2/21 BC belugas, DAPL deadline, Pruitt's EPA, WA-BC, Blanchard Mtn, green crab, Western Flyer

[PHOTO: Laurie MacBride]

Recognizing Resilience
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "When the power of peace-loving people around the world brought down the Berlin Wall in 1989, we rejoiced – never imagining that almost three decades later we’d see new walls being erected to separate and divide our human family. It’s a disturbing time, when anger, fear, hatred and lies seem so prominent that they’re almost starting to feel “normal”. If we’re to make it through all this, we need to keep clear heads, understand and remember what’s important in the world, and take action to protect it…again, and again, and again. It could be a long and exhausting road – which means we will need major reserves of resilience, both personal and collective. Towards that end, I think it could be useful to recognize and share some of the models of resilience that we each find in our lives. The Great Blue heron ... is (at least so far) a survivor of humanity’s assaults on its habitat." (Read more)

Vancouver Aquarium bringing back belugas despite mysterious deaths
The Vancouver Aquarium says it will bring back beluga whales, ending months of speculation that the sudden deaths of two belugas last year —and resulting public controversy — might have been the end of captive cetaceans at the facility. In November, the only whales at the Vancouver Aquarium, belugas Aurora, 30, and her calf Qila, 21, died within nine days of one another, after signs of illness but without any clear cause of death. President and CEO John Nightingale vowed the aquarium would leave "no stone unturned" in its investigation, and would not return belugas to the pool until a cause of death had been determined. Today, the aquarium revealed there is still no definitive cause of death, but belugas will return — to a new pool, in the Canada's Arctic exhibit which was already slated for construction in the fall. Lisa Johnson reports. (CBC)

Deadline looms for Dakota Access pipeline protest camp 
As dawn breaks over an encampment that was once home to thousands of people protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline, a few hundred holdouts rise for another day of resistance. They aren’t deterred by the threat of flooding, nor by declarations from state and federal authorities that they must leave by Wednesday or face possible arrest. They’re determined to remain and fight a pipeline they maintain threatens the very sanctity of the land. (Associated Press)

Former Washington State Senator 'Very Excited' About Pruitt Confirmation To Head EPA
Former Washington state Sen. Don Benton said he’s “very excited” about the confirmation of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Benton is a senior adviser to the White House at EPA. Don Benton was President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman in Washington and led the President’s EPA transition. Now the southwest Washington Republican has a permanent role advising the President on EPA matters. “Working for him is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Benton said. Speaking personally and not as a spokesman for EPA, Benton said he expects Trump to issue executive orders aimed at reducing environmental regulations and giving power back to the states. But Benton also said the EPA’s commitment to public health won’t change. Austin Jenkins reports. (KNKX)

In Trump era, Washington governor says relationship with B.C. becoming more important
The governor of Washington State says in the Trump era of U.S. politics, the relationship between his state and British Columbia will become even more important. Gov. Jay Inslee says on trade, tourism and the environment, Donald Trump's policies could hurt his state, which is why he says he wants to work closer with B.C. and like-minded states. Liam Britten reports. (CBC)

Legislators have new plan to save Blanchard forest
Legislators who represent the area in northwest Washington that includes Blanchard Mountain have a new plan to prevent logging. Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, and Rep. Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, are pursuing a land transfer that would use money already available in the state’s draft budget rather than make cuts to free up $7.7 million to fulfill an agreement between the state Department of Natural Resources and Skagit County. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Building a green crab defense team
How invasive green crabs got here and how many may be lurking along the shoreline remains a mystery. The Washington Sea Grant Crab Team is training volunteers to help search for green crabs in the area. What they find will help determine the extent of the invasion. Because a handful of the invasive crabs were found in Padilla Bay in September, the team plans to expand its volunteer monitoring efforts this year. The team trained a group of about 30 volunteers Friday, and plans to train more in March. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Crab Team training will foster the upcoming hunt for green crab invaders  Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Gathering celebrates ongoing restoration of Western Flyer
Scientists, educators, shipwrights and artists gathered at the Shipwrights Co-Op in Port Townsend to see the partial restoration of the Western Flyer and to discuss what the future holds for the historic ship. The ship, built originally in 1937 at the Western Boat Building Corporation in Tacoma, has been undergoing a full restoration in Port Townsend with the help of local craftsmen since 2015…. The ship’s fame started when it was chartered in 1940 by author John Steinbeck, who with marine biologist Ed Ricketts would take it on a six-week expedition to Mexico’s Gulf of California. That trip provided the blueprint for Steinbeck’s 1951 book The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Cydney McFarland reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  244 AM PST TUE FEB 21 2017  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH  THIS EVENING  
TODAY  NW WIND TO 10 KT RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS  IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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