10/27 BC sea lice, Bowman Bay, fracking, Mukilteo terminal, F for FOIA

(PHOTO: Larry Hubbell)

If you like to watch: Trick or Treat
Larry Hubbell photographs and blogs: "This week I was attracted by the loudest cacophony of crow calls I have ever heard. It was not the usual sound of a dozen of crows harassing a perched predator. Nor was it the peaceful sound of crows gathering to roost for the night. The pine trees in the Arboretum were full of forty or fifty crows, calling chaotically. The noise was almost deafening…." (Union Bay Watch) [Thanks to Dan Pederson for the link.]

If you like to watch: Transient orca punts a seal 80 feet into the air near Victoria, BC!  (Roll.Focus. Productions)

B.C. salmon farmers to publish monthly sea lice numbers
B.C. salmon farmers will publish sea lice counts and treatment information monthly for every farm on the coast, according to the industry’s 2015 sustainability report released Monday. Sea lice are natural parasites of salmon that can be passed between fish in net-pen farms and wild stocks and make the fish more susceptible to infection and disease, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Juvenile wild salmon that acquire sea lice while migrating from fresh water to their ocean habitat may suffer increased mortality, studies show. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Beach at Bowman Bay to close for restoration
The beach at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park will be closed to the public Tuesday for a three-week shoreline restoration project. The beach area was developed into a fish hatchery in the 1940s and then crushed and buried on site in the 1970s, Deception Pass State Park Manager Jack Hartt said. The Northwest Straits Foundation is leading a project to restore 540 linear feet and about an acre of shoreline on the beach, according to a state parks news release. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Fracking, landslide blamed for contamination of Northern B.C. creek
A relentless landslide that's contaminated a source of drinking water near a community in northeastern B.C. has residents blaming oil and gas exploration's effects underground for causing the slide that's contaminating the creek with silt and heavy metals. Farmers and ranchers near Hudson's Hope say they've lost their sole water source and blame landslides on changes to underground aquifers and land stability because of nearby fracking and the effect of two nearby hydro dams, but officials say there is no proof of this. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

Feds kick in $10M for new Mukilteo ferry terminal
The state learned Monday it will be getting a $10 million federal grant that should be the final piece of funding required for the new Mukilteo ferry terminal. “These funds cement our ability to get a good project for the community,” said state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood. He, other lawmakers representing Snohomish and Island counties and state transportation officials have been trying for years to secure money to pay for the $129 million project that will put a new passenger terminal on the former tank farm site, one-third of a mile east of the existing facility.
Lawmakers earmarked chunks of dollars in the past two transportation budgets and then allocated $68.6 million in proceeds from the gas tax increase approved this summer. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C. government gets an F in freedom of information audit
An organization representing Canada's newspapers says the B.C. government is failing to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests in a timely manner.  "They're basically operating outside of both the spirit and the letter of the law," said Fred Vallance-Jones a project leader with Newspapers Canada's audit. The audit was taken before the office of the B.C. privacy commissioner released its own report into the provincial government's practice of deleting emails. The report states: "British Columbia, with its 30-business-day legal standard, received an F for speed of responses and a B for completeness of disclosure." (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 27 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 16 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 16 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"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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9/18 Wildlife watch,,BC oysters, PA crabs, ferry link, salamanders, CA ESA, oil export ban, rail safety

Wolf, Pacific Wild (Ian McAllister/CBC)

If you like to watch: Great Bear Rainforest live cams capture wolves, seals and salmon at play
Now you can catch sea wolves playing, seals scratching themselves or salmon jumping from a stream through three live stream cameras set up in the Great Bear Rainforest. The Great Bear LIVE program has installed what it describes as non-invasive technology that captures the animals in their element. "It's a unique opportunity for people to see first hand what is happening here and see animals behaving in a natural way," explained Diana Chan, conservation biologist with Pacific Wild. Watch the live stream. (CBC)

If you like to watch: Transient orcas catch sea lion near Lopez Island
A private whale watching tour witnesses a group of transient orcas hunting for a meal. In this case, members of the T-137 group attacked a thousand-pound Stellar sea lion. According to Mystic Sea Charters, passenger Mike caught the hunt near Lopez Island on camera. Elizabeth Wiley reports. (KING)

B.C. raw oyster ban lifted by Vancouver Coastal Health
Oyster growers in B.C. are back in business after Vancouver Coastal Health lifted the ban on serving raw oysters that's been in place since August. All restaurants under VCH's jurisdiction have been required to cook any oysters served up to customers after an outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection. (CBC)

Study: Eating large amounts of Port Angeles Harbor crab could raise risks of cancer
Eating a lot of crab from Port Angeles Harbor could increase the risk of cancer, according to 13-year-old research presented to the Clallam County Board of Health on Tuesday. The report issued in February 2005 stems from samples taken in 2002 mostly off the old Rayonier mill site, a firmer pulp mill that became a cleanup site in 2000. In 2007, a health warning against eating crab or shellfish from the harbor was issued. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

New ferry would link Victoria and Vancouver downtowns
A foot passenger ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria could soon be operating out of the Inner Harbour’s historic CPR Steamship Terminal, along with a deep ocean education centre affiliated with the University of Victoria. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said Wednesday that it is negotiating long-term leases with two potential tenants: Riverside Marine, a major Australian marine operator and Ocean Networks Canada, which operates the NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories. Not only would the two potential tenants make the money-losing harbour authority viable, said CEO Ian Robertson, but help return the building to its maritime origins dating to 1905. He hopes tenancy agreements will be worked out by mid-November. Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

Pacific Northwest Salamanders May Qualify For Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says two salamanders in Oregon and Washington may qualify for Endangered Species Act protection. The findings on Tuesday about the Cascade torrent salamander and Columbia torrent salamander mean the agency will initiate full status reviews for the species to see if they warrant protection. The findings come in response to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity. The Center first asked for protection for the salamanders in 2012. The petition said they are increasingly rare because of habitat loss due primarily to logging and road building. The four-inch brown salamanders live in forest streams and are found only in a small stretch of the Cascades and Coast range. (Associated Press)

