5/22 Steller sea lions, Duwamish Tribe, Bowen Is. docks, Everett invasives

Steller sea lion (NOAA)

On Vashon: Alaska oil activist and author Riki Ott will give a talk on banning toxic dispersants used in oil spills tonight on Vashon at 7 p.m. at Chautauqua Elementary School. She will provide information about the dispersants, laws that authorize their use, the Pacific Northwest Contingency Plan and opportunities for change. Here's the issue:  An oil spill cleanup could harm our waters  

More on Vashon: Sound Action will be filling in as "Guest" Bartenders at The Hardware Store Restaurant on Vashon Island this Thursday from 6-9 pm with a portion of the bar proceeds going to support the organization’s work to protect Puget Sound. Check out “Puget Sound in JEOPARDY”

It’s tough to persuade a suffering 1,000-kilogram Steller sea lion to stay still so that the fishing gear or garbage slowly killing it can be removed. Approaching a fully alert sea lion is not usually an option, said marine mammal biologist Wendy Szaniszlo of Ucluelet, but using a tranquilizer dart is a tough call — if the animal makes it to the water before being caught, it can drown. Szaniszlo hopes a workshop being held today at the Vancouver Aquarium will result in some innovative ways to help the mammals, which are considered critically endangered in some areas. Judith Lavoie reports.  Saving sea lions goal of workshop

Seattle’s native people, the Duwamish, will learn today (Tuesday) about their next step in a decades-old legal battle.  The tribe has petitioned the US government for federal recognition, which would make the Duwamish eligible for certain benefits like health care, fishing rights and the chance to run a casino. The petition, which has been in limbo since 1977, was briefly approved in 2001 and then denied days later as the White House changed hands from President Bill Clinton to President George W. Bush. In March, US District Judge John Coughenour ordered the Department of the Interior to reconsider its denial, indicating federal officials had handled the Duwamish case differently than similar ones. Tuesday is the deadline for the feds to respond. Liz Jones reports. Duwamish Fight For Federal Status Inches Forward   See also: Seattle's Fragmented Duwamish Tribe Struggles For Identity  See also: Tribal judge refuses to block disenrollment of 306 Nooksacks

When construction on the first of four private docks began at an exclusive waterfront development on the southwestern tip of Bowen Island earlier this month, some residents of the idyllic island were shocked. Now, roughly a quarter of the island’s residents have signed a petition to “Stop the Docks” being built by those set to move into four of 14 waterfront estates at Cape Roger Curtis, an area best known for its prime picnicking and panoramic views of the Strait of Georgia. Mike Hager reports. Plans for private docks spark outrage on Bowen Island

The city's urban forests are being eaten alive. The culprits are Himalayan blackberries, English ivy and other invasive plants. Without action, native conifers and other trees that populate Everett's parkland could be gobbled up within a few decades. The city recently published details of a 20-year plan to keep that from happening. The report is part of the Green Everett Partnership, a collaboration between the city's parks department and Forterra, the Seattle conservation group formerly known as the Cascade Land Conservancy. Noah Haglund reports. Out with the bad plants; Everett parks personnel on the offensive against invasive species

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED MAY 22 2013
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/21 Water tests, UW green portfolio, ghost nets, ghost ships, plastics, sea sounds, overfishing, BC election oops

Hazel Wolf (r.) at Wenas, 1966 (UW Special Collections)

If you like to listen: The song of a Western Meadowlark rings out across the eastern slope of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Come Memorial Day weekend, members of Audubon and friends will celebrate 50 years of gathering at the Wenas Campground to welcome the birds and wildflowers of spring. Two hundred and fifty-seven species of birds have been recorded in the area. Few, however, in quite the way as Hazel Wolf, the legendary environmental activist, did. BirdNote: Celebrating 50 Years and One Rare Bird at Wenas; Featuring Puns for Wenas by Hazel Wolf

A summer-long program to make sure your local beach is safe for swimming kicked off this week. Water samples taken from beaches like the one at Golden Gardens Park will be tested to make sure people who play in the water will be safe and not get sick from bacteria. If unsafe bacteria levels are found it could result in a public advisory or a total closure. Beaches around Puget Sound and on the Washington coast will be tested weekly. John White reports. Water quality tests conducted on local beaches

