crisis roots, Mamalilikulla, seaweed farms, eDNA

Squirrelly [Laurie MacBride]

September with Squirrelly
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Squirrelly and I had a nice visit the other afternoon – a welcome break during a very busy season. We’re really quite alike, the two of us. Sure, he/she’s a North American Red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), and I’m a human (Homo sapiens), so at first you might not spot the resemblance – until September. That’s when you’ll find us both scurrying about, hard at work to bring in the harvest and store it away for the winter." Read more. (Eye on Environment)

BC’s Big Trees Protection Is Toothless. Government Knew It
Officials in British Columbia’s Forests Ministry understood that a regulation introduced in 2020 to protect big trees on public lands would have little impact. They designed it that way. Internal records released to The Tyee in response to a Freedom of Information request confirm critics’ suspicions that the Special Tree Protection Regulation was meant to sound good to the public while continuing to protect the interests of the logging industry. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Derogatory term for Native women removed from WA creek, lake names
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced in September the new names for 19 geographic locations that previously included racist and sexist terms used to describe Indigenous women. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks reports. (Seattle Times)

Extremist and sexist memes, video scrubbed from Whatcom candidate’s social media
A Republican candidate for the state Legislature in Whatcom County has shared sexist and antisemitic memes online, promoted misinformation about COVID-19 and offered apparent support for anti-government militants. Dan Johnson of Laurel, a former towing company owner who’s running for the 42nd Legislative District’s position 2 House seat, also has apparently removed his vlog “The Hook News and Information” from the video streaming site YouTube and recently restricted access to his public Facebook page. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Biden administration launches environmental justice office
Forty years after a predominantly Black community in Warren County, North Carolina, rallied against hosting a hazardous waste landfill, President Biden’s top environment official visited what is widely considered the birthplace of the environmental justice movement Saturday to unveil a national office that will distribute $3 billion in block grants to underserved communities burdened by pollution...The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights — comprised of more than 200 current staff members in 10 U.S. regions — will merge three existing EPA programs to oversee a portion of Democrats’ $60 billion investment in environmental justice initiatives created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Hannah Schoenbaum report. (Associated Press/Report for America)

The racism, and resilience, behind today’s Pacific Northwest salmon crisis
There’s no one in this region whose life isn’t touched by the fish, whether they think about it or not. We populated towns to fish for salmon and can them. We sacrificed them for cheap electricity. Even the region’s iconic farming and timber industries wouldn’t be possible without salmon, whose dying bodies have enriched the Northwest soil with ocean nutrients. But for decades the injustice at the heart of that story has been systematically hidden. Tony Schick writes. (OPB)

The Mamalilikulla’s long journey home
A coastal B.C. First Nation dispossessed from its land for decades by colonialism is part of a groundswell of Indigenous nations declaring protected areas based on their own sovereignty — and they’re not waiting around for colonial governments. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Rising tide: Pacific Northwest could soon double or triple its small number of seaweed farms
There's a rising tide of interest in opening seaweed farms in the Pacific Northwest. If even half of the current applicants succeed, it would more than double the small number of commercial seaweed growing operations in Oregon and Washington state. According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, there are now five prospective seaweed farmers with pending aquatic lease applications before the agency and another four more in the wings, for a total of nine in various stages of permitting. All of those proposals are located in the sheltered waters of Puget Sound. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

With a few cups of water, scientists use eDNA to study reclusive, rare creatures off West Coast
Some critters in the ocean are reclusive, hiding from human probes and trawls. Other critters are rare, driven close to extinction from warming and increasingly acidic waters. Studying rare and reclusive creatures has posed problems for scientists in the past. In recent years, environmental DNA, or eDNA, has helped. To isolate eDNA, scientists scoop water from the ocean. Courtney Flatt reports.(OPB)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 209 AM PDT Mon Sep 26 2022
TODAY Light wind becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Friday, September 23, 2022

9/23 Coot, border restrictions, Seattle Green New Deal, rockfish poaching, GasLink drilling, Seattle Aquarium, Campbell R barge, natural world sounds, license buyback, recycling batteries, week in review

Coot [Wikipedia]

American Coot Fulica americana
The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they’re closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal. Populations in the northern half of North America migrate to the southern U.S. or Central America. Populations in the West and Florida are year-round residents. (All About Birds)

Canada ending requirements for COVID-19 vaccines, ArriveCan app at border Sept. 30
The last of Canada's COVID-19 border restrictions will disappear at the end of this month with the expiry of a cabinet order affecting mandatory vaccinations, testing and quarantine of international travellers. Mia Rabson and Laura Osman report. (Canadian Press)

