Salish Sea News and Weather

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

9/20 Chanterelle, fossil fuel database, many ants

Chanterelle

Chanterelle
Chanterelle is the common name of several species of fungi in the genera Cantharellus, Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus. They are among the most popular of wild edible mushrooms. They are orange, yellow or white, meaty and funnel-shaped. (Wikipedia)

First public global database of fossil fuels launches
A first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world’s fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions launched on Monday to coincide with climate talks taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels includes data from over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries, covering 75% of global reserves, production and emissions. The tool is available for public use, a first for a collection this size. Drew Costley reports. (Associated Press)

Scientists have calculated how many ants are on Earth. The number is so big it’s ‘unimaginable.’
The staggering new estimate from scientists brings into relief ants’ astonishing ubiquity at a time of growing concern about insects dying off. Dino Grandoni reports. (Washington Post)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 256 AM PDT Tue Sep 20 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY SE wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the afternoon. NW swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT E wind to 10 kt becoming SE after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 4 ft at 13 seconds.

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"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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Monday, September 19, 2022

9/19 Cabezon, sunken boat, Squamish R, Navy sand, BC sea gardens, protecting whales, red dye, Hutchinson Cr, Duwamish R

Cabezon [Steve Lonhart/WikiCommons]

Cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
Cabezon is the largest of the sculpin species found in Washington waters. Cabezon can grow up to 99 cm (38.9 in) in length, and 6.8 kg (15 lbs) in weight. Maximum age is at least 14 years old. They range from Sitka, Alaska, to central Baja, California. They are found from the intertidal to 76 m (250 ft) in depth. They are demersal, solitary, and usually associated with reefs, boulders, kelp beds, or eelgrass. (WDFW)

Coast Guard postpones effort to remove sunken fishing boat after lifting it to surface
Salvage crews raised a sunken fishing boat from the bottom of the sea near San Juan Island Saturday, but they have been unable to remove enough fuel and seawater from the vessel to lift it onto a barge and transport it away from the critical orca habitat where it sank 5 weeks ago. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Inside a 50-year journey to reopen the ‘lungs’ of the Squamish River
A company built a spit that blocked salmon from accessing crucial habitat — then it left. Decades later, the Squamish Nation, local environmentalists and the federal government have worked together to finally break open the barrier and reconnect a fractured estuary. Stephanie Wood reports. (The Narwhal)

Navy placing 10,000 yards of sand on Puget Sound seafloor as part of legal settlement
The Navy is placing about 10,000 cubic yards of sand onto the seafloor of Sinclair Inlet as part of a legal settlement with the state, the Suquamish Tribe, and environmental groups. A contractor's sand-filled barge currently rests above the former site of the USS Independence, a retired aircraft carrier whose hull was scraped for marine life in 2017 before it was sent to a Texas scrapyard for dismantling. But the tribe, along with other groups, alleged in a lawsuit the hull-scraping actually released copper, zinc and other pollutants into the Puget Sound inlet. The work, at a cost of $2.4 million, is known as the "Thin Layer Placement (TLP) project" ... The settlement requires the Navy to place sand at a depth of 4 to 9 inches over 8 total acres on the seafloor. Josh Farley reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Indigenous leaders hope to restore the culinary and cultural bounty of ancient B.C. sea gardens
For years, academics wondered about the origins of the long string of rocks piled along the tide line. The answer came when they spoke to local First Nations, who said the rocks were sea gardens created by their ancestors as cultivation sites thousands of years ago. Indigenous peoples used the tides to trap clams, mussels, kelp and fish in the shallows once the water receded. Now, Indigenous leaders hope to gain approval for clam harvesting at the sea garden site on Salt Spring Island's coast, and another at nearby Russell Island in Gulf Islands National Park, both of which are undergoing restoration. They are thousands of years old. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Patrolling the Salish Sea: How B.C.'s whale protection unit keeps marine mammals safe by keeping humans away
DFO officers based on Annacis Island in Vancouver and Victoria monitor whale habitat, and enforce the Marine Mammal Regulations, Species at Risk Act and the Fisheries Act. [Senior Compliance Officer Derek] Chung says the main responsibilities are making sure boats don't get too close — either inadvertently or on purpose — and that people stay out of areas designated as "no-go zones" due to their popularity among marine mammals. Josh Grant reports. (CBC)