Students at the University of Washington want the school to dump its investments in major fossil fuel companies like Exxon and BP as part of a nationwide campaign to combat climate change through public institutions.  The University of Washington prides itself on being a green campus, but Kyle Murphy thinks they should have a green portfolio too. Murphy is one of the founders of UW Divest, the student group proposing a change to the way the UW Endowment Fund invests its money. He said that this is about ethics more than economics, “It’s about preserving and creating a world that allows everybody to live in it equitably and securely; and climate change threatens all of that.” Allie Ferguson reports. UW Students Seek End of Fossil Fuel Investments  

Doug Monk captains the 39-foot Bet Sea out into the waters of Puget Sound, just south of the Canadian border. He’s heading for a favorite fishing spot off Point Roberts, where a shallow shelf is lined with reefs and boulders. This is excellent habitat for migrating salmon and Dungeness crab. Monk has been a commercial diver on the Olympic Peninsula for some 20 years, harvesting shellfish and sea cucumbers, but for the past decade, he’s been after a different harvest: ghost nets. Ashley Ahearn reports. Vanquishing Zombie Fishing Nets In Puget Sound  

Plastics have only been in wide use since the 1940s, yet they are everywhere, from sandwich bags to phones, to keyboards, to rain gear. Even the cans of soup in the grocery aisle are lined with it. It's hard to imagine a world before these conveniences. What would your life be like without plastics? Seattle resident Samantha Porter decided to find out. She works behind the scenes of the Burke Museum, which is hosting an exhibit titled "Plastics Unwrapped." Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Exhibit inspires woman to try living plastics-free for entire month

Legislation that would encourage state officials to deal with derelict vessels earlier than usual was signed Monday by Gov. Jay Inslee. Key provisions of the bill include extending a $1 surcharge on vessel registrations to help pay for the program, authorizing state agencies to board vessels that threaten public health and the environment, changing violations from a criminal offense to a civil infraction to improve enforcement efforts, and requiring owners of vessels longer than 65 feet and older than 40 years to obtain an inspection before selling the boat. The inspection provisions take effect in July 2014. Chris Dunagan reports. Derelict vessel bill signed into law  

If you like to listen: The oceans are very noisy places: Shrimp crackle, fish bark, dolphins click, humpbacks sing, and many species talk to each other. Humans steer loud ships through the waters. According to research by a graduate student at the University of Washington, even the gravelly seabed contributes to the cacophony, particularly when the tide is strong. Indeed, the noise of the gravel can be so loud it often drowns out the other noises, making it impossible for scientists to hear the other sounds of the sea if the animal is not close to the microphone. "The reason for my project is that scientists are starting to look at these environments to exploit the power of these currents for renewable energy generation," said Christopher Bassett, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering. "Studying the sound is one way of addressing the potential for tidal energy development." Joel Shurkin reports. Tide-born pebbles on the seabed can drown out other ocean noises

The consequences of overfishing have led fisheries to rely on a handful of highly valuable shellfish—but new research shows this approach is extremely risky. Overfishing has reduced fish populations and biodiversity across much of the world’s oceans. New research, published today in Fish and Fisheries, shows that traditional fisheries targeting large predators such as cod and haddock have declined over the past hundred years. In their place, catches of shellfish such as prawns, scallops, and lobsters have rocketed as they begin to thrive in unnaturally predator-low environments often degraded by the passage of trawls and dredges. In many places, including the UK, shellfish are now the most valuable marine resource. The research by the Environment Department at York suggests that although a shellfish-dominated ecosystem appears beneficial from an economic perspective, it is highly risky.  Lack of biodiversity could topple fisheries

In a parallel universe, British Columbia’s NDP party swept to power in last week’s general election and leader Adrian Dix created an “unbroken string” of “green” governors and premiers along the West Coast from B.C.’s north to California’s border with Mexico. At least that’s what a column posted on a prominent Seattle news site reported soon after the final ballots were cast last Tuesday night. The piece, which states “Washington Gov. Jay Inslee should find a soulmate in Dix,” was still on The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s mobile site Monday night. Mike Hagar reports. Seattle news site accidentally calls B.C. election for the NDP

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE MAY 21 2013
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS...BECOMING W 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN THIS MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/20 Mt. St. Helens, whale collision, Shell drill, tidal turbine, toxic algae, Enbridge pipe, seafloor lab, bird sanctuary

PHOTO: Associated Press

In case you missed this on Saturday and 33 years ago: Saturday is the 33rd anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens that killed 57 people, knocked down a forest and filled the sky and rivers with volcanic ash. The mountain in southwest Washington may be the best known volcano in the state, but it's not the only one or the most dangerous. Remembering Mount St. Helens blast 33 years later

