Salish Sea News and Weather

Monday, September 12, 2022

9/12 Douglas squirrel, Aleutian Isle, SJ National Monument, racist names, forge fish pesticides, Blue Heron Slough, PT jetty, BC forests, "Orca Rescue," state forests, Pig War

Douglas squirrel [VJ Anderson/WikiMedia]

Douglas squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii
Douglas squirrels are found along the Pacific coast of North America. Their range is limited to northern California, west and central Oregon, western Washington and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Douglas squirrels have distinct summer and winter coats. Their summer pelage ranges from reddish-brown to grayish-brown on the backside. Many of these hairs are orange or black at the ends. The underside ranges from light to dark orange, sometimes with white areas. It is this orange coloring on the chest and belly that sets Tamiasciurus douglasii apart from its nearest relative, the red squirrel. (Animal Diversity Web)

Diesel oil from sunken Aleutian Isle ‘nonrecoverable’
More than 200 feet below the surface of Haro Strait — a major shipway for British Columbia — a fishing vessel has settled on the sea floor near Sunset Point off the west coast of San Juan Island. The 49-foot purse seiner Aleutian Isle began sinking on Aug. 13, sending waves of a glossy diesel sheen two miles north of the sink. What was initially a search-and-rescue response quickly turned into minimizing the environmental impact. Zach Kortge reports. (Salish Current)

San Juan Islands National Monument: where’s the plan?
Almost 10 years ago, on March 25, 2013, then-President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation to protect, conserve and restore approximately 1,000 acres of BLM lands which included 60 to 70 small islands plus parcels at Cattle Point on San Juan Island and Iceberg Point and Point Colville on Lopez Island. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current )

US officially changes names of places with racist term for Native women
The U.S. government has joined a ski resort and others that have quit using a racist term for a Native American woman by renaming hundreds of peaks, lakes, streams and other geographical features on federal lands in the West and elsewhere. New names for nearly 650 places bearing the offensive word "squaw" include the mundane (Echo Peak, Texas) peculiar (No Name Island, Maine) and Indigenous terms (Pannaite Naokwaide, Wyoming) whose meaning at a glance will elude those unfamiliar with Native languages. Among the place names changed are more than 50 features in Oregon and 17 in Washington state. Mead Gruver reports. (Associated Press)

Over-the-counter pesticides found in islands’ forage fish
A two-year study of contaminants in locally caught forage fish confirms the presence of pyrethroid pesticides, the most common active ingredient in home and garden products sold in the San Juan Islands including “knock down” sprays and carpenter ant treatments. Supported by the Rose Foundation’s Southern Resident Orca program, the study focused on Pacific Sand Lance, a keystone prey species for seabirds as well as Chinook salmon. Russell Barsh writes. (KWIAHT/San Juan Journal)

Blue Heron Slough, a 350-acre estuary restoration project, nears completion
Earlier this month, the Port of Everett celebrated the return of 353 acres of estuary near the mouth of the Snohomish River. Blue Heron Slough will be fully restored in the coming weeks when a final dike is breached and the tides flow in. It will be the first time in 100 years that the land is reconnected to Puget Sound. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

B.C. river mystery: What is killing the giant sturgeon of Nechako River?
Government scientists are asking for the public’s help to solve that mystery after 11 of the iconic and endangered fish were recently found dead in the Nechako in central B.C. (Canadian Press)

Researchers tackle mystery of missing bear toes, floating feet
British Columbia’s reputation for foot-related mysteries endures. Five years after B.C. officials solved the decade-long mystery of detached sneaker-clad feet washing up on shore in the region, another, lesser-known foot mystery has been exposed and its cause identified. During a study to better understand grizzly-bear deaths, Clayton Lamb, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, captured and collared 59 grizzlies in southeastern B.C. between 2016 and 2020. Four of the bears were missing some front toes. Monique Keiran reports. (Times Colonist)

Jetty replacement to begin next week
The Port of Port Townsend on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony at Point Hudson Marina to commence the project intended to rebuild the almost 90-year-old north and south jetties in a manner that honors their original aesthetic, but uses contemporary design and material elements. Paula Hunt reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. conservationists decry lack of action, transparency 2 years into forestry stewardship overhaul
Two years into a three-year process to defer the logging of some of B.C.'s grandest trees in its most ecologically diverse wilderness so that forestry stewardship could undergo a vast transformation, First Nations and conservationists are decrying a lack of progress and transparency. "Clearcutting of irreplaceable, endangered old growth continues, even in the most-at-risk stands," said Jens Wieting with Sierra Club B.C. as part of a report card issued by four conservation groups on Thursday. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

"Orca Rescue" and "Rooted": Nominees for Washington State Book Award
Celebrate Washington State Book Award nominations with authors Lynda Lyn Haupt and Donna Sandstorm tonight, Sept. 12 6 to 8 p.m., at C& P Coffee Company, West Seattle. Readings and book signings.

