Editor's note: Happy new year! — And a sincere thank you to the many readers who donated to support local news and Salish Current. There's a lot of work to be done in 2026 to right this ship of state. All aboard. Mike
Porphyra
Porphyra
Porphyra is a genus of coldwater seaweeds that grow in cold,
shallow seawater. More specifically, it belongs to red algae phylum of
laver species, comprising approximately 70 species. It grows in the
intertidal zone, typically between the upper intertidal zone and the
splash zone in cold waters of temperate oceans. Porphyra is popularly
known as “nori” in Japan; “laver” in the United Kingdom, the United
States, and Canada; “purple laver” in Britain and Ireland; “karengo” in
New Zealand; “kim” in Korea; and “zicai” in China. (Wikipedia)
Today's top story in Salish Current: Heritage, art, imagination shape life on the Salish Sea
Here’s how December’s floods will impact the environment
The floods that drenched western Washington and Oregon this month may be
receding, but their environmental impact will reverberate for years,
potentially affecting everything from returning salmon to oyster
fisheries. Recent floods are an example of the type of extreme weather
scientists have long warned will become common with climate change;
similar flooding hit the region in 2021. Nick Engelfriend reports. (Columbia Insight)
Renewed effort to protect endangered salmon from seals, sea lions
Washington state and federal wildlife officials, tribes and a
nonprofit are using new tools in an intensive research project to
investigate how harbor seals impact endangered salmon. The project is
focused on pinch points that have become predation hot spots, but
haven't been in the spotlight — places like the Hood Canal Bridge, the
Nisqually Estuary and the Duckabush River on the Olympic Peninsula,
where seals haul out and enjoy easy feeding on endangered salmon and
threatened steelhead trout. Bellamy Paithorp reports. (KNKX)
Can city cut down beloved 400-year-old tree? Thurston County judge rules
A Thurston County Superior Court judge has ruled that the City
of Tumwater can’t cut down the historic Davis Meeker Oak tree without
prior approval from its Historic Preservation Commission. The
400-year-old oak tree has been the subject of debate in Tumwater since
last summer, when Mayor Debbie Sullivan used executive action to try to
have the tree cut down, citing its poor health and high risk for causing
accidents, injury or death. Ty Vinson reports. (The Olympian)
Nuclear power ventures heat up around Washington state
Washington spent much of the 1970s trying to become a center for
nuclear power, with plans for five huge fission reactors at Richland
and Satsop. Then came cost overruns, construction problems, and one of
the biggest municipal bond defaults in Wall Street history in 1983.
Again, Washington is trying to become a hub for nuclear power. But
instead of monster-size reactors, the state is now home to multiple
ventures involving smaller reactors — all using technologies unheard of
in the 1970s and 1980s. John Stang reports. (Washington State Standard)
Democracy Watch
- Trump says US ‘will run’ Venezuela during transition after capture of President Maduro (Washington State Standard)
- Trump’s Tangled Web of Deal-Making, Policy and Riches (NY Times)
- Trump administration agrees to drop anti-DEI criteria for stalled health research grants (Washington State Standard)
- Trump gives up on National Guard deployment in 3 cities (Washington State Standard)
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West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 246 PM PST Sun Jan 4 2026
MON W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of rain in the afternoon.
MON NIGHT SW wind 15 to 20 kt, becoming S 25 to 30 kt after midnight. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: S 5 ft at 4 seconds and W 4 ft at 10 seconds. Rain.
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