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.
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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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8/27 Robots, rain, BC fracking quakes, 'blob,' sewage spill, hatchery losses

Pink octopus (Ocean Networks Canada)

If you like to watch: Deep sea robots livestream ocean floor landscapes, creatures
Join two robots exploring the deeps off the British Columbia coast — without getting wet. You can watch them online during a three-week mission by the University of Victoria's Ocean Networks Canada in the Salish Sea and Pacific Ocean to discover new species, map the ocean floor, upgrade high-tech undersea sensors – and drop off a couple of fresh pig carcasses. (CBC)

Major Weather Shift Will Bring Substantial Rain And Help Bring Wildfires Under Control
The end of August often brings the entrance of a major weather system and a touch of fall, and this year will follow this pattern. The atmosphere has been shifting into a different configuration the past week, and during the next few days a major transition will occur, with persistent strong troughing (low pressure) over the Northwest.  It will bring large amounts of rain to our mountains, knock back and end some of the fires, and allow firefighters to gain control of the situation.   It will bring substantial water to reservoirs that have dropped to extremely low levels. Cliff Mass forecasts. (Weather Blog)

Fracking-induced quakes in B.C. are among largest on record
At least two earthquakes in British Columbia over the past year – including one last week – are among the largest ever caused by natural gas fracking in North America and were both strong enough to force temporary shutdowns of operations. But while the province’s oil and natural gas ministry as well as the shale gas industry have both played down the severity of fracking-induced quakes – insisting they are rare and present no threat to people or buildings – experts caution much is still not known about just how strong a fracking-induced earthquake could be. Kat Sieniuc reports. (Globe and Mail)

‘Blob’ lures more tropical fish to waters off Island
Tropical fish continue to be spotted off Vancouver Island and scientists say a warm patch of ocean known as “the blob” is to blame. Ocean sunfish, butterfish and tuna are just some of the marine species that have moved beyond their usual habitats into B.C. waters, said Ian Perry, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. And while some of those species have appeared in past warm years, others are making their debut. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Seward Park beach closed after sewage spill in Lake Washington
A large underground sewage storage tank spilled about 12,000 gallons of sewage into Lake Washington Wednesday morning, prompting the beach at Seward Park to close, according to a Seattle Public Utilities news release. Waker Orenstein reports. (Seattle Times)

Drought Becomes Deadly For Olympic Peninsula's Hatchery Fish
This summer’s extreme drought is becoming increasingly deadly for fish in the northwest. The state department of Fish and Wildlife had already lost about one and a half million juvenile fish in overheated rivers and streams in Washington at the end of July, due to this summer’s historically warm temperatures and low water levels. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Now, your tug weather
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT THU AUG 27 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 3 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/5 Hot times, Wild Olympics, BC LNG, BC pipe, CG fines, orca track, fake killer, sick water, fracking

Feeling like summer!
One word — sunscreen!  Keep it handy today and this weekend.  Also, drink lots of water.  And enjoy what will be the warmest weekend of the year so far. High pressure aloft will dominate today and through the weekend for sunny skies and warm temps.  We’ll top out close to 80 today and get into the mid 80s over the weekend.  Some of our foothills communities and perhaps Olympia southward it could nudge 90. M.J. McDermott forecasts (KCPQ) See also: Heat wave coming to Vancouver Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest days of this spell  (CBC) And if you really care: When forecasts disagree who do you trust?  Cliff Mass explains. (Weather Blog)

Murray, Kilmer reintroduce Wild Olympics wilderness bill; familiar opponents begin to take aim at legislation
Wild Olympics legislation is headed for its fourth go-around — and fourth sequence of opposition from North Olympic Peninsula timber interests. The federal Wild Olympic and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015 was introduced in the House on Thursday by U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, and in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle. Like its 2014 predecessor, the proposed bill would protect 125,554 acres of Olympic National Forest and 464 miles of 19 rivers and major tributaries on the North Olympic Peninsula. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. LNG facilities may not be built until after 2020, report says
The provincial government and the gas industry are continuing to send a positive message about LNG development in British Columbia, but critics are saying a new report has exposed a harsh reality. B.C. may not see any LNG facilities built until after 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, which reported Thursday that the world market is flooded with liquefied natural gas. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Kinder Morgan pledges to protect against oil spills
Kinder Morgan is pledging to protect against any threat of oil spills caused by its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, as opposition to the project mounts in British Columbia. The energy-shipping giant showed off its marine and storage terminals in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, detailing new safety measures it is promising to introduce if the $5.4-billion expansion is approved. Senior director of marine development Michael Davies said Western Canada Marine Response Corp., the agency responsible for spill cleanup, will invest $100-million in new equipment. Laura Kane reports. (Globe and Mail)

