3/27 Polly Dyer, Alaska quake, Oso slide, BC GBH, BP Lk Michigan spill, Lelu Is. LNG

Polly Dyer (North Cascades Conservation Council)

You have to watch: Environmental hero Polly Dyer receives honorary doctorate
Pauline "Polly" Dyer, a tireless advocate for wilderness preservation, received Western's honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Western's winter Commencement ceremony on Saturday, March 22, 2014 in Carver Gymnasium.

How Alaska's quake changed the Northwest's outlook on disaster
Fifty years ago, on March 27, 1964, the Pacific plate scraped under the North American plate beneath Alaska's Prince William Sound, triggering the second-largest earthquake ever recorded. In Anchorage, the Turnagain Heights neighborhood slid into the salt water of Knik Arm. A great wave triggered by landslides destroyed the town of Valdez — after the ground on which the town stood had already liquified — and a tsunami triggered by the quake itself killed 122 people, streteching as far south as Crescent City, California. Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut) Also see: A day to remember 1964 earthquake, N. America’s largest  John Dodge reports. (Olympian)

Concern Over Landslide-Logging Connection Near Oso Is Decades Old
Saturday’s deadly slide was the latest in a long string of landslides to hit an area in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Despite the known hazards, the slopes above the slide area have been clearcut multiple times. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Property owners face double financial hit after Oso mudslide
People who own property in the landslide area near Oso probably didn't have insurance that protects against such a disaster — and, worse, they're still on the hook for their mortgages. Standard homeowner and business policies specifically exclude damage caused by earth movement such as a landslide. A property owner would need to buy a special policy just to protect against landslides. Jim Davis reports. (Everett Herald)

Great blue heron population takes a dive in B.C.'s Tri-Cities
The population of great blue herons appears to be declining in the Tri-Cities area of Metro Vancouver, and the South Coast Conservation Program wants to find out how many remain. Tamsin Baker, the conservation program's stewardship coordinator, is asking the public in and around Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam and Port Moody to record when and where they see herons engaging in nest-building behaviour. (CBC)

BP confirms oil spill into Lake Michigan from Whiting refinery
Less than a year after BP started up a new unit to process Canadian tar sands at its Whiting refinery, the company reported today [Tuesday] that a malfunction allowed a slug of crude oil into Lake Michigan a few miles away from the Chicago city limits. It remains unclear how much oil spilled into the lake or how long the discharge continued. Workers at the refinery reported an oil sheen on the water about 4:30 p.m. Monday, and an official from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the leak was plugged by the time he arrived at 9 p.m. Mike Beslow, the EPA’s emergency response coordinator, said there appeared to be no negative effects on Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for 7 million people in Chicago and the suburbs. The 68th Street water intake crib is about eight miles northwest of the spill site, but there were no signs of oil drifting in that direction. Michael Hawthorne reports. (Chicago Tribune)

Environmental agency seeks public comments on proposed LNG plant in B.C.
Lelu Island, near Port Edward is the site for proposed $11-billion Pacific Northwest LNG plant. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency announced Wednesday that a 30-day public comment period for the Pacific NorthWest LNG project will begin April 2 and end May 1. Kevin Drews reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAR 27 2014
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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