1/22 Pileated woodpecker, whales, Nooksack flooding, Everett shores, cormorant disaster, salmon gondola, salmon B1,whirling disease, fashion rules, Rainbow Eyes, Vancouver snow

Pileated Woodpecker [John Piznuir]

 

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
A big, dashing bird with a flaming crest, the largest woodpecker in North America (except the Ivory-bill, which is almost certainly extinct). Excavating deep into rotten wood to get at the nests of carpenter ants, the Pileated leaves characteristic rectangular holes in dead trees. This species became rare in eastern North America with clearing of forests in centuries past, but has gradually increased in numbers again since about the beginning of the 20th century. Where unmolested, it even lives in parks and woodlots around the edges of large cities. (Audubon)

A tale of two kinds of whales
Commentary: Why we have two distinct populations of killer whales that frequent our local waters. Monika Wieland Shields writes. (Salish Current)

Nooksack flooding fear rise with rapid snowmelt in Whatcom
Approaching warmer weather could mean rapid snowmelt in the lowlands and the mountains, prompting fears of flooding across Western Washington, including the Nooksack River in Whatcom County. Ice has formed on the Nooksack River downstream from Ferndale after 10 days of arctic weather. As the ice melts, large chunks could damage the levee or create a ice jams that cause water to spill over the riverbank. Robert Mittnedorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

'An iron curtain': For a seaside city, beach access is sparse in Everett
Everett boasts 25 miles of shoreline. But only pockets of that are open to the public. Try getting to Pigeon Creek Beach, for example. Aina de Lapparent Alvarez reports. (Everett Herald) /

Fixing the cormorant disaster on the Columbia: ‘How could this have come out any worse?’
A colony of seabirds was shooed away from the mouth of the Columbia River, only to relocate to a bridge. That's when the problems really began. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Salmon skyline: Fish gondola takes wild coho conservation to new heights
Volunteers with the Courtenay Fish and Game club transport live coho salmon out of the Trent River canyon on a makeshift fish gondola, which consists of a big, blue, plastic water-filled barrel suspended on a steel wire. A pulley and rope system powered by vehicles on the hilltop moves the cable car up and down the slope. Once they’re aboard, the system allows live salmon to soar above trees to the canyon top quickly, with as little stress possible. Rochelle Baker reports. (National Observer)

A new study finds a critical vitamin for salmon in rivers
From dams to drought, salmon face a lot of threats in the West. Add thiamine deficiency to the list. Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is critical for salmon health. Juvenile fish can die without enough of the nutrient. Justin Higginbottom reports. (Jefferson Public Radio)

Whirling disease confirmed in B.C. for 1st time, sparking fears for fish populations
A debilitating parasite that causes a fatal disease in fish has been confirmed in British Columbia for the first time, four months after a suspected case in the Rockies caused several bodies of water to be closed. David P. Ball reports. (CBC) 

WA lawmakers seek to make fashion friendlier to the environment
House Bill 2068 and Senate Bill 5965 would require corporations with a gross income of more than $100 million worldwide to publicly disclose where they source and manufacture their products and set targets to reduce emissions to meet environmental goals. Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero reports. (Seattle Times)

Green Party deputy leader Angela Davidson convicted of criminal contempt for Fairy Creek logging blockades
Davidson—also known as Rainbow Eyes—was arrested in May 2021, but broke bail conditions to protest at six more blockades, the court said. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Vancouver's attitude towards snow hasn't changed in over 100 years, says historian
Snow seems to bring out the worst in Vancouver, with stalled buses, spun out cars, and a city paralyzed by a few centimetres blanketing the ground. It's a phenomenon historian Blake Butler calls "the evergreen mentality," or Vancouver's lack of preparedness and denial of annual snowfall events. (CBC)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PST Mon Jan 22 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less in the afternoon.  SW swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. Rain in the morning then showers  likely in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell  6 ft at 11 seconds. Showers.

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