10/19 Elwha, vote, fish passage, Arctic drill, coal ports, Shell train, mussel power, buffleheads, new allies, orca breeding, saving turtles, Derek Kilmer

Elwha 10/15/15 (Tom Roorda/CWI)

Elwha Nearshore October 15, 2015
Anne Shaffer of Coastal Watershed Institute writes: "The last lovely days of low flow early fall in this captivating place and time. Thank you to Tom Roorda for continuing to provide these important photos. And what it means? The main river channel is much shorter and closer to its original length than in past months of dam removal. The delta on the other hand has grown by around 45 hectares and is much more diverse habitat wise. Fish use the new areas. They began using them as soon as the habitat was available. Upshot? Most of the new delta fish habitat is side channel and estuary-not main river channel. The quiet weather patterns should soon give way to fall winds, swell, and rain, and re-activate the marine and river hydrodynamic engines. This will include pushing sediment east where it is so sorely needed!"

What you need to know for Monday’s federal election
B.C. polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19. One of the longest federal election campaigns in Canadian history comes to a close at 7 p.m. Monday, after the final ballots are cast in British Columbia. Cindy Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Judges hear Washington challenge to fish-passage ruling
In a case that could have implications for dams and development in the Northwest, federal appeals judges heard arguments Friday about whether Washington state should have to spend billions of dollars to replace large pipes that allow streams to pass under roadways — but which also block salmon from migrating upstream to their spawning grounds. The lawsuit is the latest twist in more than 40 years of litigation between Washington and Native American tribes over fishing rights since a federal court decision guaranteed the tribes the right to half of Northwest salmon harvest. Washington's tribes, backed by the U.S. Justice Department, sued the state in 2001, trying to force the state to replace the culverts with bridges or other structures that better allow fish to pass. Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Seattle Enviros Celebrate Cancelation of Oil Drilling Leases In The Arctic
Local environmentalists are celebrating the Obama administration’s announcement that it is canceling upcoming auctions for drilling rights in the Arctic’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The Interior Department also announced it has denied requests for extensions of Arctic leases currently held by Shell and Statoil. Shell’s Arctic fleet became a lightning rod for activism in Seattle this summer, launched by flotillas of “Kayaktivists” and others opposed to drilling. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Wyoming and Montana to promote coal ports in Washington
A delegation of Wyoming and Montana state lawmakers and others are looking to highlight the economic importance of opening ports to export U.S. coal to Asian markets and counter arguments against the ports during a trip to Washington. “We hope to have a broader conversation about why these terminals are important not only to Washington state, but to the people and economies of Wyoming and Montana,” said Jocelyn McCabe, a spokeswoman for the Keep Washington Competitive group, which is sponsoring the visit on Monday. (Associated Press)

Refinery, rail lines: How far should EIS scope reach for Shell rail project?
Skagit County government and the state Department of Ecology are collecting public input on a project that, if built, would mean more oil trains moving through the Skagit Valley. Together, the agencies will review the Shell Puget Sound Refinery’s East Gate Rail Project under the state Environmental Policy Act. But before starting an environmental impact statement, the agencies are trying to determine the scope of study. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) Some groups want rail EIS to extend beyond Shell refinery  Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)  Shell wants limited EIS scope for oil-by-rail project Aaron Weinberg reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) Oil train hearing set for Monday in Lynnwood  Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

Penn Cove mussels to help track pollution flowing into Puget Sound
Late at night when the tide is low enough, an army of volunteers will fan out along Puget Sound and help anchor cages of native Penn Cove mussels near the shore. Starting Oct. 26, the cages will go into 73 spots around Puget Sound. Eight of those will be in Whatcom County, with California Creek where it flows into Drayton Harbor as the farthest point to the north and Clark’s Point in Chuckanut Bay the southernmost spot. The cages will be put in over seven days, and the mussels will stay there until February 2016. Their job is to help scientists find out what contaminants are washing from land into the sound during fall and winter, when Western Washington is wet. The bivalves also will show how well efforts to protect Puget Sound against stormwater pollution are working over time. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Punctual ducks feted with All Buffleheads Day
Californians celebrate the punctuality of the swallows of Capistrano. So why don’t Islanders celebrate the annual arrival of bufflehead ducks? The bufflehead is every bit as regular as the swallows, arriving in the waters of Victoria and south Vancouver Island each Oct. 15 (plus or minus a day).
… Now the Friends of Shoal Harbour and Nature Canada are hoping to earn some recognition for the bufflehead’s remarkable punctuality. On Friday, B.C. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon marked Oct. 15 as All Buffleheads Day. Richard Watts reports. (Times Colonist)

