5/30 Green-NDP coalition, BC pipe, Sound salmon, Lk Washington cleanup, dead minke, Hanford Reach

Northern lights over Victoria (Nic Annau/Times Colonist)

Stargazers catch rare glimpse of northern lights over Victoria
A few lucky astronomy enthusiasts caught a rare glimpse of the northern lights over Victoria on Saturday night. Nic Annau, an astrophysics student at the University of Victoria, took this photo of the northern lights at Phyllis Park near Cadboro Bay on Saturday night. Sarah Petrescu reports. (Times Colonist)

B.C. Green Party agrees to support NDP in the legislature 
The B.C. Green Party has agreed to support the NDP in the legislature, setting up the possibility of 16 years of Liberal rule coming to a dramatic end. NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver made the joint announcement Monday afternoon at the B.C. Legislature, saying they had reached a four-year agreement…. The deal gives the NDP the support of 44 MLAs — their 41 members plus the three Green MLAs — the minimum number required to have a majority of support in the 87-seat legislature. The Liberals have 43 seats. justin McElroy reports. (CBC) See also: Pipeline politics key to Weaver weaving historic deal with NDP  Vaughn Palmer reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hundreds rally in Burnaby to oppose Trans Mountain pipeline expansion 
Hundreds of people gathered outside of Kinder Morgan's Westridge Terminal in Burnaby at the conclusion of a 75-kilometre protest march Sunday. Those who participated in the Walk for the Salish Sea, from Victoria to the Vancouver area, are opposed to twinning the company's pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC) See also: Anti-pipeline activists chain themselves to fence outside Kinder Morgan facility  Tereza Verenca reports. (Burnaby Now)

'A bold statement': Trans Mountain pipeline pushes forward despite B.C.'s uncertain political future
B.C 's uncertain political future isn't slowing down Kinder Morgan's efforts to push forward the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion — but experts say the project will still have to navigate a political minefield. On Thursday, Kinder Morgan announced construction on the project will begin in the fall, as long as it secures the necessary funding through its initial public offering. The company is currently aiming to raise $1.75 billion, offering 102.9 million shares for $17 each. Michelle Ghoussoub reports. (CBC) See also: Trans Mountain IPO to proceed despite B.C. Green-NDP deal  (Canadian Press)

‘Bold actions’ to save Puget Sound salmon gain qualified support http://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/2017/05/bold-actions-to-save-puget-sound-salmon-gain-qualified-support/
Native American tribes in the Puget Sound region are calling for “bold actions” to reverse the decline of Puget Sound Chinook salmon, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Such actions would include:
— Protecting all remaining salmon habitat in and around Puget Sound with more consistent and enforceable land-use regulations;
— Preventing water uses that would limit salmon recovery;
— Improving management of predators, including the seals and sea lions that eat Chinook; and
— Increasing dramatically the current spending on salmon recovery — some 50- to 100-fold — with perhaps additional new funding sources to be added.
The ideas were presented to the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council on Thursday by tribal representative Dave Herrera, speaking for the Puget Sound Tribal Management Conference. “The way we are managing lands is not working,” Herrera said. “It may be working for people, but it is not working for fish.” Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

How Lake Washington got cleaned up at the expense of area tribes
If you find yourself at Lake Washington this summer, breathe deeply. Matthew Klingle, author of "Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle," says you wouldn't have wanted to do that 60 years ago, when the lake was chronically polluted with sewage. He told Ann Dornfeld from KUOW's Race and Equity Team how Lake Washington got cleaned up — at the expense of a river sacred to local tribes. Ann Dornfeld reports. (KUOW)

Dead minke whale washes ashore at Long Beach Peninsula
In a relatively rare sighting, a dead minke whale, with its diaphragm pushed outside of its mouth, washed ashore Sunday on Long Beach Peninsula, Pacific County, about a quarter mile north of Klipsan Beach Approach. Janet Tu reports. (Seattle Times)

Trump threatens Hanford Reach; locals are unenthused
When President Bill Clinton created the Hanford Reach National Monument in Eastern Washington in 2000, some local officials objected. They wanted at least some local control of the 194,000-acre swath of quasi desert. Now, President Donald Trump is talking about abolishing more than two dozen national monuments, including Hanford Reach. But the suggestion has evoked little apparent excitement and some concern about the protection of the state’s most pristine quasi-desert land. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT TUE MAY 30 2017  

TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT  AT 17 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING THEN A CHANCE OF  TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 1 TO 3 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 16  SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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