8/11 Eagle nests, CG tech, advisory committee, BC pipe, LNG, Bainbridge sewage, fishers, porpoise, kelp, Arctic oil

Supermoon 8/10/14 (Michael Morgan)

Eagle nests in Campbell River chopped down despite wildlife laws
By law, it is illegal in B.C. to cut down the nest trees of bald eagles. In reality, however, if the nests get in the way of industrial development, the provincial government is prepared to see them sacrificed, even over the concerns of its own wildlife staff. That is what freedom-of-information documents show happened on the Campbell River waterfront this year when a company received government permission to cut down two eagle-nest trees on 13 hectares of industrial property to allow a coal-loading facility. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Cantwell says she wants Coast Guard technology beefed up during tour of Port Angeles station
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said the Coast Guard should be equipped with the technology it needs to handle the “complexity of Washington's waterways.” Cantwell on Friday toured Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, where she was briefed on a high-frequency radar system that measures surface currents over a large area. If implemented along the Washington coast and Strait of Juan de Fuca, the technology would enhance search-and-rescue operations and could help track oil spills and harmful algae blooms, proponents said. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

San Juan Islands National Monument Advisory Committee Announced
President Obama asked the Secretary of Interior to create an advisory committee to provide "information and advice" on the development of the San Juan National Monument's management plan.  While purely advisory, the committee forms an important channel to help ensure that the community's dreams for these lands are reflected in and supported by the management plan.

Burnaby launches constitutional challenge to Kinder Morgan’s pipeline plans
Kinder Morgan’s proposed twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline travels for 1,000 kilometres over mountains and around pristine parks, but the final five-kilometre stretch through Burnaby, B.C., may be the project’s toughest, as the company now faces a constitutional challenge to its plans. In a brief filed earlier this week with the National Energy Board, a lawyer for the City of Burnaby questions whether the board has the constitutional authority to override municipal bylaws that could prohibit Kinder Morgan from undertaking surveying activities in a conservation area. Justin Giovannetti reports. (Globe and Mail)

West Vancouver council to revisit call for tanker ban after vote confusion
Craig Cameron didn’t realize he’d voted to recommend a ban on LNG tanker traffic in Howe Sound until he read it in the newspaper. The article in the North Shore News reported that Cameron, a West Vancouver councillor, had been part of the unanimous vote on July 21, held after council heard a presentation on the environmental risks posed by tanker traffic heading to and from the proposed Woodfibre liquefied natural gas plant in Squamish. The decision to ask Ottawa for a ban on tankers was proposed by Coun. Nora Gambioli as part of a three-part motion that also called for council to express its concern about the LNG project and ask for West Vancouver to be part of any consultative bodies formed to discuss the proposal. Bethany Lindsay reports (Vancouver Sun)

Sewage spill closes Bainbridge Island beaches
Officials have closed the beaches at Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island to swimming and shellfish harvesting following a sewage spill. KIRO-TV reports that the spill began about 10:30 a.m. Sunday when there was a break in a sewer main on the Eagle Harbor shoreline near the state ferry terminal. The spill was stopped by 1:30 p.m. The amount of sewage spilled is unknown. Shellfish harvesting has been closed and swimming beaches are closed until further notice. (Associated Press)

Fishers making a comeback on North Olympic Peninsula
The weasel-like fisher, which was reintroduced onto the North Olympic Peninsula from 2008-10, appears to be getting around. Photos and hair samples of fishers caught in survey areas across the Peninsula show the small mammals are breeding and expanding to new territory after 90 fishers from British Columbia were released into Olympic National Park. Fishers, once native to the Peninsula, had disappeared from the state, wiped out by overhunting for their pelts, by the early 1900s. Jeremy Schwartz reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Puzzling story of harbor porpoises
Harbor porpoises are a good example of caution about statistics, otherwise known as jumping to conclusions. Sometimes researchers have to keep plugging away at solving a puzzle, one piece at a time. Washington’s harbor porpoises in inland waters were common in the 1940s in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. By the early 1970s, they were gone. “They completely disappeared and no one understands why that happened,” said Joe Gaydos, director and chief scientist of the SeaDoc Society. Sharon Wootton reports. (Everett Herald)

Bull kelp is a buoy of the ecosystem | Waterways
... One of the most amazing plants is the kelp. They are big, rubbery and amazing. They also tell an interesting story about the human effects on the Puget Sound ecosystem. Kelp is large macroalgae — seaweed — that grows along the coasts. Macroalgae are grouped generally by color: reds, greens, browns, and coraline. Kelp is brown algae. Betsy Cooper reports. (Kingston Community News)

Canada launches mission to map Arctic seabed
Canada has launched a mission to map the Arctic seabed to support its bid to extend its territory up to the North Pole. The six-week mission comes in the face of competing claims from other countries, including Russia. Two ice-breakers are setting out from Newfoundland to collect data from an undersea ridge that starts near Ellesmere Island and runs to the Pole. The region is believed to include large oil and gas reserves. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 11 2014
TODAY
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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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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5/27 Geoduck ban, San Juan Monument, Southlands OK'd, fish consumption, invasives

Spring harvest (Laurie MacBride)

Of Rhubarb and Time Travel
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Marcel Proust found his time machine in that little sponge cake called a Madeleine. For me, time travel comes from a nibble of fresh, uncooked rhubarb. Steamed rhubarb is nice, especially with yogurt, and I adore rhubarb crumble. But neither holds the power of rhubarb eaten raw: one tiny bite, and I’m instantly transported to the back porch of our old house on Musgrave Avenue. There I sit, a stick of fresh rhubarb in one hand, and in the other, a small cup of white sugar for dipping the rhubarb. Ah, bliss!..."

China To Lift Ban On West Coast Shellfish
China will lift its ban on imports of geoduck clams and other shellfish from the West Coast, according to a statement from Washington Congressman Derek Kilmer... Chinese officials sent a letter Friday to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration advising the federal agency the ban would be lifted. The letter stated Chinese officials were satisfied with NOAA’s proposed plans for new monitoring and testing requirements for paralytic shellfish poisoning and inorganic arsenic, which would meet China’s food safety requirements. Tony Schick reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Puget Sound in the Spring...
Laura James shares her underwater sights and sounds. Enjoy.