New alliance has big goals for salmon, orca recovery
Even with Endangered Species Act protection, two iconic Salish Sea species are struggling, and a newly formed alliance is calling attention to their plight. “It’s pretty critical that we have to do something, so let’s put the prey and predator together and let’s save them,” said Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research based on San Juan Island. The center is one of many local, national and international groups that recently formed the Orca Salmon Alliance. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Critics of Snake River dams say it’s time to tear them down  The decades-old idea of breaching four giant dams that interfere with endangered salmon runs has gained new momentum Nicholas Geranios reports. (Associated Press)

SeaWorld to challenge Calif. ban on orca breeding
SeaWorld announced Thursday that it will challenge a state ruling that banned the company from breeding captive killer whales at its San Diego park. The announcement comes a week after the California Coastal Commission endorsed a $100 million expansion of the tanks SeaWorld uses to hold orcas in San Diego. That ruling also outlined a series of restrictions on SeaWorld, including a ban on breeding and prohibitions on the sale, trade or transfer of the whales. Michael Blood reports. (Associated Press) See also: Orca pod spotted in Howe Sound  Tracey Tufnail reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Endangered western painted turtles get new beach
A population of western painted turtles in Burnaby will soon have a clean new home, free of the chunks of metallurgical coal they have been living with since a train derailed in their backyard last year. For the last few days, Deanna MacTavish and other members of the Coastal Painted Turtle Project have been digging turtle hatchlings out of a nesting beach near Silver Creek in Burnaby Lake Park. The group built the beach in 2010 and turtles were thriving there until a Canadian Pacific train operated by a Canadian National crew on CN tracks derailed in January 2014, dumping coal into the creek. When crews and officials arrived to clean up after the spill, they scrambled to dig up the nesting turtles before the machines moved in. The hatchlings that were saved were reared off site, then brought home later that spring. Matthew Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Feds eye refuges for cold-water species in 5 states
Federal scientists using new technologies have mapped what is being called a Cold Water Climate Shield, an area spanning five western states that could support viable populations of native species if the region continues its warming trend. Mapping the cold-water refuges for cutthroat trout, a favored sport fish among anglers, and threatened bull trout could help resource managers make decisions aimed at preserving populations of those and other cold-water native species in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming. Keith Ridler reports. (Associated Press)

Conservancy names Rep. Derek Kilmer ‘Champion of Nature’
The Nature Conservancy in Washington state has given U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer its “Champion of Nature” award. Mike Stevens, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Washington state, presented the award Oct. 8 after he and members of the organization’s trustee board and staff traveled to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to renew the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired Sept. 30. Kilmer, a Democrat from Gig Harbor and a Port Angeles native, represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT MON OCT 19 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. RAIN THROUGH THE DAY.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.

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

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10/1 Whales, Duwamish swim, refineries, Shell ship, BC pipe, new fish, Van shores, manure no-no

(Hakai Magazine/Mark Garrison)

Whales Through a New Lens
Forty years ago, the world’s whale researchers met in Indiana. The now legendary, but nearly forgotten, meeting changed the way scientists and the public see whales—and it all started with a few photographs. Erich Hoyt recounts. (Hakai Magazine) [Erich Hoyt speaks in the Salish Sea Oct 3, 6, 10, 11 & 13, Orca Tour 2015]

Intertwined Fates: The Orca-Salmon Connection In the Pacific Northwest
Dr. Carl Safina and an expert panel discuss the critical connections between Columbia Basin Salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whales. Hosted by the Orca Salmon Alliance which is working to prevent extinction of the Southern Resident Killer Whales by recovering the wild Chinook populations upon which the whales depend for their survival. Oct 7, Seattle Aquarium, Brown Paper Tickets

