Salish Sea News and Weather: June 2023

Friday, June 30, 2023

6/30 Golden Delicious, moving Tokitae, survival threats, Tacoma beach pollution, women fishers, night anchoring, bat colony, week in review

Golden Delicious [Gardenia]

Golden Delicious Malus domestica
Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to Red Delicious. Golden Delicious arose from a chance seedling on the family farm of J. M. Mullins in Clay County, West Virginia, who sold the tree and propagation rights to Stark Brothers Nurseries for $5000, which first marketed it as a companion of their Red Delicious in 1914. According to the US Apple Association website, as of 2008, Golden Delicious, along with its descendent cultivars Gala, Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, and Jonagold, were among the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Members of Congress urge relocation of last captive orca taken from Puget Sound
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash. and Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. and Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asking the federal agencies Thursday to relocate captive orca Tokitae, also known as Lolita or Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, because of the dangers posed by the Atlantic hurricane season. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Endangered orcas in B.C. facing host of new threats to survival
Researchers are renewing their calls for Ottawa to take action to preserve the specie's main food source — Chinook salmon. Sarah Grochowski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Health advisory issued for Tacoma beach after high levels of bacteria found in water
A health advisory has been issued for the waters off Jack Hyde Park in Tacoma after high bacteria levels were recorded there. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued the warning Thursday. The advisory is in effect until further notice. (Tacoma News Tribune)

More women are casting their net into the salmon fishing industry
They used to be considered bad luck onboard, but an increasing number of female crew members are stepping onto boats headed to Alaska. Francesca Lyman reports. (Crosscut)

Vancouver port launches pilot to reduce commercial ships anchoring in Gulf Islands at night
Starting Saturday, commercial ship operators anchoring around the Southern Gulf Islands will be asked to avoid nighttime arrivals or departures, according to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. However, a group that represents the residents doubts this voluntary procedure will stop the ship operators from dropping their noisy anchors during the night. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Puget Sound's biggest bat colony could be big loser of dam-removal project
The Yuma myotis and the little brown bat colonies at Woodard Bay fly 8 miles to Olympia's Capitol Lake reservoir to feed. The Washington Department of Enterprise Services plans to remove a 70-year-old dam and turn silt- and weed-choked Capitol Lake back into a saltwater mudflat. Restoring the estuary would eliminate the bats’ midge buffet. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Salish Sea News and Weather Week in Review June 30, 2023: Asteroid Day, Lpod baby, heat wave lawsuit, sewer fee burden, wildfire season, orca lesions, land protection tax, moving Tokitae.

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 weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 248 AM PDT Fri Jun 30 2023
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 2 ft at 9 seconds.

--
"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

Thursday, June 29, 2023

6/29 Yellow flag, orca lesions, land protection tax, eco corridors, fish pen removal, glaciers

Yellow flag [Donald Hobern/Creative Commons]

Yellow flag Iris pseudacorus
Yellow iris is widespread in the northeastern United States, where it has been found in the wild for close to 140 years. Although recorded from over 40 states, yellow iris is not equally distributed or problematic throughout. It is relatively new to the western United States, where notable early records from California and western Montana date to the 1950s. Iris pseudacorus is reported as invasive in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. (US Fish & Wildlife Service)

Scientists find worrisome lesions on endangered southern resident orcas
The peer-reviewed research published in the Public Library of Science on Wednesday suggests 99% of the orcas studied had photographic evidence of skin lesions. Researchers evaluated photos from nearly 20,000 orca sightings from 2004 to 2016, finding that lesions — often gray patches and gray targets on the orcas’ skin — generally became more prevalent over time. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Snoqualmie implements a first of its kind land protection tax
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe hopes to preserve the Snoqualmie Falls and other ancestral sites for future generations through a new 2 percent land protection tax. Leaders say it’s a model for other tribes working to reclaim their ancestral lands. Nika Bartoo-Smith reports. (Indian Country Today)

Long-term ecological corridors envisioned for Island
An initiative by Parks Canada and an Indigenous-led partnership will see local knowledge used to conserve ecological corridors on the coast from Victoria to Tofino. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Hope Island fish pens removed
After years of conflict, the aquaculture fish pens near Hope Island in Skagit Bay have been removed. Cooke Aquaculture, which leased the area from the state Department of Natural Resources, finished removing the pens at the end of May, the department confirmed. In November, Natural Resources banned all commercial finfish net pen aquaculture on state-owned aquatic lands managed by the department. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Finding Glaciers in the West
David B. Williams, “an evangelist for the practice of paying attention,” writes: "For many years, the Cascades didn’t have glaciers, or so said the geologists. They weren’t referring to a time long ago when the mountains were bare of ice; the men of science simply didn’t think that glaciers were here. Nor did they think there were any glaciers in the United States, outside of Alaska, at least until 1871, when geologist Clarence King declared their discovery in the mountains of the Pacific Coast..." (Street Smart Naturalist)

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- 242 AM PDT Thu Jun 29 2023 TODAY 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 3 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy drizzle.

