3/19 Spring draba, Duwamish R., Little Squalicum Estuary, fed fish regs, The Nature Record.

Spring draba [Rick Haley]

Spring draba Draba verna
Reader Rick Haley writes: "Draba verna is my favorite harbinger of better times ahead, as it's usually the first annual flower.  It blooms so early that the better times are sometimes farther off than one might hope.  I've seen it blooming as early as December 28, but more frequently I find it first in February.  One of its favorite habitats in my neighborhood is a crack between the sidewalk and the curb.  Draba verna is less than 5cm tall, and I sometimes wonder what passing drivers think when they see me crouched over trying to take a picture of what appears to be nothing." From Awkward Botany: "Draba verna is a small but memorable plant. Common names for it include early whitlowgrass, vernal whitlowgrass, and spring whitlow-mustard. Sometimes it is simply referred to as spring draba. As these common names suggest, Draba verna flowers early in the spring."

Today's top story in Salish Current:  Woe, Canada! Washington State Ferries enters seventh season without cross-border service / Protecting people's right to know is getting harder

Seattle’s Only River Comes Alive Again
How one of the largest cities in Salmon Nation has restored the Duwamish River over the past three decades — community-first and one mucky step at a time. Kathleen Tarrant reports. Photography by Kirk Hostetter. (Magic Canoe) 

Little Squalicum Estuary project models successful coastal habitat restoration
Fish, birds, flora and fauna have flocked to the restoration area in Bellingham. Eli Voorhies reports. (Salish Current) 

Fewer fish in West Coast waters will be federally regulated
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted this month to loosen regulations on eight groundfish stocks in Washington and Oregon, after doing the same for 39 stocks last year. Bellamy Pailthorp reports.(KNKX) 

Nature assessment describes both peril and promise, as humans relate to the natural world
“The Nature Record,”  originally titled the “National Nature Assessment,” was launched in 2022 as a government project — the first of its kind. The effort involved more than 160 leading scientists from throughout the country, representing wide-ranging fields of study related to the natural environment. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute) 

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Here's your tug weather— 
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  103 PM PDT Wed Mar 18 2026    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON    
THU  S wind 15 to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: S 2 ft at  3 seconds, SW 3 ft at 11 seconds and W 3 ft at 11 seconds. Rain.  THU NIGHT  S wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: S  2 ft at 5 seconds, SW 3 ft at 10 seconds and W 3 ft at  11 seconds. Rain.

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