Canada sidesteps protection of endangered fish, study finds
Endangered and threatened marine fish species in Canada are routinely refused protection by the federal government, contrary to scientists' recommendations, a new study has found. In fact, the more endangered the fish are, the less likely they are to get protection under Canada's endangered species legislation, researchers at the University of Victoria and the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax report. "It's a bit of a perverse outcome," Julia Baum, a University of Victoria biologist who co-authored the report, said during an interview with CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks that airs Saturday…. And while the federal government says that species that aren't listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) will still get protection under the Fisheries Act, Baum and her colleagues found "absolutely no evidence" that that has ever happened. (CBC)

Chambers Creek dog park, beach reopen Friday
The off-leash dog park and access to the beach at Chambers Creek Regional Park will open Friday (Sept. 18)…. Close to 800 creosote piles and two dilapidated docks were removed from the water and beach area. Removal work began last fall but was completed during the park’s extended closure after the U.S. Open golf championship June 15-21 at the county-owned park and golf course. The piles and cement structures removed from the waterfront were left over from the site’s former operation as a gravel mine. Brynn Grimley reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

House moves one step closer to lifting ban on crude oil exports
The House Energy and Commerce Committee took a major step Thursday toward allowing crude oil exports from the United States. Three Democrats joined all of the Republicans on Thursday in voting for a bill that would lift the decades-old ban on exports. The tally was 31-19. The vote sends the legislation to the full House for final passage, something that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said would happen in the coming weeks. Republicans said the bill would benefit the economy, jobs, national security and other areas, while most Democrats decried it as a giveaway to oil companies that would threaten energy prices. Timothy Cama reports. (The Hill) See also: Does Anyone Even Want to Buy Crude Oil From the U.S.?  Sheela Tobben and Mark Shenk report. (Bloomberg)

Rail service crisis looms as Congress looks to modify safety law
President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the nation’s rail safety agency told lawmakers Thursday that the agency would hold railroads to a year-end deadline to install collision-avoidance technology even if it meant that freight and passengers could be left stranded. Congress set a Dec. 31, 2015, deadline for railroads to implement positive train control back in 2008. The Government Accountability Office reported Wednesday that few companies would actually make the deadline. That conclusion was no surprise: The GAO had warned Congress of it in another report two years ago. While lawmakers sought guidance from Sarah Feinberg, the Federal Railroad Administration’s acting administrator, on what she thought they should do about it, she told them that whether and how to extend the deadline was up to them. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Court date set for Cape Roger Curtis dock lawsuit
A hearing date has been set for November 16 and 17 for a lawsuit filed by two property owners on Cape Roger Curtis against the municipality. The landowners want the courts to set aside Bylaw No. 381, 2015 which does not allow the building of any further docks at Cape Roger Curtis. They received permission from the province to build their docks 10 days prior to the adoption of the bylaw. Martha Perkins reports. (Bowen Island Undercurrent)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI SEP 18 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE
 OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
SAT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 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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9/17 BC vote, McCallum Slough, RR quiet zones, BC Hydro exemption, Coho dock

(PHOTO: Jeff Poklen/BirdNote)

Jaegers Give Chase in September
A tern or gull plunges headfirst into the water, then bounces aloft grasping a small fish in its bill. But before the bird can swallow its catch, a Parasitic Jaeger swoops in. The jaeger nips the bird's wing, and it drops its hard-won fish. The pirate catches the fish in mid-air and gulps it down. The jaeger (German for hunter) is built for sprinting speed and predatory feats. Here's a photo of a jaeger in pursuit of a juvenile Western Gull. (BirdNote)

B.C. residents split on oil pipeline projects
B.C. residents are split on proposed oil pipeline projects, but fairly optimistic about the economy despite news of a mild recession, according to a recent poll. Mainstreet, a national public research firm, polled residents on Sept. 15 about some of the key issues going into the federal election and came away with an indication that there could be more three-way races in this province than in any other. The poll shows Vancouver Island painted in New Democratic orange, B.C.'s north bathed in Conservative Party blue, and the Lower Mainland pulsing with Liberal red. But in many ridings, particularly those in the Lower Mainland, the leading party did not appear to have much breathing room, said Quito Maggi, the president and CEO of Mainstreet. Matthew Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. government steps in to save endangered fish
The B.C. government has stepped in at the 11th hour to fill a void created by the weakened federal Fisheries Act, providing the District of Kent with a series of conditions before it can conduct flood-related excavations in a known hot spot for endangered species…. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations provided The Sun with a copy of its conditions for conducting works on McCallum Slough near Agassiz. The district must, in part: provide a plan to ensure existing environmental features are maintained or enhanced; replant along riparian areas to shore up the banks and reduce in-stream growth; hire a professional biologist to monitor the work; complete in-stream work by Oct. 15 to protect spawning fish. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Rules for setting up railroad quiet zones need adjustment, residents say
Residents of Blanchard decried Tuesday what they called a unclear payment structure and excessive liability on individuals wanting to create railroad quiet zones. The residents spoke at a public hearing with Skagit County Commissioners and county Public Works. About 10 members of the community, which has four rail crossings in close proximity, spoke, advocating for a streamlined process for requesting quiet zones — areas where train conductors do not need to blow their whistles. The criticism stems from a draft of the procedure for establishing quiet zones, which would require a majority of those living within a half-mile of the crossing to sign on. County officials agreed to rework the draft. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Province seeks to exempt two BC Hydro projects from review
The provincial government is seeking to bypass a regulatory review to fast-track two major projects designed to supply the natural gas industry with clean energy for production. The bid to exempt the transmission line projects from an independent evaluation comes on the heels of a commitment last spring from the B.C. Liberal government to restore the powers of BC Hydro’s watchdog, the B.C. Utilities Commission. The Crown corporation says it needs to move quickly to respond to what it calls “some of the most dramatic, single industry load growth in a discrete area that it has experienced over the past 50 years.” That demand is fuelled by plans to electrify gas plants developing the Montney shale gas deposits in the Peace region in B.C.’s northeast. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Coho ferry dock work in Victoria Harbour expected to start next month
Work could begin as early as Oct. 13 on new docks in Victoria Harbour for the Coho car ferry. The project, which could take about 18 months and cost more than $10 million, will see Black Ball Ferry Line rebuild its docks, replace the dolphins and car ramps, improve U.S. Customs facilities and establish covered walkways for passengers. Andrew Duffy reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU SEP 17 2015
TODAY
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A 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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8/28 Vultures, Lummi coal, Shell drill, Duwamish cleanup, drone fined, Snohomish habitat, new ferry art