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

6/28 Golden rod, wildfires, youth vote, Desolation Sound, Bamberton quarry, logging reduction, drunk hummers

Golden rod [WSU]

Golden rod Solidago sp. 'Goldenmosa'
'Goldenmosa’ is an improved goldenrod cultivar that is considered better than the species it was derived from. It blooms in late summer to early fall. The flowers are brilliant yellow, and are held in 12" long conical panicles resembling golden feathers. (WSU)

PNW primed for wildfire as officials prepare for likely active season
Experts predict an above-normal potential for wildfire for most of Washington and parts of Idaho, Montana and Oregon. It’s the culmination of lots of available grassy fuels and hot and dry conditions expected through the summer months. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Paradox of passion, apathy impact young voter turnout
Younger voters care deeply about renter protections, homelessness, social justice and racism — but will they go to the polls to make their voices heard in this year’s election? Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

‘We Didn’t Treat it as a Park. That Was Our Home.’
Tla’amin people have lived in Desolation Sound for generations. New efforts are underway to reclaim ancestral ties. Andrea Bennett reports. (The Tyee)

Bamberton expansion won’t undergo environmental review
The Malahat First Nation’s planned quarry expansion will instead undergo an enhanced review through the Mines Act permitting process. Andrew A. Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Logging reduction aims to save threatened B.C. seabird
The B.C. government has dropped the amount of wood that can be legally cut in a corner of Vancouver Island vital to the recovery of the marbled murrelet — a migratory seabird threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act. On Monday, the Ministry of Forests said it was ordering a 19 per cent decrease in the annual allowable cut of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 44, a swath of forest straddling the Alberni Inlet near Barkley Sound. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Hummingbirds get a bit of alcohol with their food
Your backyard hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water is a natural experiment in fermentation—yeast settle in and turn some of the sugar into alcohol. The same is true of nectar-filled flowers, which are an ideal gathering place for yeast—a type of fungus—and for bacteria that metabolize sugar and produce ethanol. To biologist Robert Dudley, this raises a host of questions. How much alcohol do hummingbirds consume in their daily quest for sustenance? Are they attracted to alcohol or repelled by it? Robert Sanders reports. (Futurity)

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- 236 AM PDT Wed Jun 28 2023
TODAY Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy drizzle after midnight.

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

6/27 Goldfinch, MudHoney, wastewater fees, Duwamish cleanup, Sikhs, wildfires, death caps

Goldfinch
[Bruce Livingston]

Goldfinch Spinus tristis
The goldfinch is a delicate little bird with a yellow body and black wings, and although it eventually became the official state bird of Washington, many other birds were considered for the title. In 1928, legislators let school children select the state bird and the meadowlark won hands-down. It was a nice choice but seven other states already had chosen the same bird. Another vote was taken in 1931 by the Washington Federation of Women's Clubs. Many birds were nominated, but the goldfinch won handily over the tanager, song sparrow, junco and pileated woodpecker. Now there were two state birds and the Legislature decided to leave the final choice to school children. In 1951, children voted for the goldfinch and the Legislature made it unanimous. (Washington State Legislature)

Machine is done digging Seattle’s huge sewage and stormwater tunnel
The 900,000-pound machine that started boring a gargantuan sewage and stormwater tunnel under Seattle in 2021 at last burst into the open this month, completing its rocky 2.7-mile route in just under two years. Nicknamed “MudHoney” after the Seattle grunge band, the drill started digging in Ballard and emerged into a Wallingford drop shaft near Stone Way. When operational, the tunnel will store up to 30 million gallons of untreated sewage and polluted stormwater. Daniel Beckman reports. (Seattle Times)

Wastewater fee study reveals hardship for low-income households
Low-income households may need financial help to address the impact of rising wastewater bills, according to a study published last month by the Puget Sound Institute. The study showed that current bills are likely a hardship for low-income households and additional residents will bear a disproportionate financial burden based on projected sewage treatment costs. Jeff Rice reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Weigh in on EPA's Duwamish River cleanup plan by Aug. 11
Tuesday was supposed to be the deadline for people to share input on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed cleanup plan for the heavily polluted Duwamish River entrance. But that deadline has been pushed back to Aug. 11, allowing time for a community festival to educate residents and take public comment on the proposal. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez reports. (KUOW)

With hard-earned acceptance, the Sikh community flourishes on both sides of the border
South Asians in the Pacific Northwest reflect on the different journeys Sikhs took while making the United States and Canada home. Catherine Skrzypinski reports. (Salish Current)

What causes wildfires? Lightning, people, climate change … and obsessively putting them out
Decades of fire suppression have made forests more flammable. Add lightning, human error and climate change and it’s a recipe for disaster. Drew Anderson reports. (The Narwhal)

Oak Bay warns about poisonous mushrooms
The District of Oak Bay is advising the public to be aware of death cap mushrooms that typically show up in the municipality at this time of the year. The mushrooms are extremely toxic and can cause severe illness and may be lethal if ingested by people, especially children, as well as pets...“Oak Bay may be the death cap capital of Canada,” Metchosin mycologist Andy MacKinnon. Darron Kloster and Pedro Arrais report. (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--
TODAY Light wind becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds. Areas of drizzle in the morning then patchy drizzle in the afternoon.
TONIGHT NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds. Areas of drizzle.

