9/25 Vessel traffic, drought, illegal crab pots, Skagit poop, steelhead fight, city deer

(Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping)

Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections: A 43 Percent Increase
If all the new and expanding terminal and refinery projects in the Salish Sea are permitted and developed, including projects that became operational in 2014, there would be a 43 percent increase in large, commercial marine vessel traffic. Friends of the San Juans and San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping have released the Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections featuring 18 new or expanded proposed or recently completed projects, which cumulatively would add an additional 5,300 annual vessel transits to and from ports in British Columbia and Washington State…. The Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections flyer and source information are available at Safe Shipping in the Salish Sea. (9/23/15 News Release from Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping)

Drought not over, state officials say
Don’t let a bit of rain in the last few weeks fool you. We’re still in drought, state officials said. Extreme drought in Eastern and Central Washington. Slightly better severe drought in much of Western Washington. Winter rain and snow are expected to be below average, too, so Washington might start 2016 in worse shape than it started 2015. Jim Camden reports. (Spokesman-Review)

Nearly 700 illegal crab pots seized in waters near Blaine
Nearly 700 illegal crab pots were seized in the waters near Blaine in a two-day sweep conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Tulalip Police on Sept. 17 and 18. Officers seized roughly 675 crab pots between Point Roberts and Peach Arch State Park — an area that includes portions of Semiahmoo Bay and Boundary Bay, said WDFW Sgt. Russ Mullins, who led the investigation. Most of the illegal crab pots belonged to Canadian commercial fishermen. Mullins said when their waters have been fished out, Canadian fishermen will cross the border without proper licenses and try to intercept crabs moving north from U.S. waters. Similar sweeps have been done in the past by WDFW officers. Wilson Criscione reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fecal coliform fights continue
With the return of wet weather, fecal coliform bacteria is again an issue in Skagit County. The bacteria, an indicator that feces are present, made its fall debut Monday in the Samish River watershed, prompting the first commercial shellfish harvest closure since early May. Rain on Sunday “resulted in absurdly high fecal coliform counts in the Samish River,” Skagit County Water Quality Analyst Rick Haley said in an email. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Steelhead snorkel study biologist wants hatchery compromise
Rivers in Washington may soon be divided into territory for either wild steelhead or hatchery steelhead. The hatchery steelhead are stuck in legal gridlock right now, after a lawsuit filed by the Wild Fish Conservancy argued they're bad for wild steelhead. One biologist wants a compromise, and he's advocating for it underwater. John McMillan works for Trout Unlimited. He's studied steelhead by snorkeling for more than 20 years across 1,500 miles of river, taking video of their behavior changes over time…. McMillan agrees with the state's plan to map rivers, potentially separating hatchery and wild steelhead. He thinks hatchery fish serve a purpose for fishermen - but need their own territory. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

B.C. pledges to help cities deal with urban deer
B.C.’s escalating problem with urban deer has gotten so bad that the province pledged $100,000 and other forms of support Thursday, as communities struggle with aggressive animals and community fights over what to do about them. While Vancouverites fell in love with their single “downtown deer” that roamed Stanley Park and occasionally the city until it was killed in a car crash earlier this month, the deer issue is far from cute elsewhere. Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen said there has been a dog killed, another one injured and residents chased down the street by deer in that Victoria-area community. Frances Bula reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT FRI SEP 25 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND BECOMING N TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT AND SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN AND SUN NIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 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.

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7/22 Robertson in Rome, LNG Act, tribal coal, closing coal plants, oil train risk, tidal energy, LWCF, drought trout, Lpod, Rayonier cleanup

Pope Francis

Vancouver’s mayor joins Pope Francis in push for action on climate change
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson joined a host of other environmentally-friendly mayors Tuesday in signing a joint declaration with Pope Francis on pressing for action on climate change. The group is part of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, an alliance of cities around the world determined to reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 or sooner. They were invited by the pontiff as part of his agenda to make climate change and modern slavery the two most important issues to overcome during his term. (Vancouver Sun)

BC Liberals passes 25-year LNG act promising billions in revenue
B.C. passed the Liquefied Natural Gas Project Agreements Act late Tuesday after holding an unusual summer legislative sitting to push through the bill.  BC Premier Christy Clark says the act sets the stage for "unprecedented levels of investment, job creation and economic activity." (CBC)

In dispute over coal mine project, two ways of life hang in the balance
Neither tribe created the modern energy economy. They did not build the railroads or the power plants or the giant freighters that cross the ocean. But the Crow Tribe, on a vast and remote reservation here in the grasslands of the northern Plains, and the Lummi Nation, nearly a thousand miles to the west on a sliver of shoreline along the Salish Sea in Washington state, have both become unlikely pieces of the machinery that serves the global demand for electricity — and that connection has put them in bitter conflict. The Crow, whose 2.2 million-acre reservation is one of the largest in the country, have signed an agreement to mine 1.4 billion tons of coal on their land — enough to provide more than a year's worth of the nation's coal consumption. The Lummi, on a 13,000-acre peninsula north of Seattle, are leading dozens of other tribes in a campaign that could block the project. They say it threatens not only the earth's future climate, but also native lands, sacred sites and a fragile fishery the Lummi and others have depended on for thousands of years. William Yardley reports. (LA Times)

State regulators look at cost of retiring coal plants
Washington utility regulators say they are looking into how much it would cost to retire Puget Sound Energy's two older coal-fired electric generating plants in Colstrip, Montana. The two power plants were built in the 1970s and are jointly owned by Bellevue-based Puget County Energy and Talen Energy Corp. of Allentown, Pennsylvania…. The commission is seeking comments and questions on the idea by Sept. 15. (Associated Press)

One Year After Derailment Under Seattle Bridge, City Takes Aim At Oil Train Risk
It's been nearly a year since a train derailed under a busy Seattle bridge, tipping three oil tanker cars off the tracks in Magnolia during the morning commute. No one was hurt in the accident but the near-miss spurred city officials into action.  A new resolution is going before the city council that outlines Seattle's wish list for regulations of crude oil shipments by rail.  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Nova Scotia and British Columbia partner on tidal energy development
Nova Scotia and British Columbia are partnering to develop tidal energy on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. A memorandum of understanding, signed by representatives from both provinces Tuesday at the Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference in Halifax, says the provinces will share research and technology related to tidal energy. Aly Thomson reports. (Canadian Press)

Death-by-inertia for top conservation fund
In Congress, it’s death-by-inertia. Rip an institution down to its studs and allow the clock to run out….  in less than seventy days, Congress’ make-policy-by-not-making policy may halt reauthorization of the country’s bipartisan, wildly popular Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)…. For half a century, the LWCF has been the nation’s trademark outdoor recreation and conservation program. The formula is basic: Apply a portion of lease royalties from offshore oil development to pay for wildlife habitat, parks, trails and sustainable forests. No need for taxpayer dinero. Pete Jackson reports. (Crosscut)

