7/22 Beetle, BC fire season, plastic straw ban, virus boating, John Miir, Lady Washington, Colstrip

Red flat bark beetle [Arthur Evans]

Red flat bark beetle Cucujus clavipes
The red flat bark beetle is found throughout North America. These are generally found near tree line under bark of dead poplar and ash trees. C. clavipes are described as phloem-feeding and often predators of other small insects, such as wood-boring beetles, and mites. (Wikipedia)

Rainy spring means B.C.'s wildfire season is still quiet, but that could soon change
Wildfire activity in B.C. is down drastically compared to recent years, thanks to plenty of rain in the past couple of months, but warm summer weather will likely bring a change in conditions. So far this year, B.C. has had 211 wildfires with about 688 hectares burned. Those numbers are low even compared with 2019, a relatively quiet year for fires, when there had been 513 fires and 12,000 hectares burned at this point, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. Fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said a rainy spring and early summer helped increase the moisture content of soil in most parts of B.C., which has kept fires smaller and more manageable. (CBC)

Plastic straw ban approved in Port Townsend 
The Port Townsend City Council unanimously approved a ban on single-use plastic straws and stirrers beginning next year. The ordinance was approved during the council’s Monday night meeting and will go into effect Jan. 1. The ban is effective only within Port Townsend city limits; no such ban has been approved by the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners. Zack Jablonski reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

2 U.S. boaters in B.C. waters fined under Quarantine Act
The RCMP says two U.S. boaters have been fined after officers with its Pacific Shiprider program located them in Canadian waters, allegedly in contravention of the Quarantine Act. The first case involved a boater on July 10 who, according to RCMP, claimed to be heading to Alaska. The police allege the person had entered Canada for the purpose of tourism. According to a statement released by B.C. RCMP's Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit, the person was fined $1,000 under Section 58 of the Quarantine Act. A second fine was issued July 17, after police found a U.S. whale watching operator and his passengers in Canadian waters. The alleged offence was the same as the July 10 case. (CBC)

Liberal, progressive — and racist? The Sierra Club faces its white-supremacist history
No one is more important to the history of environmental conservation than John Muir — the “wilderness prophet,” “patron saint of the American wilderness” and “father of the national parks” who founded the nation’s oldest conservation organization, the Sierra Club. But on Wednesday, citing the current racial reckoning, the group announced it will end its blind reverence to a figure who was also racist. Darryl Fears and Steven Mufson report. (Washington Post)

On the Hard: The Lady Washington
Joel Rogers in Classic Yachts to Fish Packers: Their Stories writes: "Approaching the Port of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven Marina, it was easy to spot the masts and yards of the Lady Washington ranging above the hauled out tenders, yachts and tugs. She is at once memorable, with the sweet lines of an 18th century sailing ship, the fir hull raised up on blocks, her crew on scaffolds giving her a fresh coat of paint, while above them the masts with their intricate skein of rigging, shrouds, halyards and stays – six mile s of rigging – reach to the sky. (Rainshadow Journal)

Colstrip owner accelerates exit plans, again
Colstrip Power Plant co-owner PacifiCorp has agreed to remove Colstrip from customer bills in Washington state by 2023, two years ahead of the state’s 2025 coal power ban. The utility has rolled out an aggressive build-out of renewable energy projects and plans to retire 20 of 24 coal-fired generators over the next 18 years. Tuesday, it reached a settlement agreement in Washington in which it would sew up its investment in Colstrip Unit 4 by the end of 2023, after which its Washington customers wouldn’t be billed for Unit 4 costs. Tom Luted reports. (Ravelli Republic)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  257 AM PDT Wed Jul 22 2020   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. Areas of drizzle in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of showers after midnight.




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