10/28 Pika, BC election, DOT salmon, Skagit culvert, DNR rec plan, Cape Roger Curtis land, fatbergs, AI power for data centers

 

American pika [WDFW]

American pika Ochotona princeps
The American pika, a diurnal species of pika, is found in the mountains of western North America, usually in boulder fields at or above the tree line. They are herbivorous, smaller relatives of rabbits and hares. Pikas have two different ways of foraging; they either directly consume food or they cache food in piles for the winter (haying). The population size of American pika in Washington is unknown. It is a montane talus habitat specialist that may face threats from climate change. (Wikipedia/WDFW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: As La Conner newspaper faces closure, residents step up to save it / Native American Heritage Month offers time to examine lingering issues

Today's absentee ballot count will likely settle B.C. election
More than 22,000 absentee ballots provincewide to be counted Monday, 9 days after election day. (Canadian Press)

Massive WA salmon recovery plan scrutinized with latest $100M project
The Washington State Department of Transportation is planning a giant salmon restoration project here that could require buying out a motel owner, tearing down the building and excavating the highway culvert beneath it, at a price tag of some $100 million.  Yet even after all this work, salmon wouldn’t be able to swim up most of the stream.  As WSDOT races to replace hundreds of culverts by 2030 to meet a court deadline, lawmakers and at least one tribal leader are asking whether projects like this make sense. Mike Richter and Lynda Mapes report. (Seattle Times)

Skagit County finishes project to open more fish habitat
Skagit County wrapped up a culvert replacement project this week that provides fish passage near Conway. The culvert, formerly a 6-foot diameter tube, is now a 21-foot box culvert that allows Fisher Creek to freely move under Starbird Road. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

DNR seeks comment on first-ever recreation plan for WA
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources released its first-ever recreation plan Monday,  seeking new funding for the agency to manage surging interest in outdoor recreation that has also led to abuse of DNR lands and infringed on treaty-protected tribal rights. Gregory Scruggs reports. (Seattle Times) 

Metro Vancouver sells Bowen Island land to conservation group
The Cape Roger Curtis land was part of a Metro Vancouver plan to create a campground on Bowen Island. Rafferty Baker reports. (CBC)

Metro Vancouver removes 50 tonnes of 'fatbergs' from Richmond, B.C., sewers
Every year, Metro Vancouver says it spends more than $2.7 million fixing grease damage in its sewer systems. (CBC)

The AI power struggle: Data centers are in a desperate search for energy
The booming electricity demands of the nascent artificial intelligence gold rush boggle the mind and will likely hit ordinary ratepayers in the pocketbook if nothing is done to mitigate the downsides of this impending technological revolution. According to a recent series of articles in The Seattle Times, co-published with ProPublica, businesses, farmers and residents in central Washington are already beginning to feel the pinch on their power supplies and likely facing substantial rate hikes next year. And that is happening before the full impact of artificial intelligence on information services, which some have suggested could increase data-center electricity demands tenfold. Michael Riordan writes. (Seattle Times/Opinion)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Mon Oct 28 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING    
TODAY  W wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 8 to 11 ft. Wave Detail: W  10 ft at 13 seconds. Showers with a slight chance of tstms early  this morning, then a chance of showers late this morning. A  slight chance of showers this afternoon.  
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft, subsiding to 5 to  7 ft after midnight. Wave Detail: W 8 ft at 11 seconds. A chance  of showers after midnight.

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"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 msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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