Trout In Drought: ‘You Almost Feel Sorry For The Fish’
The fishing aisle at Swain’s General Store is stocked with tackle for catching salmon and trout on nearby rivers. But something is missing among the rows of lures, floats and ornately-tied flies: customers. “Not much has moved off the shelf,” Wally Butler says as he walks down the river-fishing aisle... Butler estimates that fishing gear sales are down 50 percent because of drought. Ashley Ahearn reports. (KUOW)

‘Missing’ L-pod orcas spotted; all Southern Residents accounted for
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research has confirmed that Paul Pudwell of Sooke Whale Watching located the five missing killer whales that have not been seen in U.S. waters this year. The whales were spotted July 15 off Sooke, B.C., which is west of Victoria on Vancouver Island. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Official: Cleanup at Rayonier pulp mill site in Port Angeles to be completed in another five years
Cleanup that began on the former Rayonier Inc. pulp mill site in 2000 should be completed by 2020, a top state Department of Ecology cleanup official said Tuesday. Rebecca Lawson, southwest regional section manager for Ecology’s toxics cleanup program, updated the project to 30 participants at the Port Angeles Business Association’s weekly breakfast meeting. She said the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company’s parcel 2 miles east of downtown is largely free of dioxin and other contaminants that were contained in 34,000 tons of dug-up soil. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Tesoro disputes findings in appeal of deadly 2010 refinery accident
A judge heard opening statements this morning in Tesoro Corp.’s appeal of safety violations and more than $2 million in fines from the 2010 explosion of the company’s refinery in Anacortes that killed seven workers. Following a six-month investigation, the state Department of Labor and Industries issued 39 willful violations and five serious violations of state and workplace safety and health regulations. The agency said the explosion was one of the worst industrial disasters in state history. Tesoro contests the characterization of its operations and the conclusions of Labor and Industries’ investigation. Evan Marczynski reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

2 groups to sue over federal fish hatchery near Leavenworth
Two conservation groups say they will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, alleging its fish hatchery near Leavenworth violates federal clean-water rules. The Wild Fish Conservancy and the Center for Environmental Law & Policy on Tuesday filed it required 60-day notice of intent to sue the agency. The groups allege the hatchery is discharging pollutants into nearby Icicle Creek without a necessary permit and that it has not had a permit for 35 years. They also say the hatchery releases chemicals, phosphorus, antibiotics and other pollutants into the waters. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT WED JUL 22 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND BECOMING W TO 10 KT THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 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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4/28 Swim the Sound, coast protection, BC CG, BC pipe, quake, otters, Growlers, Vic sewer, owls, hatcheries

Wayne Kinslow swims (Patrick Robinson photo)

Swimming Puget Sound 1000 days in a row, Wayne Kinslow proves he's made of strong stuff
For some people Puget Sound is not a good choice for a swim. At 46 degrees it's very cold and frankly hypothermia will take over if you are in the water too long. But for Wayne Kinslow, it's all part of the fun. Kinslow somehow has willed himself to swim in the chilly waters 1000 days in a row, hitting that milestone on April 27. Normally he swims with a group of equally fearless swimmers but for the big number he chose to go solo. Patrick Robinson reports. (West Seattle Herald)

First Nations, province agree on plans to protect B.C. coast
The provincial government and 18 First Nations have agreed to plans for protecting and managing more than 100,000 square kilometres of B.C.’s coast, from northern Vancouver Island to Alaska. The deal covers issues that fall under provincial jurisdiction, but ignores key federal responsibilities such as fisheries and marine transportation, including tanker traffic. Lindsay Kines reports. (Times Colonist)

U.S. worried about Canada’s ability to respond to oil spills, records reveal
After the MV Marathassa spilled sticky, toxic bunker fuel into Vancouver’s harbour this month, Washington State officials noted in interviews with The Globe and Mail that the state’s oil-spill response regime was far advanced from Canada’s. One former maritime lawyer said if the U.S. Coast Guard ranked an eight or nine out of 10 worldwide, then Canada’s Coast Guard would rank a one or two. But the records obtained by The Globe under U.S. access-to-information laws show that American officials have been worried about Canada’s oil-response capabilities for years, dating back to Canada’s National Energy Board hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and the proposed Kinder Morgan expansion project. Stanley Tromp reports. (Globe and Mail)

NEB launches public review into pipeline emergency response plans
Emergency response plans submitted by companies proposing to build pipelines in Canada are to be the subject of a public consultation overseen by the National Energy Board (NEB). Peter Watson, CEO of the energy board, announced the new review in a speech delivered to business leaders in Vancouver today [Monday] . "Canadians deserve to be consulted on the transparency of emergency management information for NEB-regulated pipelines," Watson said. "There may indeed be some specific information that should be kept confidential, but I believe that we have been too conservative in our approach to this issue to date." (CBC)

Deep part of Cascadia fault so slippery sun, moon trigger tremors
New research shows that the large fault off the Northwest coast is so weak and slippery in places that minuscule tidal forces produced by the sun and moon are enough to cause tremors. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

A Tale of Two Otters: Natural History of River Otters and Sea Otters
The Whale Trail presents naturalist Leo Shaw Leo Shaw who will discuss the natural history of river and sea otters in North America, with a special focus on the river otters of West Seattle! His talk will cover human interactions, population swings, social structure, anatomy and physiology  food preferences, legal status, and current threats. Thursday, April 30th, 7PM. C&P Coffee Company, 5612 California Ave SW. $5 suggested donation. (Kids get in free!); Brown Paper Tickets.

