5/27 Geoduck ban, San Juan Monument, Southlands OK'd, fish consumption, invasives

Spring harvest (Laurie MacBride)

Of Rhubarb and Time Travel
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Marcel Proust found his time machine in that little sponge cake called a Madeleine. For me, time travel comes from a nibble of fresh, uncooked rhubarb. Steamed rhubarb is nice, especially with yogurt, and I adore rhubarb crumble. But neither holds the power of rhubarb eaten raw: one tiny bite, and I’m instantly transported to the back porch of our old house on Musgrave Avenue. There I sit, a stick of fresh rhubarb in one hand, and in the other, a small cup of white sugar for dipping the rhubarb. Ah, bliss!..."

China To Lift Ban On West Coast Shellfish
China will lift its ban on imports of geoduck clams and other shellfish from the West Coast, according to a statement from Washington Congressman Derek Kilmer... Chinese officials sent a letter Friday to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration advising the federal agency the ban would be lifted. The letter stated Chinese officials were satisfied with NOAA’s proposed plans for new monitoring and testing requirements for paralytic shellfish poisoning and inorganic arsenic, which would meet China’s food safety requirements. Tony Schick reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Puget Sound in the Spring...
Laura James shares her underwater sights and sounds. Enjoy.

The Bureau of Land Management is hosting a series of gatherings this week to discuss the management of the San Juan Islands National Monument. Lopez - Tuesday, May 27, 6-9pm at Lopez Center; San Juan - Wednesday, May 28, 6-9pm at the Grange; and Orcas - Thursday, May 29, 6-9pm at Eastsound Firehall. The meetings will be hosted by local BLM staff along with District Manager Daniel Picard, District Planner Chris Carlton and Planning Assistant Anjolene Price. Read the Draft Interim Management Policy and make your views known.

Tsawwassen farmland development plan gets okay in Metro Vancouver vote
Metro Vancouver has approved a controversial development on a piece of Tsawwassen farmland, despite reservations from some directors that the move could set a dangerous precedent and lead to similar deals by land speculators in other parts of the region. Directors voted 93-31 Friday to amend the regional growth strategy to allow Delta to change the agricultural land-use designation to urban and conservation to allow construction of 950 homes and community gardens on the site known as Southlands. The move, which required a two-thirds majority vote, ends a decades-old battle over the Southlands site, which is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve but is considered to be largely unproductive farmland. Under the deal, 80 per cent of the land would be handed over to Delta for public ownership along with a $9 million contribution from Century Holdings' Sean Hodgins for improved drainage. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State’s appetite for fish stirs battle over industry, environment
A bitter fight over how much fish people eat — and thus how clean Washington waters should be — has pitted tribes, commercial fishermen and environmental groups against Boeing, business groups and municipalities. The state Department of Ecology appears ready to boost the current fish-consumption rate, an obscure number that has huge ramifications for the state because it drives water-quality standards. A higher number means that fewer toxic pollutants would be allowed in waters. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Can US eliminate invasive species by eating them?
It seems like a simple proposition: American lakes, rivers and offshore waters are filling up with destructive fish and crustaceans originally from other parts of the world, many of them potential sources of food. So why not control these invasive populations by getting people to eat them? Ramit Plushnick-Masti reports. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 243 AM PDT TUE MAY 27 2014
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS... THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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