TO OTHER COLLEGE PRESIDENTS: THIS IS HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS ON CAMPUS

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 30, 2024 · 1:20 AM PDT

2024/04/30 · 01:20

Fall Campus — Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut

I am a proud graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, and was a proud student-activist back in the day. Wesleyan has a long history of student-activism.

Under the subject heading Campus Protests, we Wesleyan graduates received this email today:

Dear Alumni,
The following email was just sent to the campus community from President Michael S. Roth '78.

Sincerely,

Frantz Williams '99
Vice President for Advancement

President Michael Roth is setting an example of how to navigate Pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Other college Presidents can learn from him. This is a textbook-perfect primer of how to do it properly, step-by-step:

HOW TO NAVIGATE DIVISIVE CAMPUS PROTESTS

Make sure students know that they are in violation of campus rules, what the rules are, and "seem willing to accept the consequences."
Acknowledge that the protest has been peaceful, non-violent and non-disruptive.
Set clear parameters: "As long as it continues this way, the university will not attempt to clear the encampment." The implication is that the university will attempt to clear it if it does not continue this way. Clear, consistent parameters are essential.
"The University will not tolerate intimidation or harassment of students, staff, or faculty. Protesters assure us that they have no intention of engaging in these kinds of actions." Get buy-in from the protesters on the parameters.
TURN IT INTO A LEARNING EXPERIENCE: "There will be many on campus who cheer on the protesters, and many who are offended or even frightened by their rallies and messages. But as long as we all reject violence, we have opportunities to listen and to learn from one another. This may not happen during the chanting and drumming, but it can happen during some of the planned discussion sessions and deep conversations that will take place throughout the week."

That’s it. Set parameters; establish consequences; get buy in from the students that they will abide by the parameters or willingly accept the consequences; Allow opportunity students to listen and learn from each other.

It’s so simple. So why aren’t other universities doing this?

Here is the letter that went out from President Roth, in full.

Dear friends,

This morning you can find pro-Palestinian protesters camped out behind North College. The students there know that they are in violation of university rules and seem willing to accept the consequences. The protest has been non-violent and has not disrupted normal campus operations. As long as it continues in this way, the University will not attempt to clear the encampment. The University will not tolerate intimidation or harassment of students, staff, or faculty. Protesters assure us that they have no intention of engaging in these kinds of actions. We will continue to monitor the situation to keep everyone safe and will send updates as necessary.

There will be many on campus who cheer on the protesters, and many who are offended or even frightened by their rallies and messages. But as long as we all reject violence, we have opportunities to listen and to learn from one another. This may not happen during the chanting and drumming, but it can happen during some of the planned discussion sessions and deep conversations that will take place throughout the week.

This is a challenging time in world affairs and in the lives of many—including college students—concerned about their own relation to the brutal war in the Middle East. May we at Wesleyan find ways to learn from this difficult moment—determining what it is we can do to serve the goal of a sustainable peace—even as we finish out this academic year.

With hope,

Michael S. Roth

President

Stranded Orca Calf Swims Free

scooba

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 29, 2024 · 8:44 PM PDT

2024/04/29 · 20:44

SRKW orca spyhopping — A photo of a Southern Resident killer whale from the Daily Kos image library, originally uploaded by David Neiwert. The Zeballos lagoon orca calf appears in photos and videos in some of the linked news stories. She is a Bigg's or transient killer whale.

An orca calf stranded for approximately the last month in a remote lagoon near the tiny community of Zeballos, on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, swam out of the lagoon on her own at about 2:30 am Friday morning, April 26th.

The two-year-old Bigg’s killer whale had entered the lagoon with her pregnant mother while hunting seals. On March 23^rd, her mother beached on a sandbar and died despite strenuous attempts by locals to save her. The calf was left alone and stranded because she would or could not swim through the narrow bottleneck past the rocky beach where her mother had perished. In the lagoon, the calf was isolated, with a limited food supply. Orcas depend on their mothers for at least two years after birth and spend their entire lives in family groups. Unlike the family groups of other ecotypes of orcas, those of Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transient killer whales, are matriarchal.

The calf, named kwiisahi?is or “Brave Little Hunter” by local First Nations members, attracted intense concern and eventually became an international news story. Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations leaders, staff of the Vancouver Aquarium, Canadian government officials, marine mammal experts, boat, drone, and heavy machine operators, fishermen, and others collaborated in efforts to monitor, comfort, and rescue the calf. Ehattesaht members prayed, drummed, and sang to her from canoes and a violinist played to her from shore. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent messages of support.

An attempt by a 50-person team to use boats, drones, divers, and underwater detection equipment to capture kwiisahi?is in a sling and net in order to transport her outside of the lagoon failed when the wily calf managed to evade her would-be rescuers. Immediately, Indigenous leaders and allies began planning another elaborate rescue. In the meantime, observers noticed the calf feeding on herring and even birds, something of a surprise since Bigg’s killer whales had been generally thought to feed exclusively on marine mammals. As a result, rescue plans were put on hold. A day or so later, Ehattesaht members celebrated when the orca accepted and ate seal meat they threw to her. This development gave hope that Brave Little Hunter could be lured out of the lagoon with food, eliminating the need for a risky and expensive capture-and-release rescue.

In the wee hours of April 26^th, four members of the Ehattesaht and Nuchatlaht First Nations enticed the young orca to exit the lagoon by tossing sea lion meat from a small inflatable boat. After “breaching and playing,” Brave Little Hunter took advantage of high tide and the calm, starlit night to swim safely past the beach, under a bridge, and out of the lagoon into Little Espinosa inlet by herself. From there, kwiisahi?is should be able to reach the open ocean and potentially her extended family.

“We were just amazed . . . how the behaviour of this animal changed when it went from the shallow inlets, where it was restricted, to these wide-open inlets that are very deep,” said Paul Cottrell, a marine mammal expert coordinating with the Canadian Fisheries Department and First Nations leaders. “Her behaviour, her acoustics changed. She actually sped away from the boat and moved into Esperanza Inlet and really took off from the group.” Cottrell, who has been involved in planning kwiisahi?is’s rescue for the past month, and who has worked on numerous other British Columbia whale rescues, described the event as “one of the best experiences” of his life.

Experts are encouraged by the young orca’s resilience and optimistic for her long-term survival. Once she is back in the open ocean, her vocalizations should be audible to other whales, increasing the chances that she can find and rejoin her family group. If Brave Little Hunter is not reunited with other orcas, her odds of long-term survival decrease.

