7/5 White raven, BC pipe, Native American candidates, whale strandings, salmon survival, green seniors, sunscreens

White raven [Mike Yip]

Rare white raven spotted on Vancouver Island
A mating pair of ravens that produces white offspring may be alive after all, after a rare white raven was spotted in the tiny community of Coombs on Vancouver Island on the weekend. It is the first such sighting in four years. A handful of white ravens were seen with regularity for years in the nearby town of Qualicum Beach and may have been the offspring of a single mating pair with a genetic anomaly. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Alberta First Nations leading charge on buy-in on Trans Mountain pipeline
First Nations from B.C. and Alberta are expected to meet later this month in Vancouver to discuss the possibility of purchasing a stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline, Postmedia News has learned. The meeting on July 25 at The Vancouver Convention Centre is to be hosted by the Fort McKay and Mikisew Cree First Nations, according to Fort McKay First Nation chief Jim Boucher. The two Alberta First Nations publicly stated an interest in an ownership stake in the project following the announcement in May the federal government was purchasing the existing Trans Mountain pipeline and its expansion project for $4.5 billion. Last year, Fort McKay and the Mikisew raised $545 million through a bond issue to acquire a 49 per cent stake in Suncor Energy’s oilsands storage facilities north of Fort McMurray. Gordon Hoekstra & Rob Shaw report. (Vancouver Sun)   


Protest by pipeline opponents dangling from Vancouver bridge ends
A public demonstration that involved seven people dangling from beneath the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Vancouver has ended. A group of 12 people climbed up onto the bridge to form what they called an "aerial blockade", beginning on Tuesday morning. Their goal was to prevent oil tanker traffic from getting in or out of the terminus of the Trans Mountain pipeline in Burnaby, B.C.  Of the dozen people, seven rappelled themselves below the span, suspended in mid-air above the Burrard Inlet while five others remained on the catwalk above them to provide various supports. The blockade, organized by Greenpeace Canada, was the latest in ongoing opposition efforts against the pipeline expansion project which is projected to lead to a seven-fold increase in oil tankers moving through the Burrard Inlet. (CBC)

Kinder Morgan to restart construction on Trans Mountain in August
Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd said in a filing on Tuesday it is restarting construction in August on the Trans Mountain pipeline’s expansion after halting work in the spring due to opposition from environmentalists and other groups as Canada prepares to buy the project in a bid to boost country’s oil exports. The expansion work will begin in Alberta in August and the North Thompson region of British Columbia in late September, according to a construction schedule for the next six months filed with the National Energy Board. Calgary-based Kinder Morgan Canada said additional construction was also planned in Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Slideshow (2 Images) Kinder Morgan had halted all non-essential work on the C$7.9 billion project in May, citing regulatory uncertainty and opposition from the province of British Columbia. (Reuters)

Record Number Of Native Americans Running For Office In Midterms
.... Even without big wins in the fall for these candidates, the sheer number matters says Mark Trahant. He's the editor of the news site Indian Country Today. He's been keeping track of Native American candidates for the last six years. "There really is a record year this year. It's extraordinary," Trahant says. "You see folks running for such a variety of offices." There are two Native American men in Congress now - both Republicans — and Trahant expects as many as ten Native Americans will be on the congressional ballot this fall. He says that's double the number in 2016. Leila Fadel & Talia Wiener report. (NPR) In WA state legislative races, see Tim Ballew II 42nd LD Senate  and Debra Lekanoff 40th LD House.


Whale strandings off Washington-Oregon coast highest in nearly 2 decades
Struck by a ship, entangled in crab pots, stillborn, emaciated: It’s been a tough three months for whales. Since April 3, whales — mostly grays, and humpbacks — have been entangled and/or stranded on the beach in Oregon and Washington in numbers not seen in nearly two decades, with 16 cases of large whale strandings so far, compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Protected Resources. That is the most strandings in Washington since 1999-2000, when there was a big spike in dead whales all along the West Coast. This season, as then, scientists have counted many emaciated calves among the dead in Washington. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Size means survival for young salmon
Getting bigger faster can help save juvenile Chinook salmon from a gauntlet of hungry predators ranging from birds and marine mammals to larger fish. We continue our series on the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project with a look at what helps salmon grow and prepare for life in the open ocean. Part 2 of a series. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)


As Americans Age, Their Support for Environmentalism Declines
ounger Americans tend to be more environmentally conscious than their parents and grandchildren. This has lead science educators such as Bill Nye to argue societal attitudes toward the topic will shift as older generations die off. Disturbing new research suggests that may be a false hope. It reports Americans grow less supportive of spending money to protect the natural environment as they age, no matter the year of their birth. "There is no inexorable march toward greater environmentalism as younger cohorts with greater environmental awareness replace older ones," warn Erik Johnson of Washington State University and Philip Schwadel of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Their study, in the journal Environment and Behavior, suggests organizations urging Earth-friendly behaviors may be targeting the wrong demographic. Tom Jacobs reports. (Pacific Standard)

Hawaii Governor Starts The Clock On Sunscreen Ban
David Ige signs a bill that prohibits the sale of sunscreen containing oxybenzone and octinoxate in the islands, beginning in 2021. Madison Lee Choi reports. (Honolulu Civil Beat) See also: Many Common Sunscreens May Harm Coral. Here's What To Use Instead  April Fulton reports. (NPR)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  214 AM PDT Thu Jul 5 2018   

TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft  at 15 seconds. 

TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft  at 15 seconds. A slight chance of showers after midnight.
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