Whidbey citizens group in court over Navy Growlers noise
A Whidbey Island citizens group has revived the legal battle over noise from Navy Growler planes, filing a motion in federal court to block use of an off-base strip near Coupeville. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Public asked for input on Victoria-area sewage-plant sites
Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay will launch an intensive public process Wednesday looking for input on where to build a sewage-treatment plant. It’s an ambitious agenda. The hope is to get public buy-in on where a sewage-treatment plant or plants should be sited by the end of June. It took four years for the Capital Regional District to settle on Esquimalt’s McLoughlin Point as a site for a regional sewage-treatment plant. That plan went off the rails last year, when Esquimalt refused to rezone the site and the province declined to overturn the decision. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Wise Guys
…. Tony Angell writes (and draws) with the absolute authority of one who has studied, rehabilitated, lived with and loved the animals his whole life. Watching owls simply being owls is his calling. Julie Zickefoose reviews Tony Angell's new book, The House of Owls. (Wall Street Journal)

Return of the fish wars: Hatchery pits environmentalists against tribe
Can anything wild still exist in a Washington river that has been plugged for 100 years? E. Tammy Kim reports. (Al Jazeera America)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 28 2015
TODAY
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING W LATE MORNING. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. NW SWELL 8 FT
 AT 11 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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4/6 Poop DNA, fake reef, hatcheries, fish farm, sardines, fish slaves, snowpack, protect orcas, train watch, Skagit GI, beaver dams, Octo Ursula, CA water

Dog-poop DNA tests nail non-scoopers
…. Just you and Rex at the park, or maybe by your neighbor’s hedge, in that spot where that neighbor can’t spot you two. But, no, DNA testing for dog droppings — to identify whether it was left by Rex or Fluffy — has finally arrived in this region…. A company called BioPet Vet Lab, out of Knoxville, Tenn., says its PooPrints testing kits are now in 26 apartment and condo complexes and homeowner associations in greater Seattle. Erik Lacitis reports. (Seattle Times)

Former Canadian warship sunk off B.C. coast to create artificial reef
The sound of boat horns and cheering from hundreds of excited onlookers saturated the smoke-filled ocean air as demolition crews sank a former Canadian warship off the B.C. coast on Saturday. After years of legal wrangling, the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia successfully sank the former HMCS Annapolis in the waters of Halkett Bay Marine Provincial Park off Gambier Island northwest of Vancouver. Geordon Omand reports. (Canadian Press)

NOAA plan will speed up review of hatcheries
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has withdrawn its draft environmental impact statement on Puget Sound salmon and steelhead hatcheries. The draft was in preparation of a full review of all 133 hatchery genetic management plans into one EIS. Reviews will now proceed on a smaller scale with individual or watershed-level plans, according to NOAA’s March 26 announcement. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Guest Opinion: Why fish hatcheries remain essential
Daniel Jack Chasan’s recent attack on salmon and steelhead hatcheries failed to provide a view of their importance to the 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Our treaty rights depend on salmon and steelhead being available for harvest. Hatcheries are essential to fulfilling the harvest rights that the tribes reserved in treaties with the United States government. Without hatcheries there would be no salmon or steelhead fishing at all by anyone in western Washington. Most wild stocks are not healthy enough to support sustainable harvest. Lorraine Loomis opines. (Crosscut)

Tackling a sustainable industry for Atlantic salmon farming
In a clearing near Port McNeill, an experiment is under way. Inside an unassuming steel-clad building, thousands of Atlantic salmon swim in circular tanks. When those fish are big enough – in about 12 months, when they have grown from 100-gram smolts to between three to five kilograms in weight – they will be harvested, having never touched the ocean. Their waste will be processed into garden soil. Water, almost all of which is recirculated, comes from nearby wells and the plant is highly automated…. Kuterra is a front-runner in the quest to prove Atlantic salmon can be raised on land in a way that is more environmentally friendly than the ocean-based systems used to raise the fish, an aquaculture staple worldwide since the 1960s. It reached a milestone last April, when its salmon hit the market. But questions remain, including whether the costs – including equipment, power and food – of raising Atlantic salmon entirely on land outweigh potential profits. Wendy Stueck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Feds likely to shut down sardine fishing on West Coast
West Coast fisheries managers will likely shut down sardine fishing this year as numbers decline, echoing a previous collapse that decimated a thriving industry and increasing worries that other species might be withheld from the commercial market. Fishermen are resigned to not being able to get sardines, but they hope the Pacific Fishery Management Council will not be so concerned that it sets the level for incidental catch of sardines at zero, shutting down other fisheries, such as mackerel, anchovies and market squid, which often swim with sardines. Jeff Barnard reports. (Associated Press)

AP investigation prompts emergency rescue of 300 plus slaves
Hundreds of fishermen raced to be rescued Friday from the isolated Indonesian island where an Associated Press investigation found that many were enslaved to catch seafood that could end up in the United States and elsewhere. Robin McDowell and Margie Mason report. (Associated Press)

Sparse snowpack in Olympics close to worst in America’s West
Despite a dusting of fresh snow on the peaks, the snowpack in the Olympic Mountains looks more like a record snow lack, fueling concerns about a thirsty summer. As of Saturday, the snowpack was at a mere 3 percent of average, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, which monitors snowpack to predict summer water supplies. It’s the second-lowest snowpack by percentage west of the Rocky Mountains, behind only California’s Lake Tahoe region, which measured 2 percent of the mammoth snowfall expected near the lake in the Sierra Nevada range. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Tired of waiting for feds, advocates take own path to protect orcas
A group of orca advocates is making its own plans to protect endangered killer whales, saying a federal action plan is overdue. The group celebrated news of four calves born to the southern resident killer whales since December. But with a 50 per cent mortality rate and a slew of other threats to their survival, members say it’s time to get serious about protecting the species, which was declared endangered 12 years ago. “What we really need is a comprehensive plan,” said Misty MacDuffee, a biologist with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Snohomish County group tallies oil train shipments, verifies BNSF railway reports
Environmental activists are preparing to head out this month to perform a second annual tally of trains carrying crude oil and coal through Snohomish County. Snohomish County Train Watch sent 29 volunteers out last year to cover around-the-clock shifts during an entire week in Edmonds, Everett and Marysville. They recorded 16 shipments of oil and 20 of coal. Soon after the group released those findings, the federal government ordered railroads to disclose the number of crude-oil shipments of more than 1 million gallons passing through each county in each state. This year, the Train Watch count will be used to verify what BNSF Railway reports to state officials. Volunteers also will keep an eye on the types of tank cars that are in use and the routes the oil trains take. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

County declines Skagit River GI study extension request
More than 20 years and nearly $20 million into the Skagit River General Investigation study, Skagit County has declined a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more money and time. The corps last month requested a waiver from the county to extend the feasibility phase of the study through 2016 at an additional cost of $810,000. Feasibility is the second of five phases. The county announced Wednesday that it is not willing to adjust the earlier agreement. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Strait of Juan de Fuca beaches in Clallam closed to shellfish harvest
The Strait of Juan de Fuca from Cape Flattery to the Jefferson County line has been closed to recreational harvesting of all species of shellfish because of the danger of potentially deadly PSP, paralytic shellfish poisoning. The state Department of Health extended the closure Friday. (Peninsula Daily News)

Don Cayo: Libel case may have implications for other clashes over the environment
What is a SLAPP suit? SLAPP is a new-ish acronym that stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” — a slur that critics have coined to sling when a big guy, usually a business, sues a little guy, usually a citizen or a non-profit, for no better reason than to shut them up. Don Cayo opines. (Vancouver Sun)