WA Supreme Court: State Not Required to Cut Forests to Maximize Revenue
On July 21, the state supreme court said unanimously that the state does indeed have a duty to the schools and other beneficiaries, BUT it also has a duty to “all the people.” Dan Chasan writes. (Post Alley)

Watch: 600-pound sea lion jumps into small BC boat
Reader Connie Gallant writes: " The story of the sea lion jumping on the small boat took me back to when my late husband JD was on his small sailboat on Quilcene Bay, minding his own business, writing on his notebook when suddenly he saw several Orcas coming very fast toward him. He looked around and saw this frantic young seal circling the sailboat and wanting desperately to jump in, but the freeboard was a tad too high for it. Seeing its plight, JD circled the boat and kept the boat between them. Of course, the whales would've not been remotely stopped by this action but apparently they were kinda full anyway so they gave up. That seal stayed around the boat for a long while. JD only wished someone would have filmed it - there were some locals on the shore who saw the whole thing but this was prior to everyone carrying a cell phone with camera. He never forgot the incredible desperation on the seal's eyes."

The US island that nearly ignited a war
On Washington's San Juan Island, a national historical park harks back to a notorious 1859 border dispute when the British and Americans almost went to war over a pig. Brendan Sainsbury writes. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 247 AM PDT Mon Sep 12 2022
TODAY W 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning then a slight chance of showers in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. SW swell 2 ft at 7 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening then a chance of showers after midnight.

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Friday, September 9, 2022

9/9 Red Irish lord, WA Red Flag warning, climate change, rising seas, cargo spill, BC pipe, newsroom union

Red Irish lord [Seattle Aquarium]

Red Irish lord Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus
Red Irish lord are common from the Bering Sea, Alaska to Washington, and are rare south to Central California. They are found in shallow rocky waters. They tend to rest on the bottom, blending in with their surroundings. They are found from shallow waters to depths of 450 m (1,476 ft). They are occasionally caught by recreational harvesters in Puget Sound. Caught incidentally in the commercial fishery off the outer Washington coast. They can grow up to 51 cm (20 in) in length, and 1.11 kg (2.45 lbs) in weight. Maximum age is at least 6 years old. (WDFW)

Most of western WA under Red Flag Warning starting Friday
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for most of western Washington from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either imminent or occurring now. Any fires that develop will likely spread quickly and outdoor burning is not recommended. (KING)

Can conservation work in the face of climate change?
There are many ways to protect and conserve land here in Washington. Aside from our national and state parks and forests, we have wildlife refuges and conservation areas. Altogether those boundaries include millions of acres. But as climate change brings more intense weather more regularly, researchers are looking for new approaches to protect our unique flora and fauna. Kim Malcomb and Alec Cowan report. (KUOW)

Rising seas could swallow millions of U.S. acres within decades
New research finds an estimated 25,000 properties in Louisiana could slip below tidal boundary lines by 2050. Florida, Texas and North Carolina also face profound economic risks. Brady Dennis reports. (Washington Post)

High-end coolers wash up on Alaska beaches after Washington cargo spill
Consumer goods from coolers to bike helmets have been washing up on beaches on the Gulf of Alaska, at least a 1,200-mile journey from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where a cargo ship spilled 109 shipping containers in October. [S]ome high-value debris, apparently spilled by the Zim Kingston, a cargo ship en route from Busan, South Korea, to Vancouver, Canada, has Alaskan beachcombers cheering. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

The northern B.C. pipeline you’ve never heard of — Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector
First approved in 2014, the pipeline would ship up to 8.4 billion cubic feet of fracked gas every day. Now the company is seeking an extension until 2029 and applying to amend its route to avoid a Treaty 8 nation territory at the centre of a court ruling on the impacts of industry. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Everett Herald journalists vote overwhelmingly to unionize
Newsroom employees at The Daily Herald voted Thursday to form a union to bargain collectively on wages, benefits and working conditions at the 121-year-old newspaper. The final tally, 19-0, was announced by a National Labor Relations Board official. Of 23 eligible employees, two did not participate. Ballots cast by two employees departing the newspaper this month were challenged by the company and not counted. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 9/9/22: Teddy bear, bull kelp, Steven Guilbeault, Site C dam wetlands, AK green crabs, Intalco SO2, rising seas, Westcoast Connector

