12/2 Salmon & grizzlies, BC fish farm, hatcheries, tagging, humpbacks, B'ham Bay, BC pipe, WA parks, fish catch, Shell drill, Hood Canal octopus, River Project

(PHOTO: Larry Travis/www.raincoast.org)

Salmon shortages stressing out grizzlies
When salmon runs dwindle on the B.C. coast, the stress levels in grizzlies climb, say researchers who examined hair samples collected from more than 70 bears. And the bears, which gather along rivers in the fall to feed on spawning salmon, take those high stress levels with them into hibernation, perhaps affecting their long-term health, according to a science paper published Wednesday. Mark Hume reports.

If you like to watch: Seattle celebrates life cycle of salmon
Only in the Northwest can you find families gathering to celebrate a stream littered with the bodies of salmon. Gary Chittim reports.

Salmon farmer eyes Pacific coho growth in Chile, not B.C.
One of the world's largest aquaculture companies is turning its farming focus in South America to a Pacific salmon subspecies — yet the company will continue to raise Atlantic salmon on the B.C. coast. Cermaq, an international fish farming group based in Oslo, raises salmon in Norway, Chile and Canada. In B.C., the company, which until recently used the name Mainstream Canada, operates on both the east and west sides of Vancouver Island and has 27 ocean and three freshwater fish farms. Cermaq's economic growth plan for its South American operation indicates that Pacific coho salmon will become a key component of future growth.

EarthFix Conversation: A Call For Philosophical Shift On Use Of Hatcheries
In the late 1800s, when dams were first built around the Northwest, salmon and steelhead stocks began to decline. Fish hatcheries were put forth as a solution. Wild fish were taken from Northwest rivers and spawned in captivity, ensuring future generations of fish could be released back into the wild every season. Jim Lichatowich is a biologist who’s worked on salmon issues as a researcher, manager and scientific advisor for more than 40 years. He sat down with EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn to talk about his new book: “Salmon, People and Place: A Biologist’s Search For Salmon Recovery.” Ashley Ahearn reports.

Scientists try more sophisticated salmon tagging
The behavior of young salmon does not appear to be as predictable as previously thought. Ecologists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland are using a new and more sophisticated fish tagging system to learn more about the fish as they swim downstream and hit the ocean. The prevailing thought was that young salmon take a right at the mouth of the Columbia River and immediately head north toward Canada. But instead, PNNL ecologists found that, especially in the early spring, the fish scatter in all directions as they reach the ocean. Annette Cary reports.

Humpback 'muggings' rising in B.C.
The whale-watching industry knows them as "muggings." But to their paying clients in the Salish Sea, unusually close encounters with certain juvenile humpback whales can be the experience of a lifetime... Commercial whale-watch operations this past season in the region started reporting young humpbacks approaching c losely and interacting with passengers and vessels. The interactions typically last 15 minutes to two hours, and there's little to be done but shut down the engine or put it in neutral and wait for the whale to move off. And with humpback populations expanding on the B.C. coast, such events are also expected to increase. Larry Pynn reports.

Bellingham, port near final approval of waterfront plans
After years of public discussion, City Council and the Port of Bellingham Commission appear ready to approve plans that will shape redevelopment of the city's dormant industrial waterfront in the decades ahead. The waterfront plans are on the City Council agenda for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 2, in council chambers at City Hall, 210 Lottie St. The port commission will consider the matter at the regular 3 p.m. Tuesday meeting in the Harbor Center meeting room, 1801 Roeder Ave. The City Council also has set aside four hours, from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, for committee discussion of some final changes to plan language and other related matters. John Stark reports.

Puget Sound Partnership meeting of the Ecosystem Coordination Board
Pete Haase provides a report on the November 21 meeting in Edmonds.

Enbridge to keep seeking public approval for Northern Gateway pipeline
Enbridge Inc. will keep trying to win public approval for its Northern Gateway oil pipeline to the Pacific coast from Alberta even with the clock winding down to a crucial regulatory decision for the contentious project in the coming weeks, its chief executive officer said on Friday. Calgary-based Enbridge has sought for years to convince British Columbians, including numerous First Nations communities along the proposed route, that the $6.5-billion project will be as safe as today’s technology allows, and CEO Al Monaco conceded it has not been completely successful. Jeffrey Jones reports.

Report: Parks system can't survive without taxpayers
A new report spotlights an inconvenient truth for lawmakers about Washington's public parks system: It cannot survive without help from the state's taxpayers. The agency is reeling from deep budget cuts and needs a reliable source of funds because it may never be able to live as lawmakers desire -- solely on money collected from park visitors. That's the conclusion of a nine-page analysis delivered in November. Jerry Cornfield reports.

Google Earth Images Yield Better Data on Fish Catches
Google Earth's detailed images of our planet's surface could help scientists investigate overfishing from space. A new study of fish traps in the Persian Gulf suggests that many fish go uncounted after they are caught. Two researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada used Google Earth's satellite images to count intertidal fishing weirs off the coast of six countries in the Persian Gulf. Traditionally built with date palm fronds, fishing weirs have been used for centuries as a means of trapping fish. Today, the structures are often made with bamboo and galvanized mesh wire, and in some countries, they might be contributing to the problem of bad data on fish catches.  Megan Gannon reports.

