Salish Sea Communications: July 2023

Friday, July 28, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review July 28 2023

Happy birthday, Marcel!
Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 is a 1912 painting by Marcel Duchamp. The work is widely regarded as a Modernist classic and has become one of the most famous of its time. Before its first presentation at the 1912 Salon des Indépendants in Paris it was rejected by the Cubists as being too Futurist. Wikipedia

New law pushes Washington cities and counties to plan for climate change
A new law passed by the Legislature this year requires local governments to consider climate change in their 20-year comprehensive plans beginning in 2025.

Algae blooms that cause pink snow could accelerate melting as Earth warms
A nickname for it in the French Alps is sang de glacier, or glacier blood. While red and pink are the most common colors, different types of snow algae produce a rainbow of hues, including orange, yellow and green.

Washington declares drought emergency in 12 counties
State officials on Monday announced a drought emergency for watersheds in Benton, Clallam, Columbia, Jefferson, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla, Whatcom, and Yakima. counties.

Groups plan to sue to remove Snake River dams over hot water troubles for salmon
The Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association formally notified the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of their intent to sue because the Snake River dams are making the river too hot for sockeye salmon and the dams should be removed.

What's behind the summer travel chaos at B.C. Ferries?
This summer, getting on a ferry has felt like scoring tickets to the hottest concert in town, as B.C. Ferries has been plagued by technical difficulties with its vessels, last-minute cancellations, staffing shortages and confusion about the availability of reservations online.

Navy names ship after prominent Nisqually tribe member
The United States Navy is naming a new Navajo-Class Ship after Nisqually tribal member, environmental activist and treaty rights advocate Billy Frank Jr.

How Ocean Warming Is Killing a Prime Alaska Crab Fishery
For the Aleut community of St. Paul, Alaska, the loss of snow crabs is rippling through the economy and raising concerns about the future.

West Coast gray whale population still declining, but begins to show signs of recovery
The North Pacific gray whale population is down 46% in the last seven years, but healthier mothers and more calves could be signs of a rebound.

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.

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Friday, July 21, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review July 21 2023

[NASA]

Aloha Moonwalk Friday!
On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the moon. About six-and-a-half hours later, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. As he took his first step, Armstrong famously said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

After hiatus, intertribal canoe journey returns
For the first time since 2019, the intertribal canoe journey is returning to the Pacific Northwest and includes multiple stops along the North Olympic Peninsula as crews make their way to the Muckleshoot Indian Nation near Auburn.

Hundreds of dead young salmon and trout found in river
Hundreds of tiny silver salmon and trout fry have been discovered dead at the bottom of a canyon at the base of Skutz Falls on the Cowichan River system and the cause of the mass die-off is a mystery.

New regulations proposed for refinery safety
The state Department of Labor and Industries announced last month that it’s proposing changes to safety regulations for refineries. The regulations would affect two Anacortes refineries. The Labor and Industries news release announcing the proposal referenced previous explosions at the March Point refineries as part of the need for regulation changes.

We Knew Vancouver’s Ecosystem Was Damaged. The Truth Is So Much Worse
More than a century after colonization nearly eradicated key fish populations around Vancouver, British Columbia, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation is looking to the past to restore the ecosystem.

The 2023 wildfire season is now B.C.'s most destructive on record — and it's only mid-July
The 2023 wildfire season in British Columbia has officially surpassed the 2018 season as the most destructive ever recorded according to area burned. Statistics from the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) show wildfires have burned more than 13,900 square kilometres of land this year, breaking the record of just over 13,500 square kilometres set in 2018.

Tribes and farmers reduce carbon and find common ground through this dairy digester
Washington state is investing $22 million in dairy digesters, part of the 2023-2025 budget for the state's Climate Commitment Act. Based on a new report, they’re currently considered one of the most effective climate investments states can make.

‘Are you kidding me?’: B.C. sanctions shooting, logging in endangered spotted owl habitat
Only one spotted owl remains in Canada’s wild. The B.C. government says it is committed to recovering the species, even as it approves new clearcuts and recreational shooting in a Fraser Valley wildlife area set aside for the owl.

Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble
Energy firms have made record profits by increasing production of oil and gas, far from their promises of rolling back emissions.

'A definite alarm bell': Cherry Point's herring population didn't spawn this year
Less than two decades after the federal government declined endangered species protections for Cherry Point’s herring, scientists can’t find evidence the colony spawned this year.

Drought conditions threatening B.C. salmon as river levels drop
B.C. is currently grappling with an extended drought which has left two-thirds of the province's water basins at drought Level 4 or Level 5. The provincial scale goes from zero to five. The Lower Mainland basin, which includes the Fraser Valley, is at Level 4, which means adverse impacts to ecosystems are likely.

