Salish Sea News Week in Review June 19 2026

 

Aloha, Juneteenth!

Although Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until after the war was over that slaves became free in Texas, possibly because the Proclamation could not be enforced there, or because news of the Proclamation had not been spread there. The war ended in April of 1865, but word did not reach Texas until the following month, and it was not until June that the Confederate Army in the area surrendered. On June 19th, Union General Gordon Granger read "General Order No. 3" in Galveston, which said all slaves were free. The next year freed slaves began celebrating not only the proclamation, but the freeing of all slaves in general, and gave the day the name Juneteenth. 

Republican attorneys general urge EPA to classify mifepristone as water contaminant
In a letter last Friday, the state officials argued that mifepristone is “a growing threat to the country’s waterways.” A concurrent letter, led by Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, made similar claims and was signed by 18 other GOP members of Congress.

Like it or not, the ticks are advancing and Canadians will have to adapt
Researchers say climate change is the driving force behind the pests' northward push. 

Another tank spilled months ago at site of Longview disaster, records show 
The Longview paper mill where 11 workers died last month in a chemical tank failure was the site of another spill that Nippon Dynawave Packaging described as a “near miss” earlier this spring, according to newly released public records.  

Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of a $386M ocean observatory project
A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally. 

B.C. eyes two new hydropower dams, including Site E near Alberta border, Dix says
The British Columbia government is looking at building two new hydroelectric dams, including a fourth dam for the Peace River where the Site C project generated opposition and cost overruns. 

Good News for a ‘Herd of Dinosaurs’ Under the Sea
Scientists believe ancient glass sponge reefs can grow back. If humans let them. 

New calf born to endangered southern resident orcas
Researchers are still trying to determine the mother of the newborn spotted June 14 with members of L-Pod.

Weakened BLM ‘reassigns’ PIOs ahead of fire season
Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Public Affairs Officers (PAOs) are the Bureau of Land Management’s public-facing employees that disseminate important information about federal lands, including updates on wildland fire activity. 

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)salish-current.org .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 12 2026

 

Aloha Superman Day!
Superman was created in 1933 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but it wasn't until 1938 that the Superman we know of today appeared, and made his debut in Action Comics #1. It was so popular that Superman got his own comic book the following year.

UVic data highlights devastation of Vancouver Island kelp forests from climate change
New research from the University of Victoria has revealed that kelp forests around Vancouver Island started disappearing far earlier than scientists previously thought.

The unexpected connection between gray whales and kelp on the Oregon Coast
Why a population of grey whales lives off the Oregon Coast year-round instead of migrating, and their unexpected connection with kelp.

A record die-off of sea stars was followed by something that stunned biologists 
Six months ago, Bruce Menge’s team published exciting research – five-legged sea stars were undergoing a significant “baby boom.”

WA oyster farmers say ‘vibrocompaction’ may help control ghost shrimp
Biologists at the University of Washington have been testing equipment used in large-scale concrete pours on shrimp-filled mudflats in southwest Washington.

Tire companies race to replace deadly tire chemical
A chemical found in tires is leading to the deaths of untold numbers of coho salmon in Puget Sound every year. Chemical companies are searching for an alternative but say the unique chemistry and function of 6PPD are major challenges.

Controversial plan to kill owls is underway in WA. Here’s who’s leading the way 
Two years since the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife released its barred owl management plan, only the Yakama Nation Tribe in South Central Washington has initiated barred owl management on reservation lands and is actively killing the once-protected species.

In Pursuit of a Tiny Owl Nicknamed Brad Pitt
Western screech owls are disappearing from BC. Join researchers on a tricky night mission to find out why.

State order to kill wolf in northeast Washington is canceled
Agency Director Kelly Susewind authorized staff on May 22 to kill one wolf. A week later, on May 29, he withdrew the order and moved the agency into an evaluation period.

Longview plant implosion: A moment-by-moment breakdown of disaster 
Two weeks ago, a tank imploded at a Longview paper and pulp mill, releasing hundreds of thousands of gallons of caustic chemicals that killed 11 people and injured at least a dozen more.

El Nino is here and scientists fear it'll be big, bad and costly with heat, floods, droughts, fires
U.S. meteorologists say an El Nino has formed. That's the natural warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather around the globe.

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)salish-current.org .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Salish Sea News Week in Review June 5 2026

 

Aloha World Environment Day!
In 1972, the first major conference on environmental issues took place. Organized by the United Nations, it was known as the Conference on the Human Environment and has also informally been known as the Stockholm Conference. Later that year, on December 15, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2994, which created World Environment Day. The date of June 5 was chosen because that was the date that the Stockholm Conference had started on. World Environment Day was first held in 1974.

Trump Lifts Restrictions on Off-Road Vehicles on Public Lands
President Trump on Friday rescinded two decades-old executive orders that restricted off-road vehicles on public lands, in a move that could lift prohibitions on their use in most national parks. 

Ksi Lisims project would increase B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions
The Ksi Lisims LNG project, from which liquefied natural gas would be sold to a German utility under a deal announced Wednesday, would increase B.C.'s annual greenhouse gas emissions by between six and eight per cent.

Gray whales are declining at an alarming rate. Why? 
So far this year, 25 gray whales have been found dead in Washington, making this year’s count the third highest in a half century, and the migration season is not over yet. 

Seattle bird populations, diversity are declining, new study finds
Average bird counts across Seattle dropped by 21% from 2005 to 2023, according to a new study from Birds Connect Seattle. 

Skagit County temporarily bans data centers to protect farmland, water
Data centers won’t be allowed in unincorporated Skagit County for at least the next six months, and the county will spend the time refining its development regulations around data centers in order to protect farmland and water resources.

The ‘Reckoning’ Coming for BC Logging Licences
Corporations have logged less than they’re entitled to for years. Here’s why. And what it means for the future of forestry. 

Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research. 

Oregon petition to ban hunting and fishing moves closer to November ballot
Initiative Petition 28, led by Portland-based animal rights activists, aims to expand animal cruelty laws and criminalize injuring, breeding or killing animals except in cases of self-defense or for veterinary care, such as spaying, neutering or administering euthanasia. 

Bipartisan deal restores safety board funding after Longview implosion 
Congressmembers struck an eleventh-hour deal to preserve funding for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the independent agency charged with determining what caused the catastrophic implosion at the Longview paper mill. 

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told