Administration considers whether to allow Shell to resume Arctic oil exploration
The Obama administration is weighing whether to allow Shell to resume drilling in Arctic waters after a series of mishaps halted its controversial oil exploration effort last year. The decision is among the toughest issues faced by new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who portrays herself as both an advocate for the environment and a supporter of drilling. Jewell’s predecessor, Ken Salazar, allowed Shell to drill in the Arctic waters north of Alaska last year, only to later say the company “screwed up.” Interior Department spokeswoman Kate Kelly said Wednesday that drilling won’t resume until the agency has confidence that the effort addresses lessons learned. Sean Cockerham reports.

Hood Canal divers proud of giant Pacific octopus habitat
The giant Pacific octopus is one of the most sought-after sights in the sound, where octopus grow larger than anywhere else in the world. Legend has it they can reach 600 pounds, but a typical adult weight is between 100 and 150 pounds, with tentacles that span 15 to 20 feet. They can change color shifting from their usual ruddy complexion to paler hues when they’re scared or stressed. They’re also smart. Scientists say they can learn to open jars, recognize their handlers and memorize routes through mazes. Divers head under the waves in winter for the best octopus-watching conditions of the year. Algal blooms from warmer months have died down, making the water clearer. In the summer when Puget Sound water temperatures are only a few degrees warmer than winter a diver can typically see only five feet. In winter, the view extends to 40 feet. Tristan Baurick reports.

Fishy Freedom
On a recent Wednesday that felt like the first of winter, about a hundred and fifty children—mostly under seven—and their parents gathered at Pier 40, over at West Street and Houston. Their mission: to thank for their service the numerous small riverine creatures that have whispered their secrets to the kids since last spring, and liberate them. The River Project’s tanks needed to be drained and emptied for winter. Ergo, fishy freedom...The River Project has been introducing children to the Hudson since the late nineteen-eighties. Time brings change. Carl Safina reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 303 AM PST MON DEC 2 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING N 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 11 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NE 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 6 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 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.

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9/9 Humpies, Targa oil, coal EIS, BC boom, BC LNG pipe, Graham Cr., Elwha salmon, Skagit salmon, seal art, community shellfish, Clean Samish, tsunami debris, Growler EIS, driftwood

Dungeness pinks (John Gussman/Peninsula Daily News)

The biggest run of pink salmon in the Dungeness River since 1963 is underway. The biannual summer run of pink salmon, also known as humpbacks or humpies, has filled the river with spawning fish so full that people easily can see the fish just about anywhere in the Dungeness River, said Scott Chitwood, natural resources director of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe. Arwyn Rice reports. Dungeness River has biggest salmon run in a half-century  

Targa Sound Terminal’s plan to build a $150 million bulk liquids distribution facility at the Port of Tacoma died Friday. The company told the port in a formal termination letter that its studies over the past seven months showed that a new tank farm wouldn’t be economically viable. Targa President Troy Goodman told port Chief Executive Officer John Wolfe that the company’s plans for a long-term lease of the port-owned site of the former Kaiser Aluminum smelter wouldn’t be moving forward. John Gille reports. Tank farm, rail yard fall through See also: Planned Crude-by-Rail Terminal in Tacoma Scrapped

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Ecology will conduct separate reviews of proposals to expand state coal exports  – not the joint reviews that had been planned, both agencies announced Friday. The decision to separate the reviews is in some ways not surprising, since the agencies have staked out different criteria in determining whether to approve a proposed export terminal at Cherry Point, near Bellingham... Supporters of the proposals praised the separation of reviews, framing it as an indication of the inappropriateness of the state’s broad review, which is unprecedented in scope... Opponents, on the other hand, said it is in the state’s interest to conduct as broad a review as possible. Brian Rosenthal reports. Feds, state to conduct separate reviews of coal train proposals   Meanwhile, in Longview: The state’s decision to include greenhouse gas emissions and train traffic concerns in the environmental review of a proposed Whatcom County coal terminal has caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a separate review of Longview’s proposed Millennium coal export dock, federal officials said Friday. Barbara LaBoe reports. Federal regulators to write separate review of Millennium coal dock

The B.C. government is staking the province’s future on a resource boom across B.C.’s north — potentially hundreds of billions of dollars worth of activity and proposals in mining, hydro, port expansions, industry upgrades, and liquefied natural gas. Premier Christy Clark has said that LNG on its own could single-handedly get the province out of debt, and her government has clear plans to fast-track the industry....How many of the current LNG proposals will actually be supported by markets and investment is an open question, but Clark’s B.C. Jobs Plan envisions three LNG plants operational on the coast by 2020. Bill Metcalf reports. The North: B.C.’s economic frontier

The company proposing to build a liquefied natural gas pipeline through a grizzly bear sanctuary near Prince Rupert has already been warned twice about “non-permitted access” to the environmentally sensitive area, and BC Parks is investigating a third possible transgression. A subcontractor of pipeline builder TransCanada Corp. received a verbal warning from BC Parks after the first incident in the Khutzeymateen Inlet Conservancy on June 16 and a written warning after the second on June 28, according to the provincial environment ministry. A third incident under investigation occurred in the past week. Possible B.C. pipeline route crosses grizzly bear sanctuary

