#Washington Department of Ecology

[plethoraworldatlas]

State Agency Prematurely Pushing for Reduced Protections

OLYMPIA, Wash.— Washington’s wolf population increased by 20% in 2023, according to figures released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Even with this increase, wolf populations in the state have not met their recovery goals. Despite this the department is proposing to reduce state protections for wolves from endangered to sensitive.

“The department says reducing wolf protections would show it’s making progress towards recovery, but this report tells a different story,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Real progress requires a continued commitment to provide strong protections to wolves so they can safely disperse into all three recovery regions and establish territories and families there.”

The state reported a minimum population of 260 wolves in 2023, marking a 20% rise from the reported minimum population of 216 in 2022. The number of Washington’s packs increased from 37 to 42, but breeding pairs decreased from 26 to 25 at the end of 2023. This marks the sixth straight year that growth was well below the 30% expected for a wolf population still in the early stages of recovery, and breeding populations of wolves currently inhabit only two of the state’s three recovery regions.

Today’s report shows that at least 36 wolves died in 2023. Of those, three were killed for livestock conflicts — two by the department and one by a livestock owner. Twenty-two died from tribal hunting by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, which retain tribal treaty rights for hunting on their reservation and on ceded lands. Five wolves died from vehicle strikes and one was killed by a cougar. Of the remaining five known deaths, four remain under investigation and one died of unknown causes.

Washington’s wolf plan divides the state into three recovery regions with breeding pair population objectives designated for each. Currently, no breeding pairs have yet been established in the third recovery region, which encompasses the southern Cascades and north coast.

If the department succeeds in reducing state wolf protections the result would be greatly reduced fines and jail time for illegally killing a wolf, more permits to kill or injure wolves issued by the department to ranchers and fewer habitat protections.

“Even the state knows that some of Washington’s best wolf habitat is in the third recovery region in the western portions of the state,” said Weiss. “I’m pleased to see the agency greatly reduced its own killing of wolves this year but with 36 deaths, fewer breeding pairs and none at all in the third recovery region, wolves still need protection. Instead of bending to political pressure from wolf opponents the department should continue to focus on nonlethal prevention measures and education.”

The public can submit comments on the department’s proposal until midnight on May 6.

[this-user-is-sus]

Interesting WRED and WSRA call yesterday. Washington's upcoming legislative session is going to have a number of composting, recycling, and related bills introduced.

Department of Ecology is also continuing their rulemaking.

[aliesbienish]

A study of wolves

Paul Lahote x Reader.

A relocation to La Push brings more than just a new career.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

A rare sunny day was surely a good omen. You read that North West Washington state had one of the wettest climates in the country, so pulling into La Push with clear skies and warm sun rays was surely a positive sign. It was nice to finally be here, out of the bustling city and into an area of lush green trees and isolated beaches.

Deciding to apply for the graduate internship across the country was spur of the moment. Sure getting paid to complete ecological surveys of the areas wolf populations was a dream job, but you had no expectations of getting it and therefore no reason to believe you would be packing up your life. Yet two weeks ago that unrealistic dream suddenly became reality. So here you were in a small reservation town with all your belongings stuffed into the boot of your car feeling for the first time like a proper adult.

You had managed to find your way to a small wooden cabin on the outskirts of town, your home for the duration of this project. You had detoured to Seattle a few days previously to meet your new supervisor and to get training on the process, but otherwise you were pretty much autonomous. You were the only one from national parks stationed in the area, but the local La Push council were kind enough to support you during this project. They had approved use of their cabin, and negotiated to have a council member with you during work in the field. This you were rather thankful for, knowing that managing to get lost and costing the parks department money to send out a rescue wouldn’t be a good look for your career.

Stepping out of the car, and taking a big stretch, you turned around to see two men waiting on the cabins porch.

“You must be [y/n], welcome to La Push,” A smiling man in a wheelchair declared as he offered his hand to shake. “I’m Billy Black, the chief here. This is Sam Uley, he and a few others will be the ones to help you navigate our forests ,”

“Thank you for having me, it’s lovely to meet you both.”

“We just wanted to welcome you, as well as invite you out for a bonfire this evening. We tell traditional stories, and have a barbecue. But more importantly it would be a good chance to meet some locals.”

