2/2 Snow, B.C. warm up, tracked seal, Carioca II, local gas tax, water rights, jellyfish

zootpatrol.com

Happy Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Here in Washington, we won’t have to live the same movie over and over. We did the right thing: State Senate approves gay marriage bill

For the Lower 48, January was the third-least snowy on record, according to the Global Snow Lab at Rutgers University. Last year more than half the nation was covered in snow as a Groundhog Day, blizzard barreled across the country, killing 36 people and causing $1.8 billion in damage. This year, less than a fifth of the country outside of Alaska has snow on the ground. Where's the snow? Not in Lower 48; but elsewhere

“Killing any wildlife because they are seen as competitors is totally stupid, selfish, immoral, and should be considered outright murder. “ Read Connie’s comment on the blog, They Shoot Sea Lions, Don’t They?  

New blog: “Last weekend I enjoyed a piece of a toro nigiri sushi. Toro is from the fatty belly of the bluefin tuna.” Toro, Poke and Cerviche

Waterfront property owners in B.C. probably need to bolster defenses against rising ocean levels over the next century and forestry companies should be looking nervously at the absence of bug-killing cold winters. An analysis of 62 years of Environment Canada weather data by the University of Victoria's Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium has found that B.C.'s temperature has been warming by about 0.25 degrees Celsius per decade. "That means in the past decade B.C.'s climate was more than one degree warmer than it was in the 1950s and that's quite a lot. It's more than we see in global measurements," said Francis Zwiers, PCIC director. Warmer weather in B.C. threatens waterfront, forests

Scientists from around the Puget Sound region are getting new information about harbor seals by tracking a rehabilitated harbor seal by satellite. They are studying a seal named Sandy who was found on the beach in West Seattle last August and released to the wild at the end of January. Scientists track harbor seal 'Sandy' by satellite

The Carioca II, an abandoned sailboat that washed up recently near Ross Point outside Port Orchard could be headed for salvage, officials say. Boat runs aground in Sinclair Inlet near Port Orchard

Bills circulating in the Legislature would allow local governments to collect up to 3 cents a gallon with voter approval to pave roads and plug potholes. In addition to the gas tax, the bills provide broader avenues to increasing road levies and car tab fees as well as reviving a motor vehicle excise tax. Bills would give local governments more options to raise gas taxes for roads

Port Metro Vancouver says it has no long-term plans to expand operations on Agricultural Land Reserve farmland — but Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie doesn’t believe the agency. Richmond mayor wary of Port Metro Vancouver farmland plans

Courtney Flatt at EarthFix explains 6 Things You Need to Know about Water Rights

Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. However, Global Experts Question Claims About Jellyfish Populations

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST THU FEB 2 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS.

--
"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