Salish Sea News and Weather

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

11/9 Witch's hair, 'Brazil of the North,' polluter catalogue, Coastal GasLink, Stanwood fishing

Witch’s Hair [Dennis Paulson]

Witch’s Hair Alectoria sarmentosa
Witch’s Hair hangs from conifer branches in moist forests, especially in the more open old-growth forests where much sunlight penetrates. It is more desiccation-resistant than many other lichens and mosses, so it grows well in the upper canopy where the humidity is lower and winds are higher. It does equally well on lower branches where enough sunlight is present. Alectoria looks much like Old Man’s Beard, Usnea, but lacks the central stemlike cords that characterize that genus. (Slater Museum)

The “Brazil of the North” Grapples with Cutting its Old Growth Forests
British Columbia’s government proudly announced this past week that logging of old-growth forests in the province, once nicknamed “Brazil of the north” for its vast clearcuts, has declined to a record low in the past six years. Not low enough, critics responded. The movement against cutting ancient forests has seen protests and sit-ins from Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island, where 1,200 people have been arrested, to Argonaut Creek north of Revelstoke in B.C.’s interior rain forests. The R.C.M.P. has spent $9 million (Canadian) policing the Fairy Creek protests. Joel Connelly writes. (Post Alley)

Who’s Driving Climate Change? New Data Catalogs 72,000 Polluters and Counting
A nonprofit backed by Al Gore and other big environmental donors says it can track emissions down to individual power plants, oil fields and cargo ships. Raymond Zhong reports. (NY Times)

‘You will be arrested’: Coastal GasLink security denies Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief access to monitor project construction
Private security workers told Chief Na’moks he would be arrested if he walked past a gate on a forest service road. RCMP on location did not speak with the Chief. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

The fishing history of Stanwood, Camano Island
The marine bounty of the Salish Sea near the Stanwood and Camano Island area has been harvested for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence shows that the Indigenous people’s way of life included fishing, clamming and gathering a variety of aquatic life from the waterways of northern Puget Sound. With the arrival of Euro-Americans in the Stillaguamish Valley in the 1800s and the ensuing 1855 Treaty of Point Elliot, embattled tribes ceded the land which also resulted in diminished access to much of the water’s abundance. Mary Jennings reports. (Stanwood-Camano News)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 302 AM PST Wed Nov 9 2022
TODAY E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. NW swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT W wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 2 ft at 7 seconds.

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Tuesday, November 8, 2022

11/8 Hermit crab sponge, herring homecoming, dead crabs, heat pumps, B'ham carbon, U.S. climate, road salt, derelict boats, ocean acid

Hermit crab sponge [Sound Water Stewards]

Hermit crab sponge Suberites sp.
Although sponge of this genus is well known because of its tendency to overgrow a snail shell being carried around by a hermit crab, on Whidbey Island beaches, we most often see it as a lobe shaped encrusting mass attached to shaded areas of rock in the very low intertidal zone. It has a firm leathery texture and is colored tan to yellow-orange. The mass may be up to 1.2 in (3 cm) thick and may reach a diameter of 14 in (36 cm) Its range extends from the very low intertidal to a depth of 118 feet (36 meters). Sponges are filter feeders. This sponge is preyed upon by nudibranchs. (Sound Water Stewards)

Welcoming Herring Home
In Howe Sound, British Columbia, a new generation of stewards is keeping careful tabs on the comeback efforts of a tiny fish with big cultural value. Lauren Kaljur reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change
...(P)iles of dead Dungeness crab washed ashore on Kalaloch Beach this summer. Meanwhile, fishers have shared stories about hoisting up dead or suffocating crabs in their pots, said Jenny Waddell, research ecologist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.Now, scientists are working to understand how climate change is affecting Dungeness crab, which is both culturally significant and a pillar of Washington’s seafood industry. From 2014 to 2019, coast-caught Dungeness was worth an annual average of $45 million. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

WA building council votes to require heat pumps in new homes and apartments
New homes and apartments in Washington will be required to install heat pumps beginning in July, the Washington State Building Code Council ruled Friday. The council voted 9-5 last week on the ruling, a decision that could help the state further reduce carbon emissions by electrifying the heating systems of new buildings. The council, which is appointed by the governor, voted in April to revise the state’s building code to require heat pumps in large and commercial buildings. Nicholas Turner reports. (Seattle Times)

Bellingham not on track to meet established carbon pollution targets
Bellingham is not on track to meet its carbon pollution minimization goals, city council members learned during a Monday Climate Action Committee Meeting. The goals, established by the city’s initial Climate Action Plan in 2007 and updated in 2018, call for the city to reduce overall carbon pollution by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, compared to baseline measures taken in 2000. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

