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.

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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.

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