Salish Sea Communications

Friday, May 26, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 26 2023

Happy Buddha Birthday!
Buddha's Birthday or "'Buddha Day"' is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Gautama Buddha, who was the founder of Buddhism...The exact date of Buddha's birthday is based on the Asian lunisolar calendars. The date for the celebration of Buddha's birthday varies from year to year in the Western Gregorian calendar, but usually falls in April or May. In leap years it may be celebrated in June. (Wikipedia)

Researchers rush to find cause of contagious cancer in PNW clams
he cancer, found in dozens of shellfish species around the globe, was first discovered in Salish Sea cockles during a 2018 health screening as the Suquamish Tribe began rolling out a hatchery program.

Inside Canada’s first spill response organization on the west coast
The Western Canada Marine Response Corporation has been responding to oil spill emergencies for almost 50 years.

Within the Salish Sea, Samish divers research kelp forests
Western science and traditional knowledge help them monitor seaweed health, vital to their culture and local ecosystems. Luna Reyna reports. (Crosscut)

Preparing for the Worst with a Kelp Seed Bank
In Washington State, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s new preservation facility offers a back-up plan for an uncertain future.

Tribes ramp up pressure on WA over gas prices as climate laws’ effects take hold
Leaders from at least a dozen Washington tribes may soon meet with Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration to raise concerns and ask questions about the effects of the state’s new carbon-cap system on gas prices and tribal sovereignty.

Environmental alliance launches legal challenge against expansion of B.C. container port
A group of Canadian conservationists says it has launched a legal challenge against Ottawa's $2 billion plan for an expanded container terminal in Delta, B.C. The David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the Wilderness Committee filed an application for a judicial review in federal court under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Seattle City Council passes new tree ordinance
The Seattle City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to pass an updated version of a city ordinance regulating trees on private property, which had not been adjusted since 2009.

On This Disputed River, Progress May Mean a Return to the Past
Winding through British Columbia and Washington, the Skagit has a history that reflects competing conceptions of advancement.

As Supreme Court weakens Clean Water Act, what does it mean for WA?
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday that eroded longstanding water protections might have little effect in Washington because of the state’s more stringent laws safeguarding wetlands, but it could have implications for endangered species and 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Friday, May 19, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 19 2023

Vaquita, the world's most endangered animal

Aloha Endangered Species Friday!
The United States Congress created Endangered Species Day in 2006 with the adoption of Senate Resolution 431. The day is for learning why it's important to protect endangered species, for learning how to take part in protection efforts, and for celebrating species that have recovered as a result of these efforts.

Rare blankets made from fur of extinct woolly dog on display at North Vancouver museum
For thousands of years, the Salish woolly dog resided on B.C.'s southwest coast, providing their owners with companionship — and hair. Now, blankets woven from the fur of this extinct dog are on display at the Museum of North Vancouver until early July.

The overbudget Trans Mountain pipeline project is carrying $23B in debt — and needs to borrow more
The overbudget Trans Mountain expansion project owes its lenders at least $23 billion and is looking to take on more private debt as the federal government shuts its wallet and construction costs skyrocket.

Washington slates $50M for trees to shade salmon streams
Gov. Jay Inslee and a bipartisan group of legislators are using a low-tech approach to combat deadly warming waters.

Snoqualmie Tribe enacts 2% land protection tax to help preserve ancestral lands
The Snoqualmie Tribe has instituted a new land protection tax that’s believed to be the first of its kind in North America.

Washington passes law to cut ‘forever chemicals’ in makeup
Starting in 2025, the Toxics-Free Cosmetics Act will be among the country’s strongest legislation against hazardous products.

