5/3 Virginia rail, culverts, Illabot Cr., green gains, BC pipe appeal, Kids on Beach, Poo & Pee, mystery mounds, 'salmon-safe' Shoreline

Virginia rail [Brian Small/Audubon]

Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
The Virginia Rail is a medium-sized bird of both fresh and salt water marshes. It has a long, slightly decurved bill and a short, upturned tail. Virginia Rails are found primarily in freshwater marshes and less often in brackish marshes. They prefer a mixture of emergent vegetation and flooded openings where insects are abundant.... In western Washington, breeding birds are found in lower-elevation fresh water marshes and some brackish marshes along the Puget Trough west to Ocean Shores. Virginia Rails are very secretive birds that are more likely to be heard than seen. They are most active and visible at dawn and dusk. (BirdWeb/Seattle Audubon)

State budget scrimps on replacing salmon-blocking culverts
Washington faces a federal court order to fix under-roadway pipes that block migrating fish by 2030, but a budget passed by lawmakers puts the state at risk of missing the deadline and could delay salmon recovery even as the Pacific Northwest’s endangered orcas are starving. The Legislature’s two-year transportation budget, approved last weekend, devotes $100 million to fixing culverts — large pipes that allow streams to flow under roadways, but can prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds. The $100 million is about one-third of what Gov. Jay Inslee requested, and far less than what many — including some lawmakers, state officials, conservationists and Native American tribes — agree is necessary. Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Illabot Creek project receives award
The Illabot Creek restoration project that was completed in September recently received an award from the state chapter of the American Public Works Association. The project restored the creek between Rockport and Marblemount to multiple winding channels where it had previously been straightened. The project, done in the area where the creek passes under Rockport Cascade Road, received the honor of 2019 Project of the Year for endeavors under $5 million, according to a Skagit County news release. The creek received federal designation in 2014 under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Environmentalists win historic gains in Legislature despite a few stumbles
Environmentalists scored big victories — of historic size, especially on climate-change — but also suffered a few significant setbacks at the Washington Legislature’s 2019 session. Big Oil sustained one significant loss but also pulled off a perhaps unlikely major win given the political winds. And the winners also include the insurance industry, which was able to head off extra fees on insurance policies to fund efforts to reduce the threat of wildfires. The greens’ political wins clearly outweighed the losses — especially on clean energy policies and most legislation proposed to protect dwindling salmon runs and save endangered Puget Sound orca whales. Brad Shannon reports. (Investigate West)

Supreme Court of Canada won't hear City of Burnaby's Trans Mountain pipeline appeal
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the City of Burnaby's appeal fighting the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. The city was appealing part of a decision from the Federal Court of Appeal, which halted work on the project last August. Construction was suspended after that court found First Nations were not adequately consulted before the project was approved in 2016, and that the National Energy Board (NEB) failed to consider the marine shipping impacts of such a project. The City of Burnaby supported the federal court's decision, but filed leave to appeal the ruling in October because it wanted additional requirements imposed on the NEB mandated by the court before the project would be allowed to move forward. (CBC)

Kids on the Beach program expands
Despite a chilly breeze Thursday, the beach at the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s Lone Tree Point was bustling with activity. La Conner Middle School students collected water samples, netted and identified marine creatures, sifted beach material and used microscopes to peer at forage fish eggs. They were on the beach as part of the Skagit Marine Resource Committee’s Kids on the Beach program, which is led by Mira Castle of the nonprofit SeaDoc Society and volunteers from various programs. Now in its second year, the program includes eighth graders from two school districts: La Conner and Conway. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Meet Poo and Pee. Metro Vancouver introduces mascots in campaign against improper flushing 
The regional government of Canada's third-largest metropolitan area has launched a video campaign introducing mascots Poo and Pee to drive home a message about improper flushing. The costumed mascots are part of Metro Vancouver's annual Unflushables campaign to remind people about items that should not be flushed because they can clog city sewers and your pipes. Problem items that can lead to trouble with municipal and residential pipes when flushed include dental floss, hair, paper towels, tampons and applicators, as well as condoms, according to the regional government. (CBC)

Mystery mounds along the freeway explained!
It’s hard to miss the mounds. The huge ones. They rise up from the floodplain east of I-5 between downtown Everett and Marysville. At least a couple of stories high, they’re about a quarter-mile apart and 150 feet wide. The two most obvious piles of dirt have puzzled more than a few passersby. With steep slopes that level off to a flat tabletop, they look a little like giant motocross jumps. Or perhaps part of a future freeway off-ramp to nowhere. They aren’t. We can debunk those theories. The Port of Everett, working with a private company, has been stockpiling the clean fill dirt for an upcoming habitat project in the Snohomish River estuary. It’s similar to restoration efforts the Tulalip Tribes, Snohomish County and the city of Everett have carried out to either side. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Shoreline is the first city in Washington state to become "salmon-safe" certified.
They're second in the nation to receive the certification, with Portland leading the way. But it didn't happen without its share of mistakes and lessons learned. Shoreline's new City Hall building was meant to be a beacon of environmental advocacy. It's energy efficient, produces solar power, and even has rain gardens to trap stormwater. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  245 AM PDT Fri May 3 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft  at 15 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 14 seconds. 
SAT  Light wind becoming W to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 13 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 13 seconds building to 7 ft at 9 seconds after midnight. 
SUN  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 9 seconds.

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