The rescue team will continue to monitor and protect the calf from contact with boats and people in coming weeks. Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cetology, has offered his organization’s AI technology and photo identification database to track and locate Brave Little Hunter’s family. The last reported sighting of Bigg’s killer whales was southwest of Zeballos weeks ago, near Ucluelet.

“Events like these have a deeper meaning and the timing of her departure will be thought about, talked about and felt for generations to come,” said the Ehattesaht in a public statement.

Kwiisahi?is departed the inlet on the 20-year anniversary of Ehattesaht Chief Simon John’s daughter’s violent death. “It’s been a joyful day, a really joyful day,” said Chief John. “I’m very ecstatic how things happened today.”

I posted an earlier diary about the stranded orca on April 17:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/4/17/2235727/-Orphaned-Orca-Calf-Trapped-in-Vancouver-Lagoon-Inspire

Many thanks to Canadian Kitty, who provided local perspective and useful links in the comments to the earlier diary.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/killer-whale-calf-trapped-in-bc-swims-out-of-lagoon

https://westcoastnow.ca/2024/04/26/orca-calf-known-as-brave-little-hunter-swims-free-after-being-trapped-in-bc-lagoon/

https://www.theskeena.com/2024/04/04/orphaned-orca-zeballos-kwiisahiis/

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/stranded-orca-calf-swims-out-of-b-c-lagoon-where-she-was-trapped-for-weeks-1.6863243

https://www.orcaconservancy.org/transient-killer-whales

https://www.nuchatlaht.com

https://ehattesaht.com

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - May 2024

gmoke

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 29, 2024 · 8:34 PM PDT

2024/04/29 · 20:34

Energy (and Other) Events Monthly - May 2024

These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them. This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https://theworld.com/~gmoke/AList.index.html).

A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn’t already been done.

If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.

Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com

http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency

https://zeronetenrg.blogspot.com - zero net energy links list

http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds

More details on each event available at https://hubevents.blogspot.com/2024/04/energy-and-other-events-monthly-may-2024.html

which is also available as a free listserv.

———
Index
———

A Looming Famine: Starvation in Gaza Date & Time

Tuesday, April 30

11:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Online

RSVP at https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iunXWSKOSGySlZVJWMOn-w#/registration

----------

National Climate Resilience Framework: Food, Land and Water

Tuesday, April 30

3pm - 4pm ET [12pm to 1pm PT]

Online

RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZoB3jvk8S7CRgmnoxnmhww#/registration

-----------

From Data to Action: Leveraging Data Science for Effective Health Policy and Surveillance Against Emerging Infectious Disease Threats.

Tuesday, April 30

3:00 – 5:00 PM EST

BU, 72 East Concord St, Room L-403, Boston, MA

RSVP in person at https://www.bu.edu/ceid/2024/04/10/from-data-to-action-leveraging-data-science-for-effective-health-policy-and-surveillance-against-emerging-infectious-disease-threats/

And online

RSVP at https://bostonu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nPA7uS8ORMGx2dbJTWCj3Q#/

-----------

'True False, Hot Cold': Film Screening & Discussion

Tuesday, April 30

4:30pm to 6:30pm

MIT, Building 55, Atrium 21 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139

------------

ISO-NE Public Forum on the 2050 Transmission Study

Wednesday, May 1

10:00 a.m. (running for approximately 90 minutes)

Online

RSVP at https://www.iso-ne.com/event-details?eventId=154784

-----------

De-poisoning Catalysts for Sustainable Chemical Processing

Wednesday, May 1

12 – 1 p.m.

Online

RSVP at https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2024-jane-p-chang-fellow-presentation-virtual

----------

The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from Our Bodies to Our Beliefs

Wednesday, May 1

7:00 PM ET

Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

RSVP at https://www.harvard.com/event/sabrina_sholts/

-----------

Food Waste: Whose responsibility is it?

Thursday, May 2

9:00 - 10:30 ED [GMT-4]

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-waste-whose-responsibility-is-it-tickets-853808573427

----------

Meeting Investor Expectations: Introducing the Nature Action 100 Company Benchmark

Thursday, May 2

10:00 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Online

RSVP at https://ceres-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aTxpuCB7Qi2AM_1YXsuR3w#/registration

----------

Future of Energy and Power Grids by 2050 Webinar-ICWS North America Chapter

Thursday, May 2

10 - 11:30am EDT

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-of-energy-and-power-grids-by-2050-webinar-icws-north-america-chapter-tickets-814182129667

Cost: $45

----------

World Press Freedom Day - The Intersections of Press Freedom and the Environment

Thursday, May 2

12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Online

RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yuNtVb5ZSjGybsi9N2lstQ#/registration

------------

Exploring Mars and the moon

Thursday, May 2

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

Online

RSVP at https://www.brookings.edu/events/exploring-mars-and-the-moon/

-----------

Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate

Thursday, May 2

4:30 pm – 5:45 pm

Princeton, McCosh Hall, Room 50, Princeton, NJ

And online

RSVP at https://princeton.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RvMbWbIRSqiM6pkPhIxrhg#/registration

----------

American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion

Thursday, May 2

8:00PM ET

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-an-evening-with-american-precariat-tickets-872754521267

----------

Processes of Dispossession, the Imminent Collapse of Tunisian Oases (and what can we do about it)

Friday, May 3

2 – 3:30 p.m.

Harvard, CMES, Room 102, 38 Kirkland Street, Cambridge

RSVP at https://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/event/processes-dispossession-imminent-collapse-tunisian-oases-and-what-can-we-do-about-it

----------

Beyond the Forecast: The Interplay of Climate Change and Health

Saturday, May 4

12pm EDT [9am MST]

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-forecast-the-interplay-of-climate-change-and-health-tickets-881067024187

----------

The Spring 2024 Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP

Saturday, May 4

NOON to 2 pm

Rain date—in case of DOWNPOUR—is Sunday May 5, 12-2

at Fayette Park (near the corner of Broadway and Fayette Street)

----------

Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island Welcome Meeting

Sunday, May 5

3:00 PM

RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kfuGurTkpHtCocGTXeF0iIQqvxXJgxMtc#/registration

----------

Carbon and Biodiversity Consequences of Increasing Tree Cover in Savannas

Monday, May 6

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Princeton, Guyot Hall, Room 10, Princeton, NJ

And online

RSVP at https://princeton.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZdneMRMCQkq_mwSQzJ8g4w#/registration

----------

Farming the Future: Livestock's Leap to Net Zero

Monday, May 6

4 PM ET

Online

RSVP at https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2024-ermias-kebreab-lecture-virtual

----------

Reducing GHG for Buildings and Industry Essential to Meeting 2030 and 2050 Targets

