6/11 Pill-bug, Seattle seawall, Pebble Mine, border closure, Tokitae, Skagit sockeye, SeaTimes furloughs

Pill-bugs

Pill-bug Armadillidium vulgare
Armadillidium vulgare is capable of rolling into a ball when disturbed; this ability, along with its general appearance, gives it the name pill-bug. The native distribution of A. vulgare ranges across Europe, especially in the Mediterranean Basin. A. vulgare has also been introduced to many locations in North America;  it is now one of the most abundant invertebrate species in California coastal grassland habitats. (Wikipedia)

New Seattle seawall improves migratory pathway for young salmon
Nobody with an understanding of marine life would describe Seattle’s downtown shoreline as a thriving ecosystem. More than a hundred years of city development have left its tidelands covered in fill, flanked with concrete and overshadowed by industrial piers. Yet salmon habitat seems to be improving there, scientists say, thanks to new features installed during replacement of the downtown seawall. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

As the Pebble Mine Nears a Decision, Questions Surround its Environmental Review
Documents unveiled by a Freedom of Information Act request show agencies’ behind-the-scenes critiques of the proposed Pebble Mine. Ashley Braun reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Canada-U.S. border closure to be extended beyond June 21, sources say
The Canada-U.S. border closure to all non-essential traffic will be extended beyond the June 21 date set last month, sources tell CBC News.  Sources with direct knowledge of the situation have confirmed to CBC News that Canada and the United States are holding talks about extending the border restrictions but the agreement has yet to be signed. Katie Simpson and Peter Zimonjic report. (CBC)

Lummi Nation’s new fight to bring orca Tokitae home
It's been 50 years since the southern resident orca Tokitae was taken from her family in the Salish Sea and became known as Lolita, a main attraction at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. "We don't recognize her name as Lolita. That's a showgirl name placed upon her by her slave members," said Sit Ki Kadem (Doug James), a part of Lummi Nation. "No one should have to spend 50 years in captivity," says Tah-Mas (Ellie Kinley). After unsuccessful attempts to bring her home, two tribal members of Lummi Nation, Tah-Mas and Squil-le-hel-le announced a new partnership with a nonprofit environmental law organization called Earth Law Center. (KCPQ)

Skagit River closing to sockeye fishing
There will be no fishing for sockeye salmon this season on the Skagit River. Fishery managers for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife made the decision to close sockeye fishing on the Skagit beginning Tuesday, June 16, and continuing until July 15 due to low projected returns...With an expected return of as many as 13,242 or as few as 8,056, forecasted returns of wild Skagit sockeye are the lowest encountered in the last five years, potentially falling below even fishery manager's broodstock goals. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)


Seattle Times Newspaper Guild members face 10-week furlough
On June 9, the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild wrote: "Seattle Times employees were notified last week they will have their hours reduced later this month in response to the loss of advertising revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. The company has instructed members of our union, the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, to take unpaid days over a 10-week period, with specifics varying by department. We are grateful the SharedWork program is available in Washington state to allow workers to collect unemployment benefits for these days."



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  229 AM PDT Thu Jun 11 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. A slight  chance of showers in the morning then a chance of showers in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of  showers.




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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 msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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6/10 Elwha nearshore, BC salmon, WA budget, BC-WA virus, BC hybrid ferry, funding Puget Sound, whale-watch biz

Elwha nearshore 6/8/20 [CWI]

Elwha nearshore June 8
Anne Shaffer from Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "June is a transitional month in the Salish sea nearshore. Weather patterns are unstable, wind and long day light drive upwelling that in turn fuels plankton blooms, and migrating juvenile fish are (finally!) beginning to appear in large numbers. In the Elwha nearshore it’s a typical, (very) windy, unsettled June day. The persistent westerlies and northwest swell continue to transport Elwha sediment and transform the Elwha delta. Smelt are spawning along the intertidal Salish Sea now. Since the restoration of around a mile of Elwha east delta, the shorelines of the entire Elwha drift cell are now documented and or potential surf smelt spawning habitat. Egg densities are low-but continue to grow. We'll be conducting our multi decade surf smelt spawn surveys next month-look for CWI teams on the beach! The WDFW Elwha hatchery also initiated their large annual release of 2.5 million young of the year Chinook this month. So fish eating birds-gulls, terns, loons, merganser-are abundant along the Elwha nearshore now-an excellent time for birding."

