Salish Sea News Week in Review August 27 2021

 

Jan-ken-po Day
Rock paper scissors is usually played by two people, often when something needs to be chosen, such as whose turn is next. Hands are made into the shape of a rock, piece of paper, or scissors. Rock breaks scissors, paper covers rock, and scissors cuts paper. A similar game was first mentioned in Wuzazu, a book by Xie Zhaozhi, a Chinese writer of the Ming dynasty. Known as shousiling, the game was said to date back to the Han dynasty which ranged from 206 BCE to 220 CE. Hand signal games traveled from China to Japan in the seventeenth century, where they became known as sansukumi-ken, and rose in popularity. "Ken" meant fist games, "san" meant three-way, and "sukami" meant deadlock. There were variations of the games, the earliest being mushi-ken. The first form of the game to use symbols for rock, paper, and scissors was jan-ken. Created in the late nineteenth century, the modern version of the game is derived from it.

‘It’s pretty dire’: Vancouver Island salmon under threat from climate change-induced droughts 
As the island enters the most severe level of drought in the province, experts warn B.C. has much work to do to manage for watershed health in the midst of prolonged dry spells.

Taking the temperature of salmon
Warming waters threaten the recovery of salmon in Puget Sound. New findings about stream temperature could help salmon survive the threats of climate change.

After mystery sea star die-off, could captive breeding rebalance California’s underwater forests?
Without sea stars, an explosion of sea urchins knocked the ecosystem off balance. Now scientists are racing to breed a new generation of their predators.

Skagit County sues Seattle for public records in fight over fish passage at city dams
A fight over the lack of fish passage at Seattle City Light dams escalated Tuesday when Skagit County sued the city of Seattle in a bid to force the release of some of the utility’s financial records.

B.C.’s extreme heat is here to stay. Critics say government’s plan to deal with it is dangerously weak
From 570 devastating heat-induced deaths, to fish die-offs, to berries being baked on the stem, British Columbians are experiencing the multitude impacts of a growing climate emergency that the province urgently needs to adapt to.

Expert says B.C. sea stars melting away because of wasting disease
A new study published by the Royal Society said sea stars are getting close to extinction as waters along the west coast.

Fairy Creek is set to become the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada’s history
Amid escalating tensions with the RCMP, old-growth logging blockades on Vancouver Island show no signs of letting up. B.C.’s response, experts say, will determine the legacy of the new war in the woods.

An Amazon Rainforest of the sea fights for survival beneath Puget Sound
An undersea expedition to a mysterious world beneath the waves has come to West Seattle's Lincoln Park. It's just one stop on a week-long mission to help understand and save one of our area's most important natural resources, its kelp forests.

Discovery of tire-related chemical that kills coho salmon sparks widespread response
Scientists, legislators and manufacturers are responding in various ways to the recent groundbreaking discovery of a deadly chemical derived from automobile tires, a chemical that can rapidly kill coho salmon swimming in urban streams.

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 August 20 2021

 

Aloha Mosquito Friday!
World Mosquito Day takes place on the anniversary of the day in 1897 when British doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered that the female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. This led to scientists ability to better understand the relationship between mosquitoes and diseases, and what could be done to combat it. In 1902, Ross received the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work.

US Bureau of Land Management reconsiders protecting 10 million acres of sage grouse habitat
The Obama administration temporarily enacted a plan to withdraw what are called “sagebrush focal areas” from mining and drilling during the president’s second term, but called for a full environmental review to make the withdrawal permanent. The Trump administration, upon taking office, abandoned that plan, opening those 10 million acres for business.

Extinction of B.C. Interior steelhead runs imminent: experts
Only 19 spawning adults returned to the Chilcotin watershed this spring, down from 418 in 2015 and a peak of 3,149 in 1985.

Did the oldest male southern resident orca die too young — at just 35?
He was last seen struggling against the current, terribly emaciated, one of the skinniest orcas ever seen alive.