The Bureau of Land Management is hosting a series of gatherings this week to discuss the management of the San Juan Islands National Monument. Lopez - Tuesday, May 27, 6-9pm at Lopez Center; San Juan - Wednesday, May 28, 6-9pm at the Grange; and Orcas - Thursday, May 29, 6-9pm at Eastsound Firehall. The meetings will be hosted by local BLM staff along with District Manager Daniel Picard, District Planner Chris Carlton and Planning Assistant Anjolene Price. Read the Draft Interim Management Policy and make your views known.

Tsawwassen farmland development plan gets okay in Metro Vancouver vote
Metro Vancouver has approved a controversial development on a piece of Tsawwassen farmland, despite reservations from some directors that the move could set a dangerous precedent and lead to similar deals by land speculators in other parts of the region. Directors voted 93-31 Friday to amend the regional growth strategy to allow Delta to change the agricultural land-use designation to urban and conservation to allow construction of 950 homes and community gardens on the site known as Southlands. The move, which required a two-thirds majority vote, ends a decades-old battle over the Southlands site, which is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve but is considered to be largely unproductive farmland. Under the deal, 80 per cent of the land would be handed over to Delta for public ownership along with a $9 million contribution from Century Holdings' Sean Hodgins for improved drainage. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State’s appetite for fish stirs battle over industry, environment
A bitter fight over how much fish people eat — and thus how clean Washington waters should be — has pitted tribes, commercial fishermen and environmental groups against Boeing, business groups and municipalities. The state Department of Ecology appears ready to boost the current fish-consumption rate, an obscure number that has huge ramifications for the state because it drives water-quality standards. A higher number means that fewer toxic pollutants would be allowed in waters. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Can US eliminate invasive species by eating them?
It seems like a simple proposition: American lakes, rivers and offshore waters are filling up with destructive fish and crustaceans originally from other parts of the world, many of them potential sources of food. So why not control these invasive populations by getting people to eat them? Ramit Plushnick-Masti reports. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 243 AM PDT TUE MAY 27 2014
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS... THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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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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4/3 Coal dust, toxic fish, marbled murrelets, greenhouse gas, Enbridge, Tesoro explosion, living longer

Bee on the Hyacinth (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Ah, the marvelous scent of hyacinths, and the dreamy buzzing of a languorous bee. What a great combination! I love it when the bees appear each spring.  It gives me hope – for a healthy harvest here at home, and for our planet...." Keeping the Buzz Alive  

New blog: “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” Gandhi supposedly said that. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Senator Maria Cantwell and Representatives Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene sort of said that at Monday’s event in Anacortes to celebrate the San Juan Islands National Monument....” When The People Lead, Leaders Will Follow

SeaDoc Society's April newsletter features a map of Orcas Island and a discussion of how geology drives biology. SeaDoc Society Update

Stats: Last month we entertained 2.900 visits to the Salish Sea News web site, for a total of 36,638 visits since launch 19 months ago. The Salish Sea Communications blog site received 1,706 visits, for a total of 27,459 visits since launch 18 months ago. Let your family, friends and colleagues know they can subscribe by email at no cost: just send a 'subscribe' request. Thanks!

At the railroad berm that divides Horsethief Lake from the Columbia River, you can stick your hand between the rocks and come up with fistfuls of crumbly coal-black pebbles and dust. For the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, such spots are Exhibit A in their case against plans to export coal from Northwest ports. Today, lab tests in hand, five environmental groups filed their biggest legal blast against coal export so far, warning BNSF Railway and six coal companies that they plan to sue them in 60 days in federal court for polluting Northwest waters without Clean Water Act permits. Scott Learn reports. Sierra Club plans to sue railroads, coal companies over coal dust pollution in Northwest

The Washington State Department of Ecology has known since the 1990s that its water-pollution limits have meant some Washingtonians regularly consume dangerous amounts of toxic chemicals in fish from local waterways. At least twice, Ecology has been told by its overseers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fix the problem and better protect people’s health. Ecology was close to finally doing that last year — until Boeing and other business interests launched an intense lobbying campaign aimed not just at Ecology but also at the Washington Legislature and then-Gov. Christine Gregoire. That is the picture that emerges from recent interviews as well as government documents obtained by InvestigateWest under the Washington Public Records Law. Robert McClure reports. Business Interests Trump Health Concerns in Fish Consumption Fight

An environmental group has stopped an agreement between the timber industry and federal wildlife officials that would have delayed new protections for a threatened seabird. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service settled with the timber industry group, the American Forest Resource Council, last summer, to avoid a legal battle over for the marbled murrelet. The industry group argued that maps of protected areas called “critical habitat” had been done improperly. Fish and Wildlife agreed to suspend the current maps ­ but draft new ones. But, that agreement, and the protracted timeline ­ that it would take five years ­ drew a legal challenge from the Center for Biological Diversity. Rob Manning reports. Environmental Group Fights Delay In Marbled Murrelet Habitat Protections

In the coming months, Washington state will embark on a study of the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The research is one provision of a measure Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday. It’s a key legislative win for the Democrat. So why are Republicans declaring victory? In the end, Governor Inslee got his climate change bill. But it came out looking a bit different then it went in. That’s because Republicans now largely control the Washington Senate. They rewrote key sections of the bill. Doug Ericksen did much of the tinkering as chair of the Senate Energy Committee. He hopes the research required by the new law can take what he calls the “religion” out of carbon reduction. Austin Jenkins reports. Republicans declare victory on Inslee's climate bill

Federal hearings into the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project are unfair because company witnesses are allowed to huddle before answering questions during cross-examination, says a lawyer for two conservation groups. Chris Tollefson, a University of Victoria law professor representing BC Nature and Nature Canada, has also complained about long, “scripted answers” and about witnesses who are passed information from company experts sitting in the back rows of the hearing room. Mark Hume reports. Enbridge pipeline opponents say hearings unfair

Three years ago, an explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes killed seven people. Today, a federal investigation into the incident remains incomplete. Six members of Washington’s congressional delegation say that’s unacceptable. In a letter Tuesday, they again called on the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to finish the investigation and release the results so future such tragedies can be prevented. Gina Cole reports. Tesoro accident investigation needs completion, congressional members say  

Older adults who have higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids -- found in fatty fish and seafood -- may be able to lower their overall mortality risk by as much as 27% and their mortality risk from heart disease by about 35%, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Washington. Researchers found that older adults who had the highest blood levels of the fatty acids found in fish lived, on average, 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels. Eating Fish Associated With Lower Risk of Dying Among Older Adults: Risk of Dying from Heart Disease Significantly Lowered  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT WED APR 3 2013
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING E 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 2 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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4/2 Coal comments, Howe Sound, dead squid, mink farms, Exxon spill, Helena Star