'Almost complete loss' of salmon runs at Fraser River slide last year 
Early runs of sockeye and chinook salmon were devastated last year when they couldn’t make it past a massive landslide on the Fraser River, government officials said Tuesday. The officials with Fisheries and Oceans Canada told a Commons committee that 99 per cent of early Stuart sockeye and 89 per cent of early chinook were lost. Rebecca Reid, the department’s regional director for the Pacific, said salmon survival improved later in the summer when work started to transport fish past the slide, helping them reach their spawning grounds. Mortality during the salmon’s long journey inland is already high and it’s hard to say what exactly causes their deaths, Eric Taylor, a zoology professor and fish expert at UBC said in an interview. (Canadian Press)

WA’s coming budget cuts could dwarf those of the Great Recession
Washington lawmakers are planning an emergency session to plug a hole of at least $7 billion in the state budget — one that may dwarf the shortfall they dealt with a decade ago during the Great Recession. Preliminary numbers suggest that, over the next three years, Washington state tax revenues will come in about $7 billion lower than previously expected. The actual revenue loss may be even greater, since the estimate is based on data from early in the coronavirus pandemic, before the economy collapsed further when unemployment soared and personal spending plummeted...Many of the areas targeted for possible reductions are the same ones that took a beating during the last recession. Those include higher education and many social services...Even if lawmakers use all of the state’s reserves, they will still face a three-year shortfall of about $4 billion, according to Inslee’s budget office. Melissa Santos reports. (Crosscut) See also: State agencies map out possible cuts to plug budget hole  Layoffs, cuts in human service programs, and delays for a slew of road projects loom if the state is forced to pare billions of dollars in spending in response to a budget crunch brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

COVID-19: Warning issued as cases in U.S. states rise while tapering off in B.C.
Health Minister Adrian Dix warned Monday that while B.C. is flattening the COVID curve, things are getting worse south of the border. Dix said the number of COVID-19 cases is still climbing significantly in Washington state, Oregon, California and Arizona...The U.S.-Canada border was closed to non-essential travel on March 21 for a month. The ban has been extended twice since then and will be reviewed before June 21. David Carrigg reports. (Vancouver Sun)

BC Ferries' first hybrid electric vessel begins service Wednesday
The first of BC Ferries' new hybrid-electric vessels is taking its maiden voyage on Wednesday. The corporation said the Island Discovery will begin service with the Texada Island–Powell River route at 3 p.m. PT. The ship is one of six new vessels, known as Island Class ferries, which use diesel fuel to generate electricity stored in batteries on board. They're designed to be powered entirely by electricity once charging stations can be built at terminals, a statement said Tuesday. (CBC) See: Proposed cuts to ferry service lead to resignations on Denman and Hornby islands  Four members of the ferry advisory committee step down as BC Ferries looks to cut sailings. Kieran Oudshoorn reports. (CBC)

Funding for Puget Sound projects envisioned as part of a national stimulus package
Puget Sound recovery efforts could get a boost from a newly proposed five-year, $494-billion economic stimulus package, according to U.S. Reps. Denny Heck, D-Olympia, and Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. The two Washington congressmen, known for their efforts to help restore the Puget Sound ecosystem, spoke online Friday to more than 160 people during the first Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill forum. The event was sponsored by the Puget Sound Partnership, the agency coordinating the recovery of Puget Sound. While the bill’s future is uncertain, this so-called “Invest in America Act” would improve the nation’s eroding transportation systems and rebuild the crumbling infrastructure, according to the bill’s primary sponsor, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It would also help to lift the nation out of an economic slump brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