Oil, gas, coal industries want Washington, British Columbia as permanent home ports
Shell’s exploration fleet is due to depart Seattle soon for the Arctic, but other energy industries are planning their own home ports up and down the West Coast, from the Columbia River to the Salish Sea to British Columbia’s North Coast. The public’s attention will wane at its peril.  Public understanding of the gains and pains of Big Oil and Big Coal’s plans for the Northwest is strongly advised. The waters of Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the Inland Passage are fast becoming a chosen path for shipment of coal, liquid natural gas, and — if many in Congress have their way — oil to China and other fast-developing Asian markets. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Coast Guard could fine Bellingham Shell protesters
The Coast Guard is seeking fines against four protestors who approached or attached themselves to Shell’s Arctic Challenger in Bellingham Bay. Two of the protestors, Chiara D’Angelo and Matthew Fuller, clipped onto the oil spill response vessel’s anchor chain at various times between May 22 and 24. D’Angelo stayed on the chain for three nights, while Fuller joined her for part of one night. Both were eventually assisted down from the chain by the Coast Guard. During the three-day protest, geared against Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, Cody Erdman and Paul Adler also drove boats or rafts into the 100-yard safety zone the Coast Guard had set up around the ship. Erdman also was on the anchor chain at one point, said Lt. Dana Warr, a Coast Guard spokesman. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Orcas back at Columbia River as 2015 tracking comes to an end
Orcas made it back to the vicinity of the Long Beach Peninsula in time for the Memorial Day weekend as this year’s satellite-tracking program came to an end…. Orca L84, an adult male member of the L pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales usually identified with Puget Sound, along with other family members, made a rapid swim from the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island to the Columbia River plume between May 11 and May 17, NOAA Fisheries West Coast-Science & Management reported. (Daily Astorian)

Fake orca runs into trouble before it can scare sea lions
An effort to use a fake orca to scare off hundreds of sea lions crowding docks off the Oregon coast has ended, at least temporarily, with the fiberglass creature belly-up after it was swamped by a passing ship. Still, Port of Astoria Executive Director Jim Knight says the sea lions briefly "got deathly silent" Thursday evening when the orca sailed into view. That was just before it started listing and tipped over. He says there's "a chance" they'll try the orca again Friday. Earlier Thursday, officials had to find a replacement motor for the 32-foot killer whale replica that belongs to a whale watching business. It was brought overland from Bellingham, Washington. (Associated Press)

Health officials warn swimmers of bacteria in Thea Foss Waterway
Health officials are warning swimmers to avoid the Thea Foss Waterway for the time being. Wading or swimming near the dock at Johnnys or the Esplanade downtown is inadvisable, because high levels of bacteria in the water could increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a notice Thursday. Alexis Krell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking
The Environmental Protection Agency says it finds no evidence that hydraulic fracturing — better known as fracking — has led to widespread pollution of drinking water. The oil industry and its backers welcome the long-awaited study while environmental groups criticize it. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 248 AM PDT FRI JUN 5 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 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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10/17 Gorst Cr. Dump, Site C dam, Meadowdale Beach salmon, BC fracking

(Kitsap Sun)

EPA to Navy: Fix issues at former dump
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the Navy to fix problems associated with a former hazardous waste dump near Port Orchard The EPA says its records show that a substantial amount of the waste in Gorst Creek Ravine is from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The landfill was the main dumping ground for shipyard waste between 1969 and 1970, when the site was not permitted by local authorities to take waste, the agency said. It later took waste from local residents before closing in 1989. (Associated Press)

Industry group urges B.C. to invest in 'clean energy' instead of Site C
With the clock ticking on a government decision on Site C, an industry group has released a study that claims the province could save up to $1-billion by investing in multiple, small “clean energy” facilities instead of one, massive dam. Along with saving money, a stable of smaller energy projects would provide other advantages, including more opportunities for First Nations involvement and more flexibility to adapt to changing technology or markets, the study concludes. The report, prepared by London Economics International, a Boston-based consulting firm, and released Thursday by Clean Energy B.C., adds to a continuing debate around Site C, which BC Hydro bills as the cleanest and most cost-effective way to meet future energy needs and opponents decry as an environmental and social disaster in the making. Wendy Stueck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Meadowdale Beach Park makes way for salmon
To make life a little easier for salmon, Snohomish County Parks and Recreation has removed the pedestrian metal grate walkway at Meadowdale Beach Park under the railroad tracks that are on top of the stream during low flow conditions. “Now, foot traffic access to Meadowdale beach is closed,” says Parks Director Tom Teigen. “While that is going to be an inconvenience for park visitors, it is critical, that we make way for returning salmon.” Lunds Gulch Creek supports resident and sea-run cutthroat trout, as well as Coho and Chum salmon. (Edmonds Beacon)

