4/3 Virus stories, EPA enforcement, canoe journey cancelled, Site C dam deal, Oly oysters, Fiero Marine Lab

[PHOTO: Pacific Northwest Seasons]

Social Distancing and (Sometimes) Sleepless in Seattle
Jill at Pacific Northwest Seasons writes: "How are you faring in this strange new reality? I'm doing okay. Sometimes sleep doesn't come easily, and other nights I can hardly keep my eyes open by early evening and sleep deep and long..." (read more)


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

EPA Enforcement Dropping Sharply, Agency Watchdog Says
The EPA’s enforcement and compliance monitoring activities have tailed off sharply over the last decade, the agency’s internal watchdog said in a new report. The findings are broadly consistent with patterns reported elsewhere, including by the Environmental Protection Agency itself in February. In fiscal 2018, the EPA conducted 33% fewer inspections than in fiscal 2007, according to the Office of Inspector General in a report dated March 31 but made public Wednesday. The number of enforcement actions initiated by the EPA fell by 52% over the same period, and the number of actions completed dropped by 51%, the OIG said. Stephan Lee reports. (Bloomberg)

Annual Canoe Journey postponed because of COVID-19
The Intertribal Canoe Journey, the annual late-summer gathering of Northwest Native canoe cultures, is postponed until further notice because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canoes from the region’s down-sound Tribal Nations were expected to visit Swinomish and Samish’s shores in July en route to Nanaimo, B.C., the territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. This would have been the 28th annual Canoe Journey, which ends each year at a different Tribal Nation or First Nation for a week-long cultural celebration. Richard Walker reports. (Anacortes American)

Life in the time of COVID-19: community voices
Salish Current readers and writers share their stories about how the COVID-19 virus is affecting them in this time of the evolving “new normal” — virtual coffees and happy hours, worries about the vitality of the arts and cultural sphere, rapidly changing rules, and more. Read more.

‘I don’t see why anything should be secret’: First Nation rejected $28 million in Site C dam deal, court docs reveal
Documents disclosed in a treaty infringement case offer a rare glimpse into the payments BC Hydro offered to First Nations as it sought support for the dam, the most expensive public megaproject in B.C.’s history. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Mossback’s Northwest: The tiny oyster that made Washington
The Pacific Coast’s only indigenous oyster, the Olympia, was eaten into near-extinction. It could be making a comeback. Knute Berger & Stephen Hegg report. (Crosscut)

Feiro Marine Life Center takes the classroom to the students
If you can’t bring students to a classroom, you figure out how to take the classroom to students. Educators at the Feiro Marine Life Center are coming up with a home delivery model for its outreach and enrichment programs, particularly its signature Peabody Creek watershed project that teaches fourth-grade students from Port Townsend to Joyce about the effects of urban living on waterways. Keith Thorpe reports. (Peninsula Daily News)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PDT Fri Apr 3 2020   
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. 
SAT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft  at 11 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  N wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at  10 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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