Salish Sea Communications: May 2021

Friday, May 28, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 28 2021

Aloha Amnesty International Day!
Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization that focuses on the protection of human rights—working to prevent abuses to human rights, to fight for justice for those whose rights have been violated, and to expand and enforce human rights protections in international law, by lobbying governments and other powerful groups and publicizing their violations. Their early focus was on the release of political prisoners, but they now focus on many issues. Their main concerns are on the rights of freedom and speech and conscience, and on the right to not be tortured. Other concerns include abolishing the death penalty, reproductive rights, and defending refugees and migrants.

After being driven to near extinction, wolves are back in Washington. Can we coexist with them?
...Today, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife kills wolves only when they have repeatedly killed cattle, a relatively rare event, with about 80% of Washington wolf packs typically staying out of trouble with people.

Biden signs bill opening door for Alaska cruises to resume
President Joe Biden signed into law Monday legislation that opens a door for resumed cruise ship travel to Alaska after the pandemic last year scrapped sailings. The measure pushed by members of Alaska's Republican congressional delegation will allow large cruise ships to sail directly from Washington state to Alaska without stopping in Canada.

Hoodsport beaches to open for shellfish harvesting for first time in 45 years
The Washington State Department of Health has upgraded its water quality rating for a stretch of tidelands near Hoodsport in southern Hood Canal, certifying that clams and oysters there are now safe to eat. Those beaches have been closed to harvesting for 45 years.

Marsh habitat restoration project planned at Point No Point aims to help salmon
A 32-acre area at Point No Point will undergo a habitat restoration led by the Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group that aims to restore critical salmon habitat.

Salish Sea Institute Releases Comprehensive ‘State of the Salish Sea’ Report
Western Washington University’s Salish Sea Institute has released the “State of the Salish Sea” report, the first comprehensive, scientific overview of the health of the Salish Sea since the 1994 Shared Waters Report.

Future meets heritage in this year’s awards
Each year, RE Sources holds its Environmental Heroes Awards celebration and fundraiser where the environmental advocacy group recognizes individuals doing remarkable work to protect the Central Salish Sea region’s environment and communities.

Biden Administration Defends Huge Alaska Oil Drilling Project
The Biden administration is defending a huge Trump-era oil and gas project in the North Slope of Alaska designed to produce more than 100,000 barrels of oil a day for the next 30 years, despite President Biden’s pledge to pivot the country away from fossil fuels.

Earth Is Barreling Toward 1.5 Degrees Celsius Of Warming, Scientists Warn
The average temperature on Earth is now consistently 1 degree Celsius hotter than it was in the late 1800s, and that temperature will keep rising toward the critical 1.5-degree Celsius benchmark over the next five years, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization.

Farmed fish the source of virus spread among wild salmon, B.C. study suggests
Evidence shows a debilitating virus found in British Columbia salmon was transferred from Atlantic fish farms, which then spread from Pacific aquaculture operations into wild fish, says a study published Wednesday.

Northwest tribes unite over GOP congressman’s pitch to breach Lower Snake River dams
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians unanimously approved a resolution Thursday calling for breaching of the Lower Snake River dams to rebuild salmon runs, save endangered orcas and secure funding from Congress to replace the benefits of the dams.

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 or to this weekly compilation, 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, May 21, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 21, 2021

Aloha Endangered Species Friday!

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.

Buried danger: A slumbering geologic fault beneath us
An earthquake along the southern Whidbey Island fault reshaped the land some 2,700 years ago. Another big one is expected, and it could be devastating.

To restore Sidney Island’s ecology, a push to kill 500 fallow deer
A coalition of First Nations, property owners and Parks Canada is planning a “final eradication” of the invasive species that will see up to 500 of the animals rounded up and killed.

The PNW is a leader on forage fish management — but it needs better data
A U.S. Senate bill highlights West Coast progressiveness in managing fisheries, but even our region is a long way off from really knowing what’s out there.

King County’s culvert hunters — and a $9 billion plan to save salmon habitat
....Urban creeks are the arteries and veins of the region carrying the lifeblood that animates the region’s ecology: salmon. Food for more than 123 species of animals — including endangered southern resident killer whales that frequent Puget Sound.

