6/25 Springer, BC flood, crabs, Elwha hatchery, Skagit water, swales, no-go zone, Joshua Berger, tribal settlement, Squamish bowl, Mukilteo shores, tribal journey, Rio+20, drones

Le-La-La dancer at Celebrate Springer!

On Saturday, several of the people responsible for Springer’s rescue and reconnection with her family gathered at the Alki Bathhouse to share their story, encourage community involvement in saving the whales and protecting the waters they frequent, and dedicate four new Whale Trail signs in West Seattle.  Orphan orca Springer’s saviors honored at Alki; Four Whale Trail signs going up in West Seattle   See also: Whale of a (true-life) tale, 10 years later: Celebrating Springer  

Martha Kongsgaard, chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council, gave some powerful opening remarks at last Saturday’s festivities in Seattle celebrating the 10th anniversary of the orphan orca Springer’s rescue in Seattle and reuniting with her Northern Resident family. Here’s an excerpt:  Saving the Sound, Saving the Whales

Rushing rivers, swollen by heavy rains, have wreaked havoc around British Columbia, forcing emergency officials to evacuate hundreds of residents in one community and search for man who’d been swept away in another.  It’s happened because of thunder and rain storms, which hammered the Interior Saturday and dumped in one day as much rain as some communities see in an entire month. Hundreds evacuated, one missing after flooding in BC   Meanwhile, in Puget Sound: Summer Squall

After a banner Puget Sound Dungeness crab fishery last summer, many are gearing up for another good season beginning July 1.  State fisheries managers are basing their outlook on some preseason evaluations that included a tribal fishery on east side of Whidbey Island and Saratoga Pass, and the state's test fisheries in other parts of Puget Sound.  Crabbers gearing up for season, and early sockeye numbers promising  

The public can comment through July 16 on an updated draft management plan that will be used to operate the hatchery program for chinook salmon in the Elwha River watershed. The draft plan, written by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, describes the operation of the artificial production program for chinook salmon in the Elwha River and the potential effects of the program on wild fish species, such as salmon and steelhead, that are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.  Comments open for updated Elwha chinook hatchery plan  

Thomas Crane presents something of a conundrum with Skagit County and the state and could add another dimension to the ongoing conflict over water in two Skagit River creek basins. Earlier this year, a county worker discovered Crane’s two-story home, nestled in a spreading meadow not far from Fisher Creek, was using an illegal well. Crane’s home is in the Fisher-Carpenter creek basin, an area closed last year by the state Department of Ecology to residential development that requires wells.  Now, both the state and the county say they don’t know what to do about it. In letters to each other, officials from both agencies appear to be walking on eggshells. Their unspoken fear — should either approve Crane’s use of his well — is that the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community might file a lawsuit.  Rural water war has a new twist

The West Seattle neighborhoods of Sunrise Heights and Westwood are in for major changes in the coming years as King County plans to install a series of “bioretention swales,” similar to rain gardens, along many streets. The neighborhoods were chosen because they contribute 45 percent of the water and sewage processed by the Barton station. Some at peace, others still frustrated with King County’s sewage overflow plans in West Seattle  

The Coast Guard has declared a 500-yard safety zone to keep people away from two drilling ships when they leave Seattle for the Alaska Arctic this summer. Shell Oil has been preparing two drill ships in Seattle to explore for oil and natural gas this year in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off Alaska's north coast. Environmental groups oppose the drilling because they fear an oil spill in ice-choked ocean waters. Coast Guard declares drill ship safety zone in Puget Sound

The captain of the schooner Adventuress has received a $10,000 fellowship that he intends to use to develop a program to develop “green” standards for building boats.  Joshua Berger is one of 40 recipients nationwide of awards given by Toyota and the National Audubon Society.  'Adventuress' captain gets grant to develop 'green' boats  

Some Native American tribes have started receiving their shares of a $1 billion settlement with the U.S. government over mismanagement of their money and trust lands, while others are waiting and remain undecided on what to do with their funds. The Makah tribe in Neah Bay — one of 44 tribes across the nation who are receiving money from the settlement — is receiving $25 million.  Tribes start receiving settlement money; Makah are beneficiaries of $25 million

The discovery of an ancient stone bowl in Squamish may shed some light on the lives and ceremonies of the Coast Salish peoples who once lived on the banks of the Squamish River. The bowl, carved out of organic rock and revealed to be about 1,600 years old, is similar to those used by early aboriginal cultures in California and the American southwest.  Ancient stone Squamish artifact bowls over SFU researchers  

Mukilteo wants and deserves to reclaim our 4.8 miles of beautiful waterfront. Joe Marine opines. Mukilteo's waterfront has a shining future  

The arrival on July 29 of about 13,000 American Indians, representing some 130 West Coast tribal communities, dressed in regalia and landing in beautifully carved cedar canoes, sounds a lot like another spectacular Olympia party. It is not. Charlene Krise, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribal Council and executive director of the tribe’s Museum Library and Research Center, says the revival of the canoe journey has rejuvenated tribal nations to reclaim their traditions.  Support Squaxin tribe’s journey to keep heritage alive  

The Rio+20 summit ends with an agreement from world leaders that charities say represents a "missed chance" to tackle environmental problems. Rio ends with corporates warning  But: Government progress on the environment is slow, but the world’s people can assert their power to fix problems. Op-Ed: We Have Met the Solution and It Is Us  

In Hawaii over the weekend: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting a demonstration off Oahu's North Shore this week of a small unmanned aircraft the agency hopes will improve ocean monitoring and aid environmental research in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Puma AE, which has a 10-foot wingspan and weighs 13 pounds, can stay aloft for two hours and capture high-definition still photos and video. It is remotely operated. Unmanned aircraft have been used to help NOAA researchers and military personnel around the world with oil spills, hurricane tracking, surveillance, combat and other tasks.  Federal officials test drone as monitor of ocean wildlife  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 241 AM PDT MON JUN 25 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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