Salish Sea Communications: October 2021

Friday, October 29, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 29 2021

Aloha Lemur Friday!
World Lemur Day celebrates lemurs and spreads the word about the need to conserve them; it inspires a love for them and actions to save them from extinction. It also celebrates Madagascar, the island nation located 250 miles off the east coast of Africa that lemurs call home.

Can This Tribe of ‘Salmon People’ Pull Off One More Win?
....The Lummi, whose fishing grounds include most of the Salish Sea, count more commercial fishers among their 5,320 members than any other Indigenous nation in the Northwest. Their relationship to this catch, though, is more than financial:

‘Receding before our eyes:’ Vancouver Island glaciers likely to be all gone by mid-century
Glacier melt is accelerated because the Island glaciers are small to start with, and recent events like this summer’s heat dome and sustained temperatures above 30 C have put their demise on fast-forward.

Guilbeault to become Canada's next environment minister as Trudeau unveils new cabinet
Long-time environmental activist Steven Guilbeault will be Canada's next minister of the environment and climate change, CBC News has confirmed.

Wildlife agencies to cancel Trump endangered species rules
President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday that it will cancel two environmental rollbacks under former President Donald Trump that limited habitat protections for imperiled plants and wildlife.

U.S. District Court judge weighing merits of Navy EIS for Whidbey Island
A U.S. District Court judge heard arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit over the Navy’s expansion of its EA-18G Growler jet fleet at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Latest National Climate Plans Still Fall Far Short, U.N. Report Warns
The latest plans by the nations of the world to tackle climate change over the next decade fall far short of what’s needed to avert a dangerous rise in global temperatures, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.

Big shippers promise zero carbon by 2040. Too late, say climate activists
Major shippers including Amazon, Ikea, and Unilever say they will stop putting their stuff on ships that burn fossil fuels in the next 20 years.

The ‘glaring gap’ in B.C.’s new climate plan
Environmental groups say while the province has made important gains in new roadmap, it’s still not clear how B.C. will tackle emissions from fracking and LNG.

North Vancouver couple put up $1 million for wilderness protection
A North Vancouver couple is putting their money where their hearts are – in the wilderness. Al Collings and Hilary Stevens have donated $1 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The hopeful orca study, and the backlash that ensued
Researchers at the University of British Columbia published a paper that found an abundance of Chinook salmon in one area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where the southern residents forage for food. Researchers here in the Seattle area "stomped on it," according to Lynda Mapes, who covers the environment for The Seattle Times.

Puget Sound meets 2020 bulkhead-removal goal; new indicators will chart the future
In a turnabout that offers hope for Puget Sound’s nearshore ecosystem, old bulkheads are now being removed faster than new bulkheads are being constructed, according to permit figures provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Canada underestimating 80 megatonnes of emissions from boreal logging: report
New research finds that by overcounting the carbon storage of intact forests and undercounting emissions from logging, the Government of Canada is vastly underreporting the climate impacts of clearcutting in one of the country’s greatest carbon sinks.

Most of Canada’s marine protected areas still threatened by oil and gas, dumping and trawling: report
A new assessment from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society finds only a fraction of established ocean conservation regions actually enjoy enough protections to meet goals of preserving or restoring marine life.

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, October 22, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 22 2021

Aloha Wombat Friday!
Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about 1 m in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between 20 and 35 kg. There are three extant species and they are all members of the family Vombatidae. (Wikipedia)

Spirit Bears Have a Special Power When Hunting
A UVic scientist has discovered the advantage their white fur gives them for catching dinner.

Sea otters' seemingly destructive digging is making eelgrass more resilient: study
Scientists in B.C. have shown how the seemingly harmful actions of one marine species are actually benefiting another. B

Lawsuit claims hatcheries harm wild fish, orcas
The latest lawsuit over fish in the state claims hatchery-raised salmon and steelhead may impact already-diminished wild populations and the orca whales that eat them.

Heat-loving bacteria kills thousands of Washington salmon
An estimated 2,500 Chinook salmon died before they could reach their spawning grounds in Whatcom County in September.

Metro Vancouver terminates contract of 'abandoned' North Shore wastewater treatment plant
Metro Vancouver is terminating its contract with the builder of a billion-dollar sewage treatment plant in North Vancouver after it missed key construction milestones and has appeared to have “abandoned” the project.

Will Florida orca Lolita be released? New management, damning report renew advocates' fervor
After a quarter-century of futility, advocates seeking the release of Lolita the Killer Whale have renewed fervor.

EPA unveils strategy to regulate toxic ‘forever chemicals’
The Biden administration is launching a wide-ranging strategy to regulate toxic industrial compounds used in products including cookware, carpets and firefighting foam.

Salmon Need Trees
A new study stands as a striking reminder that logging watersheds has an outsized impact on salmon and trout.

Urine trouble: High nitrogen levels in Puget Sound cause ecological worry
Among its many environmental challenges, Puget Sound has a water quality problem caused in part from too much pee from the 4.5 million people living in the region. This problem, known euphemistically as “nutrient waste,” has caused Puget Sound to run afoul of the federal Clean Water Act.

