Salish Sea News Week in Review August 30 2024

Aloha Slinky Friday!
The Slinky was invented and developed by naval engineer Richard T. James in 1943 and successfully demonstrated at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in November 1945. The Slinky was originally priced at $5, but many paid much more due to price increases of spring steel in Pennsylvania. It has, however, remained modestly priced throughout its history as a result of Betty James' concern about the toy's affordability for less affluent customers. In its first 60 years, about 300 million Slinkys were sold. (Wikipedia)

B.C. Parks Foundation announces protection of coastal habitats with funding help from Chip Wilson's foundation
More than a square kilometre of land in the Salish Sea is now protected, after the B.C. Parks Foundation announced five newly protected “biodiversity hot spots” on Friday. The areas won't be available for public access until use and management plans are developed.

Tribe, USFW sign pact for refuges
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a co-stewardship agreement for the Dungeness and Protection Island National Wildlife Refuges, with the Tribe taking over the day-to-day management of the refuges.

BC Hydro begins filling reservoir as Site C dam megaproject nears completion
It will take up to four months to fill the 83-kilometre-long reservoir, which will cover about 5,550 hectares of land, BC Hydro says.

Vancouver tanker traffic rises tenfold after TMX project
Publicly available data shows that an average of two tankers loaded oil from Trans Mountain's Westridge Marine Terminal until May of this year...In June and July, the numbers increased to an average of 20 tankers a month.

No more wildfires of note burning in B.C.
Weekend rain across a large area of the province has dampened the number and risk of wildfires.

More underwater microphones being installed to protect whales
More underwater microphones that can detect killer whales are being installed in Haro Strait, across from Vancouver Island. 

Inside Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion, a high-tech showcase for the tropical deep sea
Years of construction along Seattle’s waterfront is intended to bring people closer to the water and natural beauty of Puget Sound. The opening Thursday of Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion expansion practically puts people in the water, to explore and better understand one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems on the other side of the Pacific.

Plan finalized to kill thousands of barred owls around Northwest
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a decision on Wednesday to adopt a controversial barred owl management strategy that calls for lethal removal of the birds by shooting them with shotguns and, in some cases, capturing and euthanizing them.

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 August 23 2024

Aloha Gene Kelly Friday!

Gene Kelly, born on this day in 1912, was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessible to the general public, which he called "dance for the common man". He starred in, choreographed, and, with Stanley Donen, co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s.(Wikipedia)

With new facility, Mountlake Terrace to treat chemical that kills coho
Used in tires, 6PPD seeps into streams during storms. A state grant will help the city design a vault to filter it.

Climate change is already reshaping PNW shorelines. Tribal nations are showing how to adapt
Tribal nations along the coasts of Washington and Oregon are navigating impacts ranging from ocean warming and acidification, which threaten culturally and economically important fisheries, to increased coastal flooding and erosion from sea level rise and storm surges.

B.C. tour guides haul 32.5 tonnes of plastic debris from ocean
The crew removed discarded fishing tackle, polystyrene floats, plastic bags and bottles and more from the Great Bear Sea coastline during the 24-day trip.

One year after Tokitae's death, Lummi Nation and community honor the orca's life
The community came together Sunday to pay respect to Tokitae, who died Aug. 18, 2023, after over 50 years in captivity.

Drought in the West has cost hydropower industry billions in losses
Persistent drought in the West over the last two decades has limited the amount of electricity that hydropower dams can generate, costing the industry and the region billions of dollars in revenue.

What Lake Washington’s mud can tell us about toxic chemicals
At the bottom of Lake Washington, nearly 200 feet deep in the murky water, below where the giant sturgeon swim, there is mud. And that mud, and the compacted dirt below it, keeps track of us here in the Greater Seattle area when the lake bed accumulates whatever substance floats down, layer after layer.

BP’s Cherry Point Refinery secures nearly $27M for ‘green’ aviation fuel production
BP’s Cherry Point Refinery was awarded nearly $27 million to produce sustainable aviation fuel, using renewable biomass feedstocks, in Whatcom County. 

