12/7 Russula, WA green amendment, Stanley Park, avian influenza, Bigg's orca, COP15, unsafe salmon, 'murder hornets,' Padilla Bay Reserve

Red russula [Wikipedia]

 
Vomiting russula Russula emetica
Russula emetica, commonly known as the sickener, emetic russula, or vomiting russula, is a basidiomycete mushroom, and the type species of the genus Russula. It has a red, convex to flat cap up to 8.5 cm in diameter, with a cuticle that can be peeled off almost to the centre. (Wikipedia)

Lekanoff, Ramel support future green amendment in WA Constitution
The Washington Green Amendment will be back on the table in 2023. The amendment, initially proposed in the Washington Legislature in 2021 by 40th District Rep. Debra Lekanoff, calls for a legal right dictated in the state constitution to protect air, water, environments and community health across the state. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

Should reconciliation turn Vancouver's Stanley Park into a 'person'?
New Zealand granted legal personhood to a national park with rights to be protected. Could that principle apply to Stanley Park, asks a UBC law professor. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

The Rampaging Avian Influenza Is Entering Unknown Territory
Highly lethal and spreading widely, the avian flu outbreak has scientists wondering what it will do next. Alex Riley reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Lone orca spotted hunting seal in BC harbour
Transient or Bigg’s orcas have been venturing into Victoria Harbour with more frequency over the past three years, say whale observers. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

‘We have to be ambitious’: Canada’s lead biodiversity negotiator on what’s needed at COP15
As the number of plants and animals declines faster than at any other point in human history, Tara Shannon will head Canada's seat at the COP15 negotiating table. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Feds said salmon is safe to eat — but didn't consider Native diets
Due to chemical pollution, the treaty-protected fish in the Columbia River Basin pose health risks for Indigenous tribes. Tony Schick & Maya Miller report. (OPB & ProPublica)  Originally published Nov. 22.

No ‘murder hornets’ found in 2022 in Washington state
Citizen trapping of northern giant hornets in northwest Washington ended Nov. 30 without any confirmed sightings of the hornets this year, state officials said Tuesday. The Washington State Department of Agriculture also said that no confirmed sightings of the hornets were reported nearby in British Columbia, Canada. (Associated Press)

Highlighting the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Fifty years ago, Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) to protect our nation’s oceans and coasts, creating a framework for states to take on the primary role in managing their coastal zone. In 1972, the CZMA also established the National Estuarine Research Reserve System to protect selected coastal areas for long-term research, monitoring, and education. The country's 30 national estuarine research reserves create a network of protected estuarine habitat along the nation's coasts. The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was created by the Washington Legislature and U.S. Congress in 1980. Ecology manages the reserve to protect more than 11,000 acres of critical intertidal and upland habitat in Skagit County. (WA Dept of Ecology)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  243 AM PST Wed Dec 7 2022  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH  THURSDAY MORNING   
TODAY  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds. A  chance of rain. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 11 seconds. A  chance of rain in the evening then rain after midnight.

--
"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