9/17 Elwha Love, BP CP, Kitsilano CG, Tethys, Suquamish Museum, KC Golden, Old Town wetlands, Shell drilling, Bainbridge shoreline, Hood Canal shellfish, Skagit festival, Great Bear bears, orca males, Oly water, Clallam creeks, David Montgomery

Before and After (Peninsula Daily News)

One behemoth has been felled, with one left to go. Although the monolithic Elwha River Dam, which towered 108 feet over the Lower Elwha River Valley for nearly 100 years, has been demolished, work still remains on the once-210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam. And a year after removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams commenced, restoration of the Elwha River is ahead of schedule — perhaps by as much as 18 months — and exceeding expectations on several fronts. Rob Ollikainen and Jeremy Schwartz report. What a difference a year makes: Elwha River dam removals ahead of schedule as project reaches first anniversary

BP Cherry Point Refinery will appeal state citations and fines stemming from a Feb. 17, 2012, fire. Refinery spokesman Mike Abendhoff confirmed that the company will appeal the six safety violations that the Washington Department of Labor & Industries alleged, and the proposed fines totaling $81,500. Most irritating to the company was L&I's finding that one of the six offenses should be classified as a "willful violation." John Stark reports.  BP Cherry Point appeals state citations in wake of fire

A 24-hour demonstration at the Kitsilano Coast Guard base ended Saturday evening, but protesters say they won't stop until the federal government agrees to keep the base open. About a dozen people — including union leaders, fishermen and boat operators — staged a sit-in at the facility starting at 5 p.m. PT Friday. Protesters stage Coast Guard station sit-in to spur action

Steve Winter, chief executive officer of Tethys Enterprises, Inc., shed some light on plans to build a massive beverage bottling plant at an Anacortes Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday. Winter explained why Tethys chose Anacortes to locate a 1-million square-foot beverage bottling plant, the largest of it’s kind in North America; how his plant would employ at least 540 people; and clarified some aspects of a 2010 contract with the city that would allow Tethys to buy 5 million gallons of water per day through 2050.  Mark Stayton reports. Tethys CEO sheds light on bottling plant

When Tribal Elder Marilyn Wandrey first walked into the new Suquamish Museum, she got goose bumps knowing that her late father's mission to create a place to preserve and share the tribe's culture was at long last fulfilled. Lawrence "Web" Webster persuaded the Suquamish Tribal Council to create the first museum in the early 1980s, and a quote by him greets visitors to the new $7.5 million facility, which had its grand opening Saturday after more than a decade of planning. Terri Gleich writes. Suquamish Museum tells the story of tribe's past and present  

KC Golden is one of those crazy people I get the pleasure of meeting in this job. Crazy because they just don't know when to give up. Danny Westnet writes. Prizewinning global-warming fighter unbowed by climate of cynicism

Dragonflies float above the water, goldfinches nibble on thistles, and a turkey vulture circles in the breeze. On the ground, a snakeskin, raccoon prints and deer and coyote scat can be found among the young Douglas fir, wild roses, alder and Oregon grape that line the trails in the city's new 9-acre Old Town Wetlands Park. In 15 years, this man-made wetlands should naturalize and provide shade to cool its water, which comes from the storm drains on 270 acres in downtown Arlington. Gale Fiege reports. Old farm in Arlington has new job: cleaning stormwater

After months of delay, a barge-mounted oil well blowout containment system built in Bellingham is undergoing sea trials before its final deployment to a Shell Oil Co. exploration project in the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Straits. The Arctic Challenger barge project employed hundreds of workers at the Port of Bellingham's shipping terminal through much of the spring and summer. Its owner and operator, Superior Energy Services of Houston, had expected it to be on the job by now, providing an emergency oil well blowout response system meant to prevent the kind of prolonged oil hemorrhage that resulted when BP's Deepwater Horizon erupted in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. John Stark reports.  Oil spill barge gets final tests before heading to Arctic   See also: Shell abandons Alaska offshore drilling efforts until next year  

The Bainbridge Island City Council gave its initial approval of the island’s new shoreline designations as ongoing deliberations for the developing Shoreline Master Program continue. The topic of shoreline designations has drawn many island eyes, watching to see how waterfront properties and more will be regulated in the future. By a 4-3 vote, the council voted to adopt the shoreline designations as recommended by the city’s planning department at its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 5. Richard Oxley reports. Shoreline designations get initial thumbs-up  http://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/169799926.html

Hood Canal from Seal Rock south to the Mason County line has reopened for recreational shellfishing. Levels of the marine biotoxin that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning — or DSP — are currently below the recreational closure level, according to the Jefferson County Public Health Department. Many of East Jefferson County beaches were closed in July because of elevated levels of DSP as well as the more potentially serious paralytic shellfish poisoning — or PSP. Many remain closed by the state Department of Health because of marine biotoxin levels, with PSP the primary biotoxin of concern.   Hood Canal beaches reopen to recreational shellfish harvesting  

With such a rich history and livelihood springing from the majestic Skagit River, organizers of (last Saturday’s) first annual Skagit River Salmon Festival said creating an event around it and its salmon seemed like a no-brainer. “We’ve said all along, as important as the Skagit River is, it ought to have its own river festival and salmon festival,” said Lucy DeGrace, outreach coordinator of the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, an organization dedicated to salmon habitat restoration and watershed stewardship. Kate Martin reports. Festival focuses on Skagit River’s history, future

A group adamantly opposed to trophy hunting of grizzly and black bears has bought the commercial hunting rights in a vast area of the Great Bear Rainforest. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation now controls hunting in 28,000 square kilometres of the central coast and its latest acquisition of 3,500 square kilometres includes key areas around Princess Royal Island where there is the highest concentration of Kermode or spirit bears (black bears with white coats).  B.C. conservation group buys bear hunt rights in area of Great Bear Rainforest

Researchers in the San Juan Islands say the survival of older female Orcas, after they go through menopause, helps younger males stay alive longer. That might not surprise many humans, but scientists well-versed in the behavior of Orca whales say it’s a relatively new conclusion. And, in many species, females don’t live long after the end of their reproductive life. Survival of male orcas depends on older females, study shows  

For more than 60 years, most of Olympia’s drinking water has bubbled up to the surface at McAllister Springs, on an idyllic lake tucked away from public view near the Nisqually Indian Tribe reservation. But that’s about to change. After nearly two decades of effort on a $15 million project, Olympia is constructing a series of wells about a mile away from the springs, which will replace the springs by 2014. It will be Olympia’s drinking water source for at least the next 50 years.  Matt Batcheldor reports. Olympia will get water from wells, not springs  

Creeks west of Port Angeles are expected to run red sometime this week as part of a study on the effect of habitat changes on salmon. Scientists with the state Department of Ecology will release a red, fluorescent dye into Deep Creek and East Twin and West Twin Creeks west of Port Angeles, if the weather permits it. The dye is harmless and dissipates quickly, Ecology said, adding that it doesn’t affect humans, fish or wildlife health in any way at the very low concentrations used for such scientific study.  The effort, which is funded by the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board, will help researchers measure the speed of water through the stream reach.  Clallam creeks to run red for salmon  

Mary Ann Gwinn interviews the author of The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood, MacArthur Fellow and UW professor David Montgomery. Geologist David Montgomery on Noah's flood  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON SEP 17 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND BECOMING SE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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