Beavers Star in Tribes' Fish, Water Conservation Project
Sometimes moving to a new neighborhood is the best choice for everyone. That's the theory behind a research project by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington to relocate beaver families. The critters have become a nuisance in the lowlands but in higher elevations, their hard work can benefit the entire Snohomish watershed. Ben Dittbrenner is a graduate student of University of Washington Environmental and Forestry Sciences and he's working with the Tribes to trap and move beavers and study the effects of their dam-building. When less snow is predicted with a changing climate, he says a beaver dam is just the right type of eco-friendly barrier to moderate spring runoff. Chris Thomas reports. (Public News Service)

Hello, Ursula: Poll-takers name Port Angeles marine life center octopus in vote landslide
Thanks to overwhelming support by online voters, the new moniker for an octopus at the Feiro Marine Life Center is Ursula. The name — inspired by the tentacled villain in Walt Disney Co.’s 1989 movie “The Little Mermaid” — beat three other names in the Peninsula Poll conducted on the Peninsula Daily News’ website Friday and Saturday.  Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Will Turning Seawater Into Drinking Water Help Drought-Hit California?
Last week, Governor Jerry Brown made water conservation mandatory in the drought-stricken state of California. "As Californians, we have to pull together and save water in every way we can," he said. But if the four-year drought continues, conservation alone — at least what's required by the governor's plan — won't fix the problem. Across California, communities are examining all options to avoid running out of water. Some, like the coastal city of Santa Barbara, are looking to the past for inspiration. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 304 AM PDT MON APR 6 2015
TODAY
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING E. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE
 EVENING.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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3/31 Orca baby, herring protest, hatcheries, creosote removal, oil tank cars, Pt Roberts eagles

(Jeanne Hyde, Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching/KIRO)

New baby orca born to Puget Sound J-Pod
A new baby orca was born to the Puget Sound J-Pod over the weekend, confirmed officials with the Center for Whale Research. This is the fourth calf born in three months.  Naturalist and researcher Jeanne Hyde of Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching captured images of the newborn calf near Active Pass in British Columbia Monday afternoon. (KIRO) See also: Orca pod off Cape Disappointment Monday (Chinook Observer)

Heiltsuk Nation members occupy DFO office to protest herring fishery
Members of the Heiltsuk Nation have begun occupying a federal government office to protest a herring fishery on B.C.’s Central Coast. The lockdown began at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans office near Bella Bella, according to a press release issued by the First Nation. “We will be here until DFO announces that Area 7 is closed to a gillnet fishery,” Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett said in the release. Bethany Lindsay reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hatcheries flow on despite the evidence they harm salmon recovery
So, why are hatcheries still an issue? Because, decades after they gained notoriety as one of the factors that threaten salmon recovery,  people still catch salmon for fun and profit, and for most of them, catching a hatchery fish is just as much fun and just as profitable as catching one that didn’t start life in a concrete tank. Besides, to the uninformed eye, there’s not much difference. Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Another 50 tons hauled away in ongoing campaign against creosote
Over the past month, restoration crews from the Washington Department of Natural Resources removed more than 50 tons of toxic creosote-treated wood from public and private beaches on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands. Special thanks to the Puget Sound Conservation Corps members who did the hard work and to the concerned individuals who reported creosote debris to Friends of the San Juans for their support of improved beach conditions for people, fish and wildlife. (San Juan Journal)

Fixing railroad tank cars gains traction after recent derailments
While some government and industry officials have repeatedly said there’s no silver bullet to improve the safety of oil trains, a persistent problem runs through every new derailment: the tank cars…. Railroads have already spent heavily in recent years to improve their track for all kinds of freight and have pledged to spend more. Meanwhile, the companies that own and lease tank cars for transporting oil and other flammable liquids have been waiting for regulators to approve a more robust design to account for the exponential increase in energy traffic on the rails before they invest an additional cent. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy) See also: Railroad wants to talk in private to fire chiefs about oil cars  The BNSF Railroad has pumped cold water on Washington Fire Chiefs request that it hand over worst-case scenarios and comprehensive emergency response plans for dealing with an oil train accident. The railroad has offered a private talk and an “overview” of its plans. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Environmental Policy Fail For Eagles
In the case of Seabright Farms in Point Roberts, Washington, the SEPA application was so poorly written as to deliberately leave out most of the wildlife that uses the property, including leaving out an active eagles nest.  It’s all part of the development game where the property owner leaves out information that he knows will cost him time and money to deal with. (Eagle i Report)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE MAR 31 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
--
"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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3/30 J50, oil trains, offshore orca, B'ham port, fish hatcheries, sea lions, algae energy, slave seafood, WA budget

J50 (Capt. Simon Pidcock Ocean EcoVentures/CBC)

If you like to watch: Baby orca J50 comes out to play
Once given only a 50 percent chance of survival, the newest additions to the endangered southern resident community of orcas appear to be thriving. The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) has observed two three-month old babies, J50 and J51, in the waters around the San Juan Islands breaching and frolicking — and just plain having fun. (CBC)

Lawmakers aim to toughen laws on oil trains
State lawmakers are trying to reach agreement on tougher rules for the transportation of oil in Washington, including a requirement that rail carriers give local firefighters advance notice of when oil trains are coming. Competing bills in the House and Senate could bring higher taxes for refiners, larger crew sizes on trains for railroads and more inspections of tracks and railroad crossings. Sponsors of the bills are trying to reconcile differences and avoid legislative derailment, but the chasm might be too great in the typically contentious final weeks of the legislative session. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