Life, Death, and Dollars Spent
The Canadian government and the Ehattesaht First Nation dropped a huge chunk of change trying to save the stranded killer whale kʷiisaḥiʔis (Brave Little Hunter). Now, they’re wondering how to make up the money.

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 August 16 2024

Aloha Roller Coaster Friday
National Roller Coaster Day is dedicated to roller coasters, and has been celebrated since 1986. Modern day roller coasters were first patented and built in the late 19th century in America. John G. Taylor was issued a patent in 1872 for a roller coaster in Rhode Island, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson built one in Coney Island in 1884. Early roller coasters were wooden, but now steel is mainly used in making them.

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe poised to help manage key Salish Sea wildlife refuges
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe is close to finalizing an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to co-manage two Clallam County wildlife refuges: the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, both key breeding places for Salish Sea animals.

Tribe poised to co-manage Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
Does it make sense for an entity that seeks to financially profit from the use of a federal resource, to be given co-management powers of that resource?

Sniffing out invasive mussels to protect Washington’s waters
Fin is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s mussel-smelling dog. He’s about 4 years old and is a Catahoula leopard dog, blue lacy and Australian kelpie mix.  Like a drug or bomb-smelling dog, his nose is particularly good at sniffing out tiny, invasive mussels.

55k dump trucks of sediment and how much money? Details emerge on estuary restoration
The end goal of the project is to remove the 80-foot tide gate and 420-foot earth infill dam that connects west Olympia to downtown and restore tidal flow. The project also is designed to increase the city’s climate resiliency and reduce economic impacts from flooding.

The Past and Future of Washington’s Ferries
From the mosquito fleet of yore to the hybrid ships to come.

Researchers discover eelgrass superpower in Puget Sound
Already highly valued as nurseries for sea life, researchers have discovered  a new eelgrass superpower, as living urban systems that reduce human pathogens in seafood by as much as 65%.

Shellfish harvesters are having to consider biotoxins later into fall and winter
In recent years, recreational and commercial harvesters, state agencies and tribes are noticing biotoxin outbreaks more commonly in the winter.

Transient orcas thriving in Salish Sea, as southern residents continue to struggle
The Orca Behavior Institute said Tuesday that the transient orcas have been spotted in local waters every day since March 12. July was particularly noteworthy, with 214 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales.

How the world’s oldest humpback whale has survived is a mystery
Old Timer is now a male of at least 53 years, making him “the oldest known humpback whale in the world,” said Adam A. Pack, co-founder and president of The Dolphin Institute.

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 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 August 9 2024

Nagasaki, August 9, 1945

The bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki with the plutonium bomb device on August 9, 1945, caused terrible human devastation and brought an end to World War II. Although estimates vary, perhaps 40,000 people were killed by the initial detonation. By the beginning of 1946, 30,000 more people were dead. And within the next five years, well over 100,000 deaths were directly attributable to the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Hanging by a thread: B.C.’s southern resident orcas on a path to extinction
A recent peer-reviewed paper suggests a baseline rate of population loss of roughly one per cent per year — based on modelling and 40 years of observations — putting the whales on a path toward a "period of accelerating decline that presages extinction."

Sustainable Alaskan Chinook Salmon? That’s a Problem

The Gulf of Alaska and the petition to list all chinook salmon from rivers flowing into the Gulf of Alaska as threatened or endangered cover a vast area from the Aleutians to the Canadian border. No one knows which distinct populations within that area may warrant a listing.

Metro Van Is Losing Trees. That Means a Hotter Future
According to new data, Metro Vancouver has been simultaneously losing tree coverage and adding pavement, making for dangerous conditions when extreme weather hits.

Drones, robots, sensors: farming isn’t what it used to be. Will tech help the environment?
Digital sensors measure soil quality, GPS systems guide tractors, drones check the cows — as farming adopts higher-tech methods, some hope it will help the environment, too.

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon
Warmer water, lower flows are dangerous for fish, while debris could affect their ability to navigate.

The Fraser River's trusty debris trap and its Chilcotin challenge
A trap built to keep Vancouver's shores and waterways clear of wood faces one of its biggest tests.

Long Beach’s Willapa refuge turns timber land back into wilderness
Conservation-minded forest management, though costly, helps restore this former logging site as a wildfire-resilient ecosystem.

