Salish Sea News Week in Review May 29 2020

Tenzing Norgay
[Photo: Edmund Hillary]

Aloha Tenzing Norgay Friday!
On May 29, 1953, Nepali-Indian Sherpa Tenzing Norgay celebrated his 39th birthday and achieved the first ascent of Mount Everest with British climber Edmund Hillary. In taking the photo, according to the Associated Press, "Hillary said he removed his oxygen gear to take photographs, and after about 10 minutes realized his movements were becoming clumsy from a lack of oxygen and put on his tanks and mask again. There are no photographs of Hillary at the summit. 'But you can take my word for it: I was there,' he said."

Commercial whale-watching licensing program
Department of Fish and Wildlife is developing rules for a new commercial whale-watching licensing program to enable sustainable whale watching while reducing the impacts of vessel noise and disturbance so whales can effectively forage, rest, and socialize.

Trans Mountain pipeline: Protest ban is 'great time' to build, says minister
A top Canadian official has said this is a "great time" to build a pipeline because coronavirus-related restrictions ban large public protests.

How the Blob Is Warming British Columbia’s Fjords
For those who have braved swimming in British Columbia’s spectacular, glacier-fed fjords, “warm” is probably not a word that springs to mind.

Comment period opens for salmon seasons
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on proposed rules for this year’s recreational and commercial salmon fishing seasons.

Trump Environmental Rollbacks Roll On Despite Pandemic. Opponents Cry Foul
Do public hearings over Zoom unfairly suppress opponents’ comments, or allow even more people to engage? That’s just one point of dispute as the Trump administration pushes ahead with some of its most controversial environmental policy changes this spring despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Contract to clear B.C.'s Big Bar landslide balloons to $52.5M as crews race to allow for salmon migration
The cost of the federal contract for clearing out the Big Bar landslide has tripled to $52.5 million as crews try to meet the "very, very difficult" goal of allowing salmon to migrate naturally along the Fraser River in B.C.'s southern Interior.

Oregon And Washington Join Multi-State Lawsuit Over Federal Fuel Emissions Rollback
Oregon and Washington have joined 26 states and cities in suing the Trump administration over a new rule that weakens emission standards for cars and trucks. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the states argue the new federal rule relaxing fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks isn’t scientifically sound, increases public health risks and violates the federal Clean Air Act.

State’s first confirmed Asian giant hornet this year found in Whatcom County
Washington agriculture officials confirmed that a dead Asian giant hornet was found near  Custer in Whatcom County. The Giant 'Murder Hornet' Resurfaces in British Columbia  The Asian giant hornet has resurfaced in the Canadian province of British Columbia, miles away from traps placed to contain it, suggesting that the invasive insect has already established itself in a broader territory than previously known.

Rare gray orca, Tl’uk, spotted with transient pod in Bellingham Bay Tuesday
Not only was Bellingham Bay treated to a rare visit by a family of orca on Tuesday, May 26, one of the rarest and most well-known whales of all was part of the group. Tl’uk — the juvenile gray or white killer whale occasionally spotted around the Puget Soun.

Trump Administration Pushes Expanded Hunting, Fishing In Wildlife Refuges
A proposed rule to open or expand millions of acres of hunting and fishing opportunities in national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries is open for public comment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to open or expand more than 2.3 million acres to hunting and fishing opportunities in 97 national wildlife refuges throughout the nation — eight which have never been opened before.

Ecology amends Nooksack River watershed rules on streamflow and Whatcom rural wells
The Washington Department of Ecology has amended an instream flow rule that attempts to provide water for new rural Whatcom County residents and benefit streamflows in the Nooksack River watershed, according to a news release.




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, 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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