Ghost boats are haunting Puget Sound waters
It can cost over $10,000 to properly dispose of a boat that is no longer in working order. Some owners are choosing to abandon ship instead; causing big problems for marina managers and the environment.

Skeptics of sea otter reintroduction getting organized on Pacific Coast
Sea otters are undeniably cute, but cuteness only goes so far when major economic interests are at stake.

They want to tell the real history, celebrate vibrant people of the Coast Salish
Robert Jago wants Northwesterners to learn the real history of this land.

Biden to nominate Umatilla tribal leader Chuck Sams to direct National Park Service
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Oregon tribal leader Charles “Chuck” Sams III to direct the National Park Service.

Skinny orcas are up to 3 times more likely to die than healthy whales, new research shows
Skinny southern resident killer whales are two to three times more likely to die in the next year than whales in a healthy condition, new research shows.

Court Blocks a Vast Alaskan Drilling Project, Citing Climate Dangers
The multibillion-dollar ConocoPhillips plan, known as Willow, was approved under the Trump administration and then legally supported by the Biden administration.

EPA bans pesticide chlorpyrifos for use on food crops
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced it will stop the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all edible crops.

Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition calls on EPA to maintain standards set in 2014 
A polluted river runs through the heart of industrial Seattle. The Lower Duwamish waterway was designated a Superfund site in 2001.

Namu the Killer Whale premieres at Orpheum Theatre in Seattle on August 1, 1966.
On August 1, 1966, at a charity event at the Orpheum Theatre in Seattle, an audience views the first showing of the movie Namu the Killer Whale.

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 August 13 2021

Aloha Friday the 13th!

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. According to folklore historian Donald Dossey, the unlucky nature of the number "13" originated with a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Dossey: "Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day." This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky. (Wikipedia)

Judge hears lawsuit over fish farms
Whether Cooke Aquaculture’s plan to raise native steelhead at fish farms in Puget Sound is a simple business transition or a complex threat to the marine ecosystem is being debated in King County Superior Court.

Male southern resident killer whale possibly dead from cancer, says expert
The endangered southern resident killer whale population may have suffered more loss with one of the orcas presumed dead, says an expert.

Forest defenders present 150,000-name petition to stop old-growth logging
Environmentalists and the B.C. Green party are demanding the provincial government implement the promises it made to preserve B.C.’s forests, starting with putting an immediate end to old-growth logging.

This is the most sobering report card yet on climate change and Earth’s future. Here’s what you need to know
There is little good news in the 3,900 pages of text released today. But there is still time to avert the worst of the climate catastrophe — if humanity chooses to.

Ottawa says it must maximize revenue from the Trans Mountain pipeline to fight climate change
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson said today that revenue generated by the project will help Canada achieve its long-term climate objectives.

U.S. Senate infrastructure package could ‘significantly improve’ salmon habitat
The $1 trillion infrastructure package includes $1 billion over a five-year period to help states remove pipes, known as culverts, that allow streams to flow under roadways.

Swinomish, regional tribal leader Lorraine Loomis dies at 81
Longtime tribal fisheries advocate Lorraine Loomis of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community died Tuesday. She was 81.

Shellfish farmers line up for disaster aid after heat wave decimates oysters and clams 
Sixty shellfish farms in Washington state have applied for federal disaster aid after a double whammy of extreme heat and afternoon low tides killed most of their oysters and clams in June.

From Delta to Hope, 85% of B.C.’s lower Fraser salmon habitat no longer accessible to declining fish populations
Using field manuals from 170 years ago, scientists have identified the monumental impact human development has had on B.C.’s struggling Fraser salmon — and what can be done to reverse it.

Olympia City Council wants Capitol Lake to become an estuary
The Olympia City Council has decided to support a plan to allow Capitol Lake to revert to an estuary.

Canada commits $340 million to Indigenous protected areas, guardians programs
The federal government announced it will provide funding over the next five years to support Indigenous-led stewardship of lands and waters under its $2.3 billion commitment to nature conservation. Matt Simmons reports.

