Salish Sea Communications

Friday, February 23, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 23 2024

Aloha Skip the Straw Friday!
The Coral Keepers, a group of nine eighth grade students at Whitehall Middle School in Whitehall, Michigan, founded National Skip the Straw Day with their advisor, Susan Tate, in 2017, "to encourage Americans to give up the straw habit and help spread awareness about the damage caused by disposable plastics." National Skip the Straw Day encourages people to switch to renewable straws or to forgo straws altogether when drinking on the day—or on any day.

Oregon classifies orca whales as endangered
Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission has decided to add a group of whales that forage along the Oregon Coast to the state’s endangered species list.

Puyallup Tribe celebrates as Electron Hydro is ordered to remove temporary rock dam
District Court Judge John C. Coughenour ruled that energy company Electron Hydro must remove part of a temporary rock wall at the Electron Dam site.

Snohomish County partners with feds on North Cascades grizzly plan
Last week, the Snohomish County Council approved a memorandum of understanding between the county’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Cleanup at Rayonier site still years away
The years’ long cleanup process at the old Rayonier mill site on the Port Angeles waterfront is moving forward but is likely at least another eight years from being completed.

Supreme Court will hear challenge to EPA's 'good neighbor' rule that limits pollution
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in an important environmental case that centers on the obligation to be a "good neighbor." At the heart of the dispute is the part of the Clean Air Act designed to help protect people from severe health problems they face because of pollution that floats downwind from neighboring states.

How an endangered hawk could topple plans for WA’s largest wind farm
More than 100 of the turbines, which could stand taller than the Space Needle, might pose a danger to a little-known and endangered species in the Tri-Cities area: the ferruginous hawk.

Feds secure surrender of last oil and gas permits off B.C. coast
Canada has secured the surrender of the last remaining permits for oil and gas development off its Pacific Coast, the federal natural resources minister said on Wednesday, after Chevron Canada voluntarily relinquished 23 permits as of Feb. 9.

NDP Hits Brakes on Land Act Reconciliation Plan
Facing public backlash encouraged by opposition parties, the B.C. government has cancelled planned changes to the Land Act, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen said Wednesday.

The 50th anniversary of the Boldt Decision is a celebration of Native leadership
A landmark lawsuit reaffirmed treaty fishing rights after decades of intertribal activism, inspired by the civil rights movement.

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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Friday, February 16, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 16, 2024

Aloha Kyoto Protocol Friday!
Kyoto Protocol Day honors the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The day takes place on February 16, on the anniversary of the date that the Kyoto Protocol took effect in 2005. The protocol has been ratified by 191 countries and the European Union. It was signed by the United States, but not ratified, and they dropped out of the protocol in 2001. After initially participating, Canada has since withdrawn from the protocol.

World temperatures go above 1.5 C warming for a year: EU scientists
The average temperature for the past 12 months was 1.52 C above pre-industrial times, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

What do ‘clean’ and ‘green’ actually mean? Canadian watchdog receives complaints about environmental claims by Shell, RBC, Enbridge
The list of companies whose marketing is being accused of deceiving Canadians about their environmental commitments continues to grow.

They started building a bulkhead for a new home on Hood Canal. Then the feds found out
A judge ruled the structure was built in Hood Canal without a proper permit, and now the homeowner faces a $250,000 fine.

Many birds are named for enslavers, colonizers and white supremacists. That’s about to change
Black birdwatchers on the practice’s racist history, the move to rename North America’s feathered species and other changes needed to make birding inclusive.

First Nations group criticizes federal fisheries department
An Indigenous-led group is criticizing what it says is the "gross mismanagement" of aquaculture in British Columbia by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as it calls for a separation of its regulatory and promotional responsibilities.

PFAS in Washington’s well water could make you sick
‘Forever chemicals’ linked to ailments from high cholesterol to cancer are in our clearest aquifers — but steep costs pose cleanup challenges.

Sea Change: How and When Washington’s Catch Ebbs and Flows
From smelt to sea cucumbers, the seafood we take from Northwest waters is ever-changing.

