1/30 Red-osier dogwood, J60 presumed dead, TM pipe delay, Sumas Prairie flooding, low snowpack

 

Red-osier dogwood [King Conservation District]

Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea
If you’re looking to plant in marshy or streamside territory look no further than Red Osier Dogwood. It loves to get its toes wet! This native shrub can be admired in its natural habitat along rocky Alaskan shorelines, as well as in streamside and upland forests stretching south through Oregon. This moisture-loving deciduous plant boasts uniquely attractive qualities year-round, flaunting brilliant red bark in the winter and then sprouting deep-veined oval leaves and frothy white clusters of flowers come spring. Cornus sericea’s blooms then give way to blueish-tinged white fruits gathered in berry-like droops which aren’t edible to humans, but are a great food source for wildlife. Fall ushers in stunning golden-red foliage before its leaves drop and the majestic cycle repeats. (King Conservation District)

Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead
On Saturday, a three-person team from the Center for Whale Research spotted most of J Pod in Washington’s San Juan Channel between San Juan Island and Shaw Island. J Pod is one of three extended-family groups that often travel together -- the other two are K and L Pods. They documented the orcas from their research boat, with telephoto lenses and a federally permitted drone, for nearly two hours and observed every member of J Pod -- except J60. The month-old male was the youngest member of the Northwest’s endangered population of salmon-eating killer whales, which often die before their first birthday due to toxic pollution and a lack of food. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Trans Mountain expansion hits 'technical issues,' possibly delaying completion
The Crown corporation building the massive project, which had previously stated it expected to have the pipeline in-service near the end of the first quarter, said Monday it has once again run into construction challenges in B.C. and pushed that date back. The company said the technical issues were discovered between Jan. 25 and Jan. 27 during construction work in the Fraser Valley between Hope and Chilliwack, B.C. Amanda Stephenson reports. (The Canadian Press)

Atmospheric river floods fields in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, farmers brace for more rain
A Fraser Valley farmer says his berry fields are flooded after heavy rainfall across much of southwestern B.C., as he and others in the farming community brace for more rain.  Harry Sidhu, whose family owns a blueberry farm on the Sumas Prairie, says he is among those nervously watching the skies after an atmospheric river dumped up to 200 millimetres of rain on the South Coast over the weekend, according to the province's River Forecast Centre. Sidhu says farmers are still recovering from the catastrophic November 2021 floods that destroyed farms on the Sumas Prairie, a low-lying part of the Fraser Valley about 90 kilometres east of Vancouver. (CBC)

Low snowpack bad for ski hills, fire season
A particularly low snowpack on the Island and across the province could mean B.C. is in for another difficult fire season. A lack of snow means fuels such as trees and deadfall will likely dry out earlier, which typically leads to fires earlier in the year, said Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada. The provincial snowpack is “extremely low,” averaging just 56 per cent of normal as of the start of the year, according to the province’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin. Vancouver Island had 39 per cent of normal snowpack as of Jan. 1. Roxanne Egan-Elliott reports. (Times Colonist)

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.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  207 AM PST Tue Jan 30 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING    
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon.  SW swell 12 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 10 ft at 13 seconds in  the afternoon. A chance of rain.  
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell  7 ft at 13 seconds. Rain likely in the evening then rain after  midnight.

---


"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email 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