Climate change threatening ‘things Americans value most,’ U.S. report says
Climate change is unleashing “far-reaching and worsening” calamities in every region of the United States, and the economic and human toll will only increase unless humans move faster to slow the planet’s warming, according to a sprawling new federal report released Monday. Brady Dennis, Chris Mooney and Steven Mufson report. (Washington Post)

Researchers investigate impact of road salt on salmon
A group of researchers, including staff from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, UBC, SFU, BCIT and volunteers with local stream-keepers groups, is beginning a study to look into the impact of road salt on salmon in creeks around Metro Vancouver. According to the group, there's already research showing that high concentrations of salt in freshwater — where salmon begin their lives — can be harmful, but it's not known exactly how much salt is winding up in streams around Metro Vancouver, and it hasn't been established that the effects on Pacific salmon are the same as those on Atlantic salmon that have already been studied. Rafferty Baker reports. (CBC)

Transport Canada to dispose of 11 derelict vessels in False Creek
Transport Canada has served notice it will seize and dispose of 11 vessels moored in False Creek that the federal agency deems wrecked, abandoned or hazardous. Owners have 30 days from publication of a notice to remove abandoned boats before Transport Canada hauls them out of the water to dispose of. Gordon McIntyre reports (Vancouver Sun)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Researchers, growers face the challenge of acidic ocean water: Dealing with the problem of ocean acidification is like trying to work a 1,000-piece puzzle without “the picture of what it’s supposed to look like and … missing half the pieces.” Read it here. Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 253 AM PST Tue Nov 8 2022
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING
TODAY E wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Combined seas 4 to 7 ft with a dominant period of 11 seconds.
TONIGHT E wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. NW swell 2 ft at 9 seconds.

Monday, November 7, 2022

11/7 Blue frog, Fraser River, Nechako Reservoir, ocean acid, SE AK troll fishing, octo leg shake, whale collision, tribe partnership

Blue frog [Jim Diers]

Into the forests of Vashon on a quest for a blue frog
Katherine True writes of her quest for the blue frog of Vashon Island. (Vashon Beachcomber)

Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river
The Fraser River, long known as “the mighty one,” —Tacoutche Tesse, to local Carrier speakers— faces challenges from human intrusion, climate change and more. Part 1: Not the Columbia. Eric Scigliano reports. (Salish Current)

70 Years After the Flood: The Devastation of the Nechako Reservoir
On Oct. 8, 1952, the Kenney Dam blocked the flow of water into the Nechako River, forming a massive reservoir and hydroelectric facility to create an aluminium industry. Seventy years later, The Tyee explores the lasting impacts of the Nechako Reservoir and work underway to restore some of its damage. First in a three-part series. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Researchers, growers face the challenge of acidic ocean water
Salish Sea waters are acidifying faster than ever before, but researchers in Washington are leading the world in addressing the looming disaster. Rena Kingery reports. (Salish Current)

Lawsuit seeks to block Southeast Alaska troll fishing to increase salmon for orcas
How much should Alaskan fishing be curtailed to provide more food for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales? It is an important question, enmeshed in conflicting federal priorities and provoked by a lawsuit brought by Wild Fish Conservancy, a Seattle-based conservation group. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Watch: B.C. diver shakes a leg with giant Pacific octopus
“Its tentacles were reaching through the camera to feel my face and then at some point, it had crawled on my body, on my hips, and was giving me a hug,” said B.C. scuba diver Andrea Humphreys. Nono Shen reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Reducing collisions between ships and whales? There's apps for that, but they need work
...Three separate teams have developed smartphone-based systems that can alert commercial mariners to watch out, slow down or change course when whales have been sighted nearby. A recent ride-along on a big container ship demonstrated that real-time whale alerts are still a work in progress. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Opinion: Make tribes equal funding partners with WA in salmon recovery efforts
Our state’s approach to salmon recovery isn’t working. At a government-to-government meeting on Oct. 24, Gov. Jay Inslee asked Lummi Nation representatives if we disagree with the way salmon recovery money is being spent. The answer is yes. Lisa Wilson writes. (Seattle Times)

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads.
Catch the Current here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 219 AM PST Mon Nov 7 2022
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
TODAY NE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming E 25 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Combined seas 8 to 10 ft with a dominant period of 13 seconds. A chance of showers.
TONIGHT NE wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 5 to 8 ft with a dominant period of 12 seconds. A chance of showers in the evening then a slight chance of showers after midnight.