The province has identified the globs of black stuff gumming up parts of Graham Creek in Central Saanich as an asphalt-type product of low toxicity. The Environment Ministry identified the source as Island Asphalt’s facility in the Keating Industrial Park... An Island Asphalt spray truck sprung a leak Thursday, said Cory Sangha, assistant general manager of OK Industries Ltd., Island Asphalt’s parent company, but the company was confident it had been contained. Cindy Harnett reports. Spill in Central Saanich's Graham Creek traced to paving facility

For the second year in a row, salmon are swimming in streams above the site of the former Elwha Dam. The Peninsula Daily News reports last summer's return of salmon to the Elwha River above the former dam's site were the first in 100 years. Olympic National Park spokeswoman Rainey McKenna says biologists have counted at least 500 adult chinook in the river, as well as a few pink salmon and coho. Salmon heading to spawn past Elwha Dam site  

If there’s one thing folks up and down the Skagit River know, it’s salmon. Whether they’re out fishing for them or trying to save the fish’s native habitat, people living along the river are tied to the salmon, according to the folks who organized a festival celebrating the fish. Cory Ertel, co-founder of the Skagit River Salmon Festival and vice president of its board, said the connection with the river and the fish led him to want to create a festival to bring all those groups together. Daniel DeMay reports. Salmon fest swims through Skagit  

With a crowd of more than 200 people on hand, the sculpture Sentinels of the Sound was dedicated on a day declared by proclamations from the city and state to be "Harbor Seal Day," Sept. 8. The bronze sculpture by noted northwest artist Georgia Gerber is of a mother and baby Harbor Seal, placed at a corner near the Alki Bathhouse and made accessible for kids and others to touch and interact with. It is the realization of a long held dream by Seal Sitters' Robin Lindsey whose organization watches over marine mammals around Puget Sound, paying special attention to seal pups who often rest on our shorelines. Patrick Robinson reports. Sentinels of the Sound sculpture dedicated in Alki Beach ceremony

What a difference a day makes. On Thursday, friends and organizers of the Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm gathered in Olympia to ponder the farm’s future, threatened by Washington State University’s recent decision to terminate their access to the Meyer’s Point property owned by WSU and used by the farm the past 10 years. They planned to appeal the university’s decision, search for other ways to access 1 acre of tidelands they lease from the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and possibly move to or expand operations in the Nisqually Reach. On Friday, those same folks were in a celebratory mood, after being notified that morning that officials in the president’s office at WSU had agreed to extend their free public access to the property indefinitely. John Dodge reports. WSU allows shellfish farm on Henderson Inlet to stay

Since a major rainstorm when fecal coliform bacteria in the Samish Bay skyrocketed to 170 times the state water quality standard five years ago, the Clean Samish Initiative has been working to reduce pollution and shellfish harvest closures in the watershed. The good news: Fecal coliform is now five to 10 times lower during heavy rain. However, it is still more than double the state standard, and local shellfish growers still face closures — 13 so far this year. The Clean Samish Initiative, a partnership among more than 20 federal, state, county, tribal, nonprofit and private organizations, says it is slowly but surely making progress using a Pollution Identification and Correction program. Kimberly Cauvel reports. Clean Samish Initiative partners work to keep shellfish safe  

First Nations on British Columbia's north coast will share in $139,000 in funding from the Japanese government to establish a tsunami debris cleanup program. The money comes in response to a successful proposal by the Haida Gwaii Tsunami Debris Committee that includes the communities of Queen Charlotte, Skidegate, Old Massett, Masset and Port Clements... Japan has provided about $1 million in tsunami cleanup money to Canada, with a federal-provincial group deciding how the cash is dispersed. B.C. First Nations group gets $139,000 in tsunami cleanup cash from Japan

The U.S. Navy says it will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement that looks at the potential impact of adding 13 “Growler” fighter aircraft to the Whidbey Island fleet. The Navy this week issued a notice of intent to prepare an EIS assessing current and future operations of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, including operations at the Coupeville Outlying Field. An environmental group filed a lawsuit against the Navy in July seeking an EIS because of the potential impact on Ebey’s Landing, a National Historic Reserve managed by the National Park Service. Kimberly Cauvel reports. Navy agrees to EIS on Growler jets  

You see them everywhere, time travelers journeying through the brine or lined up on quiet beaches where they form a uniquely Northwest tableau of astonishing depth and variety. Susan Kelleher reports. Driftwood comes and goes, telling stories

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT MON SEP 9 2013
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. AREAS OF MORNING FOG.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 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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3/14 SB 5805, greenhouse gas, Squamish LNG, grizzlies, forage fish, net pen bans, fish rules, PS Corps, English Camp

Just in: Washington Environmental Council reports that a bill that would have fast-tracked mega-projects from gravel mines to coal export facilities (SB 5805) in Washington appears derailed for now in the State Legislature after it failed to advance before a key cutoff today.  SB 5805 would have changed a little-used provision of state law to expedite the review and permitting for projects of statewide significance.  Currently, for a project to be designated as a project of statewide significance, it has to at least provide a net environmental benefit and be supported by the local city or county government.  SB 5805 would have removed both of these requirements and allowed fast-track permitting for mega-projects like coal export facilities in Bellingham and Longview and the Pit-to-Pier gravel mine on Hood Canal.

