Friday, November 1, 2013

11/1 Puget Sound poor health, Speiden J8, right whale sight, 'Vanishing Ice' shown

October mushroom (Monika Wieland)
Mushroom Mania
Orca Watcher Monika Wieland shares some pix of her 'shrooms: "Despite being one of the driest Octobers on record, we've had an amazing abundance and variety of mushrooms this year. I heard one local mushroom expert comment that it was a bumper crop kind of year. Last weekend I took advantage of our crisp, clear autumn weather to get out there and see how many different kinds of fungi I could find..."

New Report: Puget Sound Still In ‘Critical Condition’ But Don’t Unplug Life Support Yet
The state agency that’s leading the cleanup of Puget Sound has released its latest annual report on the health of Puget Sound. Last year Puget Sound Partnership referred to the Sound as a patient in “critical condition.” This year things don’t look much better...The Partnership tracks 21 vital signs that serve as indicators for overall health of the Sound. These include things like toxic levels in fish, orca and herring population numbers, beach closures, recreational fishing harvest and more...Of those 21 parameters, only 3 have improved to the point where they’re on track for the 2020 targets. “Puget Sound remains in crisis,” the report’s authors write. “It is increasingly likely that we will not reach our legislatively established targets by 2020.” Ashley Ahearn reports. See also-- Report: Small Steps, but Much Work Ahead for Puget Sound Health

80-year-old Orca 'Speiden' missing, presumed dead
An 80-year-old Orca whale has been missing for about six weeks and Orca spotters are presuming her dead. The Orca J8, also known as "Speiden," was last seen on Sept. 19 near Victoria and has not been seen the last two times the J Pod was in the Puget Sound's Saratoga Passage, officials with Orca Network said. Speiden has a distinct sound when she breathed and a notch at the base of her fin making her easy to identify, day or night... The Orca Network said Spieden was not the most senior Orca in the pod. Orca J2, "Granny," is believed to be 102 years old.  And see: Orcas circle ferry transporting tribal artifacts to Bainbridge Island

Second sighting of endangered North Pacific right whale in B.C. waters in 62 years
For just the second time in more than six decades, an endangered North Pacific right whale has been sighted in B.C. waters, this time off the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait near Victoria. John Ford, head of the cetacean research program at Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, said the most recent whale was spotted Oct. 25 by Brian Gisborne, the operator of a water taxi service between Port Renfrew and Bamfield, who is also federally contracted to look for marine species at risk. Ford and his research colleagues went out the next day to see for themselves. Larry Pynn reports.

New ‘Vanishing Ice’ Exhibit Reveals A Changing Climate Through The Art of the Arctic
The polar regions of the world have long been a source of awe and wonder. But that inspiration often comes second hand. Most of us won’t see these places up close with our own eyes. Instead we rely on photographers, filmmakers, painters and writers who journey to far flung frozen lands to capture their extreme nature and raw beauty. This notion inspired a new first-of-its-kind exhibit called “Vanishing Ice” opening Nov. 3 at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Wash. Katie Campbell reports.

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI NOV 1 2013
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
TODAY
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN THIS MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE
 AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S AND RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT
SE WIND 25 TO 35 KT...BECOMING SW 30 TO 40 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. COMBINED SEAS BUILDING TO 7 TO 10 FT WITH A DOMINANT
 PERIOD OF 14 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 30 TO 40 KT...BECOMING NW 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 14 TO 17 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF
 12 SECONDS.
SUN
NW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 12
 SECONDS.

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2 comments:

  1. The report about Puget Sound reads like it did last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom from Olympia comments: "Ecology has already issued regulations (NPDES) that will cause the remaining Puget Sound basin to be developed in (effectively) the same way that the first half was developed. PSP has acquiesced. No amount of protest by the 14 scientists or People for Puget Sound (now deceased) has been able to shift Ecology or PSP. I think that we have already unplugged life support."

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