Mayor Harrell signs $6.5 million Green New Deal to reduce impact of climate change
[Seattle] Mayor Bruce Harrell signed the Green New Deal legislation into law Thursday morning, which includes a series of projects that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Seattle and build the communities' resilience against the effects of climate change. The Green New Deal legislation includes nearly $6.5 million earmarked for several climate projects throughout the city. Quixem Ramirez reports. (KING)

Pandemic Poaching Sets Rockfish Conservation Effort Back Years
Illegal fishing in rockfish conservation areas around Galiano Island, British Columbia, spiked dramatically in 2020 and 2021. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

After years of resistance, Coastal GasLink starts to drill under Wet’suwet’en river
On the Morice River Forest Service Road southwest of Houston, B.C., the chatter of natural life is interrupted by pulsating construction equipment and the constant hum of industrial traffic. 'It’s really gut-wrenching,' Jocey Alec, daughter of Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief Woos, says. Brandi Morin reports. (The Narwhal)

An inside look at Seattle Aquarium’s expansion plans
Not far from the underwater dome, the otters, the octopus, the seals and the Window on Washington Waters, something new is coming. You can’t miss the construction out front, where the new Ocean Pavilion is taking shape. It is expected to open in 2024. Graham Johnson reports (KIRO)

How technology is mapping the unheard conversations of our natural world
When you step into a forest, or walk along a beach, there's a lot to take in – the sound of waves crashing against the sand, birds chirping to each other in the trees. But there's a lot we don't hear, and thanks to new technology, researchers are closer than ever to translating our natural world. Libby Denkmann, Alec Cowan and Sarah Leibovitz report. (KUOW)

Sunken barge near Campbell River to be removed, scrapped
The 98-metre Trailer Princess will be removed from the water, where leaking fuel continues to threaten the marine environment, and deconstructed for recycling. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

'Too many boats chasing too few fish': Support, concern in B.C. salmon industry over DFO licence buyback plan
That dilemma is central to the federal government's Pacific salmon commercial licence retirement program, which, when launched later this year, will pay fishers to hand back their licences and walk away from the industry. It's a move the government says will help take pressure off salmon stocks, and a strategy similar to buybacks in Atlantic Canada, where the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) put forward a voluntary licence buyback program to limit commercial access to lobster fisheries. Georgie Smyth reports. (CBC)

The complicated process of recycling batteries in Washington state
More people are using batteries as battery-powered tools become bigger parts of our lives, from laptops to electric vehicles promising to release us from the grip of fossil fuels. But anything that holds a charge will ultimately need to be carefully disposed of. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 9/23/22: Bisexuality Friday, Squamish R restoration, BC sea gardens, Seattle's river, global fossil fuel database, Coastal GasLink violations, Yukon sockeye, relocating trees, Seattle Green Deal, rockfish poaching

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Fri Sep 23 2022
TODAY SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of showers.
TONIGHT SW wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening.
SAT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT NIGHT Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds.
SUN Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.

Thursday, September 22, 2022

9/22 Nuttall's cockle, Aleutian Isle, sockeye return, relocating trees, Oly clearcut

Nuttall's cockle [WDFW]

Nuttall's cockle Clinocardium nuttallii
Nuttall's cockles grow to 5½ inches. They bury 1-2 inches deep in sandy, sheltered beaches and are also found in gravel and cobble substrate. Live cockles are also sometimes found lying on the beach surface. Cockles have a strong digger foot which they sometimes use to "jump" away from predators like the sunflower star. Clinocardium nuttallii has multiple common names. Several state agencies refer to them as 'heart cockles'. Many other sources call them some version of 'Nuttall's cockle' and also 'basket cockle'. All of these names refer to the same species, which is common on Puget Sound beaches. (WDFW)

Aleutian Isle recovered
On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Ecology reported that the fishing vessel Aleutian Isle was safely and uneventfully transported to Mitchell Bay on San Juan Island Monday afternoon. "After the crane barge was secured, crews were able to remove 300 gallons of oily-water mix before operations ended for the day. A new safety zone was established around the new work area with a 150-yard radius that is in place until Sept. 26. On Tuesday, operations continued to remove trapped fuel and water. Crews also began re-rigging the vessel in preparation to lift it onto a barge in the next day or two where it will be transported to an on-shore facility. Wildlife crews are continuing bird deterrence efforts and assessing areas for any wildlife impacts. The whale deterrence team remains on standby in case killer whale deterrence is necessary." (Dept. of Ecology)