“Absolutely, as long as I’m not intruding that would be brilliant,”

“Not at all,” Sam’s deep voice replies, speaking for the first time. “My partner and I live a few houses down, we’ll collect you on our walk down so you don’t get lost,”

You smiles and nodded gratefully. After collecting the cabins keys from Billy and declining Sam’s help to move your bags, since you had so little anyway, they were on their way and you started to get settled.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

The summer sun was still high in the sky when Sam came to collect you that evening. He introduced you to his fiancé Emily who you instantly took a liking too. She seemed bubbly and inviting, happily asking questions and getting to know you. You had quickly schooled yourself when you first saw her, ignoring the scar that cut across her otherwise flawless face. However you were curious as it seemed to match the claw size of the gray wolves that roamed the area.

The walk to the beach was short and flat, and you were soon making your way out onto the sand. You heard the distant sound of chatter as Sam lead you passed driftwood and out onto the open beach. Ignoring the growing nerves settling in your stomach you followed him and Emily towards the large unlit bonfire surrounded by people. Billy was the first one you spotted and he quickly invited you over and introduced you to the other senior council members. He then called over his teenage son Jacob, who reluctantly said hi with his friends Quil and Embry.

After speaking with council members, mostly about the work you would be doing, it was time for food. Plates were passed around and you were happily munching on roast potatoes when the bonfire was lit and Billy’s voice started to reverberate around the group. The stories of the Quileute people and their shifter legends were fascinating. In particular their link with wolves sparked your interest, and you couldn’t help wonder how big the local wolf population was back in the days of Taha Aki.

Eventually the legends came to a close and you came back to reality. The older members began to pack up and Emily beckoned you over from further down the beach.

“[Y/N], hope you’re having a good time. The elders and kids will be heading off but we are staying around for a few drinks. If you’re happy to stay I can introduce you to a few people your own age.”

“That would be amazing,”

Emily smiled and thrust a can of beer into your hand which you gratefully accepted. A bit of liquid courage wouldn’t go astray. She lead you towards the small group hanging around the water.

“Hi [y/n], “ Sam greeted as you invaded the circle. “Babe,” he placed a kiss on Emily’s forehead and wrapped her into his side.

“[Y/n] is the parks worker who Billy told us about. [Y/n] this is Kim,” she pointed to the smiling short brunette who gave a small wave. “Her boyfriend Jared,” the taller boy with arms wrapped over Kim’s shoulders gave a cheery hello. “And Paul. Who along with Sam and Jared will be helping you with the study,”

You turned to face the last member of the small group, who had grunted as a greeting. Paul was the closest to you and you had to crane your neck to see him. Once you caught a glimpse of his face, which was lit by the dying embers of the fire, time seemed to slow. Your eyes met and you could hear him audibly gasp.

That trigged noise in the rest of the group that you didn’t quite understand. Emily gave a little clap, Jared and Kim giggled with each other and you were sure Sam was almost sighing in relief.

You snapped out of the trance and almost reluctantly pulled your gaze away.

“It’s lovely to meet you all, and thank you for being so welcoming.” You smiled, not realising your whole life was about to change.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Part two

Well looks who’s branching out from Bridgerton. Thought it was time to go back to my fanfic writing roots, I almost feel like I’m 13 again. Anyone keen in a part two?

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The Hanford nuclear site was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, and over the next four decades produced nearly two-thirds of the plutonium for the US’s nuclear weapons supply, including the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

During its lifespan, hundreds of billions of gallons of liquid waste were dumped in underground storage tanks or simply straight into the ground. After the site’s nine nuclear reactors were shut down by 1987, about 56m gallons of radioactive waste were left behind in 177 large underground tanks – two of which are currently leaking – alongside a deeply scarred landscape.

In the decades since, the Yakama Nation has been one of four local Indigenous communities dedicated to the cleanup of this historic landscape. For the Yakama Nation, that has meant tireless environmental and cultural oversight, advocacy and outreach with the hope that one day the site will be restored to its natural state, opening the doors to a long-awaited, unencumbered homecoming.

Today, their outreach work has reached a fever pitch. There are few Yakama Nation elders still alive who remember the area before its transformation, and there are likely decades to go before cleanup is complete. So members are racing to pass on the site’s history to the next generation, in the hopes they can one day take over.

Yakama Nation history on the Hanford site dates back to pre-colonization, when people would spend the winter here fishing for sturgeon, salmon and lamprey in the Columbia River, as well as gathering and trading with other families. In 1855, the Nation ceded over 11m acres of land to the US, which included the Hanford area, and signed a treaty that relegated them to a reservation while allowing the right to continue fishing, hunting, and gathering roots and berries at “all usual and accustomed places”.