B.C. government ending climate program for municipalities
The sudden cancellation of a climate action program that provided municipal governments with millions of dollars every year has local politicians scratching their heads.

Nations Must Drop Fossil Fuels, Fast, World Energy Body Warns
Nations around the world would need to immediately stop approving new coal-fired power plants and new oil and gas fields and quickly phase out gasoline-powered vehicles if they want to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change, the world’s leading energy agency said Tuesday.

Inslee signs ambitious environmental protection laws
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a series of bills Monday designed to strengthen the environment in Washington state. Inslee signed the Climate Commitment Act, environmental justice legislation, a clean fuels standard and bills related to reducing Washington’s single-use plastic waste and hydrofluorocarbon pollution.

1st wild fishers born in North Cascades in decades
The first wild members of the wolverine family known as fishers have been born in the North Cascades for the first time in decades.

‘We don’t have time’: scientists urge B.C. to immediately defer logging in key old-growth forests amid arrests
One year after an independent panel recommended the province immediately halt logging in B.C’s rarest forests, no meaningful deferrals have been implemented.

Half of the world’s single-use plastic waste is from just 20 companies, says a study
In 2019, more than 130 million metric tons of single-use plastics were thrown away, with most of that waste burned, buried in a landfill or dumped directly into the ocean or onto land. Now, a new report finds that just 20 companies account for more than half of all single-use plastic waste generated worldwide.

B.C. failing to meet international targets for protecting biodiversity, critical habitat: report
A decade after Aichi biodiversity targets were set by Canada and other nations, a new report looks at how B.C. measures up, finding the province has failed to protect nature in the midst of a growing global ecological crisis.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 14 2021

Aloha Fintastic Friday!

Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks a Voice celebrates and raises awareness for sharks, and is geared towards children. It encourages them to get involved in shark conservation efforts and to help change public opinion about sharks—from fear to appreciation and from hate to love. Not only is the day dedicated to sharks, but to other elasmobranchs like rays and skates as well.

Scientists seek to understand increase in grey whale deaths on West Coast
The recent sighting of an emaciated grey whale off Vancouver Island and the discovery of a dead whale washed up on a B.C. beach highlights concerns that the marine mammals are dying in increasing numbers.

Songhees teaming up with other nations to remove derelict boats
The Songhees First Nation is spearheading a drive to take more derelict boats out of the water while providing jobs and training for other nations on the South Island.

The Big Melt
This is Klinaklini, the largest glacier in Western North America beyond the Alaskan border. As this giant melts, so go B.C.’s more than 16,000 other mountain glaciers — and the pace is fast accelerating. In mere decades, Klinaklini will be gone.

Expect longer wait times: Washington ferries to use smaller-capacity vessels after boat fire
Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced last week that it would be forced to make service changes on several routes after an engine room fire took the MV Wenatchee out of service in late April.

Interior drops Trump proposal easing rules for Arctic offshore drilling
The U.S. Interior Department said Friday that it would not pursue a Trump administration proposal that critics feared would have weakened rules for exploratory oil and gas drilling in Arctic waters.

Thousands of salmon fry released in B.C. river to restore populations devastated by Big Bar landslide
Thousands of salmon fry have been released in a river west of Prince George, B.C., in the hope they will help restore the salmon population devastated by the Big Bar landslide.

B.C. auditor general flags province’s inadequate management of lands, fish and wildlife
An audit of the province’s conservation program shows how B.C. is failing to address a biodiversity crisis, including monitoring and enforcement gaps and a lack of collaboration with First Nations.

Interior Department approves first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S.
The Biden administration on Tuesday approved the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States, a project that envisions building 62 turbines off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and creating enough electricity to power 400,000 homes.

BLM will revisit sage grouse protections after Trump’s attempt to open habitat for mining
The Bureau of Land Management announced Tuesday that it will revisit a key provision of sage grouse protection plans that would limit mining and drilling on the birds’ habitat.

