4/1 Surfgrass, virus and pollution, green reg flex, wolverines, closed trailheads, Keystone XL, climate adaptation, Navy virus secret, visitors stay home, nightingale wings

Surfgrass [Mary Jo Adams]

Surfgrass Phyllospadix spp.
Belonging to the family Zosteraceae, three species of Phyllospadix can be found in low intertidal and subtidal zones on Pacific Northwest beaches. The easiest way to distinguish between surfgrass and eelgrass is to look at the habitat.  Surfgrass likes high energy areas where it is bonded to the rocks by tiny root hairs.  The roots and rhizomes may be covered by sand that has washed over it, but beneath that, their attachment will be to rock.  Eelgrass on the other hand prefer sheltered areas with soft substrate, mud or sand. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)


*EDITOR'S NOTE: Access updates on the COVID-19 virus at national and regional print publications like the CBC, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.


Coronavirus closures reduce Seattle-area air pollution, but not global warming
Seattle-area air quality is a bit better as the novel coronavirus shuts down economic activity and travel. Levels of nitrous oxide (NOX), a pollutant produced by tailpipe emissions and other sources, are being detected at generally lower values in local air-monitoring devices. And a satellite that detects emissions in the atmosphere linked to cars and trucks shows declines in pollution over the Seattle area in March 2020 compared with March 2019. But efforts to “flatten the curve” – the rate of spread of the coronavirus — have not even dented a different curve also of great importance to humanity around the world: The Keeling Curve. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

ECOLOGY NEWS (3/27): Regulatory flexibility guidance
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Washington Department of Ecology will continue to respond to spills, provide technical assistance, ensure permit coverage for regulated activities, and enforce the laws that protect the environment throughout the current crisis. However, we recognize the public health crisis and economic disruptions related to the COVID-19 outbreak may temporarily affect some of the regulated entities’ ability to comply with all state requirements. All applicable state requirements remain in effect, but Ecology will exercise reasonable discretion within our authority when deciding whether to pursue potential violations that may be linked to the current COVID-19 pandemic. For permitting, inspection and compliance questions and concerns, please visit our COVID-19 Regulatory Flexibility page.

US Relaxation of Environmental Rules in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Implications for Canada and Mexico
In a move that has implications for international arrangements with Canada regarding protection of the North American environment, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, citing the coronavirus pandemic as its justification, has announced that it will temporarily not seek penalties against companies that violate monitoring, reporting, and other obligations under US federal environmental laws. In a policy statement issued on March 26, 2020, the agency indicated that it will exercise “enforcement discretion…for noncompliance covered by this temporary policy and resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic” if the regulated community takes the steps set out in the policy. (Written by Joseph Castrilli, Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association)

Lawsuit filed to protect wolverines
The fight continues to protect an elusive animal found in the North Cascades and other mountain regions of the western United States as several nonprofits have filed a lawsuit against the federal agencies responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit, filed March 18 in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana, asks that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Secretary of the Department of the Interior David Bernhardt issue a final decision on whether to list the wolverine as threatened or endangered. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

National Forest trailheads close after ‘stay-at-home’ prompts rush to the outdoors
Citing summer-peak crowds and an increase in injuries, the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States Forest Service limits access to recreation sites. Mandy Godwin reports. (Crosscut)

Builder Of Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline Says It's Moving Forward
After a decade of protests and political reversals in the U.S., the Canadian company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline says it has made a final decision to build the long-delayed project. Once completed, it would deliver more than 830,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands, or “tar sands,” region to the United States. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR) 

Covering Your Climate: Pacific Northwest Rides Adaptation Wave
In the fourth and final installment of our special report “Covering Your Climate: The Emerald Corridor,” InvestigateWest and the Society of Environmental Journalists’ SEJournal are jointly examining how business, government, tribes and academia in the Pacific Northwest are changing how we live to accommodate the inevitable impacts from the changing climate. Christy George reports. (Society of Environmental Journalists)

Navy barred by Pentagon from disclosing coronavirus cases while carrier outbreak continues
Kitsap's military installations, including the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, have been barred from disclosing cases of novel coronavirus within their ranks and workforces, even as dozens of new cases spread aboard a deployed aircraft carrier in the Pacific. The Department of Defense's decision on Monday to shield numbers at individual Navy bases and commands is to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, the Pentagon said. Josh Farley reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Coastal Community Lockdowns
To protect their communities from the spread of COVID-19 and to preserve precious medical resources, some British Columbia communities are asking visitors to stay home. Ian Gill reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Climate change: Warming clips the nightingale's wings
Rising temperatures may be having a profound physical impact on one of the world's favourite songbirds. Researchers in Spain found that over a 20-year period, nightingales had evolved smaller wingspans. The scientists say this is linked to a changing climate in the region which has seen the early onset of spring and increased drought. They are concerned that this could affect the bird's ability to migrate in winter. Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  238 AM PDT Wed Apr 1 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.




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