Ken Salazar, Maria Cantwell and Rick Larsen sign on (KOMO)

If you like to watch: San Juan Islands celebrate national monument designation  

What’s new: Pacific Coast Gets First Whale Trail Sign At Olympic National Park's Kalaloch Lodge

State and federal agencies have joined project opponents in calling for a wide-ranging review of potential impacts from the Gateway Pacific Terminal project that SSA Marine hopes to build at Whatcom County's Cherry Point. SSA Marine and its allies have made it clear they would prefer an environmental impact statement that focuses on the immediate environs of the coal pier site itself, on industrial waterfront south of the BP Cherry Point Refinery. Environmental groups fighting the coal terminal, as well as people concerned about health and traffic impacts from coal trains, have demanded a broader review. They want an analysis that includes air pollution and climate change impact from coal burning, as well as assessment of rail traffic impacts from Wyoming and Montana mines to Cherry Point. John Stark reports. State and federal agencies want sweeping review of proposed Cherry Point coal port Also: Last partner drops out of Coos Bay coal port

On a bracing morning, the sun dancing across this great urban fiord, the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society members break the surface off Lions Bay, all smiles, after a complicated first-ever dive to a fantastic garden of white sponges. The society has lost faith in the federal government’s ability to protect marine life and is launching its own grassroots initiative to document critical marine habitats in Howe Sound and create a network of voluntary no-take marine protected areas. Larry Pynn reports. Marine society blasts lack of enforcement, launches campaign to protect Howe Sound marine life

Hundreds of dead squid mysteriously turned up in Victoria's Gorge Waterway this past week, but the gruesome sight may just be a sign that the ecosystem is healthy. Passers-by first began noticing the dead cephalopods over the weekend, grouped together at the floor of the waterway. Theories abounded about how they got there. Some thought a shipment of expired calimari had been dumped. But Paula Romagosa, a marine educator with the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, said the creatures appear to be opal squid, which are indigenous to the West Coast. Dead squid whodunit verdict is death by natural causes

The owner of two mink farms west of Glacier has been fined nearly $50,000 for letting water contaminated with manure enter local creeks, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. Ecology inspectors found water contaminated with mink manure and feed draining directly into ditches that flow into nearby salmon-bearing creeks in December 2012 at Marr's Black Plush Ranch, 9471 and 9580 Mount Baker Highway. The farms' owner was fined $48,000 and ordered to apply for state and federal water-quality permits and to properly contain and manage wastewater from the farms. Zoe Fraley reports. Deming mink farm fined $48,000 for contaminating creeks

Exxon Mobil Corp. says crews are working to contain and clean up an oil spill near Mayflower, Arkansas, after its Pegasus pipeline ruptured Friday afternoon. The pipeline carries Canadian heavy crude oil from Patoka, Illinois to refineries on the Texas Gulf coast. Exxon Mobil issued a release saying the company was responding to a spill of more than 10,000 barrels — or 1.59 million litres — of oil, and that some 4,500 barrels of oil and water had been recovered. 10,000 barrels of oil spilled in Arkansas pipeline rupture

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued an emergency enforcement order (order) requiring those responsible for the Helena Star to remove the vessel from Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. The 167-foot steel hull vessel is spilling oil and posing a risk of releasing other contamination into the waterway. The Helena Star and a second vessel named the Golden West are tangled together at Mason Marine docks at the head of the Hylebos Waterway. Both vessels are in deteriorating condition. Ecology Orders Removal of Helena Star From Hylebos Waterway

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT TUE APR 2 2013
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN OR PATCHY DRIZZLE.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS.
--
"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

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4/1 Culverts, fuel tax, climate science, Pacific Trails pipeline, Belcarra Park, Union R., Bakken crude

Ah, Spring (PHOTO: Les Bazso, Vancouver Sun)

New blog: “Outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will lead ceremonies in Anacortes Monday morning and on Lopez Island Monday afternoon celebrating establishment of the San Juan Islands National Monument. The public is invited to both events. Event organizers learned over the weekend that the Secretary will be unveiling three monument possibilities at the Monday celebrations. The options include a Stonehenge model, an Easter Island model, and a Fremont Troll model....” Salazar Brings Gift of ‘Monument’ to San Juans

A federal judge on Friday ordered the state of Washington to fix culverts that block salmon from reaching their habitat, setting a timeline and pressuring officials to find the money needed to do the job. U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez's ruling was the result of a decades-old legal battle tied to treaties dating back to the mid-1800s. Tribes have said the state has blocked salmon passage and contributed to the decline of fish harvests. Under the ruling, the state must first fix culverts on recreational lands by fall 2016. The state would have 17 years to provide fish passage through Transportation Department culverts. Martinez said in his decision that the tribes have been harmed economically, socially, educationally and culturally because of reduced salmon harvests caused by state barriers that prevent fish passage. Manuel Valdez reports. Judge orders Washington to fix culverts blocking salmon  See also: Tribes’ court win may flow beyond culvert repairs to protect fish  

Democrat Jay Inslee makes no secret he wants to promote high-tech and clean-energy jobs in a long-term economic shift away from fossil fuels. And he says he wants to funnel more taxpayer cash into K-12 public schools. So when he laid out a plan Thursday to close nearly a dozen tax breaks or shrink them, a $40.2 million per biennium tax break tapped by the region’s five oil refineries stood out. Closing what is known as the “extracted fuel” tax would let Inslee move toward both goals in one fell swoop. But the first-year Democratic governor is in for a political fight, if history is a guide. Past legislative attempts to raise taxes on oil refinery products met with fierce opposition from the oil industry – and the industry says it will fight again this time. Brad Shannon reports. Oil refiners gird up to do battle over state's ‘extracted fuel' tax plan

Western Washington geology profs take strong exception to recent testimony provided by Don Easterbrook to a state Senate committee chaired by Sen. Doug Erickson (R-Ferndale). "We, the active faculty of the Geology Department at Western Washington University, express our unanimous and significant concerns regarding the views espoused by Easterbrook, who holds a doctorate in geology; they are neither scientifically valid nor supported by the overwhelming preponderance of evidence on the topic. We also decry the injection of such poor quality science into the public discourse regarding important policy decisions for our state's future; the chair of the committee was presented with numerous options and opportunities to invite current experts to present the best-available science on this subject, and chose instead to, apparently, appeal to a narrow partisan element with his choice of speaker." Amen.  WWU faculty find overwhelming scientific evidence to support global warming

