1/9 NSEA, sub wharf, bag ban vote petition, Northern Gateway pipeline, sea lions, Yelm moles, snowy owl, Don Staniford, Neah Bay

Neah Bay (NY Times)

Our Lady of the North comments on the blog, “This Great Ark of Islands”--  “This is fascinating, Mike, and I love the photo of the gecko drinking off the side of your cup! As you know, I live on a small island too, but of course all of the Gulf Islands, mine included, are relatively close to the mainland and the "big island" (Vancouver Is.), unlike Hawaii - so the flora/fauna are pretty similar. Nevertheless, a few of the species are different here than on the mainland coast of BC - eg. chestnut-backed chickadees here, but  black-capped chickadees aren't found on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands. Interesting to ponder on why this might be so.”

If you like to watch: Dean Kahn at the Bellingham Herald reports on the fundraising strategy of Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association and how "Our Promise," a four-minute video showcasing NSEA's work fits into that strategy. Nooksack salmon group goes digital in search of endowment donors

Which war are we going to fight next? The Navy wants to build a new $715 million second munitions wharf to service its missile-carrying subs at Bangor. The final EIS is due early this year.  Plan for new Navy wharf at Bangor fires up nuke debate  

Petition drive to put the Seattle bag ban to a vote is a dud; the American Progressive Alliance, lobbying arm for the plastics industry, will concentrate on lobbying Olympia. Few, so far, sign on to get bag-ban repeal on ballot

Northern Gateway pipeline proponent Enbridge says that the total benefit of direct and indirect jobs to build and run its pipeline will be 558,000 person-years of employment, generating $81 billion in government revenues. Spending billions on Northern Gateway pipeline will quickly pay off, experts say

But what about a spill by even one massive tanker that wreaks havoc on marine life and contaminates hundreds of kilometres of coastline?  What if a supertanker tanks?  

B.C.’s politicians will make the call. Brave folks. Gateway pipeline risky for western premiers, political watchers say

"This is the most sea lions I have ever seen at once in south sound," said Pete Topping, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. Big group of sea lions invade southern Puget Sound  

“Mole hills are popping up in the back pasture at a rate I’ve never seen before. Mole activity picked up early this past fall and shows no sign of subsiding,” writes John Dodge at The Olympian. “I counted more than 50 mole hills Friday morning, some of which contain enough soil to fill a large pot.” Backyard garden plans under attack  

Talk of the snowy owls' atypical prevalence in the United States continues to swirl among the birder community as reports come in from the Audubon Society's 112th annual Christmas Bird Count. Across the U.S., Audubon watchers find snowy owls flying south for sustenance  

In northern and central Puget Sound summer anglers target hatchery chinook — which are identified with a clipped adipose fin located near the tail — while ensuring that wild salmon listed on the Endangered Species Act are released unharmed. Selective salmon fisheries have proved to be a big hit

Don Staniford is an outspoken critic of B.C.’s salmon-farming industry and is being taken to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on Jan. 16, where he must defend himself against allegations from Mainstream Canada, the province's second-largest salmon-farming company, that he defamed the organization. Fish-farm foe defiant as court date nears

And, before you go west, read Bill Yardley’s New York Times piece on what makes Neah Bay at the end of the world special. “We’re accessibly remote,” says Meredith Parker, the general manager of the Makah Indian Nation. Washington Outpost Draws Those Hungry for Slap of Sea Spray  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PST MON JAN 9 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 13 FT AT 14 SECONDS. RAIN AT TIMES THIS MORNING TURNING TO SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 12 FT AT 14 SECONDS. NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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