4/4 BLM, Barker Cr, Tani Cr, state budget, L112, Kitsap clams, megayachts, Pierce Co floods

Spring bunny (Dave Green)

In an unanimous vote San Juan County Council agreed to send a letter to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar asking him to ask President Barack Obama to sign a proclamation creating San Juan National Monument. This would permanently protect the 1,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management Land in San Juan County.  One giant step closer to permanent protection for BLM land in SJC  

State health authorities have lifted a shellfish closure in Dyes Inlet at the mouth of Barker Creek near Silverdale, following a successful pollution cleanup program, officials say. A pollution identification and correction (PIC) program launched by the Kitsap Public Health District in 2004 reduced levels of fecal bacteria in Barker Creek by half, according to Stuart Whitford, the district's PIC program manager. The stream now meets state standards for bacterial pollution. Barker Creek meets clean water standards

Kitsap County health authorities have issued a no-contact advisory for Tani Creek and the head of Blakely Harbor following a sewage spill at the Fort Ward treatment plant. The spill occurred Friday through a 1-inch rupture in a digester tank containing liquid sewage sludge.  Sewage spills near Fort Ward  

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire’s deadline for a bipartisan budget deal has come and gone. Lawmakers Tuesday failed to agree on a plan to rebalance the state budget and implement so-called government reforms. Now, House Democrats say they will pass their own budget in hopes of breaking the logjam. The clock runs out next Tuesday on the current 30-day overtime session.  No budget deal in Washington, House plans action

Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research writes about the death of L112 (Sooke): "Her death was undoubtedly caused by humans, and we have to look for the source of the blast. I have asked the law enforcement division of the National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate so that there will be a clear set of rules concerning withholding, filtering, or losing evidence in this case. The southern resident killer whale population was designated "endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act, and its protective management is under NOAA, NMFS." Bombing range or sanctuary? One in the same for endangered orcas  

From Liberty Bay to Port Gamble to Elliott Bay, efforts are underway to make sure that clams destined for the dinner table are aplenty now and in future generations. And that no clam or its habitat becomes extinct under our watch.  Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal explains. When the tide is out the table is set... with help from local efforts  

A new bill will make it easier for owners of foreign-flagged megayachts to spend time — and money — in Washington.  The legislation, which was recently signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, eases pilotage requirements for foreign-flagged vessels. Under the bill, boats up to 750 gross tons or under 200 feet can apply for a pilotage exemption, which was previously capped at 500 gross tons or 200 feet. Vessels over the cap are required to have a licensed pilot onboard any time the boat is moved, even if it’s just going to the fuel dock, at a cost of more than $150 an hour.  New bill makes it easier for big boats to visit Washington waters

The Pierce County Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to create a countywide taxing district to pay for flood control, a step one council member called a milestone but another said would create an unnecessary additional tax. Several council members cited the need to protect the public from catastrophe by forming a flood-control zone district. It would pay for projects ranging from rebuilding levees to buying up flood-prone properties. Pierce County Council approves forming flood-control district

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED APR 4 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. W WIND 10 TO 20 KT... BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

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