Rays of hope for kelp and climate in south Salish Sea
Some pockets of bull kelp vital for sea life off southern Vancouver Island and B.C.’s Gulf Islands are proving to be resilient to rising sea temperatures and marine heat waves, a new University of Victoria study has found.

Whidbey diver-turned-citizen scientist provides ongoing data
Longtime Whidbey diver Jan Kocian has circled the island exploring the marine environment. It looks a lot different than it used to, he said. “That diversity is gone,” he said. “It’s unfortunately in every location on the island. The diving is not even close to what it used to be. I know I sound like an old guy.”

Friday, February 9, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 9 2024

Aloha Bob Marley Friday!
Robert Nesta Marley OM (b. Feb. 9, 1945) was a Jamaican reggae singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of the genre, his music fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, and he was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style.

Record number of Bigg’s Killer Whales sightings in 2023
More than 1,400 Bigg’s Killer Whales sightings were reported in the Salish Sea in 2023, according to the Orca Behaviour Institute. This number surpasses the 2022 record by about 200 sightings, the institute says, and contributes to an eight-fold increase in sightings from 10 years ago.

WA’s snowpack languishes with little hope for the months ahead
Snowpack across the entire state sits below normal levels, in some places less than half what an average winter might bring. “It’s worse than I expected,” state climatologist Nick Bond said.

Out of gas: Inslee’s oil transparency bill stalls in Legislature
The bill was a top climate priority for the governor this session but critics questioned the cost and whether the state could keep sensitive corporate data safe from hackers.

Energy company is back in court for endangering fish on the Puyallup River
Electron Hydro and its CEO last year agreed to pay more than a million dollars in fines for their illegal use of artificial turf in the Puyallup River four years ago. On Tuesday, Electron Hydro’s owners will be back in court – this time in a suit brought by the Puyallup Tribe under the Endangered Species Act.

B.C. groups request review of tire chemical linked to salmon deaths
Peter Ross, senior scientist at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, says the mystery of coho dying in urban waterways had persisted for years, until a 2020 study uncovered the role of a particular chemical used in tire rubber.

Environmental groups celebrate court ruling as a win for at-risk birds in B.C. and beyond
Court case was launched against backdrop of old growth logging protests on Vancouver Island.

Loggerhead sea turtle found at Pedder Bay
The turtle, typically found much farther south, was rushed to the Vancouver Aquarium suffering from hypothermia.

Thousands of Chinook wasted as bycatch in B.C. fishery, new report finds
Nearly 30,000 Chinook salmon were wasted as bycatch in the Canadian trawl fishery, which was targeting hake and walleye pollock, a new report from Canadian fisheries officials found.

UW's Burke Museum working with Native tribes to repatriate Indigenous artifacts
Museums across Washington state may no longer display some Native artifacts without permission under a new federal rule.

Friday, February 2, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 2, 2024

Aloha Groundhog Friday!
The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through much of the Eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska. Groundhog Day is an annual event when groundhogs are brought outside and are observed to see if they see their shadow or not. If they see their shadow, it is said that there will be six more weeks of winter. If they do not, it means the weather will be mild in the upcoming weeks, and spring will come early.

Plastic bag bans have already prevented billions of bags from being used, report finds
Over the past several years, U.S. cities and states have passed hundreds of policies restricting the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags. A new report says these laws have largely succeeded in their goal of reducing plastic bag use.

Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead
On Saturday, a three-person team from the Center for Whale Research spotted most of J Pod in Washington’s San Juan Channel between San Juan Island and Shaw Island. They documented the orcas from their research boat, with telephoto lenses and a federally permitted drone, for nearly two hours and observed every member of J Pod -- except J60.

Trans Mountain expansion hits 'technical issues,' possibly delaying completion
The Crown corporation building the massive project, which had previously stated it expected to have the pipeline in-service near the end of the first quarter, said Monday it has once again run into construction challenges in B.C. and pushed that date back.