Friday, July 14, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review July 14 2023

Megalodon

Aloha Shark Friday!
There are around 500 species of sharks. The smallest is the dwarf lanternshark, which is smaller than a human hand. Another small species is the deepwater dogfish shark, which is shorter than 8 inches. The largest is the whale shark, which may reach 40 to 60 feet. They are harmless to humans and animals, as they primarily feed on plankton. The fastest is the shortfin mako shark, which can swim at speeds around 20 mph.

Proposed geoduck farm draws opposition from some residents
A group of Johnson Point residents are opposing plans for a new commercial shellfish farm on Henderson Inlet, citing environmental concerns. Taylor Shellfish requested a permit for the proposed aquaculture project in June 2022.

Invasive crabs are hitting B.C. waters. Can we eat our way out of the problem?
European green crabs have posed a problem off the coast of Vancouver Island for decades now, and while current conservation efforts have focused on deep freezing them and throwing them in a landfill, some suggest eating them instead.

Future of Canada's LNG exports shrouded in uncertainty amid fluctuating demand, experts say
Canadian liquefied natural gas projects looking to fill gaps in the global market left by the absence of Russian gas may run into more challenging conditions than expected, industry experts say.

New committee will advise on key plan for future of Northwest forests, adapting to climate change
A panel of regional experts will spend the next two years updating a nearly 30-year-old Northwest Forest Plan for how to manage and protect millions of acres of federal forestland, focusing specifically on the impacts of climate change.

Coronavirus probably spread widely in deer and perhaps back to people, USDA says
Humans transmitted the coronavirus to white-tailed deer more than 100 times in late 2021 and early 2022, according to new research led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

New emissions targets may sink LNG’s pitch as a shipping fuel
On Friday, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) finalized stricter global emissions standards for the maritime industry while closing a significant regulatory loophole driving up the use of LNG as a shipping fuel.

Strong fish counts seen in Elwha
More than 4,000 Chinook salmon had returned to the river by 2022, and more than 25,000 trout were surveyed in 2019, up from the roughly 3,000 in 2007, but the moratorium on most fishing remains in effect.

High gas prices fuel talk of anti-gouging measures, cap-and-trade tweaks
Washington’s new climate policy is taking heat for the state’s highest-in-the-nation prices at the pump. But the law’s backers say oil companies are to blame.

Friday, July 7, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review July 7 2023

"Satchel" Paige

Aloha "Satchel" Paige Friday!
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (b. July 7, 1906) was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. At age 42 in 1948, Paige made his debut for the Cleveland Indians; to this day, this makes him the oldest debutant in the National League or American League history. Additionally, Paige was 59 years old when he played his last major league game, which is also a record that stands to this day.

New orca babies grow endangered southern resident population
There’s not just one, but two new babies in the L pod of the endangered southern resident orcas...The babies, L126 and L127, are the offspring of moms L119 and L94.

‘Forever chemicals’ in drinking water found at Whidbey ‘slice of heaven’
For as long as she can remember, Tamara Ross’ family hasn’t liked the taste of drinking water at Harrington Lagoon... about a year and a half ago, the water company alerted her and her neighbors to the presence of so-called “forever chemicals” in the drinking water.

Canada's new cruise ship rules don't plug loopholes for major source of wastewater pollution
The federal government says some new cruise ship pollution measures are now mandatory, but environmental groups say the move still doesn’t plug gaps that permit the ongoing contamination of some of Canada’s most sensitive coastlines.

Canada offers lesson in the economic toll of climate change
Canada’s wildfires have burned 20 million acres, blanketed Canadian and U.S. cities with smoke and raised health concerns on both sides of the border, with no end in sight. The toll on the Canadian economy is only beginning to sink in.

Trans Mountain pipeline expansion likely to send more Canadian oil to US, not Asia
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) was meant to unlock Asian markets for Canadian oil, but analysts and traders said those barrels now will probably land on the U.S. West Coast as Asia gobbles up Russian oil that is cheaper due to sanctions from Western countries after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

This push to bring back salmon is about more than just fish
There is only one bridge in Takla Landing, and on this June day about three dozen people are gathered there around a blue plastic tub swimming with hundreds of baby salmon.

Prey and predators create varying life-or-death conditions for salmon, as shown with Atlantis model
A computer model, called Atlantis, has been applied to more than 40 ecosystems around the world. In Puget Sound, Atlantis has been used to study the food web to determine whether salmon are more threatened by predators or by the lack of a stable food supply.

Campfire bans now cover most of B.C. as heat records fall across the province
More fire bans are coming into place as daily heat records are broken across B.C. and scientist continue to warn about the dangers of human-caused climate change.