Turkey Vulture (Mike Gabelmann/BirdNote)

If you like to watch: Vultures! Nature's Clean-up Crew
In celebration of International Vulture Awareness Day Sept. 5.  Although some of the Turkey Vulture's habits may evoke our disgust, these remarkable birds also inspire our awe. With wingspans approaching six feet, Turkey Vultures ride currents of air to make their spring and fall journeys, and to cover the miles of their home range in summer. Gliding on updrafts, or pushed along by weather fronts, Turkey Vultures rarely need to flap their wings more than ten times in a row. To rise above storms, they ride upward on thermals. (BirdNote)

Lummis done talking, call for decision on coal port
Lummi Nation’s leaders expect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will stop a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point. The tribe asked the Corps in January to reject permits for the terminal, claiming the 2,980-foot dock and up to 487 ships per year berthing there would interfere with traditional fishing areas protected by an 1855 treaty. The tribe doesn’t expect its fight against Gateway Pacific Terminal to end there, however. Lummi Nation announced on Thursday, Aug. 27, it had hired Dentons, reportedly the world’s largest law firm, to represent it in future lawsuits related to the terminal. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Environmentalists Appeal To Stop Shell's Return To Seattle
Environment groups have another opportunity to stop a Shell Oil rig from returning to Seattle. They are appealing a Superior Court decision from earlier this summer that the Port of Seattle could host Shell's Arctic drilling fleet without conducting an environmental review. The appeal argues that the port did need to conduct that environmental review. And it says that should be enough to strike down the lease involving Shell. Carolyn Adolph reports. (KUOW)

EPA wants $367,500 penalties on Jorgensen for faulty cleanup work on the Duwamish
Losing patience with faulty work in the heralded cleanup of industrial waste from Seattle’s Duwamish Waterway, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a six-figure penalty against a steel producer that is a major presence on the river. The EPA wants $367,500 in penalties against the Earle M. Jorgensen Co. for repeatedly failing to meet needed and agreed-upon requirements in its portion of the Duwamish cleanup. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Drone operator fined more than $1,000 for allegedly getting too close to orca pod
An American drone operator and photographer have been slapped with hefty fine for allegedly getting too close to a pod of orcas in Washington state.  The footage captured in the Haro Strait, just east of Vancouver Island, is incredible but one of the operators is facing a fine of more than $1,000.  U.S. authorities say the pair's drones were within nine metres of the whales while the regulation requires all vessels should be at least approximately 183 metres back. Tamara Baluja and Tina Lovgreen report. (CBC)

Snohomish River levee breached to open wetlands to salmon recovery
Bulldozers removed about 1,500 linear feet of a levee in the Snohomish River Estuary to reopen 350 acres of wetlands to threatened salmon. The Tulalip Tribes and officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries division say the breach was part of the largest restoration projects so far in the Snohomish watershed. (Associated Press)

Drought forces fishing ban in Nooksack River Basin
Fishing was closed unexpectedly Thursday, Aug. 27, in various areas of the Nooksack River Basin as the drought continues to take its toll on fish. As the drought reduces river flows to a trickle in places and water temperatures increase, spring chinook are dying off in high numbers, many before they can spawn, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Debbie Townsend reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Coast Salish asked to create art for three new ferries
B.C. Ferries has issued a call to Coast Salish people for expressions of interest in creating art for three new vessels — the Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven. Ferries has joined with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to organize the commission of three original designs from up to three Coast Salish artists. B.C. has 20 Coast Salish nations. Expressions of interest and portfolios are being sought, with a committee of artists and B.C. Ferries representatives to select a short list. Those shortlisted will be commissioned to propose specific design concepts, with the final selections to come from that work. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT FRI AUG 28 2015

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
 GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 4 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING S 25 TO 35 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 16 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 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.

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8/13 Totem pole, Kinder Morgan, bad oysters, dairy regs, Mukilteo terminal, crow battle, killing cormorants

(PHOTO: San Juan Journal)

Native art comes alive: Totem pole blessing ceremony on Henry Island
The 9,000 pound totem pole was carved from a single tree, and started out weighing seven tons. The pole features an eagle at the top with its wings outstretched, a seal, sea lions, salmon eggs, a raven and an orca whale, as well as a bubble man, a traditional figure in Kwakwaka’wakw Nation artwork. Anna V. Smith reports. (San Juan Journal)

Kinder Morgan pipeline review by NEB loses 35 participants over 'flawed' process
Dozens of participants have dropped out of the controversial National Energy Board review of Kinder Morgan's proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, saying they can no longer support a "biased" and "unfair" process. Thirty-five commenters and interveners, including the Wilderness Committee and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, sent a letter to the board Wednesday announcing their immediate withdrawal. (Canadian Press)

Raw oysters lead to 31 cases of sickness: health authority
Vancouver Coastal Health has asked restaurants to take increased precautions when serving oysters as more illnesses are reported. Public health officials have ordered eateries to cook all oysters harvested from B.C. waters and to only serve oysters from outside the province raw. The order was issued in response to a naturally occurring bacterium found in B.C.'s coastal waters that causes a gastrointestinal illness. (Canadian Press)

State proposes more regulations for dairy farms
Most dairies in Washington state would be required to get a water quality permit under a proposal the state Department of Ecology released Tuesday, August 11. That’s because for the first time, the agency proposes treating seepage from manure storage lagoons as pollution…. The permit applies to confined animal feeding operation, or CAFOs for short, a category that includes large dairies and feedlots for cattle, pigs and chickens. Kate Prengaman reports. (Yakima Herald-Republic)

Work on new Mukilteo ferry terminal begins with tank farm pier demolition
Demolishing a World War II-era pier to make way for a new $129 million ferry terminal isn't easy work. The pier opened in 1940, serving the nearby U.S. Air Force's bulk fuel storage facility, which closed in 1989. Just a little more than a month into the pier removal project, workers are still trying just to clear the top of the structure. That's involved removing 12,000 feet of fuel lines, 800 40-gallon bags of asbestos, several tons of grass and other organic material that grew on the pier during the 26 years since it was closed, as well as railings, catwalks and mercury-filled lights. Sharon Salyer reports. (Everett Herald)

