5/26 Gopher, Clean Water Act, Fairy Cr old-growth, cottonwood fluff, Puget Sound model, illegal fishing, BC mines, Ginny Broadhurst

Mazama (Western) pocket gopher [Rod Gilbert]

Mazama pocket gopher Thomomys mazama
The Mazama (Western) pocket gopher is the only pocket gopher in most of western Washington, with several subspecies ranging from the Olympic Peninsula to the southern Puget Sound area. Adults measure 8 inches in length, including their 2½-inch tail. (WDFW)

As Supreme Court weakens Clean Water Act, what does it mean for WA?
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday that eroded longstanding water protections might have little effect in Washington because of the state’s more stringent laws safeguarding wetlands, but it could have implications for endangered species and tribal lands. In an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, the court ruled that water protections apply to wetlands “indistinguishable” from nearby bodies of water and are only protected if they are close to a bigger waterway and wet enough that it’s hard to determine where the water ends and the wetland begins. That significantly differs from state wetland protections, which will remain intact. Waters that are no longer considered “waters of the U.S.” under the ruling will retain protections as waters of the state, said Colleen Keltz, a state Department of Ecology spokesperson. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Birders, not blockaders, ask B.C.to protect old-growth in Fairy Creek to save marbled murrelets
Birders and biologists are banding together to urge the B.C. government to protect ancient forests on southwestern Vancouver Island in a bid to save threatened marbled murrelet nesting sites. Around a dozen citizen scientists are documenting the rare robin-sized seabird, which raises its young in old-growth forest found in tree farm licence (TFL) 46, which includes the Fairy Creek region near Port Renfrew. Rochelle Baker reports. (National Observer)

Have you noticed all the cotton fluff in the air?
The cotton we see floating in the air is the release of the seeds from black poplar and black cottonwood trees, which fly off their branches when they are mature, and the pod is dried. A good wind can whisk them away. On years when it’s mistier this time of year, we may not see as many fluff puffs floating about, or it might just take longer for the seeds to disband. This year, warm weather + wind + maturity of seed indicates a quicker process. Kyle Norris reports. (KUOW)

Before supercomputers, a structural model helped scientists predict currents in Puget Sound
One of the first working models of Puget Sound was a scaled-down concrete reproduction of the regional topography, with actual water running through channels, around islands and into bays, inlets, and harbors. Motors, pumps and timing gears are part of an elaborate mechanism that replicates tides and river flows in the still-functioning model. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

A boat went dark. Finding it could help save the world’s fish.
Researchers and government official use gaps in transponder data can be used to track illegal fishing— and to fight back. (Washington Post interactive)

These are 11 of B.C.’s most ‘polluting and risky’ mines
Mining is big business in B.C. and it’s an industry that produces a lot of waste. A new report highlights 11 mines of concern and what’s stopping the province from getting them to clean up their acts. Francesca Fionda reports. (The Narwhal)

Governor appoints WWU's Salish Sea Institute Director to NW Straits Commission
Ginny Broadhurst, Director of the Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University, has been recently appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Northwest Straits Commission. (WWU News)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 5/26/23: Buddha birthday, clam cancer, Canada oil spill response, kelp forests, kelp seed bank, Native gasoline, Delta port suit, Seattle tree rules, Skagit R., CWA weakened.

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Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Fri May 26 2023   SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH  LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell  4 ft at 7 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 ft after midnight. W swell  6 ft at 8 seconds. 
SAT  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds building to 8 ft at  8 seconds in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 8 seconds. 
SUN  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 7 seconds.

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