The Washington state Senate on Wednesday advanced a measure championed by Gov. Jay Inslee to study the best practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under the measure, 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. As passed by the Senate, language warning of the perils of climate change was struck from the measure. Supporters say the bill would help the state reach its target of reducing 2020 greenhouse gas emissions levels to those of 1990. Jonathan Kaminsky reports. Washington Senate passes Inslee's climate bill

Controversial Indonesian billionaire Sukanto Tanoto has purchased an industrial site in Squamish for the purposes of exporting liquefied natural gas. But the self-educated entrepreneur has been criticized for environmental practices elsewhere in his $12 billion industrial empire, raising questions about his B.C. venture. Environmental watchers say Tanoto’s logging company, APRIL, has a checkered record in cutting down Indonesia’s rainforests and destroying wildlife habitat. Kent Spencer reports. Concerns over environmental track record of Indonesian billionaire planning LNG plant in Squamish  

Grizzly bear populations in southern B.C. and Alberta have plummeted to such perilous levels that they require immediate listing under the federal Species at Risk Act, the David Suzuki Foundation said in a report released Thursday. In B.C., fewer than 100 grizzlies are thought to exist in each of the Squamish-Lillooet, South Selkirk, Yahk, and Kettle-Granby regions, states the report, Securing A National Treasure. Federal protection sought to save western grizzlies  

A draft of an ecological plan that applies to West Coast fisheries has emphasized the need for management of so-called forage fish to improve salmon runs. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider adopting the draft fishery ecosystem plan on April 9 in Portland. The Columbian reports the goal is better fish runs on the Columbia River and other Northwest waterways. Forage fish are the small schooling species like sardines, saury and smelt that provide a crucial protein source for larger fish and other animals in the Pacific. Limiting Catch Of Forage Fish Could Help West Coast Salmon

A bill that would have allowed bans of fin-fish net pens has sunk at the state Legislature. The measure died in committee, as did the hopes of environmental activists and Island County decision-makers. Under the failed measure, counties and cities would have authority to legally ban fin-fish net pens. The bill was seen by supporters as a speedy and conclusive end to what may yet prove a lengthy and trying battle with the state Department of Ecology over the county’s recent prohibition of non-native, fin-fish net pens. Justin Burnett reports. Proposed net pen bill sinks in the Washington state Legislature  

In an unusual procedure, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is reconsidering some of the fishing regulations the nine-member panel adopted on March 1 during its rule-setting meeting in Moses Lake. Reconsideration of at least four rules is on the agenda for a conference call meeting set for Friday (March 15). Miranda Wecker, commission chair, said she wants to make sure the commissioners get all the information they need to make the proper decisions. She said the four topics sure to be discussed include rockfish retention in Puget Sound, catch-and-release fishing for sharks and regulations and seasons for sturgeon and cabezon. Rich Landers blogs. Commission to reconsider some Wash. fishing rules adopted last week

Debris from a damaged dock was cleared from Kiwanis Waterfront Park by members of Puget Sound Corps, an organization helping youth, 18 to 25, and former military veterans with job training. When they are not picking up dock pieces and other trash on Anacortes beaches, they help with restoration projects and creosote debris removal throughout the Puget Sound. The group on the Guemes Channel beach last week had been at Point Roberts removing non-native English Ivy when they were asked to come down by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Joan Pringle reports. Crew cleans up dock debris at Kiwanis Waterfront Park  

English Camp is growing, and may grow more. The National Park Service acquired 34 acres of the former Westcott Bay Sea Farms property from the Conservation Fund for about $2.5 million and is seeking to acquire 36 additional acres for $400,000 when funding can be arranged. The land has been owned since the 1960’s by the Webb family. Bill and Doree Webb purchased the property from Roche Harbor’s Tarte Family, and for a few years operated a private summer camp for boys on the site. The Webb family operated an oyster farming and marketing business on the property for more than 30 years. The present conservation plans provide for continuing operation of the oyster business on the leased tidelands and about five waterfront acres that are not part of the transaction. Steve Wehrly reports. Westcott Bay seafood farm added into fold of National Parks

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT WED MAR 13 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON
THU
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN.
THU NIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 16 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/11 Oil money, Port Susan, Birch Bay, North Creek sewer, bag ban, bear deaths

Happy Mother's Day

Hi, Mom!

