6/1 Vashon beach, Deep Sea, salmon sanctuaries, BP, green oversight, Clark Cr. hatchery, Vancouver parks, Venus transit

Pick your (privatized) poison [PHOTO: The Herald]

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Stop by Jensen Point on Sunday, when Island naturalists will “bring the beach to you.” At the third annual We Bring the Beach to You event, Vashon Beach Naturalists, with help from some junior naturalists from the Homestead School, will bring colorful starfish, sticky anemones, scuttling hermit crabs and huge moon snails to a place where they can be easily observed at the park.  Island naturalists bring the beach to residents

The Deep Sea, a 140-foot fishing vessel, caught fire and sank almost three weeks ago. It’s been leaking oil ever since, forcing the closure of local shellfish beds. The boat’s set to be removed from Penn Cove on Sunday. What’s taken so long?  Sunken Vessel Off Whidbey Island to be Removed Sunday

Biologist Jim Pojar and ecologist Jack Stanford write: Recent federal budget cuts to Canada’s environmental review processes have weakened environmental protections, leaving many of the last best places for wild salmon and salmon habitat at risk. Perhaps no region is more threatened than the transboundary watersheds of northwest British Columbia and southeast Alaska.  Wild salmon ‘sanctuaries’ under threat

The BP Cherry Point refinery near Blaine is back in business.  The refinery was hit by a fire Feb. 17 and the company decided to move up scheduled maintenance during the outage. BP Cherry Point is the third-largest refinery on the West Coast. It produces 20 percent of Washington’s gasoline needs and supplies the majority of jet fuel for Sea-Tac, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia, airports.  BP Cherry Point refinery back in operation  

Changes to environmental reviews of industrial projects in recent years are already "preventing process duplication," says an internal government presentation prepared by the Canadian Environmental Assessment (CEA) Agency last fall.  No red tape in green oversight, environment minister told

A seafood company won’t lease the state-owned Puyallup Trout Hatchery on Clarks Creek – at least not anytime soon.  Opponents raised concerns about everything from the impact on public access to the effect of an expanded commercial operation on the already-polluted creek. They also criticized Fish and Wildlife for not notifying the public sooner of the lease discussions.  ‘Strong' reaction halts plan to lease hatchery

Metro Vancouver is floating the idea of selling sections of parkland with “low-recreational value” as well as fundraising, borrowing money and raising rental fees to maintain and acquire parks over the next 30 years in order to serve the region’s growing population.  Metro Vancouver parks under ‘significant stress’

Skygazers have a rare opportunity next week to watch the dark circle of Venus cross the Sun - an astronomical event that will not happen again for 105 years.  Starting at 3: 05 p.m. Tuesday, Venus will appear to move across the Sun's shape for what is called the transit of Venus. The orbits of Mercury and Venus lie inside Earth's orbit, making them the only planets that can pass between the Earth and Sun to produce a transit. On June 5, the Sun will set at 9: 49 p.m. in Victoria, midway through the phenomenon. Weather-permitting, there will be almost seven hours of transit-viewing time. Viewing points organized to watch transit of Venus

Thurston County is seeking public input on the proposed update to the Critical Areas Ordinance. A public hearing on the draft ordinance will be held at 10 a.m. June 23 at the Thurston County Courthouse Building 2, Room 129. The ordinance is part of the county code that protects wetlands; aquifer recharge areas; geologically hazardous areas; flood, seismic and volcanic hazard areas; and fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas. The ordinance was adopted in 1994 and has yet to be updated.  Public to weigh in on new Thurston County ordinance

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI JUN 1 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN THIS MORNING... THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS EARLY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.
SUN
NW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.

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