Cascadia Daily, July 20, 2018

by Andrew Engelson

Looking for a hike this weekend? We’ve got ideas…

The weather forecast for the weekend in Cascadia looks fabulous. If you’re looking for hike suggestions, check out these Get Outside! articles by hiking expert Craig Romano:

If you want to see Mount Rainier with fewer crowds, Cascadia Magazine has a trail for you: Glacier View. A former fire lookout site in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, it’s got a stunning view of the flanks of Mount Rainier. Plus, it’s not too difficult, with around 4 miles round trip and a 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Plus, this time of year you’ll find a riot of wildflowers including beargrass and columbine.

If you’re on Vancouver Island, check out Mount Wells, just outside Victoria. It’s got fantastic views and wildflowers in bloom right now.

If you’re near Portland, check out Lookout Mountain, an easy hike with great views of Mount Hood.

For more hiking suggestions, check out Washington Trails Association’s amazing web site.

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 the video production by Vancouver journalist Mychaylo Prystupa.

Preventing homelessness by limiting evictions

The Portland Mercury reports on a new program in Portland that helps low income people facing eviction temporarily meet rent, a stop-gap measure that can help the slide into homelessness. Meanwhile The Stranger notes how affordable housing programs in Seattle have long waiting lists. At Crosscut, Cary Moon and Michael Eliasson argue that Seattle should create affordable housing on a plot it’s trying to sell in the expensive South Lake Union neighborhood. And the Spokesman-Review accompanies a woman trying to find shelter in Spokane.

Why natural gas is the next big climate fight in Cascadia

Reporting for Sightline, Tarika Powell writes about a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on the coast of Oregon the Trump administration is trying to revive after it failed to receive permits. In related news, the Tyee has an analysis of how British Columbia taxpayers are giving millions in subsidies to questionable LNG projects.

Wildfires continue to spread in eastern OR & BC

A fire near The Dalles, Oregon is now the US’s most urgent wildfire, while fires in the Okanagan region of BC forced more evacuations, and a wildfire in central Washington temporarily closed I-90.

Solar projects take off in Cascadia

A Washington state energy board approved a huge solar energy farm in central Washington that would provide 25 megawatts of energy. Meanwhile Facebook announced it would construct two massive solar projects in eastern Oregon to power its server facility in Prineville.

Gus Van Sant on new film about Portland cartoonist John Callahan

Oregon Arts Watch has an interview with acclaimed director Gus Van Sant about his new film based on the life of Portland cartoonist John Callahan. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the biopic Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot explores disability, addiction, and LGBTQ issues in the late 1990s.

Poetry by Seattle’s Kamari Bright

Kamari Bright is Seattle Review of Books’s poet in residence this month, and you can read her poem “Nephilim,” online:
“…When you ask your mother how you came to be
she will look at you presently but be somewhere else…”

That’s today’s selection of news, arts, and culture from across the Cascadia bioregion. Have a great weekend!  –Andrew Engelson

Photo credit: Gus Van Sant & Joaquin Phoenix by Diana Ringo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0