Salish Sea Communications

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.

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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Friday, April 17, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 17 2026

Aloha Haiku Poetry Day!

Haiku is a Japanese verse form most often composed, in English versions, of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. A haiku often features an image, or a pair of images, meant to depict the essence of a specific moment in time. (Poetry Foundation)

Every tire produces a chemical that kills coho salmon. Can scientists pump the brakes?
6PPD-quinone, a chemical produced by tires to protect rubber from degrading, is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic animals, even in microscopic doses. Placing a single drop of the chemical in an Olympic swimming pool would kill at least half of the coho salmon in that pool.

Trump approves disaster declaration for WA flooding
President Donald Trump has approved opening up federal funding to deal with the aftermath of historic flooding that hit Washington in December, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Saturday. The much-anticipated decision makes money available for individuals, nonprofits and state, tribal and local governments.

The Climate Commitment Act Five Years Later
This week, ahead of Earth Day, we’re focusing on stories about the environment, starting with a look at how Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is playing out 5 years after it was created. The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing companies to buy into a cap-and-invest auction system.

NDP government to pause DRIPA amendments amid caucus divisions
The NDP government is pumping the brakes on its plan to suspend sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, as a growing number of NDP MLAs were concerned with the proposed changes.

Bessent Questions the Cause of Climate Change and Its Economic Toll
The Treasury secretary said it is “difficult to deconstruct” the reasons for global warming, which he described as a belief of the “elite.”

Can one of the most endangered grizzly bear populations on the continent be brought back?
In the cross-border North Cascades mountain range, First Nations in B.C. are working to restore an ecological and cultural relationship with grizzlies.

Vancouver approves 250-room floating hotel in Coal Harbour
Sunborn Group and local seaplane terminal Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, received approval from the Vancouver City Council to build a low-carbon vessel with 250 hotel rooms and 200 new jobs in Coal Harbor.

BC’s Toxic Drug Crisis Hits a Grim 10-Year Anniversary
More than 18,000 British Columbians have been killed and there’s no end in sight.

Friday, April 10, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 10 2026

Aloha ASPCA Day!
The American Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the first animal welfare organization of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, was created on April 10, 1866. It works with shelters and humane societies across the country, with the mission of preventing cruelty to animals. Its founder, Henry Bergh, was inspired to create the organization after seeing a carthorse being beaten by its drivers.

A gray whale that swam 20 miles up a Washington state river is found dead
A juvenile gray whale that amazed Washington state residents after it swam 20 miles up a small river was found dead, and an official with a marine mammal research group suspects hunger may have driven the whale to new hunting grounds as the species’ population declines. The whale was discovered Saturday near Raymond, Washington, in the Willapa River, which feeds into the ocean at Willapa Bay.

Your ‘widely recyclable’ Starbucks cup is still trash
Just because a product can be collected for recycling doesn’t mean it actually gets recycled. To imply otherwise is to conflate two very different numbers: the access rate and the real recycling rate. There’s not much evidence to suggest that the recycling rate for plastic cups is above 1 or 2 percent.

Seattle reaches $4B deal to keep Skagit River dams, truck salmon
The Seattle City Council approved a landmark $4 billion agreement Tuesday laying out a road map for the city’s next half-century of hydropower on the Skagit River.

Federal government puts out $412.9M to renew Pacific Salmon Initiative
The federal government is spending $412.9 million over five years to renew the Pacific Salmon Strategy in a plan to protect and rebuild wild populations.

Statewide drought declared due to dismal snowpack
After a warm winter left Washington’s mountains largely bare this spring, the Washington Department of Ecology issued a statewide emergency drought declaration as projected water supplies are likely to fall far short of the state’s summer demand.

Why are you mostly being sold Alaska-caught salmon in British Columbia?
Many critics argue Alaska takes too many salmon and is harming populations — but it’s easier to find Alaska-caught fish in B.C. stores and Alaskan salmon fisheries have global sustainability certification that B.C. salmon fisheries don’t.

Friday, April 3, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 3 2026

Aloha Cellphone Day
On April 3, 1973 Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made a phone call from a New York City sidewalk to his rival Dr. Joel Engel at Bell Laboratories to tell him he was calling from a real cellular telephone - a handheld unit. The prototype was the size of a brick, weighed about 2 1/2 pounds, and had a battery life of only 20 minutes.