Monday, June 26, 2023

6/26 Yelloweye, new L pod baby, Jack Delay, WA gas price, heat wave suit, BC drought, microplastics, marmots, renewable energy, underwater noise, pop-up gear, beach eggs, octopus mom

Yelloweye rockfish
[Alaska Department of Fish and Game]

Yelloweye rockfish Sebastes ruberrimus
Yelloweye rockfish are among the longest lived of rockfishes, with maximum age reported to be up to 150 years. This species also is very slow growing and late to mature. Although conservation measures like fishing bans have been put in place in Puget Sound, recovery from threats such as past overfishing and continued bycatch will take many years due to the life history of yelloweye rockfish. The Puget Sound/Georgia Basin distinct population segment (DPS) in Washington State is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Southern resident killer whale pod welcomes new baby
The critically endangered southern resident killer whales appear to have a new baby. The new calf was filmed with L Pod off Tofino on Monday. Howie Tom got the photographs as the calf was swimming with members of the L77 matriline, but it isn’t immediately clear which whale is the mother. It would be the first new calf in L pod since 2021, when L125 was born. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

The old-fashioned ‘new politics’ of civic activist Jack Delay
Commentary: Colleague Sati Mookherjee takes a memorial look at a life-long activist whose career culminated in the co-founding and success of Communitywise Bellingham and whose life was celebrated this past weekend. (Salish Current)

Rising gas prices in WA fuel debate over who pays to combat climate change
Washington faced unwelcome news this week that the state’s average price for a gallon of gas is the highest in the country. Some policy and energy experts have tied the increase to the state's new climate change policies, while others point to supply chain issues as a key driver for rising prices across the region. It's sparking renewed debate about Washington's response to climate change and the future of energy costs. Jeanie Lindsay reports. (KNKX)

The Pacific Northwest’s deadly 2021 heat wave fuels a new lawsuit against Big Oil
It’s been nearly two years to the day since a freak heat wave obliterated temperature records across the Pacific Northwest... Now, that heat dome — which scientists deemed “virtually impossible” without global warming — is the subject of a new lawsuit. Multnomah County sued ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and other fossil fuel companies on Thursday, seeking to put them on trial for the role their products played in fueling the heat wave. Kate Yoder reports. (Grist)

B.C. warns of summer drought and asks people to conserve water
The British Columbia government is urging people to save water, saying the forecast predicts drought across much of the province this summer. A statement from the Forests Ministry says recent rains have provided some relief in parts of B.C., but it hasn't been enough to make up the deficit. B.C.'s drought map shows much of the northeastern corner of the province is at drought level four on the five-level scale, meaning conditions are extremely dry, with communities and ecosystems likely to experience adverse impacts. (Canadian Press)

Microplastic Exposure Breeds Antimicrobial Resistance
Laboratory research shows that someway, somehow, PVC plastic makes microbes more virulent and resilient. Michael Allen reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Captive-bred Island marmots being released into wild
This weekend, 52 captive-bred yearling marmots will be introduced to existing colonies around Mount Washington, but dry conditions could make it hard for them to survive. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Buying renewable energy doesn’t mean what you think
The popular method of buying renewable "credits" for electricity is inflating green power claims. Shannon Osaka and Hailey Haymond report. (Washington Post)

Could AI be used to protect whales from underwater noise pollution?
Marine researchers are diving into the world of artificial intelligence to help solve an invisible problem: noise pollution, and the effect it has on local marine life. Non-profit organization Clear Seas is researching how machine learning can help reduce the noise emitted from ships, with the goal of creating an underwater vessel that will tune and adjust its noise to adapt to whatever marine mammal, especially in regards to whales, is nearby. Mina Kerr-Lazenby reports. (Times Colonist)

This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?
State regulators closed the Dungeness season two months early this year, due to the arrival of humpback whales in the area..over concerns that whales are getting entangled in the long ropes attached to their gear. Normally, crabs and lobster traps sit on the bottom of the ocean and are tethered to the surface by a rope that can stretch hundreds of feet. Pop-up fishing gear, also known as on-demand or ropeless gear, keeps the rope and buoy stowed on the ocean floor, until the fisherman comes to retrieve it. Lauren Sommer reports. (NPR)

Beach eggs
Wendy Feltham shares her photos and fascination with the eggs marine critters lay on the beaches of the Salish Sea. Part one. (Rainshadow Journal)

'Super octo-mom' off B.C. coast fights king crabs to protect her young
A standoff witnessed during a deep-sea research trip off the coast of Vancouver Island showed nothing is more powerful than a mother's love. A group of researchers said they witnessed a protective mother octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) fighting off five king crabs surrounding her and her eggs. Michelle Gomez reports. (CBC)

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- 246 AM PDT Mon Jun 26 2023 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 6 seconds. Patchy drizzle in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy drizzle after midnight.