Bainbridge man swims Duwamish to raise awareness of river
Mark Powell slips on his goggles, adjusts his snorkel and drops away from the industrial wasteland at the mouth of the Duwamish River. The rusty barges, crumbling piers and the screech of freight trains give way to a quiet, green-blue world that is startlingly alive…. Powell, who lives on Bainbridge Island, has spent the last several months swimming the entire length of the Duwamish. He started where the 85-mile river begins as a clear trickle on Blowout Mountain near Mount Rainier. He traveled the river in 3- to 7-mile sections, sometimes crawling or wading through shallows. He finished the swim Wednesday in West Seattle, about a mile from the river’s mouth. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

EPA Sets Tougher Pollution Standards For Oil Refineries
The Environmental Protection Agency released new rules Tuesday requiring better monitoring and control of air emissions from  oil refineries, including  five operating in Washington. Refineries are being targeted by the new rules in part because they emit volatile organic chemicals, greenhouse gases and the carcinogenic compound benzene. Officials behind the new rules said they will improve the health of the 6 million Americans who live within 3 miles of a refinery. The EPA’s assistant administrator, Janet McCabe, said this will be especially beneficial for people of color, who are nearly twice as likely to live near a refinery. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Port of Seattle wins Shell Arctic cargo ruling
In a ruling issued Wednesday morning, deputy hearing examiner Anne Watanabe ruled the activities conducted by Foss at Terminal 5 for the Polar Pioneer and its support vessels are permissible cargo terminal uses. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

First Nations’ challenges of Northern Gateway pipeline to be heard in court
Multiple legal challenges aimed at overturning the federal government’s approval of Enbridge Inc. Northern Gateway pipeline plan will be heard starting Thursday. The challenges are expected to bring new scrutiny to Ottawa’s environmental approval process and its responsibility to consult with aboriginal groups. Eight First Nations, four environmental groups and one labour union launched the legal actions, which will be heard at the Federal Court of Appeal over six days in Vancouver. Laura Kane reports. (Canadian Press)

Known fish species living in the Salish Sea increases in new report
Coho salmon, Pacific halibut and even the dogfish shark are familiar faces to many people in the Salish Sea region. But what about the Pacific viperfish, northern flashlightfish, dwarf wrymouth or the longsnout prickleback? These colorfully named species and others are compiled in a new, 106-page report that documents all of the fishes that live in the Salish Sea, a roughly 6,500-square-mile region that encompasses Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands. In total, 253 fish species have been recorded in the Salish Sea, and that’s about 14 percent more than in the last count, said Ted Pietsch, co-author of the new report and a University of Washington emeritus professor of aquatic and fishery sciences. Michelle Ma reports. (UW Today)

A healthy future for Vancouver's waterfront
Christianne Wilhelmson comments: "…What if we thought of our shores as a natural resource? With Vancouver’s coastal waters home to 1,200 species, including 119 classified as at-risk within the larger Salish Sea, it isn’t an outrageous idea. After all, our waterfront is a public commodity that allows many of us to work, live, and play in this city. If we see the waterfront as a natural resource and acknowledge that without adequate planning and care it might someday look very different than today, wouldn’t we want to commit to developing a vision for its sustainability in the near and long-term future?" (The Georgia Straight)

Livestock owner near Ferndale fined for manure pollution
The state Department of Ecology has fined a livestock owner $12,000 for polluting waterways with manure north of Bellingham. Ecology officials fined Jim and Victoria Snydar last week for polluting waterways near Ferndale that flow into California Creek in the Drayton Harbor watershed. The penalty cites lack of adequate covered manure storage, improper manure spreading, and accumulations of manure in pastures and areas that slope to water bodies, as factors that led to discharges. (Associated Press)

Commissioners pass quiet zone procedures, but some residents unhappy
Skagit County Commissioners approved procedures on creating railroad quiet zones, but some residents of Blanchard are not optimistic. The proposal dictates that a majority of property owners in a half-mile radius of the proposed quiet zone need to sign a petition with a $2,000 application fee. The county then has 180 days to hold a public meeting and present the estimate to the community and negotiate a funding agreement. The community can either create a road improvement district or fund it independently and has 180 days to come forward with the money, the commissioners decided at the meeting. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

NOAA reports never-seen-before marine life in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Scientists returned from a 28-day research expedition today aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Hi‘ialakai to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, reportng marine life never seen before, including a possible new species of seahorse and a sea star not previously found in Hawaii. The scientists used advanced diving technology to survey reefs within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument at depths up to 300 feet, deeper than what conventional scuba gear allows, NOAA said in a news release today. (Star-Advertiser)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU OCT 1 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate
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8/25 Barred owls, Skagit fire, Vic sewer, Nautilus, Tesoro xylene