But in the 1940’s, the situation shifted dramatically when the area was cleared out to make room for the construction of nuclear reactors.

LaRena Sohappy, 83, vice-chairwoman for Yakama Nation General Council, whose father was a well-known medicine man, grew up in Wapato, about 40 miles from Hanford. She said she remembers the strawberry fields that lined the Hanford site, her family gathering Skolkol, a root and daily food, and traveling to the area for ceremonies.

Her cousin’s family who lived close to Hanford were woken in the middle of the night and forced to leave to make way for the nuclear site, she recalled

“They didn’t have time to pack up anything,” said Sohappy. “They just had to leave and they were never told why and how long they were going to be gone.”

The effort to give Indigenous people a voice in Hanford’s fate was forged in part by Russell Jim, a member of Yakama Nation’s council, whose work has been credited with helping to keep Hanford from becoming a permanent “deep geologic repository”, a place where high-level nuclear waste from this site and others across the country would be stored.

“From time immemorial we have known a special relationship with Mother Earth,” Jim, who died in 2018, said in a statement to the US Senate in 1980. “We have a religious and moral duty to help protect Mother Earth from acts which may be a detriment to generations of all mankind.”

Today, the ER/WM program, which was founded in the early 1980’s with Jim at the helm, includes such staff as a biologist, ecologist and archeologist. It’s funded by the US Department of Energy (DoE), which operates the Hanford site and leads the cleanup process under an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington state department of ecology.

The Yakama Nation program’s focus is on accelerating a thorough cleanup of the site, protecting culturally significant resources and assessing the threats to wildlife and water.

[zvaigzdelasas]

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack on the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far hasn't halted their attacks.[...]

Dujarric said the attacks are causing risks "to property, to life, to ecology in the area."

At the State Department in Washington, spokesman Matthew Miller condemned the attack. "We continue to watch these reckless attacks with no regard for the well being of innocent civilians who are transiting through the Red Sea. And now they have, unfortunately and tragically, killed innocent civilians," he told reporters.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded message, saying its missile fire set the vessel ablaze. He said the rebels' attacks would only stop when the "siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza is lifted."

The rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over the Israel-Hamas war, but up to Wednesday hadn't killed any crew members.[...]

Despite more than a month and a half of U.S.-led airstrikes, Houthi rebels have remained capable of launching significant attacks.

6 Mar 24

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Columbian:

Climate change will cause existing hydroelectric dams to generate more power in the Pacific Northwest and around the lower 48 states in the coming decades. That’s according to projections from an August study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The study looked at how the changing climate will impact weather, and then how that in turn will impact hydroelectric generation between 2020 and 2059 — a period when regional electricity demand is projected to grow.

The findings also come at a time when dams are caught between their important role in meeting Washington’s 2045 fossil fuel-free grid mandate and ever-increasing scrutiny because they harm Native nations and salmon.

Dan Broman, an applied hydro-climatologist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, led the complex, multiyear study. It was completed using computer climate modeling, an approach he described in layperson’s terms as turning a “crank to produce the numbers that are in the study.”

The research used worst-case-scenario climate change projection data. But even those projections, Broman said, line up with more moderate ones until the last decade of the study period.

The model the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory team used projects that by 2050, the Pacific Northwest will have hotter temperatures, drier summers and more precipitation. That precipitation will be increasingly concentrated outside of summer in the spring, fall and winter. Compounding the change, an increasing percentage of it will also fall as rain as opposed to snow as our climate warms. (Those projections are in line with what the Washington Department of Ecology’s Office of the Columbia River found in its most recent long-term water supply and demand forecast.)

In sum, that means more of the water that comes down the Columbia will come outside of summer.

Those changes mean more of the water that comes down the river can be used for hydroelectric generation.

Dams are required in spring and in parts of summer to allow a larger-than-usual percentage of the river to go down spillways as opposed to through their power-generating turbines.

That’s because salmon offspring generally head to sea around those times, and turbines are known to kill about 10-15 percent of fish that pass through them. Newer turbines lower that rate.

Accordingly, more water in the winter means more water flowing through turbines, and that means more power.

More specifically, the study projected that between 2020 and 2039 hydroelectric in the Pacific Northwest will change — somewhere in the range of a decline of 3 percent to an increase of 17 percent. And it will change — between a decline of 6 percent and an increase of 27 percent — in the two decades following that. Changes varied by region of the contiguous U.S.

[inkandguns]

Here we go.. they did stupid shit to cannabis farmers. And the anti-cannabis farmers that supported the government are being bit now.

