4/19 Mountain goat, Fairy Cr protest, Cedar R restoration, kelp, Walla Walla woes

Mountain goat [Andrea Nesbitt/WDFW]

Mountain goat Oreamnos americanus
The mountain goat, which occurs only in northwestern North America, is the only genus and species of its kind in the world. Its closest relatives are the chamois of Europe and the goral and serow of Asia. The domestic goat is not closely related to the mountain goat. Between 2,400 and 3,200 mountain goats are estimated to live in Washington. Mountain goats are native to the Cascade Range, and can be found from the Canadian border on the north to the Oregon border on the south. (WDFW)

Fairy Creek old-growth protesters celebrate as a slew of contempt charges are withdrawn
The B.C. Prosecution Service says it has withdrawn contempt charges against 11 old-growth logging protesters accused of breaching a court injunction during blockades at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island...the Crown is reviewing the remaining cases that were impacted by the Henderson decision in February, which tossed out the charge of criminal contempt because of the RCMP's failure to properly read the injunction to people arrested during the protest. (CBC) 

King County wraps up Cedar River restoration project
The clear, frigid waters, quenched with recent rains, have found their way back. A new side channel here meanders through land that once was behind a levee and the location of a mobile home park. King County recently wrapped up an $18 million effort to reopen this piece of a historic flood plain and offer some reprieve for the river’s threatened salmon. Seattle and King County leaders on Tuesday morning visited the Riverbend restoration project site spanning about 52 acres. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

A forgotten and neglected ecosystem covers a third of Earth's coastlines, with a collective value of $500 billion
Underwater forests known as kelp have been sustaining people and cultures for millennia. However, most of us are only vaguely aware of the vibrant masses of seaweed hugging the ocean shores around Earth...a new study published [April 18] in Nature Communications  produced the first global estimate of the economic value of kelp forests – revealing they provide hundreds of billions of dollars in value to humans across the world. Aaron Eger writes. (YahooNews)

Several problems likely to blame in WA ferry grounding
When the ferry Walla Walla ran aground Saturday, the culprit, according to Washington State Ferries, was a failed generator. But while it appears a generator did fail, investigators will be looking for other, more systemic problems as well...The Walla Walla is 50 years old, although that alone may not explain the failure. The ship had just months earlier gone in for regularly scheduled maintenance and is viewed as a “workhorse” in the ferry’s fleet...Although the ferry system’s fleet is stretched thin and in need of an increasing level of maintenance, crew shortages are still sidelining more sailings than vessel issues. David Kroman reports. (Seattle Times)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PDT Wed Apr 19 2023   
TODAY  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft  at 11 seconds. Showers in the morning. A slight chance of tstms.  Showers likely in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Showers likely  and a slight chance of tstms in the evening then a slight chance  of showers after midnight.

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