4/29 Honeysuckle, saving sea stars, orca rights, marbled murrelets, ocean extinction, damaged ferry, Misery Pt Preserve, citizen science, bad frogs, Salmon Summit, canopy soils, week in review

Trumpet Honeysuckle [Plants of PNW]

Trumpet Honeysuckle Lonicera ciliosa
Honeysuckles have long been a garden favorite, grown mostly for their sweetly-scented, nectar-producing flowers. The common name, honeysuckle, comes from the fact that children enjoy sucking nectar from the base of the flowers for a sweet treat.

Scientists race to rescue world’s fastest sea star from oblivion
Scientists are racing to revive a critically endangered species that has succumbed to a mysterious underwater pandemic up and down the West Coast. The species is the sunflower star, a pizza-sized predator that can have two dozen arms. Since 2013, a wasting disease of unknown origin has turned some 5 billion sunflower stars, or 90% of the global population, into goo. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Can Southern Resident killer whales have legal rights?
Ecosystem conference: Advocates are promoting 'rights of nature' as orca numbers dwindle. Olivia Palmer reports. (Salish Current)

Environmental groups sue Canadian government over B.C. bird
Two environmental groups are suing the Canadian government over claims it failed in its duty to protect the habitat of over two dozen migratory bird species, including the marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests in the coastal old-growth forests of British Columbia. As few as 263,000 marbled murrelets are left, including at least 50,000 in British Columbia. Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Research highlights a choice about the fate of ocean life
“Avoiding Ocean Mass Extinction From Climate Warming” published in Science... is the latest research that crystallizes the powerful yet paralyzed moment in which humanity finds itself. The choices made today regarding greenhouse gas emissions stand to affect the very future of life on Earth, even though the worst effects may still feel far away. Catrin Einhorn reports. (NY Times)

Loose anchor damages ferry in San Juan Islands
Ferry service in the San Juan Islands is currently severely reduced, after the anchor on the Yakima ferry came loose, dropping several feet down the side of the boat and swinging in place. The loose steel anchor, which weighs many hundreds of pounds, bent metal on the ferry and punctured the ship’s hull above the waterline. David Kroman reports. (Seattle Times)

Great Peninsula Conservancy to celebrate opening of new Misery Point Preserve to the public
Great Peninsula Conservancy will celebrate the opening of the new Misery Point Preserve to the public on Saturday. The preserve is important to local wildlife and can now be visited on foot and by kayak. The preserve is located at the tip of Seabeck's Misery Point peninsula. Nathan Daniel, executive director of GPC, said the preserve is valuable because of some very healthy eelgrass beds. The reason those are there, he said, is because there’s a steep feeder bluff providing nutrients to the beach in the area, which helps the eelgrass thrive. The bluff is about 85 feet tall and drops straight into the Hood Canal where the beds are. Jesse Darland reports. (Kitsap Sun)

With citizen science apps, amateurs and experts both expand their horizons
Canada is too big for researchers to track all of its flora and fauna. Nature apps provide valuable wildlife data for scientists, who return the favour by sharing expertise. Ziya Jones reports. (The Narwhal)

Wildlife officials warn of invasive frogs in Washington
An invasive species is consuming and competing with native species in western Washington, including salmon. Scientists have spotted African clawed frogs in Issaquah, Lacey and Bothell, KING5 reported. The frogs were initially brought into the United States to be used in pregnancy tests and later became pets, said state wildlife scientist Max Lambert. (Associated Press)

Salmon Summit teaches kids about conservation, science
For four months, fourth grade students at Cascade Elementary School in Kennewick watched as salmon in their classroom developed from a transparent egg – the kids could see the eyes of the salmon even before it hatched to a salmon fry, ready to migrate downstream. Now, these students are learning how researchers will track young fish on their journey down the Columbia River using what’s known as a PIT tag, or Passive Integrated Transponder. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Human Elements: What we can learn from the canopy soils of the Olympic rainforest
From beneath our feet to the tallest trees, Korena Mafune can study resiliency through a close look at the forest's fungal networks. Sarah Hoffman reports. (Crosscut)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 4/29/22: Arbor Friday, decolonizing conservation, container ships, old-growth, tire pollution, Oly Mtn glaciers, cold-water corals, Totem Pole journey, BC fish farms, Tokitae, Green River salmon, First Nation forestry, heat dome survival, ocean extinction, saving sea stars, suing for marbled murrelets

