Class: Edible and Medicinal Plants

FRIDAY 4/21/23 – Edible and Medicinal Plants @ 2PM

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/596027262587

Location: Meet at Interpretive Trail at Fort Flagers State Park

Did you know Douglas-fir makes a tasty tea, and cottonwood can ease your aching back? Come take a walk at Fort Flagler with local herbalist J.T. and discover how people and plants help each other thrive.

Presenter: Northwest herbalist J.T. delights in connecting people with plants and watching them fall in love. She gathers herbs from mountain to city to sea and has taught hundreds of students how to identify edible and medicinal plants. J.T. likes to mix it up, incorporating her European and Chinese heritage in her herbal approaches. She teaches in both urban environments (e.g., classes at Dandelion Botanical in Seattle, plant walks with Young Women Empowered) and out in the country (workshops at the Northwest Herbal Faire near the Cascade mountains, on the San Juan islands with Earthwalk Northwest’s ethnobotany program…). Wherever you find her, a class with J.T. offers practical, joyful knowledge for all your outdoor adventures.

Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving, and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park.  Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization.  To learn more, visit https://friendsoffortflagler.org/.

Birding in the Park – Fort Flagler

Birding in the Park – Fort Flagler

4/22/23 @ 8:30am

5/27/23 @ 8:30am

6/24/23 @ 8:30am

Birding and nature tours are now being held on the 4th Saturday of each month. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for changeable weather. bring binoculars and your own water. 

Registration: Please send Bev an email, subject: Birdwatching Walk to Bevybirds53@gmail.com and she will plan directly with you. 

Please note this program is dependent on good weather.

Presenter: Beverly McNeil, Admiralty Audubon trip leader and photographer, has been conducting bird walks at Fort Flagler.  Beverly’s photographs are displayed at the Port Townsend Gallery: http://porttownsendgallery.com/artists/beverly-mcneil/.

Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park.  Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization.  To learn more, visit https://friendsoffortflagler.org/.

Puget Sound Partnership Bill Tracker Phone call

For those wanting to closely track what’s happening in Olympia regarding environmental bills.

leg-update
March 10, 2023
Puget Sound Legislative Update Call Greetings friends of Puget Sound! The Puget Sound Partnership hopes you’ll be able to join us for our weekly Legislative Update Conference Call.

Please note that we will not be sending out a recurring calendar hold, but the call-in information below will remain the same throughout session if you plan to add a recurring hold to your calendar. Here are the details:   Legislative Update Conference Call Every Friday, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. From January 6 – April 28, 2023

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 272 753 869 740 Passcode: gZYMPB Download Teams | Join on the web Or call in (audio only) +1 253-372-2181,,65255071#  Phone Conference ID: 652 550 71#

We will record the teleconference. Assuming the technology works as it should (and sometimes it doesn’t) the recording will be available on the Partnership’s website following the meeting.  

AGENDA Welcome Bill watch list 

What happened in week 9 Upcoming hearings and work sessions in week 10

Questions, comments, and announcements by partners (bills you are following, events scheduled) Adjourn

If you have questions or concerns about the legislative priorities for the Puget Sound Partnership, please contact: Don Gourlie, Legislative Policy Director, 360.688.3253.

Canada Shuts Down 15 Fish Farms in B.C., Citing Risks to Wild Salmon – Maritime Executive

The pressure is building on Canada to end the use of net pens that effect wild salmon runs. A huge win for Alexandra Morton and her supporters, but more importantly, for the wild salmon runs which, as the article points out, are in serious decline.

After years of concerns over the impact of aquaculture on wild sockeye salmon, Canada’s fisheries department has decided not to renew the operating permits of 15 Atlantic salmon farms in an environmentally sensitive area of British Columbia. 

Canada Shuts Down 15 Fish Farms in B.C., Citing Risks to Wild Salmon (maritime-executive.com)

Random bits from around the Peninsula

Al Latham reports:

The NOSC spawning survey team witnessed a spectacle this year!  After several years of seeing no coho in the upper reach of Chimacum Cr (Lee Miller’s old property), on a single day they counted more than 90! Total sightings for the season was probably over 200. The last few years have had dismal coho returns in  Chimacum Cr, and generally throughout the region.  Must have been some good ocean conditions for them plus adequate streamflows.  Perhaps the Pacific decadal  cycle has flipped as it’s wont to do!  A tribal biologist told me years ago that due to that cycle for 10 years or so coho returns are dismal here, great in Alaska.  Then the pacific decadal cycle kicks in -I n Alaska they wonder what went wrong, and here all the restoration folks are hero’s!  Whatever – just glad to see good numbers for a change. 

