3/30 ASPIRATION, ecosystem conference, clam day, orca killing, BC pipe, auto rule rollback, Navy jets, recycling woes

ASPIRATION and Tony Angell [Photo: Bob Peterson]

ASPIRATION at Seattle University
Naturalist and artist Tony Angell reports: "Installed on March 28th on the campus of Seattle University, the monument is entitled ASPIRATION and represents their mascot, the Redhawk.  For me, this fictional bird is a powerful metaphor for what students come to the University to fulfill.  To a degree, like the hawk, we  bravely launch into a world of learning with hopes and expectations seeking to accomplish and soar.   The expanded skills and knowledge the University can provide may ultimately determine much of what we achieve in the future… The piece is eleven feet high at the wing tips and is placed atop a basalt column. I feel a bit sad but a bit glad that one of my progeny is off into the world hopefully to take the messages of Nature to share."

30th Anniversary Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference To Convene In Seattle
More than 1,300 scientists, policy makers and other interested parties are attending next week’s Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The meeting happens every two years and alternates between the U.S. and Canada.  This year, the 30th anniversary since the first one took place in 1988, there’s an emphasis on ecosystem recovery across the international border. The biology and resources of the Salish Sea don’t abide by political borders, so those working to protect the ecosystem often look for ways to get past them too. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

National Clam Day 2018
March 31 is National Clam Day so here's a salute to our Washington state clams: manila clams, native littlenecks, butter clams, cockles, macoma clams, horse clams, Eastern soft-shell, varnish clams, geoduck clams and razor clams. Keep clam.

Killing of baby orca raises questions about whales’ social structure
By now, you may have heard about the male transient killer whale who attacked and killed a newborn orca while the baby was swimming next to its mother. Jared Towers, a researcher with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, witnessed the killing. He said he was both “horrified and fascinated” by the event, which he described as the first case of infanticide ever reported among killer whales. The incident took place in Canadian waters near the north end of Vancouver Island. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways) See also: 'Extremely rare' inshore sperm whale sighting caught on camera off Nanaimo  (CBC)

Saskatchewan issues threat of its own to B.C. as Trans Mountain pipeline battle escalates
Saskatchewan entered the trade war between Alberta and British Columbia, telling the coastal province Thursday it will consider limits on its out-of-province oil shipments if B.C. continues its efforts to delay the $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. “We are giving warning to say we will do what it takes to ensure that this Trans Mountain pipeline that was approved by the federal government is built,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in an interview. Saskatchewan likely won’t be shipping oil on the proposed pipeline between Alberta and B.C., but is hurt by the project’s delay because the discount to Canadian oil relative to U.S. crude is costing the Saskatchewan government $150 million per year, Moe said. The pipeline is expected to reduce that discount. Geoffrey Morgan reports. (Financial Post)

E.P.A. Prepares to Roll Back Rules Requiring Cars to Be Cleaner and More Efficient
The Trump administration is expected to launch an effort in coming days to weaken greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards for automobiles, handing a victory to car manufacturers and giving them ammunition to potentially roll back industry standards worldwide. The move — which undercuts one of President Barack Obama’s signature efforts to fight climate change — would also propel the Trump administration toward a courtroom clash with California, which has vowed to stick with the stricter rules even if Washington rolls back federal standards. That fight could end up creating one set of rules for cars sold in California and the 12 states that follow its lead, and weaker rules for the rest of the states, in effect splitting the nation into two markets. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to frame the initiative as eliminating a regulatory burden on automakers that will result in more affordable trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles for buyers, according to people familiar with the plan. Coral Davenport and Hiroko Tabuchi report. (NY Times)

Veterans urge Navy to stop jet training over Olympic National Park
Army veteran Chuck Nelson served in the military for 12 years, fighting in the first Gulf War and later in Somalia. Today he lives right on the eastern border of Olympic National Park. He moved there for the solitude…. But that peace and quiet, he said, are getting harder to find. That’s because of what he hears on his daily walks: the scream of Boeing EA 18G Growlers. They're Navy fighter jets similar to the F/A-18 Hornets flown by the Blue Angels during Seafair. Casey Martin reports. (KUOW)

Some Seattle-area recycling dumped in landfills as China’s restrictions kick in
Yellowing newspapers, junk mail and scrap paper, bundled together in blocks as big as a compact car, are stacked three and four high in nearly every available corner of the largest recycling facility in Seattle. Rows of these mixed-paper bales also sit out in the rain and wind, sodden and sagging like their value now that China, which was by far the largest and most important market for this commodity, has shut its doors. Republic Services, which processes recycling from Seattle, Bellevue and other cities in King County, has sought permission to send some of this unmarketable paper, fast becoming mush, to regional landfills. The company cites safety and health risks as the bales pile up in the Sodo facility designed to send out as much as it takes in — about 750 tons — each day. Benjamin Romano reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Fri Mar 30 2018  
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 9 seconds. A chance of rain.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing late. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft  subsiding late. W swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.
SAT  Light wind becoming W 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 3 ft or less.  W swell 4 to 5 ft at 8 seconds.
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 8 seconds.
SUN  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at  8 seconds, building to 5 ft at 11 seconds.

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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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