8/17 Capitol Lake, state parks, vibrio closures, boats 'n' orcas, Olympic wilderness, San Juan prairie, Toxic 100, treehugger marketing

Capitol Lake (Steve Bloom/The Olympian)

Another hot one; be cool and enjoy it.

It’s been three years since an advisory committee recommended on a split vote that the state revert the 250-acre manmade Capitol Lake back to the Deschutes River estuary. Very little has happened since to maintain the lake or create the estuary. Without money or a political and community consensus on how to proceed, Capitol Lake keeps filling up with sediment carried down the Deschutes River, an estimated 100,000 cubic yards since 2009, enough to fill 10,000 dump trucks. “Everybody’s so afraid to make a move,” said Dave Peeler, a former state Department of Ecology water quality manager and one of the founders of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team. John Dodge reports. Capitol Lake conundrum

And another condundrum: When it comes to the state's cherished park system, the two men vying to be Washington's next governor are of the same opinion -- it needs public funding.  They're just not sure on how much money to commit. Republican Rob McKenna and Democrat Jay Inslee each said this week their first budget would provide taxpayer dollars to operate and maintain the system, which will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Jerry Cornfeld reports. Governor candidates fuzzy on state park funding

The discovery of vibrio bacteria in shellfish has prompted the closure for the rest of the summer of three commercial growing areas, including one in Dabob Bay, the state Department of Health said Thursday. The closure in Dabob Bay affects 14 commercial companies, said Richard Lillie, public health adviser in the shellfish and water safety office of the state Health Department. The two other areas closed are North Bay, between Allyn and Victor on the Hood Canal, and Totten Inlet near Olympia.  Vibrio bacteria prompts closure in Dabob Bay

A boater who was caught by the Coast Guard too close to Puget Sound killer whales on Wednesday won't be penalized, but next summer violators could be fined thousands of dollars.  On Wednesday a Coast Guard cutter from Port Angeles witnessed a 25-foot pleasure boat remaining within 200 yards of whales near Orcas Island. The boaters were told they were too close.  No fine yet for closing on Puget Sound orcas  

Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Norm Dicks hit the Olympic Peninsula Thursday, trying to sell locals on a plan to designate more wilderness there. They say their latest bill is a grand compromise, and they’re hoping to convince Olympic Peninsula communities that fought earlier versions. The plan would place 126,554 acres of Olympic National Forest under wilderness protection, with more than 5,000 more to be added later. It would also designate 19 rivers, including the newly-wild Elwha, and seven tributaries, as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Whether they’re turned around public opinion over nearly three years of negotiations remains to be seen. The Peninsula still teems with signs charging a “land grab.”  Olympic Peninsula wilderness plan is scaled back, but is it a compromise?

Islanders have up until a deadline of Sept. 4, others do as well, to weigh-in, offer suggestions or provide a critique as to the extent and the scope — what should be included or not — of the "Prairie Stewardship Plan" of San Juan Island National Historical Park, now in formative stages of construction.  The Stewardship Plan will serve as a guide for managing the prairie areas of American Camp and of Young Hill, at English Camp, and, following its completion, it is expected to advance the ability of National Parks to restore components of the rare island prairie ecosystem through the use of various management and restorative tools.  Hey you! What about the prairies?  

Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today released the 4th Toxic 100 Air Polluters, an updated list of the top corporate air polluters in the U.S. The Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index is based on air releases of hundreds of chemicals from tens of thousands of industrial facilities across the U.S. The rankings take into account not only the quantity of releases, but also the toxicity of chemicals, factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks, and the number of people exposed. The Toxic 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters Identified  

Earnest, well-meaning environmental messages are supposed to be ineffective relics of a bygone age, when bumper stickers still worked and treehuggers hadn’t realized that self-interest speaks louder than Mother Earth ever could. But don’t put that Save the Whales t-shirt on eBay just yet. In experiments published August 12 in Nature Climate Change, psychologists found that telling people about carpooling’s money-saving benefits seemingly makes them less likely to recycle. In short, appeals to self-interest backfired, accidentally encouraging people to behave selfishly in other areas. Constantly encouraged to care about nature because it'll save money, people could forget it's possible to just care.  Think Globally, Act Selfishly: How Utilitarian Environmentalism Can Backfire

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI AUG 17 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT.

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