3/14 Pussy willow, orcas, seaweed, methane, Quimper Corridor, hot forests, fed killers

 

Pussy willow [Brooklyn Botanic Garden]

Pussy willow
The species most commonly called pussy willow in the Northeast, Salix discolor, is a small, shrubby species of willow that can be found dotting wetlands and moist woods throughout much of North America. Most other willows make similar flowers, and since they’re among the very first to bloom, they’re especially delightful—they signal the last throes of winter and the brink of spring. (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

What researchers learned studying PNW orcas hunting for salmon
In a first-of-its-kind study of the hunting behaviors of salmon-eating orcas, researchers found stark differences in two populations of killer whales that may have implications for their survival. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Tines)

Eavesdropping on orcas: love, grief, and family
Research has revealed that orcas have parts of their brains that are more physically developed that human brains - the parts that have to do with language, emotion and memory. What can we learn by eavesdropping on orcas? Chris Morgan and Lucy Souk report. (KUOW)

Banking on the Seaweed Rush
Seaweed farmers promise to feed us, combat climate change, support coastal communities, provide wildlife habitat, and more. Can seaweed do it all? Nicola Jones reports. (Hakai Magazine)

An invisible climate killer is lurking behind B.C.’s LNG boom
Notoriously difficult to track, methane emissions disproportionately fuel the climate crisis. As B.C. prepares for an uptick in gas projects, stricter regulations and existing technologies could help the province stick to its reduction targets. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Parcels to be added to Quimper Wildlife Corridor
The Board of Jefferson County Commissioners voted Monday to purchase the two parcels of about 107 acres — known as Quimper West and Quimper East — from DNR and put them under the stewardship of the Jefferson County Land Trust. Peter Segall reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Pacific Northwest forests are heating up and drying out
Extreme heat and drought present foresters and tree farmers with distinct challenges that require unique solutions. Sarah Trent reports. (High Country News)  See also: Climate is changing too quickly for the Sierra Nevada's 'zombie forests' Some of the tall, stately trees that have grown up in California's Sierra Nevada are no longer compatible with the climate they live in, new research has shown. Joe Hernandez reports. (NPR)

‘Hired gun’ federal agency kills 100,000 animals in WA every year
They shot them down from the sky. It happened two winters ago in Adams County, but the federal government won’t say where. A pilot and gunner did it from a plane while flying low over wheat stubble on the Palouse or some desolate expanse in the Scablands...Exactly who wanted the animals dead and how much the killing cost is a mystery, but on Feb. 24, 2021, a little-known agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture killed 67 coyotes to protect cattlemen’s herds. Colin Tiernan reports. (Spokesman Review)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  238 AM PDT Tue Mar 14 2023   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  5 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain in  the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W after midnight. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 8 seconds. A slight chance of  rain in the evening then rain after midnight.

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