7/20 Teal, Cherry Pt herring, saving trees, seabird die-offs, BC abandoned boats, Tofino water crisis, Big Oil climate pledges, river protection,Hokule'a

Green-winged Teal [Jeff Stacey]

Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
Tiny duck with a petite, thin bill. Males have a brown head with a wide green swatch behind the eye, creamy speckled breast, and mostly gray body. Females are brown, darker overall than other dabbling ducks. Forages by dabbling and tipping-up to reach submerged aquatic vegetation. Also regularly walks around mudflats to feed. (eBird)

'A definite alarm bell': Cherry Point's herring population didn't spawn this year
Less than two decades after the federal government declined endangered species protections for Cherry Point’s herring, scientists can’t find evidence the colony spawned this year. Once the largest stock of herring in Washington waters, the colony did not spawn in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve, prompting concerns the fish have relocated or are struggling in increasingly warm waters. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

How developers helped shape Seattle’s controversial tree protection ordinance
Urban tree advocates question builders’ behind-the-scenes role. Eric Scigliano reports. (InvestigateWest)  Also: Activists, birders rally around a massive cedar slated for removal. Activists came together Tuesday night for the second time in two weeks, to rally around a massive western red cedar in the Wedgwood neighborhood. A developer is expected to take it down on Friday. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)  And: Treeless in Seattle Concerned about Seattle's tree canopy, but aren't inclined to climb some branches in protest, there's another option that could really help add some green to the city. Dyer Oxley reports. (KUOW)

Climate change is making mass seabird die-offs more frequent along West Coast
A new study from the University of Washington found that persistent heat waves in the marine environment linked to climate change are leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of seabirds several months later. The researchers also found that these mass die-offs of seabirds used to happen once a decade, but are now happening more frequently, including five consecutive years, from 2014 to 2019. Sheraz Sadiq reports. (OPB)

Coast guard floats a new solution to problem of B.C.'s abandoned boats
The Canadian government’s inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous boats includes a U.S. warship, a derelict floating McDonald’s known as the McBarge, a human-smuggling ship and an old B.C. Ferries vessel rotting on the Fraser River. But the most problematic aren't the well-known vessels with colourful histories — it's the fleet of mystery craft that have dogged the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada for years. Darryl Greer reports. (Canadian Press)

'We are subsisting on fog and dew:' Tofino faces a water crisis
Outdoor water use is banned, and a packed town hall meeting Tuesday night was told that if the drought persists in Tofino, more drastic measures will be on the table. Darron Koster reports. (Times Colonist)

Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble
Energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions. Dharna Noor reports. (The Guardian)

Ecology proposal would better protect Cascade River
The state Department of Ecology announced Tuesday that it is officially proposing to classify four water bodies as what are known as Outstanding Resource Waters, the first time it has proposed using the water quality designation. The four water bodies include the upper watershed of the Cascade River in Skagit County, as well as the upper watershed of the Green River in Skamania County, the Napeequa River in Chelan County and Soap Lake in Grant County. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Polynesian canoe expedition circumnavigating Pacific Ocean makes stops in B.C.
Communities in B.C. are playing host to a canoe expedition that plans, over the next four years, to circumnavigate the Pacific Ocean. The expedition is being operated by the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). The society says the traditional Polynesian canoe — which has been named Hōkūleʻa, after the guiding star also known as Arcturus — will travel an estimated 43,000 miles around the Pacific Ocean and stop at more than 300 ports, 36 countries and archipelagoes and nearly 100 Indigenous territories along the way. Srushti Gangdev 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-  435 AM PDT Thu Jul 20 2023   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 2 ft building to 3 to 5 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 3 ft at 6 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 20 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 2 ft at 6 seconds. Patchy  fog 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