Weekends aren’t what they used to be for most of us, which may or may not be a bad thing. Either way, we’ve made it to Friday once again, and that in itself is an achievement. A few of the things that went down over the past seven days that stood out, at least as relates to local items of interest, Ikkatsu Project programs and what approach to take for the second half of 2020, include:

• A sewage spill in the Foss Waterway, in downtown Tacoma. It happens more than you might think. According to the Health Department, the situation has now returned to acceptable levels.
• When the South Sound Sustainability Expo rescheduled its event from March to June, I remember thinking about whether that was going to allow enough time for this current pandemic sharknado to pass. It seemed like it would be, back in those innocent days gone by (two months ago), but now it’s hard to believe anything can happen on any particular date in the future. Anyway, it officially cancelled this week.
• Canada and the US have extended the restrictions on non-essential cross-border traffic until the end of June, and there’s no reason to think that it won’t be extended again, and again. Although the Canadian Prime Minister has stressed that the agreement has been a mutual effort on the part of both countries, it’s a pretty safe bet that the US response to Covid-19 isn’t giving Canadians any good reason to want the border to reopen anytime soon.
• On a happier note, the first 2-Minute Meeting was posted this week. The current plan is to release a new one each Monday, featuring some aspect of the Ikkatsu Project’s work and traveling around the wilderness areas and backroads of the Pacific Northwest. Production values are sporadic, but the hope is that this is one way to keep channels of communication open during a difficult time. Check out last Monday’s video, then tune in next week for a virtual visit to Shine Tidelands.

Enjoy the weekend!