Monday, May 6

7:30pm to 8:20pm ET [4:30pm to 5:20pm PT]

Stanford, Skilling Building, Skilling Auditorium, 494 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

And online

RSVP at https://events.stanford.edu/event/the_energy_seminar_8787

----------

Bridging the Humanitarian, Peacebuilding, and Development Nexus: Building systems for Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Populations Affected by War, Forced Displacement, and Resettlement through an Implementation Science Lens

Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8

6:00am to 1:00pm

Dial-In Information at https://vimeo.com/event/4064273/0c130e98b9

----------

Power & People Symposium: Mapping Community Exposure to Energy Infrastructure

Tuesday, May 7

9:00 am to 4:00 pm

BU, Building Center for Computing & Data Sciences (CDS), 665 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 1750, Boston, MA

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/power-people-symposium-tickets-877370247027

----------

Get Smart Quickly on Climate Change from MIT

Tuesday, May 7

12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Online

RSVP at https://mit.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L9wfetErRc6eZZd5D4S-Jg#/registration

----------

Bridging the Climate Science-Practice Divide through Community Engaged Research: Insights from the Caribbean

Tuesday, May 7

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Princeton, 10 Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ

And online

RSVP at https://princeton.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_im0lHoLvTfyYW_9aTu8wtQ#/registration

-----------

Forum on The Boston Foundation's Food, Fuel and Shelter Fund

Wednesday, May 8

9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

RSVP at https://www.tbf.org/Events/2024/May/Food-Fuel-and-Shelter-Fund-Forum

----------

Making Climate Tech Work: Policies that Drive Innovation

Wednesday, May 8

2:30pm to 3:20pm ET [11:30am to 12:20pm PT]

Stanford, Mitchell Earth Sciences, Room 350, 397 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

And online

RSVP at https://events.stanford.edu/event/may-8th-speaker-series-event-alon-tal

----------

How Might Genetic Technologies Contribute to Addressing Climate Change?

Wednesday, May 8

5-7 PM ET

BU Computing and Data Science (CDS) Conference Center17th floor, room CDS 1750, 665 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

RSVP at https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cD6jfyNet7PM5WC

----------

Climate LIVE K12: Disasters and Climate Change in the Caribbean

Wednesday, May 8

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Online

RSVP at https://events.columbia.edu/cal/event/eventView.do?b=de&calPath=/public/cals/MainCal&guid=CAL-00bbdb7c-8b1dcd5f-018b-200ea6a9-00005636events%40columbia.edu&recurrenceId=

----------

Tropical Forest Resilience Under Global Change

Thursday, May 9

11am - 12pm EDT

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tropical-forest-resilience-under-global-change-tickets-875311619617

-----------

Webinar – States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity

Thursday, May 9

2 p.m. ET

Online

RSVP at https://rmi.org/event/webinar-states-in-sync-the-western-win-win-transmission-opportunity/

----------

MIT D-Lab End-of-Semster Student Showcase

Thursday, May 9

7:00pm to 9:00pm

MIT D-Lab, 310 Building N51, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139

-----------

Autonomous Vehicles and the City 2024

Friday, May 10

4:30pm Et [1:30 PM PDT]

The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, Taube Family Auditorium, San Francisco, CA 94105

And online

RSVP at https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2024-05-10/autonomous-vehicles-and-city-2024

Cost: $0 -$25

-----------

Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement's Ground War to End Democracy

Friday, May 10

7:00 PM ET

Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

RSVP at https://www.harvard.com/event/isaac_arnsdorf/

----------

The Move To Zero - How To Get To True Carbon Neutrality

Monday, May 13

7:30pm to 8:20pm ET [4:30pm to 5:20pm PT]

Stanford, Skilling Building, Skilling Auditorium, 494 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

And online

RSVP at https://events.stanford.edu/event/the_energy_seminar_6772

------------

Soil to Foil: Minerals for Sustainable Infrastructure

Tuesday, May 14

12:30pm to 2:00pm

MIT, Building 9-255, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139

-----------

Living Between Worlds, with Grace, Dignity, and Power

Wednesday, May 15

3:00 PM

Online

RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvf-mvrD8qGNUBS287pVRGQr77bUBhKQF4

-----------

The Green Giants: Industry in 2050

Thursday, May 16

9:00 - 10:30 ET [GMT-4]

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-green-giants-industry-in-2050-tickets-853821361677

----------

Mind and Matter: Healing and Mental Health in a Conflict-Driven World

Thursday, May 16

1:00 PM EDT TO 2:00 PM EDT

Online

RSVP at https://pulitzercenter-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pPqVOV1UTLytL_OyuczQuw#/registration

-----------

Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit

Friday, May 17

7:00 PM ET Location

Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

----------

Climate Mobilities: “Justice, Data, and Governance”

Monday, May 20 - Tuesday, May 21

Princeton, Robertson Hall, Bowl 16, Princeton, NJ

And online

RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAzBzxXBPWzylYt8aARwAPDKjWnictaZjxzLcKR07auLb4Pg/viewform

-----------

Simulating Global Climate, Energy, and Land Futures

Monday, May 20

7:30pm to 8:20pm ET [4:30pm to 5:20pm PT]

Stanford, Skilling Building, 494 Lomita Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

And online

RSVP at https://events.stanford.edu/event/the_energy_seminar_8584

------------

Living in a Future City

Tuesday, May 21

9:00 - 11:00 ED [GMT-4]

Online

RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/living-in-a-future-city-tickets-853814491127

-------------

The Light Eaters!

Tuesday, May 21

7pm

Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA 02140

RSVP at https://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/zo%C3%AB-schlanger-author-light-eaters-conversation-katherine-j-wu

------------

Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in a Post-Roe America

Tuesday, May 21

7:00 PM ET

Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138

RSVP at https://www.harvard.com/event/shefali_luthra/

-----------

Using Technology to Eliminate Hidden Emissions of the Furniture Industry

Wednesday, May 22

12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Online

RSVP at https://mit.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RZWASVfgScG4uhUxMPu74A#/registration

----------

Solve at MIT 2024

Wednesday, May 22

2:00pm to 3:30pm

MIT, Building W16: Kresge Auditorium, 48 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, Cambridge, MA 02139

RSVP at https://events.solve.mit.edu/en-us/events/sam-kresge-2024

------------

Scaling Sustainability Innovation: Insights from DOE and Beyond - A Conversation with Dr. Steve Chu

Wednesday, May 22

2:30pm to 3:20pm ET [11:30am to 12:20pm PT]

Stanford, Mitchell Earth Sciences, 350, 397 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

And online

RSVP at https://events.stanford.edu/event/sustainability-accelerator-speaker-series-a-conversation-with-professor-steve-chu

----------

The Walls Have Eyes!