BC population to hit 7.9 million by 2046, as growth rate soars: report
The new B.C. government report based on publicly available data predicts a 44-per-cent population increase compared to the 2023 population of 5.5 million.

The door to B.C.’s liquefied natural gas export sector is about to open. Here’s what you need to know
As LNG Canada completes construction and prepares to bring operations online, the export facility could 'open a gateway' for other projects to proceed. But B.C.’s gas export sector faces stricter emissions policies, unpredictable market shifts and climate disasters as it tries to maintain its place in an uncertain future.

Reviving the Samish Tribe’s kelp
Researchers are documenting the decline of once-plentiful kelp beds in an effort to reverse the trend.

Lawsuits fly, as regulators come to grips with a toxic tire chemical
A lawsuit filed against 13 of the largest tire manufacturers in this country seeks to ban the chemical 6PPD from its universal use in tires, or else force tire companies to pay for stormwater-mitigation measures that can remove the chemical or otherwise protect salmon.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 26 2024

Aloha Lego Friday!
Lego bricks and other items are manufactured by the Lego Group, which is based in Billund, Denmark. It was in this city in 1932 that a carpenter by the name of Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys. Two years later, his company began being called "Lego," which came from leg godt, the Danish phrase meaning "play well." The company started making plastic toys in 1947, and interlocking bricks in 1949. Called "Automatic Binding Bricks," they were based on Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks. On January 28, 1958, Christiansen's son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, submitted an application for a patent for a "Toy Building Brick."

Fixing the cormorant disaster on the Columbia: ‘How could this have come out any worse?’
A colony of seabirds was shooed away from the mouth of the Columbia River, only to relocate to a bridge. That's when the problems really began.

A new study finds a critical vitamin for salmon in rivers
From dams to drought, salmon face a lot of threats in the West. Add thiamine deficiency to the list. Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is critical for salmon health. Juvenile fish can die without enough of the nutrient.

Learning to Plan for the Next 500 Years
A first-of-its-kind program at Vancouver Island University trains students to steward Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.

Proposal would require oil handlers, transporters to prove ability to pay for spills
The Washington Department of Ecology is proposing rules regarding financial responsibility requirements for oil handling facilities and vessels ranging from $500,000 to $1 billion based on vessel type and size; financial responsibility for oil handling facilities – including refineries, terminals, and pipelines – would range from $5 million to $300 million.

Ports take steps to reduce emissions with $12M infrastructure grant
Seattle and Tacoma now have a $12-million-dollar federal infrastructure grant to focus on short-haul trucking whose emissions pollute nearby neighborhoods, warm the climate and pollute the immediate environment of the drivers while they’re on the job.

New fossils suggest kelp forests have swayed in the seas for at least 32 million years
A study published in PNAS presents new evidence that the first kelps were much older than we once suspected, dating back 32 million years — well before the arrival of many of their present-day animal inhabitants.

Green hydrogen plans take shape for former Alcoa site at Cherry Point
The closed Alcoa aluminum smelter near Ferndale could be redeveloped as a green hydrogen factory if the prospective new owner can navigate a series of hurdles.

If you like to watch: Divers capture dramatic battle between seal and octopus
Maxime Veilleux and Matteo Endrizzi were finishing their sunset dive off Nanoose Bay on Sunday and heading to the shore when something unusual caught their eyes.

How an Indigenous rights battle in WA changed tribal law, from fishing to culverts
Fifty years ago, a landmark federal court case brought against Washington state reaffirmed the treaty rights of Native Americans to fish in traditional waters and shorelines. From culvert rehab to dam removal, 1974's "Boldt Decision" has expanded far beyond fishing to legally empower tribes' ability to protect natural resources.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 19 2024

Dolly Parton (1977) [RCA Records]

Aloha Dolly Parton Birthday Friday!
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She has received 11 Grammy Awards out of 50 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award; ten Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. She is also in a select group to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2005, she received the National Medal of Arts and in 2022, she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a nomination she had initially declined but ultimately accepted, and was subsequently inducted.

