7/15 Bushtit, heat advisory, climate report, Cowichan R die-off, Klamath R voyage, democracy watch

Bushtit [Tom Grey]

 
Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
The Bushtit is a tiny, gray bird with a long tail. It has a brownish wash on its forehead and a tiny, thin bill. Adult females have white eyes. Adult males and juveniles have dark eyes. Bushtits inhabit mixed coniferous and deciduous areas with shrubby growth. They commonly use suburban areas and city parks, as well as young coniferous forests with an open canopy. They are mostly found west of the Cascades. Highly social birds, Bushtits are usually found in flocks of 40 individuals or more. (BirdWeb)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Leveling the playing field with accessible activities / So much for sailing being for the privileged 

Heat advisory issued for Puget Sound region as highs in the 90s expected this week
Dry and hot conditions return to western Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing an elevated risk of heat-related illness and fire danger. (KOMO)

Trump administration says it won’t publish major climate change reports on NASA website as promised
Earlier this month, the official government websites that hosted the authoritative, peer-reviewed national climate assessments went dark. Such sites tell state and local governments and the public what to expect in their backyards from a warming world and how best to adapt to it. At the time, the White House said NASA would house the reports to comply with a 1990 law that requires the reports, which the space agency said it planned to do. But on Monday, NASA announced that it aborted those plans. Seth Borenstein reports. (Associated Press)

Cowichan River could see another mass fish die-off
Warm temperatures, low river flows and declining water quality are sparking fears of another mass fish die-off in the Cowichan River this summer. The Cowichan Watershed Board issued a statement Monday saying river conditions this summer “mirror” those of 2023, when an estimated 84,000 to 100,000-plus fish died after prolonged drought and heat. Michael John Lo reports. (Times Colonist)

Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon
As bright-colored kayaks push through a thick wall of fog, voices and the beats of drums build as kayakers approach a crowd that has formed on the beach. Applause erupts as the boats land on the sandy spit that partially separates the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean in northern California. Brittany Peterson reports. (Associated Press)

Democracy Watch

• Supreme Court allows Trump to resume Education Department layoffs (AP)
  
• 24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants (NPR)
  
• Workers at the CFPB watch hopelessly as the GOP undoes the work they did to help consumers (AP)
  

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  258 AM PDT Tue Jul 15 2025    
TODAY  E wind around 5 kt, backing to W late. Seas 3 to 5 ft.  Wave Detail: W 5 ft at 9 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W  4 ft at 8 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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