Salish Sea Communications

Friday, June 19, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 19 2026

Aloha, Juneteenth!

Although Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until after the war was over that slaves became free in Texas, possibly because the Proclamation could not be enforced there, or because news of the Proclamation had not been spread there. The war ended in April of 1865, but word did not reach Texas until the following month, and it was not until June that the Confederate Army in the area surrendered. On June 19th, Union General Gordon Granger read "General Order No. 3" in Galveston, which said all slaves were free. The next year freed slaves began celebrating not only the proclamation, but the freeing of all slaves in general, and gave the day the name Juneteenth.

Republican attorneys general urge EPA to classify mifepristone as water contaminant
In a letter last Friday, the state officials argued that mifepristone is “a growing threat to the country’s waterways.” A concurrent letter, led by Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, made similar claims and was signed by 18 other GOP members of Congress.

Like it or not, the ticks are advancing and Canadians will have to adapt
Researchers say climate change is the driving force behind the pests' northward push.

Another tank spilled months ago at site of Longview disaster, records show
The Longview paper mill where 11 workers died last month in a chemical tank failure was the site of another spill that Nippon Dynawave Packaging described as a “near miss” earlier this spring, according to newly released public records.

Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project
A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally.

B.C. eyes two new hydropower dams, including Site E near Alberta border, Dix says
The British Columbia government is looking at building two new hydroelectric dams, including a fourth dam for the Peace River where the Site C project generated opposition and cost overruns.

Good News for a ‘Herd of Dinosaurs’ Under the Sea
Scientists believe ancient glass sponge reefs can grow back. If humans let them.

New calf born to endangered southern resident orcas
Researchers are still trying to determine the mother of the newborn spotted June 14 with members of L-Pod.

Weakened BLM ‘reassigns’ PIOs ahead of fire season
Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) are the Bureau of Land Management’s public-facing employees that disseminate important information about federal lands, including updates on wildland fire activity.

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 msato(at)salish-current.org .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, June 12, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 12 2026

Aloha Superman Day!
Superman was created in 1933 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but it wasn't until 1938 that the Superman we know of today appeared, and made his debut in Action Comics #1. It was so popular that Superman got his own comic book the following year.

UVic data highlights devastation of Vancouver Island kelp forests from climate change
New research from the University of Victoria has revealed that kelp forests around Vancouver Island started disappearing far earlier than scientists previously thought.

The unexpected connection between gray whales and kelp on the Oregon Coast
Why a population of grey whales lives off the Oregon Coast year-round instead of migrating, and their unexpected connection with kelp.

A record die-off of sea stars was followed by something that stunned biologists
Six months ago, Bruce Menge’s team published exciting research – five-legged sea stars were undergoing a significant “baby boom.”

WA oyster farmers say ‘vibrocompaction’ may help control ghost shrimp
Biologists at the University of Washington have been testing equipment used in large-scale concrete pours on shrimp-filled mudflats in southwest Washington.

Tire companies race to replace deadly tire chemical
A chemical found in tires is leading to the deaths of untold numbers of coho salmon in Puget Sound every year. Chemical companies are searching for an alternative but say the unique chemistry and function of 6PPD are major challenges.

Controversial plan to kill owls is underway in WA. Here’s who’s leading the way
Two years since the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife released its barred owl management plan, only the Yakama Nation Tribe in South Central Washington has initiated barred owl management on reservation lands and is actively killing the once-protected species.

In Pursuit of a Tiny Owl Nicknamed Brad Pitt
Western screech owls are disappearing from BC. Join researchers on a tricky night mission to find out why.

State order to kill wolf in northeast Washington is canceled
Agency Director Kelly Susewind authorized staff on May 22 to kill one wolf. A week later, on May 29, he withdrew the order and moved the agency into an evaluation period.

Longview plant implosion: A moment-by-moment breakdown of disaster
Two weeks ago, a tank imploded at a Longview paper and pulp mill, releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of caustic chemicals that killed 11 people and injured at least a dozen more.

El Nino is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly with heat, floods, droughts, fires
U.S. meteorologists say an El Nino has formed. That's the natural warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather around the globe.

Friday, June 5, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 5 2026

Aloha World Environment Day!
In 1972, the first major conference on environmental issues took place. Organized by the United Nations, it was known as the Conference on the Human Environment and has also informally been known as the Stockholm Conference. Later that year, on December 15, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2994, which created World Environment Day. The date of June 5 was chosen because that was the date that the Stockholm Conference had started on. World Environment Day was first held in 1974.

Trump Lifts Restrictions on Off-Road Vehicles on Public Lands
President Trump on Friday rescinded two decades-old executive orders that restricted off-road vehicles on public lands, in a move that could lift prohibitions on their use in most national parks.

Ksi Lisims project would increase B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions
The Ksi Lisims LNG project, from which liquefied natural gas would be sold to a German utility under a deal announced Wednesday, would increase B.C.'s annual greenhouse gas emissions by between six and eight per cent.

