7/18 Painted greenling, BC fire season, Vancouver ecosystem, Olympia Capitol Lake, B'ham mayor race

Painted greenling [Scott Johnson]

Painted greenling Oxylebius pictus
Painted greenling range from Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to north-central Baja, California, but are rare north of Washington. They are found in rocky areas from the intertidal to 160 feet (49 meters). Painted greenling can grow up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length and live to be 8 years old. Rarely caught by recreational harvesters within Puget Sound and uncommon in coastal waters. (WDFW)

The 2023 wildfire season is now B.C.'s most destructive on record — and it's only mid-July
The 2023 wildfire season in British Columbia has officially surpassed the 2018 season as the most destructive ever recorded according to area burned. Statistics from the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) show wildfires have burned more than 13,900 square kilometres of land this year, breaking the record of just over 13,500 square kilometres set in 2018. (CBC)

We Knew Vancouver’s Ecosystem Was Damaged. The Truth Is So Much Worse
More than a century after colonization nearly eradicated key fish populations around Vancouver, British Columbia, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is looking to the past to restore the ecosystem. Lauren Kaljur reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Olympia’s Capitol Lake restoration: Pricey ‘boondoggle’ or environmental win?
...The state’s Department of Enterprise Services has evaluated several options, and after a lengthy process has chosen to restore the lake to an estuary, a brackish tidal flat where the river meets the sea. The Legislature gave the department $7 million this year to move forward with that plan, financing its design and permitting.The plan is not without controversy. And some state lawmakers are wary about footing the bill for the project, which could cost up to $247 million — or more.  Claire Withycombe reports. (Seattle Times)

Bellingham mayoral candidates field forum questions in primary quest
What should be the way forward for downtown Bellingham vitality, a new jail, waterfront development and housing? Bellingham mayoral primary candidates offered responses in an online forum last week. Salish Current Editorial Staff reports. (Salish Current)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  306 AM PDT Tue Jul 18 2023   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 6 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 1 ft at 6 seconds building to W  3 ft at 7 seconds after midnight.

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