[sniffanimal]

For today's advancement, I looked into a recent discovery of mine: my town has invasive rodents called nutria, or coypu, that are destroying our rivers.

A lot of different languages call them some variation on 'swamp beaver', which is pretty accurate. They're beaver-like, except their tails are round and hairless like a rat's. I have a fondness for them after reading about them, but I'm also pretty, yanno, logical about ecological systems and invasive species. These guys breed quickly (their lifespan is only about 3 years and they have up to three litters a year of between 1 and 13 babies). They dig burrows underneath slopes of banks, and can go far inland but shallow enough that they can easily create sinkholes and collapse the embankment. They also eat lots of aquatic vegetation that other native species either eat or take shelter in. They also can host a huge amount of diseases that both humans and other animals can catch, including rabies, salmonella, giardia, and parasites. They were originally brought to the united states for fur traders, since their third and shortest layer of fur is apparently really soft and was sought out for fur purposes, but they're not really easy to farm, so most farms shut down and the nutria escaped and became invasive. In Washington, it's legal to trap and kill these in most areas, although the Fish and Game department suggests proactive measures to prevent them from burrowing in the first place, like laying down fence matting on banks and around tree roots. It seems easier, since a bite from them can make you very sick, and they're very violent towards humans, and trapping on some properties might be illegal anyways. Some places seem to try and encourage people to eat them, like in Russia there's a restaurant that's famous for serving bougie nutria even though it's culturally around the world a poor man's meat. However apparently eating undercooked or poorly stored nutria meat can be diseased.

There's a handful of them in a local lake, and finding out these are like the size of housecats floored me. We have toxic 20-30lb beavers just like. in my city. and we hate them. lmao.

Some other invasive species in washington include things like zebra mussels, bullfrogs, and white nose syndrome (a fungus that infects bats). I included a picture from a loteria-style game that the game and fish department has for identifying invasive species! thats fun!

[mightyflamethrower]

A fatal Tesla crash in Spokane County, Washington, has sparked a renewed discussion on the safety and environmental implications of electric vehicles, particularly when they catch fire. One firefighter described the explosion of the electric vehicle built by Elon Musk as “an odd fire because it went off like bottle rockets.”

The Spokesman-Review reports that a farm in Spokane County was rocked by an explosion followed by a fire in June. The incident involved a Tesla vehicle that had crashed and caught fire, leaving the driver dead at the scene. “It was an inferno,” said Chris Mewhinney, a resident of the farm where the crash occurred. The incident has since become a focal point in a broader conversation about the safety and environmental risks associated with electric vehicles (EVs), especially Elon Musk’s popular Tesla EVs.

Pennsylvania Tesla fire (Columbia Volunteer Fire Company of Osceola Mills)

Tesla Crash and fire in Mountain View, CA is being investigated by the NTSB (NTSB)

Firefighters were quick to respond but faced unique challenges in extinguishing the blaze. “It was an odd fire because it went off like bottle rockets,” Mewhinney noted. The electric nature of the vehicle, specifically its battery cells, made the fire more difficult to control. Rex Strickland, deputy fire chief at the Spokane Fire Department, emphasized the hazards, stating, “The smoke that comes off of an electric battery is really, really nasty. Tons of heavy metals, lithium cobalt – really a lot of things that basically never go away and are incredibly carcinogenic.”

The incident has raised questions about the preparedness of emergency services to handle electric vehicle fires. Chief Eric Olson of Spokane County Fire District 2 admitted, “The first thing that was really a big eye-opener for us is that we really didn’t have the ability to identify it as an electrical-vehicle fire.” The department has since updated its equipment and policies, including the purchase of specialized blankets designed to smother electric vehicle fires and reduce toxic emissions.

Beyond immediate safety concerns, the incident has also spotlighted the environmental impact of electric vehicle fires. Damaged battery cells from the Tesla still litter the farm, posing a risk to the environment and a logistical challenge for cleanup. “It just gets very tricky to move damaged batteries around,” said Megan Warfield, battery policy lead at the Department of Ecology.

[coloradoron]

The Boy Who Cried Wolf…

Who is still crying wolf…

With MILLIONS of soft-brained people still believing him.

1967: Dire Famine Forecast By 1975

1969: Everyone Will Disappear In a Cloud Of Blue Steam By 1989 (1969)

1970: Ice Age By 2000

1970: America Subject to Water Rationing By 1974 and Food Rationing By 1980

1971: New Ice Age Coming By 2020 or 2030

1972: New Ice Age By 2070

1974: Space Satellites Show New Ice Age Coming Fast

1974: Another Ice Age?

