11/15 Dunlin, stream bugs, Pebble mine, Dabob Bay, Skagit Wildlife Area, grizzlies, spotted owl, BC Ferries future

Dunlin [Dorian Anderson]

 Dunlin Calidris alpina
Dazzling in its breeding finery, with vivid rusty back and black belly patch, the Dunlin was once called the Red-backed Sandpiper. It’s now named for its nonbreeding plumage, a mousy gray-brown or “dun” color. Dunlin are an abundant species that nests around the world’s arctic regions. Although Dunlin are still abundant, there is little information on population trends. They winter in large flocks along bays, estuaries, and coastlines. They have notably long, curved bills but they don’t probe deeply into mud; instead they tend to feed on invertebrates just barely below the surface. (All About Birds)

King County’s urban streams are showing signs of improving health. Just ask the bugs.
Despite the past century and a half of habitat degradation, recent studies led by King County environmental scientists suggest streams like this are more resilient than once thought. The researchers have gathered stream bugs with nets and jars from more than a hundred sites across dozens of King County watersheds for the past two decades. The critters, sensitive to changes in their watersheds — like rising water temperatures, more pollutants or sedimentation often associated with forests leveled for apartments and fields paved for parking — can tell scientists a lot about stream health. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Debate over Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region moves to dueling Supreme Court briefs
The company seeking to develop the controversial copper mine is sticking to its plans, despite federal action that barred permitting for the project. Yereth Rosen reports. (Washington State Standard)

Dabob Bay area expanded
The state Department of Natural Resources has added another 671 acres to the Dabob Bay Natural Area by moving lands into the state’s new carbon sequestration program as the first of what will ultimately be 2,000 acres in the program, said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz on Tuesday. Peter Segall reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

The Skagit Wildlife Area may gain another 20 acres of marsh and river habitat.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed buying two parcels of land adjacent to wildlife area land after the owners of the parcels expressed interest in selling. One of the parcels is about 15 acres and located next to Milltown Island Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area at the south fork of the Skagit River. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Upper Skagit tribal leaders support bringing grizzly bears to North Cascades
One Northwest tribe says bringing grizzlies to the North Cascades would restore harmony to areas where their ancestors lived since time immemorial. “The Tribe’s history, culture, and identity is so intertwined with grizzly bears and the [North Cascades Ecosystem] landscape that it is impossible to separate them,” Upper Skagit Indian Tribe Chairwoman Marilyn M. Scott wrote in comments to the federal government on Nov. 3. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Portland Audubon reports rare northern spotted owl sighting
Northern spotted owls are listed as threatened under the state and federal Endangered Species Act because of their low population. Earlier this month, an owl was discovered at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland. Paul Marshall reports. (OPB)

B.C. Ferries wants the public's help to envision its future
B.C. Ferries says it is on a mission to change how it serves coastal communities, and in order to do so it wants public feedback on topics ranging from convenience, to sustainability, to the way ferries integrate with land transportation. On Nov. 8, the ferry corporation and the authority that oversees it launched Charting the Course: A Vision for Coastal Ferries.  The project starts with an online survey, which is open to the public until Nov. 28. Kathryn Marlow reports. (CBC)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  212 AM PST Wed Nov 15 2023    
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain  in the morning.  
TONIGHT  N wind to 10 kt becoming E 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.

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