Salish Sea News Week in Review November 27 2024

Aloha Turkey Wednesday!
Americans gobble up more than 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving, according to some estimates. But experts say that this love for the bird shouldn’t end when the holiday is over. Eating turkey regularly — whether it’s sliced in a deli sandwich or ground up in chili — can boost your health in more ways than one. (NY Times)

Climate pollution surges in Washington state after pandemic lull
Policymakers and advocates are essentially driving blind as they pursue the difficult goal of slashing fossil-fuel pollution fast enough to help stabilize the planet’s rapidly heating climate.

Area off Vancouver Island a high-risk zone for ship-whale collisions: study
In B.C., a previously unidentified hot spot for whale-ship collisions was found off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Plucking polluted pilings: 1,200 are being removed along Tacoma’s Ruston Way
Crews have begun pulling the first of some 1,200 polluted pilings that once supported a sawmill on Tacoma’s waterfront. The site is one of “The Filthy Four,” according to the state Department of Natural Resources. 

Class action lawsuit for massive 2013 fuel spill into Kootenay creek settled for $4.5 million
A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit for damages caused by a massive 2013 fuel spill in the West Kootenay's Slocan Valley.  

Canada working with Biden team to finalize B.C. river treaty before Trump takes office
Top officials in both Canada and the United States are pushing the need to finalize the Columbia River Treaty to manage water flowing between the two countries before the administration change in America.

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) salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Salish Sea News Week in Review November 22 204

 

Aloha Humane Society Day!

Humane Society Anniversary Day is celebrated annually on November 22 to commemorate the founding of Humane Society International, the world's largest animal protection organization. The day is a call to action to raise awareness about animal cruelty and to protect animals from harm. 

The power of a logjam: A vision of the Northwest’s rivers of old
In their natural state, Puget Sound rivers are a braided mess of forested islands, jammed with downed wood and surging with salmon. Now work is underway to restore the lower Elwha to a version of its past — in part by building giant logjams.

Trump picks Colorado oil and gas executive to lead Energy Department
Republican President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he wants Chris Wright, a Colorado oil and gas executive who denies that the world faces a “climate crisis,” to serve the new administration as Department of Energy secretary.

Bird flu decimated tern colony in northwest Washington
Study findings provide new details on a Caspian tern die-off near Port Townsend in 2023 and how the virus killed seals in the region, infecting their brains.

WWU scientists awarded $638K grant to study forage fish survival in Salish Sea
A multidisciplinary team of Western Washington University Marine and Coastal Science (MACS) faculty were recently awarded a three-year, $638,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to better understand the impact of polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) – a type of toxic fatty acid, or lipid – on a group close to the bottom of the food pyramid that impacts everything above it: forage fish.

More logging is proposed to help curb wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest
U.S. officials would allow increased logging on 38,000 square miles (99,000 square kilometers) of federal lands in Oregon, Washington and California in the name of fighting wildfires and boosting rural economies under proposed changes to a sweeping forest management plan that’s been in place for three decades.

Urban salmon return to Metro Vancouver streams to spawn
Efforts to rehabilitate urban waterways have helped bring spawning salmon back to parts of Metro Vancouver, including unlikely-looking streams surrounded by industrial and residential development.

On BC’s North Coast, First Nations Are Building a New Economy
How the Great Bear Sea initiative is using conservation finance to create jobs and preserve nature.

'A special moment': Water again flowing at Red Slough on the Pitt River, fresh hope for salmon
B.C. Parks Foundation and the Katzie First Nation have announced the completion of one of the largest salmon restoration projects in Western Canada.

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)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Salish Sea News Week in Review November 15 2024

Aloha Little Red Wagon Friday!

Little Red Wagon Day celebrates little red toy wagons. Toy wagons, which are similar in structure to their larger counterparts, were invented in the late 19th century, and were originally made of wood. They have an open top, can usually comfortably seat one child, often have a pull handle in front, and are usually red. Famous brands include Red Rider, Northern Tool and Equipment, Lowe's, Cardinal, Speedway Express, and Radio Flyer, which is most associated with the little red wagon.

Site C dam reservoir now fully filled, generating power but flooding land loved by locals
Project will increase province's electricity supply by 8%, B.C. Hydro says.

Wildlife petition calls for new Vancouver Island coastal bird sanctuary
Conservationists want to connect Victoria Harbour and Shoal Harbour, creating a new Salish Sea migratory bird sanctuary.

For EPA chief, Trump picks former Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York
President-elect Donald Trump Monday said he will nominate former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York to serve as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite Biden’s promise to protect old forests, his administration keeps approving plans to cut them down
On Earth Day in 2022, President Joe Biden stood among cherry blossoms and towering Douglas firs in a Seattle park to declare the importance of big, old trees. But two years later, at a timber auction in a federal office in Roseburg, Oregon, this new day was nowhere to be seen.