Barred owl (Paul Bannick/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: The Barred Owl Calls
Barred Owls are very territorial, and they don't migrate. Solitary calls from a male in early spring probably mean that he has not attracted a mate. In May and June, he continues to hoot, though less frequently. By summer, breeding season has passed. Maybe this solitary Barred Owl is what some scientists call a "non-breeding floater". Perhaps his patch of woods is just too small to host a pair of owls year round. (BirdNote)

Wildfire Shuts Down Hydropower On The Skagit River. What You Need To Know
Eight fires are burning more than 4,000 acres in Washington’s North Cascades. The largest of the fires has damaged transmission lines, leading Seattle City LIght to shut down power generation at three dams on the Skagit River. The utility is losing $100,000 in revenue each day that the lines are down. Conditions have remained unsafe for repair crews to work on the power lines. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Victoria mayor promises sewage solution coming, tourism boycott unnecessary  
Victoria's mayor says the city needs to do a better job of letting its Washington neighbours know it has a handle on the Capital Regional District's sewage situation.  Last week, the Seattle Times published an editorial on Victoria's constipated political process, suggesting it's time for a tourism boycott unless the district makes progress getting a treatment system up and running…. Mayor Lisa Helps says the editorial's timing is ironic, coming days after the district announced what she calls a big step forward — hiring consultants to cost out potential new sites and appointing an independent oversight panel. (CBC)

Robotics-equipped Nautilus to help maintain UVic's undersea labs
The man credited with finding the wreck of the Titanic in 1985 is providing his research vessel for an expedition to benefit the renowned underwater laboratory systems run by University of Victoria -based Ocean Networks Canada. Robert Ballard knows ONC president Kate Moran from their days together at the University of Rhode Island, so he was happy to have the ship Nautilus, with all of its specialized equipment, put to good use by his friend. He said he will keep a close eye on the trip from his computers at home in Connecticut. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

How Tesoro’s Petrochem Plans May Threaten Anacortes & the Salish Sea
In July 2014, Tesoro Corporation announced plans to build a xylene extraction facility at the site of its existing oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington. The $400 million facility would be capable of producing 15,000 barrels per day for export to Asia in oceangoing vessels. Yet xylene is a little-known chemical, and it’s worth asking: what is the risk of xylene to Northwest communities? Eric de Place reports. (Sightline)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-900 AM PDT TUE AUG 25 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
 TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 16 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG 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

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8/3 Toxin rule, Vibrio, drought, Navy deal, BC spill, Shell drill, BC derailment, North Cr., Kayak Pt., Duwamish

(PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

Summer School for Seals
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Perhaps we resembled kindly grandparents. Or perhaps the distance around our boat was just right to safely challenge a young harbour seal. Whatever the reason, we were delighted that out of half a dozen boats anchored in the bay that day, Momma Seal chose ours for her pup’s swimming lesson…."

Water quality rules might be up to feds after Inslee drops rewrite
Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday scrapped a major rewrite of the state's clean water rules, opening the door for the federal government to impose its standard on the state. Inslee, in a much- anticipated decision, directed the state Department of Ecology to not proceed with a stricter water quality standard based in part on how much fish people consume. He explained in a press release that updating this standard was part of his two-prong approach to cleaning up the state's water ways. The other prong — a bill aimed at keeping toxins from being released into rivers by regulating the source of the pollutants — failed to pass in the Legislature this year. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Inslee backs off water-quality standards; his next move is unclear  Christopher Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

B.C. weather linked to 'unprecedented' rates of illness from raw oysters
n unprecedented number of people in British Columbia reported raw shellfish-related illnesses in June and July, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) said Friday. The majority of the 35 cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus-related infections reported were traced to B.C. oysters served raw in restaurants, the BCCDC said…. Warmer ocean temperatures in the summer mean higher concentrations of the naturally-occurring bacteria are generally found at this time, and this year's unseasonably high temperatures could be contributing to the rise in contamination levels, the BCCDC notes. (CBC)