As the lawsuit flies: Portage Bay crow battle lands in court
The Great Crow Battle of Portage Bay that pitted one family feeding the birds against neighbors now has resulted in a $200,000 civil suit. Erik Lacitis reports. (Seattle Times)

Conservationists Say Feds Ignored Evidence That Killing Cormorants Won't Save Salmon
Conservation groups are accusing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of withholding research showing a federal plan to kill seabirds on the Columbia River would not actually benefit salmon and steelhead. Earlier this year, the agency approved a controversial plan to shoot around 11,000 double-crested cormorants to protect threatened and endangered fish. Studies show the birds eat up to 20 percent of young salmon and steelhead as they swim down the river to the ocean. But documents distributed Wednesday to news media show the agency’s own analysis concluded those fish would die in the ocean anyway before they returned to the river to spawn as adults. Thus, the analysis found, killing cormorants would have no effect on the overall survival of protected fish. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 249 AM PDT THU AUG 13 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A 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.

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7/31 Warm waters, Shell drill, BC pipe, coal port, fuel cap, salmon plight, tribe fight, BC ferries, tangled whales

(San Juan Journal)

Storm drain mural highlights art and environmental issues
The sea creature glides over the pavement, its red and pink tentacles splayed out and reaching, one of its eight arms curling over the curb. An octopus on the run in Friday Harbor? Close, but not quite. Its a new painting of an octopus in the ocean, painted on a storm drain outside of the Whale Museum to remind passerby’s that the water running through there flows out into the ocean. Anna Smith reports. (San Juan Journal)

Salmon Losing, Jellyfish Winning
When Lewis and Clark were exploring the Pacific Northwest, they talked about salmon running so thick you could cross the river on their backs. You don’t see salmon like that around Puget Sound anymore. What you do see are jellyfish. Joshua McNichols reports. (KUOW)  See also: ‘The Blob’ may warm Puget Sound’s waters, hurt marine life  Scientists say they are concerned about the continued ecological effects of the unusually warm and dry conditions in the Puget Sound region this summer. Paige Cornwell and Sandi Doughton report. (Seattle Times)

Shell icebreaker slips by; authorities force protesters from Portland bridge
After law-enforcement officials removed three of 13 roped Greenpeace activists from a bridge, a Shell icebreaker early Thursday evening was able to begin its journey down the Willamette River en route to the Chukchi Sea. The MSV Fennica passed under the bridge shortly before 6 p.m., capping a tumultuous day of protest here by activists opposed to Shell’s efforts to explore for oil off Alaska’s North Slope. Hal Bernton and Evan Bush report. (Seattle Times)

 Kinder Morgan pipeline opponents furious about ‘chaotic’ review process
The National Energy Board is facing a fresh round of resistance to its embattled review of the proposed Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Three separate parties – British Columbia’s Opposition New Democrats, the City of Burnaby and the Sierra Club – all issued renewed challenges to the process on Thursday…. The strongly-worded letter from B.C.’s opposition party details four major concerns with the NEB process, including that it lacks the public’s confidence, doesn’t consider climate change, hasn’t required Kinder Morgan to disclose its emergency response plans and failed to ensure First Nations were on board. Laura Kane reports. (Canadian Press)

Montana scrambles, but Corps not close to coal port decision
A U.S. senator and representative from Montana hurriedly circulated petitions in their respective chambers to ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not to kill the proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point. The 16 U.S. senators who signed their letter, including Montana Republican Steve Daines, were appealing to the Corps to not halt Gateway Pacific Terminal as requested in January by Lummi Nation until after a thorough environmental review is completed, with the release of a draft environmental impact statement. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Inslee says cap would hit largest carbon sources, including gas distributors
Not wanting to swallow a “poison pill” provision in the Legislature’s transportation package helped keep Gov. Jay Inslee from creating a clean-fuel standard targeting the tailpipes that are Washington’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. But Inslee told The News Tribune editorial board Wednesday that the regulations he is now pursuing would cover distributors of vehicle fuel. “Basically what this is about is breaking the monopoly and the stranglehold on Washingtonians of the oil and gas industry,” the Democratic governor said. Jordan Schrader reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

As salmon vanish in the dry Pacific Northwest, so does Native heritage
As a drought tightens its grip on the Pacific Northwest, burning away mountain snow and warming rivers, state officials and Native American tribes are becoming increasingly worried that one of the region’s most precious resources — wild salmon — might disappear. Native Americans, who for centuries have relied on salmon for food and ceremonial rituals, say the area’s five species of salmon have been declining for years, but the current threat is worse than anything they have seen. Darrly Fears reports. (Washington Post)

Lummi, S’Klallam Nations In Court Over 30-year-long Dispute Over Fishing Territory
The Lummi and S’Klallams were among the Indigenous Peoples who fished a vast inland sea off northwest Washington, bounded by Haro Strait to the west, Rosario Strait to the east, Georgia Strait to the north, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound to the south. In the middle are the San Juan Islands, which the Lummi believe is their place of origin. To the south is the Olympic Peninsula, the place of origin of the Elwha, Jamestown and Port Gamble S’Klallam peoples…. Both sides are in U.S. District Court, in their third decade of legal battles to determine who has the treaty right to fish those waters. District and appellate court decisions have seesawed in favor of the S’Klallams and the Lummi Nation. Richard Walker reports. (Indian Country Today)

Willapa Bay plan cuts Chinook production by one-third
The production of hatchery Chinook in Willapa Bay will decrease by more than one-third as a result of a policy adopted recently by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The policy, adopted in June, also is likely to decrease the number of fish commercial fishermen can catch if the commission’s action survives a legal challenge. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have said that they needed to adopt the new policy to avoid having the Chinook listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. (Longview Daily News)

The secret scientific life of B.C.’s ferries
B.C. Ferries passengers may not know they’re also aboard a mobile ocean observatory. Three vessels that cross the Strait of Georgia have been outfitted with instruments for collecting ocean and atmospheric information, through a partnership with Ocean Networks Canada. Scientists are using the data to monitor the strait’s habitat health, which has implications for everything from micro-organisms to larger species such as salmon and orcas. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Some Google Street View Cars Now Track Pollution Levels  Sam Sanders reports. (NPR)

If you like to watch: Storm on the Deschutes
DERT's Board member and historian Helen Wheatley put this video together after a early fall storm on the Deschutes a few years ago. Its the sentiments of sediment. See here.

