8/10 Meteors, action agenda, river festival, salmon people, Marpole Midden, gas maps, Deschutes, whale poop

PHOTO: Steve Ringman, Seattle Times

Lynda Mapes sez: Pack up the tent Saturday and head for the mountains, where the annual Perseid meteor shower promises to be resplendent overhead.  Perseid meteor shower peaks Saturday night  

As of Thursday, Puget Sound Partnership is operating under a new integrated plan of action, supported by science and linked to measurable recovery targets. The revised 654-page Puget Sound Action Agenda goes far beyond the Action Agenda adopted in 2009, according to members of the Leadership Council, which approved the document Thursday. The 2009 version was pieced together rapidly to meet deadlines spelled out in the law that created the partnership. Chris Dunagan reports. New Action Agenda approved for Puget Sound

This weekend: The Stillaguamish Tribe's 23rd annual Festival of the River is from about noon to 10 p.m. or so today through Sunday at River Meadows County Park, 20416 Jordan Road, between Arlington and Granite Falls. The free event, which is suitable for families (no alcohol allowed), seeks to honor the environment and native cultures, said festival coordinator Franchesca Perez. Big names and a pow wow at Festival of the River

For Northwest tribes, fishing for salmon is more than a food source, it’s a way of life. Five populations of Pacific salmon are already on the brink of extinction and changes in the climate stand to make matters worse. Katie Campbell reports. The Northwest’s Salmon People Face a Future Without Fish  

The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe is the Conservationist of the Year, according to the Society of Ecological Restoration’s Northwest Chapter. The award, announced earlier this year, was given to the tribe for its central role in the $325 million Elwha River Restoration Project, which includes the demolition of two dams on the river. The award specifically honors Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles and Robert Elofson, river restoration director.  Lower Elwha tribe named Conservationist of Year  

Members of an urban Vancouver aboriginal band say they're stepping up their protest to protect a mound of ancient refuse left behind from an aboriginal village nearly 3,000 years ago that, despite its designation as a national heritage site, is at risk of being built over — again. Members of the Musqueam First Nation say they will block traffic to protest against construction on the Marpole Midden, even though B.C.'s aboriginal relations minister says a cash-for-land deal is close.  Musqueam to block traffic at Marpole Midden protest  

See this: One of the most significant political problems facing campaigns against air pollution these days is this: by and large, you can’t see it. You can track its molecules, watch emergency room admissions go up and down as it waxes and wanes and estimate the number of lives shortened by it. But none of that provides the jolt of, say, a picture of a tornado’s path or a river on fire. Felicity Barringer blogs. The Power of Images: California Maps Greenhouse Gases  

Listen to this: Nearly eighty years ago, the tide pools around Sitka inspired a pair of naturalists — Ed Ricketts and Jack Calvin — who went on to transform the way we think about marine biology. Last week, a new set of researchers came to town to explore the same beaches, and remind Sitka of its place in the history of science. Rachel Waldholz reports. Following in the footsteps of Ricketts and Calvin  

Mark your calendars: The Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team is gearing up for a great "bring your own" picnic at Heritage Park on September 1st from 1 to 5 p.m. Dana Lyons headlines the free afternoon show with opening songs by Danny Kelly and Karen Hancock - the Hinges. Go with the Flow....Free the Deschutes!

The largest animals ever to have lived on Earth, blue whales are colossal in every respect — including, it must be said, the scatological. When a blue whale goes, it goes big. It may well be the world’s largest documented poop. It’s also an exclamation point to a line of research pursued in recent years by marine biologists who say whales are the ocean’s unappreciated gardeners, playing enormous roles in nutrient and carbon cycles. In short — or perhaps in long — their poop helps make the aquatic world go round. Brandon Keim reports. The Hidden Power of Whale Poop

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 257 AM PDT FRI AUG 10 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT.

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