Offshore killer whales gain attention from Canadian government
The Canadian government is calling attention to the special needs of offshore killer whales in a new document, “Recovery Strategy for the Offshore Killer Whale in Canada ( PDF 3.8 mb).” Offshores are a mysterious, little-understood group of orcas that roam the West Coast. They are related to the more familiar resident and transient killer whales, but they are genetically, physically and socially distinct. The name “offshore” sort of tells the story; they often remain miles off the coast, out of sight and out of mind for most researchers as well as the public. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Port of Bellingham could sign waterfront agreement Tuesday
The Port of Bellingham Commission will hold two special meetings Tuesday, March 31, to consider signing an agreement with an Irish developer that wants to redevelop the first portion of the downtown waterfront. A 3 p.m. public meeting will include a presentation on the master development agreement the port worked out with Dublin-based Harcourt Developments over the last year…. The commission will then take a recess and reopen the public meeting at 6 p.m. so those who work during the day and want to comment or learn about the agreement will get the chance to see the presentation and speak before the commission votes on the proposal. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fish hatcheries: A 19th century fix that won’t die
If you found yourself recently in Marblemount, say, or North Bend, it might have been a good idea to visit the cold waters of the Cascade River or Tokul Creek and wave goodbye to the early winter run of Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead struggling upstream to the concrete tanks in which they were spawned. This winter’s run, a smaller batch next winter, and poof! Except for those released from a hatchery on the Skykomish River, near Monroe, we may have seen the last of those Chambers Creek fish. Or not. Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Boom times on the Columbia for California sea lions
Record numbers of sea lions are gathering in the Lower Columbia river this spring, intensifying the long-running challenge to protect salmon runs. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Algae into energy: New process studied at Sequim lab could lead to mass production of fuel while lowering carbon dioxide from the air
Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Marine Sciences Laboratory are working to develop a new, low-cost process to draw carbon dioxide out of the air to grow algae that can be refined into alternative gasoline and jet fuel. The beauty of fuel derived from algae is that it is “carbon-neutral,” meaning that the amount of carbon dioxide, or CO2, released when it is burned is equivalent to the amount the algae consumes during growth.  If it were cheap enough to be in mass production, algae-derived fuel could, scientists say, put the brakes on emission into the atmosphere of CO2, which accounted for 82 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2012, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

How Northwest Shoppers Can Avoid 'Slavery Seafood'
Marcie Sillman speaks with Tobias Aguirre, executive director of FishWise, about a recent AP report detailing slavery in Asian fisheries and what Pacific Northwest shoppers can do to avoid purchasing seafood that may have been caught by slaves. (KUOW)

Washington House Democrats Say 'Yes' To Capital Gains Tax, 'No' To Cap-And-Trade
Majority Democrats in the Washington state House have unveiled a proposed two-year, nearly $39 billion state budget and tax package. They embraced Governor Jay Inslee’s push for a state capital gains tax, but they’re not biting on the Democratic governor’s cap-and-trade proposal. The capital gains proposal House Democrats offered was slimmed down a bit -- a five percent tax rate instead of the governor’s seven percent. Austin Jenkins reports. (NW News Network)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON MAR 30 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
TODAY
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN
 THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.

--
"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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11/21 Burnaby protest, 'Green the Green,' rail gridlock, BC LNG, hatchery plan, Navy e-warfare

“Extinction is not an option” Puget Sound Chinook listed 1999 (NOAA/ Jeff Kozlowski)

Kinder Morgan pipeline protesters resisting police efforts to move them
The situation atop Burnaby Mountain heated up again after Kinder Morgan crews began arriving Thursday afternoon to start work, leading to the arrest of 24 people by the end of the day. The arrests began on Thursday morning shortly after 8 a.m. PT, when more than a dozen police officers arrived  and once again read out the injunction issued earlier this week. Police then began arresting protesters who remained in the camp in violation of the injunction. Many of the remaining protesters appeared to move across the road to an area designated by the police, but some protesters remained in the camp. (CBC)

If you like to watch: Video 'Green the Green' raises awareness about important watershed
The Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Forum has released a video, “Green the Green,” to raise awareness about protecting this vital watershed. The Green/Duwamish watershed stretches from the Pacific Crest Trail in the Cascades to Elliott Bay in Puget Sound, and comprises Water Resource Inventory Area 9 – with 16 cities and 700,000 residents. The watershed provides drinking water to the City of Tacoma, fish and wildlife habitat, miles of recreational areas, and is home to billions of dollars of commerce….The release of the video coincides with the 15th anniversary of the listing of chinook salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. (Tukwila Reporter)

New blog: Got Barotrauma? Watch This.
"Barotrauma is what happens to deep water Puget Sound rockfish when are caught and brought to the surface: gases in their swim bladder expand causing their stomachs and eyes to bulge. So what? They’re endangered-- you’re not supposed to catch them. And throwing them back with barotrauma means they most likely will die. We don’t want them to die; we want them to recover from the brink of depletion…."

BNSF to spend $6 billion in 2015 to ease rail gridlock
BNSF Railway Co., the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., plans to spend a record $6 billion next year to help speed trains and improve service crimped by surging grain and oil shipments. Almost $1.5 billion will go for expansion projects, BNSF said Thursday, with a third of that for the northern U.S. region where the carrier collects oil from North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation and grain. BNSF said this year’s capital budget will be $5.5 billion, up from $5 billion announced in February. Thomas Black and Jennifer Kaplan report. (Bloomberg News)

Nisga'a sign LNG pipeline benefits deal with B.C.
The Nisga'a Nation has signed an agreement with the B.C. government to receive benefits from proposed liquefied natural gas projects. The band from the northwest coast would get at least $6 million from the province for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would pass through parts of its treaty lands. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Pipeline would service the proposed multibillion-dollar Petronas Pacific Northwest LNG project at Lelu Island.(Canadian Press)

More time to comment on feds' plan for Puget Sound salmon hatcheries
The public will now have until 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, to comment on the draft environmental impact statement for Puget Sound hatcheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the public comment period extension Thursday. The agency decided to grant the extension in response to a formal request.... The draft report is available online.  Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Navy defends electronic warfare training project in Pacific Beach public meeting
The town with the most direct impact from the Navy's proposal to expand electronic warfare training in Olympic National Forest had its first public meeting on the plan this week. More than 175 residents of Pacific Beach in Grays Harbor County attended the Wednesday night meeting, with many voicing opposition. A five-person team from the Navy — the U.S. Forest Service declined an invitation to attend — defended the military agency's finding in August that the project would have no significant environmental impact. Angelo Bruscas reports. (North Coast News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI NOV 21 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT RISING TO 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13
 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT BECOMING W 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. SW SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS BUILDING
 TO 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT
 AT 14 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS BUILDING TO 14 FT AT 13 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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9/4 Governors Pt., hatchery plans, radioactivity monitoring, shooting nutria, eelgrass mitigation

Governors Point (Bellingham Herald)

Governors Point on Chuckanut Bay for sale
Governors Point is for sale. The Sahlin family, which has owned most of the peninsula south of Bellingham for the past 50 years, has put the property on the market, as evidenced by a brochure produced by the Land Group of Cushman & Wakefield of San Diego, Inc. “Once in a lifetime opportunity!” the brochure declares, promoting “San Juan Island living, without the ferry” on “125.86 spectacular waterfront acres” between Pleasant Bay and Wildcat Cove. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Agencies review Puget Sound hatchery plans
How Puget Sound fish hatcheries will operate in the future could be determined by an environmental impact statement now being developed. As part of that process, NOAA Fisheries is holding public workshops this week to discuss the draft environmental impact statement that assesses alternative operations of salmon and steelhead hatcheries around the Sound. The proposed action alternative in the draft would operate hatcheries under two state and tribal resource management plans developed jointly by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Puget Sound treaty tribes, according to a NOAA news release. The proposed action would maintain hatchery production at current levels. Jeffrey P. Mayor reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

