4/8 Song sparrow, WA special session, TMX, oil collapse, Site C dam, seafood industry woes

Song sparrow [Joseph V. Higbee]

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
A rich, russet-and-gray bird with bold streaks down its white chest, the Song Sparrow is one of the most familiar North American sparrows. Don’t let the bewildering variety of regional differences this bird shows across North America deter you: it’s one of the first species you should suspect if you see a streaky sparrow in an open, shrubby, or wet area. If it perches on a low shrub, leans back, and sings a stuttering, clattering song, so much the better. (All About Birds)


*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.



Inslee: Special session likely because of virus outbreak
The state Legislature may be called back for a special session because of the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday. The Legislature isn’t scheduled to return until next January, but Inslee said it was probable legislators may need to return, “given the extent of the economic damage that we have suffered.” He said the timing of that is uncertain, but he said he was ready to call the Legislature back early if more aggressive steps for spending were needed before the end of the year. (Associated Press)

Coldwater band applies to Supreme Court of Canada over Trans Mountain expansion
A B.C. First Nation is applying to argue its case at the Supreme Court of Canada for the protection of its drinking water in relation to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion...Coldwater, a band within the Nlaka'pamux Nation whose reserve is located about 100 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, B.C., has concerns about the approved route of the Trans Mountain expansion and the risks of moving diluted bitumen through a pipeline so close to its water supply. Chantelle Bellrichard reports. (CBC)

Oil Companies Are Collapsing Due to Coronavirus, but Wind and Solar Energy Keep Growing
A few years ago, the kind of double-digit drop in oil and gas prices the world is experiencing now because of the coronavirus pandemic might have increased the use of fossil fuels and hurt renewable energy sources like wind and solar farms. That is not happening. In fact, renewable energy sources are set to account for nearly 21 percent of the electricity the United States uses for the first time this year, up from about 18 percent last year and 10 percent in 2010, according to one forecast published last week. And while work on some solar and wind projects has been delayed by the outbreak, industry executives and analysts expect the renewable business to continue growing in 2020 and next year even as oil, gas and coal companies struggle financially or seek bankruptcy protection. Ivan Penn reports. (NY Times) See also: Renewable energy wins over oil and gas in post-coronavirus world Clyde Russell writes. (Reuters)

Number of workers at B.C.'s Site C dam project rises, as some call for shutdown over COVID-19
While on-site activity has shut down for all but "essential" workplaces across the country, construction continues at the Site C hydroelectric dam project in northern British Columbia, where nearly 1,000 workers are at camp, including hundreds who were flown in over the past couple of weeks. This despite the fact that 10 people at the site are in self-isolation for symptoms of COVID-19, and there is no publicly available information about how many workers are being tested or how physical-distancing rules can be critically observed in a worksite setting. This has made people in the nearby community of Fort St. John nervous. Joseph Loiero reports. (CBC)

Seafood industry struggling to stay afloat amid outbreak
The seafood industry has been upended by the spread of the coronavirus, which has halted sales in restaurants and sent fishermen and dealers scrambling for new markets. Seafood is a global industry that relies on a complex network of fishermen, processors, buyers and distributors, all of which have been affected by the virus. A lack of demand has sent prices tumbling and led some fishermen to tie up their boats until the outbreak subsides. Patrick Whittle reports. (Associated Press) See also: Coronavirus Devastates Geoduck Industry  Sara Thompson reports. (Key Peninsula News)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  205 AM PDT Wed Apr 8 2020   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 15 seconds. 
TONIGHT  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at  14 seconds.



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