11/11 Alabama spill, Idle No More, Boeing tax break, Southlands battle, CA fish farms, Skagit flood, new shark

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

If you like to watch: Fall Magic
Ah, mushroom season-- and calisthenics. Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Thousands of mushrooms are popping up all over our property, in what’s turning out to be one of the best wild mushroom seasons in a long time.  As a result, my walks lately have been more of a slow amble – but still, they do involve some exercise. Most of the individual mushrooms are small, so to get a good look – and especially to photograph them – requires a form of calisthenics that’s not normally part of my daily routine: deep knee bends. Dozens and dozens of them!"

Welcome back, Skagit Leeks: In The Wilderness

Train in Alabama oil spill was carrying 2.7 million gallons of crude
A train that derailed and exploded in rural Alabama was hauling 2.7 million gallons of crude oil, according to officials. The 90-car train was crossing a timber trestle above a wetland near Aliceville late Thursday night when approximately 25 rail cars and two locomotives derailed, spilling crude oil into the surrounding wetlands and igniting a fire that was still burning Saturday. Each of the 90 cars was carrying 30,000 gallons of oil, said Bill Jasper, president of the rail company Genesee & Wyoming at a press briefing Friday night. It’s unclear, though, how much oil was spilled because some of the cars have yet to be removed from the marsh. Soumya Karlamangla reports.

Idle No More anniversary sees divisions emerging
Idle No More, the indigenous movement that began a year ago today, says it has a database of 254,000 supporters. Some, however, are concerned about the direction its founders want to go.  A Saskatoon teach-in on Nov. 10, 2012 marked the founding — by Jessica Gordon, Sheelah McLean, Sylvia McAdam and Nina Wilson — of Idle No More, which initially focused on opposing a federal omnibus bill, now law, and its perceived threats to land, water and aboriginal rights. Nevertheless, Idle No More hit a chord and, by also making skillful use of social media, quickly became one of the most significant protest movements Canada has seen in a long time.

Legislature Moves Swiftly to Extend Boeing Tax Breaks  
Washington lawmakers have moved swiftly to extend aerospace tax breaks in a bid to satisfy Boeing Co. The Legislature gave final approval Saturday of a bill to extend the tax incentives all the way to 2040. The benefits have a projected value of $9 billion. Even though the tax breaks weren't set to expire for several more years, Gov. Jay Inslee called the Legislature back to Olympia this week for a special session dedicated to the Boeing bills. Along with the tax package, lawmakers voted to spend millions of dollars on worker-training programs and an effort to aid permitting for large aerospace manufacturing sites. Mike Baker reports. And see: Professor: Boeing Wants 'Amazing Concessions' from Machinists

Delta council approves controversial development for Tsawwassen's Southlands
Delta council has approved the controversial Southlands development in Tsawwassen, but the 30-year-old battle appears far from over as those opposed to the move say they have already started lobbying the Metro Vancouver board to reject it. The contentious plan, which was passed 6-1 Friday by Delta council, requires a two-thirds weighted vote by Metro Vancouver to proceed. This is because the 217-hectare Southlands parcel — the site of the former Spetifore Farm — is outside Delta's designated urban containment boundary, which prescribes where development can and cannot be built. Kelly Sinoski reports.

Legal issues holding up fish-farming complaint to environmental commission
An effort by environmentalists, a First Nation and commercial fishermen to use a NAFTA side agreement to force Canada to change the way it polices British Columbia's salmon farms has bogged down in legal arguments. Fish-farming opponents from B.C. and the United States wrote the Commission for Environmental Co-operation in October 2012, alleging the federal government wasn't enforcing the Fisheries Act. The groups claim Ottawa is exposing wild salmon to sea lice, disease, toxic chemicals and concentrated waste. Environment Canada wrote the commission last month, arguing a continuation of the complaint would interfere with two legal cases that are currently underway. The commission has now written back asking for further explanation within 30 working days and has a set final deadline of Dec. 17. Kevin Drews reports.

Event: Public Forum on Risky Business: How oil transport threatens Washington’s health, economy and waters
Washington State is becoming center stage in transportation of oil. Learn more about oil transport proposals, the risks they pose to Washington, what protections and safeguards are currently in place, and what gaps need to be addressed to reduce the risk of oil spills. Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 PM, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle. To RSVP: Rein Attemann.

Floods wash through Hamilton’s history
This town on the Skagit knows all about flooding since its original section sits directly in the river’s 100-year flood plain. Parts of the town regularly flood whenever the river rises, as newspaper reports dating to the 1890s attest. Much of the town of 304 residents was last inundated in 2003, when floodwater reached Division Street and Janicki Industry’s Punkin Center, approaching Highway 20. The town had to raise the high-water line on its historic flood marker that year, Hamilton Mayor Joan Cromley said. Kimberly Cauvel reports. And: Skagit River floods — always a threat

New Species of Shark: Carolina Hammerhead
Discovering a new species is, among biologists, akin to hitting a grand slam, and University of South Carolina ichthyologist Joe Quattro led a team that recently cleared the bases. In the journal Zootaxa, they describe a rare shark, the Carolina hammerhead, that had long eluded discovery because it is outwardly indistinguishable from the common scalloped hammerhead. Through its rarity, the new species, Sphyrna gilberti, underscores the fragility of shark diversity in the face of relentless human predation.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON NOV 11 2013
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 25 TO 35 KT EASING TO 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS 4 TO 7 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" 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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