Meteorologists say this weekend is going to be warm. We may even break 80 degrees on Sunday, Mother's Day. It's going to be a warm weekend, forecasters say  Also see: Cliff Mass on Summer in May  

If you like to watch: A virtual fly-through along the lower Elwha River  

The petroleum giant BP, which brought America the 2010 Gulf oil spill, is now speaking with its checkbook in a bid to bring Washington voters another Tim Eyman initiative in November. BP and ConocoPhillips have each contributed $100,000 to the campaign for Initiative 1185, which would (again) put in place the requirement of a two-thirds vote in both houses of the Washington Legislature to enact new revenue measures or close corporate loopholes. Joel Connely reports.  Big Oil bankrolls latest Eyman initiative

More fish, birds, native plants and animals are expected to thrive in Port Susan following the removal of a dike along the bay to restore part of the Stillaguamish River estuary. The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group that owns more than 4,000 acres of tidelands in Port Susan, has begun work on a project to remove an earthen dike that seals off the bay from 150 acres of former estuary. The second part of the project involves rebuilding another dike to the east to serve as the new boundary between the bay and adjoining farmland.  Work begins to remove dike, restore estuary  

Whatcom County qualifies for a $7 million state loan for a major Birch Bay waterfront project because the state Department of Ecology determined the project would restore a substantially damaged environment. The low-interest loan from the state Public Works Trust Fund would provide the bulk of funding necessary for the estimated $10 million project.  Ecology clears way for county to get $7M loan for Birch Bay work  

The Everett City Council passed an emergency resolution Wednesday night so crews could get to work faster replacing a faulty sewer pipe that collects the waste of 15,000 people. That pipe ruptured April 12 in the 11800 block of Silver Way, sending 1 million gallons of raw sewage through one Everett man's yard and into nearby North Creek. Afterward, a forensic analysis showed that other parts of the pipe are susceptible to breaks.  Everett council fast-tracks sewer pipe fix  

A proposed ban on plastic bags will be submitted to the Port Townsend City Council for discussion and possible approval in June. The potential ban — based on one approved by the city of Bainbridge Island in April — was discussed at a meeting of the city's Special Projects Committee on Wednesday. The bags that would be subject to the ban are plastic bags with handles that are given out by retailers at the cash register. Plastic-bag ban proposal to go to Port Townsend council

A provincial conservation officer is voicing frustration with North Vancouverites after two bears had to be killed here in the space of a week because residents had failed to heed warnings about garbage. Dave Cox, a member of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said Wednesday that while his agency was responsible for putting the animals down, it was really the local homeowners who hadn’t locked up bear attractants who were to blame for the deaths. Conservation officer fingers North Vancouver homeowners for bear killings

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 850 PM PDT THU MAY 10 2012
FRI
NE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
FRI NIGHT
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING LIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING N IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.
SAT NIGHT NW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING N 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.

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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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4/19 Polar bear Kenneth, quake faults, coal dust, whale maps, BC review, Jellies, Greg Rabourn, Alan Mearns, Mason Co., green-glow fish

R.I.P. Kenneth (The News Tribune)

Cliff Mass writes: "Hard to believe...three decent weekends in a row...and the upcoming weekend, might be the best for some of you." We Win the Spring Weekend Trifecta!

Kenneth, the oldest of four bears at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium was euthanized Wednesday after his right side became paralyzed and he could no longer stand or walk. He had lived there since 2002. Polar bear euthanized at Point Defiance Zoo

Geologists have discovered two previously unknown earthquake faults -- and possibly a third -- near Bellingham, Washington. The scientists working for the U.S. Geological Survey believe the shallow faults are capable of spawning damaging tremors.  Geologists Identify New Earthquake Faults Near Bellingham  

What's being described as an "absolute freak incident" at Westshore Terminals coal port Thursday afternoon caused a cloud of coal dust to briefly hover over the area. Unexpected wind gust stirs up coal dust at Roberts Bank  

If you like to watch: Check out the Vancouver Sun's Interactive map: cetacean sightings in B.C. over the last decade  

Environmental groups that don't have particular expertise to offer, and ordinary citizens concerned about projects like the Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline but who don't live or work near the project, shouldn't be able to participate in environmental review hearings, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Wednesday.  Oliver defends limiting participation to environmental review hearings  

Global warming, pollution and human activity in marine habitats are not generally regarded as good things — unless you’re a jellyfish. According to a study of the jellyfish population by University of B.C. researchers, jellyfish are increasing in the majority of the world’s coastal ecosystems. Jellyfish thrive in adverse conditions, UBC study finds  

In 1995, Greg Rabourn had what Evening Magazine dubbed the worst job in the region. He was one of four people employed by King County to sort through garbage at its then-three landfills, searching for hazardous material that needed to be pulled out of the trash and disposed of separately.... But for Rabourn, his stint as a trash-sorter had a silver lining. “That’s how I discovered Vashon,” he said during a recent interview.  Vashon's basin steward: Healing the region, one project at a time  

Alan Mearns is an ecological inquirer. He likes to ask questions, find connections and discover how things work in the natural world.  That has led him to a decade of observing and recording birds, right in his Edmonds back yard.  Edmonds scientist is a birdwatcher with purpose  

“The Mason County Commissioner’s meeting this morning was on the receiving end of some long standing and deserved frustration over lack of leadership and direction in handling water quality and sanitation issues.  These are symptoms of what is a pervasive inability to establish a proactive strategy to deal with growth and environmental pressure, and it’s time to get into the 21st century.... From the Puget Sound Partnership, to Department of Health, to other county governments, to our own citizenry, Mason County is regarded as a laughing stock of efficiency and effectiveness.  It can change, it must change.  If our commissioners do not feel up to shaking the trees to establish a new way of generating a new culture, then someone else needs to step in.” Carol Gardner editorializes: County and Commissioners  

Understanding the damage that pollution causes to both wildlife and human health is set to become much easier thanks to a new green-glowing zebrafish. Created by a team from the University of Exeter, the fish makes it easier than ever before to see where in the body environmental chemicals act and how they affect health. The fluorescent fish has shown that estrogenic chemicals, which are already linked to reproductive problems, impact on more parts of the body than previously thought. Green-Glowing Fish Provides New Insights Into Health Impacts of Pollution  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU APR 19 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN.