B.C. drought restrictions expanded for fishing, agriculture
Drought conditions are forcing the provincial government to ban fishing and impose water restrictions for farms in parts of southern British Columbia in a bid to help fish stocks through a hot, dry summer. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is suspending fishing in streams for most of Vancouver Island because of low flows and high water temperatures. Beginning on Aug. 4, the only rivers or streams where people will be allowed to fish are the Campbell, Qualicum and Quinsam rivers. The ministry has also restricted water use on farms in B.C.'s Interior in a bid to help salmon that are expected to begin spawning soon on the Coldwater River south of Merritt, where water levels are low because of dry weather. (Canadian Press)

State senators want investigation of Commissioner Goldmark over ‘low’ lease deal
Two Washington state senators have asked the acting state auditor to investigate Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark for an “artificially low” deal with the Navy restricting shoreline development in the Hood Canal. State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, in a letter to Acting State Auditor Jan Jutte Thursday, wrote: “As reported by The Times, Commissioner Goldmark agreed to an artificially low price on a lease of state aquatic bedlands in the Hood Canal.” State Sen. Mark Miloscia, R-Federal Way, also signed the letter. Will Drabold reports. (Seattle Times)

'Confusion', 'miscommunication' slowed Vancouver fuel spill response: report
Misunderstandings, uncertainty and technical difficulties slowed the emergency response to a toxic fuel spill in Vancouver's English Bay by nearly two hours, a review has found. The review released Friday also found that Canadian Coast Guard staff were unsure of their roles and a faulty provincial alert system meant the city was not notified until 12 hours later. "The MV Marathassa incident was an operational discharge of a persistent fuel oil with high consequences," said report author John Butler. "The response was delayed by one hour and 49 minutes due to confusion of roles and responsibilities, miscommunications and technology issues." Laura Kane reports. (Canadian Press)

Judge says Port of Seattle free to host Shell rigs
The much-disputed lease of Port of Seattle property as a base for Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet was affirmed Friday by a King County Superior Court judge who ruled that the Port didn’t need to conduct an environmental review to use Terminal 5 for that purpose. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

Refineries face more liability for wastewater permit violations
A Court of Appeals decision filed at the end of July will increase liability for refineries that fail a wastewater discharge test. In 2012, three environmental organizations appealed language in state Department of Ecology permits for the BP oil refinery at Cherry Point that allowed the refinery to fail whole effluent toxicity tests (WET) without it being a permit violation. WET tests measure the impact of all pollutants in a sample of wastewater on living aquatic animals and are an important component of water quality standards, according to a news release. Shelby Rowe reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Greenhouse gas: Obama to order steeper cuts for power plants
 President Barack Obama will impose even steeper cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants than previously expected, senior administration officials said Sunday, in what the president called the most significant step the U.S. has ever taken to fight global warming. A year after proposing unprecedented carbon dioxide limits, Obama was poised to finalize the rule at a White House event on Monday…. Opponents vowed to sue immediately, and planned to ask the courts to put the rule on hold while legal challenges play out. Many states have threatened not to comply. (Associated Press)

CP crews dealing with coal train derailment near Sparwood, B.C.
A Canadian Pacific Railway freight train carrying coal has derailed near the southeastern British Columbia community of Sparwood. Eighteen cars went off the tracks in the accident at about 3:30 p.m. Friday. (Canadian Press)

Environmental concerns void Bothell development ordinance
A Bothell ordinance to allow increased residential development in the environmentally sensitive North Creek watershed has been rejected by a state Growth Management Hearings Board…. Longtime environmental activists in the city challenged the council’s approval of a November 2014 ordinance that reduced standards for preserving forest cover, eliminated limits on impervious surfaces and allowed for more extensive site excavation. They argued the new ordinance would irreparably harm the watershed, about 220 acres that include streams as well as North Creek, which support spawning runs of coho salmon and steelhead. Lynn Thompson reports. (Seattle Times)

$2.6M Skagit River levee repair project starts Monday
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start work Monday to repair 4,050 feet of the Skagit River levee system at nine sites. The $2.6 million project, which includes levees within four diking districts, is expected to be complete in mid-September. The corps and dike districts cost-share the project, paying 80 and 20 percent respectively. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

State regulators break precedent with OK of Island County net pen ban
Washington’s Department of Ecology is willing to let Island County ban fish farming from its waters, but only temporarily. In a reversal of position, the Ecology Department said in June that the county’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) can continue its ban on so-called net pen aquaculture, but added that the prohibition will likely not be permanent. Dan Richman reports. (South Whidbey Record)