Wednesday, May 22

7pm

Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA 02140

RSVP at https://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/petra-molnar-author-walls-have-eyes

----------

Transitioning to the Future Grid in MA

Thursday, May 23

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 600 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02210

RSVP at https://www.masscec.com/event/transitioning-future-grid-ma-event-series-2

----------

The Last Human Job!

Friday, May 24

7pm

Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA 02140

RSVP at https://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/allison-pugh-author-last-human-job-conversation-carolyn-hax

----------

Building Social Capital for Climate Resilient Communities

Thursday, June 6

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Foley Hoag 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA 02210

And online

RSVP at https://climateadaptationforum.org/event/building-social-capital-for-climate-resilient-communities/

Cost: $15 - $45

-----------

The History of Technology: Past, Present, and Future

Friday, June 7

9:00am to 5:00pm

Saturday, June 8

9am to 3pm

MIT, Building E51, 115 70 MEMORIAL DR, Cambridge, MA 02142

Poll

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WCK Resuming Gaza Operations

Solarman55

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 29, 2024 · 3:22 PM PDT

2024/04/29 · 15:22

I am copying word for word the email I received today from World Central Kitchen. I believe it is vitally important you all get this news of their work, the situation they are dealing with, and the other organizations they mention that are also aiding the Palestinian People.

Donate if you can. Spread the word of WCK’s good work. Through such actions we can each take small actions that accrue to big help.

Dear Mark,

I am writing to share an update on WCK’s work in the Middle East. As you may know, WCK’s aid to Gaza was paused following the death of our seven colleagues killed by an Israeli military strike. Erin Gore, WCK’s CEO, has released this statement announcing that we will resume operations today, Monday, April 29.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We recognize the important role that WCK played - prior to halting our operations, we distributed more than 43 million meals and accounted for 60% of all international NGO aid.

We were faced with a difficult decision - to stop feeding families in Gaza during one of the worst hunger crises ever, or keep feeding, knowing that aid, aid workers and civilians are being targeted. We decided we must keep feeding.

Today, WCK has 276 trucks with the equivalent of almost 8 million meals ready to enter through the Rafah Crossing and we are ready to send trucks into Gaza from Jordan. We continue to explore delivering food and humanitarian goods via the maritime corridor with the support of Open Arms, a Spanish humanitarian organization, and the United Arab Emirates. We are also examining whether Ashdod Port can be utilized to offload relief supplies destined for Gaza.

Additionally, our team is opening a third high production kitchen, named “Damian’s Kitchen” in memory of our skilled kitchen builder, Damian Soból, who was lost in the April 1 attack. Damian’s Kitchen is in Mawasi and adds to WCK’s 68 other community kitchens in Gaza, including two other high production kitchens in Rafah and Deir al Balah.

WCK continues to call for an impartial and international investigation into the IDF attack that took the lives of our colleagues. While the IDF has taken responsibility for the attack and publicly stated they changed their rules of operations, we are seeking answers and advocating for change to better protect all NGO workers bravely serving in Gaza.

As we resume our operations, WCK is working to raise the funds necessary to support our relief efforts in Gaza. We welcome ongoing support for this work.

We are grateful for the outpouring of support from WCK’s global community this past month, supporting the families and loved ones of our team members lost and understanding the need to pause operations. From all of us at WCK - thank you. It is a privilege to stand with you as we resume this work. If you have any questions or would like to connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

All my best,Tunde Wackman
Chief Development Officer
World Central Kitchen
M: +1 202 754 3258
E: tunde@wck.org
W: https://wck.org

Tunde Wackman
Chief Development Officer
World Central Kitchen
M: +1 202 754 3258
E: tunde@wck.org
W: https://wck.org

Cheers and Jeers: Monday

Bill in Portland Maine

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday April 29, 2024 · 12:05 PM PDT

2024/04/29 · 12:05

Cheers and Jeers is a weekday post from the great state of Maine.

Take the C&J Insurrectionist Idiot Quiz—Part X

Sorry for slacking—we haven't done one of these in a while. Same rules as usual: guess which of these are actual recent arrests, pleas, and/or convictions of some of the MAGA ~~hostages~~ cult idiots who took part in the attempted overthrow of the U.S. government on January 6^th, and which are not. Good luck…

1. A former Republican candidate who tried (and failed) to be duly elected as mayor of a city in Connecticut last year is sentenced to prison for trying (and failing) to violently steal the election of the guy who duly won his election as president of the United States.

2. A Kentucky man who was raised on an Amish farm is sentenced to nearly three years in prison for pepper-spraying two Capitol Police officers with one hand while waving around a confederate flag with the other.

3. A Florida hairstylist is arrested and charged with swinging a hot 40-pound curling wand against police officers while yelling, “Stop the steal! End the frizzies!”

Continued...

Poll

883 votes Show Results

What overall grade would you give Pete Buttigieg for the job he's doing as Secretary of Transportation?

883 votes Vote Now!

What overall grade would you give Pete Buttigieg for the job he's doing as Secretary of Transportation?

761 votes

99 votes

3 votes

0 votes

Not sure/No opinion

20 votes

A Jewish, Yale Student's Perspective on His Campus Protest

AvoidAmnesia

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday April 28, 2024 · 12:01 PM PDT

2024/04/28 · 12:01

CNN has published an op-Ed written by Ian Berlin, a philosophical Hasidic Yale student who is participating in the protest against the perpetuation of war in Gaza with continued arms transfers. As a member of the Class of 2024 majoring in ethics, politics and economics, he sheds light on what the protests represent for him. He argues that when people see “pro-Palestinian protesters arrested”, they should eschew the tendency to rely upon “the same tired framework — supposedly antisemitic pro-Palestine activists pitted against Jewish pro-Israel activists — to Yale.”

This young man’s intellectual sophistication is quite evident as his understanding of the protest is not limited by the facile, binary constructions favored by political demagogues or rabid partisans of the Israel-Hamas conflict. He is sensitive to the plight of the thousands of innocent Israelis and Gazans killed and injured, the hostages and their anguished families. His unconstrained empathy motivates him to sing “Mi Shebeirach,” the Jewish prayer for healing, and “Olam Chesed Yibaneh,” which calls for building a world where compassion leads” with students of all faiths during the protest. He argues convincingly that those who use a broad brush to paint all anti-war campus protests as fundamentally anti-Semitic “deny his experience and invalidates the Jewishness of those calling for an end to the violence in Gaza.”