After decades of dwindling runs, sockeye salmon return to Yukon fishing village in droves
It's been more than 20 years since Champagne and Aishihik elder Chuck Hume has seen anything close to the number of sockeye salmon that have shown up to spawn at the Yukon fishing village of Klukshu this fall. Numbers are almost double the escapement goal so far, but it's not yet clear why the fish are back. Matt Meuse reports. (CBC)

The Forest Service is experimenting with relocating tree species to save them from climate change
‘Assisted migration’ has come to the Pacific Northwest, but experts don’t agree if it’s a good thing or a radical response to a warming world. Nathan Gilles reports. (Columbia Insight/Investigate West)

State logging permit voids decades of community planning
Until the last week of this July, there was a forest of 80– to 100–year–old trees in a residential neighborhood on Cooper Point Road between 20th and 28th Streets in Olympia. “Cooper Crest” was a legacy forest, thriving in the middle of Green Cove Basin on a steep hillside alive with springs that supply Green Cove Creek. A 25–acre stand of Douglas Firs and cedars presided over a critical area for aquifer recharge, provided habitat for diverse species, stabilized slopes to reduce landslides—and contributed to slowing global warming by sequestering carbon. That forest is gone now, clearcut by the investors of Silvimantle LLC under a permit granted by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Esther Kronenberg and Jerry Dierker write. (Works in Progress)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 252 AM PDT Thu Sep 22 2022
TODAY N wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.
TONIGHT SW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening then a chance of showers after midnight.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

9/21 Cranberrybush, Coastal GasLink, starving orcas, Quiet Skies, white roofs

American Cranberrybush [Native Plants PNW]

American Cranberrybush Viburnum opulus
The specific epithet, opulus appears to refer to the Italian Maple, Acer opalus (opalus for opal), due to its maple-like leaves, rather than any opulent characteristic. Viburnum opulus is sometimes called Highbush Cranberry in our region. There are about 150-175 species of Viburnum in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere with a few species found in mountainous regions of South America, Southeast Asia & Africa (in the Atlas Mountains). There are about 20 native to North America. Many species are popular garden and landscape plants. Kalnya (Viburnum opulus) is a national symbol of Ukraine. Ancient Slavs associated it with the birth of the universe. Its berries symbolize blood and family roots. Kalyna is often depicted in Ukrainian embroidery. (Native Plants PNW)

A Pipeline, a River and an Indigenous Nation
Members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation who oppose the Coastal GasLink pipeline say they fear the company is about to begin drilling under the Morice River, known to Wet’suwet’en as Wedzin Kwa. The river, and the potential for impacts from pipeline construction, have been central to the conflict that has been unfolding on Wet’suwet’en territory for more than a decade. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Coastal GasLink warned more than 50 times over environmental violations during pipeline construction
Coastal GasLink has now been warned more than 50 times about environmental violations during construction of its natural gas pipeline across northern British Columbia, according to the province. In an email to CBC News, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change said it had issued a total of 51 warnings, 16 orders, and levied two fines — penalties of more than $240,000 "for repeated non-compliance" — since construction on the pipeline started in 2019. Betsy Trumpeter reports. (CBC)

As chinook salmon get thinner and fewer, southern resident killer whales struggle to find enough food
As marine species continue to decline worldwide, the southern resident killer whale population — which now stands at 75 individuals — along the west coast of North America, has baffled scientists who are trying to understand why this population is struggling. Fanny Couture writes. (The Conversation)

Quiet Skies continues noise monitoring after ruling against U.S. Navy
On Aug. 2, environmentalists were delivered a long-awaited win in the case of the Navy vs. The State of Washington, halting the expansion of the Whidbey Base Navy’s Growler jet training program. Judge Richard Jones fully sided with the plaintiffs, stating the Navy could not move forward with the addition of 36 new warfare jets, and hundreds of thousands of more flights until they more fully considered the consequences of the jets’ loud presence in nearby fly-over regions. Kathryn Wheeler reports. (Islands' Sounder)

The Case for White Roofs
Time was, we didn’t worry much about summer heat on the wet side of the Pacific Northwest’s Cascade Curtain. A “hot day” meant 80 degrees Fahrenheit; over 90 was a rare scorcher, and 100 was unheard-of until one day in 1994 touched that mark. Feeling warm? Open a window, rummage in the basement for a fan, pop a cold one, and wait for the evening breeze to cool things down. Air conditioners, like umbrellas, were for wimps and tourists. All of that started changing in 2015, when Seattle saw a record 12 days of 90-plus weather and Earth embarked on its hottest seven years (and counting) ever recorded. Eric Scigliano writes. (The Atlantic/Post Alley)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 256 AM PDT Wed Sep 21 2022
TODAY E wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft or less in the morning becoming less than 1 ft. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 12 seconds.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