How a Washington Tax Break for Data Centers Snowballed Into One of the State’s Biggest Corporate Giveaways
Companies have saved $474 million since 2018, with most of the windfall going to Washington-based tech giant Microsoft. 

What dinner in Burrard Inlet looked like 500 years ago
Tsleil-Waututh Nation hopes to use data on its ancestors’ diet to restore habitat and heal the heavily industrialized Burrard Inlet.

B.C. government considers 'Plan B' if salmon need help through Chilcotin slide zone
Plans to help migrating salmon make it up British Columbia's Chilcotin River to spawning grounds are in the works after a massive landslide breach created barrier challenges.

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 August 2 2024

Aloha Dinosaur Friday!

Richard Owen, an English anatomist, came up with the word "Dinosauria" in 1842. The word comes from the Greek word "deinos," meaning terrible or fearfully great, and "sauros," meaning reptile or lizard. He applied the term to three animals whose fossilized bones had been found over the previous few decades. Scientists believe they first appeared about 245 million years ago, at the beginning of the Middle Triassic Epoch, and existed for about 180 million years, going extinct about 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The period when they lived is called the Mesozoic Era.

Monsanto agrees to settlement with Seattle over Duwamish River pollution
Ending an eight-year legal battle, chemical giant Monsanto has agreed to a $160-million settlement with Seattle for its part in polluting a river that runs through the heart of the city with toxins that posed a threat to humans, fish and wildlife.

US promises $240 million to improve fish hatcheries, protect tribal rights in Pacific Northwest
The U.S. government will invest $240 million in salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest to boost declining fish populations and support the treaty-protected fishing rights of Native American tribes.

Data centers guzzle power, threatening WA’s clean energy push
Some Washington utility officials might face a daunting choice: violate a state green energy law limiting fossil fuel use or risk rolling blackouts. Artificial intelligence, which requires extraordinary computing power, is accelerating the need to build data centers across the world, and experts say the industry’s global energy consumption as of just two years ago could double by 2026.

A River of Deception
Historical documents reveal how Seattle City Light's dams deprived the Skagit Rive of fish, impacting the Upper Skagit Tribe's treaty rights for over a century.

Two shark species documented in Puget Sound for first time by Oregon State researchers
Oregon State University researchers have made the first scientific confirmation in Puget Sound of two distinct shark species, one of them critically endangered.

What’s the cost if WA voters erase capital gains tax, end cap-and-trade?
Analyses bound for the state’s voter pamphlet examine the financial effects of Initiative 2109 and Initiative 2117 passing this fall.

Ship fire off Victoria shows Canada isn't prepared for marine emergencies: TSB
The container ship rolled and lost 109 containers overboard, spilling cargo along Vancouver Island's beaches. About 36 hours later, while the vessel was anchored off Victoria, a fire broke on the ship.

A decade after disastrous breach, Mount Polley mine tailings dam could get even bigger
A faulty tailings dam at the B.C. mine dumped billions of litres of waste into the environment — and Quesnel Lake is still contaminated. Now Imperial Metals wants to expand the same dam.

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@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 July 26 2024

 

Aloha Tofu Friday!

World Tofu Day was created by the Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) Canada and the first World Tofu Day was marked in 2014. In Montreal, at least 12,000 people attended a vegan barbecue on the inaugural celebration. Tofu is made from soybeans that are curdled and then pressed into blocks. It is high in protein, relatively low in calories, and low in carbohydrates. It is low in saturated fat but higher in heart-healthy fats. Tofu contains iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and calcium, and is sometimes fortified with other minerals and vitamins.

Environmental groups push for toughening of salmon farm rule change
New federal rules for fish farms have cut the amount of allowable sea lice in farmed salmon but environmental groups say it doesn’t amount to much.

Washington State Has Been Sitting on a Secret Weapon Against Climate Change
Wetlands are carbon-storage powerhouses — and many are unmapped.

Project 2025’s extreme vision for the West
The demolition of public lands, water and wildlife protections are part of conservatives’ plan for a second Trump term.

