8/8 Orca calf, BC storm,Kitsap shores, beluga death, citizen science, Enbridge, bluff study, Vashon septics, Chevron fire, manroot

Paddlers (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: “Sometimes I think we humans can be every bit as interesting to wildlife as they are to us. Propelled by the powerful strokes of their broad feet, these Canada Geese paddled over to have a close look when we were passing by their rocky promontory. They didn’t seem the least bit agitated or concerned, only curious...” A Meeting of Paddlers

A newborn killer whale, which entered the world about midday Monday, has become the latest member of J pod, one of the three pods that frequent Puget Sound. The new calf was first spotted Monday afternoon along the west side of San Juan Island with its mother, J-37, known as "Hy 'Shqa," an 11-year-old female, according to Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research. The calf was designated J-49. New orca calf reported

Orca Network tonight hosts at Penn Cove’s Coupeville Wharf an evening event commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the capture of resident orcas for aquariums. Details here.

New blog: “In the last month, I’ve run into two couples who had visited Molokai and another couple who plans to go in September. Everyone who went says they had a wonderful time; the couple who are getting ready to go said they were going because it was a place where nothing happens....” Going to Where Nothing Happens: Molokai and Lopez Island

Thousands of Metro Vancouver residents are still without power this morning, after a thunderstorm hit the region last night, stranding hundreds of people at the top of Grouse Mountain and sending two men to hospital with minor injuries after they were struck by lightning.  Thousands still without power in Metro Vancouver after wild thunderstorm   And, from Cliff Mass: Amazing Mammatus  

Kitsap County planning commissioners decided Tuesday to avoid an extended debate about which additional shoreline segments should be protected with a "natural" designation. Environmental advocates have argued that the county's proposed Shoreline Master Program lacks sufficient "natural" areas, a zoning designation reserved for relatively untouched shoreline segments. The group Futurewise submitted a list of dozens of properties believed to qualify for the protective designation. Some planning commissioners were prepared to debate each one, but the majority of the panel chose to direct county planners to conduct the review instead. Chris Dunagan reports. 'Natural' shorelines to receive closer look  

A veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium says the facility's eldest beluga whale appears to have died of cancer associated with old age.  Vancouver Aquarium beluga may have died of cancer (w/ video)  

Public participation in scientific research is mushrooming in the Northwest and across the country. The trend is called "citizen science." It can take the form of volunteer monitoring and data collection, or crowd-sourced science, or science education with a research component. One sign the movement is gaining acceptance and credibility: It's a big topic of discussion at a science conference in Portland this week. Tom Banse reports.  "Citizen Science" Gains Momentum In Northwest And Nationally  

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is defending the independence of the environmental review process underway for Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, telling reporters in Vancouver the project will be evaluated scientifically and a green light to proceed would not be based on politics.  Harper defends independence of pipeline approval process   And: The official with Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline walked into the Island Gospel Fellowship Church in Burns Lake, B.C., and got a face full of tiny feathers.  Feather dust-up highlights Enbridge’s culture clash with first nations

Clallam County has joined a multi-agency effort to study marine bluff erosion between Port Angeles and Sequim. The three commissioners Tuesday approved a memorandum of agreement with the Coastal Watershed Institute to implement the Puget Sound action agenda. The nonprofit institute is a sub-recipient of a $320,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to implement the agenda under the Puget Sound Marine and Nearshore Protection and Restoration grant program.  Clallam inks bluff-study agreement

King County has been awarded more than $800,000 to help property owners repair failing septic systems, keep livestock out of streams and address other pollution sources that could be affecting Puget Sound. Larry Fay, manager of community environmental health in the county’s health department, said that $350,000 of the grant money will go toward developing a low-interest revolving loan fund for property owners in the marine recovery areas, six different stretches of waterfront where homeowners have been told to ensure their septic systems are in working order.  King County receives funds to address septic repairs

In a good year, the tangle of leaves and stems on southern Vancouver Island can grow up to six metres long. It's been sprouting out of the ground every spring for decades. The plant, a Coast Manroot that grows from huge, human-size underground tubers, is one of Canada's most endangered species. It's also one of the most obscure and unloved. Maintenance crews and mowers have been whacking away at the plant near Victoria - one of the 18 known manroots still alive in Canada - and grazing animals have trampled and killed several others. Endangered species, Coast Manroot, being mowed, whacked and trampled on Vancouver Island   

A major fire at one of the country's biggest oil refineries that sent hundreds of people to hospitals with complaints of breathing problems will push gas prices above $4 a gallon on the West Coast, analysts said Tuesday. The fire, which sent plumes of black smoke over the San Francisco Bay area, erupted Monday evening in the massive Chevron refinery about 10 miles northeast of San Francisco. It was out early Tuesday. The black smoke and flames could be seen miles away from the refinery, which has been the target of complaints and lawsuits by people who live near it in Richmond, a mostly low-income community with five major oil refineries. Emotions ran high during a Tuesday night community meeting in Richmond, where hundreds of people booed and shouted as a panel of Chevron and local officials tried to address the crowd.  Residents near refinery fire heckle Chevron execs  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 222 AM PDT WED AUG 8 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY MORNING FOG AND
 OCCASIONAL MORNING DRIZZLE.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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