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PDT Fri Apr 29 2022   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  2 ft at 8 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt becoming E 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft after  midnight. W swell 2 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of rain in the  evening then rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. Rain  likely in the morning then a slight chance of showers in the  afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 12 seconds. 
SUN  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 6 ft at 11 seconds.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/28 Kettling, reptile demise, Stanley Park seawall, First Nations logging revenue, polluter pay in BC, cold bees, cement, Fidalgo Is

Kettling raptors [Creative Commons]

 

A kettle o' birds
A kettle is a group of birds wheeling and circling in the air. The kettle may be composed of several different species at the same time. Nature photographer M. Timothy O'Keefe theorizes that the word derives from the appearance of birds circling tightly in a thermal updraft "like something boiling in a cauldron." Ornithologist Donald Heintzelman has done more than anyone to popularize the term kettle, using the term at least as early as 1970 in his book Hawks of New Jersey to describe raptor flight, followed by uses in print over four decades. The related terms "cauldron" and "boil" are also heard to describe the same sorts of raptor behavior. Osprey-watcher David Gessner, however, claims a Pennsylvania lowland called the Kettle ("der Kessel" in Pennsylvania Dutch), near Hawk Mountain, is the source of the term. (Wikipedia)

One-fifth of reptiles worldwide face risk of extinction
A comprehensive new assessment of thousands of reptiles species has found that 21% are considered endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable to extinction. Christina Larson reports. (Associated Press)

Stanley Park seawall reopens to public after completion of winter storm damage repairs
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation announced the reopening of the final section of the Stanley Park seawall on Wednesday. A 3.5 kilometres stretch of the popular Vancouver attraction between Third Beach and the Lions Gate Bridge had been closed to the public since Jan. 7, when extreme winds and large amounts of debris tossed ashore by a king tide that day damaged the century old public amenity. (CBC)

B.C. First Nations receive $63M boost in forestry revenue sharing
B.C. First Nations are getting a bigger cut of forestry profits after the province announced an increase to existing revenue sharing agreements. Katrine Conroy, minister of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development, said the interim deals will boost First Nations' portion of stumpage fees and timber sales by at least $63 million this year. Of 204 B.C. First Nation communities, 126 have existing forestry revenue sharing agreements and another 58 are eligible. If all eligible First Nations participate, the total could reach $131 million, more than double the $59 million they received in the previous year. (CBC)

How Should We Make Polluters Pay for Cleanup in BC?
The Government of BC is asking the public for input on how it should ensure industrial property owners, rather than taxpayers, pay for the cost of cleaning up abandoned properties. The public is invited to read the government’s discussion paper and submit its feedback until May 28 at 4 p.m. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

Bees grounded by Victoria's chilly weather
Thirteen degrees — that’s the “magic number” for honeybees to fly and begin their precious work as pollinators and honey producers, says beekeeper Dana LeCompte. But this spring, 13 C has been a tough temperature to hit and maintain on the Island and Lower Mainland as chilly weather persists and keeps the prolific pollinators in their hives and honey production at bay by several weeks. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Well Traveled Cement
David B. Williams in Street Smart Naturalist writes: "When I walk through a downtown such as Seattle’s, I like to think that I am traveling a geologic timeline as I walk by buildings with rocks ranging in age from thousands to millions to billions of years old. Downtowns also offer a diversity of rock equal to any assembled by plate tectonics; Indiana limestone butts against Index granite, Chuckanut sandstone rests alongside Carrara marble; Italian travertine edges Minnesota gneiss..."

Fidalgo Island: Not just a gateway to the San Juans, but a destination
The four San Juan islands reached by ferry have their own personalities. Fidalgo Island has its own scenic charms and the port city of Anacortes. M.L. Like writes. (Washington Post)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PDT Thu Apr 28 2022   
TODAY  NW wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the  evening.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/27 Spring rhythms, heat dome recovery, levee removal, BC logging, Site C dam, kelp restoration, bring Tokitae home

"Sappy" on the job [Laurie MacBride]

Spring Rhythms and Routines
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "In these unpredictable and troubling times, it’s good to have a few things you can rely on. This spring, one dapper bird and a whole lot of small amphibians provided me with just that. For a month or longer,”Sappy”, the bird in the photo above, would show up at his worksite (or perhaps her worksite – the sexes look alike). There, at the old, multi-trunked Bigleaf maple just outside our front door, he/she would put in a lengthy shift, working up and down the main trunk, tapping and poking the rough bark for sap and insects. The routine never varied, which I found comforting..."