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 8/6/21

 

Hiroshima Friday
On August 6, 1945, at 2:45 a.m., the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, took off from Tinian Island in the Mariana Islands. It was flown by Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets—who had named the plane after his mother—and carried an atomic bomb called "Little Boy." At 8:16 a.m., the bomb was dropped over the city of Hiroshima. It exploded at an altitude of 1,900 feet, above a hospital. It released the equivalent of 12,500 tons of TNT and destroyed over four square miles of the city, leveling about 62,000 of Hiroshima's 90,000 buildings. Around 80,000 to 90,000 people were killed on impact, and another 60,000 died by the end of the year on account of radiation sickness and other injuries sustained from the blast.

DFO report suggests alternatives to open-net salmon farms in B.C.
B.C. wild salmon advocates are calling on the federal government to expedite the transition away from open-net pen salmon farming, following a federal government report that outlined suggestions from stakeholders.

Southern resident orca near Washington state presumed dead
An orca is presumed dead after being found in distress last week in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a body of water that separates Washington state from Canada, officials said.

Critical Habitat for Southern Resident Killer Whales 
NOAA Fisheries has revised the critical habitat designation for Southern Resident killer whales.

Washington tribe calls on Seattle City Light to remove the Gorge Dam
To help salmon and free a culturally important stretch of the Skagit River, the Upper Skagit tribe demands that Seattle tear down the dam.

To Save A Huge, 24-Armed Sea Creature, Scientists Become Loving Foster Parents
On an island off the coast of Washington state, scientists have resorted to breeding sunflower sea stars in a lab.

Fine particulate air pollution associated with higher risk of dementia
Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region — one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 — University of Washington researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia.

The Greenland ice sheet experienced a massive melting event last week
Last week, a heat wave spurred Greenland’s biggest melting event of the 2021 season so far. The Polar Portal, run by Danish research institutions, stated that enough water melted to cover all of Florida with two inches of water.

BC’s Shellfish Farmers Struggle After Heat Wave Decimates Oysters
The heat dome exposed significant gaps in crop support, says an industry advocate.

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 July 30 2021

 

Aloha Friendship Friday!
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed July 30 each year to be the International Day of Friendship. On this day, the United Nations encourages governments, international organizations, and other groups to hold events that promote dialogue among civilizations, understanding, solidarity, and reconciliation. One focus is on involving those who will become the future leaders—young people—in community activities that "promote international understanding and respect for diversity." If those diverse friendships can be built, then the participants' respective countries and the world will benefit for years to come.

B.C.’s rare inland rainforest at risk of collapse, international scientists warn in new study
The province’s unique inland temperate rainforest is home to endangered species and cedar trees more than 1,000 years old — but its old-growth ecosystems could be destroyed in less than a decade if logging continues at its current pace.

White House lays out environmental justice guidance 
Two big themes of the first six months of the Joe Biden administration have been racial equity — the focus of one of the first executive orders the president signed — and environmental infrastructure, a big part of the infrastructure bill working its way through Congress. On Wednesday, those themes came together.

Wildfires, floods and rock slides force pause on permanent fishway project at Big Bar landslide site
Efforts to create a permanent safe passage for fish at the Big Bar landslide site are being delayed as a number of incidents have made work challenging and in some cases, dangerous for crews.

Underwater video shows heat-stressed salmon, but it could have been worse
June’s heat wave led to some unhealthy hot water for salmon. But, fish managers said it hasn’t been as devastating for salmon runs as the warm water temperatures were in 2015.

Monsanto Hit With $185M Verdict Over Teachers’ PCB-Related Brain Damage
A Washington state court jury sacked Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit with a $185 million verdict on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by teachers exposed to toxic chemicals in a dilapidated school.

J-Pod returns to Salish Sea after 'unprecedented' 108-day absence
 J-Pod is back in town. The group of endangered southern resident killer whales was spotted Tuesday near Sooke travelling eastbound on inland waters toward Victoria.

