4/17 Pickleweed, WA drought, logging lands carbon storage, Emerson the seal

 

Pickleweed [Sound Water Stewards]

Pickleweed Salicornia virginica
This species can be found in salt marshes and beaches with low wave energy along the Pacific Coast of the United States and British Columbia, on the American East Coast, and also in Western Europe. This plant belongs to the goosefoot family. Other common names for it include saltwort, sea asparagus, and American glasswort. (Sound Water Stewards)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Struggling state ferry system finds its way in Washington governor’s race

Statewide drought declared due to low snowpack and dry forecast
With winter’s snowstorms largely behind us and summer just weeks away, our state’s low snowpack and forecasts for a dry and warm spring and summer have spurred the Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency for most of Washington. (Dept. of Ecology)

Court ruling clears way for carbon storage projects on state logging lands
A timber industry group and two counties challenged a plan to set aside about 10,000 acres of trees to absorb carbon dioxide and help combat climate change. Laurel Demkovich reports. (Washington State Standard)

Too famous for his own good, Emerson might need to be moved away from selfie-seeking fans
Fisheries agency says it has received reports of people getting their dogs and even their children to approach the elephant seal, putting both them and the animal at risk. Michael John Lo reports. (Times Colonist)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  323 AM PDT Wed Apr 17 2024    
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft  at 9 seconds.  
TONIGHT  N wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 2 ft  at 8 seconds.

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4/16 Basket star, orca calf, PFAS limits, Robert Bullard, kelp forests

Basket star [Seattle Aquarium]

Basket star Asteronychidae
Basket stars are echinoderms (pronounced uh-KAI-nuh-durmz). These marine invertebrates, meaning animals without backbones, belong to the phylum Echinodermata and are characterized by a hard, spiny covering or skin. Basket stars are found all over the world, in the coldest areas of the ocean at depths up to 6,200 feet, as well as in warmer, tropical waters at about 30 feet below the surface. The species at the Seattle Aquarium, Gorgonocephalus eucnemis, is found in the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea to southern California, parts of the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. (Seattle Aquarium)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Keeping wheat’s story — and profits — local

Orphaned B.C. orca may be eating fish, vet says, as rescuers plan new strategy
Rescue crews have been regrouping and planning a new strategy after being outsmarted by the orca last week, but no date had been set for the next attempt. (Canadian Press)  Watch: Up close with orca rescue team in B.C. (CBC)

Washington to adopt new U.S. PFAS limits, but may take two years
The Washington Department of Health plans to lower the limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new lower limits on Wednesday. Donna Gordon Blankinship reports. (Cascade PBS)

Why environmental justice matters, from the founder himself
You might think of environmental justice as an old concept, old as the environmental movement itself. Surely, you say, the father of environmental justice is long gone, his lessons passed down through generations, his legacy enshrined in the marbled annals of history. But you’d be wrong.  Robert Bullard— the father of environmental justice— is very much alive and active.  Bullard is a distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University and director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

Exploring the Forests of the Sea
Under ocean waves, kelp functions much like a forest ecosystem on land. What are we doing to protect it? Paul Tullis reports. (Hakai Magazine)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  302 AM PDT Tue Apr 16 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PDT THIS MORNING    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at  8 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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4/15 Hermit crab sponge, Haida Gwaii, Puyallup Tribe, salmon fishing ban, 'touch tank,' wildfires

Hermit crab sponge

 

 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.(Sound Water Stewards)

Today's top stories in Salish Current: First element of Rosario Resort sale closes this week; My Mexican eclipse

'We were born knowing this is ours': B.C. signs deal recognizing Haida Nation title over Haida Gwaii
The B.C. government and the Council of the Haida Nation have signed an agreement officially recognizing Haida Gwaii's Aboriginal title, more than two decades after the nation launched a legal action seeking formal recognition. (Canadian Press)

Puyallup Tribe to have 17 acres of waterfront land added to reservation
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Act transfers land along the Tacoma waterfront to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, allowing the Tribe to expand its reservation and access to federal benefits associated with it. Katie Campbell reports. (KUOW)

Salmon fishing is banned off the California coast for the second year in a row amid low stocks
Federal fishery managers voted Wednesday to cancel all commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second year in a row, and only the fourth time in state history, because of dwindling stocks. (Associated Press)

Seattle Aquarium’s hands-on tide pool experience is a touch of luxury
The Seattle Aquarium’s Life on the Edge habitat is a type of exhibit colloquially referred to as a “touch tank,” where visitors can politely reach their hands into the water and feel more than 100 species of invertebrates passing over their mammalian fingertips. Tantri Wija writes. (Seattle Times)

Drought, heat raise the risk of a repeat of Canada’s record-breaking wildfires last year
Canada’s emergency preparedness minister warned Wednesday the country’s wildfire season could be more explosive than last year when it led to unprecedented smoke conditions across much of the country and into the United States.  (Associated Press)

