11/30 Incrusting sponge, king tide, Elwha beach, Tahlequah witness, Woodfibre LNG, Hawaii carbon tax, Hatch Act, NZ whales

Incrusting sponge [Race Rocks Taxonomy]

Incrusting sponge Myxilla incrustans
This sponge can be found on rocky subtidal areas at Race Rocks  It commonly grows over the surface of swimming scallop shells. It is believed to form a mutualistic association with the swimming scallop, obtaining a moveable substrate while preventing predation of the scallop. Apparently the smell of the sponge deters the sea stars which may be intending to prey on the scallop. It is an extremely variable widely distributed species ranging from intertidal to 2540 m. (The Race Rocks Taxonomy)

King tide floods part of Vancouver's seawall, offering glimpse into city's future
Parts of Vancouver's seawall were submerged Thursday morning after a king tide lifted water levels in False Creek to 50 centimetres above normal. Angela Danyluk, a city sustainability specialist, trudged through the water wearing gum boots. She suspects designs for parts of the seawall weren't made with king tides in mind. "It looks like this was probably designed for the high tide from maybe the 70s or the 80s," she told CBC News while passersby snapped photos of the rare flooding. For researchers like Danyluk, the king tide is both spectacle and warning: the high waters will likely be the norm in decades to come, thanks to sea level rises.  Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

Beach restoration: Limited access provided for area east of the Elwha River mouth
A soft opening of the Beach Lake Conservation Area east of the Elwha River mouth is planned Saturday. Coastal Watershed Institute (CWI) officials will begin with a short presentation at 1 p.m. followed by an informal opening of the property for public use. The address is 2646 Lower Elwha Road. A short walk is required to access the beach from Lower Elwha Road. Guests are encouraged to carpool as parking is limited. Dogs and other pets are not allowed. CWI, which works to protect and restore ecosystems through scientific research and partnerships, secured state and federal funds for the conservation and restoration of the 26-acre Beach Lake parcel east of the Elwha River.  Rob Ollikainen

Mother orca who carried her dead calf at center of hearings over Trans Mountain pipeline
Orca mother Tahlequah carried her dead calf for 17 days in July, but her loss is living on among First Nations and Washington tribes that have presented her as a living witness. The whale and the loss of her calf were at the center of prayers, songs and testimony before Canada’s National Energy Board in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, as it continued hearings underway for three weeks as part of its reconsideration of a massive expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Suquamish, Swinomish, Lummi and Tulalip Nations traveled to Victoria to offer testimony to the board against the pipeline, and share cultural teachings about the importance of the orca, salmon and the tribes’ treaty-reserved fishing rights. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Squamish Nation reaches $1.1 billion Woodfibre LNG benefit agreement
It wasn’t an easy decision for the Squamish First Nation to approve the $1.6 billion Woodfibre LNG proposal, according to a spokesman, but it came with potential benefits amounting to $1.1 billion in land and cash. The Squamish First Nation council approved three economic benefit agreements last week — one each with Woodfibre, FortisBC and the province, but “contingent on the environmental conditions being met, according to a news release issued Thursday. Qualified with the term “if the project is built,” it talks about 40-year deals that include cash payments totalling $225.65 million, 1,600 short-term and 330 long-term jobs, business opportunities and land transfers of 422 hectares. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hawaii Climate Commission Pushes For State Carbon Tax
The group of state and county officials said it’s the most effective method to reduce emissions from cars, trucks and buses. Nathan Eagle reports. (Civil Beat)

Federal Employees Are Warned Not to Discuss Trump ‘Resistance’ at Work
At workplaces across the United States, it is routine for Americans’ conversations to turn to President Trump — whether his policies are good, whether he should be impeached, what to think about the “resistance.” Some drink from MAGA mugs; others tape cartoons to their cubicle walls portraying Mr. Trump as a Russian quisling. But roughly two million people who work for the federal government have now been told that it may be illegal for them to participate in such discussions at work — a pronouncement that legal specialists say breaks new ground, and that some criticized as going too far. Generally, federal employees have been free to express opinions about policies and legislative activity at work as long as they do not advocate voting for or against particular candidates in partisan elections. But in a guidance document distributed on Wednesday, the independent agency that enforces the Hatch Act, a law that bars federal employees from taking part in partisan political campaigns at work or in an official capacity, warned that making or displaying statements at work about impeaching or resisting Mr. Trump is likely to amount to illegal political activity. Charles Savage reports. (NY Times)

Whales stranded in New Zealand: Another 50 pilot whales die
Fifty-one pilot whales have died after becoming stranded on a beach on the Chatham Islands off New Zealand. The mass stranding means more than 200 whales have died in separate incidents over the past week in the region. New Zealand's Department of Conservation says between 80 and 90 whales were found to have become stranded in Hanson Bay on Thursday. Several dozen managed to refloat themselves but 50 were found dead and one had to be put down. (BBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  234 AM PST Fri Nov 30 2018   
TODAY  S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 12 seconds. Showers likely in the morning then showers in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  6 ft at 12 seconds. A chance of showers. 
SAT  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Wind waves  2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of  showers in the morning. 
SAT NIGHT  Light wind becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 12 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 11 seconds.

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