Two front-runners in reopening the Intalco facility offer jobs, cleaner operation
Negotiations to purchase the Intalco property at Cherry Point may bring aluminum production back to the facility or create a steel mill using recycled materials. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

How a deadly land fungus began killing marine mammals in the Salish Sea
In the early 2000s, a fungus infected hundreds of animals and people in British Columbia and Washington State. Scientists found that the disease also killed porpoises and dolphins in the Salish Sea—perhaps affecting cetaceans even earlier than people.

Friday, October 15, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 15 2021

Aloha Mushroom Friday!
National Mushroom Day celebrates edible mushrooms, which can be eaten plain, be stuffed, or be used in salads, soups, and sauces. Culinary mushrooms first began being cultivated in the early eighteenth century, in France. They were known as Parisian mushrooms by those outside of the country, and the English exported them to America by the end of the nineteenth century. It was mainly these white and brown Agaricus bisporus mushrooms that were cultivated and sold, none more so than cremini mushrooms. Beginning in the 1940s, many other types of mushrooms began being cultivated on a wider basis.

In search of Haida Gwaii’s forest-dwelling hawk, one of the most endangered species on the planet
With no provincial endangered species legislation to rely on, the race is on to find the nests of stads k’un, a genetically unique subspecies of the northern goshawk, before logging and habitat loss causes the brave little bird to vanish forever.

Alaska snow crab harvest slashed by nearly 90% after population crash in a warming Bering Sea
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game set the 2022 snow crab harvest at the lowest level in more than 40 years, a move to protect populations that appear to have crashed during a period of higher temperatures in the Bering Sea.

Judge grants temporary injunction at Fairy Creek, citing economic harm to logging company
A B.C. Court of Appeal judge has granted a temporary injunction at a logging site on southern Vancouver Island, where protesters, police and loggers have been at odds for more than a year.

‘We are the land’: Indigenous Peoples’ Day gathering at Lummi Nation celebrates survival
From Canada to California and reservations in between, Native people gathered at the Wex’liem Community Building west of Bellingham both in person and virtually to talk about what it means to be Native.

FortisBC Wants to Expand an LNG Plant on Vancouver’s Doorstep. Opponents Say No
Tilbury Island is home to FortisBC’s Tilbury Island LNG facility, which the utility company is seeking to expand by adding additional LNG storage and a jetty where it could load tankers bound for international markets.

Study raises new questions about why southern resident killer whales are in decline
A team from the University of British Columbia says their new study suggests declining chinook stocks are only part of the problem facing the critically endangered orcas, and that researchers need to look beyond the Salish Sea for answers.

U.S. to reopen land border to fully vaccinated Canadians next month
Fully vaccinated Canadians will be allowed to enter the United States at land and ferry border crossings starting in early November.

What’s killing the Northwest’s bigleaf maples? Scientists think they’ve found the answer
Climate change is the culprit behind the increasing deaths of bigleaf maples in Washington and across the Pacific Northwest.

Port Townsend Marine Science Center presents Stopps award
Connie Gallant has won the 2021 Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award.

Friday, October 8, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 8 2021

Aloha Octopus Friday!
World Octopus Day is part of International Cephalopod Awareness Days, which take place from October 8–12 each year. Since octopuses have eight arms and squid have eight arms and two tentacles, the holiday week begins on the eighth day of the tenth month. The name "octopus" comes from the Greek word októpus, which means "eight foot." The animal is from the order Octopoda, of which there are 289 species. Octopus arms have clusters of neurons in them, which allow different arms to do different tasks at the same time. In fact, these neuron clusters may be considered to be brains. Thus, octopuses have nine brains, having a central one that controls their nervous system and one in each arm. If an octopus loses an arm, they are able to grow it back.

Federal regulators to limit hot water in Snake, Columbia rivers
Federal regulators starting this spring will require dam operators to limit hot water pollution caused by the four Lower Snake River dams.

Scientists Found a New Kind of Killer Whale
By analyzing more than 100,000 photographs of killer whales taken off the United States west coast, and assessing where each animal was seen and in whose company, a team of researchers has revealed that there are likely more branches on the killer whale family tree than previously thought.

Navy steams ahead with sonar testing despite state opposition, orca impacts
Over the objections of Washington state officials and orca advocates, the U.S. Navy is steaming ahead with a plan for seven more years of testing sonar and explosives in waters off the Northwest coast.

Climate change killed 14% of the world’s coral reefs in a decade, study finds
Climate change will kill even more coral reefs if oceans keep getting warmer, scientists warn in a far-reaching study.

Alaska’s vanishing salmon push Yukon River tribes to brink
Two salmon species have all but disappeared from Alaska’s Yukon River this year, prompting the state to shut down fishing in an effort to save them.

BP to more than double renewable diesel production at Cherry Point refinery
BP will spend $269 million at the Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County to produce more renewable diesel, a biofuel, and make other improvements that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 7%, according to a corporate statement.