1974: Ozone Depletion a ‘Great Peril to Life

1976: Scientific Consensus Planet Cooling, Famines imminent

1980: Acid Rain Kills Life In Lakes

1978: No End in Sight to 30-Year Cooling Trend

1988: Regional Droughts (that never happened) in 1990s

1988: Temperatures in DC Will Hit Record Highs

1988: Maldive Islands will Be Underwater by 2018 (they’re not)

1989: Rising Sea Levels will Obliterate Nations if Nothing Done by 2000

1989: New York City’s West Side Highway Underwater by 2019 (it’s not)

2000: Children Won’t Know what Snow Is

2002: Famine In 10 Years If We Don’t Give Up Eating Fish, Meat, and Dairy

2004: Britain will Be Siberia by 2024

2008: Arctic will Be Ice Free by 2018

2008: Climate Genius Al Gore Predicts Ice-Free Arctic by 2013

2009: Climate Genius Prince Charles Says we Have 96 Months to Save World

2009: UK Prime Minister Says 50 Days to ‘Save The Planet From Catastrophe’

2009: Climate Genius Al Gore Moves 2013 Prediction of Ice-Free Arctic to 2014

2013: Arctic Ice-Free by 2015

2014: Only 500 Days Before ‘Climate Chaos’

1968: Overpopulation Will Spread Worldwide

1970: World Will Use Up All its Natural Resources

1966: Oil Gone in Ten Years

1972: Oil Depleted in 20 Years

1977: Department of Energy Says Oil will Peak in 90s

1980: Peak Oil In 2000

1996: Peak Oil in 2020

2002: Peak Oil in 2010

2006: Super Hurricanes!

2005 : Manhattan Underwater by 2015

1970: Urban Citizens Will Require Gas Masks by 1985

1970: Nitrogen buildup Will Make All Land Unusable

1970: Decaying Pollution Will Kill all the Fish

1970s: Killer Bees!

UPDATE:

42. 1975: The Cooling World and a Drastic Decline in Food Production

43. 1969: Worldwide Plague, Overwhelming Pollution, Ecological Catastrophe, Virtual Collapse of UK by End of 20th Century

44. 1972: Pending Depletion and Shortages of Gold, Tin, Oil, Natural Gas, Copper, Aluminum

45. 1970: Oceans Dead in a Decade, US Water Rationing by 1974, Food Rationing by 1980

46. 1988: World’s Leading Climate Expert Predicts Lower Manhattan Underwater by 2018

47. 2005: Fifty Million Climate Refugees by the Year 2020

48. 2000: Snowfalls Are Now a Thing of the Past

49.1989: UN Warns That Entire Nations Wiped Off the Face of the Earth by 2000 From Global Warming

50. 2011: Washington Post Predicted Cherry Blossoms Blooming in Winter because of global warming

[evoldir]

Fwd: Graduate position: UMissouriStLouis.AntherEvolution

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Graduate position: UMissouriStLouis.AntherEvolution > Date: 26 September 2024 at 06:31:57 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > Are you fascinated by the diversity of plants and their reproductive > structures? Is your goal a career in academia, biotechnology, agriculture, > or government agencies in the most botanically focused city in the > world? The Marchant Lab is opening at the University of Missouri > – St. Louis and is recruiting PhD students to start Summer or Fall > 2025. We are particularly interested in students with a background > in plant biology, cellular biology, developmental biology, evolution, > bioinformatics, or conservation; however, highly self-motivated students > with a passion for botany and science are welcome to get in touch. > > Who we are: The Marchant Lab (https://ift.tt/1OCZXm6) is an > innovative and collaborative research group at the forefront of both > applied and basic plant sciences. We use single-cell RNA-sequencing > (scRNA-seq), comparative genetics/genomics, and digitized herbarium > specimens to investigate questions in plant reproductive biology, > development, ecology, and evolution using both model and non-model plant > systems. We are particularly interested in the biology and evolution > of anthers. In the lab you will pursue a primary project plus there are > ample opportunities for collaborative projects within the lab and with > diverse cooperators.  The lab atmosphere is supportive, inquisitive, > and committed to providing each student with the most effective training > cognizant with individual goals. > > Where we are: We are based in the Biology Department at the University > of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL). With its world-class universities (UMSL, > Washington University, St. Louis University), research institutions > (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Missouri Botanical Garden), and > agricultural companies (Bayer, Pivot Bio, Yield Lab), St. Louis has the > highest concentration of plant science PhDs in the world and is an ideal > setting for anyone interested in plant biology. St. Louis is one of the > most livable cities in the US and was recently ranked the top city to > start a career in. > > If you are interested in joining the lab, email Dr. Marchant > (dm9vh@umsl.edu) your CV and a brief statement on your background and > research interests. > > Applications for the UMSL Biology PhD program are due by December 15th > and applications for the Masters program are considered on a rolling > basis. Teaching and/or research assistantships are guaranteed for > PhD students for five years. The Marchant Lab welcomes international > graduate students; however, please get in touch well before the December > deadline as your applications must also go through the International > Students Office. > > > > "Marchant, D. Blaine"