Nearly one hundred costumed demonstrators marched to Chevron's North Burnaby refinery on Saturday, protesting the company's involvement in the proposed Pacific Trails Pipeline. The pipeline will run more than 450 kilometres through the B.C. Interior from Prince George to Kitimat, transporting liquefied natural gas to be sold to foreign markets. The $1 billion project was originally approved back in 2008 and has been plagued with opposition since. Demonstrators protest Pacific Trails Pipeline  

Belcarra Regional Park is considered the crown jewel of the Tri-Cities. Now both the city of Port Moody and the Village of Belcarra are teaming up in hopes of keeping the shine on Admiralty Point in Belcarra Regional Park. Both municipalities have passed motions asking the federal government to either transfer the lands to Metro Vancouver or lease the space in perpetuity to ensure the lands are preserved for park use. Jeremy Deutsch reports. Development fears sparked as 99-year lease at Coquitlam's Belcarra Park expires

A $220,000 cost overrun for a project to restore the Union River estuary has left officials scrambling to find additional money to complete what has become a $2 million restoration. Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, the prime sponsor of the project, has sent a letter to funding agencies explaining the “unanticipated issues” that drove the costs beyond the original budget. They included design changes, bids that came in higher than expected and site conditions encountered at the last minute. Chris Dunagan reports. Union River project delayed as money runs out

In an effort to keep up with competing refineries rapidly turning to North Dakota’s Bakken formation as a major source of crude oil, the Shell Puget Sound Refinery in Anacortes is considering building a rail offloading facility for Bakken crude on its property on March Point. Thomas Rizzo, general manager for the refinery, said his company is currently in negotiations with the Army Corps of Engineers and state Department of Ecology about what permits and mitigation would be necessary to build a rail loop and offloading site east of the Shell refinery fences while remaining on company-owned property. The loop would have to be large enough to hold the 100-unit car trains used to transport crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation. Mark Stayton and Kate Martin report. Shell considers rail loop for Bakken crude

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT MON APR 1 2013
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS
 MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY
 DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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3/29 Landslide, coal trains, Inslee taxes, Kitsap forest, tsunami dock, ocean acid, saving beaches

It's a Party: SJ Is. National Monument

Celebrate! It’s a Party: This coming Monday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will host an event to celebrate the San Juan Islands National Monument at 10 am at the Anacortes Senior Center Great Room, 1701 22nd St. At 5:30 pm Islanders for a San Juan Islands National Monument will host a party at the Lopez Center, 204 Village Road. You did it! Come celebrate.

How massive was the landslide Wednesday that took down a chunk of a beach cliff on the west side of Whidbey Island? Enough to fill a football field 90 feet high with dirt. State geologists estimate some 5.3 million square feet of earth were moved by the slide at the Ledgewood Beach development. The ground continued to move Thursday. Erik Lacitis reports. Landslide, among state’s worst, still on the move

New blog: Thoughts on landslides and other disasters. Acts of God, Acts of Man

The Puget Sound Regional Council wants to know how a constant stream of mile to mile-and-a-half long coal trains will impact railway congestion, trade and development, property values, land use and employment in the cities, towns and rural areas along the route to an export terminal proposed for Cherry Point north of Bellingham. The council on Thursday approved a study of impacts, not just in Whatcom County but in cities such as Seattle, Tacoma, Mukilteo, Edmonds and Marysville that would see a constant stream of trains along their waterfronts. Joel Connelly reports. Regional council will study coal trains’ impacts

If you like to watch: Environmental groups say they've discovered coal falling from trains into Puget Sound at an alarming rate - and they say it would increase five-fold if proposed coal export terminals are built. Divers were at the Ballard Locks on Thursday and shot underwater video. Environmentalists say coal is falling from trains as they pass overhead on the railroad trestle. About two trains pass each day now, but that will increase to 10 or more if those export terminals are built. The issue over coal dust falling onto the side of the tracks is not new. But this is the first time coal has been found in the delicate marine ecosystems. Jeff Burnside reports. Environmentalists: Coal trains already polluting Puget Sound  See also: What’s In The Water Under The Ballard Rail Bridge?  

Gov. Jay Inslee unveiled his budget proposal Thursday, a mix of extending temporary taxes and ending some tax exemptions to address both the state's projected budget deficit and a court-ordered requirement to put more money into the state's basic education system. Inslee seeks to raise some $1.2 billion from tax changes, with more than half of that coming from extending business and beer taxes that were about to expire. The rest of the money would come from eliminating or lowering tax exemptions, raising new money from bottled water sales, trade-in vehicles and sales taxes on non-residents. Gov. Inslee proposes extension of temporary taxes Rachel La Corte and Mike Baker report. Gov. Inslee proposes extension of temporary taxes

Forterra, which is leading the effort to acquire up to 7,000 acres of forestland in North Kitsap, is ready to negotiate a land deal, but how much property will end up in public hands has not been determined. Michelle Connor, Forterra’s executive vice president, notified Pope Resources Wednesday that she intends to move forward with a land purchase on behalf of the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project. Her notification comes at the end of an 18-month option agreement between Forterra and Pope Resources, the owner of the property. Potentially, nearly $12 million in grants and other funds have been approved so far to buy a portion of the 7,000 acres, which is listed in five separate “blocks.” Chris Dunagan reports. Huge forestland deal coming together in North Kitsap

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the last of a 65-foot long dock that traveled across the ocean after the Japanese tsunami has been removed from a remote beach on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The Undersea Co. of Port Townsend began the work March 17, cutting up and airlifting out pieces. Company President John Nesset says it was like opening a 185-ton concrete package filled with foam packing peanuts. The job was finished Thursday. Tsunami dock removed from Washington coast

"Ocean acidification," the shifting of the ocean's water toward the acidic side of its chemical balance, has been driven by climate change and has brought increasingly corrosive seawater to the surface along the West Coast and the inlets of Puget Sound, a center of the $111 million shellfish industry in the Pacific Northwest. USA TODAY traveled to the tendrils of Oyster Bay as the second stop in a year-long series to explore places where climate change is already affecting lives. Dan Vergano reports. How climate change threatens the seas

More than 4 out of 5 Americans want to prepare now for rising seas and stronger storms from climate change, a new national survey says. But most are unwilling to keep spending money to restore and protect stricken beaches. The poll by Stanford University released Thursday found that only 1 in 3 people favored the government spending millions to construct big sea walls, replenish beaches or pay people to leave the coast. Seth Borenstein reports. Americans oppose paying for storm-ravaged beaches

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 241 AM PDT FRI MAR 29 2013
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SAT
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING E TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 17 SECONDS.

