3/14 Lilac, BC old growth, Indigenous guardians, Roberts Bank port, Snohomish Co, Mt. polley mine, orca scars

Common lilac [The Spruce]

Common lilac Syringa vulgaris
Common lilac bushes are deciduous shrubs that bloom in the springtime. They are part of the olive family, along with other such ornamental plants as ash trees, forsythia bushes, and privet hedges. The outstanding quality of many lilac varieties is the sweet fragrances of their flowers. The blooms appear in branching clusters or panicles. Each flower is only about 1/3 inch across. The leaves are gray-green to blue-green in color and reach around 2 to 5 inches long; they do not change color in the fall. And the bark of this shrub is gray to grayish brown. The best time to plant lilac bushes is in the early fall before the ground freezes. They have a moderate growth rate of 1 to 2 feet per year. (The Spruce)

The Pacheedaht people finally started making money from Vancouver Island timber. Then the protesters arrived.
The People of the Sea Foam have long lived in this rainforest along the B.C. side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For more than a century, the Pacheedaht have witnessed colonial extraction of the forests in their unceded territory. But now, they are reversing at least some of the flow of prime timber dollars back to their people. The nation is getting a first-of-its-kind 50-50 profit split on logging some forestlands under a partnership created in 2018. And the nation is processing logs in its own mill, opened in 2017. But a fight is underway over logging old growth forests, in the Fairy Creek drainage and beyond. Logging opponents and scientists are calling for these mature and old-growth forests to be set aside to help preserve biodiversity and combat the worst effects of climate change: extreme heat, drought, wildfire, flooding and more. The conflict has Indigenous nations in the middle. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times/Part 1)

The marvel of old-growth forests that once cloaked the Pacific Northwest
The cedar’s broken, silvered top pierced the soaring forest canopy and its trunk flared to a magnificent fluted column. The trunk was so big around that a cavity at its base easily fit four adults crawling inside to wonder at a snug bear’s den. There was a time and not very long ago that trees like this cloaked the Northwest coast, from Southeast Alaska to B.C. to Washington, Oregon and Northern California. But since the time of European settlement, about 72% of the original old-growth conifer forest in the Pacific Northwest has been lost, largely through logging and other developments. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times/Part 2)  

The frontline of conservation: how Indigenous guardians are reinforcing sovereignty and science on their lands
From catching poachers to documenting species to saving lives, guardians all along the B.C. coast are bringing back traditional practices of territorial safeguarding — and filling major knowledge and conservation gaps while they’re at it. Jimmy Thomson reports. (The Narwhal)

Ottawa urged to pause proposed B.C. port expansion, consider alternative plan
A plan to build a new shipping container terminal the size of nearly 144 football fields at a major Metro Vancouver port has sparked a rival proposal along with concerns for endangered orcas and the salmon they depend on. The three-berth, $3 billion terminal proposed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority would be built next to the existing Deltaport and Westshore terminals at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C....The deadline is Tuesday for the public to comment on the project before the federal environment minister decides whether the effects would likely be significant and refers them to cabinet to determine whether they are justified in the public interest. Brenna Owen reports. (CBC)

In Snohomish County, climate change is an economic game changer
Fires. Floods. Heat waves. Jobs? Despite dire downsides, human-caused climate change is giving the local economy a boost. It could become a boom. Legacy industries such as wood products and transportation are evolving. Electric aviation is poised for takeoff. Entrepreneurs are launching new energy industries to steer us away from carbon-emitting fossil fuels. They aim to do well while doing good. Why choose Snohomish County? Julie Titone reports. (Everett Herald)

Regulatory body wraps up investigation into engineers involved in B.C.'s Mt. Polley mine disaster
Nearly eight years after the largest environmental mining disaster in Canadian history, B.C.'s engineering regulatory and licensing body has wrapped up its investigation into three engineers who were involved. Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) brought a collective $226,500 in fines against two engineers involved in the Mount Polley mine disaster who are no longer working in the industry and a brief suspension and required training for a third engineer. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Killer Whales’ Scars Tell a Story
By counting their scars and when they got them, scientists are unlocking new insights on killer whale social dynamics. Marina Wang reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  239 AM PDT Mon Mar 14 2022   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 9 ft  at 12 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 9 ft at 18 seconds. Rain.

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