Friday, November 4, 2022

11/4 Pacific chorus frog, surf smelt, acidic waters, NOAA funds, MMPA opinion

Pacific Chorus Frog [Mr.Toad]

Pacific Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla
The Pacific Chorus Frog (also known as the Pacific Treefrog) is perhaps the most abundant amphibian on the west coast of North America. The geographic range of these little frogs extends from British Columbia down to Baja California, and from the Pacific Ocean to Nevada and Montana. Within this huge area, Pacific Chorus Frogs can be found from sea level to over 10,000 feet, in habitats that include deserts and redwood forests. If you live within the range of this frog, you have probably heard them calling, or seen them hopping about. Michael F. Benard writes. (Mr. Toad)

Surf smelt
Our Canadian reader pointed out that yesterday's critter profile gave the mistaken impression that the species in the Salish Sea was limited south of the WA/BC border. To the contrary: "Their range begins in southern Alaska and extends down the coast of North America to southern California. Surf smelt often live quite close to shore, especially as juveniles. A schooling fish, they are found in many coastal estuaries along the Pacific coast, spawning in water as shallow as half a metre, usually on coarse sand or fine gravel beaches. (Fish'n BC)

Researchers, growers face the challenge of acidic ocean water
Salish Sea waters are acidifying faster than ever before, but researchers in Washington are leading the world in addressing the looming disaster. Rena Kingery reports. (Salish Current)

NOAA funds research into ocean conditions
Dangerously low oxygen levels are killing Dungeness crabs off the Pacific Coast and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is awarding $4.2 million over the next four years to research how ocean environments are changing. Peter Segall reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Opinion: Enforce Sen. Magnuson’s ‘little amendment’ to protect Salish Sea
This month marked the 45th anniversary of the late U.S. Sen. Warren Magnuson’s “little amendment” to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The 1977 amendment prohibits federal agencies from granting permits to refineries east of Port Angeles that could result in an increase of crude oil traffic other than that for consumption in Washington. Marcie Keever writes. (Seattle Times)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 11/4/22: King Tut Friday, cedar, rat poison, 'Salmon Seas' proclamation, Capitol Lake future, BC forestry regs, MMPA, BC old growth

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Free to read, free from ads. Catch the Current here.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 304 AM PDT Fri Nov 4 2022
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 8 ft at 10 seconds building to 14 ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon. Rain.
TONIGHT W wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 15 ft at 11 seconds. Rain in the evening then a chance of rain after midnight.
SAT W wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W swell 14 ft at 12 seconds subsiding to 12 ft at 12 seconds in the afternoon. Showers in the morning. A slight chance of tstms. Showers likely in the afternoon.
SAT NIGHT SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 13 ft at 13 seconds.
SUN S wind to 10 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft. W swell 13 ft at 13 seconds.

Thursday, November 3, 2022

11/3 Surf smelt, atmospheric river, MMPA at 50, coastal tribes, Fairy Cr protesters, Howe Sound, BC old growth, island policing

Surf smelt [iNaturalist]

Surf smelt Hypomesus pretiosus
Surf smelt occur abundantly throughout the nearshore marine waters of Washington, from the Columbia River to the Canadian border and into southernmost Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Genetic research suggests that, despite this broad distribution, surf smelt throughout Puget Sound represent a single stock. Surf smelt populations can generally be divided into summer spawners and fall/winter spawners, though year-round spawning has been documented in the Whidbey Basin, Port Susan, portions of the San Juan Islands, and central Puget Sound (Eagle Harbor and Sinclair Inlet). The intertidal nature of surf smelt spawning habitat in Puget Sound has made the species quite vulnerable to shoreline development activities. Some spawning grounds are currently mere remnants of their original extent. The WAC Hydraulic Codes Rules (WAC 220-110) currently regulate the extent to which bulkhead-fill structure can intrude seaward of the high tide line on known smelt spawning beaches and specific seasons during which admissible work can be undertaken. (WDFW)

Atmospheric river expected to arrive in Metro Vancouver
Up to 70 mm of rain and winds gusting up to 80 km/h are expected in Metro Vancouver as an atmospheric river hits the city. Brendan Kergin reports. (Richmond News) Riding the atmospheric river: Heavy rain, wind return for repeat visit Riley Haun reports. (Everett Herald)