A Campbell River man underwent facial surgery Friday after a whale breached and collided with his boat, prompting marine life researchers to warn boaters to be on the lookout for increasing numbers of humpback whales around Vancouver Island. The whale breached in front of the man’s Grady-White fibreglass boat and the impact cracked the hull and sent him through the windshield. Judith Lavoie reports. Man undergoes facial surgery after humpback whale breaches, collides with his boat

The Coast Guard will kick off hearings Monday on how a Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill barge used for Arctic Ocean exploratory drilling ended up aground off a remote Alaska island. The Kulluk was under tow and bound from the Aleutian Islands' Dutch Harbor to a Seattle shipyard when it ran into rough Gulf of Alaska water. It broke from its towing vessel, and after four days of futile attempted hookups, ran aground New Year's Eve in shallow water off Sitkalidak Island, near Kodiak Island. Damage to the ship led to Shell's decision not to drill in Arctic waters in 2013. Dan Joling reports. Coast Guard to take testimony on Shell grounding

An Irish company that builds tidal-power turbines is exploring the possibility of locating a plant in Western Washington -- possibly in Everett. Representatives of OpenHydro of Dublin visited Everett last week to discuss their technology with political and business leaders from Snohomish County, the region and the state. The Snohomish County Public Utility District has applied with the federal government for a license to start an experimental tidal-power project in Admiralty Inlet between Fort Casey State Park and Port Townsend. Bill Sheets reports. Everett potential site for tidal-power turbine plant

Anderson Lake is closed to fishing and other recreation. High levels of the potent nerve toxin anatoxin-a were detected in water samples taken from Anderson Lake on Monday.... Upon the county’s recommendation, State Parks Ranger Mike Zimmerman, closed the lake to fishing, boating and swimming. People also are urged to keep pets out of the water. Anderson Lake closed because of high toxin level

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway oil pipeline has failed to meet the British Columbia government’s five conditions for approving the project, the government stated Friday. In an email response to The Sun over demands from aboriginal groups opposed to the project who want to meet Premier Christy Clark, the ministry of aboriginal relations and reconciliation said the project has not met the province’s standard. Gordon Hamilton reports. Province says Northern Gateway still fails to meet its five conditions

Scientists are eager for access to information from a quarter-billion dollar lab at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that they hope will teach them about climate change, earthquakes and even the origins of life on Earth and other planets. The $239 million National Science Foundation project will install video cameras, seismic monitors and other gauges along a volcano in deep waters off the Pacific Northwest coast, giving researchers the ability to monitor activity 2 miles below the ocean surface. The project could potentially warn of earthquakes that would threaten the Seattle area, according to scientists. Donna Gordon Blankinship reports. Scientists excited about new lab at bottom of Pacific Ocean  

People are invited to learn the latest details about a proposed wildlife sanctuary at Wednesday's Parks Board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Snohomish Boys & Girls Club, 402 Second St., Snohomish. The board is expected to make a recommendation to the City Council on the sanctuary steering committee's plan or ask for changes. The public can also make recommendations. The wildlife viewing area also has a proposed name: Snohomish Riverview Sanctuary. Alejandro Dominguez reports. Bird sanctuary in works at Snohomish wetland  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT MON MAY 20 2013
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. RAIN.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/17 First Salmon, BC pipes, Noctiluca, stormwater permits, sewage PR, Johnny Depp fossil

Japanese nettle jellyfish (Ward Perrin, PNG)

New blog: “British Columbia has survived its 40th provincial election. If you are going to run for public office in Washington state, you will have to register as a candidate by the end of today. Have you every considered being a candidate? Some people run for public office. Why?...” Deciding To Run For Public Office?

If you like to watch: More than 15 varieties of jellyfish are on display at the Vancouver attraction. Weird and wonderful jellyfish at Vancouver Aquarium

If you like to watch: Our west-facing view from The Herald is spectacular. Along with Navy ships, Boeing jets and Olympic peaks, there's a new attraction. A mother crow is sitting on hatchlings in a nest just outside a newsroom window. We're watching an up-close show of nature and survival. Julie Muhlstein reports. Bird's-eye view of nest gives peek at world of crows

The bounty of the Salish Sea was evident as hundreds of people heaped their plates high with seafood. Fresh-caught chinook salmon; succulent, thick crab legs; steamed clams and mussels; bright prawns thicker than a man’s thumb; and, of course, fry bread adorned most plates in the packed gymnasium during the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s annual Blessing of the Fleet and First Salmon ceremony Thursday in La Conner. The hall held more than 500 people, including tribal members, neighbors and area elected officials. Kate Martin reports. Feeding the spirit; protecting the people  

