The proposed export facility at Cherry Point’s Gateway Terminal and impact of shipments of Canadian-mined coal and tar sands from that location — and singer/songwriter Dana Lyons — will share center stage at a “No Coal Rally”, Saturday, Sept. 8, at the fairgrounds in Friday Harbor.

Sponsored by Friends of the San Juans, the rally is 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will feature a panel discussion by three noted environmental advocates. The panel lineup includes Dr. Val Viers, a member of the The Whale Museum board of directors, who talk about the impact of shipping noise on the Southern resident killer whales. A retired professor, Viers participates in the SeaSound Remote Sensing Network, in partnership with the National Marine Fisheries Service, OrcasSound, Beam Research and the Whale Museum.

Along with Viers, the panel features Aaron Sanger, director of the U.S. Campaigns for Forest Ethics, whose talking points will target tar sands and the impact of transporting tar sands through the Salish Sea, and Fred Felleman, a consultant with Friends of the Earth and wildlife photographer, who will speak about the impact of vessel traffic in the San Juans and surrounding waterways.

The rally will double as a benefit concert by Lyons, of “Cows with Guns” fame, and the official kick-off of the Bellingham-based musician’s “Great Coal Train Tour.”