The Other Side of the World’s Largest Dam Removal
Removing dams from the Klamath River in Northern California seems like a clear win for fish and rivers. Why do some locals hate it?

3 years, 2 deadly atmospheric rivers. Is B.C. ready for the next one?
On the heels of another destructive atmospheric river that left 5 people dead, we have to learn how to live with water.

Amid Earth's heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions
Even as Earth sets new heat records, humanity this year is pumping 330 million tons (300 million metric tons) more carbon dioxide into the air by burning fossil fuels than it did last year.

Hereditary chiefs call for a fishing moratorium to safeguard herring stocks
Concerned by the disappearance of herring in their territories, hereditary chiefs are calling for closure of the West Coast’s last commercial herring fishery.

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)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Salish Sea News Week in Review November 8 2024

Aloha X-ray Friday
An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. X-rays were discovered in 1895 by the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who named it X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. X-rays can penetrate many solid substances such as construction materials and living tissue,[4] so X-ray radiography is widely used in medical diagnostics (e.g., checking for broken bones) and material science. (Wikipedia)

Billy's magic: Tribal leader’s fierce fight for fishing rights to be honored with a statue in Washington, D.C.
Who was Billy Frank, Jr.? Willie Frank III explains.

Washington governor OKs massive new wind farm and urges swift turbine approvals
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has approved a revised plan for a massive proposed wind farm after he rejected a sharply slimmed-down version earlier this year.

B.C. workers facing ban on open-net farming worry about job losses
Those who oppose open-net fish farms are frustrated by delays in phasing them out but the farms have generated wealth and jobs for a generation of people. Jamie Mah reports. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. ports lockout: Vancouver businesses already feeling the bite of labour dispute
The lockout has halted operations at more than a dozen terminals run by Maritime Employers Association members, leaving containers of goods behind picket lines.

Two southern residents missing, presumed dead in B.C. waters
Two southern resident killer whales are presumed dead after multiple sightings of two endangered pods failed to turn up a 30-year-old male and a calf. The news reduces the southern resident population to 72.

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)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Salish Sea News Week in Review November 1 2024

Aloha Vinegar Friday!

Vinegar is made by a fermentation process, which can go fast or slow, taking a few months or a year. Sugar in juice is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and the alcohol combines with atmospheric oxygen to form acetic acid and water. The flavors and aromas of the different varieties of vinegar come from the organic acids and esters from the fruit or other source material. There are many varieties of vinegar, some being apple cider, red wine, white, balsamic, malt, beer, cane, coconut, rice, and sherry. The first vinegar was likely made from wine. 

Massive WA salmon recovery plan scrutinized with latest $100M project
The Washington State Department of Transportation is planning a giant salmon restoration project here that could require buying out a motel owner, tearing down the building and excavating the highway culvert beneath it, at a price tag of some $100 million.  Lawmakers and at least one tribal leader are asking whether projects like this make sense.

Metro Vancouver removes 50 tonnes of 'fatbergs' from Richmond, B.C., sewers
Every year, Metro Vancouver says it spends more than $2.7 million fixing grease damage in its sewer systems.

Slim majority for NDP after Elections B.C.'s final count, Eby forming government
The NDP has 47 seats, the Conservatives 44, and the Greens two pending automatic judicial recounts in Surrey-Guildford and Kelowna Centre ridings.

The massive Site C dam has begun generating power for B.C.'s electrical grid
Project will increase B.C.'s electricity supply by 8 per cent, B.C. Hydro says.

Marine Weather Forecasts Are Getting an AI Upgrade
Machine learning systems—powered by new data—are taking some of the guesswork out of maritime safety. 

Record 1.3 million cruise ship passengers arrived in Vancouver this year, port authority says
As the final cruise ship of the year sails away from the city Tuesday, the Port of Vancouver said a record number of tourists arrived in the city by cruise ship this year.

Atmospheric rivers could raise sea levels, drive flooding in B.C., says scientist
More powerful atmospheric rivers could lead to higher storm surges and flooding in the future, finds study.

Iowa AG leads multi-state opposition to court decision on Clean Water Act
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and 24 other states filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Monday in support of the Port of Tacoma’s appeal of a U.S. circuit court decision that upheld a citizen’s ability to sue individuals for violating the Clean Water Act.

Everett initiative asks: Should the Snohomish River have legal rights?
Initiative 24-03 proposes legal standing to prevent environmental damage. Opponents say it’ll lead to unnecessary lawsuits.

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)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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