Years in the making, amendments ban new fossil-fuel industries, new shipping terminals at Cherry Point
No new oil, natural gas or coal-based industries will be allowed at Cherry Point west of Ferndale under Whatcom County’s latest — and groundbreaking — Comprehensive Plan amendments, following a unanimous vote by the county council.

Lummi Nation totem pole arrives in D.C. after journey to sacred lands across U.S.
A 25-foot totem pole, intricately hand-carved and painted by Native Americans, arrived in the nation’s capital Wednesday afternoon after a two-week cross-country journey from Washington state, as part of a campaign to protect sacred tribal lands.

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 July 23 2021

 

Aloha Comet Hale-Bopp Friday!
Comet Hale–Bopp is a comet that was perhaps the most widely observed of the 20th century and one of the brightest seen for many decades. Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered Comet Hale–Bopp separately on July 23, 1995, before it became visible to the naked eye. Wikipedia

Fish can get hooked on meth, a troubling sign of how the drug can pollute water
Methamphetamine use is on the rise worldwide. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, approximately 27 million people use meth and similar drugs each year. But meth use doesn’t just take a toll on people — it can harm animals, too.

Seattle study of breast milk from 50 women finds chemical used in food wrappers, firefighting foam
In August 2019, Vera Harrington put a quarter cup of her breast milk into the refrigerator. She gave this milk not to her daughter, Flora, but a team of researchers investigating a pervasive class of chemicals that have found their way into humans all over the world.

B.C. First Nation and partners propose new $10B LNG megaproject
A First Nation in British Columbia is proposing a new liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility to be built on the community's treaty land and is making an environmental pledge to reach net-zero emissions within three years of commencing operations.

Lower Elwha restoration project in progress
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is conducting a beach restoration project at the former Olympic Rowing Club site on Ediz Hook through mid-August.

Salmon-killing tires get congressional hearing
A study that pinpointed a chemical from car tires as the cause of salmon die-offs in West Coast creeks has prompted a congressional hearing.

With rollback of Trump proposal, new Biden plan cuts just 2% of spotted owl protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to withdraw the previous administration’s rule that slashed millions of acres of critical habitat protections for the northern spotted owl.

100 Days Without Js: J-Pod Absent from Core Summer Habitat for 100 Days and Counting
J-Pod was last seen in the San Juan Islands on April 10th. K-Pod made a brief visit to the Salish Sea on July 1 before heading back west to the outer coast; other than that, K-Pod and L-Pod have not been documented in inland waters since late February.

Caroline F. Gibson February 6, 1964 - July 11, 2021
Caroline passed away at home with her partner Walt and her sister Mary Jane by her side in Port Townsend on July 11, 2021 following a lengthy battle with cancer.

What ever happened to the Salish woolly dog? Learn more about this extinct breed with virtual history lessons
Senaqwila Wyss wants people to know what really happened to the furry companions of her people.

Low oxygen levels off Northwest coast raise fears of marine ‘dead zones’
Low oxygen levels measured off the coast of Oregon and Washington are raising fears of large “dead zones” that could wipe out crabs and bottom-dwelling fish within.

State investigating deaths of deer in Anacortes
A disease the state Department of Fish and Wildlife determined in early June was killing deer on the San Juan Islands is now believed to be affecting deer in Anacortes.

Canada’s sweeping closures of Pacific coast salmon fisheries leave workers reeling
Commercial fishers are paying the price for 'collective failure' to minimize impacts to wild salmon populations, says watchdog.

Feds approve 32 studies in dam relicensing process
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees the licensing of hydroelectric dams, issued last week a study plan determination for the relicensing of Seattle City Light’s three-dam Skagit River Hydroelectric Project.