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 306 AM PDT Fri Sep 9 2022
TODAY E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT NE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. Haze.
SAT SE wind 10 to 20 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. NW swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Haze.
SAT NIGHT E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SUN SE wind to 10 kt becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. NW swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

9/8 Douglas maple, Intalco SO2, gas leaf blower ban, saving WA forests, Skagit enviro mitigation, sea lion panic

Douglas Maple [Native Plants PNW]

Douglas Maple Acer glabrum var. douglasii
Acer glabrum is better known as Rocky Mountain Maple in the interior regions of the country. Glabrum means smooth, without hair, referring to its smooth stems and leaves. The variety is named after David Douglas. The variety douglasii, is found from coastal southeast Alaska and British Columbia, to southern Oregon; east to Idaho and Montana. Natives used Douglas Maple for snowshoe frames. (Native Plants PNW)

Intalco aluminum smelter releasing high levels of sulfur dioxide
Despite curtailment, Ferndale’s Intalco aluminum smelter continues to exceed safe emission levels of sulfur dioxide, a respiratory risk, in the region. [T]he plant will need significant modification to produce “permanent and enforceable reductions to SO2 emissions” at the facility, including the installation and operation of a sulfur dioxide emissions control system. The plant will also need to merge existing stacks and increase the height of the merged stacks, as well as limit facility-wide and unit-specific sulfur dioxide emissions. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

Seattle Council OKs plan to ban gas-powered leaf blowers
The Seattle City Council has voted unanimously to plan the phasing out of gasoline-powered leaf blowers for city departments and contractors by 2025 and businesses and residents by 2027, “or later, if necessary.” The resolution passed Tuesday asks city departments to develop plans and design a public-education strategy around the transition, The Seattle Times reported. (Associated Press)

Thurston County commissioners join hundreds outside DNR in rally to save WA ‘legacy forests’
People from around Western Washington gathered at the Department of Natural Resources building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia on Tuesday with the Summit Lake Alliance to protest the DNR’s management of state lands and continued clear-cutting of trees they think should be conserved. Brel Froebe, with the Center for Responsible Forestry, led the event and introduced several speakers, including Thurston County Commissioners Tye Menser and Carolina Mejia, who attended as part of a special meeting. Ty Vinson reports. (Olympian)

More arguments heard in debate over environmental mitigation
The Skagit County Board of Commissioners heard new arguments Tuesday regarding its decision to prohibit certain salmon habitat projects on county farmland. Will Honea, senior deputy prosecuting attorney, proposed the ordinance based on concerns that Seattle City Light will propose such projects to compensate for the environmental impacts of its Skagit River dams 70 miles away, as it pursues a license to continue operating the dams. A number of Skagit County farmers spoke in support of the ordinance. Representatives of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community spoke against it. Honea said he expects the commissioners will vote on a permanent ordinance later this year. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Watch: 600-pound sea lion jumps into small BC boat
A panicked California sea lion launched itself out of the ocean off Pedder Bay onto a small aluminum boat in a desperate attempt to elude a group of transient killer whales. A group of three Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transients, had been eating a harbour seal that day. Carla Wilson and Alanna Kelly report. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 235 AM PDT Thu Sep 8 2022
TODAY NW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

9/7 Big-leaf maple, fungal parasite, green crabs in AK, freeing Capitol Lake, John Hart dam

Big-Leaf Maple [Native Plants PNW]

Big-Leaf Maple Acer macrophyllum
Big-Leaf Maple, sometimes called Oregon Maple, derives both its common name and its scientific name, macrophyllum, from the fact that it can have leaves up to 12 inches across–the largest of any maple. Big-Leaf Maple is native to the Pacific coast from southeast Alaska to southern California. This majestic tree is made even more interesting by the life it supports. Its deeply ridged bark creates an ideal habitat for epiphytes (plants that grow on trees without soil). Some natives used the bark for making rope. The leaves were used for containers or in cooking pits. The wood was extremely popular for carving both artwork and items such as dishes and paddles. Sprouted seeds were also eaten. Maple syrup can be made by boiling down the sap. The greenish-yellow flower clusters make a tasty garnish for salads. Commercially, the wood is mostly used for making veneers for furniture, but is also used for musical instruments and interior paneling. Burls are used for clocks and tabletops. (Native Plants PNW)