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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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2/8 Dicks earmarks, Oregon reserves, bag ban, Great Bear, steelhead regs, local plans, Swinomish dredging, magic mud

Snowy Owl Photo: Carl Safina

Carl Safina does Snowy Owls:  Snowy Owls of 2012: The White Album By Carl Safina

Kimberly Kindy of the Washington Post goes deep in reporting on how Rep. Norm Dicks and former Puget Sound Partnership director and son David Dicks worked together, with the congressman directing millions more to Puget Sound recovery, including a $1.82 million earmark and more than $14 million in grants and other funds that went to his son’s agency. There were no competitors for the funds.  "It was a difficult time," the younger Dicks said. "I left a lucrative law practice to help save Puget Sound. No one was expecting the response that me and my father got." Dicks channeled federal money to Puget Sound project his son ran

Cassandra Profita at OPB reports that the Oregon Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve three new marine reserves in state coastal waters that restricts fishing near Cape Falcon, north of Manzanita, Cascade Head, north of Lincoln City, and Cape Perpetua, between Florence and Newport. The bill needs approval from the Oregon House of Representatives and a signature from the governor to become law. Oregon Senate Passes Marine Reserves Bill  

Washington House and Senate bills to ban plastic bags at groceries haven't passed but have lots of support among San Juan County grocers. Banning the bag: Local grocers get on board with banning plastic bags at checkout stands

ForestEthics, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace have charged that the B.C. government is not meeting conservation targets set six years ago in the Great Bear Rainforest agreement to preserve 70 percent of the central coast forest but allow commercial logging on the rest.  The work on a new approach to logging, called eco-system-based management, is behind schedule and only 50 per cent of the land is protected because the government mapwork is incomplete. Eco groups urge government to complete protection promise for Great Bear Rainforest  

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission met last week and among its actions closed fishing early for steelhead and other game fish in several river systems in Puget Sound and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca to protect wild steelhead. WDFW Commission changes steelhead fishing regulations to protect wild fish

After nearly two years of debate, Kitsap County and its four cities have approved a set of policies to guide their land-use planning efforts, as required by the state's Growth Management Act. County planning policies finally approved   Meanwhile, Whatcom County leaders will decide at a special meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8, whether to appeal a January 9 state board decision that invalidated zoning and growth policies on 2,575 acres. Whatcom council to consider appealing state board ruling on rural zoning, policies

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2012 work plan now includes $2.3 million in federal funding to dredge the Swinomish Channel.  Feds to save Swinomish Channel from silting over

Gooey, paper-thin biofilm can make up to 70 per cent of the diet of small shorebirds, which slurp up the stuff like energy drinks, making it a key bird food. The "magic" in the mud was first uncovered just south of Vancouver where up to half the world's western sandpipers touch down to refuel as they migrate north.  'Magic mud' on tidal flats key to shorebird populations

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 243 AM PST WED FEB 8 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

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12/14 Salish Sea News and Weather: Eat crab, overfishing, bag ban, black bear, coyotes, Edmonds streams, Discover Pass, ocean debris, liveaboards, HB 1904

PHOTO: Nancy Leson, Seattle Times

If you like to eat: Nancy Leson blogs, “When I was a kid, we ate a lot of crab. Blue crab. I'd hang out with my siblings on the docks at the Jersey shore, catching those puny crustaceans using a simple hook-and-line baited with squished-up Wonder Bread. We'd slowly reel in our catch, praying the creatures wouldn't fall back in the drink. Then, we'd toss the crab into a bucket of seawater until they'd meet their maker -- our mother -- who'd throw in a big hit of Old Bay seasoning and steam them for us. Today, my siblings eat those crabs by the dozen alongside pitchers of beer at crab joints "down the shore" and at taverns throughout Philadelphia. But now that I'm a hard-core Pacific Northwesterner, there's only one crab for me: Dungeness.” Got crab? (Dungeness, that is.) Well, get cracking! 

