6/20 Rabbit, BC pipe, BC fish habitat, Trump's climate rules, rising seas, Bob Simmons, Edmonds road, singing whale, ocean junk cars

European rabbit Oryctolagus cunuculus

San Juan Island Rabbit Tales
For several decades in the middle of the twentieth century, San Juan Island was virtually overrun with rabbits. A population of several thousand domestic rabbits released in 1934 from a failed breeding operation grew by 1971 to an estimated 1 million on the 55-square-mile island, part of the San Juan archipelago lying between mainland Washington and Vancouver Island.... Around 1979, a significant "die off," whose causes remain mysterious, greatly reduced the island's rabbit population. In 2012 the San Juan Historical Museum sponsored a presentation titled "Rabbit Tales: 1930s to the 1970s," which featured historical accounts of the rabbit phenomenon and stories from islanders who remembered the time when rabbits were ubiquitous. (Boyd C. Pratt, Shaun Hubbard, and Louisa Nishitani on HistoryLink)

First Nations ownership in Trans Mountain a PR problem for opponents
The re-approval of the Trans Mountain expansion throws open the door for pro-pipeline First Nations to gain an ownership stake in the project, which could pose a public relations dilemma for opponents. Ottawa will kick off a series of meetings with interested First Nations starting July 22 in Vancouver, with stops in Victoria, Kamloops and Edmonton. The government is prepared to discuss equity ownership, revenue sharing and royalty agreements with 129 First Nations, according to the department of finance. Interest from First Nations is considerable. The Indian Resource Council — which represents more than 130 First Nations with oil and gas resources on their territories — has already consulted with the federal government and led preliminary meetings with First Nations about making a bid for the pipeline. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: B.C. and Ottawa still sparring over 'gaps' in oil spill response plans  Randy Shore and Nick Eagland report. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. environmentalists applaud new bill increasing protection for fish habitat 
Environmentalists in British Columbia are applauding changes to the federal Fisheries Act that became law this week. The Senate in Ottawa passed Bill C-68 on Tuesday night, securing greater protection and conservation measures for fish and fish habitat.... The amendments reverse changes that were made to the act in 2012... According to Nikki Skuce, the director of the Northern Confluence Initiative, the bill gives more power to protect marine life. "The biggest change in 2012 was that the protection of fish habitat was basically taken out and, without protecting fish habitat, you have no fish," Skuce said. Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

E.P.A. Finalizes Its Plan to Replace Obama-Era Climate Rules
The Trump administration on Wednesday replaced former President Barack Obama’s effort to reduce planet-warming pollution from coal plants with a new rule that would allow plants to stay open longer and slow progress on cutting carbon emissions. While the Obama plan would have set national emissions limits and mandated the  reconstruction of power grids to move utilities away from coal, the new measure gives states broad authority to decide how far, if at all, to scale back emissions. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

With More Storms and Rising Seas, Which U.S. Cities Should Be Saved First?
As disaster costs keep rising nationwide, a troubling new debate has become urgent: If there’s not enough money to protect every coastal community from the effects of human-caused global warming, how should we decide which ones to save first? Christopher Flavelle reports. (NY Times)

Bob Simmons, stellar KING-TV pundit, RIP: A life to appreciate
...(Bob) Simmons, 88, died Saturday at home in Bellingham, on the 62nd anniversary of marriage to beloved wife Dee. Simmons was one of the cerebral but fearless pundits who defined KING-TV in the last years of ownership by its founding family, the Bullitts. In oral history, he belongs alongside Don McGaffin, Charley Royer and Bob Royer. "Bob was a chip off the KING block -- a free thinker, an advocate for long-form journalism, a stalwart liberal as the KING ship was going down," recalled David Brewster, founder of the Seattle Weekly and Crosscut, and once news editor at KING. Joel Connelly eulogizes. (SeattlePI)

Edmonds council nixes contentious roadway project to beach
Edmonds 'back to square one' after killing emergency connector. The city council voted 4-3 Tuesday evening to end the estimated $27.5 million project. Ian Davis-Leonard reports. (Everett Herald)

Scientists record singing by rare right whale for first time 
It’s not America’s Top 40, but it’s a cutting edge song. Federal marine biologists for the first time have recorded singing by one of the rarest whales on the planet, the North Pacific right whale. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers used moored acoustic recorders to capture repeated patterns of calls made by male North Pacific right whales. It’s the first time right whale songs in any population have been documented, said NOAA Fisheries marine biologist Jessica Crance on Wednesday from Seattle. Dan Joling reports. (Associated Press)

Sedan overboard! How the bottom of the Pacific got littered with junk cars
Miles off the Washington coast, the sea floor is alive with anemones, sponges and even deepwater corals. Rockfishes older than any human hover near crevices and caves. Also dotting the sea floor is something you wouldn’t expect in this remote and watery wilderness: crushed cars, with Canadian bumper stickers and license plates. How in the world did they get there? John Ryan reports. (KUOW)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Thu Jun 20 2019   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds. 
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 after midnight. W  swell 6 ft at 9 seconds.



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