Follow that plume: Scientists dye Whidbey waters to protect shellfish
A boat followed a red plume through dark waters on Monday, traveling slowly. The plume spread, moving south between Whidbey and Camano islands and north to Deception Pass. That morning, scientists had added harmless food dye to treated wastewater from the Oak Harbor Clean Water Facility, the city’s sewage treatment plant. It was then released into Puget Sound, staining the waters red for the day. Scientists tracked the dye’s movement and measured concentrations. It was part of a five-day study on shellfish safety, led by scientists from the state Department of Health and Food and Drug Administration. Jacqueline Allison reports. (Everett Herald)

Nooksack River restoration at Hutchinson Creek a major success
Logjam construction projects along the south fork of the Nooksack River have been instrumental in supporting ongoing salmon habitat restoration, according to watershed restoration coordinators from the Nooksack Indian Tribe... Several of the manmade logjams were on display Friday for a public tour hosted by the Tribe during Whatcom Water Week. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

The Once and Future River
The Duwamish has been a vital waterway for Indigenous peoples for generations. Now it’s largely invisible, drastically reshaped, and among the most polluted rivers in the nation. Can it be saved? BJ Cummings writes. (Humanities Washington)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 234 AM PDT Mon Sep 19 2022
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.

Friday, September 16, 2022

9/16 River otter, sewage settlement, flood survivors, Lululemon gift, Aleutian Isle recovery, BC floods and fires, fisher, female hummers, salmon poaching

River otter [American Rivers]

River otter Lutra canadensis
River otters have long, streamlined bodies, short legs, webbed toes, and long, tapered tails—all adaptations for their mostly aquatic lives. Although seldom seen, river otters are relatively common throughout Washington in ponds, lakes, rivers, sloughs, estuaries, bays, and in open waters along the coast. River otters are sometimes mistaken for their much larger seagoing cousin, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris). However, male sea otters measure 6 feet in length and weigh 80 pounds. Sea otters are acclimated to salt water, and come to shore only for occasional rest periods and to give birth. In comparison, river otters can be found in fresh, brackish, or salt water, and can travel overland for considerable distances. (WDFW)

Tribe, county, reach $5M settlement deal over sewage spills
Washington state’s most populous county is set to pay more than $5 million to settle a threatened lawsuit from the Suquamish Tribe over sewage spills that have overflowed from King County treatment plants into Puget Sound. The facility is the largest sewage treatment plant in Washington and the third largest on the West Coast. The discharges added up to more than 6 million gallons. (Associated Press)

Flood survivors face next flood season while awaiting long-term fixes
Flood season is coming faster than housing solutions, as recovery from November 2021 flooding continues in Whatcom County. Kai Uyehara reports. (Salish Current)

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson gifts $100M to help protect nature in B.C.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. founder and billionaire Chip Wilson is donating $100 million to the B.C. Parks Foundation to help protect and enhance the province's nature. Adena Ali reports. (Canadian Press)

What’s known, not known about Aleutian Isle recovery
An update on the sunken vessel Aleutian Isle off the west coast of San Juan Island details the extreme hazards involved in recovering the boat. (San Juan County Emergency Management)

New coalition calls for targets to reduce risk of floods, wildfires
Climate Proof Canada, makes the recommendations just as the federal Liberal government is expected to release a climate adaptation strategy before the next international climate conference in Egypt in November. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Lawsuit aims to protect a rare West Coast carnivore, the fisher
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government to protect the fisher under the Endangered Species Act more than 20 years ago. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed the fisher deserved endangered-species protection but said other species’ recovery efforts – many of them court-ordered – were higher priorities for the agency’s limited funding. Eventually, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to protect fishers, but only in Southern California. Now the activist group is suing to give the fisher endangered-species protections up and down the West Coast. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Female hummingbirds are disguising as males to avoid aggression
When you think of a hummingbird you probably think of a small sweet bird. But, hummingbirds are also very aggressive, especially males. According to a new study, some female hummingbirds are evolving to look like males to avoid aggression. Natalie Akane Newcomb reports. (KUOW)

