5/3 Picnic Tree, Vancouver growth, OR drought, Spring Rebellion, Skagit mining, WA lege, Biden climate, BC Ferries, solar farms, orca photos, Tomiko Grace Hasegawa, air pollution, pipeline showdown, Puget Sound names

"Picnic Tree" [Laurie MacBride]

 
Spring Light at the Picnic Tree
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "What a difference the longer days of spring make!  Our “Picnic Tree” sports a heady canopy of leaves, while the grass beneath it grows visibly denser and the dried brown ferns of last summer rapidly disappear behind fresh green fronds. And judging by the volume and variety of songs I’m hearing, the birds around here are also feeling the spring energy. The Picnic Tree is actually made up of several shrubs of Indian plum (Oemlaria cerasiformis), growing closely together to look like a multi-trunked tree."

More than 1 million residents added to Metro Vancouver by 2050, planners project
Despite limited population growth since the pandemic, Metro Vancouver planners project the region will have more than one million additional residents by 2050. According to new data shared with the Metro Vancouver board on Friday, planners project there will be 3.8 million people living in Metro Vancouver in the next 30 years — an average growth of 35,000 people per year. Maryse Zeidler reports. (CBC)

Almost all of Oregon poised for drought to start the summer
More than three-fourths of Oregon is in some stage of drought entering May — and forecasters expect it to stay that way into the summer. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center projects drought will persist across Southern, Central and Eastern Oregon and even the Willamette Valley throughout the summer. The center’s latest monthly drought outlook released Friday also shows drought is likely to develop in the northeast corner of the state. Bradley Parks reports. (OPB)

Five arrested following first day of 'Spring Rebellion' protests: VPD
Saturday's climate demonstration at Granville and Georgia streets marked the first of several Extinction Rebellion events expected to take place across Vancouver in the coming days. Megan Lalonde reports. (Tri-City News)

Cities, port, tribe: Risk of mining in Skagit River headwaters is too great
Opposition continues to grow on a proposal to mine for precious metals within the headwaters of the Skagit River in British Columbia. The Sedro-Woolley City Council passed Wednesday a resolution formally opposing the threat of mining, “which involves the use of cyanide and other toxins and often leads to permanent acid mine drainage, which, in turn, could go into the headwaters of the Skagit River,” according to the resolution. Earlier this month, the city of Anacortes, Port of Skagit and the Samish Indian Nation also passed resolutions against the potential mining. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skate Valley Herald)

At the Washington Legislature, big and surprising wins on climate, policing and tax proposals. Why now?
It’s hard to imagine a more consequential 105 days for state government in Washington’s recent history...But the real surprise for Democrats was what actually happened: For once, just about everything went their way. Joseph O' Sullivan explains. (Seattle Times)

Biden administration to propose first rule requiring cut in climate pollutants
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Monday a rule that would sharply cut the use and production of  hydrofluorocarbons, powerful greenhouse gases used widely in refrigeration and air conditioning. The proposal, a phase down of 85 percent over the next 15 years, marks the first time the Biden administration has used the power of the federal government to mandate a cut in climate pollution. Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni report. (Washington Post)

BC Ferries abruptly cancels trial for Sunshine Coast route changes in the face of public pushback
BC Ferries says it will not proceed with a trial to test major changes to BC Ferries' route from the Lower Mainland to the Sunshine Coast. The announcement is an about face from the corporation after it announced details of the project last week. On Friday, BC Ferries said in a news release the issue had become divisive which was not the intent of the project. (CBC)

Solar farms are booming in Washington state, but where should they go?
Activists and property owners east of the Cascades are objecting to a surge in large solar projects championed by Gov. Jay Inslee as essential to driving the state into a clean-energy future, as required by a 2019 state law. These projects will help redefine the regional power industry as electricity from coal and natural gas are phased out to combat climate change. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Washington state’s carbon pricing bill could be most far-reaching in nation. How will it work?  Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Vulcan Inc. develops new tool to help researchers study Southern Resident killer whales
Killer whale researchers are working with Vulcan and an “Aquatic Mammal Photogrammetry Tool,” which speeds up the process of analyzing photos to identify individual whales and various physical characteristics that can be used to measure health. After the machine learning portion of processing, a human user can go in to refine data and correct mistakes. Michael Crowe reports. (KING)

A woman of color has never been elected to Seattle Port Commission. That could change this year
Toshiko Grace Hasegawa of Beacon Hill is running for the Port Commission Position 4 seat against incumbent Peter Steinbrueck. The battle is generational. Both Hasegawa and Steinbrueck come from liberal Seattle families long steeped in politics, but their campaigns represent the varied options of the Port's future. David Hyde reports. (KUOW)

Deadly air pollutant ‘disproportionately and systematically’ harms Americans of color, study finds
Nearly every form of the nation’s most pervasive deadly air pollutant disproportionately affects Americans of color, regardless of their location or income level, according to a peer-reviewed analysis published Wednesday. Juliet Eilperin and Darryl Fears report. (Washington Post)

Looming showdown as Michigan governor orders Canadian pipeline shut down
Michigan’s governor says Enbridge Line 5 jeopardizes the Great Lakes. Canada says its continued operation is “nonnegotiable." Amanda Coletta reports. (Washington Post)

The Ex Ex: How some of Puget Sound’s Most Familiar Places got their Names
Junius Rochester writes: "With the United States stretching from coast to coast, President Andrew Jackson, one of our busier and more controversial presidents, found time in 1836 (the last year of his two terms) to organize an exploring expedition of the Pacific Ocean (the Atlantic was already a familiar, well-cruised pond). The expedition was given several names: United States Exploring Expedition, the “'Ex. Ex.” or the “Wilkes Expedition.'”  (Post Alley)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  224 AM PDT Mon May 3 2021   
TODAY  E wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 14 seconds. Rain in the  morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 13 seconds.

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