[notwiselybuttoowell]

SEATTLE, WA – A new bill announced today by Washington State Senator Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island) and Representative Liz Berry (D-Queen Anne) would reduce waste by cutting back on the growing amount of “unnecessary” packaging. The Washington Recycling and Packaging Act would hold companies responsible for managing and improving recycling, while at the same time offering incentives for waste reduction.

Rolfes says half of all packaging material in Washington ends up in landfills and incinerators. She adds that bills similar to the WRAP Act have been in place in other regions for years.

Backers of the proposed measure also hope the WRAP Act will help cut the amount of plastics getting into the State’s waterways.

According to Zero Waste Washington, the WRAP Act also includes a “bottle bill” section.

“If passed, consumers will pay a 10 cents fee on beverage containers and then redeem the 10 cents at drop locations. When people return their bottles and cans, the redemption is credited to their online account and the funds can be redeemed for cash, put into a college savings account, or donated to nonprofits across the state, including schools and clubs,” the group says on its website.

This bill implements the top recommendations in the Department of Ecology’s Plastics Study (October 2020) which was required by Senator Rolfes’ SB5397 in 2019 to address the State’s recycling crisis and the increasing amount of plastic pollution. It still needs approval from the Senate and House, and a signature from the Governor.

[jonfarreporter]

Meso-American Culture and Art Comes Alive at 2nd Annual “Milagros and Memories” Exhibition in Sausalito

Among the nine artists participating in the upcoming “Milagros & Memories” exhibit at the Sausalito Center for the Arts are Juan Fuentes and Calixto Robles.

Both artists use their art to promote awareness and social change for Meso-American people. They are of Mexican heritage and ancestry, yet their art is varied in expression and reaches out to a wider audience. 

While each of the two are different and unique, as artists of vision and dedication, they both embrace the rich cultural tapestry of the Americas which goes beyond Mexico.

They both understand the reality that indigenous peoples throughout the Americas are and have always been imbedded in so many ways in the land and its biodiverse, ecological topography.

Long before Europeans and other settlers arrived in the Americas, indigenous people thrived and built communities, cities and civilizations. Despite the colonial conflicts and efforts to eradicate indigenous people and their existence from the land, they endured. 

It is this struggle and endurance that both artists in their own way want to highlight.

Robles is from Oaxaca Mexico and moved to San Francisco in 1983. As a painter, printmaker, and ceramic sculptor, the inspiration he gets from Meso-American and indigenous or what he prefers to refer to as ‘First Nation people’s culture’ is essential. 

Robles likes to incorporate sacred imagery of ancient Eastern as well as Western cultures into his art pieces. Robles uses natural and supernatural figures such as angels, eagles, jaguars, horses, hearts and moons.

“I have had shows at the De Young Museum, San Francisco, The Oakland Museum, The Mexican Cultural Center in Paris France, the Museo de la Estampa, in Mexico City, and Biblioteca de La Habana, in Habana, Cuba,” he said. 

Like Robles, Fuentes has used printmaking techniques in his art. Born in Artesia, New Mexico, Fuentes was inspired by the Chicano Movement. 

“This will be my first time to exhibit at the Sausalito Center for the Arts,” said Fuentes. “And, it's an honor to be able to share my work with a new audience and community.”

His mentors were Rupert Garcia and Malaquias Montoya. Over the years, Fuentes has dedicated his art as a cultural activist to support and be part of a global movement for social change. 

Fuentes’ silkscreen posters and relief prints have addressed many issues as they relate to communities of color, social justice, racism, and international struggles for liberation.

Both artists have received accolades and are well-established and respected. 