How the Boldt decision 50 years ago remade Pacific Northwest fishing
The Boldt decision of 1974 was the result of sacrifices made by Native fishers and their families who were jailed and beaten while defending their rights to fish.

BP bought a sacred place. Now Lummi Nation is preparing again to fend off development
Tribal leaders opposed the $50 million sale, which came as a surprise to them. They want the assurance that Xwe’chi’eXen (pronounced wuh-chee-uh-kin), which for thousands of years has supported fishing, ceremony and social gatherings, would be protected in perpetuity.

‘No excuse’: feds withheld key information when a Coastal GasLink site flooded
Documents reveal Fisheries and Oceans Canada was aware of numerous issues at a pipeline construction site on Wet’suwet’en territory but did not disclose information to concerned organizations or the media.

Voters to decide on repeal of Washington cap-and-trade program
The fate of Washington’s primary program to combat climate change will be in the hands of voters to uphold or reject this November. Initiative 2117, certified for the ballot on Tuesday, would erase the two-year-old Climate Commitment Act.

This humble fish may help the Supreme Court weaken the ‘administrative state’
In a pair of cases involving herring fishermen, conservative justices could toss out the precedent known as Chevron, which gives power to federal government agencies.

This Canadian pipeline giant wants an exemption from climate rules
Internal government memos show TC Energy lobbied for carveouts exempting methane and LNG plants from one of Canada’s key climate policies targeting the oil and gas industry.

No turning back: The largest dam removal in U.S. history begins
The largest dam removal in U.S. history entered a critical phase this week, with the lowering of dammed reservoirs on the Klamath River. On Thursday, the gate on a 16-foot-wide bypass tunnel at the base of Iron Gate dam, the lowest of those slated to be removed, was opened from a crack to 36 inches.

Island mill fined $25K for dumping highly toxic waste into ocean
Paper Excellence's Crofton mill has been slapped with a $25,500 penalty for releasing more than one million litres of toxic waste into the Salish Sea.

RCMP officers mocked people being arrested at Wet'suwet'en blockade as 'orcs' and 'ogre'
RCMP officers referred to First Nations pipeline opponents as "orcs" and "ogre" during a police raid at a blockade of Coastal GasLink pipeline construction in November 2021, according to audio recordings played in court Wednesday.

Friday, January 12, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 12 2024

Aloha Led Zepplin Friday!
Led Zeppelin, the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released on January 12, 1969, in the USA. Led Zeppelin's front cover, which was chosen by Jimmy Page, features a black-and-white image of the German zeppelin Hindenburg photographed by Sam Shere on May 6, 1937, when the airship burst into flames while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The image refers to the origin of the band's name itself: When Page, Beck and The Who's Keith Moon and John Entwistle were discussing the idea of forming a group, Moon joked, "It would probably go over like a lead balloon", and Entwistle reportedly replied, "a lead zeppelin!"

Winter drought holds potential for dire 2024 B.C. fire season
Fire ecologist Lori Daniels admits 'coexistent' seems counterintuitive but is necessary with climate change edging toward a hotter, drier future.

Trial of prominent Wet'suwet'en leader and land defenders begins
Three accused are charged with criminal contempt over Coastal GasLink pipeline blockades.

Supreme Court denies Alaska’s bid to revive the copper and gold Pebble Mine proposal blocked by EPA
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Alaska’s bid to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency.

2023 was the hottest year on record — by a long shot
According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2023 was 1.48 C warmer than the pre-industrial average from 1850-1900, beating out 2016's record of 1.25 C.

When you drink bottled water, you're drinking lots and lots of plastic particles
New study finds most of the plastic comes from bottle itself, filtration.

Scientists worldwide are immersed in studies of a deadly tire chemical
A tire-related chemical found to kill coho salmon and other fish has come under intense worldwide investigation ever since Puget Sound researchers isolated the singular compound three years ago from among thousands of pollutants residing in stormwater.