--
"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

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3/26 National monuments, anti-tanker ad, greenhouse gas, coal letter, BC fish farms, Asarco cleanup, Port Gamble, Renton sewer, pipeline ads, derelict vessels, Olympic logging, black riverkeeper

Iceberg Point, SJI National Monument (Wikimedia)

New blog: “I got treated on my birthday to the best piece of cheesecake I’ve ever had— a piece of haupia cheesecake baked by the one-named cheesecake baker Otto who does business on the edge of Honolulu’s Chinatown as Otto Cake. Not light. It was like eating light...” Otto Cake Light and Dark

Upcoming: March 26— Joe Gaydos of Sea Doc Society talks about Bears to Barnacles: Incredible Animals of the Salish Sea, 7 pm, at Seattle’s Town Hall, $5.  March 28-- The Whale Trail presents a talk on harbor porpoises by Cascadia Research director John Calambokidis, 6:30 pm, at C&P Coffee in West Seattle. Tickets, $5 suggested donation, brownpapertickets.com  And on March28-- Ocean Acidification Seminar featuring local experts from the WA State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. 6 pm, Bellingham Cruise Terminal Dome Room, free.

President Obama on Monday established five new national monuments, including one in Washington’s San Juan Islands and one in northern New Mexico. Bettina Boxall reports.  President Obama creates five new national monuments  

If you like to watch: Video: Anti-tanker ad sets Exxon Valdez spill to Simon & Garfunkel classic

A measure championed by Gov. Jay Inslee to study the best practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions has passed the state House and heads next to the governor's desk. Under the measure passed Monday, an outside consultant would review both Washington state's ongoing efforts to cut carbon emissions and similar endeavors elsewhere. It would then report back to the governor and legislative leaders. Jonathan Kaminsky reports. Inslee's climate change bill passes Legislature

Gov. Jay Inslee has joined with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to ask the Obama administration to review the climate-change consequences of leasing and exporting Western coal. “Increasing levels of greenhouse gases and other pollutants resulting from the burning of coal ... are imposing direct costs on people, businesses and communities in the U.S. and around the world,” said the letter sent Monday to Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. The letter also called for the Obama administration to undertake a review of coal lease rates on federal lands to determine if they are too low and helping to subsidize coal exports. Hal Bernton reports. 2 governors wade into coal-export controversy

Critics of British Columbia's salmon-farming industry fear they could be "shouted down" and that their concerns will disappear into a "black hole" when a new committee meets to advise federal fisheries officials on aquaculture issues. The advisory committee, which is being set up by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of its Integrated Management of Aquaculture Plan, is expected to hold its first meeting on Wednesday in Richmond, B.C.  Kevin Drews reports. B.C. fish-farm foes criticize aquaculture committee, fear being "shouted down"

The state Department of Ecology has released plans for a $62 million cleanup of some 1,200 residential yards polluted by the old Asarco smelter in Ruston. The voluntary program will cover homes not only within the one-square-mile Asarco Superfund site but also some 3,900 homes outside the Superfund boundaries in West Tacoma. It also includes an estimated 700 properties on southern Vashon and Maury islands. Rob Carson reports. State plans to clean up land polluted by Asarco smelter

Port Gamble's historic forest is ripe for development. Can water quality wins shift the tides of conservation so long dominated by logging interests? Dan Chasan reports. Rolling the dice on the Kitsap Peninsula's sweetest forests

The decades-old fight by the Duwamish to be recognized as a tribe gained new life in a legal victory last week. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour on Friday vacated the 2001 denial of the tribe’s recognition by the U.S. Department of the Interior and told the agency to take another look. Lynda Mapes reports. Duwamish get another shot at recognition as a tribe

King County’s clean-water utility has budgeted $195.7 million in capital projects to expand the wastewater system, modernize existing facilities, and ensure continued compliance with environmental laws. King County is budgeting $6 million to upgrade pumping equipment and system controls at the South Treatment Plant in Renton. King County plans $6 million upgrades for treatment plant in Renton

One of the key concerns for the federal government in a multimillion-dollar Natural Resources advertising campaign was the negative publicity around the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, according to internal government documents. In particular, the statement of work provided to the ad company a year ago noted that media coverage had been critical of legislative changes that gave the federal cabinet power to override the National Energy Board recommendations on project approval. There was also criticism of changes that limited public participation in joint review panel hearings that are currently taking place in B.C., said the April 2012 document obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. Federal ad campaign driven by Northern Gateway criticism

Bills to fund the clean up and prevention of derelict vessels have now been passed in the Washington house and senate. Final legislation is expected in the coming weeks, but no permanent sources of funding for large vessel removal have been identified.  Ashley Ahearn reports. Washington Set To Pass Legislation On Derelict Vessels But Funding Problems Remain

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said he’s meeting with timber industry officials and other interest groups in hopes of coming up with a plan to boost production in Olympic National Forest. It’s been a decades-long complaint that the U.S. Forest Service has never met the logging goals set forth in the Northwest Forest Plan, despite an increased demand for timber. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said she will reintroduce legislation this year that would expand wilderness designations and put areas just outside Olympic National Park off limits to logging. Kilmer, who succeeded Dicks in Congress, has not yet signed on to the plan. Steven Friederich reports. Kilmer hopes to boost Olympic National Forest timber production  

Around the time that Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman, now 54, was certified as a riverkeeper, the African American Environmentalist Association issued a report card for 26 environmental groups based on their diversity for 2003-2004. Eighteen declined to respond to the request for the makeup of their staffs, and most of the others received poor scores. Of at least 200 riverkeepers in the world, Tutman today is the only African American. Darryl Fears reports.  Within mainstream environmentalist groups, diversity is lacking  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 229 AM PDT TUE MAR 26 2013
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT THIS MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 16 SECONDS.
--
"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

3/25 Exxon Valdez, Port Gamble, Victoria sewer, DuPont gravel, Stavis NRCA, B'ham jobs, Marysville offramp, bathing crabs, Point No Point lighthouse, Alderwood sewer, Shell drill

Exxon Valdez (NOAA)