Maples around Vancouver Island have a silvery tinge this summer. Here's why.
Vast tracts of big leaf maple trees across the Island are turning a white-silver colour this summer. But while alarming, it’s not a cause for concern in the long term, according to registered professional botanist Andy MacKinnon. The leaves and stems of maples are being hit with a powdery mildew — a fungal parasite — that is thriving amid humid and warm conditions, and the spores are being spread by consistent breezes. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Green crabs have already invaded Washington's shorelines. Now they're heading to Alaska.
The first signs of the Alaskan invasion were discovered by an intern. In July, a young woman walking the shoreline of the Metlakatla Indian Community during an internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found a shell of a known menace in the U.S. — the European green crab...Within a month and half, more than 80 live green crabs had been trapped along the Metlakatla shoreline, Winter said, making the community ground zero in the fight against the species in Alaska, though it’s possible other areas of Alaska have been colonized already. Evan Bush reports. (NBC)

Olympia, state officials outline who’s responsible for turning Capitol Lake into an estuary
Over the last year, state and local leaders have voiced their support for turning Capitol Lake back into an estuary. The decision has been met with mixed reviews from the public, some raising concerns about recreation, smell and aesthetics. The State Department of Enterprise Services released its draft Environmental Impact Statement for long-term management of the lake in June 2021, and in March of this year announced the estuary as the preferred alternative to the lake...A lot of work will go into turning Capitol Lake back into an estuary and restoring the Deschutes River’s flow into Budd Inlet. Sediment that’s pooled in the lake for years and contaminated sediment in the bay will have to be dredged before the Fifth Avenue dam is removed. Then a new reconfigured bridge will be built at Fifth Avenue and Deschutes Parkway. Ty Vinson reports. (Olympian)

B.C. Hydro preparing lands for massive John Hart dam seismic upgrading
B.C. Hydro crews start work mid-month to prepare sites for civil work next year on the massive John Hart Dam seismic upgrading project near Campbell River. The cost of the entire project is estimated at between $497 million and $882 million. Once completed in 2029 the dam is expected to be able to survive a major earthquake. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 246 AM PDT Wed Sep 7 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds building to 6 ft at 10 seconds in the afternoon.
TONIGHT W wind 15 to 25 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds building to 9 ft at 10 seconds after midnight.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

9/6 Vine maple, bull kelp, sunken boat, dogfish, Site C wetlands, Steven Guilbeault, False Cr, tribe salmon fishery, Biden's forests

Vine maple [Native Plants PNW]

Vine Maple Acer circinatum
There are nearly 150 species of maples worldwide. Most are from eastern Asia. North America is home to about a dozen. Maples are popular ornamental trees and there are many cultivated varieties. Vine Maple is one of the most popular native shrubs for landscapes. An enchanting woodland landscape may be created by planting large groupings under the shade of taller trees along with ferns and woodland flowers. Natives used Vine Maple branches for baskets and fish traps. It was often used for firewood. (Native Plants PNW)

Group seeks endangered species protection for West Coast bull kelp
An environmental group is seeking Endangered Species Act protections for underwater forests of bull kelp along the West Coast. The Center for Biological Diversity on Thursday submitted a petition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to grant endangered status to the long stalks of kelp that are critical to Oregon coastal ecosystems. Bradley Parks reports. (OPB)

Fishing boat that sank in orca habitat ran into trouble 24 hours earlier
The fishing boat that sank off San Juan Island in August had run into trouble – apparently running aground – the previous day. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies have declined to say why the boat sank, or even what it was doing before it went down, citing the ongoing investigation of the maritime disaster. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Spiny dogfish
Regarding last Thursday's critter feature, reader Gene Helfman, author of "Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide," writes: "In the interests of taxonomic accuracy, the Spiny Dogfish on our coast is Squalus suckleyi, the Pacific Spiny Dogfish, not Squalus acanthias, which occurs on the east coast and elsewhere. Spiny Dogfish are probably the most abundant shark in the world. Estimates of abundance for the combined Pacific coasts of Canada and the US put numbers at almost 2 billion individuals."