The collapse of the NDP at the polls this week denied power to a party that would have blocked oil pipelines in British Columbia. But opponents of two proposed pipelines, one that would cross central B.C. to Kitimat and another that would expand an existing route to Vancouver, say a Liberal win does not mean the projects are any more likely to proceed. Mark Hume reports. Pipeline foes hope to sway B.C. Liberals

Springtime means red algae blooms in Puget Sound.  Noctiluca is a harmless single-celled micro-organism that bioluminesces and occurs normally at this time of year. This kind of plankton does not photosynthesize, but gets its red color from the phytoplankton it eats. This type of bloom shows up as large, red-brown, even orange tomato-soup-like streaks along current and tidal convergence lines, according to the state Department of Ecology. Noctiluca is a harmless bloom, rather than the so-called red tide that refers to paralytic shell fish poisoning. Lynda Mapes reports. Sunshine plus Puget Sound equals red algae See also: Orange waters reveal an early, harmless plankton bloom

We recently updated you on the new stormwater permits that will soon dictate how Washington State’s most populated areas manage polluted runoff that damages water quality and can flood low-lying property. Here we’ll tackle the new Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, which covers the next most populated areas and affects nearly 100 cities around the state.... The rules governing how cities and other jurisdictions manage this dirty runoff are contained in municipal permits, which were recently updated in Washington State and are about to kick in throughout much of the state. Ashley Pedersen and Jennifer Langston report.  The Skinny on WA’s New Stormwater Permits (#2)

The Victoria communications firm that helped rebrand VicPD and save the Victoria International Marina project is being tapped to make over the region’s controversial sewage-treatment project. Acumen Communications Group is being recommended for up to $50,000 in communications work for the Capital Regional District’s sewage-treatment project. Rob Shaw reports. Victoria police and marina PR firm tapped to take on sewage

Edward Scissorhands actor Johnny Depp has been immortalized in the name of a newly discovered fossil species from ancient Canada — a 505-million-year-old marine creature with “scissor-like claws” found by a British researcher in British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park. 505-million-year-old fossil found in B.C. park named after Johnny Depp

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT FRI MAY 17 2013
TODAY
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10
 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/16 Hood Canal easement, fish in warming oceans, Jpod, TMDL vs PIC, BC pipes, BP fears

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "When life hands us lemons, we’re told to make lemonade. So what do you do when nature knocks down your beloved lilac tree? You fill the house with flowers, make photographs, and feed your friends! We awoke last Sunday morning to a changed view from our living room window: an open vista where the lilac tree had stood. Overly tall and top heavy with blossoms, its two largest trunks had fallen over during the night in the heavy rain and wind..." Lilac Lemonade  

The Navy has proposed a conservation easement on state lands in Hood Canal, a proposal that could kill the controversial pit-to-pier project. The conservation easement, which would apply to subtidal lands in Jefferson County, would effectively preclude new commercial or industrial construction that would extend from the shoreline, according to information provided by the Navy and Washington Department of Natural Resources.... The easement will be a strip of underwater area from the Hood Canal bridge south to a point just south of the Jefferson-Mason County line near Eldon. In most areas, the protected bedlands will be defined by their depths, from 18 feet below the average low tide to 70 feet down. More than 4,000 acres are covered by the easement. Commercial projects that require the use of subtidal lands — such as a new industrial pier or marina — would be unable to acquire the necessary leases as a result of the agreement. Dan Baskins, spokesman for a group hoping to develop a 1,000-foot pier near Shine in Jefferson County, said the group had not been informed about the proposed easement....  Baskins said he expects that the pit-to-pier project can still move forward, because Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark, who heads the DNR, has a duty to balance public and private interests. Goldmark must recognize that the company, Thorndyke Resource, has followed the required approval process in good faith, he said, and the rules cannot be changed at the end.  Chris Dunagan reports. Navy easement could end controversial pit-to-pier project

Climate change is gradually altering the fish that end up on ice in seafood counters around the world, according to a new study. "The composition of the [global] fish catch includes more and more fish from the warmer areas, and cold-water fish are getting more rare, because the temperatures are increasing," says Daniel Pauly at the University of British Columbia, a co-author of the study. As oceans warm — a result of climate change — fish maintain their preferred water temperature by moving away from the equator and toward the poles. Richard Harris reports. Go fish (somewhere else): Warming oceans altering catches  