Friday, June 23, 2023

6/23 Red elderberry, herring roe harvest, humpbacks, fisheries fine, life in Kitimat, Nooksack pollution, week in review

Red elderberry [Native Plants PNW]

Red elderberry Sambucus racemosa L.
Red elderberry is native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North America. It is found throughout most of the United States and Canada, excluding only the far north of Canada and Alaska, and the central and southern United States. The name Sambucus is derived from the Greek sambuca, which was a stringed instrument supposed to have been made from elder wood. Racemosa refers to the elongated inflorescences, called racemes. (Native Plants PNW)

One of the Last Herring Roe Harvests on the Coast
The Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation unilaterally declared Kitasu Bay a protected area in 2022. Now they wait for Canada to catch up. Part two of two. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Humpbacks return to Salish Sea with new calves
Poptart, a seven-year-old female that is back from the birthing grounds in Hawaii with her first calf, is attracting particular attention. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Anglers fined $17,000 for fisheries violations off Galiano
The anglers said that there were no fish on board other than those in a fish tote on deck, but fisheries officers found additional rockfish hidden on the vessel, including three Yelloweye rockfish. Michael John Lo reports. (Times Colonist)

Life in a northern B.C. boomtown
Settled in the 1950s to support an aluminum smelter, Kitimat is no stranger to industrial development. As the town adapts to life with LNG Canada and other projects, its community faces new challenges and new opportunities. Matt Simmons and Marty Clemens report. (The Narwhal)

Whatcom County farmers blame Canada for Nooksack River bacteria
The pollution poses a threat to the Portage Bay shellfish beds of the Lummi Nation and raises health concerns for valley residents. Laurel Demkovich reports. (Washington State Standard)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 6/23/23: Typewriter Day, Fraser co-management, El Nino, Fairy Cr, Burrard Inlet, WA chinook, AK chinook, WA gas price, Indigenous protected areas, humpbacks return.

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 weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 255 AM PDT Fri Jun 23 2023 TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. SW swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers.
SAT 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 2 ft at 8 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning.
SAT NIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 7 seconds.
SUN Light wind becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

6/22 Dogwood, summer, AK Chinook, marine protected area, WA gas price, school boards, Japanese beetle, coastal flooding, endangered species, Seattle enviro review, monarch butterfly wings

Red osier dogwood [Budburst]

Red Osier Dogwood Cornus sericea L. ssp. sericea
Of the approximately 50 species of dogwood found worldwide, 16 are native to the United States. Red osier dogwood is our most widespread native species, occurring over most of the continent except for the southern Great Plains and the southeast. Red-osier dogwood was one of several plants referred to as “kinnikinik” by American Indians for its use as a tobacco substitute. Edible plant enthusiast H.D. Harrington wrote that Red-osier “is said to be aromatic and pungent, giving a narcotic effect approaching stupefaction”. He recommended its use only in moderation. (Walter Fertig/US Forest Service)

Summer is here: What to expect for PNW wildfire season and more
While spring in the Northwest has been cool and damp, the extended forecast shows the first few days of summer will be sunny and relatively warm. Things are expected to heat up, and dry out, as we head into the thick of wildfire season 2023. Katie Campbell and Angela King report. (KUOW)

King salmon season back on in Alaska after federal appeals court lets fishery open July 1
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday halted a lower court ruling that would have shut down southeast Alaska’s chinook salmon troll fishery for the summer to protect endangered orca whales that eat the fish. The ruling by a three-judge 9th Circuit Court panel means the summer chinook, or king, salmon season will start as usual next week for an industry that supports some 1,500 fishery workers in southeast Alaska. (Associated Press)

First Nation on Vancouver Island declares marine protected area
Tsawout First Nation says declaration is 1st step in negotiations to manage 155 sq. km of territorial waters. Kathryn Marlow reports. (CBC) See also: How First Nations Are Asserting Sovereignty Over Their Lands and Waters Indigenous Marine Protected and Conserved Areas hold a key to food security and balancing ecological and economic priorities. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

WA gas prices now highest in U.S.; experts point to new climate legislation
Washington unseated California this week as the state with the most expensive gasoline. Prices here have been steadily climbing since January, reaching $4.91 per gallon of regular gas on average this week, surpassing the Golden State, the longtime national leader at the pump, according to a Seattle Times analysis of retail prices compiled by AAA. The average price in King County exceeded $5 a gallon on Wednesday. Isabella Breda and Manuel Villa report. (Seattle Times)

Impact, importance high in local school board elections
Do local races risk turning into political referendums instead of reasoned debates over school district functions? Matt Benoit reports. (Salish Current)

Invasive beetle found in Yakima County could devastate WA crops
The Washington State Department of Agriculture has spotted the first adult Japanese beetle of this year in Yakima County on Tuesday. The beetle, which is not established in Washington, can feed on 300 different plants, creating concern that it could negatively impact several of Washington’s top agricultural commodities, such as cherries and hops. It was first spotted in Sunnyside in 2020. Mai Hoang reports. (Crosscut)

Coastal Flooding Will Be More Extensive Sooner than Scientists Thought
Updated, more accurate data gives a new look at the effects of sea level rise. J. Besl reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Endangered Species Act to Be Strengthened
New rules would void Trump-era changes that made it easier to remove animals and plants from the endangered list. Lisa Friedman and Catrin Einhorn report. (NY Times)