Months after mass die-off of sea creatures in B.C. heat dome, researchers return in search of signs of life
At the height of B.C.'s heat dome in June of 2021, Chris Harley, a professor at UBC's Department of Zoology, headed to West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park to measure water temperatures and observe how the marine animals that inhabit B.C.'s coastlines were faring under the extreme conditions...In the days that followed, Harley and his students estimated that billions of sea creatures died as temperatures soared above 40 C, and water temperatures reached as high as 56 C. Ten months after the catastrophe on B.C.'s shores, the researchers have returned to comb B.C.'s beaches, checking for signs that the vital populations of seaweed, crustaceans and shellfish native to the coast are seeing a resurgence. ichelle Ghoussoub reports. (CBC)

King County tore out a levee near Auburn. Now the salmon are returning
The $6.5 million effort — one of the largest of its kind on the Green River — began more than five years ago with King County’s removal of an old levee. This, along with the installation of natural blockages, not only reduced flood risk but also rejuvenated aquatic habitats by making the channels slower and deeper. The removal of the levee opened three channels previously blocked from the river and a flood plain spanning nearly 30 acres. Nicholas Turner reports. (Seattle Times)

COFI to hold convention for industry for under pressure of change
British Columbia’s forest industry will make a diplomatic push for government to bring stability to a sector under pressure from substantial change when it gathers for its first major convention since 2019 in Vancouver this week...It is an ask being made, however, at the same time the province is making big changes to forest policy and being pushed to take stronger action on protecting old growth forests by the frequent protests by the group Save Old Growth that has been blocking the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Site C went beyond halfway mark without fraud assessment
The BC NDP cabinet-appointed board of BC Hydro did not assess the potential for fraud at the $16 billion Site C dam project until after B.C.’s auditor general began to investigate. Bob Mackin reports. (Business Intelligence for BC)

Port of Seattle and Seattle Aquarium Collaborate to Restore Kelp Forests in Elliott Bay
The Port of Seattle Commission approved a project for research being led by the Seattle Aquarium to study and map the presence of kelp forests along the urban waterfront of Elliott Bay as well as East and West Waterways of Seattle Harbor. The Commission championed funding to restore kelp forests in the Port’s 2022 budget.  The study will begin this summer with findings to be shared publicly early next year. (Port of Seattle)

'Let's bring her home'; Hopes renewed to bring Tokitae the orca back to Puget Sound
A team of independent veterinarians has been invited to the Miami Seaquarium to examine Tokitae the orca, and many are hoping she is in good health to one day return to Puget Sound.In order for her to return home, the United States Department of Agriculture must issue a clean bill of health. The new owners of the Miami Seaquarium will now allow a health exam to be conducted, and plan on sending the diagnosis to the mayor's office and releasing that information to the public. (Q13 Fox News)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  239 AM PDT Wed Apr 27 2022   
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of  showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.

--

"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/26 Decorator crab, BC salmon farms, BC north coast gas, Totem Pole journey, BC avian flu

Graceful decorator crab [Dave Cowles]

Graceful decorator crab Oregonia gracilis
The graceful decorator crab is a species of crab belonging to the family Oregoniidae. Like other decorator crabs it habitually attaches other organisms to its back. The sessile organisms are attached to hooked setae that act as a sort of velcro attachment. Found from the Bering Sea to Monterey Bay, and in Japan. (Wikipedia)

Federal court overturns order to shut down salmon farms
Former federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bernadette Jordan breached the rights of B.C. salmon farmers to procedural fairness when she ordered all salmon farms out of the Discovery Islands, a Federal Court judge has ruled. Moreover, the court found that Jordan had “not observed” an injunction that had been granted to salmon farmers, allowing them to continue stocking fish farms with baby salmon while the judicial review made its way through the court. The recent Federal Court ruling enforces that injunction order. Nelson Bennett reports. (Times Colonist)

