3/11 Chiton, orca virus, TMX, Hawaii climate suit, WA electric cars, toxic algae, Trump's flood zones

Mossy chiton [kathawk/iNaturalist]

Mossy chiton Moplia muscosa
The mossy texture of this chiton's girdle is formed by long, stiff hairs. The chiton ranges from Alaska to Baja California in tide pools and rocky areas. It moves only at night and when it is wet or submerged. In open intertidal areas, these chitons have non-overlapping "home ranges" that they return to after their nocturnal excursions. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

Virus related to measles could push Puget Sound orcas to extinction, study says
Researchers studying the killer whales that frequent Puget Sound are growing increasingly concerned that a dangerous virus or other disease-causing organism could spread through the population and hasten extinction of these critically endangered southern resident orcas. Without dramatic changes to their environment, extinction is already considered the likely future for the southern residents, as they continue to face shortages of food, high levels of chemical contamination and stress from the noise around them. Their numbers have declined from 98 animals in 1995 to 72 today. New research suggests that extinction could come sooner if the whales were to become infected with a novel pathogen, such as cetacean morbillivirus, which has killed thousands of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins on the U.S. East Coast but has not been seen in the Pacific Northwest. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Supreme Court rejects Trans Mountain legal challenges. So, what’s next?
Cases regarding the pipeline’s impacts on endangered killer whales and Indigenous rights won’t be heard, but opponents of the project say its future is far from certain. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

‘Fossil Fuel Companies Knew’: Honolulu Files Lawsuit Over Climate Impacts
Hawaii has officially joined the fight to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the climate crisis. On Monday the City of Honolulu filed a lawsuit against 10 oil and gas companies, seeking monetary damages to help pay for costs associated with climate impacts like sea level rise and flooding. The lawsuit, filed in Hawaii state court, is based on claims of nuisance, failure to warn, and trespass and alleges that the climate impacts facing the city stem from the oil companies' decades-long campaign to mislead policymakers and the public on the dangers of fossil fuels. Dana Drugmand reports. (DeSmog)

Electric cars get a boost in Olympia but broader climate-rescue legislation withers
Washingtonians in the market for a new car could find more electric-powered vehicles in dealer showrooms in the next two years, the result of a bill that has passed the Legislature.  It’s not the big win that electric car proponents had hoped for – they’d still like to require that all new cars sold in the state by 2030 be electric. That bill died. It’s one of several ambitious attempts in this year’s legislative session to counter climate change that may come up short as the legislative session grinds toward adjournment on Thursday. Katherine Long reports. (Investigate West)

March Algae Bloom In Washington's Battle Ground Lake Part of 'Extended Seasons'
Blue-green algae has bloomed at Battle Ground Lake in Clark County, months before the arrival of warm weather that typically fuels them. It’s unclear how quickly the bloom took shape or what conditions allowed it to grow, Clark County Public Health officials said Monday. The greenish bacteria, which can be toxic, often thrive in the warmer waters of late spring and summer. Troy Brynelson reports. (OPB)

Trump Administration Presses Cities to Evict Homeowners From Flood Zones
The federal government is giving local officials nationwide a painful choice: Agree to use eminent domain to force people out of flood-prone homes, or forfeit a shot at federal money they need to combat climate change. That choice, part of an effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect people from disasters, is facing officials from the Florida Keys to the New Jersey coast, including Miami, Charleston, S.C., and Selma, Ala. Local governments seeking federal money to help people leave flood zones must first commit to push out people who refuse to move. In one city in the heartland, the letters have already started going out. Christopher Flavelle reports. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  316 AM PDT Wed Mar 11 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  NW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 9 ft  at 10 seconds. A slight chance of rain this morning. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 20 to 25 kt becoming 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 9 ft at 11 seconds.



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