Whale entanglements increasing off B.C. coast
Fisheries and Oceans Canada says four whales entangled in fishing gear have been rescued off the B.C. coast in the past five weeks. Entanglement can be a death sentence for whales if netting prevents them from breathing and feeding. But in some cases, whales can go on for months or even years dragging along the gear before someone spots them and calls for help. (CBC)

Illuminating the Plight of Endangered Species, at the Empire State Building
Travis Threlkel was standing on the roof of a building on Fifth Avenue and 27th Street looking uptown at his canvas. It’s hard to miss: It’s the Empire State Building, and on Saturday evening he and his collaborator, the filmmaker and photographer Louie Psihoyos, will project digital light images of endangered species onto the building in an art event meant to draw attention to the creatures’ plight and possibly provide footage for a coming documentary.… On Saturday, using 40 stacked, 20,000-lumen projectors on the roof of a building on West 31st Street, Mr. Threlkel and Mr. Psihoyos, director of the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” will be illuminating the night from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. with a looping reel showing what Mr. Psihoyos calls a “Noah’s ark” of animals. A snow leopard, a golden lion tamarin and manta rays, along with snakes, birds and various mammals and sea creatures will be projected onto a space 375 feet tall and 186 feet wide covering 33 floors of the southern face of the Empire State Building — and beyond, thanks to cellphones and Internet connections. Tom Roston reports. (NYTimes)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI JUL 31 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 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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7/29 BC boats, Inslee acts, warm waters, fish collapse, oil push, Edelman, human measure, Vic sewer, Tesoro, drought

Salish-class ferries (BC Ferries/Times Colonist)

B.C. Ferries announces names of new Salish-class ships
The mid-size ferries joining the B.C. Ferries fleet starting in 2016 will form the new Salish class of vessels. B.C. Ferries announced Tuesday that the Salish class name applies to all three vessels being built at a Polish shipyard for a total cost of $165 million. The three 351-foot vessels will be called Salish Orca, Salish Eagle and Salish Raven. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Inslee: I’ll use my authority to impose cap on emissions
Frustrated by legislative inaction on climate, Gov. Jay Inslee plans to wield his administration’s executive authority to impose a binding cap on carbon emissions in Washington state. Inslee on Tuesday directed the state Department of Ecology to step up enforcement of state pollution laws and develop the emissions cap — aimed at enforcing greenhouse-gas-reduction targets that have been in state law since 2008. Jim Brunner and Hal Bernton report. (Seattle Times)

Puget Sound waters reach record warm temperatures
Puget Sound has reached the highest temperatures on record based on 25 years of data, the state Department of Ecology announced Tuesday. Scientists are seeing unusual conditions in the sound as a result of the statewide drought and the pool of unusually warm water in the northern Pacific Ocean some are calling “the blob.” Warming waters are increasing harmful algae blooms and shellfish closures, lowering the oxygen content of the water and creating unfavorable conditions for salmon and other marine species. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Sockeye face 'catastrophic' collapse in South Okanagan
A potentially catastrophic collapse of the sockeye salmon run is unfolding on the Columbia River system this year. Scientists once predicted that about 100,000 sockeye would return to spawning grounds in the rivers and streams in British Columbia's South Okanagan region. In fact, it was supposed to be one of the largest sockeye runs in recent history, said Okanagan Nation Alliance fish biologist Richard Bussanich. But Bussanich said the latest projection falls short of earlier expectations. Instead, it's now thought that only 18,000 sockeye will return this year. He said higher water temperatures and low water levels are stressing the migrating salmon. (CBC)

Big oil push for crude exports could bring more oil trains through Washington state
Right now, U.S. companies are not allowed to export crude oil. But if some very powerful oil companies get what they want, that could be about to change. If that happens, Washington state could become a major portal for crude exports. Last week, top executives of four leading U.S. oil companies sent a joint letter to the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, pressing for repeal of the 30-year ban on crude oil exports. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

GPT: Departure of PR firm Edelman ‘won’t impact anything’
News broke late last week in environmentalist social media circles that Edelman, reportedly the world’s largest public relations firm, had dropped Gateway Pacific Terminal as a client. Gateway Pacific Terminal is the coal port proposed on a 1,500-acre site at Cherry Point. At full capacity, it would ship 48 million metric tons of coal annually to overseas markets, primarily in Asia. The story appeared initially in Environment and Energy Publishing, an independent news site that is all but inaccessible to the hoi polloi due to subscription rates that range from $2,000 to $150,000 a year. But some advocacy groups are subscribers, and the news did filter down to Bellingham environmentalists. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

State Agency Adding Human Well-Being To Puget Sound Health Indicators
Humans should be part of any consideration of how well Puget Sound’s ecological recovery is going. How we’re thriving and benefiting are critical parts of the equation, according to new research conducted for the state agency in charge of the cleanup. The agency, called Puget Sound Partnership, is adding indicators of human well-being and quality of life to the “vital signs” it tracks. They’ll be included on the colorful pinwheel “dashboard” that anyone can see online. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Westside sewage committee asks for extension to look at sites
The westside sewage committee wants more time to evaluate site options — and it’s banking on a centralized treatment option in the eastside to keep funding out of jeopardy. The westside committee voted Tuesday to submit a full technical analysis of short-listed sites by the end of October, instead of September, as outlined in its PPP Canada $83-million funding agreement. The core area liquid waste management committee will consider the plan today. Co-chairwoman of the westside Barb Desjardins said the extra time is about getting the right technical information, not delaying the process. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Tesoro to enter chemical business with new project
n a few years, your polyester jacket could be made, in part, by a chemical extracted from crude oil at the Tesoro Refinery. It’s called xylene and can be found in just about any hardware store. The liquid solvent is already being extracted by other refineries and sold overseas to be made into polyester for plastics and clothing, but the Anacortes refinery will be the first in the Tesoro family to expand its repertoire, entering into the chemical business. Shelby Rowe reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Snoqualmie Valley farmers fight drought with innovation
…. Twenty minutes east of Seattle, (the Snoqualmie Valley) is home to multiple small and organic farmers who feed much of Puget Sound’s insatiable appetite for chemical free fruits, vegetables, eggs and poultry. Like every farm in every county across the state, Local Roots is struggling to access enough water this year. Farm owners Siri Erickson-Brown and Jason Salvo, a 30-something couple with advanced degrees, have farmed in this valley for nine years. They’ve seen 100-year floods wash out fields in consecutive years, and record cold on one Fourth of July. But they’ve never seen a year like this – record heat combined with soil so dry they’ve had to exhaust virtually every water resource available. Martha Baskin reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 255 AM PDT WED JUL 29 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 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.