From Howie Garrett and Susan Berta at Orca Network: "J pod appeared off Victoria [Wednesday]. They looked around and headed east, then north along San Juan Island. They shuffled between Lime Kiln and Henry Island all afternoon, and were last seen heading north up Haro Strait. None were missing since they were seen last more than two months ago, and no new babies were seen. It's a relief to know they are back, although about a month later than normal." Orca Network http://orcanetwork.org/

When it comes to cleaning up bacterial pollution in Puget Sound, we seem to have a clash — or at least some redundancy — in the methods we use. In Kitsap County, water-quality officials are saying studies conducted by the Washington Department of Ecology, which allocated total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), have not been much help in attacking the local pollution problem. That’s because the approach developed by Kitsap County, called the Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) Program, has been highly successful in tracking down and cleaning up bacterial pollution. Chris Dunagan blogs. Embracing a new approach to nonpoint pollution?  

Christy Clark’s stunning election victory has raised the likelihood that one or both of the oilsands pipeline projects to the B.C. coast will be built, supporters and opponents of the proposals said Wednesday. While Clark set five tough conditions for the projects involving environmental protection, aboriginal rights and financial benefits, the New Democratic Party’s Adrian Dix was a clear opponent. Kennedy Stewart, NDP MP for Burnaby Douglas, called the election result a “big game changer.” Peter O'Neil and Scott Simpson report.  Even opponents think B.C. oil pipelines more likely after Liberal victory

BBC business editor Robert Peston has learned that BP feels its financial recovery is in jeopardy because the compensation system is being abused. The financial burden of paying fictitious and inflated claims may even make BP a takeover target, it fears. BP wants Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene over the escalating cost of compensating US companies for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in 2010. BP to ask for Cameron's help as oil spill costs escalate

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 244 AM PDT THU MAY 16 2013
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/15 BC election results, GiveBIG, UW ocean acid, streaked horned lark

Northwest Spring (Photo: Kathleen Carpenter)

British Columbians voted overwhelmingly to send the Liberal Party back to power Tuesday in one of the most dramatic political comebacks in recent Canadian history. The election was a stunning turnaround for Premier Christy Clark, although she lost her own seat in Vancouver-Point Grey. Polling had for months put her far behind NDP Leader Adrian Dix, and many thought a change was inevitable after 12 years of Liberal rule. Mark Hume, Ian Bailey and Justine Hunter report. Christy Clark's B.C. Liberals win election in surprise turnaround; Turnaround after ‘full-on battle’ surprises even B.C. Liberals

GiveBIG 2013: Grow your gift! Credit card donations made through The Seattle Foundation's website TODAY, May 15 between midnight and midnight (Pacific Time) will be stretched thanks to $850,000 in support for GiveBIG from The Seattle Foundation and GiveBIG sponsors. Choose your non-profit and GiveBIG

If you like to watch: Check out KOMO News's collection of Northwest Weather Photos: Showing off our spectacular spring

A team of scientists in Friday Harbor is providing a window into the future of the ocean. Martha Baskin reports. Why UW scientists are speeding up ocean acidification

A songbird called the streaked horned lark has a curious propensity for risky neighborhoods. That's not a good quality for a bird proposed for listing as a threatened species. Its preferred hangouts include airports, Army training fields, and dredge spoil dumping sites along the lower Columbia River. A two-state experiment seeks to find out if these rare larks can be enticed to safer habitats.... At this point, there are fewer than 2,000 left. Tom Banse reports. Can this rare songbird be lured away from risky neighborhoods?  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 233 AM PDT WED MAY 15 2013
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/14 BC forests, vineyard snail, Duwamish, Steven Stark, beach litter, green budget, coal export, Skagit floods

Vineyard Snail

Vote today in B.C. provincial elections from 8 a.m. To 8 p.m.

New maps of B.C.’s forests put together by conservation groups using provincial government data show 74 per cent of productive old-growth forests has been logged and much of the remaining old growth is made up of small, stunted trees. On the valley bottoms, where the largest old-growth trees grow, 91 per cent has been logged, leaving only nine per cent of the classic old forest with iconic trees, the maps show. Victoria conservationist Vicky Husband said it’s an ecological crisis due to a century of overcutting the biggest and best trees. Judith Lavoie reports. Maps show impact of overcutting old-growth forests, conservation groups say