‘A beautiful lie’: BC Hydro says it will replace the wetlands Site C destroys, but experts say it’s impossible
This month, BC Hydro is set to drain and log Watson Slough to make way for the Site C dam in northwest B.C. Beavers will be trapped and euthanized and their dams will be destroyed to release the water from the wetlands. The slough, a collection of different types of wetlands stretching 20 hectares — roughly the size of 25 Canadian football fields — is a beloved nature area in the Peace River Valley renowned for birdwatching and visited by hundreds of schoolchildren over the years. It’s home to at-risk species like the yellow rail, a small marsh bird that hides among the grasses, and the stocky western toad. Elk, black bears, beavers, deer and muskrats also use the wetland along Highway 29 west of Fort St. John.Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal) https://thenarwhal.ca/site-c-construction-to-destroy-wetlands/

‘We’re Sued on Pretty Much Everything We Try’: Canada’s Climate Minister
When Steven Guilbeault became Canada’s environment minister he was assigned a lengthy mandate letter which boils down to, more or less: fix climate change, please. In fact, his official title is Minister of Environment and Climate Change — a mantle he wears after being an environmental activist for 30 years before he transitioned to politics. Michelle Gamage reports. (The Tyee)

What's in store for Vancouver's False Creek? Scientists and locals take first steps toward revitalization
Volunteers and scientists are in the midst of a six-day "bio blitz" in Vancouver's False Creek, collecting water samples as an initial step toward cleaning up the inlet between Science World and English Bay. The project, running until Wednesday, is a collaboration between local non-profit False Creek Friends, scientists from the Hakai Institute coastal research centre, and the City of Vancouver. The blitz is part of a push to see False Creek recognized as an urban marine park or a protected environmental area — as well as somewhere people can safely swim — beginning with a biological inventory to identify as many species in the inlet as possible over six days. Joah Grant reports. (CBC)

Lummi Nation receives $11 million in salmon fishery disaster assistance funding
The Lummi Nation is set to receive more than $11 million in fishery disaster assistance funding to compensate for recent salmon fishery disasters the Tribe has faced in the past decade. according to Sen. Patty Murray, as part of more than $16 million in disaster relief funding for the Lummi Nation and three other Tribes in the region. David Rasbach reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Despite Biden's promises, logging poses major threat to PNW forests
On Earth Day this year, President Joe Biden visited Seattle’s Seward Park — home to 200-year-old stands of bigleaf maple and western red cedar covered in moss and licorice fern — where he gave a speech and signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the nation’s forests, communities and local economies. Section 2 of the executive order recognizes the value of mature and old-growth forests as natural tools against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. After all, big trees store a lot of carbon, and protecting older forests helps maintain healthy ecosystems and critical habitat. The order also directs the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to inventory these forests on federal lands and develop policies that conserve them as a linchpin of U.S. climate policy. By the time all that comes to fruition, however, many of these forests could be gone. Rochelle Gluzman reports. (InvestigateWest)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 240 AM PDT Tue Sep 6 2022
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming NE 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy fog.
TONIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Friday, September 2, 2022

9/2 Bull trout, 'clam garden,'BC spraying, orca encounter, orca penalty, Mt Polley discharge, downtown geology

Bull trout [Oregon Zoo]

Bull trout Salvelinus confluentus
The bull trout is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden", but was reclassified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (1998) and as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Wikipedia)

Swinomish Tribe builds US’s first modern ‘clam garden,' reviving ancient practice
Since time immemorial, as the saying goes, people in what is now Washington and British Columbia farmed the sea with a type of environmental engineering called clam gardening. Around the time Europeans showed up here, the practice was lost. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Herbicide Spraying Divides BC Communities
The BC timber industry says it needs to eradicate ‘pest’ plants. Opponents say they rely on these plants for sustenance and culture. Shaurya Kshatri reports. (The Tyee)

If you like to watch: Close encounter with orcas delights Quadra Island visitor
Callum Macnab of Victoria was standing in the water but scrambled out when four orcas swam by within metres of him. (video) Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Threat to killer whales highlighted in case of B.C. diver who got too close for comfort
A research biologist whose photographs helped secure a $12,000 fine against a B.C. man accused of getting too close to killer whales says strong penalties are needed to protect the magnificent mammals from curious humans. Karina Dracott provided investigators with images used to identify a pod of northern resident killer whales disturbed by a scuba diver who placed his boat directly in their path as they passed through Prince Rupert's harbour in April 2020. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

Environmental Appeal Board upholds Mt. Polley copper discharge target
The mine was allowed to begin to discharge treated wastewater directly into Quesnel Lake in the B.C. Interior after it started up two years after the catastrophic collapse of a rock-and-earth dam in 2014. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

