3/9 Deception Pass, BC fish farms, Petrogas, coal mines, eelgrass restoration, single-use plastic suit, Ingenika sinking, tree loss, Langley wetlands, Stanwood dike

Deception Pass [Washington Kayak Club]

Deception Pass
Deception Pass is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island. It connects Skagit Bay, part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A pair of bridges known collectively as Deception Pass Bridge cross Deception Pass. The bridges were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. (Wikipedia)

B.C. salmon farms in Broughton Archipelago shuttered after First Nations’ decision: ‘we’re over the moon’
Several more fish farms are set to be removed from coastal waters after three First Nations chose not to consent to their continued operation in the Broughton Archipelago. Fish farms in this region between the north end of Vancouver Island and the mainland require the Nations’ consent to continue operating under a 2018 agreement between the ‘Namgis, Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis and Mamalilikulla First Nations and the B.C. government. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

Whatcom County reaches agreement on Cherry Point expansion
After six years of unpermitted expansion and discharge of volatile organic compounds at Cherry Point, Petrogas has reached an agreement on permitting compliance with Whatcom County to obtain conditional use permits and construction permits and prepare an EIS. The company earlier paid a $4 million fine in a settlement with the NW Clean Air Agency. (CDN)

B.C. coal mines' economic impact overstated: study
The report, authored by six scholars including SFU professor Rosemary Collard and UBC professor Jessica Dempsey, concludes the province’s environmental impact assessment process did not protect wildlife habitat as intended. Chuck Chiang reports. (Canadian Press)

Northwest Straits Foundation receives grant for eelgrass restoration
The Northwest Straits Foundation received about $700,000 in grant funding to look into restoring eelgrass at Clayton Beach in Larrabee State Park... The four-year grant is part of $14 million the state departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources awarded last month for habitat recovery in Puget Sound. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Canada's single-use plastic ban faces its first legal test
Canada's single-use plastic regulations face their first legal test today as the plastics lobby and the federal government head to court...The federal judge, who is not expected to deliver a ruling for months, must consider whether Ottawa was justified when it listed plastic products as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. David Thurton reports. (CBC)

Investigation Finds Systemic Safety Failings in Tug Sinking
With a new report, families plan to fight for change following two lives lost on the Ingenika. More than two years after her husband sailed from Kitimat to his death, Judy Carlick-Pearson has some answers. Zak Vescera reports. (The Tyee)

'We're obviously losing trees': Saanich looks at planting 10,000 trees a year
The current target is 2,000 trees a year, but a report on the state of the urban forest says that’s not enough. Half the trees planted each year are replacements as a result of new development. Andrew A. Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)  See also: New protections for Seattle’s trees are inching forward Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Langley development would impact sensitive ecosystem: Opponents
 Real estate company Beedie Group is applying to have a site in the 5500-block of 268th Street through 276th Street, which sits in the wetlands, rezoned for industrial use. Joanne Lee-Young reports. (Vancouver Sun)

With funds for dike repair, Stanwood steps toward reducing flood risk
A 100-year-old dike is showing its age, threatening farmland and homes. A county grant aims to spark a major renovation. Riley Haun reports. (Everett Herald)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  222 AM PST Thu Mar 9 2023   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  E wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft. S swell 6 ft  at 7 seconds building to 8 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon. A  chance of rain. 
TONIGHT  E wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell  5 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain.

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