Wednesday, November 30, 2011

11/30 Salish Sea News and Weather: Nov. weather, salmon virus, pipeline risks, screwing wetlands, deer traps, Peninsula internet, Archie Satterfield, raven gestures

PHOTO: Meegan Reid, Kitsap Sun
Well, here we are at the last day of November. Weatherwise, climate scientist Cliff Mass says the last week or two of November is climatologically the worst period of the year by many measures. Climatologically, The Worst of Winter is Over!

New blog by Christopher Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun: Coho, chum salmon running with high water
 

Salmon virus drama. Joel Connelly at SeattlePI.Com writes: “A 2004 draft manuscript, leaked out of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, indicates that the deadly infectious salmon anemia virus was identified eight years ago in coho, pink and sockeye salmon taken from southern British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Bering Sea waters. Testing done in 2002 and 2003 ‘lead us to conclude that an asymptomatic form of infectious salmon anemia occurs among some species of wild Pacific salmon in the north Pacific,’ said the manuscript.”  A 'smoking salmon' report: Was deadly fish virus detected years ago?    Also, see Craig Welch’s article, Canada kept detection of salmon virus secret

No, thanks: Three leading environmental groups -- the Pembina Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council and Living Oceans Society -- released a report Tuesday on Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, saying the risks of shipping Alberta oilsands bitumen by pipeline through British Columbia outweigh the benefits. Risks of Northern Gateway Pipeline outweigh benefits to B.C.
 

Destroying wetlands, period, is a bad idea: “In the near future, builders in rural and unincorporated King County could purchase credits to offset construction-related damage to wetlands. Under a plan proposed by County Executive Dow Constantine, builders could pay a fee, rather than completing projects in a process called mitigation to compensate for damaged or destroyed wetlands.” Streamlined process for wetlands proposed
 

On the topic of ‘nuisance wildlife,’ check out the “clover traps” being used by northern neighbors to capture marauding urban deer. These nets stop deer, not pucks

The nonprofit corporation -- Northwest Open Access Network, or NoaNet  -- tasked with bringing high-speed Internet access to the most rural reaches of the North Olympic Peninsula promises when folks can logon.  High-speed Internet tapped for Peninsula by August 2013

Archie Satterfield, a former journalist and author, died from a stroke after surgery on Nov. 21 in Bellingham. He was 78. Obituary: Archie Satterfield, author, former journalist 

Scientists now provide the first evidence that ravens (Corvus corax), like great apes and humans, also use deictic gestures -- pointing and holding up objects -- in order to test the interest of a potential partner or to strengthen an already existing bond. 'Look at That!' Ravens Gesture With Their Beaks to Point out Objects to Each Other

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST WED NOV 30 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
 TODAY
 W SWELL 14 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT.
 TONIGHT
 W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT.

--
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

11/29 Salish Sea News and Weather: Special session, live Vancouver, ESA threat, mossy rainforests, Preserve Our Islands, plastic ban, rent a tree, tribal lands, abalone, climate and predation

PHOTO: AP/Ted Warren
New blog from Laurie MacBride, with pix-- West Beach: A Walk Worth the Wait

New blog from Skagit Leeks on, yes, Eating Gandhi

About 3,000 folks gathered in Olympia yesterday to protest the budget cuts pending in the special legislative session. Some folks disrupted meetings, some were arrested but the messages from the 99 percent were heard.  Protests mark first day of WA special session

Stuart Elway’s latest poll shows that the proportion of voters saying they want a “cuts-only budget” has shrunk from 37 percent of those surveyed last year to 20 percent this year, and 54 percent of the people surveyed in the latest poll said they’d be willing to pay a higher sales tax to stave off more cuts. Majority in state supports sales-tax hike, poll says

Bragging rights: Best places in the world to live (according to the consultant group Mercer) are: 1. Vienna, 2. Zurich, 3. Auckland, 4. Munich, and... 5. Vancouver!  Survey says the fifth best place in the world to live is...Vancouver 

Congressional hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on the Endangered Species Act is set for Dec. 6 and will focus on how litigation involving the ESA is costing jobs and hurting the economy.  Rep. Hastings to take on Endangered Species Act 

The Ancient Forest Alliance and Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group want two stands near Cowichan Lake of giant old-growth bigleaf maple trees preserved. 'Canada's mossiest rainforest' needs protection, Island groups say

Preserve Our Islands, the Vashon-Maury Island group that got a gravel mining operation off the island, has figured out what it will focus on in the years to come. According to director Amy Carey, the group will pursue a dual path of continued presence on Vashon, staying involved in the development of the Maury site while working on other local conservation issues. It will also expand its reach to act as a regional watchdog for shoreline-related construction permitting. Island nonprofit sets its sights on continued conservation efforts 
 

Matt Fiske in Crosscut reports that the chemical industry people who beat Seattle's last attempt to limit waste are organizing to defeat or fend off municipal bans at the state level in the upcoming legislative session. Plastic bag backers may bypass Seattle to seek legislature's help

