Cascadia today: Protecting the Stilli + BC Greens bail on NDP + Oregon Book Awards shortlist

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Protecting the Stillaguamish and the Tongass

KUOW has an excellent report on how the Stilliguamish Tribe is restoring salmon habitat in the floodplain of the Stilliguamish River in Washington by buying parcels of farmland and returning them to natural functioning estuaries. Steps like this will be essential in the effort to recover Puget Sound chinook, a threatened salmon species. Meanwhile, Magic Canoe has an in-depth look at the need to save the Tongass national forest in southeast Alaska – the largest and wildest national forest in the US – from increased logging by the Trump administration.

WA tax on high earners moves forward

Washington's so-called "millionaires tax" advanced out of committee in the state senate yesterday, putting it to a general vote in the chamber, Washington State Standard reports. The bill would impose a 9.9% tax on annual incomes over $1 million. A statewide poll by GBAO found voters approve of a millionaires tax to support increased funding for priorities such as health care and education by 60% to 36%.

Meanwhile, a bill in the Oregon legislature that would move up a statewide referendum on a six cent gas tax to fund road and bridge repair from the general election to the primary faced a barrage of negative comments in a public hearing, OPB reports.

BC Greens leave coalition with NDP

CBC reports that the BC Green Party, under the new leadership of environmental activist Emily Lowan, is formally leaving a coalition with the center-left NDP in the BC legislature, reducing the NDP's narrow majority to just 47 seats. Lowan took issue with the NDP's sellout to corporate interests and its efforts to water down the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which requires the province to consult with First Nations before moving forward on large projects such as natural gas terminals. In other political news, three Washington supreme court seats will turn over by this time next year because of retirements, Washington State Standard reports.

Oregon Book Award shortlist announced

The Portland Mercury reports on Literary Arts' announcement of 35 nominees for the Oregon Book Awards. Among those nominated are Lidia Yuknavitch, for her memoir Reading the Waves, Leah Sottile for Blazing Eye Sees All her journalistic account of the connection between New Age churches and conspiracy movements, and Garrett Hongo, for his latest collection of poetry, Ocean of Clouds. Winners will be awarded at a ceremony on April 20.

In other book news, author Jamie Madden will be reading from Bittersweet Lane, his account of growing up in affordable housing, at Cedar Crossing, an affordable housing apartment complex near the Roosevelt light rail station in Seattle at 6 pm Wednesday, Feb 11. It's open to the public and free, but seats are limited: register here.

Thanks for reading! Keep loving and keep fighting. --Andrew