6/19 Dinoflgellate, Bush wheat, North Shore plant, 'war in the woods,' BC LNG pipe, NW Straits, OR beavers, Canada geese, news layoffs

Noctiluca scintillans [Maria Antónia Sampayo]

 

Noctiluca scintillans
Noctiluca scintillans is a marine species of dinoflagellate that can exist in a green or red form, depending on the pigmentation in its vacuoles. It can be found worldwide, but its geographical distribution varies depending on whether it is green or red. This unicellular microorganism is known for its ability to bioluminesce, giving the water a bright blue glow seen at night. However, blooms of this species can be responsible for environmental hazards, such as toxic red tides. They may also be an indicator of anthropogenic eutrophication.(Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Community Voices / Time to rethink our county health board?

New Washington State University spring wheat variety named for Black family with deep roots in Washington
The brand new Bush wheat out of Washington State University is named for the Bush family. You might not have heard of them of until now. Settler George Bush was a Black pioneer on the Oregon Trail. He aided Indigenous populations battling disease, saved fellow settlers during the famine of 1852 and helped develop what’s now the city of Tumwater, a recent Washington State University Insider story said. Anna King reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

Metro Vancouver launches independent review of $3.86B plant
Metro Vancouver is launching an independent review of the cost of a new wastewater treatment plant that is four years beyond its original completion date and more than five times over budget. The original cost of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2018 was $700 million and it was expected to open in 2020. The estimated cost has since ballooned to $3.86 billion, and the timeline for completion has been extended until 2030. (Canadian Press)

B.C.'s 'war in the woods' grounds to be permanently protected
Old-growth forests that were environmental and Indigenous rights battlegrounds over clearcut logging in the 1980s and 1990s during British Columbia's "war in the woods" are set to receive permanent protections in a land and forest management agreement. The B.C. government says an agreement Tuesday with two Vancouver Island First Nations will protect about 760 square kilometres of Crown land in Clayoquot Sound by establishing 10 new conservancies in areas that include old-growth forests and unique ecosystems. (Canadian Press)

Three things you need to know about B.C.’s newest pipeline for the LNG export industry
Plans are underway for the Nisg̱a’a Nation to buy TC Energy’s 800-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission LNG pipeline, linking gas from northeast B.C. to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility. Construction is set to start this summer, on Nisg̱a’a lands. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

New bill aims to ensure permanent funding for Northwest Straits Commission
Legislation to permanently reauthorize the Northwest Straits Commission in Puget Sound was introduced by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen on Tuesday, June 18. If passed, the bill would secure the commission’s future and its support of community-led marine and shoreline conservation efforts. Isaac Stone Simonelli reports. (CDN)

No longer considered predators, Oregon beavers get new protections from state
Oregon’s state animal has for years been classified as a “predator” by the state fish and wildlife agency, and that’s meant that the North American Beaver has lived largely unprotected from private landowners who can kill them at will. The beavers will now be classified solely as “furbearers,” an animal whose fur has commercial value, and no longer be classified as “predators.” Alex Baumhardt reports. (Washington State Standard)

‘They Poop Every 12 Minutes’
In the 1970s, Canada geese were imported to the Lower Mainland for hunting and “wildlife viewing.” Unlike the Canada geese that are native to the area, these birds didn’t migrate, but lived in B.C.’s south coast all year long. Today, that population of non-migrating geese is booming, forcing municipalities to find ways to try to control the number of birds and the mess they leave. They’ve been semi-affectionately called “cobra chickens,” with some worrying about their ability to seemingly take over streets and entire neighbourhoods. Jen St. Denis reports. (The Tyee)

Big layoffs at Everett's Herald, Sound Publishing
Carpenter Media Group, a Southern newspaper chain, this week informed a union that it will lay off 62 people at Sound Publishing newspapers in Washington state that it acquired in January. The cuts include more than half the unionized newsroom employees at The Daily Herald of Everett. Brier Dudley writes. (Seattle Times)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  244 AM PDT Wed Jun 19 2024    
TODAY  E wind 5 to 10 kt, backing to NW late. Seas around 3 ft.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 6 seconds.

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