Natural gas fracking: repeated short-term water permits legal, judge rules
A judge will not stop the flow of fresh water from British Columbia's lakes and rivers to hydraulic fracking operations, but did recognize the issue as a growing public concern. The Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the Sierra Club filed a petition against the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and energy company EnCana Corp. over the commission's decision to grant repeat short-term water approvals to the company. (CBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI OCT 17 2014
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 20 TO 30 KT...RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT DURING THE MORNING. SEAS 11 OR 12 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 12 SECONDS IN
 THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 5 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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11/14 'Shrooms, ocean acid, B'ham Bay plan, Water Act, Vic sewer, Goldstream R., flasher wrasse

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

If you like to watch: Fall Feast – for Others
Laurie MacBride in Eye On Environment writes: "I’ve found what I think may be a cluster of Chanterelles – though lacking mushroom expertise, I’m not about to taste them. But others around our place seem to have no hesitation in turning the fungal bounty into a feast..."

Can Mushrooms Help Fight Stormwater Pollution?  
Ah, the Garden Giant. He’s a jolly fellow who roams around your garden at night tossing mulch as he merrily skips along, helping your veggies grow lush and tall. Not quite. The Garden Giant is actually a species of mushroom, scientifically known as Stropharia rugosoannulata, that may hold a key to filtering harmful pollutants from stormwater runoff. Although this mushroom can be rather “giant” as the name implies, growing up to eight inches tall and a foot wide at its cap, it is not the mushroom itself that does the work. It is something hidden underground -- a fungal root-like material called mycelium. Mycelium is a microscopic, cobwebby, fungal thread that, when mixed with woody debris, decomposes bacteria. Sarah Strunin reports.

Scientists warn of hot, sour, breathless oceans
Greenhouse gases are making the world's oceans hot, sour and breathless, and the way those changes work together is creating a grimmer outlook for global waters, according to a new report Wednesday from 540 international scientists. The world's oceans are getting more acidic at an unprecedented rate, faster than at any time in the past 300 million years, the report said. But it's how this interacts with other global warming impacts to waters that scientists say is getting them even more worried. Seth Borenstein reports.

Waterfront planning process raises more questions than answers  
Stephan Michaels writes: "Like many Whatcom County residents, I cannot profess being sufficiently educated about the specifics of Bellingham’s complicated waterfront plan to dissect it in detail. Yet one thing is patently clear: the public process conducted over the preceding ten years has been tossed aside in order to fast track the development of our long neglected shoreline. In the desire to get “something done” sooner than later, the current plan provides potential developers with a sweet incentives and locked-in environmental standards. And in the long term, taxpayers will not be getting what they wanted: a vibrant, multi-use waterfront, properly cleaned-up from the toxic mess left by the Georgia Pacific paper mill..."

B.C. Oil and Gas Commission accused of violating Water Act
Three environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission and natural gas company Encana over the use of water from B.C.'s lakes and rivers. The suit, filed Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court, claims the commission has granted repeated short-term water licences, in violation of the provincial Water Act. The environmental groups say as Encana proceeded with the fracking process to extract natural gas from underground reserves, it drew 880 Olympic swimming pools worth of water over three years from the Kiskatinaw River, which supplies drinking water to the city of Dawson Creek.

Deal to build sewage plant in Esquimalt falls apart
A tentative deal for a sewage treatment plant in Esquimalt fell apart Wednesday as Greater Victoria politicians refused to endorse a plan to barge construction materials to McLoughlin Point. The unknown costs of building a dock and running barges to and from the site raised alarm bells for almost everyone on the Capital Regional District’s sewage committee, except Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins. Politicians refused to support the idea, and after much debate punted the entire issue to a future meeting while staff gather more information. Rob Shaw reports.

Chum salmon ‘wiped out’ by 2011 fuel spill in Goldstream River
An entire batch of chum salmon hit by a 2011 fuel spill in Goldstream Provincial Park have been “wiped out” and failed to return to spawn this year, a local hatchery says. Three-year-old chum, which were directly affected as juveniles by the tanker truck crash and spill into Goldstream River, have not returned to the park this year to spawn because they likely died when the spill occurred, said Peter McCully of the Goldstream Hatchery. Rob Shaw reports.

New flasher wrasse species discovered in Indonesia
A new fish of the flasher wrasse species with striking orange color and rounded fins has been found in Indonesia's coral reefs, a conservation group announced Wednesday. Scientists from Conservation International and the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Centre discovered the species in East Nusa Tenggara province, said a statement from Conservation International. The discovery was published in the latest Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology. (Check out the photo: very cool looking fish)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU NOV 14 2013
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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