DFO has 'investigations ongoing' into Fraser River salmon poaching
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it’s following-up on reports of large containers of illegally caught sockeye salmon being left to waste around Steveston Harbour. Poaching salmon is an endemic concern on the Fraser River fishing but is heightened this year because commercial fisheries have remained closed due to disappointingly low returns of sockeye salmon runs that are in the peak year of their four-year reproductive cycle. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 9/16/22: Guacamole Friday, racist names, BC forestry, restoring the Fraser, BC greenhouse goals, Colstrip buyout, end of OR coal, Chouinard's gift, WA toxins, Lululemon gift

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 245 AM PDT Fri Sep 16 2022
TODAY W 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 8 seconds. A chance of showers 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 9 seconds.
SAT Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT NIGHT W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SE to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds.
SUN Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

9/15 Big brown bat, WA key toxic pollutants, Hood Canal Bridge steelhead, Chouinard's gift, Boardman stack, eyes of specialists, Caroline Gibson Scholars

Big brown bat [Ty Smedes]

Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
The Big brown bat is found in virtually every American habitat ranging from timberline meadows to lowland deserts, though this species is most abundant in deciduous forest areas. It also is often abundant in suburban areas of mixed agricultural use. This species ranges from extreme northern Canada, throughout the United States and south to the extreme southern tip of Mexico. Traditionally, these bats form maternity colonies beneath loose bark and in small cavities of pine, oak, beech, bald cypress, and other trees. Common maternity roosts can also be found in buildings, barns, bridges, and bat houses. (BatCon)

EPA Must Act on Toxics, Court Orders
A federal court ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 30 to take the first step towards updating Washington’s water quality standards for 17 key toxic pollutants known to harm endangered salmon, steelhead, and the Southern Resident killer whales that depend upon them. The order is the result of federal district court Judge Marcia J. Pechman’s earlier finding that EPA is compelled to address the Washington Department of Ecology’s long-standing failure to protect aquatic species from toxic pollution after having “unreasonably abandoned its role for years.” ...In the revised court order signed Aug. 30, EPA will move quickly to grant NWEA’s petition and take federal actions on Washington’s water quality standards for nine toxic pollutants: arsenic, cadmium, copper, cyanide, mercury, selenium, nickel, acrolein, and aluminum. Within three years, the federal agency will take action on eight additional pollutants: chromium III, DDT and its metabolites, endosulfan, endrin, tributyltin, zinc, lead, and nonylphenol. (Northwest Environmental Advocates)

Add-on structure will begin to address steelhead crisis at the Hood Canal Bridge
The Hood Canal Bridge, which connects the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas, has proven to be a dangerous impediment to juvenile steelhead trout. As many as half of the young migratory steelhead in Hood Canal may get picked off by seals, birds and other predators as the fish try to pass under the floating highway, according to studies. While a permanent solution may be years away, the first step at reducing predation at the bridge may be just around the corner, as construction crews prepare to fabricate a floating structure that could help the fish swim past the bridge with fewer delays.Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company
A half century after founding the outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, the eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire with his unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away. Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe. David Gelles reports. (New York Times)

Boardman smokestack demolition will mark the end of a coal-fired era in Oregon
A contractor is set to demolish the towering smokestack at Portland General Electric’s shuttered coal-fired power plant near Boardman at 10 a.m. Thursday, heralding the end of the era of coal-fired power generation in Oregon. Imported electricity generated from coal still flows through transmission wires across the Pacific Northwest, but that looks to be winding down soon, too. Tom Banse reports. (OPB)

Through the Eyes of Specialists
David B. Williams in Street Smart Naturalist writes: "One of the highlights of writing is the opportunity to be out in the field doing research. I get so much more information from experiencing the landscape, flora, and fauna outside than through a phone call or meeting in town. Plus, I always enjoy seeing a landscape through a specialist’s eyes." (Street Smart Naturalist)

Caroline Gibson Scholars
Congratulations to the Northwest Straits Foundation's 2022 Carolne Gibson Scholarships in Marine Science scholars Mary Margaret Stoll, UW School of Oceanography third-year graduate student; Michael Sadler, UW School of Oceanography doctoral student; and Sarah Gutzmann, Simon Frasier marine science graduate student. They will be recognized and honored at a Sept. 24 reception in Port Townsend.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 240 AM PDT Thu Sep 15 2022
TODAY NW wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.
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.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

