5/30 Gartersnake, Friday Harbor biz, WA water quality, Ksi Lisims LNG, microplastics, lamprey, RICO, Canada biodiversity, Skagit map & spray, bat fungus, quarry sale

Puget Sound Gartersnake [Crowley]

Puget Sound Gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii
The Puget Sound Gartersnake is dark grey to black with three yellow or bluish-grey stripes: one narrow stripe down the back (dorsal stripe) and one on each side (lateral stripes). The lateral stripes are confined to the second and third scale row. Unlike the other subspecies of the Common Gartersnake that occur in B.C., the red bars on the sides between the dorsal and side stripes are often very faint or absent. Individuals can grow to just over a metre in length. (Canadian Herpetological Society)

Can small businesses survive in Friday Harbor?
Friday Harbor small businesses struggling to stay afloat cite rent prices, failing infrastructure and workforce shortage — and, some say, difficult landlord relationships. Kathryn Wheeler reports. (Salish Current)

EPA announces Washington state's water quality standards fail to protect salmon and Puget Sound orcas
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took an unusual step today in issuing a determination that Washington State’s water quality standards for nine toxic pollutants fail to adequately protect fish and other aquatic life.  The formal determination triggers a legal requirement for EPA to put federal rules in place...EPA found that new or updated standards are needed for nine toxic pollutants—including acrolein, aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, copper, cyanide, mercury, nickel, and selenium—to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act. (NWEA News Release 5/26/23)

Environmental groups seek to delay $10 billion B.C. LNG project
Groups seek delay for B.C.’s Ksi Lisims LNG project, citing emission caps concerns. Nathan Griffiths reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Microplastics are harming gut health of seabirds: study
Scientists involved in the study say the research also has implications for human health. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Nature sanctuary provides security to ancient fish species
An ancient and unusual fish, first identified by a Nanaimo scientist, has a secure home now that the Morrison Creek headwaters, near Cumberland, have become a nature sanctuary. Lamprey have survived for 360 million years, thanks to being able to change when life becomes stressful. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

The laws that took down mobsters are now being turned against Big Oil
Cities in New Jersey and Puerto Rico claim oil companies are behind a conspiracy to deceive the public. Kate Yoder reports. (Grist)

Provinces and territories commit to national biodiversity strategy — here’s what it means for nature
Five months after COP15, governments in Canada agree to work together to protect the country’s lands and waters, but progress is slow. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Fish and Wildlife mapping and spraying invasive plants in Skagit Wildlife Area
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is using drones to first map parts of the Skagit Wildlife Area then to spray several species of invasive plants. According to a department news release, 2,765 acres of public land across the Milltown Island, Island, Headquarters, and Skagit Bay Estuary units of the Skagit Wildlife Area will be mapped and sprayed through June 20. Emily Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Nose for trouble: B.C. scientists brace for a deadly bat fungus
White-nose syndrome, with up to a 95 per cent mortality rate, has killed millions of bats in North America. Recently, the fungus was found in a bat guano sample in B.C., prompting scientists to ramp up surveillance programs. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Environmental group questions quarry operator sale
Coast Mountain Resources — the company that has been operating the quarry — has been sold to California-based Granite. Andrew A. Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  251 AM PDT Tue May 30 2023   TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft  at 14 seconds building to 4 ft at 11 seconds after midnight.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told