Salish Sea Communications: November 2020

Friday, November 27, 2020

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 27 2020

Bill Nye

Happy Birthday, Science Guy!
Bill Nye the Science Guy is best known as the host of the PBS and syndicated children's science show Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993–1998), the Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World (2017–2018), and for his many subsequent appearances in popular media as a science educator.

Young orca calves take part in fall excursions into South Puget Sound with their mothers
The two orca calves born to J pod in September are still alive and doing well, according to Mark Malleson of the Center for Whale Research, who spotted J pod on Monday near the Canadian city of Victoria.

Trump officials move to relax rules on killing birds
The Trump administration published an environmental analysis Friday finding that its proposal not to hold companies responsible for killing birds 'incidentally" would not cause undue harm, clearly the way for it to finalize the rollback before the president's term ends on Jan. 20.

U.S. Justice Department sues over Puyallup River pollution
The Justice Department has filed a civil suit against the owners of the Electron Hydroelectric Project for violating the Clean Water Act by polluting the Puyallup River.

Army Corps says no to massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska
The Trump administration on Wednesday denied a key permit for a massive gold and copper mine in Alaska, striking a devastating blow to a project opposed by an unlikely coalition that includes the president’s son and other prominent Republicans, as well as conservationists, commercial fishermen and Alaska Natives.

Congress Seeks Answers on Alaskan Mine Project
House investigators are seeking records from the developers of the Pebble Mine project and the Army Corps of Engineers, to determine whether the company misrepresented its plans.

US judge voids permits for Columbia River methanol plant
A judge on Monday voided permits needed for a massive methanol plant on the Columbia River in Southwest Washington, agreeing with conservation groups that the project needs a more thorough environmental review.

Steelhead farm proposal appealed to state Supreme Court
Environmental groups are taking their fight against Cooke Aquaculture’s proposal to transition from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead to the state Supreme Court.

Regional proposal would reduce fisheries to help orcas
Plans for managing coastal chinook salmon fisheries that take into account endangered Southern Resident orca whales are taking shape.

Canada's 1st Indigenous coast guard auxiliary has launched in B.C.
Now, more than four years since it was announced, the Indigenous Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary has fully launched in B.C. — already having completed a number of missions.

Fish passage studies sought in Skagit River dam relicensing
The series of concrete dams strung across the upper Skagit River predate construction of the North Cascades Highway and the establishing of North Cascades National Park.

Navy training proposal met with concern
The State Parks Commission is in the midst of discussions about whether public lands, including Deception Pass State Park, are appropriate place for the military to train.

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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Friday, November 20, 2020

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 20, 2020

Aloha Universal Children's Day!
Children’s Day began on the second Sunday of June in 1857 by Reverend Dr. Charles Leonard, pastor of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Children’s Day was first officially declared a national holiday by the Republic of Turkey in 1920. The United Nations' Universal Children's Day was established in 1954. In 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted an extended form of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Originally acquired in 1924 by the League of Nations, the UN adopted this document as its own statement of children’s rights. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, promotes and coordinates this special day, which also works towards improving children's welfare.

$18-billion LNG project projected to meet mid-decade start despite COVID-19 delays
The $18-billion project will liquefy natural gas from northeast B.C. in a plant at Kitimat in northwest B.C., where it will be loaded onto ships and transported to Asian markets.

The environmental policy the oilpatch wants from Ottawa ASAP
Shell Canada will plant more than 800,000 trees in the interior of British Columbia next year, a project that the company hopes will create valuable carbon offsets in the future.

Trump officials rush to auction off rights to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before Biden can block it
The Trump administration on Monday called for oil companies to pick spots where they'd like to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, launching a leasing process it aims to finish just before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Trump officials rush to auction off rights to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before Biden can block it
The Trump administration on Monday called for oil companies to pick spots where they'd like to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, launching a leasing process it aims to finish just before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

BC Parks Foundation successfully raises $1.7M for purchase of West Ballenas Island
The BC Parks Foundation has officially raised enough money to purchase West Ballenas Island. Foundation CEO Andrew Day said they reached their goal of $1.7 million through community support.

Burnaby streams see 'pretty decent' salmon run after years of rehabilitation
At nearly 70 years of age, Mark Angelo is still filled with delight when he sees salmon swimming up the streams in Burnaby, B.C., where he lives.

U.S.-Canada border closure likely to be 'with us for a while'
The most recent extension of the U.S.-Canada border closure expires...November 21, but no one expects the restrictions to be lifted then.

Cowichan Tribes against anchorage
Cowichan Tribes has joined the fight to prohibit freighters from anchoring in coastal waters along the Salish Sea.

Trump pushes new environmental rollbacks on way out the door
Down to its final weeks, the Trump administration is working to push through dozens of environmental rollbacks that could weaken century-old protections for migratory birds, expand Arctic drilling and hamstring future regulation of public health threats.

