3/7 Dangerous delight, Aldwell timber, Houdini flies, renewable diesel, ocean wave energy, Oak Bay sealife, Amtrak Cascades

Kittyhawk Group shoreline [Laurie MacBride]

When Dangers Become Delights
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Two days after we left Philip Inlet last June, we reached our second “new-to-us” anchorage – a secluded little hurricane hole in the Kittyhawk Group of islands in the Hakai Recreation Area. The spot we’d chosen was guarded by an even narrower entrance than at Philip. Luckily it was low tide when we entered, so the rocks and reefs were at least partially visible. This was helpful, since the maze of islets and narrow passages leading in and out of the anchorage was confusing for first-timers who’d yet to get their bearings..." (Eye on Environment)

Protesters rally against logging Aldwell timber
Dozens of protesters and counter-protesters lined U.S. Highway 101 to rally for or against the sale and logging of Aldwell timber, roughly 90 acres of what conservancy groups determined to be old growth or legacy forest that has been auctioned off to a Clallam County-based company by the state Department of Natural Resources. The root of the issue appears to be a difference in opinion regarding the definition of old growth or legacy forests. Ken Park reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

First murder hornets, now Houdini flies: Bees can’t catch a break
Let’s have a little sympathy for the native mason bees that have been getting more and more popular with backyard gardeners. A nasty predator called the Houdini fly, which arrived from Europe a few years ago, is coming for them. It’s starving them to death. Eric Lacitis reports. (Seattle Times)

What is renewable diesel? Burnaby expansion gets scrapped after Biden's U.S. green subsidies
Calgary-based Parkland is scrapping plans for renewable-diesel projects at its Burnaby location. It means a loss of $600 million in investment that could have created 1,000 jobs and comes as U.S. President Joe Biden’s new climate bill gives major subsidies to U.S. producers of low emission fuels. What is renewable diesel? It’s fuel made from renewable sources like canola oil, tallow and used cooking oil that are known as bio-feedstock. It’s non-toxic, biodegradable and different from petroleum or fossil diesel because the bio-feedstock is cleaner-burning and more easily available. Joanne Lee-Young reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Coastal First Nation’s cutting-edge ocean wave energy project just got a million-dollar boost
A cutting-edge clean energy project to use ocean waves to power a coastal First Nation’s return to its traditional territory on Vancouver Island’s wild west coast just got a surge in funding. To buoy the next stages of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation’s (MMFN) Yuquot Wave Energy Project, $1 million was granted to one of the initiative’s partners, the University of Victoria’s Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED). Rochelle Baker reports. (National Observer)

Noisy sealife moves off Oak Bay shores, but hope for healthy herring return remains
Those living in earshot of Trial Islands rapidly became accustomed to a 3 a.m. wake-up call of the natural kind as sea lions and seals rattled the cages of residents this winter. The raucous sealife stopped on the Oak Bay shoreline and set up house starting in December, moving along by the end of February. After nearly three months, the gang moved on, but Jacques Sirois, a volunteer warden at the Trial Islands Ecological Preserve, hopes it’s a harbinger of another healthy herring spawn on the way. Christine van Reeuwyk reports. (Oak Bay News)

Amtrak restores full Cascades route through Bellingham
The Amtrak Cascades route, spanning from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia, through the Interstate-5 corridor, returned to its full service on March 6, Amtrak announced.  The northern section of the route, running from Seattle and through Bellingham, closed in May 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions against all non-essential travel and reopened in September 2022 to accommodate passengers traveling from Washington to Canada. Jenelle Baumbach reports. (CDN)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  210 AM PST Tue Mar 7 2023   TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 8 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the morning then  a chance of showers in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. A  chance of showers in the evening then a slight chance of showers  after midnight.

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