Liz Anderson from Jefferson County Health Dept. reports:

Port Townsend, WA. Recent clam samples from Discovery Bay tested negative for the biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), and Washington Department of Health has opened Discovery Bay for recreational harvesting of all shellfish species. Jefferson County Public Health has removed warning signs at public access points in Discovery Bay.

In June, 2022, Discovery Bay closed for all species due to the toxin that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Later that month, the PSP toxin level also climbed above the safe limit. Even after toxin levels started to decline in other mollusk species, butter and varnish clams remained closed, until today. Elsewhere in Jefferson County, butter and varnish clams remain closed due to biotoxin in:

  • Kilisut Harbor (including Fort Flagler)
  • Mystery Bay
  • Oak Bay
  • Mats Mats Bay
  • Port Ludlow

To find out which areas in Washington are safe to harvest shellfish, please check the Shellfish Safety map at www.doh.wa.gov/ShellfishSafety.htm or call the Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632. For the latest information on regulations and seasons, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing or call the Shellfish Rule Change Hotline at 1-866-880-5431.

See the full press release on our website here: Discovery Bay Shellfish Biotoxin Warning Removed

The Narhwal reports:

‘Serious scientific failings’: experts slam DFO report downplaying threat of salmon farms | The Narwhal

The Northwest Treaty Tribes report on Dungeness work by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe:

Restoration projects increase salmon returns

How a River Breathes

Filmmaker John Gussman caught two views of the new levee project on the Dungeness River recently. This is what is also known as a floodplain. By allowing the river to “breathe” and overflow it’s banks, without endangering manmade structures like homes and farms, you save the river and the ecosystem that it exists in. As you can see, this is less than one month apart. Allowing home development in such a location is asking for problems, and problems were what the Dungeness valley had for many decades after white people attempted to tame the river. This is a compromise. The river is allowed to breathe, a few farms and homes are paid to relocate, and moving forward, the likelihood of more salmon coming back to a habitat that they can survive and reproduce in is given a much higher probability of success. In addition to fish, this promotes a wide array of flora and fauna, including ducks, geese, and many others. The Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT), which includes farmers, duck hunters, and with help from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe worked for decades to make this possible, with millions in help from the federal and state government and our State and Federal representatives. For a more detailed look at this issue, you can watch my 2010 film, “Working for the River” that covers the issues in recovering the Dungeness. https://vimeo.com/80651319

Thanks to John Gussman for use of the drone photos. John is available for video and still work. Check out Doubleclick Productions – Photography-Video Production-Stock Imagery-UAV Drone Services located on the Olympic Peninsula (dcproductions.com) for his other projects.

Bad bill on watersheds needs your input.

Oddly, Senator Kevin Van de Wege is promoting a terrible bill, (SB5517) which would dramatically alter the issue of the instream flow rule. Eastern Washington has been trying for years to get something like this through but the Dems have been not been willing to support it. Now, with Van de Wege co-sponsoring this bill, it seems possible. Below you will find a Sierra Club overview of the problems with this bill. I am surprised if the Tribes support this. My guess is that the farmers of the Dungeness valley are behind this and getting Kevin to promote it. With only two sponsors my experience tells me it’s just a straw dog that Kevin did for them. We encountered this same kind of bill a few years ago regarding gravel bed “management” by farmers down on the Chehalis River. The tribes killed the bill. But it’s not to say that there ought to be a solid showing of dislike for this.

Please contact Kevin’s office and also put your comments in down at the State web site.

. Quick action – sign in “CON”

  1. Go to the SB 5517 Sign-In webpage. (this is a direct link to the SB 5517 specific sign on)
  2. Choose CON as your position
  3. Fill in the remaining boxes: First name, Last name, Email, Address, and Phone
  4. Leave Organization blank
  5. Check the box “I’m not a robot
  6. Finally, hit submit!

New research paper out on nearshore water temps during heatwave

A new research paper out from northwest scientists.

Large and transient positive (not good! positive means increased here) temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave.