‘Devastating’ season ails whale-watching firms
 As whale watching companies cautiously count down to a possible re-opening July 1, many are saying the economic damage from the pandemic shutdown has already been severe — and possibly fatal for some. “It’s devastating,” said Jennifer Steven, who owns the Whale Centre in Tofino. “We’ve already lost April, May and half of June. We’ve lost about 60 per cent of our international bookings for the summer...The federal government is expected to lift its ban on marine vessels with a capacity of more than 12 passengers on June 30, but the industry will still need the clearance to start from the provincial government. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Whale watch industry sits dockside during COVID-19 pandemic  Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)





Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Wed Jun 10 2020   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 5 ft  at 9 seconds. Areas of drizzle in the morning. Scattered showers  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 10 seconds. Scattered showers.




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

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6/9 Cottonwood, oil spill response, Sunshine Coast logging, gray whale deaths, Canadian conservation, orca culture, border rules, Trump's pollution, Trump's hunt, BC ferries masks

Black cottonwood

Black Cottonwood Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa
Black Cottonwood is also known as Balsam Poplar. Balsamifera means balsam (aromatic resin)-bearing.   Trichocarpa means with hairy fruits, referring to its fluffy seeds. The cottony seeds are often seen drifting in a summer breeze, giving the tree its common name of Cottonwood. Cottonwood pollen is a major allergen. Seeds ripen late May to July.  Seeds may be dispersed by wind or water. Natives used Black Cottonwood for many medicinal purposes. They used the gum of the burls on cuts and wounds.  Bruised leaves were also placed on cuts as an antiseptic.  An infusion of the bark was used for sore throats.  Young shoots were used to make sweat lodges. (Native Plants PNW)

New oil spill response base in Friday Harbor will address present — and growing — threat
A new response base to be built on San Juan Island will amp up the Islands Oil Spill Association's capability to help prevent oil spills when small-spill threats arise. Genevieve Iverson reports. (Salish Current)

B.C. opens Sunshine Coast forest — home to some of Canada’s oldest trees — to logging
Local conservation group asks province to cancel cutblocks containing ancient yellow cedars and unofficial bear sanctuary. Judith Lavoie reports. (The Narwhal)

Necropsies Unveil More about Mass Gray Whale Deaths
Hundreds of gray whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean have died since last year, and scientists are beginning to understand why. Larry Pynn reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Canada’s conservation efforts must prioritize areas resilient to climate change, researchers say
New studies show factoring climate change impacts into planning for protected areas can help achieve emission-reduction and biodiversity targets — a move one scientist calls ‘hitting the conservation science jackpot.’ Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Killer Whales’ Cultural Bottleneck
A new paper suggests killer whales’ cultures may be driving down their genetic diversity—but not all researchers agree. Claudia Geib reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Relief, frustration as restrictions on U.S.-Canada border crossings ease but quarantine period remains
Canadians separated from family members in the U.S. because of restrictions around the border will soon have some respite, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that exemptions will be provided to immediate families members. The Canada Border Services Agency said the exemption will kick in at midnight on Monday, and applies to foreign nationals who are immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents and who do not have COVID-19 or are showing any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, "or who do not have reason to believe they have COVID-19." Anyone who enters the country will have to self-quarantine for 14 days and could face serious penalties for not following the rules. Michelle Ghoussoub reports. (CBC)

As EPA Steps Back, States Face Wave Of Requests For Environmental Leniency
Some of the country’s most polluting industries have flooded state regulators with requests to ease environmental regulations, according to an NPR review of hundreds of state environmental records. Companies across the country say the pandemic is interfering with their ability to comply with laws that protect the public from pollution. Rebecca Hersher reports. (NPR)

