1/6 Alligator lizard, Heart of the Fraser, bulkheads, Puyallup tideflats, WA lege session, UW sit-in, transportation, Skagit steelhead, Coho ferry, Way of Whales, week in review

Northern alligator lizard [WDFW]

Northern alligator lizard Elgaria coerulea
Northern alligator lizards occur in the Pacific Coast, Puget Trough, North Cascades, East Cascades, West Cascades, Okanogan and Rocky Mountain ecoregions. The northern alligator lizard inhabits grassy, brushy or rocky openings within forested landscapes. They have also been observed along road corridors and near lake edges. They can persist in low to moderately developed landscapes where they are typical seen in rock retaining walls, rock piles, woody debris and along building foundations. This species is relatively cold tolerant. Activity starts in late March to early April depending on location and weather conditions. (WDFW)

Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river — Part 5: The bleeding Heart of the Fraser
Gravel beds in the Heart of the Fraser— called one of the "most productive stretches of river on the planet" for spawning fish— is threatened with large-scale wetland destruction. Eric Scigliano reports. (Salish Current)

Bulkheads: protecting property at what cost to the environment?
Armoring the shoreline aims to protect property from high tides and erosion— the same natural forces that nourish shorelines for forage fish spawning and juvenile salmon rearing. Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

Puyallup Tribe announces economic development project at port
The Puyallup Tribe announced Wednesday it would development an international logistics company on property it owns on the Tacoma Tideflats. Formed in December, Tahoma Global Logistics will run land operations on the Tribe’s port properties in the Port of Tacoma, according to a news release. The Puyallup Tribe regained properties along the Blair Waterway in Tacoma with the 1990 Land Claims Settlement. Liz Moomey reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

What WA voters want to see from the 2023 legislative session
State residents say the cost of living and housing are big issues as lawmakers draft a new budget, according to a new Crosscut/Elway poll. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Crosscut)

Student sit-in protests fossil fuel company recruitment at University of Washington
A student group at the University of Washington is calling on the university to prohibit oil, gas, and mining operation companies from recruiting on campus. Many such companies have graduate and internship programs. The ICA-UW Chapter started holding sit-ins at the university's career center in late November. The group plans to continue doing so through winter quarter. ICA stands for Institutional Climate Action. Paige Browning reports. (KUOW)

On transportation, WA Legislature looks to tackle safety, equity, inflation
With housing and homelessness already taking top billing for this year’s session, transportation is unlikely to collect the same level of political capital as it did earlier this year. But as more people die on the roads, inflation drives up the cost of projects, workforce shortages persist and questions about how Washington will fund transportation in the future become more pointed, the policy debates around transportation in the upcoming session could reverberate on the roads for years. David Kroman reports. (Seattle Times)

Skagit River steelhead forecast looking good
Fishery managers hope to hold a catch-and-release steelhead season on the Skagit and Sauk rivers in early 2023, according to a state Department of Fish and Wildlife news release. Fishery managers canceled last year’s steelhead fishing season after their estimates indicated that fewer steelhead than the 4,000-fish requirement would return to the watershed. State fish biologists and tribal co-managers have forecasted that 5,211 wild steelhead will return to the Skagit River this year. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Coho ferry undergoing scheduled maintenance
North Olympic Peninsula residents will need to find alternative transportation to Victoria for the next three weeks as the MV Coho passenger and car ferry undergoes its annual maintenance. The ferry went out of service on Tuesday and is scheduled to resume its twice-daily round trips across the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Port Angeles and Victoria with an 8:20 a.m. sailing from Port Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 26. Brian Gawley reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Way of Whales Workshop
The Way of Whales Workshop will be held on Jan. 14 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Coupeville High School and online. Keynote speaker is Dr. John Ford with a panel discussion featuring Deborah Giles, Monika Weiland Shields, Michael Weiss, Joe Gaydos, Kim Parsons and Linda Rhodes. There will also be an update on the campaign to return Tokitae to local waters. $40, or $30 senior/student; lunch $20. Registration required.

Salish Sea News Week in Review 1/6/23: Lock 'em up, Wild Olympics, EPA water rule, Fraser riverfront, BC timber, giant freighter, big seas, ship noise, WA climate, WA recycling, Heart of the Fraser, bulkheads

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 weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  231 AM PST Fri Jan 6 2023   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 12 ft  at 12 seconds. Rain in the morning then rain likely in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell  12 ft at 12 seconds. Rain. 
SAT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 to 3 ft. SW swell 14 ft at 14 seconds. Rain in the  morning then rain likely in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. SW swell 12 ft at 14 seconds. 
SUN  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 3 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft at  12 seconds building to 9 ft at 12 seconds in the afternoon.

--
"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

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told