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7/16 BC drought, octo mom, WA WQ, RainWise, conservation $s, Indian treaties, Elwha ferry, bacon seaweed

Atlantic puffin (BirdNote)

Puffins - Clowns of the Sea
Puffins are icons of the seabird world. With clown-like faces and huge, multicolored bills, they stand upright on sea cliffs along the northern oceans. Tufted Puffins nest on islands and rough coastlines, from the Channel Islands of Southern California across the north Pacific to Siberia. The Atlantic Puffin, like this one, breeds in the North Atlantic. (BirdNote)

Level 4 drought declared for South Coast and Lower Fraser
Conditions are so dry in B.C's Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley that the provincial government has raised the drought rating to the highest category — Level 4 — and are warning that if things get worse, water shortages could affect people, industry and agriculture. (CBC) See also: See also: Record warm temperatures to have years-long effect on B.C. salmon stocks: scientist  (Canadian Pres)

If you like to watch: VIDEO: Giant Pacific Octopus mom-to-be in West Seattle waters
Diver Laura James shares the story of a mama octopus and her eggs at Cove 2 near Seacrest off the West Seattle shore. (West Seattle Blog)

Without key bill, Inslee to weigh next move on water quality
Gov. Jay Inslee did not get legislation he said was needed to update the state's water quality standards that are partly tied to how much fish people eat. Now, he'll have to decide his next move as federal regulators are preparing to step in and tell Washington what to do in case it fails to finalize a rule by this year. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

RainWise helps Seattle homeowners collect stormwater, prevent pollution
The RainWise program, which previously had cost an average of $4,600 in upfront costs, has become less of a financial burden for homeowners. Ciscoe Morris reports. (Seattle Times)

Nelson announces millions more for environmental conservation
As a group gathered last week to celebrate a flurry of recent conservation purchases on Vashon, State Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) announced that she has secured another $2 million for environmental preservation on the island. The state funding will allow King County and Vashon’s land trust to continue purchasing ecologically important forestland and shoreline on Vashon at a quick rate, a project that began two years ago with Nelson’s first allocation of $4 million in state funding. Natalie Martin reports. (Vashon Beachcomber)

Indian Treaties are the new front in the battle against coal exports
The 1865 Treaty of Point Elliot is clear… the Lummi Nation has the right to fish, hunt and gather in their accustomed places in perpetuity - and they can't do that if a gigantic coal terminal is built in the Salish Sea's most productive waters. First Nations' treaty rights are now central to protecting the Pacific Northwest from destruction by fossil fuels. Jan Hasselman writes. (The Ecologist)

Elwha out of service for rest of summer season
The Elwha ferry is out of service for the rest of the summer season for approximately four months according to a Washington State Department of Transportation travel alert bulletin. Ian Sterling, spokesperson for WSDOT Ferry Divisions, says the problem is a complicated electrical issue with the drive motor, but replacement parts are on hand and repairs are being made as quickly as possible in Eagle Harbor. (San Juan Journal)

Scientists In Oregon Discover Bacon-Flavored Seaweed
What grows quickly, is packed with protein, has twice the nutritional value of kale and … tastes like bacon? The answer, according to scientists at Oregon State University, is a new strain of seaweed they recently patented. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT THU JUL 16 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 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

5/22 Shell train, Derek Corrigan, BC Ferries, clean water, grease, anti-drill barge, halibut, wetlands bank

Plankton (Christian Sardet/CNRS/Tara Expeditions)

Census Reveals Universe Of Marine Microbes At Bottom Of The Food Chain
What’s at the bottom of the bottom of the food chain? Well, think small … smaller than you can see. Microbes in the ocean! There are (and scientists have done the math) trillions of microorganisms in the ocean: plankton, bacteria, krill (they’re maybe bigger than “micro,” but not by much), viruses, protists and archaea (they’re like bacteria, but they aren’t bacteria). Christopher Joyce reports. (NPR)

Judge grants county’s motion to dismiss Shell lawsuit; EIS to continue as planned
A lawsuit filed by Shell over Skagit County’s plans to conduct an environmental impact statement on Shell’s proposed unloading oil facility in Anacortes was dismissed Thursday by a Skagit County Superior Court judge. The EIS for the Shell Puget Sound Refinery unloading facility will go forward as planned after Judge Michael E. Rickert granted the county’s motion to dismiss Shell’s request for judicial review. Rickert said the lawsuit Shell brought against the county in March is premature because the scope of the EIS has not been determined. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan ready to end career with pipeline arrest
If push comes to shove, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan is prepared to end his political career getting arrested over the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. Those were Corrigan's words to a packed audience at Wednesday night's BROKE meeting at Forest Grove Elementary. He says he would be 'very proud' to go out standing his ground. Jennifer Moreau reports. (Burnaby Now)

BC Ferries cancels cuts to major routes between Vancouver Island and mainland
BC Ferries is dropping plans to cut sailings on its major routes — including Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen to Duke Point, and Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay — and says it will look elsewhere to find savings. The provincial ferry corporation announced two years ago it was looking at saving $4.9 million by reducing service between Vancouver Island and the mainland, as part of a multi-year proposal to save $19 million across the ferry system. Sailings were axed on 16 minor routes in April 2014, and BC Ferries said it would announce service level reductions on the major routes by 2016. But on Thursday the ferry corporation announced it had a second look, and decided the cuts don't make economic sense. (CBC)