9/20 Chanterelle, fossil fuel database, many ants

Chanterelle

Chanterelle
Chanterelle is the common name of several species of fungi in the genera Cantharellus, Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus. They are among the most popular of wild edible mushrooms. They are orange, yellow or white, meaty and funnel-shaped. (Wikipedia)

First public global database of fossil fuels launches
A first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world’s fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions launched on Monday to coincide with climate talks taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels includes data from over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries, covering 75% of global reserves, production and emissions. The tool is available for public use, a first for a collection this size. Drew Costley reports. (Associated Press)

Scientists have calculated how many ants are on Earth. The number is so big it’s ‘unimaginable.’
The staggering new estimate from scientists brings into relief ants’ astonishing ubiquity at a time of growing concern about insects dying off. Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 256 AM PDT Tue Sep 20 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY SE wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the afternoon. NW swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT E wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 4 ft at 13 seconds.

Monday, September 19, 2022

9/19 Cabezon, sunken boat, Squamish R, Navy sand, BC sea gardens, protecting whales, red dye, Hutchinson Cr, Duwamish R

Cabezon [Steve Lonhart/WikiCommons]

Cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
Cabezon is the largest of the sculpin species found in Washington waters. Cabezon can grow up to 99 cm (38.9 in) in length, and 6.8 kg (15 lbs) in weight. Maximum age is at least 14 years old. They range from Sitka, Alaska, to central Baja, California. They are found from the intertidal to 76 m (250 ft) in depth. They are demersal, solitary, and usually associated with reefs, boulders, kelp beds, or eelgrass. (WDFW)

Coast Guard postpones effort to remove sunken fishing boat after lifting it to surface
Salvage crews raised a sunken fishing boat from the bottom of the sea near San Juan Island Saturday, but they have been unable to remove enough fuel and seawater from the vessel to lift it onto a barge and transport it away from the critical orca habitat where it sank 5 weeks ago. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Inside a 50-year journey to reopen the ‘lungs’ of the Squamish River
A company built a spit that blocked salmon from accessing crucial habitat — then it left. Decades later, the Squamish Nation, local environmentalists and the federal government have worked together to finally break open the barrier and reconnect a fractured estuary. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Navy placing 10,000 yards of sand on Puget Sound seafloor as part of legal settlement
The Navy is placing about 10,000 cubic yards of sand onto the seafloor of Sinclair Inlet as part of a legal settlement with the state, the Suquamish Tribe, and environmental groups. A contractor's sand-filled barge currently rests above the former site of the USS Independence, a retired aircraft carrier whose hull was scraped for marine life in 2017 before it was sent to a Texas scrapyard for dismantling. But the tribe, along with other groups, alleged in a lawsuit the hull-scraping actually released copper, zinc and other pollutants into the Puget Sound inlet. The work, at a cost of $2.4 million, is known as the "Thin Layer Placement (TLP) project" ... The settlement requires the Navy to place sand at a depth of 4 to 9 inches over 8 total acres on the seafloor. Josh Farley reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Indigenous leaders hope to restore the culinary and cultural bounty of ancient B.C. sea gardens
For years, academics wondered about the origins of the long string of rocks piled along the tide line. The answer came when they spoke to local First Nations, who said the rocks were sea gardens created by their ancestors as cultivation sites thousands of years ago. Indigenous peoples used the tides to trap clams, mussels, kelp and fish in the shallows once the water receded. Now, Indigenous leaders hope to gain approval for clam harvesting at the sea garden site on Salt Spring Island's coast, and another at nearby Russell Island in Gulf Islands National Park, both of which are undergoing restoration. They are thousands of years old. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Patrolling the Salish Sea: How B.C.'s whale protection unit keeps marine mammals safe by keeping humans away
DFO officers based on Annacis Island in Vancouver and Victoria monitor whale habitat, and enforce the Marine Mammal Regulations, Species at Risk Act and the Fisheries Act. [Senior Compliance Officer Derek] Chung says the main responsibilities are making sure boats don't get too close — either inadvertently or on purpose — and that people stay out of areas designated as "no-go zones" due to their popularity among marine mammals. Josh Grant reports. (CBC)

Follow that plume: Scientists dye Whidbey waters to protect shellfish
A boat followed a red plume through dark waters on Monday, traveling slowly. The plume spread, moving south between Whidbey and Camano islands and north to Deception Pass. That morning, scientists had added harmless food dye to treated wastewater from the Oak Harbor Clean Water Facility, the city’s sewage treatment plant. It was then released into Puget Sound, staining the waters red for the day. Scientists tracked the dye’s movement and measured concentrations. It was part of a five-day study on shellfish safety, led by scientists from the state Department of Health and Food and Drug Administration. Jacqueline Allison reports. (Everett Herald)