Gray whales are declining at an alarming rate. Why?
So far this year, 25 gray whales have been found dead in Washington, making this year’s count the third highest in a half century, and the migration season is not over yet.

Seattle bird populations, diversity are declining, new study finds
Average bird counts across Seattle dropped by 21% from 2005 to 2023, according to a new study from Birds Connect Seattle.

Skagit County temporarily bans data centers to protect farmland, water
Data centers won’t be allowed in unincorporated Skagit County for at least the next six months, and the county will spend the time refining its development regulations around data centers in order to protect farmland and water resources.

The ‘Reckoning’ Coming for BC Logging Licences
Corporations have logged less than they’re entitled to for years. Here’s why. And what it means for the future of forestry.

Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research.

Oregon petition to ban hunting and fishing moves closer to November ballot
Initiative Petition 28, led by Portland-based animal rights activists, aims to expand animal cruelty laws and criminalize injuring, breeding or killing animals except in cases of self-defense or for veterinary care, such as spaying, neutering or administering euthanasia.

Bipartisan deal restores safety board funding after Longview implosion
Congressmembers struck an eleventh-hour deal to preserve funding for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the independent agency charged with determining what caused the catastrophic implosion at the Longview paper mill.

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 msato(at)rockisland.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

Friday, May 29, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 29 2026

Aloha Paper Clip Friday
Fastening papers together was first done in the thirteenth century. Short pieces of ribbon were put through parallel cuts that were made in the upper left-hand corners of paper. In 1835, John Ireland Howe, a New York physician, invented the machine for the mass production of straight pins. These pins were designed to be used with cloth, but people also used them to fasten paper together. At the end of the nineteenth century, steel was new and the machines used to make large quantities of paper clips were invented.

Tiny birds, and their tiny superfood, could decline due to ‘irreversible’ effects of Vancouver port expansion
A republication of a Nov. 3, 2026 feature story by Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood with new photographs by Isabelle Groc.

‘Going green now for who?’ Yakama protest clean energy project on sacred site to power data center
Supporters of the Goldendale pumped-hydro energy storage project have said it will help meet growing regional energy demand, but mounting evidence shows a large data center campus could be among the main beneficiaries of that power.

‘One of the Strongest Marine Protected Areas in the World’
Six First Nations, BC and Canada will preserve and steward a large chunk of the Central Coast. That means no pipelines.

The past, present and future of protecting Skeena salmon
Ten years ago, Indigenous leaders led allies in protecting Lelu Island. In Prince Rupert, B.C., this month, a group took a moment to celebrate, before facing the challenge of future stewardship.

Carney will give tax breaks to oil companies that capture carbon … to pump more carbon
Critics warn Canada’s plan to subsidize companies that capture pollution only to use it to produce more oil is counterproductive.

Landmark LNG deal between Canada and Germany to be announced: sources
Deal will see Ksi Lisims LNG in northwestern B.C. sell 1 million metric tonnes per year to German buyer.

Friday, May 22, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 22 2026

Aloha Sherlock Holmes Day!

Sherlock Holmes Day celebrates Sherlock Holmes and the author who created him, Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born on today's date in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Watson, were introduced in the novel A Study in Scarlet, which first appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. It was with this novel that Doyle's writing career finally began taking off. Sherlock Holmes, a "consulting detective" who pursued criminals in London, around England, and throughout Europe, has endured as perhaps the most noteworthy detective character of all time.

High fuel costs are testing Washington and Oregon's fishing industry
To find salmon, Oregon fisherman Jesse Coon has to travel miles offshore, searching for dense shoals and burning lots of fuel. It’s still early in the season, and it's hard to know how good the fishing will be. Since the war in Iran began in late February, diesel costs have surged, cutting thousands of dollars from already thin margins.

Whale washed ashore on Whidbey is 19th this year, marks ‘decimation’ of population
On May 13, a deceased 39-foot gray whale washed ashore at West Beach County Park in Oak Harbor around midday. The male is the 19th dead gray whale to wash ashore in the state this year, already surpassing last year’s tragic toll.

Where does the water go? Nooksack River flood recovery is complicated
Smaller cities like Sumas and its neighbor Everson want to increase the river’s capacity. But doing so could risk sending more water to downstream communities like Lummi Nation.

Washington DNR asks for grace this camping season amid budget cuts
The budget for the DNR’s recreation program was cut by over 20% in 2025 — and this year, another $580,000 of maintenance funding was eliminated. All told, the program has seen $8 million of cuts in less than two years.

E.P.A. to End Some Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water
The Trump administration announced Monday that it will drop some limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water that officials had determined can cause cancer and other serious health problems — angering some key activists who had supported President Trump’s campaign.

E.P.A. Clears a Weedkiller, Saying It Won’t Push Species to Extinction
The finding effectively paves the way for continued use of atrazine, a widely used herbicide that has been linked to birth defects and cancer in humans.

