3/4 Dog whelk, WA lege, Nisqually park, HG Haley cleanup, Victoria water, humpbacks, Scott Chase, illegal BC dumping, dead bald eagles, oil industry liability, 'natural gas'

Frilled dog whelks

Frilled Dog Whelk Nucella lamellosa
This snail reaches great abundance in the intertidal zone of Pacific Northwest shores, where it can easily be found resting on rocks when the tide is out. Beginning beachcombers will be convinced they have found numerous species, as this species seems to be one of the most variable gastropods known. The largest individuals produce shells up to 10 cm in length. Color variation is extreme, from pure white to golden to rich brown to almost black and with many variations in striping patterns around the shell. Some of the striped forms are quite handsomely patterned. (University of Puget Sound)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Community Voices / Shaw Island project restores beach to natural state

WA lawmakers hear initiatives, kill big bills in week 8 of legislative session
During the penultimate week of Washington's 2024 legislative session, lawmakers left behind some major bills, committees held public hearings and voted on some high-profile initiatives, and several measures crossed the finish line. Jeanie Lindsay reports. (KNKX)

Washington’s first state park in nearly 40 years is closer to completion
The development of Nisqually State Park outside Eatonville has been in the works for nearly four decades. Now, parks officials expect Washington’s newest state park to be fully completed by next summer. It’s the first time a local tribe has been made a serious partner in the development of a new park. The land has major cultural significance to the Nisqually Tribe, and the waterways, which need protection, are vital to salmon populations. Tyler Vinson reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Toxic cleanup planned in advance of new Bellingham WA park
A long-planned cleanup at a former industrial site and landfill on the Bellingham waterfront will begin soon, in anticipation of a new park that is expected to become a popular bayside attraction. It’s commonly known as the RG Haley site for the company that last used the land south of where Cornwall Avenue dead-ends at the shoreline, a 17-acre tract stretching all the way to Boulevard Park. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Health officer recommends $1.1B water filtration plant
The office responsible for ensuring Greater Victoria has a supply of potable water is recommending that the Capital Regional District continue planning to build a $1.1-billion water-filtration plant. Island Health medical health officer Mike Benusic told the CRD’s water commission that even if it does not end up supplementing the Sooke Lake Reservoir with water from the Leech River, planning for a filtration plant should continue because of the effects of climate change and to ensure a safe supply. Andrew A. Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Humpback whale numbers fall 20% but scientists aren't worried yet
A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species' remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction.  The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species' numbers over a decade. avid P. Ball report. (CBC) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/whales-pacific-science-1.7131768

Protecting the Salish Sea: Scott Chase named Coastal Volunteer of the Year
Camano Island resident Scott Chase was named the Jan Holmes 2024 Coastal Volunteer of the Year by Island County Marine Resources Committee, Sound Water Stewards and Washington State University Extension. Isabella Loy reports. (Stanwood Camano News)

‘They’ve destroyed the land’: Illegal dumping on BC farmland
It’s against the law to dump construction material on land reserved for farming but its increasingly being used as a cheaper alternative to authorized sites, which can charge more than $1,000 a load. Glenda Luymes reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Death of 19 bald eagles in Prince Rupert being investigated
The City of Prince Rupert is investigating the death of 19 bald eagles at its local landfill on Jan. 4 "covered in a substance that wasn't allowing them to escape" from a pond containing liquid waste that someone had disposed of at the dump, and died as a result. (CBC)

Webinar on financial responsibility for oil industry
The Washington State Department of Ecology has proposed rulemaking on holding oil industry facilities financially accountable for oil spills and their related damages. A Feb. 20 webinar featured two presentations outlining the drastic insufficiency of the proposed financial responsibility requirement and unpacking the externalized costs the oil industry avoids, concluding with tips and guidance on providing effective testimony at the upcoming online hearings hosted by the DOE. Isabel Ashley reports. (Islands Sounder)

Why do we call a dirty fossil fuel ‘natural’ gas?
For just a seven-letter adjective, “natural” carries a lot of weight. Why? What’s in a name? Natural gas by any other would smell just as flatulent. Well, what began as a simple — even logical — distinction in the early 1800s has transitioned into a wildly successful branding campaign for fossil fuel companies. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PST Mon Mar 4 2024    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft  at 9 seconds.  
TONIGHT  N wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 9 seconds subsiding to 3 to 4 ft at 9 seconds after midnight.

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