Trump administration makes it easier for hunters to kill bear cubs and wolf pups in Alaska
Hunters will soon be allowed to venture into national parks in Alaska and engage in practices that conservation groups say are reprehensible: baiting hibernating bears from their dens with doughnuts to kill them and using artificial light such as headlamps to scurry into wolf dens to slaughter mothers and their pups. Darryl Fears reports. (Washington Post)

Passengers on BC Ferries must travel with a face mask starting June 15
BC Ferries said passengers will be required to travel with a face mask on most routes starting June 15. In a statement, BC Ferries said passengers must wear the face mask while on board if a physical distance of two metres between passengers cannot be maintained. (CBC)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  301 AM PDT Tue Jun 9 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less in the  afternoon. SW swell 5 ft at 7 seconds building to 7 ft at  8 seconds in the afternoon. Rain. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 6 ft at 9 seconds. Rain in the  evening then a chance of rain after midnight.




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

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6/8 Gulls, trading trees for pollution, TM pipe, California Cr, bioblitz, Pt Roberts, crows

Tony Angell, on a Feeding Frenzy of Gulls
Tony Angell, reading from his book Puget Sound Through an Artist's Eye: "It was early summer and I looked across the open sea. Its surface gently heaved, suggesting the presence of some great being stirring within. Using binoculars I followed hurried lines of cormorants, guillemots, scoters, and rhinoceros auklets. On a mission, their flight was straight ahead and sure. In the bay below, a gang of a hundred gulls swirled and surged and plunged into a herring ball near the surface. In all likelihood the fish had been herded there by diving auklets and murres or even a school of salmon. I could hear the frenzy in their calls as they competed for the food – and so, apparently, could other gulls, who detoured from their flight-line to join the melee. These cries rang like dinner bells to other gulls." (BirdNote)

Big polluters are spending billions on controversial projects that protect forests and let them keep polluting 
As industrial polluters try to erase their greenhouse gas emissions, they plan to spend billions of dollars in the coming years on preserving and restoring forests to cancel out pollution they can’t directly eliminate with electric vehicles, energy efficiency improvements and wind and solar power projects. Benjamin Romano reports. (Seattle Times)

COVID-19 precautions at Trans Mountain construction sites could boost Kamloops hospitality sector
Work has begun on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in B.C.'s Interior, bringing dozens of people into the region. Workers are being put up in local hotels, with new policies and procedures in place to ensure COVID-19 doesn't spread in the city. Trans Mountain president and CEO Ian Anderson anticipates up to 600 workers in Kamloops during the height of construction this summer, which will include as many people as possible from Kamloops, as well as from other parts of the province. (CBC)

One of ‘most beautiful coastal areas’ in fast-growing part of Whatcom to be protected
A $915,000 federal grant will be used to help buy and protect nearly 55 acres of coastal wetland habitat, and the fish and wildlife that depend on it, along California Creek. Whatcom Land Trust is partnering with the state Department of Ecology on the conservation project. The grant will go toward the total cost of $1.3 million to buy four pieces of land, including 6,500 feet of shoreline, along the creek that is a major tributary to Drayton Harbor near Blaine, according to the Whatcom Land Trust. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Conservationists in Langley, B.C., adopt new methods to catalogue biodiversity
Conservationists in Langley are hoping to catalogue hundreds of living things over a two-week period despite not being able to deploy volunteers en masse to the area's green spaces due to the pandemic...The activity, known as a bioblitz, is popular around the world as a way to create databases of biodiversity and monitor change...The Yorkson society reached out to other watershed societies and environmental stewardship groups around Langley Township to run the bioblitz over a two-week period where volunteers use online tools to record and catalogue plants and animals. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)
way.

