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Why we grieve with orcas
Seattle Times environmental reporter Lynda Mapes tweeted earlier today that the orca whale known as Tahlequah — who has drawn the attention of the world because of her apparent grief for a still-born calf — was spotted today, and is still holding her child afloat for the 16th day. Mapes reported a few days ago on efforts by the Lummi Nation to feed salmon to some of the ailing orcas in the resident pod–but it’s proving extremely complicated.
Tahlequah’s vigil has caused many of us to feel sorrow and rage, and those feelings surged to the surface in Paul E. Nelson’s poem “Elegy for Tahlequah’s Calf,” which we published last week at Cascadia Magazine. If you haven’t read it yet, take a few moments to experience this passionate indictment of a culture that has allowed these creatures to slip into a critically endangered state because of our actions.
Charles Mudede, a writer I deeply admire, last week wrote a critical appraisal of the poem and our collective fascination with the orca, who’s also known as J35. We’re letting our nostalgia take us a bit too far, Mudede argues, although he concedes that the message about human capitalism’s destruction of the natural world seems to be resonating right now: “You are ruining things in sky, the land, the deep. You are killing us. Look at this corpse, humans. Look at my dead child. This is your doing. Some humans are really feeling this message. ”
For all the times I’ve posted links to stories about the decline of orcas in the Salish Sea, nothing has quite resonated as this poem has (and in fact, it’s now the most popular piece we’ve posted at Cascadia Magazine). Yes we need the facts, the statistics, the biologists’ studies that confirm that our cars, our roads, pollution runoff from farms and cities, and our failure to protect wild salmon is causing killer whales to starve to death.
But sometimes it takes a human emotion, a dose of empathy to really move us to act, to make a change. I hope so. Today KUOW analyzed what it would take to save resident orcas, and the answer is a complicated and expensive one: reducing pollution, eliminating marine vehicle noise, and making a huge effort to recover wild salmon runs (including the removal of four dams on the Snake River).
It’s relatively easy to grieve, but turning that deep emotion into real action is the going to be the true test of our humanity.
–Andrew Engelson
Cascadia Magazine original:
Swanson occupation: The battle for wild salmon
Learn how First Nations chief Ernest Alfred occupied a tiny island for 284 days to draw attention to the damage open-net fish farms cause to wild salmon. Read the full feature and watch a video production by Vancouver journalist Mychaylo Prystupa.
Does WA primary election signal a blue wave?
The Seattle Times reports on yesterday’s primary election in Washington, in which Democrats had a strong showing in several state legislative districts where Republicans once won elections easily. The results for the 5th congressional district, which includes Spokane, looks like a surprisingly close contest in the fall between Lisa Brown (D) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R). Plus, a legislator from Tacoma who was accused of sexual harassment has been tossed out of office. And the white supremacist candidate for a Senate seat in Washington state was clobbered, receiving just 3 percent of the vote. In other election news, Jagmeet Singh, the national leader of Canada’s NDP, announced he will run for a seat in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby.
Court injunction against First Nations fish farm protesters
The Tyee reports that a British Columbia court has ruled against First Nations activists protesting fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago. To learn more about the protests by ‘Namgis and other BC First Nations, read Mychaylo Prystupa’s feature at Cascadia Magazine.
Portland’s school construction is $100 million over budget
Shasta Kearns Moore, writing for the Portland Tribune, has a detailed investigative report into huge cost overruns in Portland’s $790 million school repair levy. In other education news, KNKX looks at Washington’s recent legislative effort to increase funding for schools, and whether those funds will be used to increase teacher pay.
Why are right-wing protesters flocking to Portland?
Last week saw another conflict between white supremacist activists, police, and leftist protesters in Portland — and Willamette Week ponders why exactly Oregon is a fertile ground for this conflagration. For a lighter take on the battle for Portland, read Terrence Petty’s essay at Cascadia Magazine.
The BC gas giveaway enabling oil pipelines
The British Columbia provincial government has been a consistent critic of the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline across BC, but the Tyee reports on an overlooked part of the equation: the ruling party’s support for liquefied natural gas, which has helped keep diluted bitumen flowing.
Thirty songs for Sup Pop Records’ 30th anniversary
The influential Seattle record label Sub Pop is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, and in honor of this milestone, Seattle Weekly has chosen one great song produced in each of those thirty years. It’s fab list, with tracks by Mudhoney, Sunny Day Real Estate, Band of Horses, Iron and Wine, The Postal Service, and The Head and the Heart. Give them a listen!
An interview with Seattle-based poet EJ Koh
Poetry Northwest has a fantastic interview online with Seattle-based poet EJ Koh, who reflects on her difficult experience as a Korean immigrant separated from her mother (Koh didn’t speak a word until she was the age of five), her rigorous yet empathetic power of observation, and her changing approach to composition. You can read a poem by EJ Koh, “Icicle Creek,” online at Cascadia Magazine.
That’s today’s selection of news & arts from across the Cascadia bioregion. –Andrew Engelson