Tag Archives: salish sea

The orca population of the Pacific Northwest is dying. There isn’t much debate about this; every expert in marine biology agrees. The local orcas, known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), have had population fluctuations since the 1970’s, but the latest data shows a population in permanent decline. This is really bad news. As apex predators, the orcas are …

I am standing here on the west side of Chuckanut Island trying to understand what I am seeing and what to do about it. This five-acre nature preserve is my responsibility—my wife Aimee and I are the stewards of this Nature Conservancy-owned land, officially known as the Cyrus Gates Memorial Preserve. There are beer cans and snack bags strewn about. …

Lanni Johnson, grandmother of six, has become increasingly concerned about the fate of the Southern Resident killer whale. Over the last few years she has watched more than a dozen killer whales perish from a combination of factors, all exacerbated by unconscionable declines in Chinook salmon runs. “Witnessing an extinction event in my own backyard has caused me deep concern. …

Winter has descended upon us. Skyline Divide, Yellow Aster Butte, and all of your other favorite high country romps are now— thanks to a thick shroud of snow—pretty much off limits until next summer. But there’s no need to put away your hiking shoes. There are scores of low country hikes that for the most part remain snow-free all year …

Mention hiking on the San Juan Islands and Moran State Park instantly comes to mind. While this large popular park on Orcas Island with its 30 miles of trails certainly is a supreme hiking destination, there are scores of great hiking spots throughout Washington’s stunning archipelago. The outer islands, beloved by boaters, paddlers and sailors also contain some exceptional hikes. …

The flat two-mile crossing was anything but notorious. I was almost disappointed. We’d dragged our kayaks onto the ferry in Anacortes at oh-dark-hundred, disembarked at the Orcas Island terminal and waited for our transportation, loaded boats and gear into a van that took us across the island through Eastsound, unloaded our boats and gear at Terrill Beach, and then began …

When I slip my kayak into Bellingham Bay, I sometimes choose a direction without a destination. Paddling is an end in itself and destinations require decisions. It’s like choosing between a slice of Oreo cheesecake and chocolate mousse. Can I have some of each? Not if they’re in two different directions. If I do select a destination, my tastes lean …

  “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away”.                                                                                                                          -Mark Twain We motor out of Bellingham’s Squalicum Marina aboard Shariyat, a 26-foot long sailboat, bathed in rare and succulent late autumn sunshine. We’re off for a …

When you first see someone Stand Up Paddling (SUP), you may think this person bought a surfboard without the requisite skills to surf the waves, then gave up and just started paddling around on it. Like many first impressions, this would be wrong. Not only is SUP deeply intertwined with big wave surfing, but it was popular long before surfing. …