Abstract:

The northern portion of Washington’s outer coast—known locally as the Olympic coast—is a dynamic region characterized by seasonal upwelling that predominates during summer interrupted by occasional periods of downwelling. We examined spring-to-fall water temperature records collected along this coast from 2001–2015 from April to October at four nearshore locations (Cape Elizabeth to Makah Bay) that span one degree of latitude and are located within 15 km of the shore. When compared against a long-term climatology created for 2001–2013, seven-day smoothed temperature anomalies of up to 4.5°C at 40 m depth during 2014 and 2015 show short-term warm events lasting 10–20 days. These periods of warming occurred within the well documented marine heatwave in the Northeast Pacific and were about twice the seasonal temperature range in the climatology at that depth. These warm events were strongly correlated with periods of northward long-shore winds and upper ocean currents, consistent with what is expected for the response to downwelling-favorable winds. While our focus a priori was on 2014 and 2015, we also found large positive temperature events in 2013, which were potentially related to the early stage of the marine heatwave, and in 2011, which did not have a documented marine heatwave. This indicates that near-shore short-term warm events occur during periods of large-scale offshore marine heatwave events, but also can occur in the absence of a large-scale marine heatwave event when downwelling-favorable winds occur during the summer/early fall.

Large and transient positive temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave | PLOS ONE

Briefing: Legislative Priorities Lobby Days

From the newly named Washington Conservation Action organization.

Join us at Washington Conservation Action for our first, action-packed virtual briefing of 2023! 

What: Insider Briefing: Legislative Priorities, Lobby Days & our New Brand
When: Friday, February 10th, 1-2PM
How to Join: Via Zoom 

RSVP here to receive Zoom meeting link and login details 

As of January 1st, our former organizations Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters have joined forces to become Washington Conservation Action! We’ll kick off this briefing with a short update from Communications Director Zachary Pullin, who will share the latest about our new name and brand and answer your questions. From that point, we’ll dive right in and provide you with an insider peek on the work at hand.

With the 2023 legislative session in full swing, our Government Affairs Director, Darcy Nonemacher, will talk about our priorities in this long legislative session, how they build on previous environmental wins in the last few sessions and share her insights. Then they’ll provide an overview and sneak peek of Environmental Lobby Days 2023, which will be held on February 14-16th. They’ll share why this annual coming together of activists and advocates concerned about Washington’s environment is so important, provide a preview into the online sessions we’ll be offering, and offer thoughts on why you should get involved. Zachary, Darcy and I are excited to give you the inside scoop, so please join us! 

Kat  
Kat Holmes (she/her) 
Field Director
Washington Conservation Action
Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters are now Washington Conservation Action.

Newest round of clean-water funding focuses on small communities including Jefferson County

State Ecology is handing out funding to many organizations around the state for clean water initiatives. Here’s the Jefferson County proposals.

Jefferson County Public Health is proposed to receive a $500,000 grant, $7.5 million loan, and $2.5 million in forgivable-principal loans to establish a watershed-conservation fund, providing a scalable loan fund for acquisition of land critical to improving water quality in high-priority watersheds. This innovative program will provide nimble funding, so nonprofit land trusts and other public entities can purchase properties for conservation and sustainable stewardship as land becomes available, rather than being tied to the government funding cycle. This pilot project will complete a feasibility assessment, program design, and purchase of two properties to establish the program

US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically – study

The Guardian reports on a new study that shows that coal is simply far more expensive to build and maintain than solar or wind power. The end of the era of coal is in sight, and can’t come too soon. However, to maintain the grid it will require operating plants at increasing costs for at least the next decade.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/30/us-coal-more-expensive-than-renewable-energy-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Coal in the US is now being economically outmatched by renewables to such an extent that it’s more expensive for 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants to keep running than it is to build an entirely new solar or wind energy operation nearby, a new analysis has found.

SeaDoc Society calls for proposals.

The transboundary SeaDoc Society is once again calling for proposals that will support improved Salish Sea health or management. This year there are two grant opportunities: an Open RFP with an initial Letter of Intent (LOI) step, and a second RFP for Tribes & First Nations that does not require an LOI (deadline . The ceiling for all awards is $50K. Open RFP LOIs due Feb 1; the full proposal deadline for both RFPs is March 15. (SeaDoc Society)

The battle of sea lice and salmon goes on

An update on the battle to remove fish farms from Canada. The industry denies it’s a problem here, 100 miles south…

  • Increased sea lice infestations, scientists say are caused by salmon farms, threaten the already-vulnerable wild Pacific salmon populations in western Canada, worrying conservationists and First Nations.
  • Three First Nations in the region are now deciding on the future of open net pen Atlantic salmon farms dotting the channels and waterways in and around their territories. They hope their decisions will pave the way to protect wild salmon, a culturally important species.
  • So far, ten farms have been closed and the future of seven farms are to be decided this year, in 2023.
  • The impact of the closure of the farms on sea lice and wild salmon populations is still unclear, say scientists, and more time to monitor the data is needed.

