7/23 Japanese knotweed, zebra mussels, Project 2025, offshore wind turbines, Hwy 20 fire, search-and-rescue, underwater forests

Japanese Knotweed [Jennifer Andrews]

 

Japanese Knotweed Polygonum cuspidatum
It is a very aggressive escaped ornamental that is capable of forming dense stands, crowding out all other vegetation and degrading wildlife habitat. It can also create a fire hazard in the dormant season. It is difficult to control once established. It is often found in waste places, gardens, roadsides and stream and riverbanks. (WA Noxious Weed Control Board)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Community Voices: Where to, Whatcom County industrial lands? / Small school, big opportunity

On the Frontlines of Stopping Zebra Mussels
This is how the destructive, invasive species is battled. One lake at a time. Steve Burgess reports. (The Tyee) 

Project 2025’s extreme vision for the West
The demolition of public lands, water and wildlife protections are part of conservatives’ plan for a second Trump term. Michelle Nijhuis and Erin X. Wong report. (High Country News)

Are offshore wind turbines in Washington's future?
If voters decide in November to keep the cap-and-invest program, the state has plans that could bring the technology to its coastal waters. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Highway 20 closes again due to wildfire
Highway 20 over the North Cascades is closed due to increased activity of the nearby Easy wildfire. A 9-mile section of the highway was closed at 4 p.m. Sunday from Granite Creek (milepost 148) to Easy Pass trailhead (milepost 157). Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Coastal B.C. First Nations take the lead on many marine search-and-rescue missions
New formalized role and funding helps First Nations become integral part of coastal search and rescue. Hope Lompe reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Squaxin Tribe fights to save Puget Sound’s vanishing underwater forests
Hundreds of acres of underwater forests in Puget Sound are vanishing. Reports show over the past century and a half bull kelp in the region has declined 90 percent. Today, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced a new partnership with the Squaxin Island Tribe to protect these critical marine habitats. Lauren Donovan reports. (Fox/AOL)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  316 AM PDT Tue Jul 23 2024    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt this afternoon.  Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 8 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to around 5 kt after  midnight. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 5 seconds.

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