Mapping California’s Oil Spill: Aging Pipes Line the Coast
Ever since a pipeline failure caused at least 126,000 gallons of oil to spill into the Pacific Ocean, threatening a fragile coastal ecosystem and forcing some of Southern California’s most popular beaches to close, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been scrutinizing satellite imagery to track the oil’s spread.

Wastewater project delay one of several billion-dollar questions facing Metro Vancouver
The final cost of an already delayed wastewater treatment plant in North Vancouver is almost certain to rise from its $1 billion figure after Metro Vancouver said the contractor "abandoned" the project.

White House proposes restoring key parts of landmark environmental law, reversing Trump
The White House proposed restoring three core provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, reversing a significant rollback of President Donald Trump.

A beluga whale in Puget Sound? Rare visitor startles boaters in first sighting here since 1940
In a flash of white out of the blue, a beluga whale has been seen at least six times around Puget Sound since Sunday, the first such sightings since 1940.

Poll finds many Washington voters support removing Snake River dams
A new poll supported by environmental groups found Washington voters West and East of the Cascades support dam removal. Many Washington voters support a plan to remove four dams on the Lower Snake River, according to a survey conducted for a coalition of environmental groups.

Biden to restore protections for the Bears Ears monument after Trump downsized it
President Biden will restore the boundaries of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments at a signing ceremony on Friday, the administration announced on Thursday evening.

Report identifies over 17 million gallons of untreated wastewater has been spilled into Puget Sound, Lake Washington in recent years
The King County Council’s Regional Water Quality Committee on Wednesday received a key report recommending electrical upgrades, strategies to adjust back-up power and more to prevent future wastewater spills like the failure that led to the spilling of millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into Puget Sound and Lake Washington on January 13, 2021.

Some whale watchers ‘routinely’ too close to endangered resident orcas, report says
Environmental groups have issued a scathing review of some whale watchers and the lack of enforcement by Transport Canada to protect the endangered southern resident orcas.

Friday, October 1, 2021

Salish Sea News Week in Review October 1 2021

Aloha Model T Friday!
The Ford Model T was introduced to the public on Oct. 1 1908 and was the first car that was affordable and reliable for the ordinary citizen of the United States. Known as the "Tin Lizzie," it was the first car built using mass production methods and had seating for two people. When it was first introduced it cost $850. By the time it was discontinued in 1927, nearly 15,000,000 Model T's had been sold.

Makah whale hunt approval recommended by federal official
A federal official has issued his recommendation regarding the Makah whale hunt. Judge George G. Jordan, administrative law judge with the U.S. Coast Guard, says he recommends granting the waiver the tribe has requested under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Legal battles unfold during Skagit River dam relicensing
From Whatcom County where Seattle City Light's three Skagit River dams are located to Seattle where the public utility is headquartered, lawsuits are stacking up as relicensing of the century-old hydroelectric project gets underway.

Ban on single-use plastic bags in WA begins Oct. 1
Beginning Oct. 1, 2021, a statewide ban of single-use plastic bags will go into effect in Washington.

Low oxygen levels along Pacific Northwest coast a ‘silent’ climate change crisis
Nearly two decades ago, fishers discovered an odd occurrence off the coast of Oregon. They were pulling up pots of dead or lethargic crabs. At first they suspected a chemical spill or a red tide. But instead, they learned, dangerously low levels of dissolved oxygen in the ocean water were to blame.

Chinook salmon recovery efforts continue for Skagit River, Puget Sound populations
Attention to restoring the Puget Sound chinook salmon population, of which Skagit River fish are a major component, continues to grow. Despite billions of dollars invested in research and habitat restoration since Puget Sound chinook were listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1999, the population remains at concerning numbers.

More renewable energy, less energy efficiency in new power plan
The draft Northwest Power Plan is dramatically different from previous versions. People can comment on the plan through Nov. 19.

Delta wants more answers on LNG jetty project
The City of Delta is asking for further assessment on the application to build a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility adjacent to the FortisBC plant in Tilbury.

'Substantial infringement of civil liberties' cited as court ends injunction against Fairy Creek protests
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has denied an application to extend an injunction against old-growth logging blockades on southern Vancouver Island, writing that the actions of RCMP officers have put the court's reputation at risk.

Pollution is washing from boatyards into Puget Sound. Who’s responsible?
For about a decade, Washington has been attempting to figure out how to best regulate boatyards and their pollution.

BC lays out $260-million, five-year plan to move away from fossil fuels
B.C. Hydro and the provincial government have announced a new five-year plan for the Crown corporation that provides incentives for people to switch from fossil fuels to electricity to power their homes, businesses and vehicles.

Biden Administration Restores Bird Protections, Repealing Trump Rule
he Biden administration on Wednesday restored protections for migratory birds that were loosened under former President Donald J. Trump, a move celebrated by conservationists but expected to exacerbate tensions between the administration and the oil and gas industry.

Vancouverites come together for National Reconciliation Day
On a day of heavy rain and overcast skies, thousands of orange ribbons in the garden of the Vancouver Art Gallery, each representing a child who died at residential schools across the country, glowed like small, bright fla

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