The vineyard snail, an invasive species from the Mediterranean, only measures one inch in diameter at full maturity, but it has proven a sizable nuisance and financial burden for the Port of Tacoma in Washington state. The snail arrived on Washington state shore's in 2007, most likely aboard a ship traveling from Europe or Australia, where the snail is a common agricultural pest. Eradication efforts seemingly were successful, and the snail hasn’t been spotted since. But the effects of its brief appearance have been far-reaching, as the Port of Tacoma continues to deal with the financial fallout of a tussle with the Environmental Protection Agency over the port's eradication techniques. In its effort to rid the local waters of the troublesome snail, the Port of Tacoma razed four acres of protected wetlands without proper permitting, as required by the EPA. In 2010, the agency cited the port for the violation. Since then, the port has spent some $500,000 in legal fees trying to negotiate a settlement with the EPA. Last week, the port's commission voted to spend another $4.1 million to redevelop a portion of wetland farther inland as part of its settlement with the EPA. Brooks Hays reports. Small snail causes large problems for Washington port

A new report released Monday (May 13) examines the potential health impacts of the Duwamish River cleanup on Native American tribes and other people who use the river or live or work nearby. The Health Impact Assessment report was produced by researchers at the UW School of Public Health in collaboration with community health researchers from Just Health Action and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group. “Our findings demonstrate that EPA’s cleanup plan will significantly impact particular communities,” said Dr. William Daniell, an environmental and occupational epidemiologist and associate professor in the UW School of Public Health. EPA’s proposed plan will reduce health risks, but it will not succeed in meeting the levels obtained in Puget Sound. Nor will resident seafood be safe to eat for subsistence fishers or for Native American tribal members. Elizabeth Sharpe writes. New report released on health impacts of Duwamish River cleanup  

A century’s worth of contamination to the city’s only river is about to get a $305 million cleanup. Before finalizing a decision on the proposed plan, the Environmental Protection Agency is asking the public to weigh in. Ashley Ahearn reports. Time To Speak Is Now On $305m Duwamish Cleanup Plan

Steven Stark spent his childhood summers walking up and down the shoreline of Point Roberts, a stick in one hand and a bucket in the other. He’d look for bubbles, jam the stick four or five inches into the ground and bring up a crab. The bigger the bubbles, Stark says, the larger the crab. That was a different era when Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) people regularly travelled to the southern end of the point, freely crossing the international border that bisects it, he says. In October 2011, Steven Stark and his deckhand were arrested by U.S. border agents while collecting crab traps in Boundary Bay, the body of water east of the point. They were approximately 700 metres south of the border. Joel Barde and Carlos Tello report. One BC fisherman's fight for cross-border native rights

It’s a beach bummer. Shorelines worldwide are clogged with trash, so much so that during their annual cleanup last year, volunteers with the Ocean Conservancy picked up refuse that weighed as much as 10 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Cigarettes, food packaging and plastic bottles topped the list from the 2012 cleanup. Debris from the Japanese tsunami and Hurricane Sandy also marred some U.S. beaches, the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit group that works on ocean protection, reported Monday. Volunteers turned up some weird stuff, too: mattresses, candles, toothbrushes and sports balls. More than 550,000 people picked up in excess of 10 million pounds of trash along 17,719 miles of international coastlines in September during the Ocean Conservancy’s annual cleanup.  Erika Bolstad reports. Beach litter mars U.S. – and world’s – coastlines   See also: Tsunami debris, garbage plucked from Clayoquot Sound beaches

As the special legislative session gets underway in Olympia, Gov. Jay Inslee says some of the most important parts of his two-year budget proposal are investments in clean energy. During a fundraiser for the nonprofit group Climate Solutions on Monday, the governor said he is pushing for a state budget that includes funds to start a new research center at the University of Washington. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Inslee issues greenest-yet budget pledge for Climate Solutions  

Kinder Morgan's decision to drop plans to build three coal terminals in Oregon could mean more U.S. coal exports heading north by rail to the ports of Metro Vancouver, local environmentalists say. Kevin Washbrook, the spokesman for Voters Taking Action for Climate Change, says he was happy to learn that Kinder Morgan scrapped the terminals in Oregon on Wednesday. But now he's worried it means more coal trains will be heading north to Vancouver from Wyoming and Montana. More U.S. coal exports destined for Vancouver's port, say environmentalists

Skagit County officials will attend two public meetings Wednesday to explain changes to proposals aimed at reducing the impact of catastrophic flooding. But not everyone is happy with the changes, which some say would better protect urban areas at the expense of rural lands. ... The proposals outline three “alternatives” for protecting the valley from the floods that would course down the Skagit River in a once-in-a-century flood: Kate Martin reports. Flood alternatives have some concerned  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 207 AM PDT TUE MAY 14 2013
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS.
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