New blog: “On most days, real issues are painted in shades of gray and we need to tease out the surrounding facts and values in order to come to a clearer position. Some days, we’re blessed. Today, President Obama will will designate the 1,000-plus acres in the San Juan Archipelago under the Bureau of Land Management as the San Juan Islands National Monument, the third in Washington state....”  A True Legacy

Where were you 24 years ago on March 24, 1989 when the Exxon Valdez went aground in Prince William Sound? Oil Spill Facts

Art Sterritt with Coastal First Nations says the catastrophic Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska over two decades ago is proof that massive oil tankers don't belong in B.C. waters because the state is still trying to clean up. Sterritt is launching a TV and social media campaign to air on networks along the proposed pipeline route to warn the public about the potential threat to B.C.'s environment. He says a spill like the Exxon Valdez disaster would cost taxpayers approximately $21.4 billion to clean up and destroy thousands of jobs in the fishing and tourism industries. Enbridge, the company behind Northern Gateway, has launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign of its own in support of the pipeline. First Nations group launches anti-pipeline ads on 24th anniversary of Alaskan oil spill  And: Anti-tanker ad marks anniversary of Alaskan oil spill  See also: Group launches anti-pipeline ads on anniversary of Exxon Valdez oil spill

Funny, sad but true: British Columbia’s largest oil spill response vessel got stuck on a sandbar en route to a federal news conference about strengthening Canada’s oil spill defences. The shipping-industry-funded company in charge of the vessel confirmed it ran aground briefly on an uncharted sandbar off Sand Heads at the mouth of the Fraser River en route from its Esquimalt base to the Coal Harbour news conference. But it denied the ship had a “close quarters situation” with a B.C. ferry near Active Pass earlier Monday – as claimed by the Coast Guard’s marine communications union. Mike Hager reports on 3/21. Oil spill clean-up ship hit sandbar en route to government news conference in Vancouver

Breaking their weeks-long impasse, the Washington Department of Ecology and Pope Resources have agreed on a $17-million cleanup plan for Port Gamble Bay. The agreement, to be spelled out in a legally binding consent decree, ensures that Ecology will provide $2 million toward the purchase and protection of 83 acres of tidelands and 470 acres of uplands along the western shoreline of Port Gamble Bay. The agreement will allow Pope Resources to keep two docks at the south end of the former Pope & Talbot sawmill site until 2015. The company had been seeking to keep the docks in place until a new one at the north end of the property could be approved. No agreement was reached for settling natural resource damage claims to be paid by Pope Resources. That raises questions about whether plans can move forward to use Ecology funds to purchase additional property on the mill site, where an educational and research center had been proposed. Chris Dunagan reports. Agreement reached on Port Gamble Bay cleanup

Esquimalt’s MLA joined the town’s mayor Thursday in opposing a plan to build two sewage treatment facilities on prime Esquimalt property, calling it a “betrayal” of local taxpayers. NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis said she refuses to accept a Capital Regional District proposal to build a sewage sludge facility on a Viewfield Road property that the CRD bought for $17 million. Combined with a proposed secondary sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point and an existing sewage outfall at Macaulay Point, Esquimalt is in the unfair position of having three regional sewage facilities, Karagianis said. Rob Shaw reports. Esquimalt MLA, mayor up in arms over proposed sewage facility

CalPortland got one step closer yesterday to expanding its mining footprint in DuPont. The City of DuPont has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement that examines a proposal to sequentially clear, mine and reclaim 142 of 201 acres CalPortland Company owns adjacent to and north of its existing sand and gravel mine. The DEIS indicates that North Parcel mining would result in no significant unavoidable adverse impacts to the environment. Plus, 45 acres of bluffs and nearly a mile of Puget Sound shoreline would be preserved as open space, wildlife habitat and visual screening. CalPortland closer to mining site approval

About 455 acres of state land within Stavis Natural Resources Conservation Area would be protected forever under a land-transfer plan announced this week. The 4,300-acre Stavis NRCA, south of Seabeck, is one of the largest areas of intact lowland forest in the Puget Sound region. It is associated with Kitsap Forest, which contains some of the last old-growth trees on the Kitsap Peninsula. Chris Dunagan reports. Stavis land to be transferred for protection

Environmentalists and labor union members are joining forces to stress the need for rigorous cleanup and living-wage jobs on the waterfront. At a Thursday, March 21, public hearing on waterfront plans conducted by the city planning commission, it was clear that the two groups had made a conscious decision not to let their bitter dispute over a Cherry Point coal terminal get in the way of an alliance on other issues. John Stark reports.  Unions, environmentalists call for living-wage jobs on Bellingham waterfront

A proposed coal terminal in Bellingham that could bring 18 more trains per day through Marysville could, in a backhanded way, work to the city's advantage. It could help Marysville get money for a major road project: an offramp from northbound I-5 to northbound Highway 529 at the new Ebey Slough Bridge. Currently there's no funding for the $50 million project. The ramp has been on Marysville's wish list for years and would help the city's traffic problems, with coal trains or without, officials said. Bill Sheets reports. Coal terminal could help Marysville build offramp

Deep beneath the ocean surface, in Bubbly Gulch off Vancouver Island, a crab doing an inadvertent backflip has given scientists new information about the world’s largest source of untapped fossil energy. The crab was taking a Jacuzzi-style bath in bubbles of methane gas percolating from the ocean floor in Barkley Canyon when its muddy face was caught by cameras on Wally the Crawler, NEPTUNE Canada’s undersea robot. The methane bubbles — which are lighter than water — stuck under the crab’s shell, upsetting its balance and fascinating NEPTUNE scientists looking at the changing rates of bubbles and whether a warming ocean is affecting the ice-encased gas hydrates. Judith Lavoie reports. In Bubbly Gulch of Vancouver Island, bathing crabs hint at vast potential of an untapped fuel

After undergoing more than $200,000 in upgrades, Point No Point lighthouse officials are now asking for the community to help complete the restoration project. The lighthouse needs to raise $50,000 by June to receive a matching grant from the Birkenfeld Memorial Trust to restore a building called the keeper’s house, one of three registered historic structures part of Point No Point lighthouse. Amy Phan reports. $40,000 needed for Point No Point lighthouse renovations

Construction on a $93.4 million sewage treatment plant in south Snohomish County is nearly two years behind schedule and $400,000 over budget -- and the roof leaks. Work at the site at 6315 Picnic Point Road between Edmonds and Mukilteo is expected to wrap up in the next few months, said Nancy Davidson, capital projects manager with the Alderwood Water & Wastewater District, based in Lynnwood. Rikki King reports. Alderwood sewer plant late and $400K over budget