Neat idea: Adopt-A-Stream Foundation will rent you a live Christmas tree which, if you return it in good condition, they will plant next spring next to salmon streams. Rent a Christmas tree now and help salmon later

Rules governing tribal lands will be changing to allow for housing development and wind and solar energy projects on reservations. Administration unveils new rules for tribal lands

Read about the declining health of our Northern Abalone in the journal Aquatic Conservation:  Marine and Freshwater  Ecosystems where SeaDoc-funded researchers report finding fewer specimens than in 1979. Lonely abalone? SeaDoc-supported study finds them fewer and far between

University of British Columbia zoologist Christopher Harley, in examining the response of rocky shore barnacles and mussels to the combined effects of warming and predation by sea stars, reports that the biodiversity loss caused by climate change will result from a combination of rising temperatures and predation -- and may be more severe than currently predicted. Marine Biodiversity Loss Due to Global Warming and Predation, Study Predicts 

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE NOV 29 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
  TODAY
 SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT LATE. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
 TONIGHT
 SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 12 FT AT 11 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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Monday, November 28, 2011

11/28 Salish Sea News and Weather: Special session, spill readiness, BC turtle, PA aliens, Governor's Pt., Point Wells, Skagit vision, FEMA floods, Colquitz spill, Skagit eagles, BC chickens, safe chemicals, Bremerton sewage, Samish salmon, growing bivalves

PHOTO: Jeffrey Lee
The ‘mystery’ of who took the photo of a whale off Everett’s waterfront has been solved: Everett Herald columnist Kristi O’Harran reports that the photo was taken by Jeffrey Lee in 1991. Reader helps solve mystery of whale photo shot from Everett

Legislature returns to Olympia this morning for a special session to close another multibillion dollar budget gap. One view is that it might get ugly: Legislature’s special session could get ugly over budget; Democrats want a mix of cuts and new revenue, Republicans want only cuts, and there will be no easy fixes.   Another is that reality might prevail: Same budget-cut task, changed political tone for this special session

Ashley Ahearn and Bonnie Stewart at EarthFix report on the increasing risk of an oil spill disaster as budget cuts reduce prevention and response resources. NW Readiness for Oil Spills Drops As Risks Increase

A sea turtle, never before seen in B.C. waters, has washed up on Wickaninnish Beach. An olive ridley turtle washed up on Wickaninnish Beach

Up close and personal:  Sea ‘aliens’ color tanks at Port Angeles marine center

Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Chuck Snyder ruled that Bellingham doesn't have to provide water service to a proposed 141-home development on Governor's Point, a forested point along Chuckanut Drive. Judge dismisses developer's lawsuit seeking water for Governor's Point

King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum suspended the developer’s application to make the Point Wells high-rise project an urban center until Snohomish County's comprehensive plan amendments and development regulations comply with the State Environmental Policy Act. Judge suspends building Point Wells high-rise project
 

Envision Skagit 2060, a year-long public process to guide development of Skagit County, is now available in final report form at www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit Committee drafts vision for county 

According to a Public News Service report, rains have brought 14 federal flood disaster declarations to Washington in the last 20 years, with almost 60 deaths and over $1.4 billion in damages. Dan Siemann, senior environmental policy specialist in the National Wildlife Federation Pacific Region tells what’s wrong with the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance policies.  Let It Rain? FEMA Faces Challenges in Soggy WA

Last week’s leak of 1,000 litres of heating oil from a home flowed into Colquitz Creek in Saanich at the height of the salmon return to the creek. Timing 'couldn't be worse' for fuel spill into Colquitz Creek

The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport is now open to visitors through January 29.   Salmon help attract bald eagles to the upper Skagit River valley

The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning B.C. poultry farmers and veterinarians to stop using a bovine antibiotic on chickens. The agency believes the practice is behind a significant spike in drug-resistant Campylobacter bacteria found in chicken tested from grocery stores. B.C. poultry industry warned to halt use of antibiotic

Department of Ecology director Ted Sturdevant testified before a Senate panel asking for passage of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and restrict the "worst of the worst" chemicals. They are defined as chemicals that are persistent and build up in the food chain, such as lead, mercury and flame retardants. Ecology chief: New pollution undoing cleanup
 

What the rains brought to Bremerton: A record flow of stormwater mixed with sewage surged through Bremerton's sewer system early Wednesday, overflowing six pump stations and spilling nearly 700,000 gallons of diluted wastewater into Port Washington Narrows. Bremerton's sewage plant nearly overwhelmed by storm

Former environment minister Barry Penner, best known in Greater Victoria for ordering sewage treatment, is resigning from politics. Former environment minister Barry Penner packs it in, takes job as lawyer

Salmon fishing on the Samish River in Skagit County is closing to reduce incidental hooking of wild steelhead, which are expected to return in numbers below escapement goals. Fishing to close on the Samish River