BC Approves North Coast Gas Project Despite First Nations’ Objections
The province has approved a fossil fuel storage and shipping facility on B.C.’s north coast despite opposition from First Nations and the potential for “significant” adverse effects in the event of a spill. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change announced the decision last week to grant an environmental assessment certificate to Vopak Development Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the Netherlands-based Royal Vopak. The company plans to build a liquified petroleum gas, methanol, light diesel and gasoline storage facility on Ridley Island near Prince Rupert. The project still requires federal approvals. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Totem Pole Journey will make a stop on the UO campus
Led by members of the Lummi Nation and the House of Tears Carvers, the Totem Pole Journey is a Pacific Northwest community experience that engages participants through ceremony, art, science, ancestral knowledge and cross-cultural collaboration. This year’s events, called “Se’Si’Le Snake River to the Salish Sea — Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey to a Solution,” and related art, media and events are the latest in a dozen such journeys over the past 20 years. The first journey started with a successful campaign to oppose fossil fuel projects in the region. 2022 events are in support of the removal of the Snake River dams and the restoration of the river’s salmon runs, which is important to the southern resident killer whaleshales community, known as Skali’Chelh in the Lummi language.

Avian flu concerns mount as B.C. farmer loses 80% of chicken flock in 4 days, cases identified throughout B.C
A new strain of avian flu that's sweeping across Canada and around the world is now in B.C. and a West Kootenay chicken farmer says it may have wiped out 80 per cent of her flock. Courtney Dickson reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PDT Tue Apr 26 2022   
TODAY  S wind to 10 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 11 seconds. Showers  likely in the morning then showers and a slight chance of tstms  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. A slight  chance of tstms in the evening. A chance of showers.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/25 Wintercreeper, cold-water coral, gone glaciers, toxic tires, Biden's old-growth, Harriet Bullitt, burning ships, PA harbor, coastal tribes, decolonizing conservation

Wintercreeper

Wintercreeper Euonymus fortunei
Euonymus fortunei, the spindle, Fortune's spindle, winter creeper or wintercreeper, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to east Asia, including China, Korea, the Philippines and Japan. It is named after the Scottish botanist and plant explorer Robert Fortune. (Wikipedia)

Rare cold-water coral garden in peril on B.C. coast
A remarkable coral garden tucked away in a remote inlet on B.C.’s wild central coast is in danger unless the federal government takes immediate steps to save it from destruction before the prawn fishing season gets underway, conservationists say. Heavy prawn traps and ropes, which make contact with the seabed, are particularly destructive to the delicate red tree corals, or Primnoa pacifica, in a unique area in the ­centre of Knight Inlet, said professional diver, filmmaker and naturalist Neil McDaniel. Rochelle Baker reports. (National Observer)

Olympic Peninsula glaciers expected to disappear in 50 years
The Olympic Peninsula has lost 45% of its glacier coverage since 1980, according to a new study by Fountain and coauthors from Washington state and British Columbia. The peninsula’s remaining 250 glaciers, which covered about two square miles at last estimate, should be gone in another 50 years as humanity’s pollution continues to overheat the planet, the study found. John Ryan reports. (KUOW/OPB)

A half-million tires in Puget Sound are leeching harmful substances. Here’s how to help 
Tires with toxic substances lurk in Washington waters, harming the wildlife and creating a problem that needs to be cleaned up. There are an estimated half-million tires in Puget Sound that have been leaching harmful substances into the water for about 50 years, according to Jim Trask, president of Washington scuba Alliance. Alyse Messmer reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Biden unveils protection plan for old-growth forest during Seattle visit
On Friday, President Joe Biden marked Earth Day at Seattle’s Seward Park — home to some of the oldest stands of trees left in the city — where he announced and signed an executive order meant to protect old-growth forests on federal lands. Eilis O'Neill and John Ryan reports. (KUOW) See also: Biden’s executive order in Seattle spotlights importance of old-growth forests in fight against climate change   Hal Bernton, Nick Turner and Lynda V. Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

The Long, Remarkable Life of Harriet Bullitt
The last decade of her life, which ended at age 97 on Saturday morning, saw Harriet Bullitt looking forward as well as celebrating what she created, enabled, and is leaving behind to benefit both sides of the Cascades and beyond. Joel Connelly writes. (Post Alley) See also: Harriet Stimson Bullitt, Northwest philanthropist and conservationist, dies at 97  Mike Carter reports. (Seattle Times)