The Politics of a Great Unconformity
David B. Williams in Street Smart Naturalist writes: "One of my favorite places to see urban geology in Seattle is in the downtown corridor’s Light Rail stations. In particular, the one under Westlake Mall has rock ranging in age from tens of thousands of years old (travertine from New Mexico) to 3.5 billion years old (gneiss from Morton, Minnesota.) To a geologist, this station is a pleasure ground but it also a bit disturbing because geologically juxtaposed rocks such as the travertine and gneiss are an unconformity, or a missing time gap..." (Street Smart Naturalist)

#SalishSea News Week in Review 9/2/22: Coconut Friday, Anjali Appadurai, Pacific marten, Bristol Bay sockeye, urban trees, data center water, 'woody debris,' orca encounter

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 251 AM PDT Fri Sep 2 2022
TODAY 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 4 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy drizzle and fog after midnight.
SAT NW wind to 10 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy drizzle and fog in the morning.
SAT NIGHT SW wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

9/1 Dogfish, 'woody debris,' forage fish, animal crossings, data centers, Conservation Corps, youth transit, Jay Inslee

Spiny dogfish [Seattle Aquarium]

Spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias
Dogfish are small, bottom-dwelling sharks that live along the northern Pacific and Atlantic coasts. They are able to travel long distances, and their habitat can range from dark depths of 3,000 feet to shallower waters receiving ample sunlight. Dogfish can live for over 40 years, and in the Pacific they have even been known to live as long as 70 years. (Seattle Aquarium)

Study raises questions about using ‘woody debris’ to restore streams
Efforts to improve salmon streams damaged by past logging and other human activities commonly include the addition of carefully placed logs, tree roots or “woody debris” to mimic this natural system. But a new report raises questions about the value of adding wood to streams — at least in the way it has been done in many restoration projects. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Stewardship groups from around the Salish Sea come together for forage fish conservation
Since the early 2000s, stewardship groups around the Salish Sea have been involved in monitoring the intertidal spawning of forage fish and documenting where and when they spawn. Surf smelt and Pacific sand lance, two of the seven forage fish species in British Columbia, are the only ones that spawn on coastal beaches (intertidally). Jennifer Sutherst reports. (Comox Valley Record)

Animal crossings over and under highways can save big dollars — not just lives — says new study
Collisions between vehicles and large animals, like deer, are not only scary. The medical, car repair and cleanup costs really add up. That is according to a new study out of Washington State University that supports the case for building more wildlife crossings on highways. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Data centers, backbone of the digital economy, face water scarcity and climate risk
For years, companies that operate data centers have faced scrutiny for the huge amounts of electricity they use storing and moving digital information like emails and videos. Now, the U.S. public is beginning to take notice of the water many facilities require to keep from overheating. Like cooling systems in large office buildings, water often is evaporated in data center cooling towers, leaving behind salty wastewater known as blowdown that has to be treated by local utilities. Michael Copley reports. (NPR)

Seattle program helps homeless people and neighborhoods at the same time
Established in 1986 and modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps (the New Deal program that put young men to work in parks and forests during the Great Depression), Seattle’s Corps has operated mostly under the radar, based in a dilapidated old military hangar in Magnuson Park. The Parks Department manages the program, which seems tailor-made for Seattle today, where skyrocketing housing costs have spawned a street camping crisis, exacerbated by inadequate care for people struggling with mental health challenges, trauma and drugs. The Corps caters to a particularly marginalized group of people experiencing homelessness: those recovering from addiction or recently released from incarceration. Daniel Beekman reports. (Seattle Times)

Free transit starts today for most youths across WA
Young transit riders in most of Washington won’t pay their bus fares today or any day until they turn 19, as agencies across the state pivot toward providing free rides for people 18 and under...The shift is one piece of a massive 16-year, nearly $17 billion transportation funding measure passed mostly along party lines during the 2022 legislative session in Olympia. While the package included billions in new spending on roads and highways, Democratic lawmakers set aside more than $3 billion for transit in the state, over the opposition of the minority Republicans. About half of that is available to local transit agencies on the condition they make trains, buses and ferries free for youth. Every agency has signaled they will do so. David Kroman reports. (Seattle Times)

Opinion: Gov. Jay Inslee Is Taking a Well-Earned Climate Victory Lap
...Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington wasn’t just a novelty candidate in the 2020 primaries, but he did become something of an instrumental one: bringing debates again and again back to climate issues and pushing the green growth opportunities of decarbonization closer to the center of the Democratic policy vibe space. (When Joe Biden started saying, again and again on the campaign trail, “When I think about climate change, I think about jobs,” he might as well have been cribbing from Inslee.) David Wallace-Wells writes. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 208 AM PDT Thu Sep 1 2022
TODAY W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.