Tomales Bay, a pristine estuary in West Marin, California, is where aquaculturalist Luc Chamberland has established the Pickleweed Point Community Oyster Farm to educate the public about the benefits of bivalve cultivation.  The method: grow your own.  Learning on the half-shell 

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON NOV 28 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
  TODAY
 W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS. W WIND 10 KT BECOMING S. WIND WAVES 1 FT.
 TONIGHT
 S WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

11/23 Salish Sea News and Weather: Orcas, BPA, poaching, Occupy Xmas, no dumping, road ends, penguins, oil tanker alerts, SnoCo MRC, Blair dredge, tsunami debris

Wild turkey (National Geographic)
Want weather?  Cliff Mass on An Extraordinary Storm To the South: Another storm for Thanksgiving in Washington  To the North:  Metro Vancouver hit with wet weather, but snow causing problems on other B.C. Highways

If you like to watch, read Chris Dunagan’s blog pondering why orcas haven’t been spending as much time in Puget Sound as usual this year— and watch Susan Berta’s video. Resident orcas check out Whidbey, North Kitsap

Read Liz’s comment on the blog, “Occupy Everywhere But Stay On Message

Eat well this weekend but skip the canned goods if you can. Researchers have found that concentrations of the endocrine disruptor BPA in the urine of canned-soup eaters are 1,221 percent higher than those of fresh-soup eaters. BPA from soup cans shows up in urine 

King County is prosecuting the owner and workers of Quilcene Bay-based G&R Quality Seafoods for poaching and selling $700,000 of shellfish from Hood Canal tidelands. That’s the amount sold in King County alone; the crime may be much larger with sales to other places. Owner of seafood firm charged in poaching

“Occupy gave the world a new way of thinking about the fat cats and financial pirates on Wall Street,” Adbusters says on its website. “Now let’s give them a new way of thinking about the holidays.” Vancouver's Adbusters launches Occupy Xmas; Magazine that inspired Occupy movement promotes anti-consumerist message

Cruise ships won’t be allowed to dump their waste in the 2,409-square nautical miles of the Olympic Coast National Sanctuary come December 1. How about the rest of the Salish Sea? Rule to ban cruise ship discharge in WA sanctuary

Hooray! Volunteers will be improving Bainbridge Island road ends by clearing brush, establishing foot paths and making basic improvements on the city right-of-ways to the shoreline. Bainbridge to pay for permits to help volunteer group improve road ends

Forty-nine penguins rescued after the Rena went aground off New Zealand were released to the wild yesterday after being cleaned and nursed back to health. They are among 343 little blue penguins that have been cleaned of oil since 400 tons of fuel oil spilled. More than 2,000 sea birds died in the spill. Penguins freed after oil spill rescue

B.C.’s Wilderness Committee has taken matters into their own hands by offering to the public ‘oil tanker alerts’ on cell phones and Twitter alerts when tankers pass through Burrard Inlet. The service provides information about the name and size of the tankers as well as information about how to get involved in the campaign to oppose oil exports off the BC Coast. To subscribe to receive the tanker alert text messages, simply text the word ‘Oil' to 604 800 9180. To follow the alerts on twitter follow twitter.com/BurrardInletOil.  Crude Oil Tanker Tracking system for Vancouver

Do you live in Snohomish County? Volunteer before Dec 2 to serve on the county’s Marine Resources Committee. To apply, go to http://www.snocomrc.org or contact Kathleen Herrmann, Snohomish County Marine Steward, at 425-388-6414 or kathleen.herrmann@snoco.org  Snohomish County seeks marine resources volunteers

Puget Sound pilots guiding ships into Husky Terminal on the port’s Blair Waterway warned the port in the summer of 2010 that several high spots on the waterway’s bottom were making it difficult to berth ships at the terminal. Port of Tacoma to spend $1.5M on dredging for Blair Waterway

What happened to the 100,000 tons of debris from the Japanese tsunami  on its way toward the Northwest? Still a threat, but tsunami debris 'invisible'

Now, your thank-goodness-for-tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 844 AM PST WED NOV 23 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
 GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON
  TODAY
 W SWELL 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS. W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 OR 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
 TONIGHT
 SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

11/22 Salish Sea News And Weather: State sales tax, ban plastics, Patti Goldman, Cook belugas, shark finning, net camera

President Kennedy
11/22/63-- President Kennedy assassinated. For those who are old enough, where were you that day when you heard the news?

Occupy encampments coming down. Is pepper spray now the issue? Our Lady of the North suggests reading —and thinking about— a piece in Yes Magazine by Indignados activists Marina Sitrin and Luis Morneo-Caballud: Occupy Wall Street, Beyond Encampments   

Bipartisan congressional debt reduction panel fails to govern. Governor Gregoire governs by proposing to raise nearly $500 million annually by increasing the sales tax for three years. Good call to raise revenue to meet the state budget shortfall but why do it with the most regressive tax tool? Gregoire proposes half-cent sales-tax increase

If you like to listen: Soaking Up Stormwater   Steve Sher on KUOW Weekday talks about polluted runoff at 10 AM today.