The heavy-lift vessel Xiang Rui Kou is in Dutch Harbor, preparing to pick up the Kulluk, Shell’s Arctic floating drilling platform, and carry the Kulluk to Asia for repair, Shell spokesman Curtis Smith confirmed in a March 19 email to Petroleum News. The drillship Noble Discoverer that Shell is using in the Alaska Arctic is also being carried to Asia by a heavy-lift vessel for repair. Smith also confirmed that Shell is in the process of testing its Arctic containment dome in Puget Sound, near Seattle. Shell has had modifications made to the dome since a failed test in September. Kulluk being picked up from Dutch harbor

Upcoming: March 28-- The Whale Trail presents a talk on harbor porpoises by Cascadia Research director John Calambokidis, 6:30 pm, at C&P Coffee in West Seattle. Tickets, $5 suggested donation, brownpapertickets.com  And on March28-- Ocean Acidification Seminar featuring local experts from the WA State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. 6 pm, Bellingham Cruise Terminal Dome Room, free.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON MAR 25 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"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

3/22 SJ National Monument, Sally Jewell, Ferndale garbage, Ucluelet arsenic, Nooksack water, Lisa Graumlich

President Obama plans to designate a national monument in the San Juan Islands, handing a long-sought victory to island residents and members of Washington’s congressional delegation. Obama will sign a proclamation Monday creating the monument, a White House official said Thursday. The action will provide permanent protections for nearly 1,000 acres of undeveloped federal lands on the islands, including Lopez Island’s Iceberg Point and Chadwick Hill and the Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan Island. Jim Brunner reports. Obama to designate national monument in San Juan Islands

New blog: “I’m still waiting to see what difference it makes paying to read the online version of the Seattle Times, Bellingham Herald, Skagit Valley Herald, The News Tribune of Tacoma, The Olympian, Vancouver Sun, Times-Colonist, and Globe and Mail makes— aside from paying for what previously didn’t cost me to read....” Pay To Read: Still Waiting

Sally Jewell's nomination as Interior Secretary won approval (Thursday) morning from the U.S. Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee voted 19-3 in favor of the Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) chief executive's nomination. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a member of the committee, voted in favor of confirmation. Jewell's nomination by President Barack Obama will go before the full Senate for final approval. U.S. Senate committee approves Sally Jewell's Cabinet nomination


If it's in the garbage, then it's also getting on the paved grounds at Recycling and Disposal Services, a transfer station off Slater Road. So it may not be surprising that 17 samples at RDS from 2003 to 2006 exceeded accepted levels of lead, copper, zinc, acid, oil and other measures of unhealthy water. A Puget Sound environmental group took notice and threatened to sue. "RDS is a clean transfer station. It's not a dump," said Lee First, a RE Sources pollution prevention specialist and the tour guide on that stormy morning.  Ralph Schwartz reports. Garbage site in Ferndale cleaned up its act by reducing water pollution

The British Columbia government has shut down a marina and campground near Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, after the discovery of high levels of arsenic, selenium and cobalt. Health officials say they are most concerned about arsenic in the Toquaht Bay marina and campground, which can be poisonous in small doses. Arsenic shuts Ucluelet campground and marina

Local Indian tribes sought federal legal action to clarify critical Whatcom County water rights issues more than 18 months ago, but so far there has been no response. The tribes contend that their fishing rights, recognized by the federal courts based on the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, also contain a guarantee of Nooksack River water that is abundant enough and clean enough to support the salmon that spawn in the river and the shellfish in the tidelands that can be harmed by pollution. Local governments don't dispute that, but years of negotiations have failed to reach agreement on how much water must be left in the river and its many tributaries to maintain tribal fisheries. John Stark reports. Tribes waiting for answer to key Whatcom water rights question

Lisa Graumlich, Dean of the UW College of the Environment blogs: "When you think about saving Puget Sound in the 21st century, for example, it's not like you can find a single answer that will automatically extend its precious life. To be perfectly honest, these issues are just too big for one person or one lab to solve. The days of the one person, the "hero," who will save us all through research or advocacy are long over. Instead, we must rely on teams of excellent scientists doing cutting-edge research. They provide the base from which we can assess trade-offs while looking for solutions that embrace the full complexity of the environmental systems we live and work in today...." How to Tackle the Most Critical Environmental Issues of 2013

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAR 22 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT
SW WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING SE 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 19 SECONDS.
--
"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

3/8 Fish pens, BC carbon tax, Sally Jewell, San Juans reserve, toxic food

(North Sound Baykeeper)

Baykeeper Intern Matt Schwartz blogs: Cherry Point by Kayak.  Mid-February 2013  

It’s technologically possible to raise salmon in closed containment pens but questions remain whether it’s financially viable for the aquaculture industry, says a parliamentary report released Thursday. The report, by members of the House of Commons’ standing committee on fisheries and oceans, was delivered Thursday and included testimony from all sides of the controversial issue of closed containment aquaculture. The committee, which began the study in 2011, heard arguments about the environmental impacts of farming salmon in open net pens and decided the data is inconclusive. “Substantial disagreement remains among scientists as to the significance of this issue,” says the report. “Much scientific research remains to be carried out and made publicly available in order to instill greater public confidence in the environmental management of the aquaculture industry.” Committee members also noted that closed containment will carry its own set of environmental impacts because of its carbon footprint. Recommendations to government include a study of the effect on coastal employment of a transition to closed containment. Judith Lavoie reports. Closed-pen fish farms offer challenges and opportunities: study

A coalition of environmental and clean energy groups is urging the province’s political parties to raise the carbon tax and expand its coverage to include the natural gas and cement industries as a way of generating an additional $1 billion in provincial revenues. Better Future British Columbia, a coalition of five groups, said its proposal to raise the tax, is the key element of its plan to put climate change back on the political agenda leading up to the May 14 general election. B.C. was a leader in implementing a carbon tax five years ago but since then, has let the climate change issue slip to the point that other countries are now taking the lead, said Merran Smith, of Clean Energy Canada, the clean energy arm of the Tides Canada Foundation. Gordon Hamilton reports.  Environmental coalition urges B.C. to raise and expand carbon tax