Why pink salmon are climate winners
Humpies, or pink salmon, are among the world’s so-called climate winners. About 8 million were forecast to return to Puget Sound watersheds last fall.

Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level as unprecedented heat hits smashes records all over Earth
Vital Arctic sea ice shrank to tie its lowest measured level for the winter, the season when ice grows, as a warming Earth shattered records across the continents.

El Niño, marine heat will likely make Washington's warm year even warmer
This winter has been one of Washington’s warmest and driest on record. Despite the wet weather we have experienced recently, the state’s snow pack remains much lower than normal. And climate observers say conditions are likely to get worse.

U.S. could exempt oil industry from protecting Gulf animals, for 'national security'
National security has never been used to call a meeting of the "God Squad." But other federal agencies have been citing the "energy emergency" to avoid rules meant to protect endangered animals.

Trump’s Iran war and drilling push show ‘dangerous volatility’ of fossil fuel era
Critics say president is locking into 20th-century energy systems even as his ‘bet’ on oil and gas ‘isn’t going so well’

Millions of pounds of trash. Is there hope for Tacoma’s litter problem?
More than 26 million pounds of litter end up on Washington roadways every year, see some of the weirdest.

Whatcom County hearing examiner halts Ferndale Terminal expansion
The Whatcom County Hearing Examiner has sided with a coalition of environmental groups in ruling that the county must conduct analyses of the expansion of the ALA Energy Ferndale Terminal before any projects can continue.

Amazon to pay $20.5 million settlement over Oregon nitrate pollution
Tech giant Amazon will pay $20.5 million to settle with northeast Oregonians living with contaminated groundwater in exchange for no admission of guilt in the polluting.

Policies meant to limit air pollution allow toxic dumping in Salish Sea
Washington state is facing a conundrum on the open water. A tool to reduce air pollution from ships can result in water pollution. And a proposal to untangle that paradox ran aground this winter in the Washington Legislature for the second year in a row.

Friday, March 27, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 27 2026

Aloha M.C. Escher Day

Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher, who died on this day in 1972 at the age of 74, was a Dutch graphic artist who created mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. His work is known for its optical illusions, impossible architecture, and paradoxical patterns. (Wikipedia)

New study finds artificial turf fields in Metro Vancouver releasing chemicals harmful to salmon
A new study from the University of British Columbia is raising concerns about the environmental impact of artificial turf fields across Metro Vancouver, which, it says, is leaching a chemical that’s deadly to coho salmon.

WA, Trump administration standoff continues in fight over coal plant
The U.S. Department of Energy renewed an emergency order this week directing the state’s last coal power plant to remain available for operation, continuing a legal fight between the Trump administration and state leaders.

Environment and climate bills that passed and failed in WA’s legislative session
What passed, what didn't in this past legislative session.

At 90, David Suzuki says he has done everything he could to protect the Earth, but fears he has fallen short
The iconic Canadian environmentalist says it may be too late for humanity to stop the worst of climate change.

Why a Seattle cement plant burns a million tires a year and wants to burn more
For anyone crossing the Duwamish River on the West Seattle bridge, the Ash Grove Cement plant is hard to miss. Every day, to heat that kiln and turn limestone into “clinker,” a key ingredient of cement, the plant burns natural gas and thousands of old tires for fuel.

Reflecting on the legacy of the last orca capture in Washington state, 50 years later
Ellie Kinley is a mother, fisherman, and a member of the Lummi Nation in the Bellingham area reflects on the orca captures 50 years later.

Meet the Nisqually bullfrog man. Refuge hires pro to take out invasive amphibian
The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge been raided by American bullfrogs, an invasive species not native to the area. Jamie Buchanan is a professional bullfrog hunter.

Amazon and Walmart fined for selling banned refrigerant in WA
Retail giants Amazon and Walmart are collectively facing over a million dollars in environmental fines from Washington state’s Department of Ecology for selling coolant products that contain potent greenhouse gases.

Supreme Court denies Chinook petition for federal recognition
Though the U.S. Supreme Court denied to review the Chinook Indian Nation’s case seeking federal recognition, the nation vows to continue the over a century-long fight, looking toward Congress for next steps.