Seattle may ban plastic bags not only from grocery stores but at drug stores, restaurants, department stores, convenience stores,  home-improvement stores, food trucks and farmers markets. Seattle council proposes ban on plastic bags   Of course, Plastic-bag maker calls Seattle's proposed ban 'simplistic'   Good, let’s KISS.

Our Earth Needs A Good Lawyer: In early 2000, Patti Goldman, Earthjustice’s VP of Litigation, spearheaded efforts to protect the Puget Sound’s threatened orca whale population   Stormy Waters: Earthjustice’s Patti Goldman on Orcas

Alaska’s state government is again rebuffed in federal court after objecting to US Fish and Wildlife’s determination that the beluga whale is endangered. The state said that recovery efforts could threaten oil and gas and shipping operations. Cook Inlet beluga whales should be on endangered list, federal judge rules

About time: No shark finning -- the practice of removing sharks' fins and throwing the finless creatures back into the sea to die-- in EU waters or by fishing vessels from EU countries. European Commission proposes ban on shark finning 

If you like to watch: Simrad Fisheries of Lynnwood has developed a  $140,000 real-time camera system that allows trawlers to see what fish they are netting before bringing the net up. Good technology to reduce bycatch. Net Cameras Help Fishermen Catch the Right Fish

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 420 AM PST TUE NOV 22 2011...UPDATED
  GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PST THIS MORNING
  TODAY
 W WIND 25 TO 35 KT DIMINISHING TO 20 KT MID MORNING. COMBINED SEAS 15 FT AT 10 SECONDS SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 12 FT.  RAIN.
 TONIGHT AND WED
 W SWELL 12 FT AT 12 SECONDS. E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. RAIN TURNING TO SCATTERED SHOWERS WED AFTERNOON.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

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Monday, November 21, 2011

11/21 Salish Sea News and Weather: State budget, Coast Guard, Green councillor, restoration coalition, stormy weather, Doc Hastings, Tacoma shores, coho return, Brazil spill, coal export, Gazzam Preserve

PHOTO: Stephan Michaels
Bellingham journalist-photographer Stephan Michaels captured the crux of the coal export issue in a fine photograph taken this past Saturday.

The Lady of the Slough invites all to visit her new blog, “Skagit Leeks” -- “boldly dabbling in that fertile ground between parody and expose...” Do check it out.

New blog: “Get real; raise revenue”   Tacoma’s News Tribune reporter Jordan Schrader puzzles out the different ways Democrats and Republicans look at the state’s budget State's budget in perspective  Then, today, Gov. Chris Gregoire to release budget proposal

Guarding, not coasting: The Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit practices boat tactics, security zone maintenance and weapons capabilities, including the shooting of blank rounds. Coast Guard conducting exercise on Hood Canal Monday 

Monday weather: Snow accumulating along Hood Canal  Week’s weather: Prepare for a wet and windy Thanksgiving week   Century’s weather: Canada facing violent weather, report warns; Intergovernmental panel sees worsening of conditions around the globe

Voters have elected to the Vancouver city council its first Green party member-- successful after seven tries.  Adriane Carr city’s first Green councillor 

South Sound cities Lacey, Olympia and Yelm will partner with the Squaxin Tribe as a watershed-restoration coalition to restore Budd Inlet and the Deschutes watershed. Squaxins, 3 local cities to run water-restoration fund 

Our state’s Rep. Doc Hastings wants to open up Alaska’s Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil drilling. He’s also objected to the proposal to create new wilderness and conservation areas, one in the San Juan Islands. Rep. Hastings renews fight to drill Alaska Refuge

Revising shoreline rules to govern 42 miles of the city’s shorelines has taken five years and may now be coming to decision time. Tacoma is in stretch run to finish onerous shoreline-rules update

Check out the returning coho at local creeks and streams after you’ve stuffed yourself full of Thanksgiving turkey.  Salmon are returning and you can get a close-up at Piper's Creek

Marine exploration for oil has its consequences. An ongoing oil spill off the Brazilian coast occurred because Chevron underestimated the pressure in an underwater reservoir, the head of the company's Brazil operations said Sunday.... Brazil's National Petroleum Agency has said it's possible more than 110,000 gallons of oil have spilled into the Atlantic Ocean.  Chevron takes blame for ongoing oil spill off Brazilian coast

Coal export also has its consequences. A proposed coal-export terminal near Bellingham is likely to affect residents in Marysville and in other cities throughout Snohomish County, according to the “Coal Hard Truth” forum. Marysville would be hurt by coal exports in Bellingham, panel says during forum

Folks are trying to keep the Gazzam Lake Preserve ‘wild’ by purchasing 30 acres that would prevent construction of a road through the 445-acre south Bainbridge preserve. They need to raise another $225,000 by the April 1 deadline.  Group hopes to halt road's intrusion into Bainbridge nature preserve