Recreational Equipment Inc. chief executive officer Sally Jewell worked Thursday to convince Republican senators rattled by her leadership in conservation groups that she supports fossil fuel development and should be the nation’s next interior secretary. “Many people, as they enjoy the outdoors, jump in a car to get there,” she said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. But Jewell also pledged to support renewable energy and said climate change is not in debate. “There is no question in my mind it is real and that the scientific evidence backs it up,” Jewell told the senators. Sean Cockerham reports. Interior nominee Sally Jewell tells Senate she'll balance development, conservation

Washington state's congressional delegation joined forces this week in reintroducing legislation that would designate 1,000 acres of land and some entire islands in the San Juans as a national conservation area. In addition, U.S. Reps. Rick Larson (2nd Dist.) and Suzan DelBene (1st District), and democratic senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell recently sent a letter to President Obama asking once again that he use the presidential powers provided by the Antiquities Act of 1906 to register the lands and islands as a national monument. State's U.S. delegation renews 'Conservation Area' designation quest See also:  Lawmakers push for protection of San Juans land  

A Tacoma radiator shop has been fined $40,000 for “dangerous waste violations,” according to the state Department of Ecology. Performance Radiator, 2705 South Tacoma Way, is working to fix a 3-by-3-foot hole in the floor of the shop that was allowing high levels of lead, copper and zinc to leak in to the environment. The repair shop is in the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District and is adjacent to a well. Tacoma radiator shop hit with $40,000 fine for violations

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have discovered phthalates, industrial chemicals, in common foods purchased in the United States. Phthalates can be found in a variety of products and food packaging material, child-care articles and medical devices. "Although it's not completely understood how phthalates get into our food, packaging may be a contributor to the levels of the toxin in food," said lead investigator Arnold Schecter, M.D., M.P.H., professor of environmental health at The University of Texas School of Public Health Dallas Regional campus, part of UTHealth. Industrial Chemicals Found in Food Samples

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 238 PM PST THU MAR 7 2013
FRI
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS.
FRI NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SAT
SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
--
"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

2/21 Seals, BC landscapes, Gov to Prez, dolphin names, Freeland septics, Duwamish volunteers, animal poop, tribal hunts

PHOTO: Arthur Chapman (Flickr)

Zzzzz: Seals can sleep with just half of their brain at a time, and biologists have discovered some of the chemicals involved. The study identified the chemical cues that allow the seal brain to remain half awake and asleep. Findings from this study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, may explain the biological mechanisms that enable the brain to remain alert during waking hours and go off-line during sleep. In water, seals nap with half their brain

But wait, there’s more: Harbor seals in Puget Sound have had a challenging history—they were once hunted because they were considered competitors with fishermen. By the early 1970s, only about two to three thousand harbor seals remained in Washington. But in 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act made it illegal to kill any marine mammals. The Act, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, helped the harbor seal population recover—scientists counted 30,000 seals in their last full census. Join NOAA Fisheries wildlife biologist Harriet Huber in the short video, Harbor Seal Monitoring in Puget Sound

Read Governor Jay’s Valentine’s Day note to President Barack.

Environmental protection of B.C.’s landscapes is fragmented, inconsistent and falls woefully short of what scientists say is needed to conserve species biodiversity, according to a comprehensive land-use review released Thursday by environmentalists. The report by Vancouver-based ForestEthics Solutions with assistance from West Coast Environmental Law, says 15.55 per cent of the B.C.’s land base (including private property and water bodies) has been placed in the highest categories of protection. That includes 14.4 per cent as parks and protected areas, and 1.15 per cent as wildlife management areas and municipal watersheds. Larry Pynn reports. B.C. land protection insufficient to conserve species biodiversity: report

Norm Baker is mightily impressed; so am I: "Bottlenose dolphins call out the specific names of loved ones when they become separated, a study finds. Other than humans, the dolphins are the only animals known to do this, according to the study, published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The big difference with bottlenose dolphins is that these communications consist of whistles, not words. Earlier research found that bottlenose dolphins name themselves, with dolphins having a “signature whistle” that encodes other information...." Jennifer Viegas reports. Dolphins Call Each Other By Name  

A $6.3 million low-income housing project planned for Freeland is facing derailment due to an unexpected permitting issue. Island County Housing Authority officials confirmed this week that septic system requirements may exceed initial expectations and the increase in costs may force the project to be scrapped. The organization is not a department of county government but a state special purpose district with the aim of providing affordable housing to low-income and elderly residents. It currently owns and manages 110 public housing units on properties in Oak Harbor, Coupeville and Langley. Its newest project, Sunny Side Village, is planned on a nearly nine-acre lot off Fish Road, between Highway 525 and Scenic Avenue. Designs call for the construction of 26 units in four separate two-level buildings. Justin Burnett reports. Septic problems may scuttle low income housing in Freeland  

It’s backbreaking work, grubbing out those blackberries, but it’s for a good cause – feeding the Duwamish salmon. Hundreds of volunteers have spent nearly 1,000 hours freeing a 1 1/2-mile stretch of the Duwamish River of blackberry canes that have grown up to 12 feet and other invasive non-native plants. The Restore the Duwamish Shoreline Challenge was initiated by employees of the Boeing Employees Credit Union in the Tukwila headquarters that’s separated from the river by a bank and the Green River Trail. Dean Radford reports. Volunteers restore Duwamish shoreline naturally

A river otter, sleek and graceful, scampered across a dock at the Oak Harbor Marina on a Thursday afternoon before gliding back into the water. A half-dozen of the intelligent, playful creatures make the marina home. Unfortunately, the otters’ bathroom habits put them on a list of four animals marina management wants to remove from the area. Chris Sublet, the Oak Harbor harbormaster, said he is hoping to contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services for help dealing with the otters, as well as seagulls, pigeons and turnstones. The problem, he said, is the poop. Jessie Stensland reports. Oak Harbor Marina targets messy otters, birds

A federal lawsuit involving the rights of Indian tribes to hunt game on “open and unclaimed lands” has been filed by the Skokomish Tribe against the state of Washington. The lawsuit claims that actions by state agencies and officials have denied tribal members access to their legitimate hunting areas. Furthermore, state officials have imposed civil and criminal sanctions on tribal members and promoted a “discriminatory scheme” of hunting regulations that favor non-Indians, the suit says. The Skokomish Tribe’s lawsuit could open the door to long-awaited litigation that could define the extent of treaty rights related to hunting animals and gathering roots and berries by Native Americans across Washington state. Chris Dunagan reports. Skokomish Tribe sues state over hunting rights

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 257 AM PST THU FEB 21 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
 GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
 RAIN LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN.

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