Unicorns and explosives: a burning ship off Victoria’s coast hints at the dangerous secrets of cargo carriers
More than 100 sea cans were lost in B.C. waters after a storm wracked the Zim Kingston last fall. Bigger vessels, weighed down with more goods, are making shipping riskier. Bill Donahue reports. (The Narwhal)

Cruising the harbor in Port Angeles
The cruise ships Celebrity Eclipse, front, and Ovation of the Seas, rear, sit anchored in Port Angeles Harbor on Friday as they await the Alaskan cruise season. Both ships are operated by the Royal Caribbean Group or its subsidiaries. Anchored between the cruise vessels are the bulk carrier James Bay and the pusher tug Dublin Sea. Keith Thorpe reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

From WA to Alaska, coastal tribes face displacement with insufficient financial help
On April 11, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it would invest $46 million in funding to tribal communities to address the unique impacts of climate change in Indigenous communities. The funding is a piece of the $466 million to the Bureau of Indian Affairs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address tribal infrastructure in Indigenous communities. Securing enough federal funding for relocation expenses, infrastructure investments or efforts to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation has been a major hurdle for many tribes. While these investments are appreciated, many tribal communities believe that ecological restoration still isn’t enough of a priority.  Luna Reyna reports. (Crosscut)

How to Decolonize Conservation
Drawing on examples from existing conservation projects and their own experiences, Indigenous researchers are unpacking what a decolonized approach to environmental protection should look like. Erica Gies reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  243 AM PDT Mon Apr 25 2022   
TODAY  SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  9 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then a chance  of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of  showers.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/22 Water jelly, Salish Sea Earth Days, Josie Osborne, Day Cr settlement, orcas, Hal Beecher, colonial science, week in review

Water jellyfish [Dave Cowles]

 
Water jellyfish Aequorea victoria
This is the largest of our local Hydrozoan jellyfish, though the Scyphozoan jellyfish can grow much larger. Feeds mainly on gelatinous plankton such as Mitrocomella polydiademata and other hydromedusae, on ctenophores, on polychaetes, and on appendicularians.  It may occasionally be cannibalistic.  Also eat larval fish such as Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi.  This species is bioluminescent and may flash brightly when disturbed. (Walla Walla University)

Our island reader responds to yesterday's comment on pumped storage: "I couldn’t agree more with the writer’s advice, which few if any will consistently follow, which is to reduce power demand, thus saving what Amory Lovins coined “negawatts” over 40 years ago. This is where we need to focus, but no one can get a handle on it because our lifestyle is considered to be a right, not a privilege earned from nature."

'Invest In Our Planet': How to celebrate Earth Day around Puget Sound
"Invest In Our Planet" — that's the theme of Earth Day 2022, happening this Friday, April 22. Abby Luschei reports. (Seattle Refined)

Earth Day 2022: Where events are being held in B.C.
Here's a list of some of the events happening in B.C.'s bigger municipalities (all times PT) throughout the week. Events will also be held in smaller communities across the province. (CBC)

Land and water in B.C. has a new ministry. We spoke with its leader
Josie Osborne is now B.C.’s Minister of land, water and resource stewardship and the minister in charge of fisheries, taking on some of the province's most challenging files. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Day Creek landowners settle with Skagit Fisheries, R2 Resource Consultants
Concerned Citizens for Day Creek signed a settlement agreement Thursday with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and R2 Resource Consultants in response to property damage that followed a restoration project. After mediation, Skagit Fisheries and R2 Resource Consultants agreed to pay the landowners of Day Creek a settlement and in return will be relieved of all responsibility associated with the project. The monetary compensation given to the landowners is confidential. Maddie Smith reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

How orcas are a better version of us
Orca researcher Dr. Deborah Giles hopes her work can save this ancient species. Sarah Hoffman reports. (Crosscut)

How my grandfather the fish ecologist changed the nation — and me
Hal Beecher loves nature. Hal's grandchild, RadioActive's Rhea Beecher, talked with him about a time when that love was pushed to its limits in a court case that affected the nation. Rhea Beecher reports. (KUOW)