Have you read the Salish Current? 
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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Mon Apr 15 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT    
TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 9 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 9 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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4/12 Skunk cabbage, Dan Evans, snowpack, stop mining, heat islands, seaweed farm, SF marshland, week in review

Western skunk cabbage [
Martin Bravenboer/WikiMedia]

Western skunk cabbage Lysichiton americanus
Western skunk cabbage  is found in wet areas along streams and in swamps. Its range extends from Cook Inlet, Alaska, south through British Colombia and the Pacific Northwest states to Santa Cruz county, California, with isolated populations in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. (US Dept. of Agriculture)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Community Voices / Review: ‘The Anxious Generation,’ by Jonathan Haidt

Former WA Gov. Dan Evans feted for energy, conservation work
The state’s other living three-term governor, 98, was recognized by the group  that coordinates energy development in the Columbia Basin. Venice Buhain reports. (Crosscut)

How the Lowest Snowpack in 50 Years Will Hit BC
British Columbia entered this month with the lowest snowpack in more than 50 years, creating risks for BC Hydro, agriculture and the coming fire season. Andrew MacLeod reports. (The Tyee)

Judge orders mining company to stop work next to Everett school
Despite demands to cease work next door to Fairmount Elementary, the company reportedly continued operations at its site. Ta'Leah Van Sistine reports (Everett Herald) 

Portal shows capital region areas most vulnerable to extreme heat
Heat-exposure maps show urban heat islands — high concentrations of people, roads and buildings that make an area hotter— canopy cover of trees and elevation levels where ocean breezes can have a cooling effect. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

A farm off Lummi Island grows its crops underwater
Lummi resident Riley Starks is harvesting seaweed off Lummi Island at the first permitted seaweed farm in Washington state. Eric Riddle reports. (KING)

Making a Marsh out of a Mud Pile
In San Francisco Bay, scientists are looking for a better way to rebuild flagging marshland. Erica Gies reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 4/12/24: Yuri Gagarin Friday, TM pipe, PCB rule, PSE LNG, loggerhead turtle, PFAS limits, WA electricity demand.

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  200 AM PDT Fri Apr 12 2024  
TODAY  N wind to 10 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds.  
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NE to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 11 seconds.  
SAT  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at  10 seconds.  
SAT NIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 to 6 ft at 9 seconds  building to 6 to 7 ft at 9 seconds after midnight.  
SUN  W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 7 to 8 ft at 9 seconds building to 9 ft at 8 seconds in the  afternoon.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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4/11 Salmonberry, WA electricity, BC snowpack, carbon removal, orca calf, WA park fees

Salmonberry [Native Plants PNW]

Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
Rubus, derived from ruber, a latin word for red, is the genus of plants generally called brambles. The epithet spectabilis means spectacular due to Salmonberry’s showy flowers and fruits. Salmonberry is found from southern Alaska to the northern California coast, mostly on the western slope of the Cascades. (Native Plants PNW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Affordable housing opens for occupancy on Bellingham's waterfront

Surge in electricity demand spells trouble for PNW, forecasts show
Power planning forecasts in the Northwest show trouble ahead, in spiking demand for energy, transmission worries and no quick or cheap answers.The state and its neighbors are going to face challenges in keeping the lights on while complying with environmental mandates, including rebuilding salmon runs and meeting commitments to get off fossil fuels, a panel of experts told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in its monthly meeting Tuesday. Lyda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Lowest snowpack since 1970 sparks drought, wildfire concerns
The low snowpack, combined with warm weather, creates “signficantly elevated” drought hazards for the spring and summer. Roxanne Egan-Elliott reports. (Times Colonist)

State considers permit for carbon removal pilot in Port Angeles
A company partnering with the Port of Port Angeles aims to use the natural dynamics of the ocean to pull climate-warming carbon dioxide from the air, starting as soon as this summer. It has begun applying for permits for a two-year pilot project at the port, that said it could safely remove hundreds of tons of carbon a year from the air. Bellamy Paithorp reports. (KNKX)

Chief says rescue effort for stranded orca calf four, five days away as plans ramp up
Ehattesaht Chief Simon John said Wednesday a rescue of the female orca calf from the lagoon could be as early as Sunday or next week. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Washington considers fee hikes for campers and boaters at its state parks
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is considering upping the fees for campsites and mooring. The cost of Discover Passes, which are set in state law, will not change. Laural Demkovich reports. (Washington State Standard)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  305 AM PDT Thu Apr 11 2024    
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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4/10 Serviceberry, drinking water PFAS, water cost, orca calf, floodplains study

 

Saskatoon Serviceberry [Native Plants PNW]

Saskatoon Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia
Saskatoon Serviceberry is a combination of two of its most familiar common names.  Saskatoon comes from the Cree word for Serviceberry.  The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was named after the berry. The plant is found throughout most of Canada and western North America; from Alaska to California in the west. (Native Plants PNW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Little Squalicum Pier will open up the Bellingham Bay

