Salish Sea News Week in Review May 17 2024

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."

Low Chinook runs endanger prime fishing rivers in Snohomish County
Even in pristine salmon habitat like the Sultan, Chinook numbers are down. Warm water and extreme weather are potential factors. 

Peregrine falcons laced with banned chemicals, Canadian scientists find
The fastest animal on the planet, peregrine falcons can't seem to escape contamination from banned toxic flame retardants, a new study has found. 

OSU Scientists, Marine Biodiversity Opportunities are Being Lost
An international collaboration that includes two Oregon State University scientists says the world’s largest marine protected areas aren’t collectively delivering the biodiversity benefits they could be because of slow implementation of management strategies and a failure to restrict the most impactful human activities.

‘A Good Fire’: How Prescribed Cultural Burns Protect Communities
They’re rooted in generational knowledge. And they’re long overdue.

Navy jet noise could mean long-term health impacts for Whidbey Island
More than 74,000 people on Whidbey Island could face long-term health impacts from the U.S. Navy jet noise that’s blasted over residents several days a week for over a decade, new research shows. 

Environmentalists seek protections for marmots on Olympic Peninsula
Environmentalists say the species is in trouble, with around 2,000 to 4,000 of the animals believed to be left after a sharp population decline from the 1990s to mid-2000s.

Endangered orca habitat sullied by Canadian cruise ship pollution
Cruise ships are jeopardizing endangered southern resident killer whales by dumping billions of litres of polluted wastewater into the ocean, new federal government documents reveal.

Crossborder Nooksack teams have met 10 times since October
Ten meetings in 10 months might not sound like a lot, but given recent history, the nine governments trying to prevent another devastating Nooksack River flood might as well be teenagers who can’t get off the phone with one another. Whether they’ll ever be able to take things to the next level remains to be seen.

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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Salish Sea News Week in Review May 10 2024

President Mandela Friday!

Nelson Mandela on May 10, 1994 became South Africa's first black president after more than 300 years of white rule. Before becoming president, he was a pivotal figure in the fight against the racist apartheid regime and was incarcerated for 27 years.

Second fishery since dam removal limited to 400 cohos
The Lower Elwha Kallam Tribe will hold a limited fishery on the Elwha River this fall, the tribe’s second fishery since dams on the river were removed more than a decade ago.

Appeals court rejects climate change lawsuit by young Oregon activists against US government
A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday rejected a long-running lawsuit brought by young Oregon-based climate activists who argued that the U.S. government’s role in climate change violated their constitutional rights.

B.C.’s second-largest LNG project is one you’ve probably never heard of
The Ksi Lisims facility in the Nass estuary, backed by the Nisg̱a’a Nation, would produce nearly as much liquefied natural gas per year as the LNG Canada plant.

Non-native bumblebees becoming common in Lower Mainland: study
UBC researchers says eastern bumblebees represent more than 40% of all bees they observed. Jon Azpiri reports.

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Hood Canal summer chum could be first-ever salmon removed from Endangered Species List

Are species consigned to the Endangered Species List destined for extinction? Some species may be, but certainly not all.

Extra-low (and high) tides coming to Puget Sound this week
Extra-low tides on Puget Sound May 8 to May 12 bring opportunities to witness sea stars and other colorful creatures along local shorelines.  Sea level is expected to yo-yo as much as 17 feet this week near Olympia.

Diverse cast calls for end to B.C.'s open-net fish pens, as PM promised
Alliance of Indigenous, commercial and sports fishers ask Prime Minister to keep a promise to transition away from the pens by 2025. rts (Vancouver Sun)

Groups opposed to pipeline call for B.C. to push for oil spill evacuation plan
Dozens of health officials, Indigenous and environmental groups and city councillors opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion are calling on B.C. to push the federal government for a more robust oil spill response plan.

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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Salish Sea Mews Week in Review May 3, 2024

Aloha Spam (Email) Friday

The first known spam electronic mail (although not yet called email), was sent on May 3, 1978 to several hundred users on ARPANET. It was an advertisement for a presentation by Digital Equipment Corporation for their DECSYSTEM-20 products sent by Gary Thuerk, a marketer of theirs. The linguistic significance of the usage of the word 'spam' is attributed to the British comedy troupe Monty Python in a now legendary sketch from their Flying Circus TV series, in which a group of Vikings sing a chorus of "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM..." at increasing volumes.(Wikipedia)

Local border waters are on the cusp of a major rise in oil tanker traffic
Are we ready? Completion of a Canadian pipeline expansion means more crude-carrying vessels passing through the Salish Sea en route to the Pacific, amplifying spill fears.

Southern resident killer whales face extinction in 75-100 years, study predicts
If more changes aren’t made, prospects appear dim for the survival of the southern resident killer whale. This population of around 75 individuals is heading toward extinction at a rate of one-to-two per cent annually, according to a study published Tuesday by researchers with B.C.-based Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

The great escape: Orphaned orca swims to freedom, begins search for family
The young orca's bid for freedom occurred at a high tide early Friday and involved swimming through a swift-moving, narrow channel and underneath a bridge, with Esperanza Inlet in the near distance.

The new Trans Mountain pipeline will soon carry oil. Could an Indigenous Rights case impact operations?
Trans Mountain’s decision last summer to trench through an Indigenous sacred site kicked off more dissent. The decision ‘undermines Secwépemc law’ according to the nation, which is boosting title claim efforts to protect its sacred spaces.

Like It or Not, Even Wildlife-Focused Ecotourism Affects Wild Animals
Under the watchful gaze of ecotourists, British Columbia’s grizzly bears become skittish and avoid prime hunting spots.

Living with Trans Mountain
After a decade of work, oil is flowing through the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. People who live along the pipeline are looking to the future.

Almost all mountain goats died after airlift from Olympics to Cascades
Federal authorities moved hundreds of goats to the North Cascades. Tracking showed most died within five years. Now, tribes are trying to save the population.

Electricity demand in Northwest projected to grow 30% in decade
Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, or about 5% more than estimated last year and triple the prediction three years ago, industry experts said in a new report.

Court overturns $185M verdict for Monsanto PCBs at Monroe school
In a complex 78-page ruling Wednesday, the state Court of Appeals found a trial court misapplied state laws in the landmark case.

Ecology files water rights adjudication in Whatcom County Superior Court
The Washington Department of Ecology filed a basin-wide general adjudication for the Nooksack river system and nearby areas with the Whatcom County Superior Court on May 1, formally beginning the adjudication process. A water rights adjudication determines whether each water use on a source is legal, how much water can be used, and its priority during shortages.

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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