8/27 Marble butterfly, McNeil Is., Bainbridge water, U Place sewer, orca lawsuit, BC Coast Guard, Enbridge bitumen, Tacoma Tideflats, Shaw Is., invasives app

Xerces Society (Jim Miskelly)

Dean Kahn writes: 40th birthday party planned for Lake Padden Park

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation filed a petition today, August 22, 2012 requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extend Endangered Species Act protection to the island marble butterfly. The butterfly, found on Lopez and San Juan islands only, is in imminent danger of extinction. Because it has an extremely small and isolated population, has experienced recent declines in abundance and site occupancy, and its habitat faces continued threats, it is among the most imperiled animals in the world according to Xerces Society. Petition filed to add Island Marble Butterfly to Endangered Species List

Got ideas about what should happen next on McNeil Island, now that the prison’s closed? Here’s your chance to make them known. As part of a long-range planning process for the island, the state Office of Financial Management has scheduled two open houses next week to explain the process and gather public comments. The first open house will be in Olympia. It’s scheduled for 12:30-2:30 p.m. Monday in the Columbia Room of the Legislative Building on the Capitol campus. The second open house will be in University Place. It’s scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pierce County Environmental Services Building, 9850 64th St. W.  Public comment sought on future of McNeil Island  

The State of the Island's Waters report is Bainbridge's first comprehensive look at the health of streams and nearshore water. The 156-page report was drawn from data gathered in all 12 Bainbridge watersheds and along the island's shoreline over the last five years by staff and volunteers from the city's Water Quality and Flow Monitoring Program. The findings of the report largely confirmed what state and local scientists already knew. Most Bainbridge streams struggle with harmful levels of bacteria and nutrients, and low levels of oxygen. The same issues plaguing island streams trickle down into the island's nearshore waters. Of the 16 streams regularly sampled by the city, all but Cooper Creek failed to meet the state Department of Ecology standards for fecal coliform bacteria, one of the greatest concerns for human health. Tad Sooter reports. Report raises concerns about Bainbridge streams, shorelines

The City of University Place will get a big infusion of cash – $2.25 million – as advance payment for permits and other work that’s required to expand the county’s Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to a county-city agreement. The money will pay for the city to do inspections, review plans and issue permits for the $353 million expansion of the sewage treatment facility inside city limits, next door to Chamber Bay Golf Course. University Place will get $2.25 million for wastewater project  

Animal rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the conditions in which Miami Seaquarium is keeping Lolita, a member of the endangered southern resident killer whale pods. The lawsuit, filed by Orca Network, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, is challenging the USDA's decision to renew the Seaquarium's Animal Welfare Act licence. Animal groups launch lawsuit to move aquarium's orca to sea  

Dozens of demonstrators, elected officials and union members rallied outside the Kitsilano Coast Guard base on Saturday, urging the federal government once again to reverse its decision to shut down the base. Federal, provincial and local politicians reiterated their support on Saturday for the Kitsilano station, stressing that without it, mariners’ lives would be in jeopardy.  Fight against closure of Vancouver’s Kitsilano Coast Guard base continues   See also: 100 protest Kitsilano coast guard station closure

Enbridge Inc.’s response plan for a potential spill of Northern Gateway oil into the pristine waters off British Columbia doesn’t take into account the unique oil mixture the pipeline would actually carry, documents show. Enbridge officials confirm the spill-response plan they have filed with the federal review panel studying the pipeline proposal deals with conventional crude, not specifically the diluted bitumen the pipeline will carry.  Enbridge cleanup plan does not take bitumen into account  

Three decades ago, Tacoma Tideflats industries emitted a witch’s brew of foul-smelling and health-threatening pollutants. Many of the Tideflats industrial sites were contaminated with chemicals, and its log yards were paved with a layer of arsenic- and metal-laden ground slag from Tacoma’s Asarco copper smelter. The Tideflats’ air was polluted, its ground contaminated and its waters tainted. That’s no longer the case, thanks to a dedicated cleanup effort and economic changes that eliminated the biggest sources of pollution. John Gillie reports. Port of Tacoma, industry have eyes on a clean future

Thank goodness: "This is the last of four stories about the San Juan Islands. Shaw Island in the San Juan Islands is small, private and quiet, by design, but a peek into its world finds a timeless community of cloistered nuns, reclusive millionaires and faithful stewards of a protected way of life. Brian J. Cantwell reports. Tranquil Shaw is an island of blessings

Want to fight against the spread of Scotch broom or the invasion of giant hogweed? There's an app for that. A new Report-A-Weed B.C. app - developed by the Invasive Species Council of B.C., the Forests Ministry and Hipwood Digital - allows users to upload photos of strange, spreading plants, browse a list of invasive plants and view an interactive weed map. Most importantly, it will allow users to submit reports on invasive plant sightings. The free app is available for iPhones and Android phones. It can be downloaded through the Apple iTunes store and Google Play. New app helps weed out invasive species

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 27 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. CHANCE
 OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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