Point Roberts residents lobbying for exemption from closed border
Stuck with limited stock and uncertain supply chains, a number of Point Roberts residents are lobbying for border restrictions to be eased so they can travel to Bellingham to shop. At the moment, only people deemed to have essential reasons for travel are allowed across the border. “I see statements that say ‘essential reasons like getting a prescription filled or going to a doctor appointment,'” Point Roberts resident John Beals said. “The key word is ‘like.’ Beals has begun a petition asking that essential travel should include people from Point Roberts who want to travel the 40 kilometres to the Peach Arch crossing and back with zero stops along the way. Gordon McIntyre reports. (Vancouver Sun)

The Sea’s Weirdest Creatures, Now in ‘Staggering’ Detail
With a new laser-scanning tool, marine biologists are getting a fine-comb look at some of the gloopiest and most mysterious organisms in the ocean. William J. Broad reports. (NY Times)

Crows might pose a challenge or two, but their intelligence and humanlike complexity resonate with Seattle like nowhere else
...JOHN MARZLUFF IS a University of Washington professor and wildlife biologist who, in 30 years of studying birds, has become simply The Crow Guy. But even Marzluff acknowledges that he, too, was skeptical of the crow at first, and he understands why others would generally feel the same. Adam Jude writes. (Seattle Times) See also: Oh, to be a crow: smart as all get-out — and still able to get out  Adam Jude writes. (Seattle Times)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  225 AM PDT Mon Jun 8 2020    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH  TUESDAY MORNING   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 8 seconds subsiding to  5 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. SW swell 4 ft at 14 seconds. A chance of rain in the  evening then rain after midnight.




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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 msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/5 Rockfish, Bill James, Trump's pipe and air, BC old growth, BC virus, more on slug

Quillback rockfish [Brenna Green]

Quillback rockfish Sebastes maliger
Quillback rockfish range from the Kenai Peninsula in the Gulf of Alaska to Anacapa Passage in southern California. They can be found from subtidal waters to depths of 274 m (900 ft). Juveniles are usually shallower than adults and can be found on bull kelp-covered rocky outcrops, while adults tend to live in deeper water as solitary individuals. They are bottom dwellers that prefer high-relief, broken rock with flat-bladed kelps. In Puget Sound animals living on high relief areas have a very limited home range and have a high fidelity to their home sites. Quillback rockfish can grow up to 61 cm (24 in) in length. Maximum age is 95 years old. (WDFW)

Bill James, hereditary chief at Lummi, master weaver, dies at age 75 
Bill Tsi’li’xw James, hereditary chief of the Lummi people, was a teacher of culture, language and art who passed on teachings until his last breath. Sharp in his mind until his passing June 1 at age 75 from a hereditary liver disease, Chief James was stood up as hereditary chief of the Lummi People in 2010, a role for which he was selected and groomed by the heads of Lummi families as a young man. He grew into a formidable spokesman for his people on the front lines of some of the most important fights of a generation, including a successful campaign in 2016 with tribes and their allies to block construction of the largest coal port in North America at Cherry Point. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Trump, Citing Pandemic, Moves to Weaken Two Key Environmental Protections
The Trump administration, in twin actions to curb environmental regulations, moved on Thursday to temporarily speed the construction of energy projects and to permanently weaken federal authority to issue stringent clean air and climate change rules. President Trump signed an executive order that calls on agencies to waive required environmental reviews of infrastructure projects to be built during the pandemic-driven economic crisis. At the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new rule that changes the way the agency uses cost-benefit analyses to enact Clean Air Act regulations, effectively limiting the strength of future air pollution controls. Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman report. (NY Times)

Independent researchers say B.C. vastly overestimates the size of its old growth forest
A team of independent researchers claim in a new report that the province's accounting of old growth trees is vastly larger than the actual number of trees most people would consider old growth, namely coniferous giants. The three co-authors of B.C.'s Old Growth Forest: A Last Stand for Biodiversity write that most of what is currently considered old growth are small subalpine or bog forests. Rafferty Baker reports. (CBC)