Seals and sea lions vex Washington tribes as Marine Mammal Protection Act turns 50
50 years ago, President Nixon signed the Marine Mammal Protection Act into law. The act has been hugely successful in restoring the abundance of the marine species it protects. But some say it’s too successful. Tribes in particular say their treaty rights to fishing are under threat because now, too many seals and sea lions are feasting on endangered salmon. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Here’s Where the U.S. Is Testing a New Response to Rising Seas
Native American tribes are competing for the first federal grants designed to help move communities away from high water and other dangers posed by climate change. Christopher Flavelle reports, (NY Times)

Judge rejects bid by Fairy Creek protesters for hearing on alleged RCMP misconduct
A judge has dismissed an application by 121 Fairy Creek logging protesters for a joint hearing to seek a stay-of-proceedings on the grounds of alleged systemic RCMP misconduct...In September 2021, a judge found that the court’s reputation had been “depreciated” by the manner in which the police carried out the arrests...B.C. Supreme Court Justice Douglas Thompson referred to disquieting lapses in reasonable crowd control, unnecessary force used to subdue protesters and the establishment of unlawfully expansive exclusion zones and checkpoints.... On appeal, the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and the injunction was extended. The province’s highest court focused on what it considered to be the concerted, organized, well-funded and aggressively illegal conduct of the protesters and said it was an error of the judge to conclude the court’s reputation could be tarnished by the conduct of police. Keith Fraser reports. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C.’s Howe Sound, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is a natural wonder
Howe Sound, or Átl’ḵa7tsem in the Squamish language (pronounced At-Kat-sum), is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. UNESCO, the international body,best known for designating World Heritage Sites, also recognizes natural areas where ecological conservation efforts preserve biodiversity amidst human activity. Gregory Scruggs reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. says old-growth logging has reached record lows as critics call for greater transparency
The B.C. government says old-growth logging has reached record lows, but one conservationist is decrying a lack of transparency from the province. In a statement issued Wednesday, the province said logging of old growth has declined 42 per cent from an estimated 65,500 hectares in 2015 to 38,300 hectares in 2021, an area representing 0.3 per cent of the estimated 11.1 million hectares of old growth in the province. It also said 0.23 per cent of priority at-risk old growth identified by an independent panel last November was logged in the past year. (CBC)

Some BC Old-Growth Review Findings Blocked by Forestry Execs
Internal communications released to The Tyee through access to information laws, as well as interviews with panel members, show the province attempted to limit the information about B.C.’s remaining old growth that would be shared with the public. Some of the province’s attempts were successful. Zoë Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

What do ‘community policing’ and ‘police reform’ mean … in the islands?
Mayberry RFD or Hazzard County? Read Kathryn Wheeler's story in the Salish Current about community policing in the San Juan islands facing changing times. YOUR REGION. YOUR NEWS.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 251 AM PDT Thu Nov 3 2022
TODAY SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Rain.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

11/2 Slime mold, green crab, BC forestry reg, Pt Hudson breakwater, Coastal GasLink, cyberthreats, Salish Current

Fuligo septica [C. Vecchio/NPS]

Slime molds
At least 60 species of slime mold can be found in Mount Rainier National Park. "Slime mold?" you ask. "What's a slime mold?" These remarkable organisms were once thought to be fungal, but advanced scientific analyses show them to be something which doesn’t fit within the system of taxonomic rank. They are not molds despite the name, although they exhibit characteristics common to fungi, but also to those demonstrated by animals. Scientists were puzzled as to where to place them in the taxonomic structure, and eventually they were relegated to a catch-all Kingdom of unrelated eukaryotic organisms (those with enclosed cellular nuclei) known as "Protoctista," a term sometimes used synonymously with the word "protist" (the latter now being used as a matter of convenience rather than in the taxonomic sense). In other words, a protist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, plant, or fungus. (National Park Service)

Invasive green crab numbers soar, trapping efforts wrapping up
Skagit County has seen a large uptick of invasive European green crabs over the past two months. As of Oct. 21, 109 European green crabs have been caught in Samish Bay since the start of the year, according to Northwest Straits Commission Project Coordinator Jeff Whitty. The majority of the crabs were caught between late September and early October. Racquel Muncy reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Emails Reveal a Key Forestry Regulation Is ‘Out of Whack’
B.C.’s cornerstone forest regulation, the annual allowable cut, sets out how many trees can be cut down each year with the intent of sustaining the industry for years to come. But a legal loophole can allow companies to log beyond the limit for years with no repercussions. Zoë Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

Point Hudson breakwater removed
The north end of the Point Hudson Marina is gone, leaving a gaping opening to the marina until it is replaced with a newer breakwater, expected to be in March. The south side will be replaced after the Wooden Boat Festival next September. Steve Mullensky reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Coastal GasLink Halts Work on Pipeline Section
Coastal GasLink halted construction on a section of its pipeline route about 100 kilometres north of Prince George over failures to live up to a compliance agreement with the Environment Ministry. The halt follows an Oct. 14 order issued to the company by the ministry, which confirmed the shutdown Monday. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

Vigilance! Security against cyberthreat is a 24/7 need
Read Matt Benoit's story in Salish Current about a nationally recognized program in cybersecurity at Whatcom Community College that gives students an opportunity to develop systems and applications to keep personal computers and organizational networks safe from cyberthreats. Support independent, free to read, fact-based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. YOUR REGION. YOUR NEWS.

