5/1 GiveBIG, mayflies, Skagit dams, Duwamish cleanup, L Cowichan quarry, B'ham waterfront, Matika Wilbur, Willapa birds, L Watcom, ELSO, BC shipbreaking

 

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Mayfly [National Wildlife Federation]

Mayflies Ephemeroptera
Despite their name, mayflies are active during the warmer months of the year, not just May. They tend to be gray, yellow, or brown and have long, thin abdomens. Mayfly larvae are aquatic and found in nearly all types of water bodies, from streams to lakes. The larva is often used as a bioindicator species to measure the health of water. Mayflies can vary in size, growing anywhere from a quarter-inch (0.6 centimeters) to 1.1 inches (2.8 centimeters). (National Wildlife Federation)

Seattle City Light commits to fish passage over Skagit River dams
As part of the process to relicense the three Skagit River dams, Seattle City Light Friday committed to providing fish passage at each dam...Seattle City Light’s current license to operate the dams, which provide 20% of Seattle’s electricity, expires in April 2025. The utility is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to renew the license for another 30 to 50 years. Seattle City Light will file its final license application — a 15,000-page document — with FERC on Sunday. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

EPA pitches $290 million cleanup for Duwamish Superfund site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $290 million plan to dredge and cap the Superfund site at the Duwamish River, where it flows into Elliott Bay. The proposed plan, developed by the EPA based on reports prepared by the Port of Seattle, city of Seattle and King County, was released last month and proposes to address chemicals in the whole 157 acres making up the east waterway, one of two industrial channels of the river north of the Spokane Street Bridge. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Quarry plan near Lake Cowichan raises alarms
A local First Nation’s plan for an ­aggregate quarry near Lake Cowichan is raising concerns among nearby ­residents about the prospect of their quiet rural environment being disturbed by noise, dust and sounds of heavy equipment for more than two decades. The quarry, which could run from 15 to 25 years, would supply local ­commercial and residential ­developments. Carla Fisher reports. (Times Colonist)

Expectations are high, questions remain as waterfront neighborhood takes shape
In early planning, Bellingham envisioned an urban village, public spaces, new jobs and low-income housing on the former GP property on Bellingham Bay. What’s actually in development? Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

Photographer's decade-long, 600,000-mile journey shows Indigenous life in new book
Photographer Matika Wilbur was tired of seeing one-dimensional, insipid, degrading depictions of Native Americans in mainstream media and popular culture. So in 2012, Wilbur, who is of Swinomish and Tulalip descent, decided to create her own catalog of images. Melissa Block reports. (NPR)

This serene corner of Washington state just got $1.2 million to preserve bird habitat
The birds of Washington's Willapa Bay became $1.26 million wealthier Thursday. The money will buy 239 acres of bird habitat at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, the Department of the Interior announced. Craig Sailor reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Bellingham is buying 20 acres near Lake Whatcom
The city of Bellingham is buying 20 acres of land for $525,00 in the hills above Lake Whatcom as part of its ongoing effort to reduce pollution and protect the watershed around its reservoir from development. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

A mystery in the Pacific is complicating climate projections
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which has a huge influence on global weather patterns, isn’t behaving as computer models predicted. That’s puzzling scientists. Bob Henson reports. (Yale Climate Connections)

Rally decries lack of federal regulation targeting shipbreaking operations
A Vancouver Island community is sounding the alarm about the lack of federal and provincial regulations targeting boat-dismantling operations that may leak pollutants like asbestos and heavy metals into Canadian waters. Chuck Chiang reports. (Canadian Press)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  217 AM PDT Mon May 1 2023   TODAY  Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds.

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"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.

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