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON NOV 21 2011
  GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
  TODAY
 SE WIND 25 TO 35 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT IN THE MORNING...THEN RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 9 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN EARLY...THEN SHOWERS.
 TONIGHT
 SE WIND 30 TO 40 KT...BECOMING S 35 TO 45 KT...THEN BECOMING SW LATE. WIND WAVES 4 TO 7 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

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Friday, November 18, 2011

11/18 Salish Sea News & Weather: BC snow, state budget, bag ban, rain gardens, Tesoro, cruise ships, Kitsap farms, SF marshes, fir fungus, green jobs

PHOTO: Vancouver Sun
Ready for winter’s first blast? Snow, icy winds hit Metro Vancouver, expect slower commute
 

Washington state economist Arun Raha projects that state revenues will drop by $122 million over the next two years. State faces nearly $1.4B deficit    Robert Graef in a Marysville Globe editorial closely reads Governor Gregoire’s proposed list of program budget cuts down into the bone of our state’s social fabric. Blood on the budget axe

Do it; don’t chew on it. The Seattle City Council has the chance to ban single-use plastic shopping bags. Will they— or will they talk it to death? Environmentalists ask Seattle to ban plastic bags    Much of the research that supports banning plastics has been done locally. Port Townsend research provides data for statewide report urging ban of plastic bags

Kathleen Cooper at Tacoma’s News Tribune blogs on whether the rain gardens proposed for Pacific Avenue in Tacoma will turn out to be stinky messes like the ones that went bad in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Will rain gardens on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma be sidewalk swamps? Designers say no

Tesoro is planning a $60 million rail shipping project to move 30,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude oil from western North Dakota to its refinery in Anacortes, Wash., beginning in late 2012. Tesoro plans to ship N.D. crude to Anacortes refinery 

Greater Victoria Harbour Authority officials anticipate that 476,000 passengers will arrive during the 2012 Alaska cuise-ship season, the most of any year thus far.  Cruise-ship tourists may top record

Kitsap County is looking to amend its county comprehensive plan by including a new goal that would “retain and preserve land suitable for agricultural production and encourage the continued practice of farming within the county through regulatory and non-regulatory means." Chris Dunagan in the Kitsap Sun explains. New farm policies proposed for Kitsap's rural areas

In The Chronicle: The critical tidal marshes of San Francisco Bay - habitat for tens of thousands of birds and other animals - will virtually disappear within a century if the sea rises as high as some scientists predict it will as a result of global warming. Climate change: Sea rise could kill vital marshes

From EarthFix: A native disease caused by a tiny fungus has spread into an epidemic in coastal Douglas fir forests. The disease can dramatically slow tree growth and hurt the bottom line of private forest landowners. Many scientists think warmer winters are helping the disease spread. How A Tiny Fungus is Starving Coastal Douglas Fir Trees
And, from Sue Sturgis in Facing South and Grist: The GOP says constantly that environmental regulations kill jobs. These numbers prove the opposite. By the numbers: The myth of ‘job-killing’ regulations

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI NOV 18 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
  TODAY
 W SWELL 16 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 13 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. E WIND 10 KT RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
 TONIGHT
 W SWELL 12 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
 SAT
 E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
 SAT NIGHT
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT.
 SUN
 SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

11/17 Salish Sea News and Weather: Winter, baby orca, nixed wind farm, annexed farmland, coal export, super bacteria

bellinghamster.com
Snow and slush on Vancouver Island, greater Vancouver metro area, Everett, Seabeck and Belfair... Anyone else for winter? Mount Baker skiing opens Friday. Whew.

Read Our Lady of the North’s thoughtful comment on the blog, “Occupy Everywhere But Stay On Message

Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun reports on the preliminary exam by Portland State University of the baby orca that died and washed up on the beach at Seaview. Dead baby orca will provide scientific information

Energy Northwest and four southwest Washington utilities have bagged four years of investment in a proposal to build 32 wind turbines near Naselle at the mouth of the Columbia. W. Washington wind farm canceled due to seabird

According to Tacoma’s News Tribune, the long-awaited annexation of nearly 114 acres which includes one of the Puyallup Valley’s last remaining daffodil farms now makes it easier for a longtime agriculture family to sell it and for buyers to develop it. City of Puyallup absorbs farmland

Eric de Place in Sightlines examines the choice between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, this time between what’s worse: Keystone XL oil pipeline or coal export to Asia. Coal Exports Are Bigger Threat Than Tar Sands Pipeline

Science Digest reports on a University of Minnesota study showing that treated municipal wastewater -- even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology -- can result in significant quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "superbacteria," in surface waters. Even the Cleanest Wastewater Contributes to More 'Super Bacteria', Study Finds

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU NOV 17 2011
  GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM PST EARLY THIS MORNING
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
  TODAY
 W WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT BY EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 9 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 16 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
 TONIGHT
 W SWELL 17 FT AT 13 SECONDS. S WIND 10 TO 15 KT... BECOMING SE LATE. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

11/16 Salish Sea News and Weather: UFOs, dead orca, coal exports, Bowen Is, Olympic wilderness, Kitsap buffers, Singer Farm, tribal journey, Shiro Kashiba

