5/22 Steller sea lions, Duwamish Tribe, Bowen Is. docks, Everett invasives

Steller sea lion (NOAA)

On Vashon: Alaska oil activist and author Riki Ott will give a talk on banning toxic dispersants used in oil spills tonight on Vashon at 7 p.m. at Chautauqua Elementary School. She will provide information about the dispersants, laws that authorize their use, the Pacific Northwest Contingency Plan and opportunities for change. Here's the issue:  An oil spill cleanup could harm our waters  

More on Vashon: Sound Action will be filling in as "Guest" Bartenders at The Hardware Store Restaurant on Vashon Island this Thursday from 6-9 pm with a portion of the bar proceeds going to support the organization’s work to protect Puget Sound. Check out “Puget Sound in JEOPARDY”

It’s tough to persuade a suffering 1,000-kilogram Steller sea lion to stay still so that the fishing gear or garbage slowly killing it can be removed. Approaching a fully alert sea lion is not usually an option, said marine mammal biologist Wendy Szaniszlo of Ucluelet, but using a tranquilizer dart is a tough call — if the animal makes it to the water before being caught, it can drown. Szaniszlo hopes a workshop being held today at the Vancouver Aquarium will result in some innovative ways to help the mammals, which are considered critically endangered in some areas. Judith Lavoie reports.  Saving sea lions goal of workshop

Seattle’s native people, the Duwamish, will learn today (Tuesday) about their next step in a decades-old legal battle.  The tribe has petitioned the US government for federal recognition, which would make the Duwamish eligible for certain benefits like health care, fishing rights and the chance to run a casino. The petition, which has been in limbo since 1977, was briefly approved in 2001 and then denied days later as the White House changed hands from President Bill Clinton to President George W. Bush. In March, US District Judge John Coughenour ordered the Department of the Interior to reconsider its denial, indicating federal officials had handled the Duwamish case differently than similar ones. Tuesday is the deadline for the feds to respond. Liz Jones reports. Duwamish Fight For Federal Status Inches Forward   See also: Seattle's Fragmented Duwamish Tribe Struggles For Identity  See also: Tribal judge refuses to block disenrollment of 306 Nooksacks

When construction on the first of four private docks began at an exclusive waterfront development on the southwestern tip of Bowen Island earlier this month, some residents of the idyllic island were shocked. Now, roughly a quarter of the island’s residents have signed a petition to “Stop the Docks” being built by those set to move into four of 14 waterfront estates at Cape Roger Curtis, an area best known for its prime picnicking and panoramic views of the Strait of Georgia. Mike Hager reports. Plans for private docks spark outrage on Bowen Island

The city's urban forests are being eaten alive. The culprits are Himalayan blackberries, English ivy and other invasive plants. Without action, native conifers and other trees that populate Everett's parkland could be gobbled up within a few decades. The city recently published details of a 20-year plan to keep that from happening. The report is part of the Green Everett Partnership, a collaboration between the city's parks department and Forterra, the Seattle conservation group formerly known as the Cascade Land Conservancy. Noah Haglund reports. Out with the bad plants; Everett parks personnel on the offensive against invasive species

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED MAY 22 2013
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.

--
"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