Friday, March 20, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 20 2016

Aloha First Day of Spring

The First Day of Spring, also known as the Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox, takes place when the Sun crosses the celestial equator—an imaginary line in the sky directly above the Earth's equator—from south to the north. Spring is associated with rebirth, regrowth, and renewal. Plants spring from the ground—which gives the season its name—and blossom. Animals become more active and temperatures begin to warm.

Panel appointed to map B.C.'s old-growth forests say province is failing to save them
Every member of a former panel the British Columbia government appointed to identify old-growth for potential protection in 2021 now say they're concerned about continued logging in those same rare and "irreplaceable" forests.

A new plan is afoot to log Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
One of the most visited national forests in the country is the site of a proposed forest-thinning project that conservation groups fear could give a green light to logging over a vast but loosely defined area.

Trump administration orders restart of California offshore oil operations
The Trump administration on Friday directed Sable Offshore to restart its operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System off the coast of California.

Industrial chemicals have reached the middle of the ocean, new study shows
New research shows the chemicals we use to kill pests, heal our bodies and package our foods are spread throughout the ocean, intermingling with the microorganisms that feed marine life. They’ve reached even the most distant and remote places on the planet.

When We Revive Buried Urban Creeks, What Can Happen?
Spurred by advocates, Vancouver has ‘daylighted’ some paved-over waterways. Ducks, and people, are flocking.

Seattle’s Only River Comes Alive Again
How one of the largest cities in Salmon Nation has restored the Duwamish River over the past three decades — community-first and one mucky step at a time.

Fewer fish in West Coast waters will be federally regulated
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted this month to loosen regulations on eight groundfish stocks in Washington and Oregon, after doing the same for 39 stocks last year.

.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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 13 2026

Aloha Uranus Day!
William Herschel first observed Uranus on 13 March 1781, leading to its discovery as a planet, expanding the known boundaries of the Solar System for the first time in history and making Uranus the first planet classified as such with the aid of a telescope. The discovery of Uranus also effectively doubled the size of the known Solar System because Uranus is around twice as far from the Sun as the planet Saturn.

State adjusts strategy to address low-oxygen levels in Puget Sound
The Washington State Department of Ecology is responding to new legal rulings and public concerns with changes in planning and potentially future enforcement. In January, the agency decided to abandon its “nutrient general permit,” originally designed to control nitrogen releases from sewage-treatment plants throughout Puget Sound.

Republicans target public lands protections in a new way
Over the past year, GOP leaders and the Trump administration have used a law known as the Congressional Review Act to push for coal mining in Montana, oil drilling in Alaska and copper mining in Minnesota, while also attempting to reverse protections for a national monument in Utah. The rarely used act gives Congress a few months to revoke new federal regulations. Only in the past year has it ever been used to overrule land management plans.

3 unidentified orcas spotted in Vancouver Harbour never before documented in B.C.
Experts say the unfamiliar whales could belong to a rarely seen killer whale population from the high seas.

A marmot puppet is the star of Washington’s new anti-littering campaign, asking people to think before they toss their trashThe star of Washington’s new “We Keep Washington Litter Free” campaign is a marmot puppet who’s reminding people to think before they throw trash out of their car or don’t secure their loads – and let debris fly out the back of trucks.

Nearly 40% of California produce contains PFAS pesticides, report finds
A new report shows that nearly 40% of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables tested by California regulators have residues of “forever” or PFAS chemicals, a family of compounds that can be lasting and harmful.

Port of Tacoma sues to recoup $10M for cleanup of ‘toxic legacies’ at 2 parcels
The Port of Tacoma is seeking to recoup millions of dollars in environmental cleanup costs over previous industrial contamination at sites the port acquired from PQ Corp. in 2008 for more than $8.5 million.

Oregon finds a new way to fund wildlife conservation—tax tourists
The new law will raise the state’s lodging tax from 1.5% to 2.75%, which supporters call a modest increase in a state tax that’ll amount to a substantial chunk of money: an estimated $37 million annually. Most of that money will go toward Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife efforts to conserve habitat for species ranging from puffins to bats to frogs.