3/16 Skunk cabbage, San Juan Monument, herring, BC spotted owl habitat, BC LNG, sunflower star, downwind pollution, BC pipe, mountain goats, rights of orcas

Western skunk cabbage
[Martin Bravenboer/WikiMedia]

Western skunk cabbage Lysichiton americanus
Western skunk cabbage  is found in wet areas along streams and in swamps. Its range extends from Cook Inlet, Alaska, south through British Colombia and the Pacific Northwest states to Santa Cruz county, California, with isolated populations in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. (US Dept. of Agriculture)

Management plan in place as San Juan Islands monument turns 10
Remember the Barack Obama era? When he was president 10 years ago, he signed a proclamation establishing the San Juan Islands (SJI) National Monument on March 25. A celebration of the San Juan Islands National Monument 10th anniversary by federal officials and locals is planned for March 25 at Friday Harbor Grange Hall. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current)

Herring only live in Craigflower Bridge memories
The herring — once so abundant that the Gorge appeared black with them — are largely gone. Jack Knox reports. (Times Colonist)

Old-growth spotted owl habitat removed from federal maps after talks with B.C., docs reveal
Federal scientists mapped core critical habitat for the endangered spotted owl. Almost half of it, including old-growth, disappeared during negotiations with the B.C. government, internal documents reveal. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Is BC LNG Really Green?
Industry says exporting gas will cut emissions. Not true, say experts. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Pizza-sized predators to get federal protection
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed listing the sunflower star as a threatened species, which could lead federal agencies to block projects that would harm its habitats and unlock funding for research on how to save the species. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

The EPA's new 'good neighbor' rule targets downwind pollution by power plants
A new "good neighbor" rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency will restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can't control. Nearly two-dozen states will have to cut harmful industrial emissions of nitrogen oxide and other pollutants to improve air quality for millions of people living in downwind communities. (Associated Press)

Why Canada likely won't need any more big new oil pipelines after Trans Mountain
Construction of the Trans Mountain expansion project is set to wrap up later this year, and it's likely the last new oil export pipeline the country will ever need. The pipeline has faced many obstacles over the years, including protests, court challenges and massive cost overruns. Last week, the cost of the federally owned project was updated to more than $30 billion. Kyle Bakx reports. (CBC)

An Enigmatic Beast
David B. Williams in Street Smart Naturalist writes: "I have long been interested in names so it was with particular delight when I learned of the wonderful naming odyssey of mountain goats, one of the animals I am writing about for my book on the Cascades. They are known scientifically as Oreamnos americanus—from the Ancient Greek, óros, meaning mountain, and amnós, or lamb, plus americanus, in reference to their limited distribution to Alaska, Canada, Washington, Idaho, and Montana." (Street Smart Naturalist)

Rights of Orcas now protected by City of Des Moines
During the Feb. 23, 2023 City Council Meeting, Des Moines resident Lloyd Lytle asked Council to support a proclamation in honor of the rights of Southern Resident Orcas. Just two weeks later, an official proclamation was issued...Des Moines joins a growing number of cities and counties issuing such proclamations, in a movement that is working toward statewide protective action. Local resolutions and proclamations are an effective tool in the move to State action. Organizers hope to have a state bill addressing this issue by 2024. Mellow DeTray reports. (Waterline Blog)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PDT Thu Mar 16 2023   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH  FRIDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

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