Left by the Ebb: Laurie MacBride
Laurie MacBride’s eye on the environment— must see, must read: “It’s All in How You See It

New blog: “Occupy Everywhere But Stay On Message

Were you puzzled? Lights in night sky puzzle Puget Sound residents

Seaside Aquarium says a newborn orca found dead on the Washington coast died of a stomach hernia and was not stillborn. Baby orca found dead on Washington coast

Linville is next Bellingham mayor; Crawford and Kremen win county council races. “Neither side in the battle over exporting coal to China winds up with clear mandate in Bellingham and Whatcom County elections,” writes Floyd McKay in Crosscut.  Coal-export plan survives election cliffhangers

Parks Canada’s proposal to turn 42 percent of Bowen Island, located northwest of Horseshoe Bay, into a national park reserve has proven to be a hot potato item politically. National park plan pits neighbour against neighbour on Bowen Island

To the south, US Senator Patty Murray and Rep. Norm Dicks have put forth an alternative to a plan put forth by Wild Olympics to expand the Olympic National Park wilderness. Details, map and public hearing schedule are found in the Peninsula Daily News article Murray, Dicks present version of Olympic National Park wilderness additions

Apparently we do not live at all by cookie-cutter rules. Kitsap County’s hearing examiner allows construction of a new house close to the shoreline, finding that the approval “rests on a complex and very fact-specific set of interactions" between three different laws. 100-foot buffer doesn't apply to house planned for Dyes Inlet property, examiner rules

Leslie Brown in the Vashon Beachcomber reports on the work done at the Singer Farm that’s made it a model for best practices and watershed restoration. Restoring a watershed, one parcel at a time

Scott Mackin videoblogs on the “Tribal Journey-- Brazil to the Pacific Northwest” following representatives of the Pankararú and Pataxó indigenous peoples of Brazil who traveled to the Pacific Northwest to join with the Puyallup on this year’s annual Tribal Canoe Journey. Connecting through Canoes and Story

Era’s ending. Puget Sound Business Journal reprts that the defunct daily Seattle Post-Intelligencer sign came down this week. The future of te P-I’s globe may be in the hands of the City Council which wants to designate it as a historic landmark and MOHAI which wants to own it. Seattle Post-Intelligencer sign coming down
 

Hanna Raskin in Seattle Weekly reviews Shiro Kashiba’s new book about his life and times as Seattle’s premier sushi chef, Shiro: Wit, Wisdom & Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer. Raskin writes: “He pulled kelp from the Puget Sound; dug up geoducks and rescued the salmon roe and crab guts that Pike Place vendors trashed. He treated the mountains and ocean as his pantry. But today, he writes, the region's supply of mushrooms, clams and clean water has dwindled.” Seattle's First Sushi Chef Releases Memoir

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED NOV 16 2011
  GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
  TODAY
 E WIND 15 TO 25 KT RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT LATE IN THE MORNING...THEN BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.
 TONIGHT
 W WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. NW SWELL 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

11/15 Salish Sea News and Weather: Winter weather, coal export, ammonia, tankers, headwater restoration, octopus

Know this photo?
Ready for winter? Wind, rain, snow, cold -- what a week ahead

Everett Herald columnist Kristi O’Harran asks if anyone recognizes the photo of a whale tail in Everett harbor. Whale's tail a keepsake of Everett's past

If you like to watch: Al Jazeera reports on the Cherry Point coal export issue and a preview of a new Bellingham coal documentary.

If you like to listen: John Prine, “Paradise”

Thursday night in Coupeville: “Salmon, Rivers and Dams” - an evening with author Steven Hawley and film maker Jim Norton, brought to you by Orca Network.

Hold your breath. According to the Everett Herald, “A mysterious ammonia tank found washed up on a Port Susan beach is not believed to pose a hazard to humans, but officials are keeping a close watch over it.” Large tank of poisonous gas washes up on Tulalip beach

Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix adds pieces of the Alberta tar sands and pipeline stories together to point out What  Keystone Pipeline Delay Could Mean For NW Tanker Traffic

Our Man Down Sound suggests that we need programs like ones in Oregon that restore headwater streams in order to improve conditions throughout the watershed. Trickle-down effect 

From a MarketWatch news release: “Quincy Bioscience is announcing a chance to win a free three-month supply of Prevagen, the winner of the 2011 Vity Award for best brain health supplement.... Prevagen contains the active ingredient apoaequorin, a calcium-binding protein originally discovered in a specific species of jellyfish found in the Puget Sound.” Quincy Bioscience Sponsors Prevagen Giveaway

And, finally and sadly, see the photo of a dead octopus that washed up at the mouth of Poulsbo’s Johnson Creek, a locale not known as octopus habitat. Dead octopus found at mouth of Johnson Creek

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE NOV 15 2011
  GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
  TODAY
 W WIND 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING E 10 KT THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS EARLY.
 TONIGHT
 E WIND 10 TO 15 KT RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told


