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| Gabriola Island [Laurie MacBride] |
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Much as I love magnificent scenery, I don’t focus my camera lens on it very often. Instead, I tend to be drawn to the more “intimate landscapes” to be found in nature – smaller, quieter scenes contained within the larger vistas. The allure of small tableaux may be subtler than that of grand landscapes, but subtlety is part of their attraction for me. To really see them, I need to look closely and clear my mind of the usual distractions. Taking the time and quiet space to do this is good medicine for me…."
Fate of orcas takes center stage at Salish Sea conference
Gov. Jay Inslee joined former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to open three days of science talks at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The conference will include about 700 scientific presentations on topics ranging from orcas to habitat restoration, from climate change to toxic chemicals. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents) See also: Can the Endangered Orca Whale Save the Sound? (Salish Sea Communications)
Salish Sea Communications blog: The Salish Sea Stories We Tell #SSEC2018
'Monster' Atmospheric River Will Impact Puget Sound: Forecast
Up to 3 inches of rain could fall in the coming days as a Pineapple Express storm system hits the West Coast. The National Weather Service in Seattle has also issued a special weather statement for a possible high-wind event on Saturday. California will bear the brunt of the storm, which rolls in Thursday. But forecasts show Puget Sound might get as much as 3 inches of rain over the next week. Across Puget Sound, forecasts indicate a 100 percent chance of rain on Thursday, and a 90 percent chance on Friday night and Saturday. "This is really an historic event that is very unusual for this time of the year," University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote in a blog post this week. Neal McNamara reports. (Patch)
Samish watershed gets first strike during pollution evaluation
Fecal pollution levels in the Samish watershed exceeded the state limit last week, netting the watershed its first strike during a spring evaluation. The state Department of Health evaluates the Samish watershed March through June for a potential shellfish harvest upgrade in Samish Bay. Samish Bay is home to several shellfish growers who are unable to harvest when fecal pollution exceeds a certain limit or the Samish River reaches a certain flow. Shellfish growers are subject to harvest closures during high river flows because high flows often correlate with pollution. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe aims to re-establish oyster farm in Dungeness refuge
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe seeks to re-establish an oyster farm in Dungeness Bay and will have its proposal heard by the Clallam County Hearing Examiner on Thursday. The tribe’s oyster farm would be on 50 acres of leased Department of Natural Resources tideland within the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, said Ron Allen, tribal chairman. The farm would be in the bay about 4,000 feet north of Cline Spit. “If everything goes well, we’ll be planting next spring,” he said. The hearing is set for 1 p.m. Thursday in Room 160 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth Street, Port Angeles. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)
Study: It's Possible To Replace Snake River Dams With Renewable Energy
Lower Snake River dams could be replaced by a variety of renewable energy resources, according to a new study by the NW Energy Coalition. The advocacy group says this means dam removal doesn’t have to be a choice between salmon and renewable energy. Many hydropower supporters say removing the four Lower Snake River dams could mean more of the Northwest’s power generation would have to come from fossil fuel sources, like natural gas. Courtney Flatt reports. (NWPB/EarthFix)
Port Angeles council bans thin plastic carryout bags
After three public hearings and months of debate, the Port Angeles City Council has banned thin plastic carry-out bags at stores within the city. The council voted 4-3 Tuesday to approve a plastic bag policy that prohibits single-use plastic bags that are less than 2.25 thousandths of an inch and imposes a 5-cent minimum charge on any bag a retailer supplies to a customer at the point of sale. The goal of the ordinance, which takes effect July 3, is to encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags to the grocery store or pharmacy. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)
Environmental groups appeal Skagit County permit for refinery project
A coalition of environmental groups is appealing a permit issued by Skagit County for a project proposed at the Andeavor Anacortes Refinery, which was formerly Tesoro. The appeal, which was filed Wednesday with the state Shorelines Hearings Board, marks the coalition's second attempt to get the permit withdrawn and require the county to take a deeper look at potential environmental impacts of what is called the Clean Products Upgrade Project. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
Fisheries emissions rising despite recent efforts, UBC study shows
A shift to harvesting crustaceans like shrimp and lobster is feeding a growing carbon footprint for the world's fisheries, according to new research from the University of B.C. The study, published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, found a 21-per-cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of fish landed by the world's fishing fleets between 1990 and 2011…. A major source of this unexpected increase in emissions is a 60-per-cent increase in the lobster and shrimp caught in the 21 years covered by the study, according to Parker. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)
Visit Counts, Spending At Northwest's National Forests Are Flat
A report out last month says visitors spent nearly $740 million in communities near U.S. Forest Service lands in Washington and Oregon. The number of visitors and dollars coming into the region hasn’t changed much in nearly two decades. In the Northwest, playing outside is still a moneymaker. According to the U.S. Forest Service, national forest lands support more than 2,000 year-long jobs in Washington and close to 4,000 in Oregon. Many of those jobs are in rural communities. These numbers haven’t changed much since 2013, when the Forest Service last looked at similar data. According to the study, stability in visitor spending likely traces to “steadily declining unemployment, increased consumer confidence and very low inflation over the last eight years.” Emily Schwing reports. (KUOW)
Americans tell Interior to take a hike over proposed national park fee increase
Interior Department officials are backing away from a plan to dramatically increase entrance fees at the most popular national parks after receiving more than 100,000 public comments from Americans nearly unanimously opposed to the idea. Darryl Fears reports. (Washington Post)
Navy moves closer to starting construction on submarine pier extension at Bangor
Naval Base Kitsap is one step closer to starting construction on a pier extension at Bangor that would increase the installation's submarine berthing capacity. On March 28, the Navy filed for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction. Army Corps of Engineers approval is required for projects that would involve construction work in waterways under the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act. If the permit is approved, the Navy will add a 520-foot-long extension to an existing pier at Bangor's waterfront and construct a new mooring dolphin to the west of the extended pier. The Navy will relocate the pier's wave attenuation screen and construct new port security measures. Julieanne Stanford reports. (Kitsap Sun)
A $15 Billion Price Tag To Protect Hawaii Highways From Climate Change
…. Hawaii’s Department of Transportation faces huge, costly challenges if it’s to protect the state’s coastal highways from a rising ocean that is already taking its toll. The agency has a grim estimate of how much that will cost: $15 billion. The figure, provided by DOT’s deputy director for highways, Ed Sniffen, assumes the state will need $7.5 million for every mile of highway road that must either be raised, pushed back or relocated entirely to escape erosion and flooding in the next 50 to 100 years — and $40 million for every mile of bridge. Marcel Honore reports. (Civil Beat)
Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca- 245 AM PDT Thu Apr 5 2018
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft at 7 seconds building to 6 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon. Rain.
TONIGHT SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 8 ft at 9 seconds. Showers.
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"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.
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