Fuentes has taught at the Mission Campus/City College of SF, the California College of the Arts, Oakland CA and he was visiting faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute’s print department. 

Fuentes was also director of Mission Grafica at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Since 2005, he has received several prestigious awards and honors. 

Like Robles’ work, Fuentes’ prints and posters reside in various institutions and museums including, the Mexican Museum of San Francisco, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum, the Library of Congress, and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles. 

Fuentes’ studio ‘Pajaro Editions’ is part of Consejo Grafico Nacional, a collective (coalition) of Chicano/Latino print studios, headquartered in New York City. 

 Fuentes’ work is also featured at CEMA, the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, University of Santa Barbara. Because of the impact of his work, CEMA has also set up a personal archive for his works. 

Needless to say, both artists have had their art exhibited locally, nationally and internationally at various times in many places. 

What many people don’t realize is that Mexican art has a long and rich history. Since its earliest days in the 1300s, Mexico City has been a major center.

And, while often people think of Mayan, Aztec and Olmec art as central to its artistic expression, Mexico City for example, has been a center for contemporary art, Freda Khalo and muralist Diego Rivera are among many. There are many, many more. This is why Mexican art is flourishing like at the Zona Maco Festival for more than two decades. 

One of the most prolific opportunities for contemporary Mexican art to be expressed is during the “Day of the Dead” celebrations. This is something that Fuentes understands as he said.

“I have participated in ‘Day of The Dead’ celebrations throughout the years, mainly in the Mission Community of San Francisco.”

“It is a beautiful celebration,” he continued. “And, it gives us a chance to reflect on those loved one's that have passed.”

“It is also a reminder of our own mortality, said Fuentes and the need to celebrate each day with the rising of the sun.”

 Making the most of the opportunity, this coming Oct 5, the Sausalito Center for the Arts (SCA) will be celebrating “the Day of The Dead,” with a 2nd annual “Milagros & Memories” month-long exhibit and benefit fundraiser. 

“This exhibit promises to bring a new appreciation for the modern and edgy images created by the highly celebrated artists in this unique exhibition,” said SCA executive director, Shiva Pakdel.

“The gripping and highly symbolic art represents a complex and dynamic culture, said Pakdel, that pulls elements from its historical Mexican, Latin, and indigenous roots, all presented with a modern twist.” 

The participants in the exhibit are:

Juan Fuentes

Calixto Robles

Alexandra Blum

Guillermo Kelly

Alejandra Chaves

Andrea Gonzales

Sol Navarrete

Isidoro Angeles

Licita Fernandez

A collection of artist Michael Roman will also be featured. Known as “The Latino Wild-Style” artist, Roman was prolific in using many different techniques. He died in 2016, but his work lives on. 

“Each artist’s work is highly stylistic, rich with symbols and colors creating images that are visually stunning and contemporary,” added Pakdel.

MILAGROS & MEMORIES: Celebrating the work of iconic Latin American artists of the San Francisco Bay Area Opens on October 5 and continues until November 10. For more information visit the SCA website.

[unadulteratednightmarepoetry]

Three years ago, the Capitol Hill riots in the United States shocked the world, exposing the facade of "American style democracy" and severely damaging the international image of the United States. Three years later, the shadow of this event not only did not dissipate, but also continued to have an impact on the political ecology of the United States. Analysts point out that as the United States enters an election year, its domestic party and political conflicts become more prominent, and the political and legal disputes surrounding the Capitol Hill riots will become increasingly intense. The United States is likely to fall into more political turmoil. Democracy collapsed. After the 2020 US presidential election, then US President and Republican Trump refused to give up to his Democratic opponent Biden and repeatedly claimed that there was large-scale fraud in the election. On January 6, 2021, a large number of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol building, disrupting the process of verifying the presidential election results and creating a notorious scene of the Capitol Hill riots. The incident resulted in 5 deaths, hundreds of police officers injured, and millions of dollars in property damage. This riot lasted for several hours and was recorded in front of live cameras, shocking the United States and the international community, further undermining the image of the so-called "beacon of democracy" in the United States. The Washington Post article believes that the Capitol Hill riots are an extreme sign of the abnormal functioning of American democracy. Ian Bremer, President of the Eurasian Group, a political risk consulting firm in the United States, once commented that "there is no advanced industrial country in the world that is more politically divided or dysfunctional than the United States." After the Capitol Hill riots, the Democratic controlled House of Representatives once again impeached Trump, accusing him of "inciting rebellion," but this impeachment clause was not passed in the Senate. The House Democrats later established an investigation committee and released an investigation report, stating that the core cause of the Capitol Hill riots was Trump. Trump denied any responsibility for the Capitol Hill riots and called it an unfortunate and out of control protest rather than a "rebellion," while accusing Democrats of continuing to persecute him politically. As of the end of 2023, over 1200 people in the United States have been arrested for their involvement in the Capitol Hill riots. They have been charged with charges ranging from minor offenses of trespassing to serious offenses of conspiring to rebel. More than 700 people have pleaded guilty, about 170 have been convicted after trial, and only 2 have been acquitted. The US Department of Justice has stated that the Capitol Hill riot investigation may be one of the most prosecuted and evidence-based investigations in US history.

