10/11 Oil recovery, snow geese, ocean acid, Skagit H2O, Cornwall park, OR LNG, lark and butterfly ESA

Totem Morning (Laurie MacBride)

Totem Morning: A Sneak Preview  
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "There’s nothing quite like daybreak in a quiet cove on the BC coast, especially when it coincides with low tide. In the still of early morning, before the water is rippled by breezes, the reflections can be stunning, and you can spot horizontal “totem poles” in the natural shapes mirrored all around the shoreline. The closer you look, the more details you see: creatures, faces and other symmetric shapes typical of – and likely having inspired – West Coast aboriginal art...." (great photos!)

Tanker spill would leave majority of oil in water after clean-up, B.C. study suggests
A study on oil spill preparedness commissioned by the B.C. government suggests efforts to clean up tanker spills would leave most of the oil on the ocean. In six of seven live spill exercises done on the waters of the Dixon Entrance and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, more than 65 per cent of the spill remained on the water at the end of the five-day simulation, according to the $106,000 study by Nuka Research released Thursday. In the seventh exercise, 49 per cent of the oil remained in the water. Ian Bailey reports.

'Blizzard of white' descends on Metro Vancouver
Tens of thousands of snow geese have begun their descent to Metro Vancouver, part of their annual migration every winter from the Arctic to the Fraser Estuary.   "It's a blizzard of white," says Jasper Lament, chief executive officer of the Nature Trust of British Columbia... But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Lament about their new feathered neighbours.  "It does create some issues for us, particularly if they land on some of our sports fields and school fields and defecate," says Tom Townsend, a spokesman with the City of Richmond. Catherine Rolfsen reports.

Ocean Acidification and Northwest Shellfish: Did the Seattle Times Get the Story Right?  
Climate scientist Cliff Mass takes exception to Craig Welch's reporting about the effects of ocean acidification in the recent Seattle Times big news feature. "My conclusion is that this series has some serious problems and draws several unwarranted conclusions.   Particularly that recent shellfish problems are the result of past or current CO2 levels in the atmosphere..."

Ecology, Swinomish working on deal to allow water use for current landowners  
The state Department of Ecology is working with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community to find relief for nearly 500 landowners whose water supplies could be at risk after a court decision last week. Ecology lost a lawsuit that overturned a 2006 rule amendment that gave water access exceptions to some landowners seeking well water use. The state Supreme Court ruled that Ecology overstepped its authority in establishing the exceptions and reinstated a 2001 Skagit Instream Flow Rule. That rule says water use will be curtailed when the senior minimum instream flow rights are unmet. However, Ecology Director Maia Bellon has decided to not to stop water use of 475 homes and eight businesses that have relied on the 2006 reservations to get water, according to a joint press release from Ecology and the Swinomish on Thursday. The Swinomish supports Ecology’s decision if the impacts of the 483 water uses are fully mitigated, according to the press release.

First meeting on Cornwall Beach Park - and boardwalk - is Oct. 16
Bellingham parks officials will hold the first of three public meetings on their plans for Cornwall Beach Park - and a second boardwalk over Bellingham Bay - on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in City Council chambers at Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St. Residents will get their first look at city plans for the area, currently an old city dump. Port of Bellingham and state officials are looking at alternative cleanup strategies for making the property suitable for a new life as a city park. Jim Donaldson reports.

Clatsop County Board Votes Unanimously To Deny LNG Permit
After reconsidering impacts and county development codes, Clatsop County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to deny an application for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline and terminal on 41 miles of county land. The Board of Clatsop County Commissioners’ decision marks the end of more than two years of legal challenges to a preliminary denial by the board in 2011. However, Oregon LNG and the Oregon Pipeline Company, two affiliated companies seeking to construct the pipeline, say federal regulators will have the ultimate say.

Butterfly and Lark Win and Lose Protections  
A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service action was a mixed bag for the Pacific Northwest's streaked horned lark and Taylor's checkerspot butterfly. The lark was granted threatened status and the butterfly was granted endangered status under the Endangered Species Act, but the agency slashed the proposed critical habitat for both species and added special exemptions from prohibitions against harming the lark. The listing action is the result of a 2011 settlement agreement between the USFWS and its most frequent litigant, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which engendered a five-year workplan to expedite listing decisions for well over 700 species across the country. Ramona Young-Grindle reports.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 301 AM PDT FRI OCT 11 2013
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
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