Strains from Europe and Eastern Canada account for most COVID-19 cases in B.C., genomic data shows
Strains traced to Europe and Eastern Canada are by far the largest source of COVID-19 infections in B.C., according to new modelling presented by the provincial government Thursday. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry revealed the results of genomic tracing of different strains of the virus, showing that of those samples that have been sequenced, early cases linked to travel from China and Iran appear to have been well contained, leading to relatively few other infections. But beginning in March, with an outbreak that began with the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver, infections with strains from Eastern Canada and Europe spiked dramatically.... The numbers show that in the Lower Mainland, Richmond has had the lowest percentage of cases, with just 444 per million residents, compared to 832 in Vancouver, 911 on the North Shore, and 1,241 cases per million in the area from Abbotsford to Hope in Fraser Health. thany Lindsay and Justin McElroy report. (CBC)

Regarding the Chocolate arion profiled yesterday, Norm Baker writes: "I was surprised to see your comments about the  Arion ater/Arion rufus complex. As a trained PhD ecologist and horticulturist, describing this animal as a serious pest is something of an understatement. Describing it as a serious pest is accurate. Here on the Olympic Peninsula, up in the mountains at 1800 feet with the rains and humidity, we have watched this animal spread across the countryside in an environment that is best described as "damn near ideal". They eat almost everything - especially vegetables and flowers (the actual flower). We are running two large biochar research gardens and we have to patrol those gardens at least twice a week. Up in the yard where all the daylilies and other plants are, my wife patrols the area with scissors in hand, cutting them into when she finds them. She always finds some and after a while she started keeping count. Her record for one day is 737 slugs over a couple of hours. She cuts them into two pieces with the scissors and, if she remembers, goes back later to check again where she often finds one or two more slugs feeding on the remains of the slugs she killed previously. It took this animal about three years to go into about 400 yards of new habitat. Now we find them everywhere."



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  245 AM PDT Fri Jun 5 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening  then a chance of showers after midnight. 
SAT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 10 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning then showers  likely and a slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  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 4 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 9 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 msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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6/4 Slug, dams removal, pinto abalone, only Canadian species, ocean acid, earth carbon, Arctic spill, greens on race

Chocolae arion [L. Schroeder]

Chocolate Arion Arion rufus
Arion rufus is part of the Arion ater/Arion rufus complex, native to Europe. Arion rufus has been introduced to North America and is very common and widespread.  The color can be variable from bright orange to black. The foot may exhibit a color ranging from yellow to black. Lives in gardens, parks and wastelands, and can be a serious plant pest.  Arion ater has been shown to be a separate species.  Since the two species were once considered the same, some older references list A. ater as present in the Northwest.  This is not the case. (Pacific Northwest Shell Club)

Port Angeles council co-signs Snake River dam letter
After seeing the Elwha River respond to dam removal in its own backyard, the Port Angeles City Council has voted to support the removal of four dams on the lower Snake River. The vote Tuesday was 5-1 with one abstention to co-sign a letter to U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, that seeks Congressional leadership in finding “win-win solutions” to benefit salmon and orca populations. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Delicious and now endangered: Can the pinto abalone make a comeback? 
The pinto abalone was a popular sport catch for divers in the Salish Sea until its numbers plummeted to near extinction. Now, the delicious marine snail is on the endangered species list and the focus of an ambitious hatchery and replanting program. The search is on for suitable habitat and a broad coalition of partners has released more than 20,000 young pintos into the wild with the hope that the population will start to rebound. Bob Friel reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

These Canadian species are found nowhere else on Earth
What species are more Canadian than moose or beavers? We now have an answer. A new report has catalogued 308 species, sub-species and varieties of plants and animals found in Canada — and nowhere else on the planet. They include mammals such as the eastern wolf, Vancouver Island marmot, wood bison and Peary caribou; birds such as the Pacific Steller's jay; and fish such as the Banff longnose dace, Atlantic whitefish and Vancouver lamprey. But 80 per cent of them are plants and insects — ones you probably haven't heard of, like the Maritime ringlet butterfly and the Yukon goldenweed. Emily Chung reports. (CBC)