Seattle 'streamlines' environmental review for some downtown buildings
The approval process just got faster for certain construction projects in downtown Seattle. The City Council voted to cut down on environmental reviews for small and medium-sized projects in the area. City Councilmember Dan Strauss says other laws already cover factors like traffic, air quality, and noise pollution, making additional review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) redundant. Joshua McNichols reports. (KUOW)

The Secret in the Spots on Monarch Butterflies’ Wings
The wings of monarchs that survive a 2,000-mile-long migration tend to be spottier, suggesting that feature may aid the insects’ ability to fly. Kate Golembiewski reports. (NY Times)

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 Thu Jun 22 2023
TODAY Light wind becoming NE to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

6/21 Red huckleberry, Fairy Cr, Burrard Inlet, summer Chinook, wireworms, grizzly bear, Lasqueti Is, DNR head, clam cancer,

Red huckleberry [Gardenia]

Red huckleberry Vaccinium parvifolium
Red huckleberry is a species of Vaccinium, a flowering plant. It grows in North America. There, it is often found in forests from southeastern Alaska and British Columbia, through western Washington and Oregon to central California.

The fallout of Fairy Creek
2 years after the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, Fairy Creek activists contend with the echoes of their actions. Kieran Oudshoorn reports. (CBC)

Vancouver’s development destroyed Burrard Inlet. Tsleil-Waututh Nation is determined to save it
The inlet has slowly suffocated under the weight of the cities and industries built up around it. But it is resilient, and the nation sees what this once bountiful waterway could be again. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Summer Chinook fishing on premier WA rivers called off as salmon struggle
This year’s closure on the Snohomish, once a powerhouse among Puget Sound’s Chinook-bearing rivers, can be linked to 2015, when record low stream flows and a subsequent deluge devastated the habitat. That generation of Chinook after four years at sea returned in 2019 to spawn, in record low numbers. Another four years have elapsed, and the outlook is grim. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Wireworms pester new farmers, and puzzle the seasoned
Growers who are farming organically on converted pastureland tend to face what amounts to an entry fee in the form of a hard-to-manage pest that bore into the below-ground portions of potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, corn and other crops, killing or stunting the plant. Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

Federal agencies present next step on grizzly bear reintroduction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service presented the Skagit County Board of Commissioners last week with plans for the next step to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades. In the next few weeks, the draft environmental impact statement and the proposed language for a rule on grizzly bear management referred to as a 10-J rule will be released, Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Andrew LaValle said during the meeting. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Habitat on Lasqueti Island protected with conservation covenant
The covenant ensures the parcel that's home to species at risk, a carbon-sink forest and wetlands will be preserved in perpetuity. Joseph Ruttle reports. (Vancouver Sun)

District 24 senator eyes state lands role
State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, who has worked as a firefighter for 30 years, is running for the office of state commissioner of public lands, he announced Tuesday. (Peninsula Daily News)

Researchers discover transmissible cancers in several shellfish species on the east and west coasts
Researchers with PNRI, the Suquamish Tribe and partners are collecting and analyzing impacted species of bivalves to understand the spread and try to stop it. Erica Zucco reports. (KING)

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- 240 AM PDT Wed Jun 21 2023 TODAY Light wind becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 12 seconds.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

6/20 Red alder, Indigenous Peoples Day, school board elections, oak prairie, Fraser co-management, spot shrimp, sea otters, El Nino, 'Give Them Space!'

Red Alder [Ben Legler]

Red Alder Alnus rubra
Red Alder is sometimes called Oregon Alder. Rubra means red– referring to the red dye made from its bark and the color of the wood when cut. Red Alder is found from southeast Alaska to southern California, with some isolated communities in northern Idaho. (Native Plants PNW)

National Indigenous Peoples Day events
Several events are scheduled to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day on Wednesday. (Times Colonist)

Impact, importance high in local school board elections
Do local races risk turning into political referendums instead of reasoned debates over school district functions? Matt Benoit reports. (Salish Current)

Volunteers, First Nations work to bring back a disappearing oak prairie
On the eastern edge of Victoria, British Columbia, abutting the Salish Sea, sits Uplands Park, spanning about 30 hectares, or 74 acres, amid the bustling municipality of Oak Bay. [T]he landscape is sprinkled with stunted, gnarled and crooked oak trees. Spoorthy Raman reports. (Mongabay)

Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation official co-manager of Fraser River Debris Trap
The signing of a first of it’s kind agreement took place this weekend, between Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation and the B.C. government, that formally recognized Shxw’ōwhámél’s role in overseeing containment barriers on the Fraser River. Thanks to the Fraser River Debris Trap Co-Management Agreement — which was signed by both governing bodies on June 17 — the Fraser River Debris Trap is now being co-managed by both the Province and Shxw’ōwhámél. Kemone Moodley reports. (Hope Standard)

Spot shrimping to reopen June 22 for additional opportunity in some Puget Sound marine areas
Following review of recreational shrimping catch and effort data in Puget Sound to date, WDFW shellfish managers determined that enough of the quota remains in multiple marine areas to offer additional harvest opportunity on June 22. (WDFW News Release)