Nooksack River restoration at Hutchinson Creek a major success
Logjam construction projects along the south fork of the Nooksack River have been instrumental in supporting ongoing salmon habitat restoration, according to watershed restoration coordinators from the Nooksack Indian Tribe... Several of the manmade logjams were on display Friday for a public tour hosted by the Tribe during Whatcom Water Week. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

The Once and Future River
The Duwamish has been a vital waterway for Indigenous peoples for generations. Now it’s largely invisible, drastically reshaped, and among the most polluted rivers in the nation. Can it be saved? BJ Cummings writes. (Humanities Washington)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 234 AM PDT Mon Sep 19 2022
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Friday, September 16, 2022

9/16 River otter, sewage settlement, flood survivors, Lululemon gift, Aleutian Isle recovery, BC floods and fires, fisher, female hummers, salmon poaching

River otter [American Rivers]

River otter Lutra canadensis
River otters have long, streamlined bodies, short legs, webbed toes, and long, tapered tails—all adaptations for their mostly aquatic lives. Although seldom seen, river otters are relatively common throughout Washington in ponds, lakes, rivers, sloughs, estuaries, bays, and in open waters along the coast. River otters are sometimes mistaken for their much larger seagoing cousin, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris). However, male sea otters measure 6 feet in length and weigh 80 pounds. Sea otters are acclimated to salt water, and come to shore only for occasional rest periods and to give birth. In comparison, river otters can be found in fresh, brackish, or salt water, and can travel overland for considerable distances. (WDFW)

Tribe, county, reach $5M settlement deal over sewage spills
Washington state’s most populous county is set to pay more than $5 million to settle a threatened lawsuit from the Suquamish Tribe over sewage spills that have overflowed from King County treatment plants into Puget Sound. The facility is the largest sewage treatment plant in Washington and the third largest on the West Coast. The discharges added up to more than 6 million gallons. (Associated Press)

Flood survivors face next flood season while awaiting long-term fixes
Flood season is coming faster than housing solutions, as recovery from November 2021 flooding continues in Whatcom County. Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson gifts $100M to help protect nature in B.C.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. founder and billionaire Chip Wilson is donating $100 million to the B.C. Parks Foundation to help protect and enhance the province's nature. Adena Ali reports. (Canadian Press)

What’s known, not known about Aleutian Isle recovery
An update on the sunken vessel Aleutian Isle off the west coast of San Juan Island details the extreme hazards involved in recovering the boat. (San Juan County Emergency Management)

New coalition calls for targets to reduce risk of floods, wildfires
Climate Proof Canada, makes the recommendations just as the federal Liberal government is expected to release a climate adaptation strategy before the next international climate conference in Egypt in November. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Lawsuit aims to protect a rare West Coast carnivore, the fisher
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government to protect the fisher under the Endangered Species Act more than 20 years ago. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed the fisher deserved endangered-species protection but said other species’ recovery efforts – many of them court-ordered – were higher priorities for the agency’s limited funding. Eventually, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to protect fishers, but only in Southern California. Now the activist group is suing to give the fisher endangered-species protections up and down the West Coast. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Female hummingbirds are disguising as males to avoid aggression
When you think of a hummingbird you probably think of a small sweet bird. But, hummingbirds are also very aggressive, especially males. According to a new study, some female hummingbirds are evolving to look like males to avoid aggression. Natalie Akane Newcomb reports. (KUOW)

DFO has 'investigations ongoing' into Fraser River salmon poaching
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it’s following-up on reports of large containers of illegally caught sockeye salmon being left to waste around Steveston Harbour. Poaching salmon is an endemic concern on the Fraser River fishing but is heightened this year because commercial fisheries have remained closed due to disappointingly low returns of sockeye salmon runs that are in the peak year of their four-year reproductive cycle. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 9/16/22: Guacamole Friday, racist names, BC forestry, restoring the Fraser, BC greenhouse goals, Colstrip buyout, end of OR coal, Chouinard's gift, WA toxins, Lululemon gift

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 245 AM PDT Fri Sep 16 2022
TODAY W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.
SUN Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

9/15 Big brown bat, WA key toxic pollutants, Hood Canal Bridge steelhead, Chouinard's gift, Boardman stack, eyes of specialists, Caroline Gibson Scholars

Big brown bat [Ty Smedes]

Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
The Big brown bat is found in virtually every American habitat ranging from timberline meadows to lowland deserts, though this species is most abundant in deciduous forest areas. It also is often abundant in suburban areas of mixed agricultural use. This species ranges from extreme northern Canada, throughout the United States and south to the extreme southern tip of Mexico. Traditionally, these bats form maternity colonies beneath loose bark and in small cavities of pine, oak, beech, bald cypress, and other trees. Common maternity roosts can also be found in buildings, barns, bridges, and bat houses. (BatCon)

EPA Must Act on Toxics, Court Orders
A federal court ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 30 to take the first step towards updating Washington’s water quality standards for 17 key toxic pollutants known to harm endangered salmon, steelhead, and the Southern Resident killer whales that depend upon them. The order is the result of federal district court Judge Marcia J. Pechman’s earlier finding that EPA is compelled to address the Washington Department of Ecology’s long-standing failure to protect aquatic species from toxic pollution after having “unreasonably abandoned its role for years.” ...In the revised court order signed Aug. 30, EPA will move quickly to grant NWEA’s petition and take federal actions on Washington’s water quality standards for nine toxic pollutants: arsenic, cadmium, copper, cyanide, mercury, selenium, nickel, acrolein, and aluminum. Within three years, the federal agency will take action on eight additional pollutants: chromium III, DDT and its metabolites, endosulfan, endrin, tributyltin, zinc, lead, and nonylphenol. (Northwest Environmental Advocates)

Add-on structure will begin to address steelhead crisis at the Hood Canal Bridge
The Hood Canal Bridge, which connects the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas, has proven to be a dangerous impediment to juvenile steelhead trout. As many as half of the young migratory steelhead in Hood Canal may get picked off by seals, birds and other predators as the fish try to pass under the floating highway, according to studies. While a permanent solution may be years away, the first step at reducing predation at the bridge may be just around the corner, as construction crews prepare to fabricate a floating structure that could help the fish swim past the bridge with fewer delays.Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company
A half century after founding the outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, the eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire with his unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away. Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe. David Gelles reports. (New York Times)

Boardman smokestack demolition will mark the end of a coal-fired era in Oregon
A contractor is set to demolish the towering smokestack at Portland General Electric’s shuttered coal-fired power plant near Boardman at 10 a.m. Thursday, heralding the end of the era of coal-fired power generation in Oregon. Imported electricity generated from coal still flows through transmission wires across the Pacific Northwest, but that looks to be winding down soon, too. Tom Banse reports. (OPB)

Through the Eyes of Specialists
David B. Williams in Street Smart Naturalist writes: "One of the highlights of writing is the opportunity to be out in the field doing research. I get so much more information from experiencing the landscape, flora, and fauna outside than through a phone call or meeting in town. Plus, I always enjoy seeing a landscape through a specialist’s eyes." (Street Smart Naturalist)

Caroline Gibson Scholars
Congratulations to the Northwest Straits Foundation's 2022 Carolne Gibson Scholarships in Marine Science scholars Mary Margaret Stoll, UW School of Oceanography third-year graduate student; Michael Sadler, UW School of Oceanography doctoral student; and Sarah Gutzmann, Simon Frasier marine science graduate student. They will be recognized and honored at a Sept. 24 reception in Port Townsend.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 240 AM PDT Thu Sep 15 2022
TODAY NW wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

9/14 Nutria, BC natural gas, high-speed rail, white crow

Nutria [Wikipedia]

Nutria Myocastor coypus
Nutria are large, semi-aquatic rodents that have robust, highly arched bodies with short legs, and long tails. The most conspicuous identifying features of M. coypus are their white whiskers, and large, rounded tail. Nutrias inhabit marshes, lake edges, and sluggish streams, especially in areas with emergent or succulent vegetation along the banks. Myocastor coypus is native to South America. Its distribution ranges from middle Bolivia and southern Brazil to Tierra del Fuego. As a result of escapes and liberations from fur farms, feral populations now occur in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Why the allure of natural gas is distracting Canada from a sustainable energy future
Climate researchers stress that natural gas bridges can often lead to nowhere as the reliance on natural gas can lock countries into fossil fuels, crowd out low-carbon technologies and risk stranding assets. Amy Janzwood and Heather Millar report, (The Narwhal)

Ultra-high-speed rail: coming to a train stop near you?
Ultra-high-speed rail is inching closer to becoming reality in the Cascadia region as local leaders push for developments in Skagit and Whatcom counties. The Washington State Department of Transportation has been studying options for ultra-high-speed ground transportation for years, but Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau is enthusiastic about its future in Skagit County. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

