5/31 Baby orca, Springer, CH2M Hill, Skagit QR, Bristol Bay mine, entangled humpback, "The Fire Inside," beach naturalists, Salish Sea fishing, munching goats

Baby L119 (PHOTO: Center for Whale Research)

The three killer whale pods that frequent the Salish Sea returned en masse to inland waters Tuesday, bringing along a new baby. The calf has been designated L-119 by the Center for Whale Research, which maintains an ongoing census of the orcas. The mother is L-77, a 25-year-old female named Matia. Christopher Dunagan reports.  Orca observers celebrate new baby in L pod  

Have you “Liked” Celebrate Springer?

Whatcom County has selected environmental consulting company CH2M Hill to play a key role in the preparation of an environmental impact statement that will evaluate the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal and bulk cargo pier proposed at Cherry Point.  Whatcom County, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are cooperating to oversee the environmental review process for the proposed terminal, as well as the BNSF Railway Co. projects that will be required to get trains carrying coal and other cargoes to the site.  Consulting firm picked for Cherry Point coal terminal study  

Working with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group within the Junior Stream Stewards program, the eighth-grade class at Edison Elementary is creating QR codes, containing students’ photos and research, for visitors to Padilla Bay. The barcodes, which can be scanned with applications on smartphones, will allow visitors to access information about the estuary, its wildlife and its role in the watershed.  Student project will allow visitors to tap into Padilla Bay  

Fishing vessels in Northwest ports will soon be bound for Alaskan waters. Before they depart, fisherman will have the chance to speak out on the proposed Pebble Mine, upstream from Bristol Bay’s renowned salmon-fishing grounds. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a hearing Thursday on its assessment of the mine’s ecological risks. Ashley Ahearn reports. Why An Alaska Mine Worries Fishermen In The Northwest  

If you like to watch: The Fire Inside: Place, Passion & the Primacy of Nature is a 30-minute documentary film by Phil Walker about a group of NW activists and religious leaders on a kayaking adventure into the heart of the Salish Sea. Watch online at Fire Inside Film.

A young humpback whale, entangled in prawn traps in Knight Inlet, has been rescued in the nick of time. The race to save an entangled humpback whale in Knight Inlet  

The Seattle Aquarium is dispatching beach naturalists to several Puget Sound beaches this weekend, June 2 and 3, 2012 — and at other times this spring and summer — to help beachcombers learn more about the low-tide habitat.  Fit & Fun: at low tide, a whole new world at the beach  

The Cascade River and Skagit River from the Highway 530 Bridge at Rockport to Cascade River Road will open for spring chinook Friday and initial reports indicate fish are already milling around. Spring chinook also were returning to the Marblemount Hatchery on the Cascade River. The Skagit spring chinook forecast is 3,590. Early signs indicate plenty of chinook salmon   And, from the Canadian side: Bright future for fishing

The Peace River Regional District is taking an innovative approach, bringing several hundred goats to the edge of Fort St. John this weekend to munch on its invasive plant problem.  Munching goats graze away at invasive plants in Peace district

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 31 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY EARLY...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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