7/17 Springer, Victoria sewage, Padilla Bay, canoe paddle, porpoise deaths, coal exports, coastal living

Coastal Blue (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: “For most of the year, we live surrounded by the greens and browns that dominate the forest around our Gulf Islands home. But in the summer, when we’re travelling up the BC coast on our boat, blue takes over. Water, waves, surface currents, tidelines, distant shorelines, mountain ranges and sky: together they form a multi-hued blue landscape, stretching out ahead and rolling out behind like a long, delicate tapestry. Blue on blue on blue: it’s a look I love....” Blue on Blue  

Last weekend’s events in Telegraph Bay concluded the 10th anniversary celebration of the rescue of the orphan whale Springer and reunion with her family. Alan Waterman of CBC News visits the rescue team who helped save a stranded orca a decade ago, as they reunite. Rescue reunion  More whale love:  Gregor at CBC News Radio interviews Paul Spong, founder of OrcaLab, about the capture and release of Springer the Killer Whale ten years ago, and how she's doing now. Springer: then and now

New blog: “We were glad to get all of the family out of Waikiki and Ala Moana waters by July 13, 10 days after the full moon. That’s when the stinging box jellyfish ( Carybdea alata ) begin showing up in local waters....” Box Jellyfish and Rats in Paradise

The federal, provincial and regional governments yesterday announced a deal to fund a proposed $782-million secondary sewage treatment plant in the capital region.  “This is a quarter of a million dollars to end dumping of sewage into the waters around Victoria,” Conservative MP James Moore said of the federal government’s share of the money. Currently, sewage is sieved through a six-millimetre metal screen before it is piped about a kilometre into the ocean.  Three governments announce deal for Greater Victoria sewage plant 

Seventy more acres of Padilla Bay tidelands are now protected, thanks to a grant from the Northwest Straits Foundation.  The state Department of Ecology bought the land from its private owner to add to the Padilla Bay Estuarine Research Reserve so it could be protected as a habitat for marine life such as salmon, crab and black brant geese. The reserve is also used for education and research.  Ecology adds 70 acres to protected Padilla Bay land  

If you like to watch: Sun comes out to help welcome Canoe Journey paddlers to Port Angeles  

Scientists in the Puget Sound region are baffled as an alarming number of porpoises have washed up on local beaches this year.
The most recent death was discovered Thursday on a Whidbey Island beach. That brought the death toll to seven this year. Five others were found on Whidbey and one was found on Camano Island.  Scientists puzzled by what's killing Puget Sound porpoises

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has asked Washington transportation officials to study the effect four proposed coal export terminals would have on Washington's waterways, rail lines and roadways. Cantwell, D-Wash., wrote to Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond early this month.  Cantwell urges WSDOT assessment of coal terminals' effect on transportation  

Meanwhile:  Backers of the No Coal! city initiative outlawing coal trains have filed a motion in Whatcom County Superior Court, contending that the city lawsuit attempting to block their initiative is improper under state law. The motion, filed by attorney Breean Beggs, cites the Washington Act Limiting Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, known as the SLAPP law. Coal train initiative backers challenge Bellingham's lawsuit

A new study from the European Centre for Environment & Human Health, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, has revealed that people living near the coast tend to have better health than those living inland.  Coastal Populations Are Healthier Than Those Inland, UK Study Finds  

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUL 17 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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