7/24 Stonefly, Cowichan R., 'Zero-Hour," carbon tax, gutting ESA, Skagit derailment, Site C, canoe journey

Stonefly nymph [WikiMedia/Friedrich Bohringer]

Stoneflies order Plecoptera
Stonefly, freshwater aquatic insect, the larvae of which occur on rocks in streams. Stonefly larvae live in cold, gravelly or mucky stream bottoms and are a key food for trout and other fish. Approximately 1600 species of stoneflies are found throughout the world, and more than 450 species occur in North America....Adults of most stonefly species live from a few hours to several days and do not feed. After mating, females commonly drop their eggs during flight over water. Females of some species can deposit over 1000 eggs. The eggs of most stonefly species have a sticky coating or anchorlike projections that help keep the egg in its original position until the larvae, called nymphs, hatch. (About Everything)

Sunscreen a new suspect in slow dying of Cowichan River
On soft, early summer mornings, Joe Saysell would get himself a cup of tea, settle back in his deck chair outside the small house he built for his wife, Gail, and enjoy nature’s free light show. Shafts of sunlight, lancing through the numinous green beneath old growth cedars, Douglas fir and broad leaf maples arching over the Cowichan River, would glimmer on the wings of countless mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies. Each consecutive hatch of insects would struggle through the surface film on B.C.’s blue-ribbon heritage stream, flutter skyward, then drift upstream in gossamer clouds carried on the river of air that always runs counter to the current sweeping down through Willow Run about 50 kilometres upstream from the Island’s east coast. “Whenever there’s a hatch, it’s magic,” muses Saysell, a long-retired logger and fishing guide. “It’s like shimmering snow flurries. You watch the flies whirling above the river and up into the tree branches looking for mates.” But these mornings, he doesn’t watch. There’s no point. The insects have all but vanished. Hatches that once began in mid-April and continued into July, he says, are now finished in a scant two weeks. Stephen Hume reports. (Vancouver Sun)

The Teen-Agers Fighting for Climate Justice
On Saturday, hundreds of teen-agers—loud, pensive, stubbornly determined—marched through Manhattan. They represented a movement that other teen-agers had started, last year, called Zero Hour. They were gravely concerned about politicians doing almost nothing for climate justice, and they had created a list of demands—including, most importantly, achieving negative carbon emissions by 2030. All across the country, other kids were marching, too, with the biggest group in a rainy Washington, D.C., where the movement’s founders led the way down the National Mall, around the Capitol, before ending with a rally in Lincoln Park. In New York, the route wound through midtown, from Columbus Circle to the United Nations headquarters, below some of the luxury skyscrapers that account for only two per cent of New York’s nearly one million buildings but a full half of the city’s emissions. Carolyn Kormann reports. (The New Yorker) See also: Teens, Tweens And Their Supporters Gearing Up For 'The Zero Hour' Youth Climate March  Youth activists concerned about climate change are gearing up for protest marches worldwide this weekend. On Saturday, for the second year running, they’ll take part in an event called The Zero Hour that was conceived by a young woman from Seattle. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

B.C.'s carbon tax a real-life rebuttal to carbon pricing's political opponents, some experts say
.... This week, Saskatchewan and Ontario officially joined forces against the federal government's proposal for a national carbon pricing policy. Saskatchewan has been at the forefront of the anti-carbon pricing movement. Its premier, Scott Moe, called the carbon tax policy "flawed."...He found an ally in newly-elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has promised to get rid of Ontario's cap and trade carbon pricing system. Ford, speaking to reporters on July 13, called the carbon tax, "the worst tax that any government could put on businesses." But this political commentary is contrary to what many experts say — especially when it comes to B.C. Ten years ago, the province became the first jurisdiction in North America to implement a carbon tax. Since then, B.C.'s tax has attracted significant international media attention and academic scrutiny. The Economist noted B.C.'s economy had "kept pace with the rest of the country" since the introduction of the tax.  In 2016, The New York Times declared the tax "worked as advertised." Research by University of British Columbia professors Werner Antweiler and Sumeet Gulati also found the carbon tax policy to be beneficial. Roshini Nair reports. (CBC)


Lawmakers, Lobbyists and the Administration Join Forces to Overhaul the Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act, which for 45 years has safeguarded fragile wildlife while blocking ranching, logging and oil drilling on protected habitats, is coming under attack from lawmakers, the White House and industry on a scale not seen in decades, driven partly by fears that the Republicans will lose ground in November’s midterm elections. In the past two weeks, more than two dozen pieces of legislation, policy initiatives and amendments designed to weaken the law have been either introduced or voted on in Congress or proposed by the Trump administration. Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman report. (NY Times)

Roads reopen after train derailment 
Two roads that were blocked by a train derailment Sunday evening in Burlington have reopened. The six-car derailment caused Greenleaf Avenue and South Cherry Street to be closed on Sunday evening, said BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas. The cars, which Melonas said were wood chip and lumber cars, derailed at a low speed near the Burlington train yard. The tipped cars were pushed from the railway overnight, and the roads were reopened at 2 a.m., Melonas said. The cars will be removed and transported for assessment and repair, he said. The investigation into what caused the derailment is ongoing. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. Supreme Court to decide whether to stop Site C dam work
A B.C. Supreme Court judge will hear arguments this week on an application to stop work on the Site C dam ahead of a trial to determine if the multi-billion dollar project violates First Nations treaty rights. The West Moberly First Nations are applying for an interim injunction that would either halt work altogether or suspend construction in so-called "critical areas" for the 18 months expected to hold an expedited trial. The hearing should be groundbreaking on several fronts — not least of all because a judge is allowing parts of the proceedings to be streamed online so members of the northeastern B.C. First Nation can participate. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC) See also: Vaughn Palmer: Stakes couldn't be higher in Site C injunction case  (Vancouver Sun)

Tribal elders see dreams coming true in canoe journey as pullers reach Port Townsend
The Tribal Canoe Journey means a lot to Howeeshata. “My grandmother envisioned this in the 70s and it was the grandkids that really carried out her dreams,” he said as canoes from several area tribes arrived at Fort Worden on Monday afternoon as part of the Power Paddle to Puyallup. Howeeshata, 64, has been the hereditary chief of the Quileute Tribe since 1957. His friend, Tom Jackson, 71, is from the Hoh Tribe.Jeannie McMacken reports. (Peninsula Daily News) See also: Indigenous cultural exchange underway  Two members of an indigenous group from northern Russia are being immersed in the tribal culture of the Samish Indian Nation. Yulia Taleeva and Petr Ledkov, who are members of the Nenets indigenous group, on Monday joined a portion of the annual Canoe Journey during which coastal tribes from Washington and First Nations from British Columbia paddle from their traditional lands to a hosting tribe’s lands, according to the event website. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  140 AM PDT Tue Jul 24 2018   

TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. Patchy fog in  the morning. 

TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.

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