Oceana filed suit in U.S. District Court contending that NOAA Fisheries Service violated provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens fisheries management act by failing to account for the needs of the ecosystem when setting the harvest limits for sardines, anchovies, mackerel and squid. Sadly, much of the harvest goes for bait and feed used on fish farms. Lawsuit: Overfishing leaves salmon, whales hungry  

Is Seattle ready to join Edmonds, Bellingham and Mukilteo in green? The Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee of the Seattle City Council Tuesday approved an amended plastic bag ban that will go to the full Council Monday for final action. Seattle's proposed plastic bag ban clears committee  

Thank goodness, they didn’t shoot. The adventurous dumpster-diving black bear who was discovered in downtown Vancouver Monday afternoon has been given a new home in Squamish. Black bear gets new home in Squamish area after downtown Vancouver foray  

Meanwhile, the population of coyotes on Fox Island isn’t just dense, “it’s out of whack,” says wildlife biologist Matt Stevens.  Fox Island Residents Host Meeting to Discuss Coyote Concerns  

Adopt-A-Stream Foundation surveyed streams at Perrinville, Lunds Gulch and Picnic Point and reports that each has good habitat supporting fish but barriers remain that prevent salmon and trout from traveling to the streamhead to spawn. Three Edmonds streams in good health but few hurdles remain for salmon  

Fixing the new Discover Pass: Washington State University’s November survey showed that the one-pass for one-car policy has a negative effect on people purchasing the Discover Card. A clause in the program that limited transferability between vehicles will become a thing of the past under legislation proposed by state Senator Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island. Ranker proposes new legislation for Washington Park Discover Pass  

Know the difference between cleaning up debris in the open ocean and cleaning it up once it’s reached the shore? Open ocean cleanup efforts require hands, boat and supplies which can cost more than $35,000 per day to operate, because the composition of the debris makes it difficult to clean. Tsunami debris 'difficult to clean' and most must come up by hand  

Vanessa Ho at SeattlePI.com reports on Seattle’s update of its shoreline master plan and its effects on “liveaboards.” What’s a “houseboat” and when is a vessel a “floating home?” When are you living on a “house barge” and not on a “vessel?” Seattle cracks down on houseboat-like boats

One of the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s legislative priorities is HB 1904 which would allow visiting boats to stay in Washington longer, making it easier for boatyards to install water treatment systems and protecting boaters from additional taxes. Boat battles brewing in Oly  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 242 AM PST WED DEC 14 2011
TODAY
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 6 TO 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 TO 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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9/30 Salish Sea News & Weather: Hood Canal, Dick Goin, spotted frog, orca rules, Moving Planet, climate & jobs, Brightwater, BC critters, fishy news, ESA condoms

PHOTO: Pat Lynch/Kitsap Sun

Thirty days hath September...and here we are at the 30th. Come Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 3 and 4, the Puget Sound Partnership begins public meetings on revising its Action Agenda in Mill Creek and Poulsbo, respectively.  Schedule here.

Chris Dunagan in the Kitsap Sun reports that, for now, we’ve dodged the bullet of a massive fish kill as oxygen levels have improved in the upper levels of Hood Canal. Oxygen conditions improve in Hood Canal

Dick and Marie Goin were honored yesterday by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center as this year’s winners of the Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award, but it just wasn’t the kind of attention Dick likes to be the center of and he chose not to attend. But he was celebrated anyway for his “significant contributions in the protection and stewardship of the North Olympic Peninsula's natural environment.” Port Angeles couple receive environmental award

More heroes: John Dodge in The Olympian reports on yesterday’s helping hands provided to imperiled Oregon spotted frogs by students enrolled in the New Market Skills Center’s Environmental Explorations program. The students worked at Salmon Creek north of Littlerock to kill invasive reed canary grass and to set traps for non-native bullfrogs. Students aid endangered Oregon spotted frog

How did the first summer of enforcing rules about boats maintaining increased distance from orca whales in the San Juans go? Sgt. Russ Mullins speaks. Orca enforcement officers witness violations of new federal law, no citation issued; Department of Fish & Wildlife says it wanted to take an educational approach this season

Last weekend thousands of King County residents came together to demonstrate local alternatives in the worldwide effort to wean the planet off fossil fuels. Martha Baskin of Green Acre Radio reports on the local aspect of the “Moving Planet” international event organized by ‘350.org’ Listen to Moving the Planet Beyond Fossil Fuels

My friend Colin Wagoner of Ridolfi, Inc., wrote a thoughtful piece in the Daily Journal of Commerce about how we can turn the lemons of climate change into the lemonade of reviving our economy. Our changing climate can be a job generator; More scientists, engineers, planners and contractors will be needed to address rising sea levels and diminishing snowpacks. 

Seattle Times editorial writer Lance Dickie likes the Brightwater sewage-treatment plant and heralds it as a “testament to the vision, tenacity and talents of elected King County officials, employees and citizens who recognized the need, and the contractors who designed and built it.” Brightwater sewage-treatment plant more than a passing fancy

From the not-so-far North: On Vancouver Island, Four cougar sightings in capital region in two days  and, in the resort land of Whistler, Black bear burglarizes Whistler pizza parlour   What are we doing to our wildlife?