Measuring ocean acidification along US coasts
... While ocean acidification in North America has been studied in smaller, specific areas before, this is the first time that researchers have compared data from the east coast, west coast and Gulf of Mexico locations. Through this work, researchers were able to identify the similarities and differences of ocean acidification on both coasts, as well as point out hot spots that will be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification in the future. The results of that research were recently published in Nature Communications. (Science Daily)

Earth’s carbon dioxide levels hit record high, despite coronavirus-related emissions drop
The coronavirus-related economic downturn may have set off a sudden plunge in global greenhouse gas emissions, but another crucial metric for determining the severity of global warming — the amount of greenhouse gases actually in the air — just hit a record high. According to readings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of CO2 in the air in May 2020 hit an average of slightly greater than 417 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest monthly average value ever recorded, and is up from 414.7 ppm in May of last year. Andrew Freedman and Chris Mooney report. (Washington Post)

Arctic Circle oil spill prompts Putin to declare state of emergency
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle. The spill happened when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk collapsed last Friday. The power plant's director Vyacheslav Starostin has been taken into custody until 31 July, but not yet charged. (BBC)

Responding to protests, green groups reckon with a racist past
Prominent groups in the environmental movement — which has long struggled with a dark, racist past — are speaking out against institutional prejudice and calling for the movement to better prioritize social justice. Shannon Osaka reports. (Grist)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  236 AM PDT Thu Jun 4 2020   
TODAY  SW 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 6 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers in the  morning then a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming W 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds.




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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/3 Wrinkled dove snail, Cherry Pt oil, Skagit green NGOs, 'Days on the Hill,' Yakima sturgeon

Wrinkled dove snail [Mary Jo Adams]

Wrinkled dove snail Amphissa columbiana
The wrinkled dove snail is a species of sea snail native to the western coast of North America from California to Alaska. This species can attain a length of 1.25 inches (3 cm.) and the axial ridges on the shell are parallel to the long axis of the shell. These snails are scavengers. (Mary Jo Adams/SoundStewards)

Whatcom County Council split on Cherry Point crude oil transshipments ban
Whatcom County Council members approved a six-month ban Tuesday, June 2, on filing, accepting or processing new applications for most new or expanded facilities for shipping unrefined fossil fuels that won’t be processed or used at the Cherry Point industrial zone. It’s the ninth such interim measure since September 2016 as the county Planning Commission works to revamp a comprehensive plan that regulates the types of industry and manufacturing facilities in the region west of Ferndale...Vote on the measure was 4-3 with council members Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas and Kathy Kershner dissenting. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Environmental nonprofits embrace "virtual landscape" during pandemic
For environmental nonprofits, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant a shift to digital education and outreach efforts, while many of their programs and staff field work have been put on hold...Many environmental groups are adapting by moving staff and board meetings — as well as educational materials and events — online...But not everything can make the digital migration, including the annual Fidalgo Bay Day event in August that Friends of Skagit Beaches coordinates with Skagit County. The event — like many other summer activities — has been canceled. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

‘Days on the Hill’ will go online this year, widening audience for Puget Sound talks
Folks who care about salmon, killer whales and the Puget Sound ecosystem will get a chance to participate in the annual discussion known as Puget Sound Day on the Hill. But this year the event will be called “2020 Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill,” as the talks go online. Online meetings with Washington’s congressional lawmakers will be held each Friday in June. Representatives Denny Heck and Derek Kilmer are June 5 speakers. Advanced registration for this event is required and will close 24 hours before the event, on Thursday, June 4 at 1 p.m. Register here for the June 5 session. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound institute)

For This Tribe, Saving a River Means Saving the Sturgeon
The Yakama Nation has been raising fish to release back into the Columbia River for more than a decade. Now, its hatchery is also producing caviar. Amelia Nierenberg reports. (NY Times)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  247 AM PDT Wed Jun 3 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH  THIS EVENIN    TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt late in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft late in  the afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 5 ft at 13 seconds.




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