7/24 Cougar, Skagit tidegates, BC oil pipe, Houdini fly, Columbia Basin drought, hot kelp, tufted puffin, grizzlies, democracy watch, week in review.

This regional news roundup covers environmental and wildlife topics across the Salish Sea area, including tidegate repair disputes in Skagit County, water supply forecasts for Washington’s Columbia Basin, kelp forest monitoring in Puget Sound near Tacoma, and a rare tufted puffin sighting near Olympia. While these stories affect the broader Puget Sound region, none directly involve Burien or directly impact local residents.