Monday, November 14, 2011

11/14 Salish Sea News and Weather: Captain Happy, Kitsap shores, Tacoma shores, Asarco plume, SoundCorps, green BC, San Juan sea level, BC pipeline, Discover Pass, plastics ban, Wave Glider, runoff

Shoreline Living
Good way to start the week: “Captain Happy...Stormwater Hero

Discussion begins in earnest about shoreline buffers in Kitsap Count and the value of protecting natural vegetation along the shoreline as the county’s shorelines task force recommends changes to the Kitsap County Shorelines Master Program. Shoreline buffers move to front burner 

In Tacoma, reporter Peter Callaghan notes that commercial interest have had their say in revisions to Tacoma’s shoreline master plan. “Citizens for a Healthy Bay has been involved from the start. But rather than speak up on behalf of the bay, which has few lobbyists, CHB spent too much time echoing the positions of the Port of Tacoma and industry, which have plenty.” Who now can will speak for the public interest? Public has only 1 more ally to influence Tacoma shoreline plan

Last week’s public meeting on Vashon brought out about 200 souls with questions and concerns about the next phase of the Tacoma Smelter Plume. Large crowd shows to learn about Asarco pollution cleanup 

Veterans’ Day was the perfect time to debut the new jobs program connecting military vets with Puget Sound cleanup and recovery. SoundCorps program gives veterans environmental mission for Puget Sound

Craig Welch in the Seattle Times reports on Vancouver’s plan to become the greenest city by 2020. Good greening. Vancouver, B.C., works to be greenest of all

The Friends of the San Juans and Coastal Geologic Services have mapped how sea level rise will affect the San Juan Islands. The new maps are found hereHow sea level rise affects San Juan Island

There’s a temporary lull in the battle to stop the Keystone XL pipeline but the battle continues to halt the Northern Gateway pipeline proposed from Alberta to British Columbia. Opponents of Northern Gateway pipeline brace for a fight

Uh, oh. The $30 annual pass to visit Washington state parks isn’t generating the kind of revenue hoped for. Part of the problem may be not being able to transfer the pass from one car to another. Discover Pass funds coming up short

Having settled its viaduct future, the Emerald City maybe now can deal with its plastic bag future?  Seattle council may ban plastic bags

Ashley Ahearn at EarthFix reports on the sea-going, data-collecting Wave Glider. The Five Coolest Things about Ocean-Exploring Robots

Today’s editorial in The Columbian addresses the toxic chemicals and the polluted runoff problems in Puget Sound. “But what does all of that have to do with Clark County? Plenty, because how successful people and businesses become in reducing Puget Sound pollution will resonate here. We’re equally concerned about water quality in the Columbia River and other waterways.” Smart people down south. Puget Sound Problem: Recent report defines pollutants and where they come from

Speaking to the problem and a solution, Martha Baskin of Green Acre Radio reports on the toxic soup that runs into Puget Sound. Rain Gardens Part Two: An Odd Urban Tale About Things that Run Down the Drain and How to Stop the Flow

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 545 AM PST MON NOV 14 2011

 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
  TODAY
 W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. NW SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
 TONIGHT
 W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING LIGHT LATE. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE NIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Friday, November 11, 2011

11/11 Salish Sea News and Weather: Whale Tail Ale, orca and salmon, San Juan wilderness, Partnership retreat, dog poop, Keystone XL, water

Photo: The Oregonian
 Hold on; we have some weather coming in.

Thirsty? Whale Lady Donna invites us to West Seattle to try the new local brew which debuted on Wednesday. Whale Tail Ale, local brew, launches tonight in area bars

Will you share? Researchers figure that the current population of resident orcas need to eat about 790 to 950 chinook salmon a day. "The dilemma is this: if conservation objectives for killer whale population recovery are actually achieved, the resulting increase in predation pressure on Chinook stocks will compromise the ability to meet recovery objectives for Chinook salmon," University of Washington scientist Rob Williams and co-authors write in the journal PLoS One. Joe Rojas-Burke in The Oregonian reports:  Northwest salmon fisheries may have to share with killer whales

Ah, Wilderness. The Obama administration is calling for 18 new wilderness and conservation area declarations in nine Western states, including creation of a San Juan Islands National Conservation Area in Washington, protections for New Mexico's Rio Grande del Norte and 16 other sites. Administration urges new wilderness protection for San Juan Islands 

Puget Sound Partnership go a clean bill of health on its financial procedures from the State Treasurer but still got criticized for spending money on a now-cancelled executive retreat. Jordan Schrader in The News Tribune reports: Retreat for Puget Sound Partnership canceled; state still owes money

Uh oh. How much dog poop was NOT picked up by dog owners in the Henderson Inlet and Nisqually Reach watersheds? Visits to 16 sites in the watersheds netted more than 1,200 piles of dog waste weighing 127 pounds. Dog waste plagues Nisqually Reach, Henderson Inlet