As sea lice feast away on dwindling salmon, First Nations decide the fate of salmon farms (mongabay.com)

Event: Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program

Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program on January 25th@7pm

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northern-elephant-seals-in-the-pacific-northwest-tickets-483953085707

Please join the Friends of Fort Flagler to learn more about Northern elephant seal natural history and distribution. We will also discuss common causes of stranding in Northern elephant seals, field assessments and our recent hospital cases.

Presenters:

Casey Mclean has over 12 years’ experience working with marine animals, and is the Executive Director of SR3, Washington’s first dedicated marine animal hospital.  SR3 is a nonprofit organization that focuses on response, rehabilitation and research of local marine wildlife. The hospital opened the summer of 2021 and immediately started helping harbor seals. is fall they will be opening a marine animal hospital in the Des Moines marina, just south of Seattle. To learn more about SR3, visit https://www.sealifer3.org/

Michelle Rivard is the veterinarian for SR3.  Dr. Michelle Rivard is an aquatic animal veterinarian focused on clinical medicine, pathology, and health of free-ranging marine mammals. In her role at SR³, Michelle provides medical management and care of stranded aquatic wildlife, performs postmortem examinations, and participates in ongoing research projects.  Michelle attended veterinary school at Michigan State University. 

Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park. Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization. To learn more, visithttps://friendsoffortflagler.org/.

This first ‘solar car’ available and can drive for months without needing to charge — The Cool Down

Major breakthrough though the first generation is super expensive. The company is hoping to bring the cost down into the real world $30K range sometime around 2025. On solar only can go 45 miles (around town) or can charge overnight as usual and go 185 on a single charge.

The Dutch company Lightyear has just announced that its Lightyear 0 model is being manufactured. The Lightyear 0 can charge literally any time the car is in the sun, meaning while parked or on the go.

Article here:

Swelling school of seaweed farmers looking to anchor in Northwest waters – Salish Current

There is so much more to this issue. Are we really wanting to trade off our waters for animal feed or fertilizer? Better speak up now.


Prospective kelp growers who want to join the handful of existing commercial seaweed farms in the Pacific Northwest are having to contend with a lengthy permitting process. It’s gotten contentious in a few cases, but even so, at least a couple of new seaweed farms stand on the cusp of approval. Their harvests could be sold for human food, animal feed or fertilizer. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)  

See also: Can kelp farming help save our marine environment? Richard Arlin Walker reports.

(Salish Current, 10/7/22) 

Court Recommends Halting Alaska’s Unsustainable Harvest to Protect Wild Chinook and Southern Resident Killer Whales

Yesterday, The federal court in Seattle issued a landmark decision. The outcome of this is still to be determined. But it likely means an end to Chinook harvest in Alaska. NOAA has been losing in court due to their lack of rigorous science behind their decisions. This lawsuit was brought by the Wild Fish Conservancy, one of the most effective environmental organizations in the Pacific Northwest. If you want to support their work, it’s a good time to donate.

More to come on this. 

December 16, 2022— In a massive international and coast-wide decision for wild Chinook and Southern Resident killer whale recovery, Seattle’s federal Court issued a landmark opinion on Tuesday that recommends terminating unsustainable commercial salmon harvest that has persisted for decades until new environmental reviews of those fisheries occur. Overfishing was found in a previous ruling to illegally harm the recovery of both endangered Southern Resident killer whales and wild Chinook salmon across the Pacific Northwest.


On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson issued a report and recommendation on Wild Fish Conservancy’s lawsuit, agreeing that halting the summer and winter seasons of the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery is the most appropriate remedy. Simultaneously, the judge found the federal government’s inadequate biological opinion should be remanded back to NOAA in order for the agency to address violations of environmental law.


In August, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones issued a stunning summary judgment based on a previous report and recommendation by Magistrate Peterson confirming that NOAA violated the law by improperly relying on undeveloped and uncertain future mitigation to offset ongoing overfishing authorized by NOAA.


In their most recent analysis of this fishery’s impact on threatened and endangered species, NOAA admits that over the last decade and continuing today, Chinook harvest is occurring at levels that are unsustainable for the long-term survival and reproductive success of both threatened wild Chinook populations and endangered Southern Resident killer whales. The overharvest of the whales’ prey has been ongoing for decades.