He points to the enormous possibilities for ending human oppression when individuals of all faiths and no faith collaborate in the service of peace as he and his classmates are doing.

I tip my hat off to Mr. Ian Berlin and his broad, multi-faith and multi-racial coalition of anti-war students who have taken a stand against suffering.

Read Ian Berlin’s op-Ed republished by Yahoo News here: www.yahoo.com/...

Earth Matters Archive: 2020-2024

Meteor Blades

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday April 28, 2024 · 11:44 AM PDT

2024/04/28 · 11:44

As the weekly Earth Matters series has been removed from the Front Page at Daily Kos, and I’ve yet to decide whether to continue the series as a community diary, I’ve put together an archive to make it easier for anyone so inclined to find the 116 past editions. The archive entries are arranged oldest first. It should be noted that headlines only relate to two or three of the dozen or so items contained in each edition.

2024

Earth Matters: Kim Stanley Robinson & Michael Mann on doom; 33 green transition myths zapped (April 7, 2024)

Earth Matters: Funding gap hurts UN climate body; Ohio to host largest US agrivoltaic solar farm (March 31, 2024)

Earth Matters: GOP 'energy week' blasts Biden on climate; taxes subsidize polluting plastic makers (March 24, 2024)

Earth Matters: Republican energy-transition saboteurs; Biden's eco-work; are EVs truly green? (March 17, 2024)

Earth Matters: 25 states sue EPA over soot rule; weatherization gets big boost (March 10, 2024)

Earth Matters: No technological miracles needed to address climate; Green New Deal push relaunches (March 3, 2024)

Earth Matters: 5 new monuments would boost Biden's '30 by 30' plan; FEMA gives green grants (February 11, 2024)

Earth Matters: Studies say climate messaging is an election winner, but with what specific message? (February 4, 2024)

Earth Matters: VP Harris on $1 trillion in climate spending; Michael Mann gets his day in court (January 28, 2024)

Earth Matters: Endangering the Endangered Species Act; 'new denial' on climate change at YouTube (January 21, 2024)

Earth Matters: Haley no climate friend; largest renewables project in U.S. history now being built (January 14, 2024)

Earth Matters: Biden's IRA plan extends solar to low-income people, EVs surge (January 7, 2024)

Pakalolo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 27, 2024 · 9:31 PM PDT

2024/04/27 · 21:31

A family uses a boat after fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc in the Githurai area of Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday April 24, 2024. — A family uses a boat after fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc in the Githurai area of Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Heavy downpours in Kenya paralyzed Nairobi for over three days. The Intertropical Convergence Zone is a planetary scale band of heavy rains that encircles Earth near the equator. It is where northeast trade winds and Southeast trade winds collide.

Climate change will move this band northward as the planet heats—increased extreme swings of the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone in a warming climate.

From the study abstract:

Interannual variability of the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) affects hydrological cycles, extreme weather events, ecosystems, agriculture and livelihoods in Atlantic-rim countries. It can experience an interannual extreme swing, moving hundreds of kilometres northwards during boreal spring, causing severe droughts in central-eastern Amazon and floods in northern South America. How its interannual variability will respond to global warming remains unknown. Here using state-of-the-art climate models under a high-emission scenario, we project a more-than-doubling increase of extreme northward swings. This increase from one event per 20.4 years in the twentieth century to one per 9.3 years in the twenty-first century is underpinned by a mean state change of sea surface temperature, with faster warming north of the Equator. The warming differential facilitates the increased frequency of extreme swings, as the ITCZ follows the maximum sea surface temperature. Our finding suggests a substantial increase in ITCZ swing-induced severe droughts/floods in the Atlantic-rim countries.

Climate change is a threat multiplier as the atmosphere can hold more moisture due to warming oceans. Additionally, it is a man-made disaster due to decades of lack of planning and mismanagement. Kenya received close to eighteen inches of rain over three days; hundreds are dead in Kenya, Burundi, and Tanzania. Heavily populated Nairobi suffered severe damage as streets turned to raging rivers.

From CBS News:

Hundreds of people in Tanzania and Kenya are dead after heavy rain during the region's monsoon season, officials said.

Flooding in Tanzania caused by weeks of heavy rain has killed 155 people and affected more than 200,000 others, the prime minister said Thursday.

That is more than double the number of deaths reported two weeks ago as the amount of rainfall increases, especially in the coastal region and the capital, Dar es Salaam. Flooded schools have been closed and emergency services have rescued people marooned by the flood waters. Roads, bridges, railways and other infrastructure have also been destroyed, officials said.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa warned those living in low-lying areas to move to higher ground and urged district officials to ensure that provisions meant for those whose homes were washed away go to those in need of the supplies. He said more than 51,000 households have been affected by the rains.

From BBC:

One of the biggest drivers of heavy rain in East Africa is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

The IOD - often called the "Indian Niño" because of its similarity to its Pacific equivalent - refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in opposite parts of the Indian Ocean.

During a positive phase the waters in the western Indian Ocean are much warmer than normal and this can bring heavier rain regardless of El Niño.

However, when both a positive IOD and an El Niño occur at the same time, as was the case last year, then the rains in East Africa can become extreme.

One of the strongest positive IOD patterns on record coincided with one of the strongest El Niño patterns in 1997 and 1998, with severe flooding reported. These caused more than 6,000 deaths in five countries in the region.

Dan Bacher

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 27, 2024 · 2:40 PM PDT

2024/04/27 · 14:40

Rally and Press Conference at the State Capitol by fishermen and tribal members on July 5, 2023. Photo by Dan Bacher.

Press Advisory for Friday, April 26, 12:30pm

Contact:

Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon: Regina@californiasalmon.org, 541-951-0126

Scott Artis, Golden State Salmon Association: scott@goldenstatesalmon.org, 925-550-9208

Tribes and Fishing Community Hurt by the Declining Health of the Bay-Delta Watershed and Low Salmon Numbers Speak Out

Native Americans, fishing industry and conservation community talk about disastrous salmon numbers, closed fishing season and impacts to culture and livelihoods.

Who: Regina Chichizola (Save California Salmon), Nikcole Whipple (Round Valley Indian Tribes), Kate Lowry (Yurok Tribal member), K'nek'nek' Lowry (Yurok Tribal member), Gia Moreno (Chicana and Native American grassroots activist), Scott Artis (Golden State Salmon Association), Erin Woolley (Sierra Club California)

What: Rally featuring speakers commenting on the impacts of the declining health of the Bay-Delta Watershed, drastically low salmon numbers, and California State Water Resources Control Board’s proposal to adopt exclusionary Voluntary Agreements that will not provide the water flows salmon and the watershed need.