Have you read the Salish Current?
Independent, free to read, fact-based news free from advertising for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. This week: Cybersecurity threats, feeding people, policing on islands, letters, area news briefs. Catch the Current here. YOUR REGION. YOUR NEWS.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 253 AM PDT Wed Nov 2 2022
TODAY N wind to 10 kt becoming SE in the afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft. W swell 8 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of drizzle in the morning.
TONIGHT SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft. W swell 7 ft at 12 seconds subsiding to 5 ft at 11 seconds after midnight.

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

11/1 Dead man's fingers, Capitol Lake, Indigenous 'Salmon Seas' proclamation, Skagit Farms fine, tribal food sovereignty, feeding the people, bats

Sea Sac [Seaweeds of Pacific NW]

Dead Man’s Fingers/Sea Sac Halosaccion glandiforme
Resembling clusters of inflated rubber glove fibers, the name 'dead man's fingers' is highly descriptive of this seaweed's shape. Sometimes the 'fingers' will be deflated but usually they are filled with water. This species varies in color from purple-red to yellowy-green or brownish. While it can reach 30 cm tall, it is more commonly found at half that size or less. The 'fingers' attach to rocks via small disc-shaped holdfasts. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

State announces its official recommendation for future of Capitol Lake
The state’s Department of Enterprise Services will recommend allowing Capitol Lake to revert to an estuary, its final Environmental Impact Statement for Capitol Lake says. It’s really the only choice, if the water is to ever meet state quality standards again, according to an Oct. 31 news release from the DES. Estuary restoration achieves project goals such as improving water quality and managing sediment better than the other alternatives, which were managing the lake as is or creating a hybrid of a lake and estuary. An estuary also will allow for more community use, with healthier waters for recreation. And it restores more than 80 acres of marsh habitat that once existed in the area. Ty Vinson reports. (Olympian)

Indigenous people of the ‘Salmon Seas’ sign proclamation at Woodland Park Zoo
Dozens of Indigenous knowledge keepers, leaders and fishers from around the Salish Sea, Southeast Alaska and the Sea of Okhotsk gathered at Woodland Park Zoo over the weekend. They shared ancestral knowledge, ceremony and strategies to protect salmon and the people who have cared for them since time immemorial. The goal was to reinvoke Indigenous knowledge in conversations about salmon recovery, Se’Si’Le co-executive director Kurt Russo said. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Settlement for unauthorized irrigation in Skagit Valley benefits salmon
Skagit Valley Farm has agreed to pay $138,500 toward salmon restoration efforts in the Skagit area as part of a settlement agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology over unauthorized irrigation. (Dept. of Ecology)

How tribes, local organizations are bolstering food sovereignty
The U.S. government weaponized Indigenous reliance on traditional foods. Now, food sovereignty movements are taking back agency and rebuilding access. Luna Reyna reports. (Crosscut)

Who will farm to feed the people?
Read Kai Uyehara's story in Salish Current about farm centers equipping and empowering a new generation of farmers as their predecessors age. Support independent, free to read, fact-based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. YOUR REGION. YOUR NEWS.

'Yogurt for bats': A new way to fight a deadly pandemic
A deadly disease spreads across the country. Millions die as scientists race to develop vaccines and medicines that can lower the death toll. Covid-19? No, this disease is called white-nose syndrome, and its victims are bats. The bat-slaying fungus has gotten a foothold, or winghold, in Washington state, but scientists are racing to outflank this fungal disease before it decimates bats in the Northwest as it has back East. John Ryan reports. (KUOW) See also: Forget Halloween — here's the scary story of a fungus coming for B.C.'s bats Georgie Smyth reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 244 AM PDT Tue Nov 1 2022
TODAY SE wind to 10 kt becoming NE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers and a slight chance of tstms.
TONIGHT NW wind to 10 kt becoming E 5 to 15 kt after midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers.