9/14 Nutria, BC natural gas, high-speed rail, white crow

Nutria [Wikipedia]

Nutria Myocastor coypus
Nutria are large, semi-aquatic rodents that have robust, highly arched bodies with short legs, and long tails. The most conspicuous identifying features of M. coypus are their white whiskers, and large, rounded tail. Nutrias inhabit marshes, lake edges, and sluggish streams, especially in areas with emergent or succulent vegetation along the banks. Myocastor coypus is native to South America. Its distribution ranges from middle Bolivia and southern Brazil to Tierra del Fuego. As a result of escapes and liberations from fur farms, feral populations now occur in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Why the allure of natural gas is distracting Canada from a sustainable energy future
Climate researchers stress that natural gas bridges can often lead to nowhere as the reliance on natural gas can lock countries into fossil fuels, crowd out low-carbon technologies and risk stranding assets. Amy Janzwood and Heather Millar report, (The Narwhal)

Ultra-high-speed rail: coming to a train stop near you?
Ultra-high-speed rail is inching closer to becoming reality in the Cascadia region as local leaders push for developments in Skagit and Whatcom counties. The Washington State Department of Transportation has been studying options for ultra-high-speed ground transportation for years, but Mount Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau is enthusiastic about its future in Skagit County. Julia Lerner reports. (CDN)

B.C. shells out $300K to help fund 3rd study into high-speed rail to Washington and Oregon
B.C. is investing $300,000 as its share of the next phase of a study into the construction of a high-speed rail system to Washington state and Oregon. The provincial government has already spent $600,000 on two earlier studies, in 2019 and in 2020. Known as the Cascadia Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation System (UHSGT), the rail line would connect the metro areas of Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. Ali Pitargue reports. (CBC)

Rare white crow sightings excite Kootenay birdwatchers
Lisa Chabot's sighting of a rare white crow this week has challenged the common assumption that all crows are black. Chabot, who lives in Glade, B.C., about 20 kilometres northwest of Castlegar, says she noticed something white fluttering among a group of black crows in her neighbourhood on Monday. David Bradley, the B.C. director of bird conservation organization Birds Canada, says he hesitates to estimate the probability of spotting a white crow, but acknowledges he hasn't seen one over his past 35 years of bird watching. Judging from Chabot's photo, Bradley believes the white crow is leucistic, meaning the animal has reduced black pigmentation in its feathers, but unlike an albino crow, it has normally coloured eyes. He adds that white ravens, which are common on Haida Gwaii, are also leucistic.  Winston Szeto reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  244 AM PDT Wed Sep 14 2022   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 3 ft at 8 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after midnight. W  swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.

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