Where: Cal EPA (California Environmental Protection Agency) Building, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA

When: 12:30pm, Friday, April 26

Why: The State Water Resources Control Board (SWB) is in charge of developing and implementing a water control plan for the Bay-Delta but has delayed updating this plan for decades. As part of the Bay-Delta Plan update process, the SWB is considering the adoption of exclusionary Voluntary Agreements that will not provide the water flows the watershed and salmon need and will harm the health of the Bay-Delta ecosystem and the people who rely on it. A low number of salmon predicted to be in the ocean this year has led fishery managers to recently close ocean salmon fishing for 2024 – the second year in a row.

Background: The Bay-Delta watershed covers more than 75,000 square miles and many rivers and is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Native species in the Bay-Delta are experiencing an ecological crisis due to habitat conversion, degraded water quality, harmful algal blooms, reductions in flows, and the inability to access natural habitats that are blocked by dams and levees. This has led to severe decline and extinction of native fish and other aquatic species. The salmon levels have become so low that salmon fishing has been canceled in California for the second year in a row and only the fourth time in history. Climate change and frequent, unpredictable weather patterns leave the health of the Bay-Delta uncertain and especially vulnerable each year. Years of scientific studies have shown that 65% of the water in the Delta watersheds needs to stay in the rivers for clean water and fisheries.

# # # #

For Immediate Release: April 25, 2024

For more information contact:
Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon: Regina@californiasalmon.org, 541-951-0126

Scott Artis, Golden State Salmon Association: scott@goldenstatesalmon.org, 925-550-9208

Ruthie Maloney, North Coast Native Protectors: northcoastnativeprotectors@gmail.com, 707-502-9155

Fishermen and Tribal Members Ask California Water Board to Support Science-Based Water Plan, Deny Voluntary Agreements

Coalition Rally at California State Water Resources Control Board Voluntary Agreement Hearing

California EPA Building, 1001 I street, Sacramento, April 26th, 12:30 pm

Sacramento, California - A coalition of Tribal members, fishermen, and others from all over Northern California will rally and testify before the State Water Resources Control Board to urge them to deny a proposal to replace flow requirements in the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Bay-Delta Plan) with agriculture-led voluntary flow agreements.

Communities from the Klamath River to the South Delta have participated in the science-based Bay-Delta Plan process for almost 15 years and repeatedly seen voluntary agreements and local cooperative solutions in Delta tributary watersheds fail, leading to water quality and salmon crises. On the last day of the State Board Hearing on the Bay-Delta Voluntary Agreements, they will once again urge the Board to heed their warnings.

“For a decade, California water agencies have promised a voluntary agreement to address the deteriorating health in Central Valley rivers and the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. Unfortunately, the process seems less focused on creating a credible agreement than on preventing the State Water Board from actually implementing a plan that recognizes the need for increased cold-water flows,” said Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association. “Yet, during all this inaction, there’s been massive water diversions from our rivers, plummeting salmon populations, closed fishing seasons, and lost jobs. People and our rivers are suffering. It’s unacceptable.”

“Phase 1 of the Bay-Delta Plan, which was based on science and input from impacted communities, was passed 5 years ago. Now due to politics the biggest water users in California are pushing their own weaker plan without including the input of impacted communities, interests, and Tribal governments,” explained Regina Chichizola from Save California Salmon, a Tribally-led environmental group located on the Klamath and Sacramento Rivers. “During this time, salmon numbers have plummeted to the point that most of the salmon runs in the Delta are facing extinction due to the diversions by these same water users. The Trinity River, the Klamath’s largest tributary, is also suffering due to over-diversion for Central Valley agricultural interests. The VA put the fox in charge of the hen house at a time when the Delta watersheds are in crisis.”

"Instead of focusing on the outdated and harmful policies of hoarding water, we should focus on water conservation, recycling, and efficiency,” stated Gia Moreno of Save Hood, a Central Valley non-profit dedicated to protecting the town of Hood. “We can't continue to rely on archaic methods of water conveyance. We can't continue to sacrifice the Delta, the northern river communities, and wildlife because state officials refuse to move us forward. We can't claim to be at the forefront of addressing climate change and protecting the environment while actively working to build infrastructure that will destroy California for future generations."

Atta Stevenson of the California Indian Water Commission said, “The Voluntary Agreements are exclusive of people of color and especially Natives, who rely on water not only for their subsistence but their way of life. I would instead like for a group that includes people of color and Tribal people to decide the Delta Plan together rather than a select special interest group like the VA folks doing it without us. The State of California needs to respect our food subsistence, tribal beneficial uses, and honor us as the original stewards of the state of California."

Today, during testimony, Stevenson told the Water Board that Native people will continue to comment, protest, and show up until they are included in water quality and fisheries decisions, and their water is protected.

The Bay-Delta watershed covers more than 75,000 square miles, many rivers, and is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Native species in the Bay-Delta are experiencing an ecological crisis due to habitat conversion, degraded water quality, harmful algal blooms, reductions in flows, and the inability to access natural habitats that are blocked by dams and levees. This has led to a severe decline and extinction of native fish and other aquatic species. The salmon levels have become so low that salmon fishing has been canceled in California for the second year in a row and only the fourth time in state history.

###

Save California Salmon is dedicated to policy change and community advocacy for Northern California’s salmon and fish dependent people. We support the fisheries and water protection work of the local communities, and advocate effective policy change for clean water, restored fisheries and vibrant communities. We aim to help to support Tribes and the general public in engaging with public comments related to water pollution, fisheries, and beneficial use issues.

The California Indian Water Commission provides Tribes, (federally and non-federally recognized), Tribal People, and communities residing in California to have a voice in water planning, protection of our sacred water, and educating the public about Tribal water rights, and traditional cultural ecological stewardship.

Golden State Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fishermen and women, businesses, restaurants, native tribes, environmentalists, elected officials, families and communities that rely on salmon. GSSA’s mission is to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, commercial, environmental, cultural and health values.

Governor promotes Delta Tunnel, Sites Reservoir as key components of updated California Water Plan

Dan Bacher

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 27, 2024 · 2:40 PM PDT

2024/04/27 · 14:40

Governor Gavin Newsom at April Snow Survey at Phillips Station April 2, 2024 — Governor Newsom at April Snow Survey at Phillips Station. Photo courtesy of DWR.