B.C. shells out $300K to help fund 3rd study into high-speed rail to Washington and Oregon
B.C. is investing $300,000 as its share of the next phase of a study into the construction of a high-speed rail system to Washington state and Oregon. The provincial government has already spent $600,000 on two earlier studies, in 2019 and in 2020. Known as the Cascadia Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation System (UHSGT), the rail line would connect the metro areas of Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. Ali Pitargue reports. (CBC)

Rare white crow sightings excite Kootenay birdwatchers
Lisa Chabot's sighting of a rare white crow this week has challenged the common assumption that all crows are black. Chabot, who lives in Glade, B.C., about 20 kilometres northwest of Castlegar, says she noticed something white fluttering among a group of black crows in her neighbourhood on Monday. David Bradley, the B.C. director of bird conservation organization Birds Canada, says he hesitates to estimate the probability of spotting a white crow, but acknowledges he hasn't seen one over his past 35 years of bird watching. Judging from Chabot's photo, Bradley believes the white crow is leucistic, meaning the animal has reduced black pigmentation in its feathers, but unlike an albino crow, it has normally coloured eyes. He adds that white ravens, which are common on Haida Gwaii, are also leucistic. Winston Szeto reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 244 AM PDT Wed Sep 14 2022
TODAY W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 2 ft at 8 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.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2022

9/13 Water vole, Frassr R diking, disappearing salmon, BC greenhouse gas, Colstrip wind farm, saving eels

Water vole [Wyoming Game&Fish]

Water vole Microtus richardsoni
The water vole is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus Arvicola, but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American Microtus species. (Wikipedia)

Restoring salmon habitat could help B.C.'s flood problems
Decisions to restrict the mighty Fraser River through extensive diking have had dire consequences for fish. Now B.C. has an opportunity to 'build back better' — but will it? Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

When the salmon disappear
Chinook aren’t just food to First Nations in Yukon, they’re a way of life. But 2022 has the lowest run ever recorded. Jackie Hong reports. (CBC)

B.C. still a long way from meeting greenhouse gas targets
The province set a legislated target of a 16 per cent reduction from 2007 levels by 2025. B.C. has only reduced a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions needed to meet its 2025 targets, according to the updated inventory released by the province last week. Nathan Griffiths reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Operator of Colstrip coal plant to buy out co-owner Puget Sound Energy, install some wind
The operator of Montana’s Colstrip coal-fired power plant said Monday it was buying out one of the site’s co-owners and plans to construct a wind farm nearby that would generate 600 megawatts of electricity. Talen Energy Supply would acquire Puget Sound Energy’s 25 percent share of Colstrip’s two remaining coal-fired units under the deal. The units combined generate about 1,480 megawatts of electricity. (Associated Press)

The Mysterious, Vexing, and Utterly Engrossing Search for the Origin of Eels
To save endangered eels, researchers have been working for decades to figure out where they reproduce. Christina Couch reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 219 AM PDT Tue Sep 13 2022
TODAY Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 1 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 1 ft at 8 seconds.

Monday, September 12, 2022

9/12 Douglas squirrel, Aleutian Isle, SJ National Monument, racist names, forge fish pesticides, Blue Heron Slough, PT jetty, BC forests, "Orca Rescue," state forests, Pig War

Douglas squirrel [VJ Anderson/WikiMedia]

Douglas squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii
Douglas squirrels are found along the Pacific coast of North America. Their range is limited to northern California, west and central Oregon, western Washington and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Douglas squirrels have distinct summer and winter coats. Their summer pelage ranges from reddish-brown to grayish-brown on the backside. Many of these hairs are orange or black at the ends. The underside ranges from light to dark orange, sometimes with white areas. It is this orange coloring on the chest and belly that sets Tamiasciurus douglasii apart from its nearest relative, the red squirrel. (Animal Diversity Web)

Diesel oil from sunken Aleutian Isle ‘nonrecoverable’
More than 200 feet below the surface of Haro Strait — a major shipway for British Columbia — a fishing vessel has settled on the sea floor near Sunset Point off the west coast of San Juan Island. The 49-foot purse seiner Aleutian Isle began sinking on Aug. 13, sending waves of a glossy diesel sheen two miles north of the sink. What was initially a search-and-rescue response quickly turned into minimizing the environmental impact. Zach Kortge reports. (Salish Current)

San Juan Islands National Monument: where’s the plan?
Almost 10 years ago, on March 25, 2013, then-President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation to protect, conserve and restore approximately 1,000 acres of BLM lands which included 60 to 70 small islands plus parcels at Cattle Point on San Juan Island and Iceberg Point and Point Colville on Lopez Island. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current )

US officially changes names of places with racist term for Native women
The U.S. government has joined a ski resort and others that have quit using a racist term for a Native American woman by renaming hundreds of peaks, lakes, streams and other geographical features on federal lands in the West and elsewhere. New names for nearly 650 places bearing the offensive word "squaw" include the mundane (Echo Peak, Texas) peculiar (No Name Island, Maine) and Indigenous terms (Pannaite Naokwaide, Wyoming) whose meaning at a glance will elude those unfamiliar with Native languages. Among the place names changed are more than 50 features in Oregon and 17 in Washington state. Mead Gruver reports. (Associated Press)

Over-the-counter pesticides found in islands’ forage fish
A two-year study of contaminants in locally caught forage fish confirms the presence of pyrethroid pesticides, the most common active ingredient in home and garden products sold in the San Juan Islands including “knock down” sprays and carpenter ant treatments. Supported by the Rose Foundation’s Southern Resident Orca program, the study focused on Pacific Sand Lance, a keystone prey species for seabirds as well as Chinook salmon. Russell Barsh writes. (KWIAHT/San Juan Journal)

Blue Heron Slough, a 350-acre estuary restoration project, nears completion
Earlier this month, the Port of Everett celebrated the return of 353 acres of estuary near the mouth of the Snohomish River. Blue Heron Slough will be fully restored in the coming weeks when a final dike is breached and the tides flow in. It will be the first time in 100 years that the land is reconnected to Puget Sound. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

B.C. river mystery: What is killing the giant sturgeon of Nechako River?
Government scientists are asking for the public’s help to solve that mystery after 11 of the iconic and endangered fish were recently found dead in the Nechako in central B.C. (Canadian Press)

Researchers tackle mystery of missing bear toes, floating feet
British Columbia’s reputation for foot-related mysteries endures. Five years after B.C. officials solved the decade-long mystery of detached sneaker-clad feet washing up on shore in the region, another, lesser-known foot mystery has been exposed and its cause identified. During a study to better understand grizzly-bear deaths, Clayton Lamb, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, captured and collared 59 grizzlies in southeastern B.C. between 2016 and 2020. Four of the bears were missing some front toes. Monique Keiran reports. (Times Colonist)

Jetty replacement to begin next week
The Port of Port Townsend on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony at Point Hudson Marina to commence the project intended to rebuild the almost 90-year-old north and south jetties in a manner that honors their original aesthetic, but uses contemporary design and material elements. Paula Hunt reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. conservationists decry lack of action, transparency 2 years into forestry stewardship overhaul
Two years into a three-year process to defer the logging of some of B.C.'s grandest trees in its most ecologically diverse wilderness so that forestry stewardship could undergo a vast transformation, First Nations and conservationists are decrying a lack of progress and transparency. "Clearcutting of irreplaceable, endangered old growth continues, even in the most-at-risk stands," said Jens Wieting with Sierra Club B.C. as part of a report card issued by four conservation groups on Thursday. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

"Orca Rescue" and "Rooted": Nominees for Washington State Book Award
Celebrate Washington State Book Award nominations with authors Lynda Lyn Haupt and Donna Sandstorm tonight, Sept. 12 6 to 8 p.m., at C& P Coffee Company, West Seattle. Readings and book signings.

WA Supreme Court: State Not Required to Cut Forests to Maximize Revenue
On July 21, the state supreme court said unanimously that the state does indeed have a duty to the schools and other beneficiaries, BUT it also has a duty to “all the people.” Dan Chasan writes. (Post Alley)

Watch: 600-pound sea lion jumps into small BC boat
Reader Connie Gallant writes: " The story of the sea lion jumping on the small boat took me back to when my late husband JD was on his small sailboat on Quilcene Bay, minding his own business, writing on his notebook when suddenly he saw several Orcas coming very fast toward him. He looked around and saw this frantic young seal circling the sailboat and wanting desperately to jump in, but the freeboard was a tad too high for it. Seeing its plight, JD circled the boat and kept the boat between them. Of course, the whales would've not been remotely stopped by this action but apparently they were kinda full anyway so they gave up. That seal stayed around the boat for a long while. JD only wished someone would have filmed it - there were some locals on the shore who saw the whole thing but this was prior to everyone carrying a cell phone with camera. He never forgot the incredible desperation on the seal's eyes."

The US island that nearly ignited a war
On Washington's San Juan Island, a national historical park harks back to a notorious 1859 border dispute when the British and Americans almost went to war over a pig. Brendan Sainsbury writes. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Mon Sep 12 2022
TODAY W 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning then a slight chance of showers in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. SW swell 2 ft at 7 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening then a chance of showers after midnight.