WA launches dashboard tracking ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
The Department of Health unveiled a public-facing dashboard sharing data from drinking water wells in the state that have been tested for the presence of these toxic chemicals.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 12 2023

Kruckeberg Botanic Garden [Thrive2day]

Aloha Public Garden Day!
The Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, a four-acre public garden founded in 1958 in Shoreline, contains a unique blend of Pacific Northwest native plants and unusual exotics set in a naturalistic wooded setting. It may take multiple visits to see the more than 2,000 species, which include native and exotic conifers, hardwoods, rhododendrons, magnolias, ferns and groundcovers. Several trees are the largest or most rare in the state. Birdwatchers have identified more than 40 bird species while visiting the Garden. Admission is free. (Kruckeberg Botanic Garden)

Research finds some Pacific salmon migration out of sync with food supply
Climate change is knocking some Pacific salmon out of alignment with the growth of the ocean plankton they eat to survive, new research says.

Puget Sound Tribes Want WFC Hatchery Lawsuit Dismissed
Five Western Washington tribes have filed paperwork in federal court to intervene in a Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit targeting state hatchery salmon production in Puget Sound and the Lower Columbia.

A Disaster the Size of Multiple Katrinas Is Building Off Washington’s Coast
Someday — next week, next year, maybe next century — a sudden and deadly marine shock will strike the Northwest coast: what locals call the Big One, a circa 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake generating tsunami surges reaching 60 feet high or more. See also: Tsunami could hit west Vancouver Island in under half hour

Unseen worry: Firefighting ‘forever chemicals’ linger near Paine Field
A construction mistake in 2014 at Boeing's Paine Field facility resulted in activating a fire-suppression system that spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons and firefighting foam that's resulted in the state Department of Ecology last month adding the area to its small but growing list of PFAS-contaminated cleanup sites around the state. Where did high levels of PFAS in San Juan Island water come from? ...Even in a privileged community on an otherwise pristine archipelago, PFAS has leached into the drinking water. A stone’s throw from the Hannah Heights well is the neighborhood’s fire station. Yet the source of the pollution remains elusive with a state investigation pending.

Seaweed invasions of coral reefs not necessarily bad, B.C. researchers find
Seaweed invasions have been used as a yardstick for measuring coral reef health, but a new study led by B.C. researchers has found the slimy macroalgae isn't all bad news.

Vancouver Park Board approves 'lethal removal' plan to control Canada goose population
Staff reports that there were a minimum of 2,200 geese in Vancouver in 2022 and the population is estimated to be growing by 18 per cent every year.

Port of Everett settles stormwater lawsuit for $2.5M
In May 2022, water quality watchdog Puget Soundkeeper Alliance filed the lawsuit alleging water samples exceeded various pollution “benchmarks” — including for pH, copper, zinc and turbidity — set in the port’s state-issued permit over two dozen times between 2018 and early 2022.

Scientists discover colossal underwater mountain off Vancouver Island
Measured by scientists aboard the U.S. research ship Okeanos Explorer, the seamount rivals Mount Baker and re-writes old nautical charts.

Friday, May 5, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review May 5 2023

Aloha Oyster Friday!
Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not all oysters are in the superfamily Ostreoidea. Wikipedia

Seattle City Light commits to fish passage over Skagit River dams
As part of the process to relicense the three Skagit River dams, Seattle City Light Friday committed to providing fish passage at each dam... Seattle City Light will file its final license application — a 15,000-page document — with FERC on Sunday.

A mystery in the Pacific is complicating climate projections
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which has a huge influence on global weather patterns, isn’t behaving as computer models predicted. That’s puzzling scientists.

Quarry plan near Lake Cowichan raises alarms
A local First Nation’s plan for an aggregate quarry near Lake Cowichan is raising concerns among nearby residents about the prospect of their quiet rural environment being disturbed by noise, dust and sounds of heavy equipment for more than two decades.

A New Hydropower Boom Uses Pumped Storage, Not Giant Dams
New research released Tuesday by Global Energy Monitor reveals a transformation underway in hydroelectric projects — using the same gravitational qualities of water, but typically without building large, traditional dams like the Hoover in the American West or Three Gorges in China. Instead, a technology called pumped storage is rapidly expanding.

