6/7 Beaver, train sabotage, Skagit dams, toxic waste fine, Fairy Cr, Canada emissions, HELP law, bird names, anting, Rayonier dock

Beaver [Laura Rogers/WDFW]

Beaver Castor canadensis
Beavers are widely distributed across the U.S. and are known for their dam-building behavior. These dams provide them protection from predators, but the impacts of their dam building can occasionally bring them into conflict with humans. (WDFW) See: The enchanting world of beavers in King County — and how they might benefit a warming planet  Ryan Blethen reports. (Seattle Times) And:  The Gnawing Question of Saltwater Beavers  Scientists have long overlooked beavers in the intertidal zone. Now they’re counting on the freshwater rodents to restore Washington’s coastal ecosystems. Ben Goldfarb reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Sabotage caused Washington state oil-train disaster, rail union says 
The oil train came apart on the snowy tracks north of Bellingham shortly after the locomotive engineer got the mile-long chain of petroleum tanks on wheels under way....There’s only one way the train could have derailed like that, according to the union representing the rail crew and a retired federal investigator of railroad accidents: sabotage. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Dam relicensing process delayed for additional comment
In response to some indigenous people in Canada saying they were left out of the early review process for the relicensing of Seattle City Light’s Skagit River dams, finalizing the relicensing study plan has been delayed. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) agreed in mid-May to extend the comment period for the Nlaka’pamux Nation Bands Coalition through June 1. The coalition represents 11 First Nation bands of the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

State fines Mukilteo company $70K for wastewater violations
A Mukilteo aerospace company plans to appeal $70,500 in fines from the state for alleged wastewater violations. The state Department of Ecology said Applied Aero Systems released wastewater into the sewer that exceeded state limits for toxic metals and other pollutants. The company does material coatings and assembly for Boeing and other aerospace firms. Violations include failure to provide adequate treatment and to monitor the discharges, the state agency said. Without proper treatment, industrial pollutants can harm the wastewater plant or pass untreated into Puget Sound.  Andrea Brown reports. (Everett Herald)

Save Fairy Creek: A primer on the battle over B.C.'s ancient forests
Environmentalists say they are fighting Canada’s version of the ivory trade, while the forestry industry says the protesters are endangering the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking families. Nia Williams reports. (Reuters) See also: Critics say B.C. old growth blockades underscore failure to deliver endangered species law Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Natural climate solutions could offset 11 per cent of Canada’s emissions by 2030: report
Study published in Science Advances finds protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, such as wetlands, forests and grasslands, could help Canada meet its climate goals. Sharon J. Riley reports. (The Narwhal)

At the Duwamish longhouse, a law is signed requiring environmental justice from state agencies
When the time arrived for Gov. Jay Inslee to sign a far-reaching piece of environmental justice into law, the ceremony took place by the mouth of Seattle’s only river, the Duwamish, at the cultural center of the people who have called themselves by the same name for generations. Jack Russillo reports. (South Seattle Emerald/Investigate West)

Monuments and teams have changed names as America reckons with racism. Birds are next
...America is trying to come to terms with its complicated racial past by changing the names of institutions, ranging from military bases to baseball teams. Now efforts are also underway to change the names of some living monuments — birds. When early naturalists like John James Audubon discovered a new bird, for example, they often named it after a friend or colleague. Jeff St. Clair reports. (WKSU)

Photographer captures 'odd but exciting' crow behaviour known as anting 
Photographer Tony Austin recently captured a peculiar image of a crow with its wings covered in dozens of tiny black ants and in the throes of what appeared to be a behaviour he described as a "very odd and violent dirt bath."  The image also captured the imagination of hundreds of devotees to a Facebook group called Picture Perfect Vancouver Island after the Metchosin, B.C., photographer posted it on Monday.Cathy Kearney reports. (CBC)

Bid adieu to last of giant dock
An imposing, abandoned vestige  of the Rayonier pulp mill's legacy will be demolished starting in mid-June. Workers will begin to remove the concrete panels of a 1,050-foot-long dock that just into Port Angeles harbor east of downtown the week of June 13 and are expected to complete it in July. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  256 AM PDT Mon Jun 7 2021   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds subsiding to  5 ft at 10 seconds after midnight. A slight chance of showers.

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