UVic researcher seeks citizen scientists for radioactivity monitoring program
A University of Victoria researcher is assembling a comprehensive coastal radioactivity monitoring program just as the amount of contaminated debris from the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster is set to peak in B.C. waters. Chemical oceanographer Jay Cullen is recruiting “citizen scientists” to collect seawater samples monthly from 14 locations between Victoria and Haida Gwaii. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hands up. Don’t shoot: Federal agents report shooting 4 nutria rodents at lake in ongoing kill
Federal wildlife agents have shot and killed four nutria over the past month around Olympia’s Capitol Lake, part of the ongoing effort to eliminate the nuisance rodents. The work, carried out over three evenings and early mornings so far, is not done, according to the state Department of Enterprise Services, which manages the lake area. Brad Shannon reports. (Olympian)

Mitigation efforts help protect eelgrass, a home to sea life
As the Port of Kingston undertakes its long-planned dredging of the boat launch and dock access areas, you may have heard that they are undertaking some mitigation activities to offset the affect removing bottom sediments has on the biology below. One part of that mitigation program is an eelgrass transplanting and growing project. This is a very cool thing. (Kingston Community News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU SEP 4 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING E TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING E 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 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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6/4 Groundfish, coal, BC pipes, 'Oil&Water,' hatcheries, harbor porpoise, Tokitae, Vashon natives, Nisqually park

Sustainable rockfish

West Coast groundfish certified as sustainable
More than a decade after overfishing led to the collapse of the one of the West Coast's most valuable fisheries, it has been certified as sustainable. The international Marine Stewardship Council announced Tuesday in Portland, Oregon, it has certified that 13 bottom-dwelling species collectively known as groundfish are harvested in an environmentally sustainable way. That applies to species sold as red snapper, Dover sole and lingcod. In a 400-page report, the council said federal regulations are in place to protect habitat, hold fishermen responsible and set harvest quotas based on scientific data. The action led the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watchlist to move six West Coast rockfish species from "Avoid" status, to "Good Alternative." Jeff Barnard reports. (Associated Press)

If you like to watch: The video they don't want you to see...  
RE Sources shares their video of why SSA Marine isn't to be trusted.

Wyoming Governor Visits Washington To Promote Coal Exports
A controversial coal export terminal proposed for this Columbia River town has a big supporter from the state of Wyoming. Its governor was in Longview Tuesday to tour the old aluminum smelter where the The Millennium Bulk coal export terminal would move up to 44 million tons a year of Wyoming coal off trains and onto ships bound for Asia. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix) See also: U.S. coal curbs would boost B.C.'s Westshore Terminals traffic  Wendy Steuck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Reject Northern Gateway, scientists urge PM in open letter
A letter signed by hundreds of scientists from around the world is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to reject a federal panel report recommending approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. The federal government must announce the final decision by June 17 on the 1,200-kilometre pipeline that would link the Alberta oil sands with a tanker port on the B.C. coast... It was signed by 300 scientists from universities from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, along with colleagues from international institutions including Stanford, Cornell and Oxford. The chief concern from the group is that the panel did not look at the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the expansion in oil sands production. Dene Moore reports. (Globe and Mail) See also: Calgary's TransCanada to build $1.9 billion pipeline link for Kitimat LNG project

'Oil & Water': How SIFF movie gives a face to vital causes
A new film places a young Seattle-educated Ecuadorian at the center of a conflict over energy, the environment and people's rights. Floyd McKay reviews. (Crosscut)

Study: Hatcheries Can Disrupt Steelhead Navigation
A new study suggests steelhead trout can have trouble using the Earth's magnetic field to navigate if they were raised in a hatchery, where the field may be distorted by iron pipes. Scientists at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center raised two sets of fish: one outside the hatchery with a natural magnetic field, and one inside the hatchery where the field was distorted. Fish raised outside the hatchery oriented themselves to changes in the magnetic field, but fish raised in the hatchery's distorted magnetic field did not. (Associated Press)

Death toll mounts at water’s edge for harbor porpoises
An uptick in harbor porpoise strandings has local biologists scratching their heads, looking for clues and wary that mid-May’s unusually high death toll may signal something other than the natural die-off of a population on the rise. Although, that just might be the case....A total of eight harbor porpoise carcasses were recovered from beaches on the westside of San Juan Island between May 19 and May 29. All are similar in length, 4-6 feet, suggesting they were adults, and a series of necropsies are slated to be conducted on three bodies that were not picked apart by scavengers, beginning June 5, Olsen said. The term “stranding” applies to dead animals and to live ones that for some reason are stranded on a beach or rocks and cannot get back into the water. Scott Rasmussen reports. (San Juan Journal)

Ferry Tokitae entering service on Mukilteo route
The newest Washington state ferry is undergoing sea trials and scheduled to go into service June 15 on the Mukilteo-Clinton route. The 144-car Tokitae (toh-kee-tay) was accepted Monday by Washington State Ferries. (Associated Press)

Public invited to weigh in on state marine parks use and fees
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is asking the boating public to help the agency better understand how boaters use state marine parks and provide their views on possible changes to fees and policies for next year. Boaters are invited to take an online survey at: www.parks.wa.gov/165/Boating-Fees. The 30-question confidential survey takes about 5-15 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete the survey is June 15. A summary of results will be posted on the same web page in July.

New exhibit delves into Vashon’s Native American past
“Vashon Island’s Native People: Navigating the Seas of Change” will open at the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum for the First Friday at 6 p.m. Friday. The exhibit will be on display through March 2015. For museum locations and hours, see here. Natalie Martin reports. (Vashon Beachcomber)

Washington joins Nisqually Tribe to develop new 1,300-acre state park in Mount Rainier foothills
Washington will develop a new 1,300-acre state park in the Mount Rainier foothills, about a 2.5-hour drive north of Portland/Vancouver. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Nisqually Indian Tribe on Tuesday signed a partnership agreement for the collaborative development of Nisqually State Park. The park land lies seven miles west of Eatonville on S.R. 7, at the confluence of the Nisqually River, Mashel River and Ohop Creek. The park includes a diverse landscape of steep-sided forest valleys, high ridges and reforested plateaus in the Mount Rainier foothills, according to a state park news release. Terry Richards reports. (Oregonian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 4 2014
TODAY
NW WIND 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W
 SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 6 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

