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| [PHOTO: Ted BoBosh/BirdNote] |
Autumn…and geese fly high overhead in V-formation. But what about that V-formation, angling outward through the sky? This phenomenon — a kind of synchronized, aerial tailgating — marks the flight of flocks of larger birds, like geese or pelicans. Most observers believe that each bird behind the leader is taking advantage of the lift of a corkscrew of air coming off the wingtips of the bird in front. This corkscrew updraft is called a tip vortex, and it enables the geese to save considerable energy during long flights. The V-formation may also enhance birds’ ability to see and hear each other, thus avoiding mid-air collisions. Small birds probably do not create enough of an updraft to help others in the flock and don’t fly in vees. (BirdNote)
Trudeau extends olive branch to Western Canada, vows to build Trans Mountain despite opposition
Two days after much of Western Canada rejected the Liberals on election day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today vowed to be more sensitive to the needs of Alberta and Saskatchewan and to build the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline in the face of entrenched opposition from environmentalists. Trudeau told a press conference in Ottawa this afternoon he clearly has to do more to earn the trust of people in the two resource-rich provinces. He said that work will start with ensuring more pipeline capacity is brought online so that oil producers can sell their product abroad at prices closer to the going world rate. While Trudeau campaigned on a promise of more aggressive action to fight climate change, he said nothing has changed with respect to the government-owned Trans Mountain project and insisted it will be built after years of legal wrangling. John Paul Tasker reports. (CBC) See also: Trans Mountain pipeline could fund $500 million a year in clean energy projects: Liberals The Liberal government expects to get $500 million a year out of the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline and is promising to spend it all on cleaner sources of energy and projects that pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Mia Rabson reports. (Canadian Press)
Feds ask public to weigh in on whale-watching regulations near endangered orcas
The federal government is asking the public to weigh in on current and potentially new regulations for whale watching near endangered southern resident orcas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has opened a so-called scoping period for 60 days to take public comment on whether existing federal regulations adequately protect killer whales from the impacts of vessels and noise in the inland waters of Washington state, and if not, what action the agency should take...NOAA’s existing rules have been eclipsed by more strict regulations imposed both by the state of Washington and interim rules in Canada that sunset after this season. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also is launching a process under the direction of the Legislature to enact further restrictions on whale watching. Lynda Makes reports. (Seattle Times)
B.C. hopes to build first LNG ship-refuelling facility on West Coast
The Port of Vancouver is expected to become home to the first LNG ship-refuelling facility on North America’s west coast. The B.C. government, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and FortisBC are studying options for the facility, hoping future cargo ships and cruise ships will be powered by natural gas instead of heavy bunker fuel or diesel. Officials with the province and the Port of Vancouver said the exact location of the proposed facility has not been decided. It would be a full-service jetty that would fill up smaller refuelling vessels, which would in turn fuel the oceangoing vessels. However, a good bet for location is the Fortis LNG plant on Delta’s Tilbury Island in the Fraser River, which already fuels five B.C. Ferries vessels and two Seaspan cargo ferries. A statement from the Premier’s office said Fortis is partnering with WesPac to develop a full-service jetty on Tilbury Island in the Fraser River. WesPac, meanwhile, lists among the major projects on its website a proposal, still in the pre-application phase, for a marine jetty right next to Fortis’s existing LNG production and storage facility on a brownfield site previously home to the Northwest Hardwood Mill. Harrison Mooney reports. (Vancouver Sun)
For readers in Tacoma and Olympia, a Saturday newspaper will soon be a thing of the past
Starting in late January, readers of The News Tribune of Tacoma and its sister publication, The Olympian, will have to do without paper editions on Saturday. On Wednesday, the McClatchy Company, which owns The News Tribune and The Olympian, announced it will cease their Saturday print editions on January 25. Instead, readers will get an expanded “weekend edition” on Friday that carries additional features such as comics and a regular paper on Sunday–but only digital news in between....The changes in Tacoma and Olympia mirror similar moves at 19 other McClatchy-owned papers, including the Tri-City Herald, which will start “digital Saturdays” in November, and the Bellingham Herald, which began in July. The company runs 30 newspapers across the nation. Paul Roberts reports. (Seattle Times)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 232 AM PDT Thu Oct 24 2019
TODAY E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT Light wind becoming S 10 to 20 kt after midnight. Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 1 to 3 ft after midnight. W swell 4 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the evening then a chance of rain after midnight.
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