Ottawa proposes $164M in whale protection funding for B.C. coast
Ottawa says it has proposed spending about $164 million to protect whales and their habitat off British Columbia, including working with B.C. Ferries to reduce underwater vessel noise by half.

Super Cool: Alaska Cruise Line Experiments with new Fuel
The newest cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises is the first oceangoing vessel to be refueled in Seattle with liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Friday, May 15, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 15 2026

Aloha Endangered Species Day!

The United States Congress created Endangered Species Day in 2006 with the adoption of Senate Resolution 431. The resolution encouraged "the people of the United States to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide." The day is for learning why it's important to protect endangered species, for learning how to take part in protection efforts, and for celebrating species that have recovered as a result of these efforts.

Washington tribe seeks control of Dungeness Spit refuge
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is pushing for federal legislation to take over the Dungeness and Protection Island national wildlife refuges.

Feds Won’t Recommit to the BC Salmon Farm Ban
As lobbying intensifies, the Carney government is ‘considering how it can best move sustainable aquaculture forward.’

Trump is lifting restrictions on hunting in national parks, refuges and wilderness areas
President Donald Trump's administration is pushing federal land management officials to lift restrictions on hunting and trapping in national parks, refuges and wilderness areas.

As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages
This year, Western states are heading into the summer with a desperately low balance — threatening wildfires, drinking water, crops, electricity and more.

WA public lands agency confronts operating cash crunch, as logging revenue lags
A key account is expected to have a deficit by June. Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove argues his decision to set aside some older forests is not to blame.

$4B Seattle City Light hydropower deal gets Mayor Wilson’s signature
Mayor Katie Wilson signed a historic $4 billion agreement Tuesday, marking a turning point in Seattle’s hydropower operations on the Skagit River. It lays out a road map over the next half-century, including investments in salmon passage, habitat and cultural resources.

What do Chinook salmon eat? BC anglers and scientists map the Salish Sea food chain
The Adult Salmon Diet Program, led by UVic biologist and Liber Ero Chair for Fisheries Research Francis Juanes and PSF biologist Will Duguid, is a citizen science initiative that analyzes the stomach contents of adult Chinook salmon caught by recreational anglers.

Fish take a spin at Cle Elum Dam’s spiral helix
The Yakima River Basin project aims to provide gentler and more adaptable fish passage as snowpack melts and the climate warms.

Fundraising effort saves patch of state-managed forest in western WA from logging
Environmental activists have raised the $32,000 needed to spare the trees surrounding a campground on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula from logging. The Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition paid Webster Logging to halt the cutting of a two-acre state-managed parcel around the Sadie Creek campground.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 24 2026

Aloha Arbor Day
Many holidays commemorate some event from the past, but National Arbor Day is about investing in the future. It focuses on the care and preservation of existing trees, as well as on the planting of new ones. The holiday's name comes from the Latin word arbor, which means tree. In 1594, the mayor of the Spanish village of Mondoñedo organized a tree-planting festival—the first festival of its kind. Another Spanish village, Villanueva de la Sierra, held the first Arbor Day in 1805.

Can Nature Help Solve the Flood Threat Humans Created?
Constraining the Nooksack has had devastating, costly results. US officials aim to give it more space to flow.

B.C. government pulls back on DRIPA suspension again amid First Nations opposition
Province walked back proposed amendments to the law again after public appeal from First Nations leaders.

UW prof in political storm as Trump targets national weather lab
An expert on extreme weather, Shuyi Chen currently chairs the academic nonprofit that manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research. That means she and like-minded scientists are now in a battle with President Donald Trump.

Ex-consultants now drafting B.C. mine permit they once promoted
Former consultants helped advance the massive KSM mine in the private sector. Metadata shows they are now drafting its permit from inside the B.C. government.

Parasite found in Western WA coyotes puts dogs and humans at risk
A new study by a team of University of Washington researchers recently has revealed that over one-third of the coyotes studied across Western Washington carry a deadly tapeworm that can be transmitted to pets and, in some cases, to humans.

Tending to Paradise
A rare prairie ecosystem shaped by humans in Washington State exemplifies a shift in how conservationists envision our relationship with the natural world.

The Forest Quietly Removed from BC’s Old-Growth Deferral List
Most of Vancouver Island has been logged. Now, one of the last ancient forests, in the Tsitika River watershed, is on the chopping block.

BP refinery incident being inspected by state labor and air agencies
The industrial accident at BP Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine on Saturday, April 18, is being inspected by multiple agencies, including the Northwest Clean Air Agency and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

Trump canceled the National Nature Assessment. Scientists will publish it anyway
Now independent and rebranded as The Nature Record, the assessment was first launched through an executive order signed by then-President Biden in Seattle.

WA wolf numbers jump after slight decline
Washington’s wolf population grew by 17% last year, resuming an upward trend following a momentary decline in 2024. At the end of 2025, Washington had an estimated minimum wolf population of 270 individual animals living in 49 packs with 23 breeding pairs.