Friday fish news: Dr. Giacomo Bernardi at UC Santa Cruz has a video showing a tuskfish digging up a clam out of the sand, carrying it to a rock, and repeatedly throwing the clam against the rock to crush it. Fish Uses Tool to Dig Up and Crush Clams   Jonathan Armstrong, a UW doctoral student, finds fish able to expand their gut capacity in order to eat enough during good times to grow and build energy reserves to survive the bad times. Binge-eating fish with 3x the guts

Marketing Ploy of the Month: Grist reports that the Center for Biological Diversity is promoting its ‘ 7 Billion and Counting’ campaign about how population growth threatens species by giving away 100,000 Endangered Species Condoms. Come and get your Endangered Species Condoms            
   
Now, your weekend tug weather:
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI SEP 30 2011
  TODAY
 W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN.
 TONIGHT
 NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT IN THE EVENING... BECOMING LIGHT...THEN BECOMING E 10 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W
 SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
 SAT
 SE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
 SAT NIGHT
 W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.
 SUN
 E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

9/2 Salish Sea News & Weather: Tox-Ick, rain gardens, Elwha fish, pinks, BC grizzlies, Padden Cr, in-lieu mitigation, Adventuress, dead owls

West Seattle action. PHOTO: Katie Campbell

Thanks for your kind comments and thanks to our Man on the Peninsula for the shout out yesterday announcing this ‘new’ news service in his Olympic Peninsula Environmental News blog

Three-day weekend, great weather forecasted. If you need assurances: Upcoming Warmth

Keep an eye out for the Tox-Ick Monster in West Seattle. That’s Sustainable West Seattle’s “emblematic metaphor for what toxic runoff is doing to our communities, which is robbing us of our salmon, our orcas, our shellfish economy, and our health” says creator Corbet Curfman. Sustainable West Seattle  launches community events aimed at curbing Puget Sound’s toxic monster  

And West Seattle might actually be the next Center of the Universe. Katie Campbell of EarthFix reports on how Neighbors Fight Stormwater Pollution by Building Rain Gardens    These are some of the 700 rain gardens built to date in a campaign promoted by Washington State University and Stewardship Partners to install 12,000 rain gardens in Puget Sound communities by 2016.  “Twelve thousand gardens will absorb approximately 160 million gallons of stormwater each year,” said Stacey Gianas of Stewardship Partners.

Can we be guided by good science and careful monitoring to ensure the success of salmon restoration after the two Elwha Dams are removed? We should be, write guest columnists Jacques White, Michael Schmidt and Lars Mobrand in the Seattle Times. Ensuring fish restoration after the Elwha dams come out

Up north, the millions of Frasier River pink salmon are bringing jobs to local commercial fishers and processors. John Stark in the Bellingham Herald reports that “Doug Thomas, president and CEO at Bellingham Cold Storage, said his company and the processing firms who rent space in its facilities have been busy hiring workers for the 24-hour-a-day job of getting the fish unloaded, cleaned and frozen. ‘There's well over 1,000 people who are working on the salmon operation,’ Thomas said.”  Fishing boats making a good haul of pink salmon this season

Up further north, William Housty and members of Heiltsuk First Nation are collecting and having analyzed hair from the grizzly bears with whom they share the land. “The research has clarified the vital importance of salmon to grizzly bear populations and how salmon runs affect reproduction and the size of bears.” Grizzlies' hair sheds light on their habits in B.C.

So it is the habitat after all: No habitat, no fish. There’s a short stretch of Bellingham’s Padden Creek where a brick tunnel built more than a century ago traps salmon returning to spawn. The creek can be rerouted because Bellingham has the chance to use a state-funded grant and low-interest loan that’s part of $111 million available to local governments. Bit by bit, that’s what it’ll take.  Bellingham gets state grant for Padden Creek restoration project

Christopher Dunagan in the Kitsap Sun reports on what may be another approach to mitigating the negative environmental effects of large scale developments. The state and feds are reviewing a possible agreement by the Navy, which wants to build an explosives handling wharf at Bangor, to pay the Hood Canal Coordinating Council “a dollar amount based on the assessed environmental damage. The council would, in turn, oversee restoration projects that coincide with the larger goals of restoring Hood Canal.” Mitigation program could work for counties

Avoid eating shellfish in months without an ‘r’. Now it’s September and state Department of Health says that samples show no sign of paralytic shellfish poisoning, aka red tide, so recreational harvest can begin on Strait of Juan de Fuca beaches. Shellfish closure lifted from Dungeness Spit to Neah Bay 

Our friends at Sound Experience have returned ‘home’ to Port Townsend on the Adventuress after a summer of educational voyages ‘round the Sound. They’ll be doing some fundraising and then participating in the annual Wooden Boat Festival. Adventuress back home for fundraising for educational events
 
People For Puget Sound executive director Tom Bancroft was, among others, talking on KUOW about Saving Orcas In The Northwest and is, among others, appointed to the Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Coordination Board.

Yesterday it was good news for the bluebirds of San Juan Island; today executive director Kol Medina of the West Sound Wildlife Shelter reports from Bainbridge that it’s been A bad year for island’s owls
 
Now, your three-day weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI SEP 2 2011
  TODAY
 W WIND 10 KT BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 19 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN AND DRIZZLE EARLY.
 TONIGHT
 W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 18 SECONDS.
 SAT
 SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E 10 TO 15 KT LATE. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 18 SECONDS.
 SAT NIGHT
 E WIND 10 KT IN THE EVENING BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT.
 SUN
 LIGHT WIND BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT.
 MON
 W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service.
Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate