11/21 Wild turkey, Ghost river Part 2, citizens for herring, oceans protection, dolphins, drought, NW gas pipeline, beavers, rising seas, Pt Hudson jetty

Editor's Note: Over the past 10 years people have offered to donate to support this weekday compilation of news and weather and I've said, no thanks, it's a part of my giving back to the environmental community. Two years ago, I helped launch Salish Current, a not-for-profit newsroom serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties — a volunteer effort with paid freelance reporters, free to read, free from advertising and independent. We work to do in-depth reporting and while all local stories may not be of regional interest, stories like Eric Scigliano's multipart series on the Fraser River (see below) are good reads, and our weekly newsletter is a quick read of curated local news items. My ask: We'd like to do more in-depth reporting like Eric's and your donation before the end of the year will be doubled in a match challenge campaign. Would you donate  what you can — a one-time donation, a monthly donation, even a small, first-time donation — to help build Salish Current's reporting capacity and keep it free to read, free from advertising and community based? Thank you! Mike Sato.

Wild turkey [WDFW]

Wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo
While native to parts of North America, wild turkeys were introduced to Washington beginning in the early twentieth century. Wild turkeys are one of the most charismatic and iconic bird species in North America. An eagerly sought game species, turkeys hold significant cultural value to recreationists and holiday celebrations...Small populations also occur sparsely in western Washington. (WDFW) See also: "Talking turkey in the San Juans: strutting the line between welcome wildlife and pest" Gretchen K. Wing reports. (Salish Current 12/10/21)  And also: "The Return of the Wild Turkey" In New England, the birds were once hunted nearly to extinction; now they’re swarming the streets like they own the place. Jill Lepore writes. (The New Yorker)

Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river — Part 2: The flood and building back better
The great flood of 2021 brought massive destruction to the Fraser River Valley but also the opportunity to build back better. Eric Scigliano reports. (Salish Current)

A new generation of citizen scientists welcome Pacific herring back home
Herring all but disappeared from the shorelines around Sḵwx̱wú7mesh homelands in the past. Now volunteers are keeping careful tabs on the comeback efforts of a tiny fish with big cultural value. Lauren Kaljur reports. (The Narwhal)

Oceans Protection Plan gets $1.2-billion boost
Ottawa has committed another $1.2 billion to the Oceans Protection Plan, much of which is focused on enhancing protection of B.C. coastal waters, including better marine oil and fuel spill prevention and response. Nelson Bennett reports. (Times Colonist)

Hundreds of dolphins captured frolicking alongside B.C. Ferries vessel
Simone Thom has seen her share of orcas while working on B.C. Ferries, but one of her best wildlife experiences involved a large pod of dolphins swimming alongside the Salish Orca between Comox and Powell River. Thom, who works in catering, happened to be looking out to sea when the pod appeared and quickly began taking a video of the awe-inspiring sight on her cellphone. She estimated there were a couple of hundred bounding through the waves together. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

B.C.'s Sunshine Coast lifts state of emergency caused by drought
A state of local emergency in response to drought along British Columbia's Sunshine Coast has been lifted with water flow returning to a key water source. A statement from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), the District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation says levels in the watershed have risen slightly because of snowmelt with warmer-than-expected temperature. (Canadian Press)

Environmental groups oppose pipeline expansion in Pacific NW
The U.S. government has taken a step toward approving the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest — a move opposed by environmentalists and the attorneys general of Oregon, California and Washington state...A grassroots coalition of environmental groups said the analysis conflicts with climate goals of Pacific Northwest states and fails “to address upstream methane emissions from the harmful practice of fracking.” Andrew Selsky reports. (Associated Press)

For beavers, tall dams don’t always make good neighbors
The boat docks that normally offered fishing access for visitors to the Jim Creek Recreation Area were fully underwater...It wasn’t difficult for Alicia Higgs, the station’s natural resources manager, to determine the cause. A family of beavers had set up camp in the drainage between the two lakes and gotten as busy as, well, beavers in building a dam to call home...She reached out to the Tulalip Tribes. Since 2014, the Tulalip Beaver Project has relocated “nuisance” beavers to strategically chosen spots in the upper Snohomish watershed. Riley Haun reports. (Everett Herald)

Climate Changed: Rising oceans, storm surges 'disaster in slow motion' for Canada's coasts
Tides are rising, sands are shifting and coastlines are crumbling. As studies warn of rising seas and accelerated erosion resulting from climate change, coastal communities in Canada are wondering what the future holds...Communities on Canada’s east and west coasts face the risk of slipping below swelling tides as water levels inch up. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released last year said the rate of global sea level rise is accelerating, and seas have risen about 20 centimetres since the beginning of the 20th century. Hina Alam reports. (Canadian Press)

Port: Point Hudson jetty rebuild ahead of schedule
The rebuild of the jetty at Point Hudson that protects the marina from storms is ahead of schedule, say officials with the Port of Port Townsend. Capital Facilities Director Matt Klontz said last week that Orion Marine Contractors is a week or 10 days ahead of schedule and that the marina may be able to open earlier than Orion’s March 1 deadline, according to a press release. (Peninsula Daily News)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  229 AM PST Mon Nov 21 2022   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the evening then a  chance of rain after midnight.

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