6/15 Dogwood, TM pipe spill, anchovies, reusable bags, plastic everywhere, rat poison, climate science, sea otters

Pacific Dogwood [Native Plants PNW]

Pacific Dogwood Cornus nuttallii
Dogwood is found from southwest British Columbia, western Washington and Oregon and on the west slopes of the Californian mountain ranges. Natives used the hard, dried wood for harpoon shafts and other implements.  The wood has also been used to make thread spindles, golf club heads and piano keys. It was named after Thomas Nuttall, an English botanist and zoologist. (Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest)

Trans Mountain Pipeline spill in Abbotsford estimated at up to 190,000 litres of crude oil
A spill of light crude oil on Saturday from the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Abbotsford, B.C. has now been estimated at between 150,000 to 190,000 litres, or up to 1,195 barrels. Trans Mountain says the pipeline was immediately shut down after learning of a spill at its Sumas Pump Station early Saturday morning.  It says the spill was confined to the facility's property and no waterways were impacted. (CBC)

How blooms of northern anchovies are helping bring more sea life back to Burrard Inlet
It's not easy to spot northern anchovies in murky sea water, but a school of these 10-centimetre-long fish can often set off a frenzy of hungry seabirds and sea mammals that reveals their underwater dance. The sight of anchovy scales catching the glint of the sun is becoming more common in B.C. waters, marine biologists say, and that could be drawing other, bigger species back to busy waterways like the Burrard Inlet in Metro Vancouver. Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

Reusable bags slowly return to B.C. stores as plastic ones used during pandemic pile up
One of the unexpected consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was the sudden pause imposed on the increasingly widespread acceptance and usage of reusable bags. But as some stores across B.C. are once again allowing shoppers to use their own bags to pack their groceries, returning to a habit many had before the height of the pandemic has been slow. Provincial officials lifted guidelines advising against reusable bags seven weeks ago, but some stores and shoppers have yet to return to the bring-your-own-bag routine.  Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

From national parks to the deep sea, plastic pollution is showing up wherever scientists look
In 2017, Janice Brahney was examining dust that had blown across the wilderness of the Western United States to determine its nutrient composition. She slid her samples under a microscope, expecting to see the usual quartz and feldspar grains, pollen and random bug parts. Instead, what leaped from the lens were candy-colored shards and spherules — blue, pink and red plastics mixed with the dust like foul confetti. John Metcalfe reports. (Washington Post)

North Vancouver district to vote on banning rat poison over fears of impact on wildlife
District of North Vancouver council is voting to ban the use of rodenticides on its municipal properties because of the threat it poses to local wildlife. Council will vote on the ban Monday, and urge the province to consider B.C.-wide prohibition of anticoagulant rodenticides. Rat poison has been widely criticised for how it moves through the food chain after it's ingested by a rat. Trace amounts are found in local wildlife and can be harmful to predators like owls, according to a council report. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)


A War Against Climate Science, Waged by Washington’s Rank and File
Efforts to undermine climate change science in the federal government, once orchestrated largely by President Trump’s political appointees, are now increasingly driven by midlevel managers trying to protect their jobs and budgets and wary of the scrutiny of senior officials, according to interviews and newly revealed reports and surveys. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

What Happens When Sea Otters Eat 15 Pounds of Shellfish A Day 
Sea otter populations are rebounding in the eastern North Pacific. There, they devour huge quantities of shellfish and other marine critters that people like to eat, too. But any commercial losses to fisheries are far outweighed by economic benefits associated with the otters, according to a new study. The analysis, published in the journal Science, suggests that when sea otters return to their historic habitats, they fundamentally alter the ecosystem and produce financial gains that are potentially more than seven times greater than the costs. Nell Greenfieldboyce reports. (NPR)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  248 AM PDT Mon Jun 15 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming W 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. Rain  in the morning then showers likely in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft o




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