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| Killdeer [All About Birds] |
Look for Killdeer on open ground with low vegetation (or no vegetation at all), including lawns, golf courses, driveways, parking lots, and gravel-covered roofs, as well as pastures, fields, sandbars and mudflats. This species is one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. Killdeer spend their time walking along the ground or running ahead a few steps, stopping to look around, and running on again. When disturbed they break into flight and circle overhead, calling repeatedly. Their flight is rapid, with stiff, intermittent wingbeats. (All About Birds)
Oil prices take biggest plunge in decades amid coronavirus uncertainty, price-war fear
Oil prices dramatically dropped as markets opened in Asia on Monday, down more than 25 per cent after a 10 per cent drop on Friday. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $9 US to $32 and international benchmark Brent fell $11 to $34...Martin Pelletier, a portfolio manager with Trivest Wealth Council in Calgary, said this is a "nuclear-sized event" for an already-hurting Alberta, and if not contained, the economic malaise could spread to the rest of the country. "This could be the knock-out punch for Alberta, unfortunately," Pelletier said, adding that some companies might not survive the hit. Sarah Rieger reports. (Canadian Press) See also: Stock futures sink deep into red as oil prices plummet and coronavirus fears spread Will Englund reports. (Washington Post)
Downtown Bellingham waterfront site sprouts new signs of life
After almost 20 years of frustration and stagnation, the first tender shoots of redevelopment have appeared amid the post-industrial desolation that Georgia-Pacific Corp. left behind on Bellingham’s downtown waterfront. John Stark reports. Melissa Marteny photos. (Salish Current)
Environmental cleanup beginning at waterfront mill property
Crews are about to kick off the cleanup of a prime-but-polluted piece of shoreline real estate. By March 15, contractors of Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark will be at work on the roughly 60-acre waterfront site that once housed a paper and pulp mill, Port of Everett officials said last week. The port, which took ownership of the site on Nov. 1, plans to build a cargo terminal there. But first, crews must decommission shoreline pipes, remove an estimated 12,000 tons of contaminated soil, and haul away 180,000 to 200,000 tons of crushed material left over from the mill’s demolition after it closed in 2012. Rachel Riley reports. (Everett Herald)
Harvest managers setting this year’s salmon seasons struggle to find ways to help orcas
As state, tribal and federal salmon managers work together to establish this year’s fishing seasons, they have not forgotten about the needs of Puget Sound’s endangered killer whales. In fact, new documents related to the southern resident orcas describe an investigation looking to find ways to reduce fisheries at certain times and locations that might get the whales more food. And yet it appears that nobody has figured out a way to help the whales by reducing salmon fishing. Annual negotiations to establish seasons and quotas for commercial, tribal and sport fishing are now underway in what is called North of Falcon process, so named because it involves fisheries north of Cape Falcon in Oregon. Chris Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)
Poll suggests public supports Coastal GasLink project, has lost patience with blockades
British Columbians mostly support construction of the $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline and do not believe roadblocks, rail blockades and other disruptions are acceptable ways to show opposition to it, according to a poll. The online poll by Leger, conducted for Postmedia, suggests that 57 per cent of British Columbians strongly or somewhat support construction of the 670 km natural gas pipeline between Dawson Creek and LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas plant at Kitimat. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)
27 train cars derailed, petroleum coke spilled in creek east of Prince George, CN says
A freight-train derailment on Thursday near Prince George, B.C., that sparked the evacuation of an elementary school was larger than Canadian National Railway first reported. On Friday, the rail company said 27 cars went off the tracks, not 20, as first reported. On Thursday, CN said there were no leaks or spills. But Friday morning, CN said a "small amount" of petroleum coke spilled into a nearby creek. The creek is part of the Fraser River watershed. Petroleum coke is a "non-hazardous byproduct" of the refining process, the company says. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)
Canada has enough pipelines to circle the globe several times. Can they ever be incident-free?
Energy companies should invest more of their profits in safety inspections and replacing aging infrastructure, says the former chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Jim Hall spoke to CBC after the Transportation Safety Board of Canada revealed that a pipeline explosion near Prince George, B.C., in 2018 was the result of undetected stress cracks on an aging section of pipeline owned by Enbridge. Andrew Kurjata and Betsy Trumpener report. (CBC)
Warming ocean conditions fuel viruses among species in the Salish Sea
As officials struggle to track and contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, ecologists say widespread impacts from viruses and other pathogens are also a growing threat to the species of the Salish Sea ecosystem. Jeff Rice reports. (Puget Sound Institute)
In rural Washington, coronavirus outbreak takes a big bite out of pulp and shellfish exports to China
The Cosmo Specialty Fibers mill runs 24 hours a day to turn Olympic Peninsula wood chips and logs into pulp for rayon fiber manufacturers. For seven weeks, this output has been piling up in warehouses due to an epic market implosion in China, where major customers have been largely unable to operate amid efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. This is a big financial setback for one of the largest employers in Grays Harbor County. Mill owners have pared back spending, and hope to avoid layoffs in a nearly 200-person workforce. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)
UBC quietly appeals conviction for dumping fish-killing ammonia in Fraser River tributary
The University of British Columbia, which takes pride in promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability, is appealing a conviction for dumping fish-killing ammonia into a tributary of the Fraser River and, if the conviction is upheld, UBC will also appeal the $1.2 million fine that was designated for habitat restoration, arguing for a much-reduced fine. Judith Lavoie reports. (The Narwhal)
Metro Vancouver butterfly rangers set to plant and protect
The David Suzuki Foundation would like you to plan for the little pollinators when you plant your gardens this spring. They're encouraging people to use plants such as asters and red columbine in order to aid butterflies and bees gather pollen. Winnie Hwo says their annual butterfly ranger campaign helps spread this message and enlists citizens of the Lower Mainland to take pictures of species they see and send them in for counting. Theresa Lalonde reports. (CBC)
Commentary: In the age of coronavirus, our nation needs a responsible leader who trusts scientists
Michael Riordan writes: "As the numbers of local coronavirus cases and deaths grow inexorably, Seattle-area citizens are paying the awful price of President Donald Trump’s disdain for science. Our sprawling metropolitan area has become the U.S. epicenter of this new disease, which could have been better contained had his administration not turned its back on prudent prevention and control efforts...." (Seattle Times)
Commentary: Coronavirus exposes urgent need to fix gaps in Washington state’s safety net
Washington Sen. Patty Murray stood in a hearing room at the nation’s Capitol on Tuesday and hit the bullseye. Speaking of the coronavirus that made its first US landfall in her home state, Murray said, “Situations like this remind us we are all a community in a very real sense, and we all have a stake in one another’s wellbeing.” Indeed, we do. When it comes to eradicating human pathogens, from measles to smallpox, intervention and prevention are most effective when applied to all people, including those at society’s margins. (News Tribune of Tacoma)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 239 AM PDT Mon Mar 9 2020
TODAY SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 4 ft at 14 seconds.
TONIGHT S wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft. W swell 5 ft at 12 seconds.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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