6/11 Coal trains, snakehead, noctiluca, Elwha Love, undersea volcano, Gorst landfill, Skagit 2060, Port Angeles waterfront, tent caterpillars, Stillwaters

Saturday paddle down the Skagit

What did you do last weekend?  Salish Sea Communications blog: “Thirty-two souls had a great day of paddling adventure down the north fork of the Skagit River on Saturday, thanks to Lee First and staff of RE Sources for Sustainable Communities and Denny, Dylan and Morgan of Yeager’s Sporting Goods in Bellingham....” Take Me to the River

Since the early days of the ongoing public debate over a proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point, backers of that terminal have argued that increasing numbers of coal trains would rumble through the city even if the Whatcom County terminal were never built. On Friday, Communitywise Bellingham issued a report that challenges that argument. Their report contends that the planned expansion of Canadian coal export terminals could not generate anywhere near the amount of train traffic that the Gateway Pacific Terminal project would.  John Stark reports. Bellingham group's report questions rail impact of Canadian coal ports    Read the report here.

The elusive snakehead fish in Burnaby Central Park lagoon was finally caught Friday after previous attempts failed to capture the invasive critter. But-- only hours after biologists netted the fish from a Burnaby lagoon, B.C.’s environment minister vowed to change provincial regulations to ban its live importation.  Elusive snakehead fish finally caught after Burnaby Central Park lagoon partially drained (with video)


The reddish water along some Seattle beaches this weekend is caused by single-cell organisms known as noctiluca. Photos at  ‘Red water’ noctiluca bloom spreading, outside West Seattle too  

Elwha Love: Despite tons of sediment left behind, vegetation is beginning to transform a drained lake bottom in the Elwha River Valley.  New life emerges as dams come down    More Love:  Jeff Crane will read from his book, Finding the River: An Environmental History of the Elwha, at the Port Angeles Library on Monday night.  Author to read from book on Elwha  

If you like to listen: Here are recordings of the eruption of an undersea volcano off the Northwest coast at a place called Axial Seamount about 300 miles out to sea from Cannon Beach, Oregon. Caught on tape! Undersea volcano erupts off Northwest coast  

Experts estimate that it will cost more than $2.6 million to stabilize an old landfill that has been known to discharge garbage into Gorst Creek and could trigger a blowout of Highway 3.Removing and hauling away all the garbage would cost an estimated $34 million, according to an EPA-funded report. The proposed plan involves forcing a new pipe through the base of the garbage, opening a new route through which Gorst Creek can flow.  Expensive solution posed for Gorst Creek landfill  

A regional effort to plan for 50 years of population growth has earned high marks from the governor. Envision Skagit 2060, which has involved citizen input and local elected officials, was one of two projects selected statewide for Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Smart Vision award.  Governor lauds countywide planning efforts  

The Port Angeles City Council wants to energize the downtown waterfront. The Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center at City Pier needs more room. And the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary office is running out of space. All three entities are contributing to a joint solution, putting their money where their needs are by beginning the process last week to create a combined marine-research, public-outreach center on the waterfront.  Port Angeles vision of a marine research ‘campus’ takes first sail  

Yuk. They defoliate alders, strip apples, devour ash. They chew cherry, masticate willow, nibble wild rose. They denude hawthorns, an outcome no one wants. The Western tent caterpillar is a voracious insect with an insatiable appetite for succulent leaves. The caterpillar is an uninvited guest that shows up in trees and bushes – and on decks and picnic blankets – every year at this time. They are yellow and black with brilliant blue spots. Fuzzy, but not cuddly. An unsightly, creepy, squishy infestation  

Stillwaters is a nine-acre wildlife refuge and environmental education center in Kingston. The non-profit organization strives to restore and preserve the local watershed through various programs, including water quality and habitat monitoring, workshops for the public, and outreach programs with local schools.  Employer spotlight: Stillwaters Environmental Center  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT MON JUN 11 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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