5/6 Maple, spring storm, WA revenue hit, Big Oil losses, traditional leadership, no tree planting

Bigleaf maple [Denis Paulson]

Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum
Bigleaf Maples are one of the characteristic large trees in Pacific Northwest forests. They grow best and biggest in wet lowland forests west of the Cascades, but they can also be found on dry hillsides along the Columbia River gorge. The largest known individual, growing near Jewell, Oregon, was thought to be over 200 years old. It was 31.4 m tall, with a canopy spread of 34 m and a trunk 3.5 m in diameter. Sadly, it was so weakened by internal rot that it crashed to the ground during a wind storm in March 2011. (Slater Museum)


*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.



What a show! Springtime thunderstorms light up the skies over Puget Sound area
A number of thunderstorms popped up around the Puget Sound region late Tuesday evening as some unstable air arrived in advance of an approaching cold front, bringing a dazzling display of lightning along with some bursts of heavy rain. Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Unofficial numbers show $7 billion hit to Washington state revenue through 2023 from coronavirus downturn
Preliminary numbers show Washington could lose $7 billion in state revenue through 2023 as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll — making a special legislative session likely to adjust the state’s budget. Prepared by the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, the numbers are based on assumptions and come with “substantial uncertainty” given state tax data isn’t yet available for March and April. But the unofficial forecast suggests Washington lawmakers will be likely forced to make difficult decisions about how to shore up the  current, two-year state operating budget. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

The Energy 202: Big Oil posts big losses during coronavirus crisis
The numbers are in: We now know just how badly the country's top oil drillers were hit by the coronavirus-fueled downturn. Three of the four biggest U.S. oil and gas producers posted multimillion to multibillion dollar losses in their latest earnings reports, a sign of just how damaging the drop in energy demand because of the covid-19 pandemic has been to the domestic oil business. Dino Gandoni and Paulina Firozi report. (Washington Post)

Wet'suwet'en agreement outlines steps for transferring control of territory to traditional leadership
A draft memorandum of understanding [MOU] between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, British Columbia and the federal government establishes a roadmap for transferring jurisdiction over their territory to their traditional governance — giving hereditary chiefs significant sway over any future resource development — according to a copy of the document obtained by CBC News. The agreement comes following a dispute between hereditary and elected leaders over the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which prompted weeks of solidarity protests and rail stoppages that paralyzed parts of Canada's railway system and undermined the economy. Olivia Stefanovich reports. (CBC)

B.C. First Nation bans tree planting on its territory due to COVID-19 concerns
The Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, 143 kilometres west of Prince George, B.C., is banning tree planting within its territory in an effort to keep COVID-19 out of its community.  In a news release, Chief Larry Nooski said the ban will remain in effect until they are completely satisfied the virus no longer poses a threat to the general public. (CBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  212 AM PDT Wed May 6 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 10 seconds. A chance of rain. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds.




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