B.C. ‘shouldn’t have approved’ plan that failed to protect Nahmint old-growth forests: watchdog
A three-year review by the forest practices board found the provincial government did not meet its legal objective to protect ecosystems and ancient forests in a treasured Vancouver Island watershed.

Community Voices / Local team launches innovative approach to help curb climate change
We must act, not just worry, and use as many solutions to curb climate change as we can, say a team of professors, graduate fellows, student interns and sustainability professionals working on one solution for Whatcom County — that can be replicated anywhere.

Stakeholders: Proposed Skagit River dam studies "inadequate"
Despite Seattle City Light expanding its study plan associated with the relicensing process of its Skagit River dams, at least 17 commenting government agencies, tribes and nonprofits wrote in letters last week that they remain dissatisfied.

‘They never said a word’: DFO told B.C. salmon farmers, but not First Nations, about mouth rot infestation
Documents released under access to information legislation show federal scientists raised the alarm about a bacteria that causes potentially deadly lesions in Atlantic salmon, saying migrating Fraser River salmon were at risk.

Gov. Inslee, Washington state’s U.S. senators reject GOP congressman’s pitch on Lower Snake River dam removal
Washington state’s U.S. senators and its governor have joined forces against a proposal from U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River and replace their benefits as part of a multitrillion dollar infrastructure bill being crafted by the Biden administration.

Friday, May 7, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 7 2021

Aloha International Tuba Day!
Joel Day founded International Tuba Day in 1979 while attending high school in suburban Philadelphia. Being one of only two tuba players in the band and finding a lack of respect from his fellow classmates, he decided to set a day aside for our recognition as reputable musicians. Joel went on to study at Millersville University, where he established very popular International Tuba Day celebrations that continued for close to twenty years. Since its inception, International Tuba Day has been celebrated around the world.

Deadly air pollutant ‘disproportionately and systematically’ harms Americans of color, study finds
Nearly every form of the nation’s most pervasive deadly air pollutant disproportionately affects Americans of color, regardless of their location or income level, according to a peer-reviewed analysis published Wednesday.

Biden administration to propose first rule requiring cut in climate pollutants
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Monday a rule that would sharply cut the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons, powerful greenhouse gases used widely in refrigeration and air conditioning.

More than 1 million residents added to Metro Vancouver by 2050, planners project
Despite limited population growth since the pandemic, Metro Vancouver planners project the region will have more than one million additional residents by 2050.

NOAA unveils new U.S. climate ‘normals’ that are warmer than ever
Drawing from the latest decade of weather data, the new normals are a reflection of climate change. Bob Henson and Jason Samenow report.

Old-growth logging approvals nearly doubled over the past year, report suggests
Old-growth logging approvals have gone up over the past year despite the B.C. government promising to protect old-growth forests, according to new research from an environmental group.

Key salmon populations cross alarming threshold — and more are nearing that line
Nearly half of the wild spring chinook populations in the Snake River Basin have crossed a critical threshold, signaling they are nearing extinction and without intervention may not persist, according to analysis by the Nez Perce Tribe.

So small, yet so deadly. Investors force plastic industry to reveal pollution
Investors are forcing the world’s biggest plastic manufacturers to reveal how many harmful plastic pellets they are leaking into rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide.

King County Council takes big step to combat climate change
The King County Council has solidified a plan for dramatic action against climate change. Councilmembers unanimously approved the Strategic Climate Action Plan, which paves the way for sweeping changes by 2030.

HollyFrontier expects Puget Sound synergies with renewables projects
HollyFrontier's first quarter results took the backseat to an earlier announcement it was buying Shell's Puget Sound refinery, as analysts peppered management with questions about purchase on May 5 call.

Seabed Mining Opponents Off WA Coast Find Win in Legislature
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a seabed mining ban into law Monday. The measure prohibits mineral extraction within three miles of Washington's coastline.

Feud breaks out among GOP lawmakers over Snake River dams
Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing an Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.

BC Hydro, province ordered to release secret Site C dam docs to West Moberly First Nations
Reports and internal records, which will be released as part of a landmark Treaty Rights case brought by the nation, will shed light on the escalating costs of the project, now billed at $16 billion.