Politics, yes. But step in the right direction, yes. And showing it makes a difference to organize and to speak out: The Obama administration said other potential routes for the Keystone XL through Nebraska needed to be studied, creating a delay that likely puts off a final decision until after the 2012 election. Obama delays oil pipeline, Neb. claims victory

Liquid, solid, gas? Think again. Science Daily reports: “Strange, stranger, strangest! To the weird nature of one of the simplest chemical compounds -- the stuff so familiar that even non-scientists know its chemical formula -- add another odd twist. Scientists are reporting that good old H2O, when chilled below the freezing point, can shift into a new type of liquid.” Weird World of Water Gets a Little Weirder 

Now, your weekend, thank-goodness-for-tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI NOV 11 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
 TODAY
 S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT DURING THE LATE MORNING...THEN BECOMING W. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. SW SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN EARLY IN THE MORNING...THEN CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 TONIGHT
 NW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 13 FT AT 9 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
 SAT
 W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING S IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
 SAT NIGHT
 S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 9 FT.
 SUN
 W WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 11 FT.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

Thursday, November 10, 2011

11/10 Salish Sea News and Weather: Stormy weather, tsunami debris, coal-port voting, sick swans, ocean energy, complex natives, Ballard locks

Map: Times-Colomist
“Cool weather will bring significant snow to the mountains beginning this weekend” and “strong gales are likely and locally damaging winds are possible in Strait of Juan de Fuca and the northwest interior of western Washington Friday afternoon and night,” according to the National Weather Service.

Oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer predicts: Japan tsunami debris could reach B.C. coast within days, expert says

About 40% of Whatcom County registered voters voted in the last election. The mayor’s race and one county council race are still too close to call but Floyd McKay in Crosscut ponders how much the prominence of the coal export issue could influence future elections along the coal route. How coal-port voting in Bellingham holds lessons for rest of state

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has reactivated its hotline where you can report finding dead or ill swans in Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish counties: (360) 466-4345 ext. 266 Sick swans: reporting hotline now operational    

Chris Dunagan in the Kitsap Sun reports on discussions about ocean energy at the Washington State Ocean Energy Conference in Bremerton attended by about 200 earlier this week. Ocean energy is a vast, unproven resource

Oregon archaeologist Madonna L. Moss wants to set the record straight. In her new book, Northwest Coast: Archaeology as Deep History, she describes native people as more than “hunter-gatherers” but rather fishermen and food producers, and stewards of their environment who timed their fishing practices to promote the production of salmon and the other fish that they relied on. 'People were complex 12,000 years ago' 

Deborah Bach in Three Sheets Northwest reminds all: Large lock closed until Nov. 22

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011
  TODAY
 SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 TONIGHT
 S WIND 10 TO 15 KT...THEN BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

11/9 Salish Sea News and Weather: BC salmon virus, voting on coal, BNSF safety, BP Cherry Point, Puget Sound, Brightwater Islandwood

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride
Must see the new blog by Laurie MacBride-- Frequent Flyer Extraordinaire: Rufous Hummingbird

New blog-- Still Looking For The Silver Bullet: Tell Me When You Find It

Cliff Mass takes apart the Bering Superstorm

Did you feel the swoosh yesterday of the 2005 YU55 asteroid?

Relax. The fish are alright? Tests on 48 wild salmon samples have found no cases of infectious salmon anemia in B.C., a Canadian Food Inspection Agency official says. No cases of infectious salmon anemia in B.C., food agency says   “For anyone to say that infectious salmon anemia virus is present in BC is misrepresenting the science,” said Paul Kitching, director of British Columbia’s Animal Health Centre. Canada Denies Its Salmon Are Infected With Deadly Virus 

Floyd McKay in Crosscut reports that, with about 20,000 more ballots to be counted and reported on today, coal export supporter Doug Ericksen losing in the county executive’s race and Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike, a vocal opponent, trailing narrowly in his re-election bid against former state Rep. Kelli Linville.  Voters give mixed message on Bellingham coal port plan 
 

Not so closely watched trains. KOMO4’s investigative report revealed that BNSF’s unattended and running trains could easily be boarded by anyone. No problem; the company insists its operation is safe. Despite findings, BNSF claims its trains are safe
 

New jobs are coming to Whatcom County as a result of BP’s anticipated sale of its Los Angeles and Texas City refineries. BP Cherry Point to add 60 to 80 jobs in the coming months 

What are your five? Here are The Nature Conservancy’s Five Things You Should Know About Puget Sound
  (Thanks, Josh, for the link)

King County’s Brightwater Center and IslandWood, the Bainbridge Island-based outdoor education center, have signed a formal agreement that will expand educational programs for area students, teachers and community members. IslandWood will also support the Brightwater Center through collaborative marketing, fundraising and partnership development. Brightwater partners with IslandWood

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED NOV 9 2011
  SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
  TODAY
 E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS...SHIFTING TO THE SW AT 7 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF RAIN.
 TONIGHT
 E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told