5/20 Duwamish love, BC oil pipe OK'd, beyond Break Free, Nisqually, Northern Lights

Allentown, from Once & Future River (Tom Reese)

Reclaiming the Duwamish River is about reclaiming ourselves
Through photographs and words, “Once & Future River: Reclaiming the Duwamish” explores the complicated relationship between Seattleites and their only river. Central to the indigenous settlement that preceded the city, the Duwamish also was critical to Seattle’s founding and growth, but it has paid a steep price. Straightened, filled with trash and toxins, and generally neglected by those who benefited from it the most, the river was declared a Superfund site in 2001. Co-author Tom Reese writes. (Seattle Times)

NEB approves Trans Mountain pipeline with 157 conditions
The federal government now has seven months to make a decision on the controversial Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, after the national regulator gave its support to the proposed project. The National Energy Board is recommending the multi-billion dollar pipeline be constructed if 157 conditions are met, including 49 environmental requirements. The NEB described the requirements as achievable for the company. Kinder Morgan must meet the conditions in order for the company to construct and operate the pipeline. Kyle Bakx reports. (CBC) See also: Not so fast: B.C. government clashes with NEB on Trans Mountain approval  Politicians and First Nations express concerns about spill response and environmental impact Richard Zussman reports. (CBC) And also: Canadian board backs pipeline expansion that would add tankers to Puget Sound  A Canadian energy board has recommended approval of a major pipeline- expansion project that would dramatically increase Puget Sound oil-tanker traffic. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Activists in Pacific Northwest Vow to Keep Fossil Fuel Industry on Notice
They call it a tipping point. It began with the "Shell No" mobilization last spring, when activists in Portland and Seattle thwarted the oil giant's Arctic drilling plans. Now, after days of successful mass actions with the Break Free From Fossil Fuels campaign, in which thousands of protesters on six continents took defiant action earlier this month to keep fossil fuels in the ground, from the coal fields of Germany to the oil wells in Nigeria, a cross-regional campaign that's taken root in the Pacific Northwest is vowing to continue the momentum. Martha Baskin reports. (Truthout)

Guided walks offer a deeper glimpse at Nisqually refuge
Covering more than 4,500 acres, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a remarkable place to explore. The varied habitats include the riparian forest along the Nisqually River and the salt marshes where the land intersects with Puget Sound. More than 300 species of wildlife and fish can be found at the refuge. To help visitors better understand the natural and cultural history of the area, the refuge offers interpretive walks each weekend. These walks are led by local experts and offer participants an in-depth look at different aspects of the refuge. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Why your camera sees the Northern Lights better than you do
On Mother's Day, the skies over the Puget Sound region danced to life with one of the most brilliant Northern Lights displays in several years. Social media pages were flooded with photos showing elaborate curtains of green and purple lights stretched across the nighttime skies. The show was so intense, the lights were visible to the naked eye-- a rarity in Western Washington as it takes a very strong storm for the lights to be intense enough to make it this far south and shine through the city lights. I was one who was out at 1:10 a.m. and saw the skies illuminate in gorgeous green hues. But the show I saw was nowhere near as bright or colorful as what cameras standing right next to me happened to capture. And in other past shows that haven't been as intense, the only way to see them has been in photographs; even the photographers couldn't really notice the lights unless they looked at their camera displays. Then we'd get gorgeous photos posted to Twitter or Facebook of the green glow and others who race out to see them would come back disappointed. Why is that? Scott Sistek explains. (KOMO)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 2016  
TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT  AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9  SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN  SE WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1  FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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