Wildlife officials holding open houses to discuss Oregon and California sea otter recovery
Sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries during the U.S. fur trade. They’ve since recovered in parts of the West Coast, but haven’t made their way back to most of Oregon and Northern California. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Oregon Coast Field Office Supervisor Michele Zwartjes said the loss of sea otters – as well as recent declines in sea star populations – have allowed other species to get out of control. Roman Battaglia reports. (Jefferson Public Radio)

Forecasted El Niño Could Cost $3-Trillion in Losses Globally
Forecasters are predicting the formation of an El Niño later this summer, a natural weather phenomenon that fuels above-average global heat and more intense natural disasters in parts of the world. A new study reveals that there are also strong economic repercussions to an El Niño—the pattern threatens to slow the global economy by as much as US $3-trillion. Zoya Teirstein reports. (Grist/Hakai Magazine)

Celebrate Give Them Space!
The Whale Trail celebrates new legislation to keep boaters away from SRKW with presentations by Dr. Julie Watson and Captain Alan Myers of Washington Fish & Wildlife, and House Majority Leader Rep.Joe Fitzgibbon and orca researchers Mark and Maya Sears. June 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., C&P Coffee Company, West Seattle, $5, kids under 12 free. Tickets.

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- 220 AM PDT Tue Jun 20 2023
TODAY Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning then a chance of showers in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the evening.

Friday, June 16, 2023

6/16 Horsetail, Lk Washington fish, pollution cleanup, green crabs, BC wetlands, algae biofuel, food web studies, space for whales, week in review

Horsetail [USDA]

Common Horsetail Equisetum arvense
An herbaceous perennial relative of ferns. Being a relative of ferns, common horsetail does not reproduce via pollen but via spores which are borne on the plant’s reproductive stems. Equisetum arvense has a long history of cultural use with Native Americans and ancient Roman and Chinese physicians using it to treat a variety of ailments. It is still of interest today as an herbal remedy because of its purported effectiveness as a diuretic. (USDA)

Why are there so many dead fish along Lake Washington?
The annual die-off of yellow perch has been especially noticeable this year around Lake Washington, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Despite a larger-than-usual number of fish, finding dead perch around this time of year is completely normal, and its population is still abundant and healthy, according to the department. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Times)

For the Love of the Lake
A contaminated shoreline property on Lake Washington faces an uncertain future as the slow process to rid the soil and water of toxic chemicals lurches on. For the last 15 years, the last empty piece of property on Lake Washington has sat untouched. From 1916 to 1969, the Quendall Terminals took the shape of a creosote manufacturing plant, then a crude oil storage facility from 1969 to 1983. Chemicals and toxins from all those years have found their way deep into the soil, making it extremely polluted. Megan Strom reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Pincher patrol: Over 400K invasive crabs trapped, killed as fight goes on
The European green crab threatens Washington’s shellfish industry and native wildlife. The state is spending millions to keep the pest in check. Bill Lucia reports. (Washington State Standard)

How BC Will Restore Wetlands with Beavers
A hundred human-made dams will soon be built across the province, promising to restore fish habitats and mitigate floods and wildfires. Liz McDonald and Curtis Seufert report. (The Tyee)

Biofuel Made from Algae Isn’t the Holy Grail We Expected
New research using real-world data casts doubt on the energy efficiency of diesel alternatives that come from phytoplankton. Lucy Sherriff reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Quantitative models, including Ecopath, take food web studies to a higher level of analysis
In the early 1980s, NOAA scientist Jeffrey Polovina and fellow researchers at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Hawaii developed what they called the Ecopath model, designed to describe the flow of energy through a food web. Since then, this food-web model has been expanded, refined and applied to ecosystems throughout the world, including Puget Sound. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Institute)

Celebrate Give Them Space!
The Whale Trail celebrates new legislation to keep people away from SRKW, with presentations by Dr. Julie Watson and Captain Alan Myers of Washington Fish & Wildlife, and House Majority Leader Rep.Joe Fitzgibbon and orca researchers Mark and Maya Sears. June 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., C&P Coffee Company, West Seattle, $5, kids under 12 free. Tickets.

Salish Sea News Week in Review 6/16/23: Montana youth suit, Miyawaki method, NOAA pledge, Indigenous salmon emergency, Mount Rainier glaciers, Terminus Project, sea star recovery, RBT2 opposition.

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 weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 317 AM PDT Fri Jun 16 2023
TODAY SW wind to 10 kt becoming W in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening.
SAT W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon.
SAT NIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 3 ft at 10 seconds building to 5 ft at 10 seconds after midnight.
SUN W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

6/15 Sword fern, sea stars, no RBT2, Frazer restoration, Puget Sound exhibit, fire and fracking, jetty repair, dog waste, land-based aquaculture, woolly dogs

Western Sword Fern [Native Plants PNW]

Western Sword Fern Polystichum munitum
Western Sword Fern is also known as Sword Holly Fern, Giant Holly Fern, Christmas Fern, Pineland Sword Fern, or Chamisso’s Shield Fern. There are about 260 species of Polystichum worldwide with about 16 native to North America and about 10 native to the Pacific Northwest. Polystichum means many rows, referring to the arrangement of the spore cases on the undersides of the fronds. Munitum means armed with teeth, referring to its toothed fronds. (Native Plants PNW)