An Indigenous Scientist On Purging Colonialist Practices From Science
Jessica Hernandez in an excerpt from Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science writes: "I recall in my graduate school that a professor was very mad that his potential research project was cancelled because the local federally recognized tribes of the state of Washington were not interested in creating marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea...This is the settler colonialism that is embedded in conservation, where non-Indigenous scientists have not developed the same relationships with the local environment as tribes who have been cherishing these relationships for generations." (Science Friday)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 4/22/22: Earth Day!, retreating glaciers, intertidal OR, BC Hydro, salmon kill, cruise ship pollution, reversing Trump, hauling salmon, Biden's old growth, Vancouver barge

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  240 AM PDT Fri Apr 22 2022   
TODAY  NW wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 14 seconds subsiding to  7 ft at 14 seconds in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 13 seconds. 
SAT  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 12 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 13 seconds.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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4/21 Salmonberry, Biden's old growth, marine heat waves, Vancouver barge, green crabs, Mother Earth Day, BC Earth Day, warm water menus

Salmonberry [Plants of the PNW]

 
Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
The common name Salmonberry is thought to have come from the natives’ fondness for eating the berries with salmon roe, but it could also be due to the orangy-pink color of the berries. Salmonberries, being one of the earliest berries to ripen, were one of the most important foods for natives. Young sprouts were also an important food for natives in early spring and summer; they were peeled, eaten raw or steamed.  Preparations of the bark were used on wounds, especially burns. (Plants of the PNW)

Our man of the woods and desert comments regarding yesterday's clip about pumped storage plants ('Energy shift creates opening for 'world's largest batteries'): "Pumped storage is a boondoggle promoted by a dying industry.  It results in a net loss of electricity and destroys whatever ecosystem is lucky enough to be the uphill storage area. The local utility wanted to do that to Tumble Lake above Detroit Reservoir in the Santiam system of the Oregon Cascades clear back in the 1970s.  It was a crappy idea then and it's still a crappy idea.  That was personal to me as "The Tumble" was a favorite place of mine, so maybe I'm biased but it's still a net loss of energy. How about we use a little less instead?"

Biden to issue Earth Day order to safeguard old-growth forests
President Biden will sign an Earth Day executive order on Friday in Seattle laying the groundwork for protecting for some of the biggest and oldest trees in America’s forests, according to several individuals briefed on the decision. Anna Phillips reports. (Washington Post)

A first as the world warms: New forecasts could help predict marine heat waves
Marine heat waves have caused major ecological disruptions along the Pacific coast in recent years, but scientists have developed a global forecasting system to help fisheries and coastal communities anticipate and prepare for these extreme weather events. The scientific journal Nature on Wednesday published the forecasting system that provides projections on marine heat waves around the world up to a year in advance. Nicholas Turner reports. (Seattle Times)

No timeline for removal of 5,000-tonne barge washed up for months on Vancouver beach
No date is set for the removal of a 5,000-tonne barge that has been washed up on Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver for more than five months. Permits not in place to allow company to cut up barge and take it away for recycling. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Effort underway to control invasive European green crabs on Washington coast
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that it is working with its partners and tribes to “deploy resources and get more boots in the mud” to control infestations of the invasive European green crab along the coast and certain sites within the Salish Sea. (KIRO)

Mother Earth Day celebration will look to the future, through the vision of Indigenous youth
Messages from Indigenous youth with eyes on environmental justice and the future will be featured at a Mother Earth Day celebration presented by Children of the Setting Sun Productions at Bellingham's Maritime Heritage Park on April 22. Clifford Heberden reports. (Salish Current)

Earth Day 2022: Where events are being held in B.C.
Here's a list of some of the events happening in B.C.'s bigger municipalities (all times PT) throughout the week. Events will also be held in smaller communities across the province. (CBC)

Monster Humboldt squid showing up on Vancouver seafood menus as waters warm, UBC-led research finds
Seafood served in Vancouver restaurants is increasingly being dominated by warmer-water species, due to climate change, according to a University of B.C. professor.  To understand the effects of climate change on seafood, a team led by William Cheung at UBC’s institute for the oceans and fisheries studied 362 restaurant menus in Vancouver over four time periods. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Thu Apr 21 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING  THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 17 seconds building to 7 ft at  16 seconds in the afternoon. Showers likely in the morning then  showers and a slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 15 seconds.

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