30 federal politicians each disclosed over $10,000 in oil and gas investments
Ministers and members of the natural resources committee reported investments in industry giants like Enbridge, Suncor and TC Energy.

To protect orcas, federal judge orders closure of iconic Southeast Alaska troll fishery
A federal judge issued an order Tuesday voiding an environmental review that helped authorize the small-scale fishery, a $30 million industry that employs hundreds.

Federal, Tribal, and State Leaders Launch Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force7
[On May 4] the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and western Washington Tribes kicked-off the first meeting of the Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force, mandated by Congress in 2022 to coordinate the federal government’s efforts to restore Puget Sound and address Tribal treaty rights.

First first time in 10 years, tribe to have limited fishery on Elwha
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will conduct a limited fish harvest on the lower Elwha River this October, the first time the river has been open to any fishing in more than a decade when dam removal on the river began.

Friday, April 28, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 28 2023

[NPR]

Aloha Friday!
The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, recorded in Abbey Road Studios goes to number one on the US Billboard chart, beginning a record-breaking 741-week chart run.

Port of Vancouver's Roberts Bank Terminal 2: 6 things to know about the contentious $3.5B proposal
Federal approval of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 grants environmental green light for $3.5 billion project heralded as critical step in expanding container trade, but is decried by conservationists.

Washington Legislature unveils $69.2B two-year state budget
Completed with less than 36 hours left in the 2023 session, the budget boosts funding for state worker wages, special education and climate issues. WA Legislature sends $13.4 billion transportation budget to governor for signature Washington state lawmakers on Saturday passed a $13.4 billion transportation budget for the 2023-25 biennium, with major investments in the ferry system, transportation workforce, traffic safety and keeping projects on track that are already in the works.

Biden to Create White House Office of Environmental Justice
A new executive order requires every federal agency to address the disproportionate impact of pollution and climate change on minority communities.

Tribe to fish for salmon on Elwha River a decade after dams fell
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Olympic National Park and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday that the tribal ceremonial and subsistence fishery for coho salmon on the Elwha will open this fall.

Coast Salish youth reconnect with Indigenous lifeways, lands
Children and teens from seven tribes gathered on Whidbey Island to explore the traditional food culture of their ancestors.

These Rare BC Reefs Are No Longer Threatened by Offshore Drilling
Two multinational oil companies, ExxonMobil and Chevron Canada, have voluntarily given up offshore exploratory oil and gas permits they held in B.C. after the environmental law charity Ecojustice, on behalf of environmental organizations the David Suzuki Foundation and World Wildlife Fund Canada, challenged the legality of the permits.

Oregon commission petitions to add southern resident orcas to the endangered species list
With Chinook salmon numbers dwindling along the Oregon Coast, the southern resident orcas who live in the Pacific Northwest increasingly face the risk of starvation. Oregon has listed the salmon as an endangered species, and now a state commission is petitioning to add the orcas to the same list.

Protected areas, fishery closures announced to help protect B.C.'s threatened southern resident killer whales
The federal departments of fisheries, environment and transport have outlined what they describe as a fifth consecutive year of strong action to protect and restore the southern resident population. But a scientist says the measures need to go much further to help the animals thrive.

‘Deeply troubling’: BC Hydro secretly handed out $430 million in Site C dam contracts
Beleaguered engineering firm SNC-Lavalin was among the big winners of no-bid contracts for the over-budget hydro project on B.C.’s Peace River, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal.

EPA proposal starts a new chapter in Duwamish Superfund cleanup
The Environmental Protection Agency released a long-awaited proposed cleanup plan last week for the East Waterway in Seattle.

