12/27 Gray wolf, body found, wave forecast, BP land purchase, orca house calls, record heat, WA highways, AI copyrights

 Gray wolf [Brian Starzomski/Creative Commons]

Gray wolf Canis lupus
Gray wolves are the largest wild members of Canidae, or dog family, with adults ranging in weight from 18 to 80 kilograms (40 to 175 pounds), depending on sex and geographic locale. Gray wolves have a circumpolar range including North America, Europe and Asia. In North America, wolves are primarily predators of medium and large hooved mammals, such as moose, elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou, muskox and bison. Pelt color varies in wolves more than in almost any other species, from white to grizzled gray to brown to coal black. (USFWS)

Update: Searchers locate deceased individual in Fairhaven Terminal Building
Searchers located a deceased individual on December 26 in the Fairhaven Terminal Building, as work continued to dismantle and search the heavily damaged structure. A fire on Saturday, December 16, destroyed the historic building, and one person remains unaccounted for in connection with the fire. (City of Bellingham)

Significant waves forecast for two Vancouver Island regions
Ocean waves on Vancouver Island's west coast could reach up to seven metres on Wednesday, Environment Canada is warning. (Canadian Press)

Lummi Nation opposes BP land purchase at Cherry Point
The Lummi Nation is formally opposing a proposed land purchase 0f 1,100 acres by British Petroleum at Cherry Point because the land is a sacred site “known by Lummi people since time immemorial as Xwe’chi’eXen,” and the parcel in question has been sought by corporations for decades. Scott Heisel reports. (Bellingham Herald)

These vets make house calls for orcas
Extraordinary efforts to save an extraordinary animal. Emily Anthes reports. (NY Times)

Earth Was Due for Another Year of Record Warmth. But This Warm?
Earth is finishing up its warmest year in the past 174 years, and very likely the past 125,000. This year’s global temperatures did not just beat prior records. They left them in the dust. Raymond Zhong reports. (NY Times)

Puget Sound Leaders Debate a Pivot Away from Highway Expansion
The conflict between roadway expansion and Puget Sound's climate goals could be coming to a head thanks to a conversation happening at the Puget Sound Regional Council. Ryan Packer reports. (The Urbanist)

New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft Over Use of Copyrighted Work
The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement on Wednesday. Millions of articles from The New York Times were used to train chatbots that now compete with it, the lawsuit said. The Times is the first major American media organization to sue the companies, the creators of ChatGPT and other popular A.I. platforms, over copyright issues associated with its written works. Michael M. Grynbaum and Ryan Mac report. (NY Times)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PST Wed Dec 27 2023    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING    
TODAY  E wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft building to  6 to 8 ft in the afternoon. W swell 9 ft at 12 seconds becoming E  8 ft at 13 seconds in the afternoon. Showers in the morning then  a chance of rain in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  E wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 10 to 12 ft. E swell 7 ft at 12 seconds  building to 19 ft at 12 seconds after midnight. Showers.

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