3/28 BC pipe, Trump climate, BC LNG, tribal sovereignty, Site C, Canuck the crow, canary rockfish, gopher, Hero

Giant red sea cucumber [National Geographic]

Giant Red Sea Cucumber
The giant red or California sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) is the largest member of the family Holothuroidea, and reaches 30 inches in length and is bright red as an adult. They use their sticky tentacles to feed on detritus and small organisms in sediments on the sea floor. Sea cucumbers have a unique way of defending themselves by shedding their internal organs to entangle and confuse predators. They are harvested for food, primarily for markets in Asia, from the wild and in farms on the Pacific coast of North America. The creature and the food product are commonly known as bêche-de-mer (literally "sea-spade") in French, trepang (or trīpang) in Indonesian, namako in Japanese, balatan in Tagalog and loli in Hawaiian. In Malay, it is known as the gamat. (NOAA, Wikipedia)

B.C. appeal court rules against Burnaby in bylaw battle with Trans Mountain 
A legal battle between the City of Burnaby and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has ended with the British Columbia Court of Appeal ruling the National Energy Board can override municipal bylaws. The fight began in 2014 when Trans Mountain was set to begin field studies on Burnaby Mountain, which required it to cut down trees, drill boreholes and operate heavy machinery — activities that violate the city’s bylaws. (Canadian Press)

Trump puts anti-global warming projects on chopping block
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday aimed at moving forward on his campaign pledge to unravel former President Barack Obama’s plan to curb global warming. The order will suspend, rescind or flag for review more than a half-dozen measures in an effort to boost domestic energy production in the form of fossil fuels. As part of the roll-back, Trump will initiate a review of the Clean Power Plan, which restricts greenhouse gas emissions at coal-fired power plants. The regulation, which was the former president’s signature effort to curb carbon emissions, has been the subject of long-running legal challenges by Republican-led states and those who profit from burning oil, coal and gas. Matthew Daly and Jill Colvin report. (Associated Press) See also: New Trump Executive Order -- pointless grovel to polluters, a poke at our planet  Joel Connelly writes. (SeattlePI.Com)

Vancouver Island First Nation gives nod to proposed LNG facility
A First Nation on Vancouver Island has approved a proposed liquefied natural gas export facility on its traditional territories. Members of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation voted 70 per cent in favour of the development planned by Steelhead LNG at Sarita Bay, near Port Alberni. The First Nation says in a news release that it is the first in British Columbia to approve the co-management of the development of a liquefied natural gas facility. (Canadian Press)

How First Nations got ahead of the curve on clean energy
Haida Gwaii's John Disney couldn't help but notice how much wood waste was left behind by local loggers. "We've got waste coming out of our ears up here," said Disney, the economic developer of Old Massett Village. "They do a lot of logging, and none of waste goes anywhere because it's too expensive to ship!" Generally, the bulk of wood waste is either burned or left to decompose in the bush. But Disney and his partners recently came up with a plan to make use of it — by feeding it into a gigantic boiler that will heat all of the town's community buildings, and drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the process. Renewable energy projects like Disney's are on the rise in Indigenous communities across the country. And when it comes making the away from fossil fuels, some industry experts say First Nations are ahead of the curve. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

Unpacking Government: What Is Tribal Sovereignty?
Protests over the last year that originated in North Dakota against the Dakota Access oil pipeline have once again highlighted the complex relationship among tribal governments and the United States. How exactly do these sovereign nations exist within the U.S.? And what does “sovereignty” even mean? Ariel Van Cleave reports. (KNKX)

Sierra Club predicts costs of Site C hydro dam will balloon further
A Sierra Club B.C. report released Monday argues that the Liberal provincial government is leaving taxpayers with a costly legacy of bad decisions, corporate subsidies, and failed LNG projects. The environmental group says that the $9-billion Site C dam — approved by the government without referring the issue of its need to the B.C. Utilities Commission — is already well beyond its 2010 budget of $6.6 billion. The cost is likely to balloon further, based on average cost overruns of 70 per cent at other hydroelectric projects around the world, even higher for larger projects, the group says. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Advocates back in court pursuing charges Mount Polley dam collapse  (Canadian Press)

Community rallies behind Canuck the crow after suspected head injury
It was a tough weekend for Vancouver's famous bird and his human friends after Canuck the crow reportedly suffered a head injury while at a rec soccer game in the city. The crow has quite a reputation in Vancouver for its socializing with humans and its antics, which are regularly chronicled on social media, including a dedicated Facebook page, that now has 40,000 followers. Now his fans have rallied around Canuck with well-wishes for his health and given financial contributions. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

NOAA Fisheries delists canary rockfish in Puget Sound based on new findings  
NOAA Fisheries last week removed Puget Sound canary rockfish from the federal list of threatened and endangered species after a recent collaborative study found those fish are not genetically distinct from other canary rockfish on the West Coast. Although many state rockfish populations have declined in abundance, the agency determined that the canary rockfish population in Puget Sound and the inland waters of British Columbia does not qualify for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), because it is not “discrete from” the species as a whole. (San Juan Islander)

Thurston County couple at wit’s end over pocket gophers delaying new home
One Thurston County resident is considering a hunger strike after the county commissioners failed to vote on approving a building permit for her would-be farm south of Tumwater due to concerns surrounding the Mazama pocket gopher. Deborah McLain and her husband have been trying to build a home on a half-acre of an 8-acre plot south of the Thurston County town for around a year, but have not been able to due to the lack of a county-issued permit. The county could have offered her relief had they voted to approve a permit, but McLain said the commissioners did not bring it to a vote at their Tuesday meeting. Aaron Kunkler reports. (Centralia Chronicle)

A Forgotten Hero's Shipwreck Imperils Washington's Oysters 
Driving up the coast toward Bay Center, Washington, it’s obvious when you start to approach Willapa Bay. Fifteen foot high piles of shucked empty oyster shells began to appear on the side of the road. This is an oyster town. But it's also home to a sinking piece of history. Scott McDougall, the director of the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency, points out what remains of the Hero, an Antarctic research vessel from the 1960s. Molly Solomon reports. (KUOW/EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  253 AM PDT TUE MAR 28 2017  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  
TODAY  S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING LATE. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4  FT...SUBSIDING LATE. W SWELL 11 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT  S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES  3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 16 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT  15 SECONDS. RAIN.

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