4/21 Danelion, gray whale die off, anti-Trump protests, forest journey, passenger ferry funding, Pope Francis, Dark Sky Week, marmot remains, 'Lelo,' first 100 days

 

Dandelion

Dandelion Taraxacum officinale
The dandelion or common dandelion is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The common dandelion is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of many silver-tufted fruit that disperse in the wind. (Wikipedia(

Today's top story in Salish Current: Trump administration sued over rare San Juan Island moth

Melting Arctic sea ice spurs gray whale die off along West Coast
Gray whales, a signature of the Washington coast, are dying by the thousands, victims of declines in Arctic sea ice. Boom-and-bust cycles of gray whale populations are normal. But for the first time since the Eastern North Pacific population has been monitored over the past five decades, scientists are seeing not a cycle of loss and recovery, but continued decline in the population by more than 40% over the past 10 years. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Anti-Trump protests build momentum in WA: ‘We’re just getting louder’
Standing Saturday on Broadway in Everett, where crowds of people on either side waved signs opposed to President Donald Trump as nonstop car honking urged protesters on, it was possible to feel that a groundswell against the federal administration was underway. That was precisely the point for many who came to a “Hands Off!” rally stretching for more than 2 miles. Nina Shapiro and Caitlyn Freeman report. (Seattle Times)  Also: Photos: Anti-Trump protesters turn out to rallies across the country (NPR)

My journey through the forest tells a story of fragility and resilience
On the front steps to my house is a baby tree in a clay pot. Just a seedling. With its feathery needles and delicate twigs, it looks too fragile for this world. But this tree is a survivor. I chunked it off a nurse log on the Old Growth Trail at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest east of Eugene, Ore. — nearly 16,000 acres of forest, 40% of it old growth. Trees 500, even 700, years old, their bark gnarled and grizzled with time, their canopies far over my head. I had gone there to collect myself. Lynda Mapes writes. (Seattle Times)

State Budget Cuts Could Slash Puget Sound’s Passenger Ferry Service
Dozens of Water Taxi and Kitsap Fast Ferry trips would be slashed if the state Senate’s budget writers get their way. Ryan Packer reports. (The Urbanist)

Live updates: Pope Francis dies at 88
Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died. He was 88. (Associated Press)

International Dark Sky Week to be celebrated
International Dark Sky Week, billed as “a worldwide celebration of the dark and natural night” by Dark Sky International, will be celebrated today through April 28. Emily Matthiessen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Bones of the past: Marmot remains with tool marks evidence of Indigenous life on Island mountains
The bones show people were coming over the mountain tops to trade, says an archeologist working with K’ómoks First Nation. Madeline Dunnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Northwest farmworker activist gets court hearing date; still detained in ICE facility
Prominent farm worker activist Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino remains held in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma as of Saturday, April 19 and is expected to appear at a November immigration hearing to determine the first steps of removal proceedings. Annie Todd reports. (CDN)

The First 100 Days

• Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country (Associated Press)
• Harvard pushes back on claim that Trump team mistakenly sent demand letter (Washington Post)
  
• Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat (NY Times)
  

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  212 AM PDT Mon Apr 21 2025    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas 4 to  6 ft. Wave Detail: W 6 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, becoming SW around 5 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft at 9 seconds.

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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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