Friday Flotsam and Jetsam
"Strongylocentrotus purpuratus" © Jerry Kirkhart via creative commons
Critter Sightings
First, a few critter sightings. Last Friday, photoblogger "Sirfishalot" posted these awesome photos of a red tail hawk taking a bath. How cool is that? Plus the Seal Sitters spotted a beaver at Jack Block Park in West Seattle. Speaking of sighting, apparently the body of a sea urchin is one big eye! Not a sighting, but a sounding - we listened in on the orcas for a while with the Salish Sea hydrophone network. The Orca Network often posts on their facebook page when the orcas are around.
New Publications
The US Geological Service released a brand new report on shoreline armoring in Puget Sound this week. If that's a little dense for you, here's a KUOW story on shoreline armoring from last spring. King County also has a FAQ on marine shoreline armoring and Puget Sound. Another study that came out this week investigates the factors contributing to the decline of Fraser River salmon. (At least we know more about salmon than we do about sand lance, though.) Not a study, but a new publication this week: Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World, by Dominick DellaSalla, who was on KUOW's Weekday program.
Legislative Progress
And if you're wondering what went down with the state government this week, we saw two things. First, Washington is now the first state ban toxic pavement sealants. Second, the derelict vessel removal program was also signed off on by Governor Gregoire. Hooray for both items!
Finally, this is the last blog post I'll be writing. I'm heading north to Alaska, to take up a six month long communications residency in the Tongass National Forest. It's been a lot of fun working with People For Puget Sound, and hopefully it has prepared me for my new project. Thanks for reading along!
