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)

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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.

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