National limit for PFAS in drinking water affects all public wells in WA
The Environmental Protection Agency announced the first national drinking water standard for so-called “forever chemicals” Wednesday that will require testing of thousands of drinking water systems across Washington. So far, the chemicals have been detected in 253 water systems in Washington state, but that doesn’t include thousands of households who drink from private wells, or those that serve 15 or fewer households, which are not subject to state or federal testing requirements. Isabella Breda and Manuel Villa. (Seattle Times)

What you pay for drinking water in Metro Vancouver varies dramatically
The details are found in Metro Vancouver’s most recent water-use report that tracked usage and water rates of the region’s municipalities between 2000 to 2021. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Time ticks down for stranded orca calf as rescue efforts ramp up
The Ehattesaht First Nation says in a statement that it is relying on its traditional knowledge about whales and its territorial waters, along with modern tools, to rescue an orca calf stranded in a remote tidal lagoon. (Canadian Press)

Swinomish tribe receives grant to study river floodplains
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has received a $700,000 grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund to study the Skagit and Samish river floodplains and their flood risks. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  301 AM PDT Wed Apr 10 2024    
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 7 ft at 14 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft at 13 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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4/9 Lilac, orca calf, PSE LNG, burnt sewage, chemical plant pollution, ship-breaking, best bird, loggerhead turtle, wolf protection, PCB standards, "Sounders"

Lilac

Lilac Syringa
Syringa is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere. (Wikipedia)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Pasture or power? Solar talk on San Juan Island

Trapped B.C. orca calf's skin whitening, no sign of emaciation: Fisheries Department
The skin of a young killer whale trapped in a Vancouver Island lagoon is turning white due to the low salinity of the water, but the Fisheries Department says the calf is active and isn't showing signs of emaciation. (Canadian Press)

Puget Sound Energy facility has violated air permit over a dozen times
The 2-year old liquified natural gas plant on the Tacoma Tideflats has been issued more than a dozen violations of the facility’s air permit by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Bellingham receives notice its wastewater plant violated air quality standards
Bellingham's wastewater treatment plant was notified on March 27 by the Northwest Clean Air Agency that its burnt sewage violated emission limits and standards. (Bellingham Herald)

Environmental Protection Agency Limits Pollution From Chemical Plants
The new regulation is aimed at reducing the risk of cancer for people who live close to plants emitting toxic chemicals. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

Vancouver Island ship-breaking site hit with stop-pollution order
he company taking apart derelict vessels in Union Bay, B.C., has been hit with a pollution abatement order from the province. Deep Water Recovery is illegally allowing toxic effluent to run off into Baynes Sound and the marine environment off Vancouver Island's east coast, B.C.'s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has found. Madeline Dunnett reports. (The Discourse/CBC)

Watch: B.C.’s best bird crowned
Linda Bakker, co-executive director of the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C., breaks down how the Anna’s hummingbird beat 32 birds in a bracket to decide B.C.'s best bird. (CBC)

Rare sea turtle discovered dead on North Island
Another loggerhead sea turtle has surfaced on Vancouver Island, hundreds of kilometres north of its natural range in the open Pacific Ocean. The turtle was found dead on Friday by hikers at Nels Bight near Cape Scott on the North Island.It was the second loggerhead turtle discovered on the Island in three months, after a 38-kilogram female was found alive but severely hypothermic in “cold shock” floating in bull kelp off Metchosin on Feb. 4. Darren Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Environmental groups challenge decision not to federally protect wolves across the West
Conservation groups are taking the federal government to court over environmental protections for gray wolves across the West. Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded western gray wolves did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. If those protections had been granted, they would have applied to wolves in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington, where those states have the highest concentrations of wolves. Wolves in remaining portions of those states are federally listed as endangered. April Ehrlich reports. (OPB)

Comment: Feds deny Washington’s request for stricter PCB standards
Regarding yesterday's story, local biologist  Don Norman writes: "The article reminded me of a similar issue when I worked on the Superfund Issue back in the late 1990s.  When the research showed that great blue herons were being impacted, likely by chemical exposure in the Hylebos compared to other nearby colonies, there was a petition to EPA about protection of higher trophic level species from such exposure. It was denied.  The reason was that there were such huge contaminated areas on the east coast.  Those east coast areas would never achieve any cleanup with those lower limits.  As an aside, I am reviewing great blue heron colonies this spring and summer to determine how populations are doing in the Salish Sea, as monitoring of this Priority Species has been, apparently, dropped by WDFW.  If you have any knowledge of any heron colonies, I would love to hear from you at pugetsoundbird@gmail.com ."

Welcome the Whales Parade and Festival
Orca Network and the Langley Chamber of Commerce will host the annual event on April 13-14 featuring a full schedule of activities for all ages. The event celebrates the return of the "Sounders," a group of about 20 gray whales who divert from their northern migration along the Washington coast each spring to spend a few weeks feeding on the ghost shrimp that occur along Whidbey shorelines. Information.

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  318 AM PDT Tue Apr 9 2024    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 to 6 ft at 11 seconds building to  6 to 7 ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 to 8 ft at 11 seconds  becoming 5 to 6 ft at 15 seconds after midnight.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email mikesato772 (@) gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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