Signs of recovery after world’s worst underwater pandemic
Researchers say they’re seeing signs of recovery in a species that fell victim to the world’s worst underwater pandemic: the ochre sea star, Pisaster ochraceus. Ochre star populations along parts of the West Coast appear to be bouncing back from the Pisaster disaster. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

B.C. conservationists, labour unions, First Nations unite in opposition to marine terminal expansion
The group of those publicly opposing the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) in Delta, B.C., about 35 kilometres south of Vancouver, is growing and now includes two unions, the International Longshore & Warehouse Union of Canada and the B.C. General Employees' Union, along with a dozen conservation organizations. (CBC)

Communities band together to save the river that sustains them
Among the many efforts underway to restore the Fraser River’s watershed is the Rivershed Society of B.C.’s Foodlands Corridor Restoration Program, which was recently honoured with an Edge Prize. The award celebrates environmental solutions that draw on rural, Indigenous and traditionally marginalized communities as sources of inspiration. Tori Fitzpatrick reports. (National Observer)

Telling history: ‘We Are Puget Sound’ exhibit forgets to show
Good narratives don’t tell, they show. Who is this new exhibit for? And, more to the point, why does it exist? Katherine Luck writes. (Real Change)

In B.C.’s bone-dry northeast, what happens when wildfires and fracking collide?
The Donnie Creek wildfire, the second-largest ever recorded in the province’s history, is burning in one of the world’s biggest gas deposits, suspending fracking operations and raising questions about potential dangers to human health. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Emergency work completed on McGlinn Island Jetty
The Army Corps of Engineers and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community finished work last week to staunch the flow of water through gaps in a jetty near La Conner that were responsible for killing juvenile salmon. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

With 16,000 pounds of dog waste a day in Bellingham, how much is going in the water?
A problem in keeping creeks and waterways clean in Bellingham is the sheer amount of waste created by dogs in the city. There are about 16,000 pounds of dog poop created in a day in Bellingham, Public Works Environmental Education Coordinator Emily Hegarty estimated in 2021. A city spokesman said that estimate is unchanged for 2023. Jack Belcher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Global salmon farm company with B.C. ties backs land-based aquaculture in Japan
The backing of a land-based salmon farm in Japan by a global company with ties to ocean fish farms in British Columbia has Indigenous and conservation groups calling on the federal government to accelerate its transition away from open-net farms. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Woolly Dogs of Hood Canal
David B. Williams, “an evangelist for the practice of paying attention,” returns to the topic of woolly dogs, the unique, domesticated dogs of the Salish Sea. (Street Smart Naturalist)

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- 302 AM PDT Thu Jun 15 2023 TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds subsiding to 4 ft at 9 seconds in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 9 seconds.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

6/14 False Solomon's seal, Rainier glaciers, Terminus Project, white pelicans, Skagit dam passage

False Solomon's Seal [WSU]

False Solomon’s Seal Smilacina racemosa
This clump-forming perennial, while typically found in the forest, can also be enjoyed in the garden. Beginning in April and extending into June, plume-like clusters of small, white flowers appear. If grown on moist, humus-rich acidic soil, False Solomon’s seal will eventually forms clusters. (WSU)

Another three bite the dust: Heat melts Mount Rainier glaciers
A warming climate has claimed three more glaciers in Washington state. These three were all on Mount Rainier, home to more ice than any American mountain south of Alaska. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Grieving Glaciers Past: The Artists of the Terminus Project
Glaciers are a cornerstone of Olympic National Park but are rapidly disappearing from the landscape – 82 glaciers have disappeared completely since 1980. The Terminus project offers a new perspective to the conversation surrounding how climate change is rapidly manipulating landscapes. Drawing inspiration from data, archival photos or their own experiences, artists use a variety of mediums to depict the glaciers past, present and future. Elly McFarland reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Endangered white pelicans spotted on Vancouver Island
The large fish-eating birds with elongated bills have been seen at Cattle Point in Oak Bay, Panama Flats and Swan Lake in Saanich and in North Saanich near Victoria International Airport. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Getting fish passage over Skagit dams will take decades
Seattle City Light has a new plan to include fish passage on the Upper Skagit dams. The plan is required as part of the process of getting the dams relicensed by the federal government. This comes after years of conflict with tribes who say the three Skagit dams are getting in the way of the salmon. If successful, the fish passage plan would reintroduce salmon to a habitat they haven't visited for more than 50 years. Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez reports. (KUOW)

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- 254 AM PDT Wed Jun 14 2023
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft at 10 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds in the evening.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

6/13 Salal, affordable housing, NOAA pledge, salmon emergency, clam gardens, Cornwall landfill, last-place port

Salal

Salal Gaulthoria shallon
Salam is an evergreen plant with glossy, waxy foliage that remains beautiful year-round. Fuzzy white or pink, bell-shaped flowers droop from the plant in spring, soon to be replaced by bluish black berries. (Gardening Know How)