9/14 Nutria, BC natural gas, high-speed rail, white crow

Nutria [Wikipedia]

Nutria Myocastor coypus
Nutria are large, semi-aquatic rodents that have robust, highly arched bodies with short legs, and long tails. The most conspicuous identifying features of M. coypus are their white whiskers, and large, rounded tail. Nutrias inhabit marshes, lake edges, and sluggish streams, especially in areas with emergent or succulent vegetation along the banks. Myocastor coypus is native to South America. Its distribution ranges from middle Bolivia and southern Brazil to Tierra del Fuego. As a result of escapes and liberations from fur farms, feral populations now occur in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Why the allure of natural gas is distracting Canada from a sustainable energy future
Climate researchers stress that natural gas bridges can often lead to nowhere as the reliance on natural gas can lock countries into fossil fuels, crowd out low-carbon technologies and risk stranding assets. Amy Janzwood and Heather Millar report, (The Narwhal)

Ultra-high-speed rail: coming to a train stop near you?
Ultra-high-speed rail is inching closer to becoming reality in the Cascadia region as local leaders push for developments in Skagit and Whatcom counties. The Washington State Department of Transportation has been studying options for ultra-high-speed ground transportation for years, but Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau is enthusiastic about its future in Skagit County. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

B.C. shells out $300K to help fund 3rd study into high-speed rail to Washington and Oregon
B.C. is investing $300,000 as its share of the next phase of a study into the construction of a high-speed rail system to Washington state and Oregon. The provincial government has already spent $600,000 on two earlier studies, in 2019 and in 2020. Known as the Cascadia Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation System (UHSGT), the rail line would connect the metro areas of Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. Ali Pitargue reports. (CBC)

Rare white crow sightings excite Kootenay birdwatchers
Lisa Chabot's sighting of a rare white crow this week has challenged the common assumption that all crows are black. Chabot, who lives in Glade, B.C., about 20 kilometres northwest of Castlegar, says she noticed something white fluttering among a group of black crows in her neighbourhood on Monday. David Bradley, the B.C. director of bird conservation organization Birds Canada, says he hesitates to estimate the probability of spotting a white crow, but acknowledges he hasn't seen one over his past 35 years of bird watching. Judging from Chabot's photo, Bradley believes the white crow is leucistic, meaning the animal has reduced black pigmentation in its feathers, but unlike an albino crow, it has normally coloured eyes. He adds that white ravens, which are common on Haida Gwaii, are also leucistic. Winston Szeto reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 244 AM PDT Wed Sep 14 2022
TODAY W 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 8 seconds.
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. W swell 2 ft at 8 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

9/13 Water vole, Frassr R diking, disappearing salmon, BC greenhouse gas, Colstrip wind farm, saving eels

Water vole [Wyoming Game&Fish]

Water vole Microtus richardsoni
The water vole is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus Arvicola, but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American Microtus species. (Wikipedia)

Restoring salmon habitat could help B.C.'s flood problems
Decisions to restrict the mighty Fraser River through extensive diking have had dire consequences for fish. Now B.C. has an opportunity to 'build back better' — but will it? Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

When the salmon disappear
Chinook aren’t just food to First Nations in Yukon, they’re a way of life. But 2022 has the lowest run ever recorded. Jackie Hong reports. (CBC)

B.C. still a long way from meeting greenhouse gas targets
The province set a legislated target of a 16 per cent reduction from 2007 levels by 2025. B.C. has only reduced a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions needed to meet its 2025 targets, according to the updated inventory released by the province last week. Nathan Griffiths reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Operator of Colstrip coal plant to buy out co-owner Puget Sound Energy, install some wind
The operator of Montana’s Colstrip coal-fired power plant said Monday it was buying out one of the site’s co-owners and plans to construct a wind farm nearby that would generate 600 megawatts of electricity. Talen Energy Supply would acquire Puget Sound Energy’s 25 percent share of Colstrip’s two remaining coal-fired units under the deal. The units combined generate about 1,480 megawatts of electricity. (Associated Press)

The Mysterious, Vexing, and Utterly Engrossing Search for the Origin of Eels
To save endangered eels, researchers have been working for decades to figure out where they reproduce. Christina Couch reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 219 AM PDT Tue Sep 13 2022
TODAY Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 1 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 1 ft at 8 seconds.

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.