“The benefits to wild Chinook and Southern Resident killer whale recovery from the Court’s action cannot be overstated,” says Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “If adopted by the District Judge, this recommendation will result in the first scientifically-proven recovery action in the Pacific Northwest to immediately provide Chinook for starving killer whales. The decision will also recover and restore the larger and more diverse life histories of wild Chinook these whales evolved to eat, which are fundamental for rebuilding both populations.”


While these Chinook are harvested in Southeast Alaska marine waters and currently certified by major U.S. seafood certifiers as ‘sustainable wild caught Alaskan Chinook’, approximately 97% of all Chinook harvested in the Southeast Alaska troll fishery actually originate from rivers throughout British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Currently, these Chinook are harvested prematurely, before they can migrate back into southern waters where the Southern Resident killer whales encounter them. In 2021, the fishery of concern harvested approximately 150,000 Chinook, many of which were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
For the first time in decades, Magistrate Peterson’s recommendation to terminate this fishery would finally allow these Chinook to migrate back down the coast and pass through the Southern Resident killer whales’ key foraging areas. Similarly, this action would support the coastwide recovery of wild Chinook stocks by allowing far more wild Chinook to return and spawn in rivers in B.C., Washington, and Oregon.


“I want to emphasize that Alaskan fishers are not to blame for NOAA’s chronic mismanagement of this fishery, and we are sympathetic to the burden this decision may pose on Southeast Alaskan communities,” says Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “However, it’s critical to also acknowledge that for decades this fishery has harvested majority non-Alaskan Chinook at unsustainable levels with cascading and coastwide consequences for fishing communities throughout British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. In addition to the unparalleled benefits to killer whale and Chinook recovery, the Court’s decision will restore more control to communities over the recovery of their local Chinook salmon populations, particularly tribal people and First Nations.”


Southern Resident killer whales were listed as Endangered in 2005. Currently, there are only 73 individuals in the population, an alarming decrease from nearly 100 only 25-years ago. Reduced prey availability, specifically large and abundant Chinook, has been identified by killer whale experts and NOAA as the primary cause of their decline.


“With less fishing in Alaskan waters, more Chinook can return to spawn in their home rivers in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon,” said Dr. Deborah Giles, Science and Research Director at Wild Orca. “An increase in larger, mature fish is essential—not just for the whales— but for the survival of these imperiled Chinook populations, whose future also hangs in the balance. A recovery for Chinook benefits all fishers, whales, and humans alike.”


“Despite the clear evidence, for too long government agencies, certifiers, and the media have been unwilling to acknowledge and address the unsustainable salmon harvest management in this fishery and others that is harming the recovery of the Southern Resident killer whales and the wild Chinook they depend on,” says Helverson. “The Court’s finding is playing an important role in bringing science and policy closer together for the benefit of wild salmon, killer whales, and coastal communities.”


In the coming months, the Magistrate Judge’s report and recommendation and any objections from the defendants will be considered by the District Judge presiding over the case for a final ruling.
### 

Cooke Aquaculture files appeal of DNR decision

As this blog stated over a week ago, the saga of net pens on the Olympic Peninsula is not over yet. 

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, LLC has filed an appeal of the state Department of Natural Resources’ denial of its leases for steelhead farms in state waters.

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/cooke-aquaculture-files-appeal-of-dnr-decision/

 

Ken Balcomb walks on

“It is not enough to have compassion. You must act.” Tenzin Gyatso 14th Dalai Lama

Incredibly sad news this morning that Ken Balcomb, the founder and senior scientist of the Center for Whale Research has passed. His influence on the protection of orcas in the Pacific Northwest cannot be underestimated. He was a giant in the world of whale research and environmental protection. While others may choose to work only on restoration, he was involved in restoration and protection. He didn’t just have compassion for the orca. He acted on it. All too few these days are really acting for protection of our natural world. Ken’s life is an example for all of us.

He will be missed.

Rather than write an obit, here is where you can read about his life and career.

kcb | CWR (whaleresearch.com)

How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current

Interesting new study out..

A fully sequenced SRKW genome might also give scientists a look at the genetic variations and immune system genes that are important for the whales’ survival, and offer a better understanding of the population’s history and size prior to European colonization, Ford added. The information could also verify current pedigrees and aid scientists in comparing Southern Residents with Northern Residents and other similar populations that are thriving, to determine what factors are setting them apart.

How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current (salish-current.org)
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