5/3 Moon snail, sewers, ocean extinction, Tina Whitman, Stillaguamish watershed, Indigenous Healing Forest, 300-year old tree, saving old growth, bird conservation, ship-breaking, shifty ships, Keystone XL

Lewis's moon snail [Sound Water Stewards]

 

Lewis's moon snail Neverita lewisii
You'll find the moon snail on sandy beaches, plowing half-buried through the sand as it searches for clams, its favorite prey. When the fleshy mantle is extended, it nearly covers the snail's shell. Watch for clam shells with a countersunk-looking drill hole in them, a sign that the clam was a moon snail victim. Also watch for the moon snail's distinctive sand collar egg case. The eggs are actually sandwiched between two plies composed of sand and mucus. (Sound Water Stewards)

How climate change stresses sewer systems in King County
Storm-related sewage spills dump about 93 million gallons of chemical discharge a year into Puget Sound. Anushuya Thapa reports. (Investigate West/Crosscut)

Mass extinction in oceans can be avoided by curbing fossil fuels
If not slowed, climate change over the next few centuries could lead to marine losses unlike anything Earth has seen in 252 million years, says a new study. Craig Welch reports. (National Geographic)

Salish Sea Science prize awarded to Shoreline restoration scientist Tina Whitman
The SeaDoc Society is awarding the prestigious 2022 Salish Sea Science Prize to Tina Whitman, Science Director at the Friends of the San Juans for producing science that led to copious beach habitat protection and restoration throughout the San Juan Islands. Whitman received the no-strings-attached $2,000 cash prize at the 2022 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference on April 28. (San Juan Journal)

Forest Service formulating big plan for Stillaguamish watershed
On over 61,000 acres of land in the Darrington and Mount Baker ranger districts, the Forest Service plans to thin trees, make habitat improvements, decommission trails or study the possibility of new trails, including at mountain biker-friendly North Mountain. Zachariah Bryan reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C.'s first Indigenous Healing Forest will be on the Sunshine Coast 
The Healing Forest Initiative is now partnering with the David Suzuki Foundation to build a network of healing forests across Canada to honour residential school victims, survivors and families. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

What's a 300-year-old tree worth? WSDOT, Bainbridge agree on funding to keep Douglas fir
Lumber mills at Port Madison and Port Blakely once buzzed with action, and logging activity over the years brought changes to the island's landscape. Still, the Adas Will Lane tree managed to survive for more than three centuries – even as homes and a highway sprouted up nearby – and will get an opportunity at an extended lifespan thanks to the efforts of Jones and other neighbors. As the state’s Department of Transportation zeroed in on plans to build a roundabout on the highway, neighbors signed on to an effort to save the tree, which was slated to be taken down. Nathan Pilling reports. (Kitsap Sun)

B.C. highway blockades aimed at forcing a dialogue, activists say
History has shown that “when you have to force a dialogue onto society, you have to engage in transgressive truth telling,” said 21-year-old Zain Haq, a spokesman for the group called Save Old Growth. Brenna Owen reports. (Canadian Press)

Help wanted for 2 bird conservation projects in B.C
There are currently two conservation projects happening in the province and researchers are asking for public participation counting birds. On the South Coast, Environment Canada is asking for help tracking glaucous-winged gulls, and in the Prince George area, Birds Canada needs volunteers to count long-billed curlews. (CBC)

Comox Valley Regional District goes to court to halt ship-breaking at Union Bay
A ship-breaking operation at Union Bay on the east side of Vancouver Island is being taken to court by the Comox Valley Regional District which argues this industrial use is not permitted. The regional district filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

How the Shipping Industry Sails through Legal Loopholes
A murky world of shell companies, flags of convenience, and end-of-life flags allows companies to dodge accountability and dispose of ships cheaply. Paul Tullis reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Alberta is suing the U.S. over Keystone XL. The province just had to pay its American taxes first
To prop up pipeline giant TC Energy, Jason Kenney’s government set up numbered companies in Delaware.  The purpose of 2254746 Alberta Sub Ltd., according to the commission’s annual report, was to allow Alberta to help finance the costs of building the U.S. portion of the pipeline, which was meant to massively expand Canadian crude oil exports from Alberta. It would have brought 830,000 barrels per day of crude from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Nebraska. The project, however, actually left the province on the hook for $1.333 billion, according to Alberta auditor general Doug Wylie. Alberta shared in the financial pain that the company suffered after U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office that revoked the pipeline’s permit. Alberta and TC Energy are now trying to recoup their losses through two separate challenges under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement. Alberta launched its challenge on Feb. 9, seeking “damages” of $1.3 billion. Carl Meyer reports. (The Narwhal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  256 AM PDT Tue May 3 2022   
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft  at 11 seconds subsiding to 6 ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon. A  chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind to 10 kt becoming S after midnight. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 13 seconds. A chance of showers.

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