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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Salish Sea News Week in Review July 16 2021

 

 

Aloha World Snake Friday!
There are more than 3,000 snake species, and snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They live in most countries, although they aren't found on a few island countries like Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand, or on the autonomous island territory of Greenland. Snakes live in almost any environment: in forests, grasslands, deserts, savannas, swamps, and mountain regions. About 70 species of sea snakes even live in water, being found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The largest snake is the reticulated python, which may reach over 30 feet in length; the smallest is the threadsnake, which is less than four inches long. World Snake Day raises awareness about snakes and educates the public about them; it dispels fears and misconceptions about them and enlightens the public on how they should be dealt with. A focus is often put on conservation, which is valuable because snakes face habitat loss on account of development, and there are around 100 species that are listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.

Marbled murrelet gets endangered status in Oregon as climate change threatens its survival
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to reclassify the marbled murrelet’s status from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.

At Meadowdale Beach, the salmon will return to a new estuary
One day not long from now, threatened salmon species will return to Lunds Gulch at Meadowdale Beach Park. After a decade of planning, construction has begun on renovations at the waterfront park to create a 1.3-acre pocket estuary that will bring back Chinook, chum and coho salmon, as well as cutthroat trout.

Clock starts on Nooksack basin water rights inventory; stakeholders yet to discuss solutions
Weeks of sparse rainfall and a historic heat wave marked the end of June — and the start of a process to establish water rights among various users in Whatcom County’s Nooksack River basin.

Newly discovered fungus spores spurred by heat and drought are killing Seattle street trees
...So-called sooty bark disease is named for the black, powdery patches that are the telltale marks on tree bark of the fungus Crypotostroma corticale.

Canada and the United States release new action plan for Salish Sea Ecosystem
...Today, the governments of Canada and the United States announced that they have signed a new four-year "Action Plan" under their Joint Statement of Cooperation—first signed in 2000—that commits both countries to work together on transboundary issues and challenges facing the Salish Sea ecosystem.

How healthy is the Salish Sea? Canada-U.S. study tracks ecosystem decline
A joint Canada-U.S. report on the health of the Salish Sea has found either an overwhelming decline or stable trend in nine out of 10 environmental indicators tracked by researchers. The only positive? Shellfish.

This Bellingham Bay cleanup is taking longer than expected. Here’s why
The city of Bellingham has big plans to clean up two former industrial sites, transforming the waterfront area into a public access point informally called Cornwall Beach Park....The cleanup planning process has been in the works for nearly a decade, due to lengthy bureaucratic processes at the city, state and federal levels.

Can biologists estimate the massive loss of shellfish caused by low tides, high temps?
The putrid smell of rotting shellfish on some beaches in Puget Sound and elsewhere along the West Coast were a clear sign that large numbers of clams, mussels, oysters and other intertidal creatures were killed from exposure to extreme low tides, record-breaking temperatures and a blazing hot sun.

Drought emergency declared in Washington state
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday declared a statewide drought emergency because of hot, dry conditions that have plagued the region and water supply.

Biden to Restore Protections for Tongass National Forest in Alaska
Former President Donald J. Trump invited mining and logging to a vast wilderness of bald eagles, black bears and 800-year-old trees. President Biden is reversing course.

A Study Predicts Record Flooding In The 2030s, And It's Partly Because Of The Moon
A new study on high tide flooding predicts that the mid-2030s could be catastrophically wet in U.S. coastal regions — and it could stay that way for an entire decade.

Ship crash in Vancouver harbour blamed on 'systematic failure,' communications 'breakdowns'
A federal investigation into two bulk carrier ships that crashed in Vancouver's Inner Harbour two years ago has blamed the collision on "breakdowns in situational awareness and communications."

Hot NW summer: More high temps and low precipitation ahead
Crews are trying to contain wildfires that have already burned tens of thousands of acres throughout the Northwest. The already dire situation is being made worse by gusting winds, a lack of rain, and above-average heat. The coming months aren't likely to be much better.

Fully vaccinated Americans may enter Canada as of mid-August
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September.

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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