6/19 Cattail, Peace Arch Park, MacKay Cr, Fish Geek, BC Ferries, Trump's rollbacks, national parks help, gas plant cleanup, 30-yr mortgage

Cattail

Cattail Typha latifolia
Coastal aboriginal peoples wove leaves of cattail and bulrushes into mats for bedding, sitting or kneeling on in canoes, as insulation for winter homes, or for capes, hats, blankets or bags. Cattail seed fluff was used as stuffing for pillows and mattresses, as a wound dressing and for diapers. Cattail provides important habitat and food for many marsh animals such as wrens, blackbirds, waterfowl and muskrats. (Plants of the Pacific NW Coast)

B.C. closing Peace Arch park at Canada-U.S. border due to 'significant' number of visitors 
The province of British Columbia is closing its portion of Peace Arch Park on the U.S.-Canada border, saying a "significant" increase in the number of visitors over the last month has created public safety concerns. The park has been a loophole for loved ones and families separated since the international border closed, providing a mutual cross-country meeting point between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash. The park straddles the 49th parallel and is a space shared by both Canada and the United States, where it is known as Peace Arch Historical State Park. B.C. Parks owns the northern half, while Washington State Parks owns the southern half. The U.S. portion of the park is still open for day use, according to the Washington State Parks website. (CBC)

Transformation of North Shore's MacKay Creek takes seven years 
Restoring MacKay Creek and estuary in North Vancouver has meant removing at least 16 tonnes of invasive species and debris since 2013. The transformation of the lower part of the creek has created a much more welcoming environment for many bird species as well as for coho, chum and pink salmon, according to Krystal Brennan, outreach coordinator for Wildcoast Ecological Society. The society, along with project partners Echo Ecological, still has more restoration work to do. On Sunday, they completed a video showing how the waterway has been transformed since BCIT students started working on the estuary. Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun)

If you like to watch: The Natural History of the Fish Geek
As a playful Salish Sea Wild prescription for troubled times, Dr. Joe “Fish Geek” Gaydos and Bob “Attenborough” Friel present a lighthearted take on SeaDoc’s citizen science partnership with the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).

Province bails out B.C. Ferries to stave off coastal ferry cuts
B.C.’s transportation minister abruptly reversed course Thursday and found the necessary funding to prevent cuts to ferry sailings on the coast. Claire Trevena said Thursday that government will pay for sailings that were slated to be eliminated on 11 minor routes, after a standoff in recent weeks between the province and B.C. Ferries over funding...The province currently provides B.C. Ferries almost $200 million annually to help run the coastal ferry system, with ticket fares, retail sales and a small subsidy from Ottawa making up the rest of the corporation’s revenue. The new funding, around $180,000, will temporarily stave off the cuts to 11 coastal routes until September. After that, Trevena said the hope is B.C. Ferries’ finances will have stabilized and it can resume operations without the extra money. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Trump Is Using the Pandemic to Undo Environmental Rules. It’s Hurting Black Americans.
Under the cover of the pandemic, the Trump administration has been hard at work dismantling the rules that protect public health...These rollbacks do not affect everyone equally—they’re particularly devastating for people of color. Rebecca Leber reports. (Mother Jones)

US Senate Passes Funding Boost To Conservation Fund, Help For National Parks
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would further protect public lands and recreation across the country. The legislation would also help relieve a massive maintenance backlog on federal lands... The Great American Outdoors Act would permanently allocate $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which finally lapsed almost two years ago. Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell pushed to fully authorize the fund at $900 million per year. That would nearly double the fund’s allotment in recent years. Last year, she co-sponsored a bill to permanently reauthorize the fund. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

These are the next steps in proposed cleanup of former gas plant at Boulevard Park
Public comments will be accepted through July 21 for a proposed $9.3 million cleanup of pollutants left behind by a former gas manufacturing plant and other historic industries on the north end of Boulevard Park. An online public meeting for the project for the South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant Site has been set for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald) And if you like to watch: Take a self-guided tour of the South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant Site and make a public comment on the cleanup action plan.  (RE Sources)

Rising Seas Threaten an American Institution: The 30-Year Mortgage
Climate change is starting to transform the classic home loan, a fixture of the American experience and financial system that dates back generations. Christopher Flavelle reports. (NY Times)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PDT Fri Jun 19 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. A slight chance of showers  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds. Showers  likely in the evening then showers after midnight. 
SAT  E wind to 10 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds. Showers in the morning  then a chance of showers in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  5 ft at 10 seconds. 
SUN  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft  at 9 seconds.




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