Salish Sea News Week in Review December 11 2020

 

Menorah

Aloha Hanukkah Friday!
Hanukkah, which is the Hebrew word for "dedication," is a Jewish celebration that lasts eight days and eight nights. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where, according to Jewish belief, a miracle occurred that allowed oil to light a menorah for eight days, when there only was enough oil for one day. The holiday begins on a different day each year, as it follows the lunisolar Jewish calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. It starts on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which usually falls between late November and late December.

Outdated sewage treatment is suffocating fish in Puget Sound
....Environmentalists have sued the state over the sewage-treatment plants’ waste dumping, pointing out that the last time the Washington Department of Ecology required major modernization of wastewater plants was in 1987 — and that was an upgrade to a technology first deployed in the early 20th century.

Whale watch operators insist their presence helps protect southern resident orcas
Commercial whale-watch operators say they accept the need for the new licensing system, to keep better track of who is in the industry and spending time near the whales. But they insist they play a "sentinel role" on the water.

Navy Growler jet noise loud enough to reach orca pods even 100 feet underwater, new research shows
In a paper published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, scientists reported an underwater microphone anchored in nearly 100 feet of water offshore of the runway at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island distinctly picked up the sound of the jets, at levels known to affect orca behavior.

Task force says reparations may be needed as state works toward environmental justice
As they prepare for the next legislative session, state lawmakers are reviewing a report that calls for laws to ensure environmental justice.

What the fight over EPA chief says about Democratic divisions
Mary Nichols, a national figure in environmental regulation with a string of achievements that earned her the name “queen of green,” seems a natural choice for EPA chief under a Biden administration.

$176M permanent salmon fishway announced for Big Bar landslide site on B.C.'s Fraser River 
The federal government is spending $176 million to install a permanent fishway through the site of the Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River north of Lillooet, B.C.  Design and construction work is expected to begin this winter with an operational date set for the start of the early 2022 salmon runs.

Seattle City Light agrees to fish passage studies for dam relicensing
In response to requests from tribal, federal, state and local representatives, Seattle City Light will conduct some fish passage studies as part of the relicensing process for its Skagit River Hydroelectric Project.

Sunflower sea stars declared critically endangered on West Coast
One of the largest sea star species in the world has been listed as critically endangered on Thursday after a global study shows the species population has been decimated by a marine epidemic.

These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which 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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