Salish Sea News Week in Review June 18 2021

 

 

Aloha Go Fish Day!
Observed annually on June 18, National Go Fishing Day is a great day to take time from your daily routine to find a stream, a lake or pond, bait your hook, cast your line and catch a fish or two (or ten). Fishing is a recreational pastime of many, and if you’re lucky, you can bring home a fresh catch.

Biden officials move to reinstate Alaska roadless rule, overturning Trump policy
The Biden administration said Friday that it would “repeal or replace” a rule allowing roads and other types of development in more than half of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, reviving 20-year-old protections President Donald Trump had stripped three months before leaving office.

Federal judge upholds decision to deny permits to expanded Belfair gravel mine
A federal judge has upheld a decision by the Mason County Hearing Examiner to overturn a surface mining permit for a 66.5-acre gravel mine in Belfair.

Coastal logging needs old-growth for at least next decade, forester says
 Forestry companies on the coast are dependent on old-growth logging for at least the next decade because second-growth trees aren’t yet big enough to be harvested, says the co-author of an old-growth strategic review.

Federal effort would list Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan as threatened species
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is proposing new protections for the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan. If approved, the Endangered Species Act would list the birds as threatened.

Tiny specks bring big hope that ocean is improving after the devastating ‘Blob’
... for the first time since a devastating marine heat wave that peaked through 2014 and 2015, researchers see in the abundance, condition and diversity of plankton recently sampled off the West Coast signs of a change for the better in ocean conditions.

Federal Judge Says Biden Cannot Pause New Leases for Drilling on Public Lands
A federal judge in Louisiana has blocked the Biden administration’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters, in the first major legal roadblock for President Biden’s quest to cut fossil fuel pollution and conserve public lands.

Site prep underway at contested development near Mukilteo
Construction preparation has begun again at a controversial development site south of Mukilteo. And this time, it’s under the direction of a new developer. Lennar Northwest paid $24 million for the roughly 22 acres known as Frognal Estates.

Biden to sign bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday, and President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign the bill into law on Thursday.

Researchers identify shellfish-killing phytoplankton behind massive summer die-offs in Puget Sound
In July of 2018 and 2019, large numbers of oysters, cockles and clams died on beaches all around Puget Sound. No one knew why.

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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