12/27 Swan rescue, Shell smell, harbor cleanup, BC bird count, Chevron LNG, Shell drill

Martha Jordan and "M-50"

It was nearly a year ago when members of The Trumpeter Swan Society and State Department of Fish & Wildlife captured their first group of trumpeter swans as part of a lead poisoning study.  The first one they put neck and leg collars on was dubbed “M-50.”  Society member Martha Jordan was there for that action and she was there earlier this year when M-50 was found wandering in an urban grocery store parking lot.  M-50 had been shot.  The bird had survived while 2,500 others just like her fatally mistook lead shot gun pellets for small rocks they eat to digest food. Jordan rushed the wounded swan to Sarvey Wildlife, where she was treated and rehabilitated. Watch the video. Gary Chittim reports. Wounded trumpeter swan with history takes flight again

The Northwest Clean Air Agency continues to receive complaints about alleged odors coming from the Shell Puget Sound Refinery. Approximately 26 of those complaints were made between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20. There have been approximately 143 complaints of alleged odors from Shell this year, said Katie Skipper, NW Clean Air communications director. Five of those have been verified by NW Clean Air inspectors as originating from Shell’s wastewater treatment system, which processes wastewater before it is discharged into the bay. Those five resulted in violations being issued. Joan Pringle reports. Odors from Shell’s wastewater treatment system remain an issue  

On Friday during a break between rain showers, Lisa Randlette stepped out of a small boat and onto an enormous wooden structure floating in Quartermaster Harbor. She and Rolin Christopherson, another DNR official, were at Dockton that day to put a third and final bright-pink notice on an old net pen — a 120-foot-long dock-like structure crisscrossed with walkways. Both Randlette and Christopherson said it is the largest abandoned structure they’ve ever dealt with. Cleaning up the harbor: State works to remove hazardous junk

The last bushtit and swamp sparrow has yet to be tabulated but it appears that Ladner has swooped in and defeated its traditional rival Victoria to claim the annual Christmas Bird Count. Ladner recorded a one-day tally of 144 species — with the prospect of more to come — compared with Victoria’s 139 species. Vancouver has posted 134 bird species on the B.C. Field Ornithologists website, Parksville-Qualicum Beach 112, Nanoose Bay and Pitt Meadows 109 each, Kelowna 108, Comox 105, Penticton 104, and Sunshine Coast 101.  Ladner aflutter at beating Victoria in bird count  

Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. oil company, agreed to buy a 50 per cent stake in the proposed Kitimat liquefied natural gas terminal from Encana Corp. and EOG Resources Inc., joining the competition to ship the fuel from North America to Asian markets. Chevron aims to own half of Kitimat LNG plant  

Royal Dutch Shell plans to drill for oil this spring in the arctic Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the northern coasts of Alaska, but watchdogs and environmentalists are not yet convinced that Shell and federal regulators have taken enough steps to prevent or contain a potential oil spill in the treacherous and icy waters. The watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) says the new regulatory agency that was set up to ensure offshore drilling safety after the Deepwater Horizon disaster "lacks basic assurances" that oil spills and other accidents will be prevented if Shell begins producing oil in arctic waters where sea ice and harsh conditions make drilling and spill containment difficult. PEER filed a lawsuit last week against federal regulators seeking access to information about what is being done to ensure operational safety. Mike Ludwig reports. Watchdogs: US Regulators Are Not Prepared to Prevent Arctic Spill, Sue for Access to Info on Shell Oil Drilling Plan

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST THU DEC 27 2012
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told