Friday, April 21, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 21 2023

Aloha Earth Day Friday!
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is Invest In Our Planet. (Wikipedia)

Confusion rises over plans to bring Tokitae back to Puget Sound
Over the weekend, plans to return an orca to the Pacific Northwest got a bit more confusing—with the benefactor footing the bill announcing details of a plan, while the CEO of the aquarium in charge responded online calling the statements a "misunderstanding."

Orca study shows up hunting differences
...Tracked in waters off Port Hardy, the best hunters among the northern resident whales were female...While northern females dominated their pod’s hunt, females in the southern resident killer whales with a calf were among the least efficient hunters.

Green groups sue EPA over decades-old water pollution rules
A coalition of 13 green groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has violated federal law by repeatedly failing to update regulations on water pollution for seven industrial sectors.

Fairy Creek old-growth protesters celebrate as a slew of contempt charges are withdrawn
The B.C. Prosecution Service says it has withdrawn contempt charges against 11 old-growth logging protesters accused of breaching a court injunction during blockades at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island.

Sea-Tac, Alaska and Delta accused of harming health of 300K residents
A potential class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines are polluting King County towns within a 5-mile radius of the airport.

US plans new forest protections, issues old-growth inventory
The Biden administration has identified more than 175,000 square miles (453,000 square kilometers) of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government land and plans to craft a new rule to better protect the nation’s woodlands from fires, insects and other side effects of climate change.

Washington can now look to out-of-state shipbuilders for its next ferries
The Washington Legislature gave final approval and sent to the governor HB 1846 which allows the state to seek bids for ferry construction from shipyards outside the state.

Why Site C wants to leave construction debris at the bottom of the Peace River
B.C. Hydro's wants to flood an 80 kilometre-long swathe of the Peace River valley and leave behind 45 pieces of Site C dam structural construction debris because, it says, it is better for fish.

Feds approve major expansion B.C. container port despite environmental, labour opposition
The federal government has given the OK to a major new container terminal at Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the expanded terminal will increase capacity by up to 60 per cent.

WA could get millions in federal salmon recovery dollars
More than $60 million in federal Climate-Ready Coasts initiative grants could soon be on the way to help Washington’s rivers, endangered salmon and native eelgrass.

Friday, April 14, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 14 2023

Aloha Dolphin Friday!
Dolphins are small-toothed cetaceans easily recognizable by their curved mouths, which give them a permanent “smile.” There are 36 dolphin species, found in every ocean. Most dolphins are marine and live in the ocean or brackish waters along coastlines. There are a few species, however, like the South Asian river dolphin and the Amazon river dolphin, or boto, that live in freshwater streams and rivers. The largest dolphin, the orca, can grow to be over 30 feet long. The smallest, the Maui dolphin, is just five feet long.

Fish get stuck at Hood Canal Bridge. Will this giant contraption save them from the seals?
...Crews installed a massive fish-guidance structure made of plastic pipes and sheets at the bridge this week. The aim is to direct steelhead around the bridge to safety.

Skagit Conservation Education Alliance to dissolve after 22 years
After dealing with staffing and board issues, including illness, the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance has announced it will dissolve June 30.

How Washington plans to spend money from the new carbon-cap law
Lawmakers are looking to invest revenue from the Climate Commitment Act in electric buses, ferries and more clean-energy projects around the state.

E.P.A. Lays Out Rules to Turbocharge Sales of Electric Cars and Trucks
The Biden administration is proposing rules to ensure that two-thirds of new cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the U.S. by 2032 are all-electric.

Oxygen for life: The biological impacts of low dissolved oxygen
“Hypoxia,” a word used to describe oxygen deficiency, first came into use in the medical field during studies of metabolic function in the 1940s.

Tacoma ship fire worse for climate than burning a million gallons of gasoline
...The fire on the Kodiak Enterprise released tons of one of the most dangerous substances for the global climate and the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

State House passes bill to protect endangered southern resident orcas
Senate Bill 5371 protects southern resident orcas by establishing a 1,000-yard setback for recreational vessels., the same as for commercial whate-watch vessels.