Philipps Station, CA — At a press event to celebrate the above average snowpack survey in the Sierra Nevada on April 2, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the state’s controversial updated California Water Plan to supposedly “protect California’s water supplies from the climate crisis” while boosting the state’s ability to capture and store water for when dry conditions return.

Among the key components of the plan are the Delta Conveyance Project, Sites Reservoir and the voluntary agreements, anti-environmental schemes that aim to deliver more Delta water to Big Ag oligarchs like Stewart and Lyda Resnick in Kern County at the expense of salmon populations moving closer and closer to extinction.

“In the past few years alone, we’ve gone from extreme drought to some of the most intense rain and snow seasons on record – showcasing the need for us to constantly adapt to how we manage our water supplies,” said Newsom. “ The water plans and strategies we’re implementing are each targeted components of our overall effort to deliver clean water to Californians by capturing, storing, and conserving more water throughout the state. This plan is a critical component of that effort.”

The Governor highlighted several examples of what California has implemented since the last Water Plan, including:

creating a Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge program, capturing and spreading flood flows to recharge aquifers – boosting the state’s water capture and storage abilities.
Integrating climate science and research to help vulnerable communities defend against floods and drought.

California’s other actions to “boost water supplies” cited by Newsom include:

Nearly $9 billion in water investments over the last three years.
Expanded water supply and storage through groundwater recharge and other projects by over 400 billion gallons.
Streamlining projects and limiting litigation delays to spur new and improved water infrastructure.

However, the Governor said “more is needed to expand California’s water supplies.” And of course, that meant promote his pet projects — the Delta Tunnel and Sites Reservoir.

“During this year’s storms alone, the Delta Conveyance Project could’ve captured enough water to supply 9.4 million people; the streamlined Sites Reservoir Project could hold enough water for 3 million households’ yearly usage,” Newsom claimed.

“The Delta Conveyance is foundational, it’s critical, if we’re going to address the issue of climate change. It is a climate project. It is one of the most important projects this state can advance,” Newsom concluded.

Newsom said the water plan is directly tied into today’s snow survey, a key indicator of expected runoff that this plan helps both state and local governments capture and store. It recorded 64 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 27.5 inches, which is 113 percent of average for this location and above average overall.

DWR Director Karla Nemeth also gushed about the California Water Plan Update.

“With climate change posing uncertain challenges, California Water Plan Update 2023 highlights the importance of innovation and investments in the state's watersheds, water systems, and frontline communities,” said Nemeth. “This plan helps build a future where all Californians can be more water resilient and how we can all take action to adapt our communities to thrive in more extreme weather conditions.”

Critics of Newsom’s Delta Tunnel, Sites Reservoir and other water policies said the final version of the California Water Plan asserts equity for “frontline communities,” yet ignores the negative impacts key projects will have on them.

In response, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta, said, “Governor Newsom cannot claim to put water equity and frontline communities at the forefront of his plans while ignoring the catastrophic impact the tunnel will have on environmental justice communities that rely on the Delta for drinking water, food via fishing and farming, and recreation.”

“Dedicating a full chapter to tribal perspectives in the water plan is a start,” Barrigan-Parrilla said, “but the plan fails to protect tribal water rights for those who have stewarded Delta waterways and relied on the Delta for cultural, religious, and subsistence practices essential to tribal identity. We urge the governor to truly and adequately safeguard equity for frontline and tribal communities and prioritize the Bay-Delta Plan over boondoggle projects like the Delta tunnel.”

On January 22, a coalition of environmental and Tribal organizations took legal action in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, against the California Department of Water Resources for violating the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by finalizing the approval for Governor Newsom’s Delta Tunnel project in December 2023.

The groups filing the lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources included The Bay Institute, California Indian Environmental Alliance, Golden State Salmon Association, Restore the Delta, San Francisco Baykeeper, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. The groups are represented by Jason Flanders at Aqua Terra Aeris Law Group and by attorneys at San Francisco Baykeeper.

“The Delta Tunnel is one of the biggest salmon-killing projects in state history, and Governor Newsom has his hand directly on the spigot,” said Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association. “We are witnessing the creation of the next endangered species: the salmon families across California and Oregon who rely on the health of our fishery for their living, their community, and their culture.”

“The governor is doing everything he can to divert water away from our rivers, fish, and people in a vain effort to appease an insatiable industrial agricultural thirst. The salmon industry is already suffering from the Newsom fishing shutdown. California salmon fishing was completely closed in 2023, and is likely to be closed in 2024, because the governor mismanaged our rivers during the drought,” he explained.

Background: salmon, steelhead and Delta Smelt continue on path to extinction

California salmon, steelhead and other fisheries are in their worst crisis ever as Governor Newsom forges ahead with the Delta Tunnel and Sites Reservoir projects.

California salmon fishing was closed in 2023 and will be closed or severely limited this year also. On March 11, the Pacific Fishery Management Council released three recreational fishing alternatives for the Fort Bragg, San Francisco and Monterey Bay regions, including two extremely limited season options and one complete closure option. The Council will make their final decision on April 11.

The 2024 stock abundance forecast for Sacramento River Fall Chinook, often the most abundant stock in the ocean fishery, is only 213,600 adults. Meanwhile, abundance of Klamath River Fall Chinook is forecast at 180,700 adults. “These abundance forecasts are well below average,” according to the CDFW.

Endangered Sacramento River spring and winter-run Chinook also continue their march towards extinction. The spawning escapement of Sacramento River Spring Chinooks (SRSC) in 2023 totaled 1,479 fish (jacks and adults), with an estimated return of 106 to upper Sacramento River tributaries and the remaining 1,391 fish returning to the Feather River Hatchery.

The return to Butte Creek of just 100 fish was the lowest ever. In 2021, an estimated 19,773 out of the more than 21,580 fish total that returned to spawn in the Butte County stream perished before spawning

Nor did the winter run, listed under the state and federal Endangered Species Act, do well. Spawner escapement of endangered Sacramento River Winter Chinook (SRWC) in 2023 was estimated to be 2,447 adults and 54 jacks, according to PFMC data.

A group of us, including the late conservationist and Fish Sniffer magazine publisher Hal Bonslett, successfully pushed the state and federal governments to list the winter run under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts starting in 1990-91 because we were so alarmed that the fish population had crashed to 2,000 fish.

Then in 1992 the run declined to less than 200 fish. Even after Shasta Dam was built, the winter run escapement to the Sacramento River was 117,000 in 1969!

Now we are back to approximately the same low number of winter-run Chinooks that spurred us to push for the listing of the fish as endangered under state and federal law over 30 years ago.

