Salish Sea News Week in Review May 12 2023

 

Kruckeberg Botanic Garden [Thrive2day]

Aloha Public Garden Day!
The Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, a four-acre public garden founded in 1958 in Shoreline, contains a unique blend of Pacific Northwest native plants and unusual exotics set in a naturalistic wooded setting. It may take multiple visits to see the more than 2,000 species, which include native and exotic conifers, hardwoods, rhododendrons, magnolias, ferns and groundcovers. Several trees are the largest or most rare in the state. Birdwatchers have identified more than 40 bird species while visiting the Garden. Admission is free. (Kruckeberg Botanic Garden)

Research finds some Pacific salmon migration out of sync with food supply
Climate change is knocking some Pacific salmon out of alignment with the growth of the ocean plankton they eat to survive, new research says.

Puget Sound Tribes Want WFC Hatchery Lawsuit Dismissed
Five Western Washington tribes have filed paperwork in federal court to intervene in a Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit targeting state hatchery salmon production in Puget Sound and the Lower Columbia.

A Disaster the Size of Multiple Katrinas Is Building Off Washington’s Coast
Someday — next week, next year, maybe next century — a sudden and deadly marine shock will strike the Northwest coast: what locals call the Big One, a circa 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake generating tsunami surges reaching 60 feet high or more. See also: Tsunami could hit west Vancouver Island in under half hour

Unseen worry: Firefighting ‘forever chemicals’ linger near Paine Field
A construction mistake in 2014 at Boeing's Paine Field facility resulted in activating a fire-suppression system that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons and firefighting foam that's resulted in the state Department of Ecology last month adding the area to its small but growing list of PFAS-contaminated cleanup sites around the state. Where did high levels of PFAS in San Juan Island water come from? ...Even in a privileged community on an otherwise pristine archipelago, PFAS has leached into the drinking water. A stone’s throw from the Hannah Heights well is the neighborhood’s fire station. Yet the source of the pollution remains elusive with a state investigation pending.

Seaweed invasions of coral reefs not necessarily bad, B.C. researchers find
Seaweed invasions have been used as a yardstick for measuring coral reef health, but a new study led by B.C. researchers has found the slimy macroalgae isn't all bad news.

Vancouver Park Board approves 'lethal removal' plan to control Canada goose population
Staff reports that there were a minimum of 2,200 geese in Vancouver in 2022 and the population is estimated to be growing by 18 per cent every year.

Port of Everett settles stormwater lawsuit for $2.5M
In May 2022, water quality watchdog Puget Soundkeeper Alliance filed the lawsuit alleging water samples exceeded various pollution “benchmarks” — including for pH, copper, zinc and turbidity — set in the port’s state-issued permit over two dozen times between 2018 and early 2022.

Scientists discover colossal underwater mountain off Vancouver Island
Measured by scientists aboard the U.S. research ship Okeanos Explorer, the seamount rivals Mount Baker and re-writes old nautical charts.

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 at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to mikesato772 at gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told