Obama Set to Strengthen Federal Role in Clean Water Regulation
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to announce a major clean water regulation that would restore the federal government’s authority to limit pollution in the nation’s rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands. Environmentalists have praised the new rule, calling it an important step that would lead to significantly cleaner natural bodies of water and healthier drinking water. But it has attracted fierce opposition from several business interests, including farmers, property developers, fertilizer and pesticide makers, oil and gas producers and a national association of golf course owners. Opponents contend that the rule would stifle economic growth and intrude on property owners’ rights. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Arctic-Drilling Protesters To Move Barge After Damaging Popular Dive Site
Protesters of Arctic drilling have run afoul of the ocean environment in their own small way. In addition to assembling a flotilla of kayaks on Seattle's Elliott Bay last weekend, the activists brought in a construction barge. It's a solar-powered platform for protests against Shell Oil's plans to drill in the Arctic Ocean. But the protesters anchored their solar barge over one of Seattle's most popular sites for scuba diving. Divers complained this week on Facebook about the protest barge's anchors.  They said anchor lines were snagging pilings and other old debris that's turned into habitat over the years. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

How to get people to stop pouring grease down the drain is Metro Vancouver's $2 million question.
Many people wouldn’t think twice — say, on a Sunday, post-brunch — about cleaning a little one’s sticky fingers with a wet wipe, flushing it, and then washing a greasy frying pan with soap and water. Stop doing that, says Metro Vancouver. Cooking grease and wet wipes in the sewer system cost Metro Vancouver and its municipalities about $2.25 million a year, said Jeff Gogol, an environmental regulatory planner with Metro Vancouver’s liquid waste services division. (Vancouver Sun)

Shellfish harvesting ban lifted for most Whatcom beaches
The state Department of Health has reopened most beaches in Whatcom County to recreational shellfish harvesting after the biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning dropped to safe levels. The ban had affected beaches from Sandy Point north to the border, including Point Roberts, but is now lifted. It was the second biotoxin related closure in less than a month. Portage Bay remains closed to the harvest of varnish clams. (Bellingham Herald)

How B.C. halibut became more expensive than Angus beef tenderloin
Supply and demand has led to a major increase in the price of halibut in B.C. With the abundance of halibut available across the province going down, pricing has skyrocketed over the last decade making the fish more expensive than some prized meat cuts. Ten years ago, the price of halibut in Prince Rupert averaged under $12 per pound. Now, that price has shot up to $27 per pound across the city. (CBC)

Kelso wetlands mitigation bank moves forward
A lush tract of land is about to get more lucrative for Kelso by staying just how it is. City Council members voted Tuesday to grant Forterra NW a conservation easement to 240 acres of land along the Coweeman River and into the hills east of Aldercrest Road. The move takes the city a step closer to establishing a 440-acre “mitigation bank,” a process started two years ago. Mitigation banks allow developers to buy credits to offset ecological disturbances their developments will cause, City Manager Steve Taylor said. Brooks Johnson reports. (Longview Daily News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 22 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
MON
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT.
--
"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

5/21 Septic gaps, oil spill, B;ham cleanup, ocean acid, coal port, T rex bone, BC ferry, 'Fake Willy,' John Willits

Stubby squid (Susan Middleton/San Juan Journal)

'Spineless'... sea creatures like you've never seen 'em before, at IMA
A portrait of the a Stubby Squid (Rossia Pacifica) is one of the many provocative photographs of creatures of the deep by Susan Middleton, which will be on display as part of San Juan Islands Museum of Art's latest exhibit, 'Spineless,' opening May 23 in Friday Harbor. Scott Rasmussen reports. (San Juan Journal)

KING 5 finds gaps in septic tank inspections
After a two-year-old boy died and a 10-year-old girl was hurt in accidents involving septic tanks, KING 5 examined state and county data and discovered a trail of incomplete records and out of date inspections. The Washington State Department of Health admits it doesn't know exactly how many on-site sewage systems exist in the state. DOH estimates 934,000 exist in the state and 613,000 of those are in the Puget Sound region. Of those, only a fraction are closely monitored. The majority of those are in marine recovery areas where a failure could be catastrophic to the area's waterways. Danielle Leigh reports. (KING)

Pipeline Operator In Calif. Spill Reportedly Had History Of Infractions
The Texas-based company responsible for the undersea pipeline that has leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the sea near the coast at Goleta, Calif., has a history of federal safety violations, The Los Angeles Times reports. The newspaper reports that Plains All American Pipeline has accumulated 175 safety and maintenance infractions since 2006… a nine-mile slick is expected to have a negative impact on some wildlife. Scott Neuman reports. (NPR)

Cleanup work along Bellingham’s waterfront to start this summer
Crews could start work on a more than $35 million environmental cleanup of a polluted Bellingham waterfront site as soon as July. The Port of Bellingham Commission approved a contract for cleaning up the Whatcom Waterway with American Construction Company of Tacoma during its regular Tuesday afternoon meeting, May 19. The vote was 2-1, with Commissioner Mike McAuley opposed. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fund the race to save marine life from souring seas
Congress must invest in research to combat acidic seawater conditions. Jay Manning and Bill Ruckelshaus write. (Seattle Times Opinion)

Army Corps: ‘We can be flexible’ in giving coal terminal time to respond
In a response sent early this Wednesday morning, May 20, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told The Bellingham Herald it won’t hold SSA Marine to a strict deadline in its response to Lummi Nation’s assertion that SSA’s coal terminal would interfere with tribal fishing. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Heald)

First Dinosaur Fossil Found in Washington State
A large bone from a meat-eating dinosaur has been discovered in the San Juan Islands – the first dinosaur fossil ever found in Washington state. Researchers found the fossil along the shores of Sucia Island State Park in the San Juan Islands. They returned with paleontologists from the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. The fossil they pulled from the rock is from the Late Cretaceous period and is about 80 million years old. The partial thigh bone comes from a two-legged cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex. It measures 16.7 inches long and 8.7 inches wide. Scientists believe the complete bone was likely more than three feet long. Isolde Raftery reports. (KUOW)

Jack Knox: Ferry-naming contest invites spirit of scorn
On Tuesday, B.C. Ferries invited the public to take part in a contest to name three intermediate-class vessels being built in Poland. On Wednesday, the public replied … and replied … and replied. Gleefully malicious/seditious posts bearing the #NameAFerry hashtag swamped social media. How about SS ShouldveBeenABridge? Or Privatized Backfire? Or Ark of the Government? Or the Knot Pretty, Knot Cheap and Knot Maiden B.C. Jack Knox reports. (Times Colonist)