5/8 Frank, Jr., oil trains, BC train reroute, Petrogas, BC geoduck, hatcheries, rain gardens, sea stars, El Nino

The Perfect Nestbox (http://birdnote.org/show/perfect-nestbox)

More fine words: Soundings: Thoughts on Billy Frank Jr. while weeding and planting
John Dodge writes, "Gardening is often a form of catharsis for me. The garden is a place I go to purge my soul, ease a worried mind and lighten a heavy heart. I was drawn to the garden like a magnet Tuesday, working through the grief of the past 24 hours, the grief that descended on me and countless others with the sudden death of tribal leader Billy Frank Jr. The iconic Nisqually Indian whose life was stuff of legend left the rest of us behind Monday morning. Right before he took his last breath, he mentioned that he was tired. I don’t blame him for feeling worn out. After all, he was 83 and had worked nonstop for 70 years to secure tribal treaty fishing rights, to keep salmon from going extinct and to turn off the spigots of pollution — he called them “poisons” — discharged with reckless abandon into the rivers and Puget Sound...." (The Olympian)

Feds issue emergency order on crude oil trains
The Transportation Department issued an emergency order Wednesday requiring that railroads inform state emergency management officials about the movement of large shipments of crude oil through their states and urged shippers not to use older model tanks cars that are easily ruptured in accidents, even at slow speeds. The emergency order requires that each railroad operating trains containing more than 1 million gallons of crude oil – the equivalent of about 35 tank cars – from the booming Bakken region of North Dakota, Montana and parts of Canada provide information on the trains’ expected movement, including frequency and county-by-county routes, to the states they traverse. The order also requires that railroads disclose the volume of oil being transported and how emergency responders can contact “at least one responsible party” at the railroad. Joan Lowy reports. (Associated Press)

White Rock, B.C., urges Ottawa to reroute oil tank cars
White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin is heading to a national conference of municipal leaders later this month with rebellion on his agenda. Mr. Baldwin is pushing Ottawa to reroute the growing number of rail shipments of dangerous goods that run through his densely populated seaside community. But he hasn’t received a response to his request last month for a meeting with federal Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt, and now he is searching for allies among similarly frustrated municipal leaders when the Federation of Canadian Municipalities soon meets in Niagara Falls. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Calgary firm purchases gas export terminal near Ferndale
A butane/propane export terminal near Ferndale that has remained under the radar for decades has been purchased for $242 million, an indication of significant changes taking place in global energy markets. Last week Petrogas Energy Corp. closed a deal to purchase the storage and distribution facility at the end of Unick Road from Chevron. According to documents filed at the Whatcom County Treasurer's Office, the sale of about 42 acres of property equates to slightly more than $4.1 million in local and state excise taxes. It is one of the largest taxable transactions ever filed in this area, said Whatcom County Treasurer Steve Oliver. The sales price includes a large set of intangibles beyond the property itself, including ancillary assets, inventories, contracts and other considerations, said Stan Owerko, president and CEO of Petrogas Inc., which is based in Calgary, Canada. Petrogas Inc., along with Calgary-based AltaGas Ltd. and Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, are the companies that hold a majority stake in Petrogas Energy Corp. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Geoduck fishery dispute prompts First Nation blockade threat
A Vancouver Island First Nation is threatening to blockade a large section of the Strait of Georgia because of a major dispute with Fisheries and Oceans over the lucrative geoduck harvest. The geoduck is a species of very large, edible, saltwater clam - one of the largest in the world. Its name is derived from a Coast Salish word meaning "dig deep". The sought-after clams have a very high value on the international market. Stz'uminus Chief John Elliott says his First Nation has been seeking a larger share of the geoduck fishery for years. Elliott says the band applied to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to harvest the clams in a 100-hectare area in the waters near its reserve, but were only granted rights to harvest just five hectares of sea floor. (CBC)

Hatcheries on hold
Steelhead hatchery operations in Puget Sound are on hold until the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives the state Department of Fish and Wildlife the green light — except for the Marblemount hatchery on the Skagit River. “The early winter program that we have historically run at the Marblemount hatchery we will not operate for 12 years, so we will not be asking NOAA to review that Hatchery Genetic Management Plan,” Fish and Wildlife Assistant Director Jim Scott said. The state and federal fisheries managers will meet Friday to discuss management plans for the state’s eight other Chambers Creek steelhead hatchery programs, which came under fire in a lawsuit centered on the U.S. Endangered Species Act this spring. How long the review process will take from there is hard to say. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Tacoma rain gardens cleaning contaminants in Thea Foss Waterway
Deemed a Superfund site in 1983, the City of Tacoma is now making headway to clean up the contaminated Thea Foss Waterway.
The city has been monitoring high levels of chemicals like arsenic and pesticides for 12 years, and recent tests show a decrease in 90 percent of contaminants. Better known for its lights and sounds inside, Dorky's Arcade in Tacoma is now getting attention for its efforts outside. Owner Les Vorosbond sponsors one of the city's rain gardens. The City of Tacoma has 14 rain gardens, but sponsors only four. Coordinators hope businesses and organizations will chip in and help. Janet Kim reports. (KING) See also: Works begins on rain gardens in downtown Bellingham

Environment minister passes on sewage meeting
Environment Minister Mary Polak has said thanks but no thanks to an invitation to attend a Capital Regional District board meeting to outline whether the province will intervene in the impasse in rezoning Esquimalt’s McLoughlin Point for a sewage treatment plant. Saying a “pivotal juncture” had been reached in the CRD’s sewage treatment plans and that “significant financial implications [were] associated with further delays,” CRD chairman Alastair Bryson wrote to Polak on April 30, extending an invitation to her to attend the May 14 board meeting to discuss the CRD’s earlier appeal for provincial assistance. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Mystery starfish plague extends to Canada and Mexico, but the answer is within our grasp
Starfish along much of the North American Pacific coast are dying in great numbers from a mysterious starfish wasting syndrome. As yet the cause of the syndrome is unidentified, and it’s not clear whether it’s a due to an environmental change, disease or or something else. The early signs vary by species affected and include a deflated appearance, unnatural twisting of the body, and small lesions on the surface that increase in size and number. The wasting often progresses rapidly, leading to the softening of the starfish’s hard body, loss of arms, and eventually complete disintegration and death, sometimes over a period as short as few days. Similar die-offs have occurred before in the 1970s and the 1990s, but never before at this magnitude and over such a wide geographic area. Pete Raimondi reports. (The Conversation)

World is unprepared for major El Niño later this year
THE weather is preparing to go wild, and will wreak havoc and death around the globe later this year. An El Niño, a splurge of warm water in the Pacific Ocean, is coming. It will unleash floods in the Americas, while South-East Asia and Australia face drought. Yet little is being done to address these consequences. Michael Slezak reports. (New Scientist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 8 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 9
 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN...THEN SHOWERS
 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

3/14 Session ends, BC parks, geoduck talks, BC sewage, salmon fishing, gene banks, oil trains, Exxon Valdez, Whidbey 'wall,' Kurt Musgrove, PA stormwater

Olympia Oyster (VIUDeepBay/Flickr)

An almost forgotten history of Native Oysters on Vancouver Island
We have been searching through 1800′s literature and newspapers to track the exploitation and disappearance of Native (Olympia) oysters from Baynes Sound and Vancouver Island as a whole. This is our longest post to date but is some research we are very excited about. We hope you enjoy this almost forgotten chapter of Vancouver Island estuarine ecosystems. (Deep Bay Marine Field Station Updates)

New blog: Hey, Puget Sound! It’s A “New Path Forward!”  
That’s what the Puget Sound Partnership says Governor Inslee has done by reconstituting the Partnership’s Leadership Council. And, having named a new executive director, Governor Jay has his new team now to make or break Puget Sound recovery on his watch...

Legislative session ends without tackling some major issues
As legislative sessions go, this was largely a forgettable one. State lawmakers finished their two-month session Thursday night by passing an operating budget that slightly increased state spending and then heading home without dealing with a plethora of other major issues. Brian M. Rosenthal and Andrew Garber report. (Seattle Times)

And, since you didn’t ask: The True Meaning of Pi Day

Province adds 55,000 hectares to B.C. parks
The province introduced a bill in the legislature Thursday that, if passed, would add more than 55,000 hectares to B.C.’s parks, conservancies and other protected areas. This will add to more than 14 million hectares the province has already protected. Among the changes announced Thursday is the addition of marine waters amassing 6,438 hectares of Queen Charlotte Strait to Mahpahkum-Ahkwuna/ Deserters-Walker Conservancy. At nearby Qwiquallaaq/ Boat Bay Conservancy, 72 kilometres southeast of Port Hardy, an addition of 736 hectares of marine water includes kelp and seagrass beds and important marine mammal habitat. Sandra McCulloch reports. (Times Colonist)

Talks Set In Beijing On West Coast Shellfish Ban
There are signs of a thaw in the icy trade relations between the United States and China over a Chinese ban on imported shellfish from the West Coast of the U.S. Chinese officials have agreed to meet next week with U.S. counterparts to discuss China’s import ban on shellfish harvested from Alaska, Washington, Oregon and part of California. China banned shellfish imports from most of the West Coast in December over concerns about contamination. The move has cost the shellfish industry in Washington hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Sewage spill could cost Greater Vancouver district $110,000
Spilling 650 cubic metres of raw sewage into the waters off Stanley Park will likely cost the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District $110,000. The district pleaded guilty this week to a violation under the Fisheries Act for dumping the untreated waste water into waters frequented by fish — in this case, into the waters off Brockton Point from the Chilco Pump Station. Kim Pemberton reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Salmon fishing ocean limits at levels not seen since late ’70s
“Here we are in 2014, and it’s like a time machine going back to the good old days of salmon fishing,” says Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine Trade Association. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Wild Fish In Gene Banks, Hatchery Fish In Elwha — Why The Two-Headed Strategy?
Washington state has banned hatchery-raised steelhead from three tributaries of the Upper Columbia River basin. The aim of these so-called "gene banks" is to maintain strongholds for wild fish, and the state plans to designate additional gene banks in the future. So why were the state and federal governments back in court this week, defending the decision to place a new hatchery on the Elwha River as part of the dam removal process? Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Oil-by-rail bills die for lack of support by Senate majority
A bill slapping a 5-cent per barrel tax on crude oil entering Washington by rail car died in the state Senate late Thursday as lawmakers moved toward adjournment by midnight. Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale said it appeared a $300,000 study of oil-by-rail impacts in the state - which budget writers inserted into the supplemental budget - was the only move lawmakers would make this year to deal with the increasing oil traffic on state rail lines.... Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, said he was prepared to add amendments to Senate Bill 6567 that would have let the Department of Ecology collect better data on rail shipments from oil refineries. But Ericksen, who has close ties to the oil industry and has a refinery in his hometown, lacked votes from his caucus to bring the oil-fee measure to a floor vote - as long as Ranker and fellow Democrats were pushing amendments. Brad Shannon reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Exxon Valdez: disaster remembered, series of events in store
On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez was steered onto a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, resulting in an oil spill of 11 million gallons of crude oil. The 25th anniversary of the disaster, a continuing environmental nightmare and human tragedy, will be memorialized in San Juan County with a series of events and activities beginning Friday, March 14, and ending with a unique oil spill simulation on March 24. The commemoration is being produced by the San Juans Alliance, a new consortium of the Lopez NO COALition, the Orcas NO COALition, the Friends of the San Juans and San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping. (Journal of the San Juans)

'Wall of Whidbey' blocking 100 years of public beach access
The wealthy homeowner who built a wall to block a century of public access to a cherished Whidbey Island beach tells KOMO 4 News it's his land and he's got the documents to prove it. Bruce Montgomery, a successful developer of pharmaceuticals who lives in Medina, has two beach homes near Greenbank at the end of Wonn Road. And now there is a stone wall crossing the foot of Wonn Road that once extended an additional 15 yards providing access to the beach. He says there may have been 100 years of public access to the beach. But he says he has documents showing Island County has billed the landowners for taxes for 100 years as well. Jeff Burnside reports. (KOMO-TV)

Orca lovers mourn loss of dedicated researcher Kurt Musgrove
Orca lovers are mourning the loss of a dedicated whale researcher. Martin (Kurt) Musgrove is being remembered as a kind, considerate man who often hand-carved a wooden mushroom as a parting gift for fellow volunteers at OrcaLab, a remote B.C. orca monitoring station. “For the moment, we just want to share this incredibly sad news, so the many friends Kurt has made at OrcaLab over the past 30 years will know, and be able to remember him with us,” wrote Paul Spong and Helena Symonds on the OrcaLab blog. Ian Austin reports. (The Province)

Design of Port Angeles stormwater treatment system over budget by 50 percent
Design of a stormwater treatment system for 42 acres of Port of Port Angeles industrial property will cost $150,000 — 50 percent more than budgeted. Tenant lease rates and rates for users of the port's marine terminals and log yard might have to increase to help pay for the system, which is targeted for completion between 2015 and 2016 and does not yet have an estimated cost, port Engineer Chris Hartman said Wednesday. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAR 14 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12
 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN EARLY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 10 FT AT 20 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 12 FT AT 18 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
--
"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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