[anumberofhobbies]

As a result, much of this coastline has held, putting North Cove at the forefront of a global shift in how communities protect their coastlines as sea levels rise. Engineers—who have long depended on rigid sea walls—are now closely watching this softer approach. North Cove’s solution, which resembles the techniques many Indigenous communities use to cultivate shellfish, looks less like the conventional structures engineers know, and more like the dunes and berms that centuries of storms and tides build on their own. Cottrell stood in the salty breeze, wearing his signature black Carhartt jacket. On the back, hand-painted letters read “Washaway No More.” Most days, he walks the beach, troubleshooting the remaining hotspots with landowners and explaining the still-evolving project to visitors. “The people that get this best are surfers and Buddhists,” Cottrell had told me earlier. “In a situation that’s in constant flux, what you want to do is position yourself to go with it.” North Cove was built on land near the Columbia River outlet that has always been at the mercy of intense waves, El Niño-driven storms, tidal currents, flowing sediment, and tangles of driftwood. Over millennia, these forces built a long sandy spit at the mouth of Willapa Bay. Storms swept sand away each winter, then currents replenished it each summer—until they didn’t, Cottrell said, for reasons scientists are only beginning to understand. Maps show that the trend had started by the early 1900s; researchers believe a series of jetties and the 1930s damming of the Columbia, both of which changed sediment flow in the region, contributed to it. Over decades, the spit was whittled down to a nub. The rising tides and intensifying storms of climate change only hastened its undoing. That collision of forces made Washaway Beach a terrible candidate for any protective efforts, Washington Department of Ecology coastal engineer George Kaminsky told me. But since Cottrell couldn’t make anything worse, he decided to try something unorthodox, setting the stage for an experiment whose results global experts, including Kaminsky, are now researching.

[fishingproo]

When Does Puyallup River Open for Fishing?

When planning your next fishing trip, knowing when does the Puyallup River open for fishing is essential for maximizing your experience on this beautiful waterway. The Puyallup River, located in Washington State, is renowned for its rich ecosystem and variety of fish species, making it a popular destination for both novice and experienced anglers. Understanding the fishing regulations and seasonal openings can enhance your chances of a successful catch.

Typically, the Puyallup River opens for fishing in late spring and continues through the summer and fall months. The exact opening dates can vary each year based on water conditions and fish populations. It’s crucial for anglers to stay informed about the latest updates from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), as they determine when does the Puyallup River open for fishing based on assessments of fish stocks, particularly salmon and steelhead.

During the fishing season, the river offers a diverse array of species, including salmon, trout, and steelhead. Salmon fishing generally peaks in late summer and early fall, with various species entering the river to spawn. The timing of these runs influences when does the Puyallup River open for fishing, and specific regulations are established to ensure sustainable fishing practices. This includes daily catch limits and designated fishing areas that help protect fish populations and their habitats.

Anglers should also be aware of the importance of local regulations when planning their fishing trips. This includes checking for any special permits required for certain sections of the river, as fishing laws can differ significantly between private, state-managed, and tribal waters. Therefore, understanding when does the Puyallup River open for fishing also involves being knowledgeable about the rules and restrictions in place to maintain the ecological balance of the river.

In addition to understanding the seasonal openings and regulations, paying attention to environmental conditions can greatly enhance your fishing experience. Factors such as weather patterns, water temperature, and river flow can impact fish behavior and migration. Engaging with local fishing communities, online forums, or experienced anglers can provide valuable insights into the best times to fish.

In conclusion, knowing when does the Puyallup River open for fishing is crucial for a successful and enjoyable fishing adventure. By staying informed about seasonal openings, regulations, and environmental factors, anglers can make the most of their time on the water. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting, the Puyallup River offers an excellent fishing experience waiting to be explored. Happy fishing!