‘Fake Willy’ could haunt sea lions
A Free Willy impersonator could come to Astoria to scare off sea lions. In its efforts to get sea lions off its docks, the Port of Astoria has had to think outside the box. Thanks to a man from Bellingham, Wash., that could become a lot easier. During his report Tuesday to the Port Commission, Executive Director Jim Knight said the agency has been approached by a man — he didn’t know exactly who it was — from northern Washington with a realistic fiberglass orca whale. Edward Stratton reports. (Daily Astorian)

Shelley Fralic: River Monsters host Jeremy Wade’s excellent B.C. adventure
Jeremy Wade is on the phone Tuesday morning, apologizing for sounding so groggy because he’s still recovering from the previous night’s diving exploration in Puget Sound. In the deeps. In the dark. No, he’s not at liberty to share what he was looking for in the waters around Seattle, or what he found, because that would be giving away the surprises for viewers of the coming Season 8 of Wade’s Discovery Channel hit, River Monsters. Shelley Fralic reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Renowned Port Angeles conservationist John Willits dies at 78
John Willits, a dedicated conservationist whose passion helped preserve hundreds of acres of farmland and wildlife habitat, is dead. He was 78. He died last Friday at his Port Angeles home after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 21 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN
 THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 3 FT AT
 7 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

5/13 Samish ferry, Shell drill, train rules, oil pipe, Vic sewer, fish cops, oil spill, trail walk, forage fish

(Image: Vigor Industries)

The Samish: Bound for service in the San Juans
Following two months of sea trials and crew training, the Samish, WSF's newest Olympic Class ferry, will begin service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route Sunday, June 14, on the eve of the summer sailing season. It will be christened as part of an open house and unveiling at the Anacortes ferry terminal Wednesday, May 20. (San Juan Journal)

Port says to hit brakes; Shell rig coming anyway
Port of Seattle commissioners asked that Shell’s Arctic drilling rigs delay their arrival at Seattle’s waterfront while the port appeals a city ruling that a new permit is needed. But Foss Maritime expects to move ahead with the planned arrival of the Polar Pioneer on Thursday. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Clock ticking on Polar Pioneer's stay in Port Angeles as trip to Seattle nears; Noble Discoverer passes by North Olympic Peninsula  (Peninsula Daily News) And also: Easier for pols to join oil protests than to lead change  Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

Oil industry sues government over train safety rules
The oil industry went to court Monday over the Obama administration’s new oil train safety rules, challenging the timeline for refitting tens of thousands of tank cars and the requirement for enhanced braking systems on the cars. In its petition for review, filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the American Petroleum Institute called the provisions, unveiled May 1 by the U.S. Department of Transportation, “arbitrary, capricious, (and) an abuse of discretion.” Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Experts warn expansion of Trans Mountain pipeline poses threat to whales
Marine experts in both Canada and the U.S. are raising concerns about the impact of underwater noise on endangered killer whales and other mammals on a shipping route that will become increasingly busy if the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project proceeds. A review of the Trans Mountain proposal by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, has warned that an increase in tanker traffic associated with the pipeline project “has the potential to result in sensory disturbance to marine mammals from underwater noise, ranging from auditory injury to behavioural disturbance.” Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Potential sewage-plant sites are all over the map
Beacon Hill Park, Ogden Point and Rock Bay are among 40 potential sites for a sewage-treatment facility on the east side of the capital region. The Eastside Select Committee — a Capital Regional District sewage-treatment subcommittee representing Victoria, Oak Bay and Saanich — released a map Tuesday showing public and private properties that have been identified as “technically feasible.” Other potential sites include Banfield Park, Barnard Park, Royal Athletic Park, Windsor Park, Saanich Public Works, Henderson Park and private properties in the Gordon Head-Cadboro Bay and Tillicum south areas…. Each of the member municipalities proposed sites within its boundaries for public consultation. The committee expects to select a site or sites by the end of June. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Fish & Wildlife: Proposed staff cuts could endanger local seafood eaters
Now more than ever, buying seafood from a local farmers’ market or fancy restaurant could be tainted by toxins or poached from Northwest waters, according to multiple officers from Washington State Fish and Wildlife. State legislators are considering a new budget that could cut eight officers from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Lt. Paul Golden oversees the WDFW’s Statewide Investigative Unit and said, because of staffing cuts over the past two decades and the potential loss of another eight officers, “the state’s economy is at risk, and people’s health is at risk.” Amy Clancy reports. (KIRO)

Feds: Penn Cove boat owner must pay for spill that threatened shellfish
May 12, 2012, was a bad day for Rory Westmoreland, and for Penn Cove’s mussel beds. Westmoreland’s ship Deep Sea – a derelict hulk of a fishing vessel – burned and sank that day while spewing more than 5,500 gallons of oil into waters off Whidbey Island. The spill shut down Penn Cove’s shellfish beds, threatening one of the Puget Sound’s most celebrated harvests. May 12, 2015, can’t have been a whole lot better for Westmoreland – the U.S. Justice Department marked the anniversary with a summons, inviting him to respond to a $2.8 million claim filed against him the day before. Levi Pulkkinen reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Anacortes’ waterfront trail system grows
The community celebrated Saturday the latest addition to the city’s trail system, which opens more of the waterfront to nonmotorized use. Many hit the latest stretch of the paved Guemes Channel Trail this weekend after Saturday’s opening ceremony. The 3,200-foot segment of trail, the second to be completed, extends the Guemes Channel Trail to a total of 5,200 feet (nearly a mile) along the city’s northern waterfront. It was paid for with a $700,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce. Kimberly Cauvel repairs. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Jellyfish Boom As Little Fish Disappear In Puget Sound
Little fish are disappearing from much of Puget Sound, according to a new study. These are the fish that orcas and salmon depend on, and they’re being replaced by ballooning populations of jellyfish, which most fish and seabirds don't eat. That’s why Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill last week to authorize a major study of these "forage fish" in Puget Sound. The study could help provide answers to why herring and other "forage fish" have become so rare and what to do about it. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED MAY 13 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...THEN 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL
 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 7 FT AT
 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.

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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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