10/22 Oly oil, BC shipwreck oil, Brian Cladoosby, Canadian scientists, Vancouver air, Allen Cr. planting

(PHOTO: Pacific Northwest Seasons)

Great Northwest Fall Hikes: A Few Favorites
There's been a true wealth of great blog posts these last few days and Jill at Pacific Northwest Seasons (Everyday adventures in and around the Pacific Northwest) shared some of her pre-winter hikes and pictures. Lucky to live here.

Sunken boat leaking oil at Olympia's West Bay Marina
The state Department of Ecology and the U.S. Coast Guard worked together to contain an oil spill at the West Bay Marina in Olympia after an 80-foot wooden-hulled vessel, the Ruth Louise, sank there Sunday night. As of Monday morning, officials with the Nisqually Indian Tribe Marine Division had deployed an oil-containment boom around the sunken boat, as well as absorbent materials. Leaking oil was visible in the water in and around the marina. Jeremy Pawloski reports.

B.C. shipwreck's oil cleanup makes waves
The Canadian Coast Guard has launched what it's calling one of its largest operations ever to clean up a Second World War-era wreck that's leaking oil off the coast of B.C. But some say the rusting hulk of the U.S. army transport ship that sank nearly 70 years ago may have unwittingly sailed right into the middle of B.C.'s pipeline controversy Lying in about 30 metres of water, 100 kilometres south of Prince Rupert, the fuel tanks of the Brig.-Gen. M.G. Zalinski are rusting away. Any week, month or year now, the bulkheads inside could collapse, releasing up to 600 tonnes of bunker oil into the waters of the Grenville Channel, part of B.C.'s famous Inside Passage route.

Coal port foe heads national American Indian group
LaConner fisherman Brian Cladoosby has been elected president of the executive committee of the National Congress of American Indians, a 69-year-old organization that describes itself as the “oldest, largest, most representative” voice of Native Americans. Cladoosby has served as chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community for the past 16 years, and has been a member of the Swinomish Tribal Senate for 28 years. He has been a highly respected, longtime ally of environmentalists fighting to preserve and restore Puget Sound.  Earlier this year, Cladoosby became part of the Leadership Alliance Against Coal, a group of municipal officials and tribal leaders organized by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn to oppose a giant coal export terminal proposed for Cherry Point north of Bellingham. Joel Connelly reports. Also see: Coal trains shake, rattle and roll | OPINION

Scientists live in a ‘climate of fear’; poll suggests federal researchers can’t speak freely
Ninety per cent of Canadian government scientists feel they can't speak freely to the media and half say they have seen the health and safety of Canadians or environmental sustainability compromised because of political interference with scientific work, says a national survey of federal scientists. "Science is increasingly being frozen out of policy decisions and scientists themselves are not able to provide timely, vital scientific information to Canadians," said Gary Corbett, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada union, which represents 60,000 government workers. PIPSC commissioned the Environics Research Group to conduct an online survey of the union's 15,000 federal scientists in 40 government departments this summer, amid mounting complaints of "muzzling" of scientists by the government and an ongoing investigation into the matter by federal information watchdog Suzanne Legault. Andrea Hill reports.

Expanding road network just increases air pollution, Metro Vancouver environment chair says
Metro Vancouver’s air quality has improved slightly in recent years but there’s still tremendous work ahead to reduce air pollution and make the region a healthier place to live, Metro Vancouver environment and parks committee chair Heather Deal said Monday. Deal’s comments came after a University of B.C. report said nine times more Canadians die each year from chronic exposure to air pollution than in traffic crashes — about 21,000 compared with 2,400. Bruce Constantineau reports.

Students plant trees at Allen Creek
The Allen Creek area adjacent to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Marysville received yet another ecological enhancement on Wednesday, Oct. 16, as roughly 100 third-grade students from Kellogg Marsh Elementary, just across the street, were joined by more than two dozen third- and fourth-graders from Marshall Elementary, as well as nearly 20 National Honor Society students from Grace Academy, in planting 360 trees at the site. Roger Kelly, of the Snohomish Conservation District, explained that his agency has partnered with the Adopt-A-Stream Foundation and Snohomish County Public Works Surface Water Management in restoring the site over the years, with volunteer contributions including the 10 yards of mulch that they received from the city of Marysville that day, as well as labor and supplies from members of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, who have promised to make the site open to the public for environmental education and awareness. Kirk Boxleitner reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT TUE OCT 22 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON
TODAY
E WIND 25 KT EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 7 FT AT
 15 SECONDS. FOG THIS MORNING...PATCHY FOG IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT AND WED
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 14 SECONDS. NIGHT AND MORNING FOG.

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