Moving in: new affordable neighborhood celebrates in Friday Harbor
A fourth neighborhood of permanently affordable homes in Friday Harbor has celebrated completion, as a 40-unit rental project is in the planning stages. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current)

NOAA pledges $3 million for new marine life center in Port Angeles
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has dedicated $3 million toward the completion of a new Marine Discovery Center, which will replace the current Feiro Marine Life Center facility on Port Angeles City Pier and NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Discovery Center in the Port Angeles Wharf. Peter Segall reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Indigenous communities in B.C., Alaska, declare state of emergency over Pacific salmon
A group of Indigenous communities from Alaska and B.C. has declared a state of emergency related to Pacific salmon populations, and says First Nations need to be more involved in managing traditional resources. The SEITC recently hosted a summit at Lummi Nation in Washington state for Indigenous leaders from the Pacific coast regions in Canada and the U.S. SEITC is a consortium of 15 Tsimshian, Tlingit and Haida Nations. (CBC)

Ancient Indigenous 'clam gardens' could be modern-day climate solution
For close to four millennia, "clam gardens" on beaches on the west coast of B.C. have provided First Nations with a supply of not just clams but other types of seafood. In the aftermath of the brutal 2021 heat dome on the West Coast, there's renewed interest in this ancient aquaculture technique. Laura Lynch reports. (CBC)

Past Pollution to Future Park
Over a century after the Cornwall Avenue Landfill was opened, a site cleanup has been initiated. This will help the City of Bellingham step away from the pollution from its industrial past and look towards a brighter future. Peik Spencer reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Canada's largest port places 2nd last in global efficiency ranking
The Port of Vancouver placed second-to-last on a global ranking of hundreds of container ports after some cargo ships waited weeks to unload their cargo last year. Compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, the container port performance index lists Vancouver at No. 347 out of 348 — and dead last among ports of similar size. The study uses vessel wait-times as an indicator of overall efficiency. Christopher Reynolds reports. (CBC)

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- 309 AM PDT Tue Jun 13 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 9 seconds building to 11 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 13 ft at 11 seconds building to 15 ft at 11 seconds after midnight.

Monday, June 12, 2023

6/12 Nootka rose, Nisqually Delta, airplane fuel, Montana youth suit, Klamath dam, whale sightings, Miyawaki method, Edmonds salmon, kestrels

Nootka rose [Native Plants PNW]

Nootka Rose Rosa nutkana
Nootka Rose is sometimes called Common, Wild, or Bristly Rose. There are four recognized varieties whose names suggest differences in bristling. Nutkana is derived from Nootka; Nootka Sound is a waterway on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia that was named after the Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribe that live in the area. (Native Plants PNW)

State is working on a plan to protect Nisqually delta while increasing I-5 traffic through it
The Washington State Department of Transportation has launched a process to retool Interstate 5’s passage through the Nisqually Delta to address flood risk as sea level rises, increase capacity for more vehicle traffic, and enhance the delta’s ecosystem. WSDOT is inviting the public to comment on its draft Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) report that lays out what needs fixing on the portion of I-5 between Marvin Road in Thurston County and Mounts Road in Pierce County. It will be available on WSDOT’s website through the month of June. Ty Vinson reports. (Olympian)

Community Voices / Use unleaded fuel at Bellingham International Airport
Commentary: “Lead emissions from aircraft engines that operate on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare.” — EPA Bert Webber writes. (Salish Current)

Youth environmentalists bring Montana climate case to trial after 12 years, seeking to set precedent
Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal precedent. It’s the first trial of its kind in the U.S., and legal scholars around the world are following its potential addition to the small number of rulings that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change. Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson report. (Associated Press)

The massive dam removal on the Klamath may save salmon but can’t solve the West’s water crisis
The Indigenous people of the Klamath have worked from a blueprint drawn by the Northwest’s Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, which successfully fought for the removal of two dams on the Elwha River of the Olympic Peninsula. They seek to heal the damage done over the last 150 years of colonization. Restoring balance in the river could mean the return of food sovereignty and a repaired relationship with the land for a Salmon People. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Why have there been more whale sightings in B.C.'s waters?
Nearly 800 individual humpback whales were sighted this year in the Salish Sea, says marine naturalist. Arrthy Thayaparan reports. (CBC)

Reforesting Western’s Future
Old-growth forests help fight the effects of climate change by providing essential resources for surrounding habitats and storing large amounts of carbon. The Miyawaki method is a reforestation technique where trees are densely planted in urban areas to create a diverse forest in a short period of time. Reed Chesnek reports. (The Planet Magazine)

Off Edmonds pier, a new generation of salmon begins an old cycle
A local anglers’ group raised 30,000 coho salmon in a net pen under a fishing pier. Future fishermen will reap the rewards. Riley Haun reports. (Everett Herald)

The mystery of the vanishing kestrels: What’s happening to this flashy falcon?
Scientists had noticed worrisome declines in the American kestrel, a small, flashy falcon found coast to coast. The downturn was especially puzzling because birds of prey in North America are largely considered a conservation bright spot. Catrin Einhorn reports. (NY Times)

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- 224 AM PDT Mon Jun 12 2023 TODAY Light wind becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. NW swell 8 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 8 ft at 9 seconds.