Even more chilling, for the sixth year in a row, zero Delta Smelt were collected in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fall Midwater Trawl (FMWT) Survey in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta from September through December 2023.

Once the most abundant species in the entire estuary, the Delta Smelt has declined to the point that it has become functionally extinct in the wild. The 2 to 3 inch fish, found only in the Delta, is an “indicator species” that shows the relative health of the San Francisco Bay/Delta ecosystem.

Meanwhile, the other pelagic species collected in the survey — striped bass, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail and thread fin shad — continued their dramatic decline since 1967 when the State Water Project went into effect. Only the American shad shows a less precipitous decline.

The graphs in the CDFW memo graphically illustrate how dramatic the declines in fish populations have been over the years: nrm.dfg.ca.gov/…

Groups, Tribe Urge Regulators to Control Toxic Pollution from Selenium Causing Deformities in Fish

Dan Bacher

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 27, 2024 · 2:39 PM PDT

2024/04/27 · 14:39

Captured in the wild and raised in tanks at UC Davis, Sacramento splittail show spinal deformities traced to exposure to selenium. Scientists used the fishes' ear bones, called otoliths, to track their exposure to selenium. Photo: Fred Feyrer/U.S. Geological Survey; fish in Rachel Johnson’s hands.

In an April 1, 2024 letter to three water boards, fishing and conservation groups and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe urged regulators to control recently measured excess levels of selenium in Mud Slough.

Mud Slough drains selenium-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley into the San Joaquin River and ultimately San Francisco Bay.

The letter was signed by Stephan C. Volker, Attorney for the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations (PCFFA), the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), SFCBOA, North Coast Rivers Alliance (NCRA) and Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

“The Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Mud Slough Project did not analyze the water quality impacts of routing Mud Slough flows to wetlands,” the letter stated. “No explanation is provided in the Mitigated Negative Declaration or the Grassland Bypass Project WDR as to why China Island State Wildlife Area and Newman Lake wetlands are not afforded the same protective water quality objective of 2 μg/L selenium, monthly mean as are Salt Slough and the Grasslands wetland supply channels.”

Selenium has long been known to cause reproductive failure, deformities, and death in fish and waterfowl, according to a statement from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA).

“Our groups have spent over a decade at the water boards and in court trying to bring runoff from Mud Slough into compliance with water quality standards,” said Chris Shutes, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. “Past selenium discharges accumulated in downstream waters, impacting fish and causing deformities. The water boards need to act to protect fish and wildlife from this toxic pollutant.”

”Previous action by the water boards limited discharges of water from Mud Slough to San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuges. It required the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority to instead supply the refuges with better quality groundwater,” Shutes continued.

“However, a new plan would resume delivery of water from Mud Slough to the refuges. Considering the history of waterfowl deformities in San Joaquin Valley refuges due to selenium contamination, the proposed change in source water is particularly alarming,” he argued.

San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuges are part of the Pacific Flyway. Birds that stop in these refuges migrate as far away as Alaska, noted Shutes.

The letter cites a 2018 study which found that selenium deformed Sacramento splittail, a native fish, in the San Joaquin River. It calls on regulators to strengthen the standards for selenium pollution, beginning with a wet-year monitoring program of splittail funded by the Water Authority.

“More broadly, the letter calls on the board to enforce existing protective standards for wetlands and to adopt more protective standards consistent with the findings of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency of what is necessary to protect fish and wildlife,” concluded Shutes.

Spinal deformities in California native fish species, the Sacramento Splittail, were first seen in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in 2011. It is now known that this is due to exposure to the chemical element selenium, according to the USGS: www.usgs.gov/...

Published research, by USGS and NOAA scientists, shows that the fish were exposed to high levels of selenium from both their parents and the food they ate as juveniles in the San Joaquin River .

Selenium (Se) is both an essential element and potent teratogen and its contamination is strongly tied to core economic activities (e.g., agriculture, mining, energy production).

In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta, Se is concentrated primarily through the import of agriculturally irrigated salinized soils containing high levels of geologically derived Se in the San Joaquin Valley (and within estuary point-source loading from oil refining and wastewater treatment effluents) leading to elevated levels in fish and wildlife.

How the movements of fish across the landscape influence Se exposure at different points during their life history has been difficult to resolve due to the complexity of the system and the diverse sources of Se.”

For details on this research and its impacts, read the recent article, published Feb. 24, 2020, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology: Lifetime Chronicles of Selenium Exposure Linked to Deformities in an Imperiled Migratory Fish.

Bill To Charge Low Producing Wells $10K Per Day Introduced In California Legislature

Dan Bacher

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday April 27, 2024 · 2:39 PM PDT

2024/04/27 · 14:39

Photo of Assemblymember Issac Bryan courtesy of Bryan's Office.

Los Angeles, CA— Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan (D-55, Los Angeles) has introduced legislation to charge $10,000 per day to oil wells producing less than 15 barrels per day within a half mile of a community.

AB 2716, the Low Producing Well Accountability Act, is being heard in the Natural Resources Committee on April 8. The legislation is expected to face fierce opposition by the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), Chevron and other oil companies.

It’s estimated that 2.7 million Californians live within 3,200 feet of an oil well, according to a statement from Consumer Watchdog. These Californians suffer higher rates of respiratory illness, prenatal defects, and cancer. AB 2716 takes aim at wells in these dangerous zones that are adding significantly to these health risks while producing only insignificant amounts of oil.

“Oil drillers would rather keep these low production wells running and poisoning communities than pay the cost to plug them,” said Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. “There needs to be accountability for reckless drilling in communities when there is almost no economic benefit and people pay the price with their health.”

Wells that produce less than 15 barrels of oil per day are known as “stripper wells” because they are considered to be at the end of their economically useful life, the group noted. The group said it is cheaper for drillers to keep them running with low production than to plug them at a cost of $100,000 or more per well.

By comparison, half of the country’s oil and gas production between 2012 and 2022 came from wells that produced between 100 and 3,200 barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration. An onshore well that produces between 1,000 and 3,000 barrels of oil a day is considered a good production range, the group revealed.

“Oil drillers that continue to drill for so little oil so close to communities need to be held accountable, particularly as drillers challenge the legislative ban on new permits for community drilling at the ballot box,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, the sponsor of AB 2716. “Drillers need to be incentivized to clean up their messes, which are poisoning communities.”

“Considering that 83% of the active oil wells in California are operating as stripper wells, AB 2716 has the potential to positively impact community health across the state,” according to Court.

On March 21, the bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources. From the committee chair, with the author’s amendments, the bill was amended and re-referred to the Committee. It was read a second time and amended.

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