Jeff Bezos launches his own climate action push as U.S. policy faces potential gridlock
...[T]hrough his Bezos Earth Fund, he also became the biggest private supporter of climate action. The $10 billion fund gave out its first round of grants, $791 million to 16 environmental organizations.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 13, 2020

Aloha World Kindness Friday!
World Kindness Day was started by the World Kindness Movement, on the first day of their conference in Tokyo, on today's date in 1998. The conference was held on the 35th anniversary of the start of Japan's Small Kindness Movement. The World Kindness Movement, which connects nations to form a kinder world, was formed in Japan in 1997, out of a group of non-governmental organizations focused on kindness. World Kindness Day is observed internationally.

Federal judge rules FDA violated environmental laws with approval of genetically engineered salmon
A federal judge has ruled that production of the world’s first genetically engineered salmon was allowed to go ahead without the required evaluation of environmental risks.

David Suzuki on 60 years of The Nature of Things: ‘I’m more determined than ever’
Television's longest-running science series has been at the forefront of exploring the climate crisis and our relationship with the natural world.

Navy Receives Approval for Exercises that Could Increase Harm to Washington Orcas
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved a request from the U.S. Navy to continue military exercises in Puget Sound and coastal Washington waters that could potentially harm the endangered Southern Resident orca population.

6th Asian giant hornet to be discovered in B.C. found in Fraser Valley
An Asian giant hornet has been found near Langley, B.C., about five kilometres away from where another so-called murder hornet was discovered last week. Destruction of murder hornets nest doesn't end threat
When scientists in Washington state destroyed the first nest of so-called murder hornets found in the U.S., they discovered about 500 live specimens in various stages of development, officials said Tuesday. Among them were nearly 200 queens that had the potential to start their own nests.

What’s at Stake with the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion?
New research from veteran earth scientist David Hughes concludes that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project makes no financial sense.

In first for Fed, U.S. central bank says climate poses stability risks
The U.S. Federal Reserve for the first time called out climate change among risks enumerated in its biannual financial stability report, and warned about the potential for abrupt changes in asset values in response to a warming planet.

Scientists wrap up trapping season, catching 253 invasive green crab
Washington scientists finished the first full season of European green crab trapping, leaving mid-October after trapping 253 of the invasive crab in Drayton Harbor.

Port Angeles OKs pact for harbor cleanup
City officials have reached a legal milestone in an eight-year effort to clean up the western Port Angeles Harbor.

B.C.'s open-net salmon farms on the way out, but replacement systems may differ by region
The federal government's plan to phase out open-net salmon farms on the B.C. coast could result in different rules for different areas of the province.

Friday, November 6, 2020

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 6, 2020

Adolphe Sax

Aloha Saxaphone Friday!
The saxophone is celebrated today on the anniversary of the birth of its creator, Adolphe Sax, born in Belgium in 1814. He was an instrument maker who played clarinet and flute, and he wanted to create an instrument that had both the projection power of a brass instrument and the agility of a woodwind, and would fill the middle ground between the two instrument types. Today saxophones range in size and pitch as follows: subcontrabass, contrabass, bass, baritone, tenor, alto, soprano, sopranino, and sopranissimo. Of all of these the most popular are the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone.

Despite what the logging industry says, cutting down trees isn’t stopping catastrophic wildfires
An analysis by OPB and ProPublica shows last month’s fires burned as intensely on private forests with large-scale logging operations as they did, on average, on federal lands that cut fewer trees.

Washington to manage wolves within borders after fed action
The state of Washington will take over management of most wolves within its borders early next year, after the U.S. government announced Thursday that gray wolves in the Lower 48 states would be delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act.

The US is leaving the Paris Agreement: How that will affect the global mission to affect climate change r
The U.S. is set to officially withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement on Wednesday, three years after President Donald Trump announced his intent to remove the country from participating in the global forum to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Giant Asian hornet found in Abbotsford, B.C., residents urged to look out for more
A single "murder hornet" was found in Abbotsford Monday and residents and beekeepers are advised to keep on the lookout for more.

BC Parks Foundation wants to buy West Ballenas Island for $1.7M
The BC Parks Foundation is raising funds to purchase West Ballenas Island. Each year, the foundation chooses one special place to concentrate their fundraising efforts.

What 13,000 wildfires teach us about Washington forests
DNR has kept records of every reported wildfire in the state since 2008. Crosscut took a deep dive into these 13,452 fire records to highlight some numbers that help put this year into context and tell the broader story of our state’s fires.

Grizzly facial recognition a potent new tool for wildlife management
A facial recognition system for grizzly bears could usher in a new wave of celebrity animals that scientists and the public could follow through their lifetimes.