Coastal B.C. First Nations take the lead on many marine search-and-rescue missions
New formalized role and funding helps First Nations become integral part of coastal search and rescue.

Intalco Aluminum agrees to $5.25 million penalty for hazardous pollution violations at Ferndale
Intalco Aluminum, the company that operated the shuttered aluminum smelter in Ferndale, has agreed to pay $5.25 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The settlement stems from Clean Air Act violations discovered during a 2019 EPA inspection of the site.

Planet Sets Record for Hottest Day Twice in a Row
Researchers with the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said Sunday was Earth’s hottest day. Then it happened again on Monday.

WA nears a plan to remove key culverts for salmon — after spending $4B
As the Washington State Department of Transportation spends billions of dollars removing concrete and metal pipes that block spawning salmon, another state agency is finally finishing a strategy to fix all the state’s fish migration barriers.

Voters to decide on pace of Washington’s transition off natural gas
State election officials on Wednesday certified an initiative for the November ballot that seeks to reverse Washington’s controversial tactics to phase out natural gas use in homes and other buildings.

Hakai Magazine to close down
Founding editor Jude Isabella wrote yesterday to readers: "The only way to deliver this bad news is bluntly: Hakai Magazine will cease to publish at the end of 2024. For nearly a decade, we’ve made our cozy berth within the Tula Foundation, voyaging alongside its core missions that conduct long-term ecological research in British Columbia and deliver essential healthcare of Guatemalan mothers and babes. It has been a privilege beyond measure.... We’re actively looking for new funding sources—if you have ideas, please get in touch, because we’re open to suggestions. Over the next six months, we will keep you informed of our progress in finding a new haven for our next chapter."

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 19 2024

Aloha Beekeeping Friday!
 On December 3, 2019, Detroit Hives, a non-profit organization, declared July 19 of every year as National Urban Beekeeping Day. The holiday was created to raise awareness about supporting urban beekeepers, inform the public on the role of urban beekeeping, and also to discuss the importance of bees in our environment.

Tacomans struggle with high temperatures, heat and access to cooling varies across the city
Shade is a problem for Tacomans.  The city is dense and in the Puget Sound region, it has the lowest amount of tree canopy cover for cities. 

Butterfly sightings in Metro Vancouver plummet
Fewer butterflies are flying around Metro Vancouver this year, and their scarcity is leaving scientists and community members with more questions than answers. Extreme swings in weather may be to blame, but planting more native trees in cities could help.

Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in
Plastic shopping bags and other single-use products are no longer available at British Columbia stores as the government implements the latest step in its plan to phase out certain plastic items and keep harmful chemicals out of landfills.

Bringing Salmon Home to Kus-kus-sum
In 2020, the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society finally raised enough funds to purchase the eight-acre site from lumber producer Interfor, and in 2021, the land was transferred to the society. Since then, it has removed more than 12,000 cubic metres of concrete from the industrial site and revegetated five acres of it.

At new Marysville water treatment facility, plants filter out pollutants
The city’s new stormwater treatment plant isn’t landmarked by large tanks and pipes — or any buildings for that matter. Near the shore of Ebey Slough, the plant — charged with treating 460 acres of urban runoff — looks like a park, with paved walkways and rows of native grasses.

Seagrass and Plastic Are Not Friends
In 2021, what sounded like a good news story hit the media: in the Mediterranean, seagrasses were trapping plastic waste, capturing fragments in their leaves and locking microplastics in seafloor sediments...But that hopeful narrative is, unfortunately, too optimistic and only tells part of the story.

Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion to open in August
Seattle Aquarium’s new, $160 million Ocean Pavilion will open Aug. 29. The 50,000-square-foot exhibit space is already transforming the city’s central waterfront, and will feature the region’s largest tropical reef ecosystem, with sharks, rays, other animals and plants.

WA awards $52 million from carbon auctions for tribal climate adaptation
More than $50 million in revenue from the state’s carbon market auctions is going to 32 tribal nations across the Northwest for clean-energy projects and efforts to better safeguard communities from the effects of climate change.

Birthing the Blob
In 2013, a huge marine heatwave known as the Blob hit the northeast Pacific Ocean.

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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