Study at Kayak Point Park will determine if clamming can return
Biologists and volunteers took to the beach last week to dig up, identify, measure and weigh clams at Kayak Point Park. The Pacific Shellfish Institute and Stillaguamish River Clean Water District have partnered to study clam populations along that stretch of shoreline. Research biologists with the shellfish institute are investigating whether Kayak Point could be seeded with clam larvae and eventually reopened for public digging. They plan to have a feasibility study done by the end of the year. Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

$500,000 send-off for Greater Victoria sewage program boss  
The head of the Seaterra sewage program will walk away with almost $500,000 in severance pay at the end of September. Despite the payout, the decision to terminate Seaterra’s remaining project staff — including Albert Sweetnam — was made to cut losses, said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps…. Sweetnam was hired on a five-year contract in 2013 to manage a staff of more than 20 people. His $290,000 annual salary put him at the top of the Capital Regional District’s salary list for 2014. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

‘Duwamish Revealed’ project means to inspire river’s revitalization
An eclectic series of public-art installations and performances along Seattle’s Duwamish River this summer is meant to draw attention to clean up efforts and the value of the city’s waterway. Andie Waterman reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 3 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 6 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 6 SECONDS...BUILDING TO W
 5 FT AT 6 SECONDS 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.

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7/29 BC boats, Inslee acts, warm waters, fish collapse, oil push, Edelman, human measure, Vic sewer, Tesoro, drought

Salish-class ferries (BC Ferries/Times Colonist)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 255 AM PDT WED JUL 29 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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7/20 Orcas, Inslee, BC oil spill, glacier melt, humpies, False Cr, Cowichan R, BC LNG, Tesoro, Army training, eelgrass, 'phallic' clam

J50 (Clint Rivers, Eagle Wing Tours/KING)

Baby orcas thriving in the Northwest
Baby orcas are jumping for joy in Northwest waters. The Pacific Whale Watch Association says: "The Salish Sea continues to be a 'pre-school' of sorts for the four youngest members of the Southern Resident Community of orcas." (KING) See also:  Orca baby boom: Enough to save the endangered whales?  (Christian Science Monitor)

Inslee, the ‘greenest’ governor — not so much
Gov. Jay Inslee has long advocated reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. But the state Legislature adjourned this month without taking the kind of major climate action desired by Inslee and his environmentalist allies. Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Inslee to decide whether to revise water-pollution standards for the state  …. We can’t forget that Inslee had publicly stated that if the Legislature failed to act on his full pollution-cleanup program, he would revisit the water-quality standards — presumably to make them stronger. So the governor kind of boxed himself in, and that’s where we stand today. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Oil spill in English Bay reached several Vancouver beaches, scientist say
Scientists have conclusively linked oil that washed up along numerous Vancouver beaches with the grain container ship that leaked bunker fuel in English Bay in April. Testing by researchers from the Vancouver Aquarium also shows that the fuel may have harmed aquatic organisms and wildlife in the water and along the shores. Peter Ross of the Vancouver Aquarium's Ocean Research Program and his team did a detailed forensic analysis of the oil from the MV Marathassa, looking at more than 100 hydrocarbons that create a unique so-called fingerprint. (Canadian Press)

How will the Pacific Northwest change when its glaciers are gone?
Glaciers set the Pacific Northwest apart and are essential for supplying the region’s drinking water, hydropower and for ensuring the survival of the region's iconic salmon. But disappearing glaciers make the Northwest uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Washington has more glaciers than any other state, except Alaska. Some 376 glaciers feed the Skagit River. That number alone sets the Evergreen State apart from the rest of the country, but it also makes it uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Robert Boos and Ashley Ahearn report. (Living on Earth/PRI)

Drought raises concern over return of humpies
Millions of pink salmon are bound for Washington rivers and streams this year. Biologists are worried that when they return, they might find the water too warm and shallow for spawning and cause more problems for fish already struggling in drought conditions. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is estimating that almost 6.8 million pink salmon will make it to Puget Sound this year. Of those, 1.6 million are forecast for the Snohomish River, 600,000 for the Skagit River and 210,000 for Stillaguamish River. Amy Nile reports. (Everett Herald)

E. coli levels in False Creek have potential to rise even higher
A look at E. coli levels for the past six years reveal a drastic spike in last year's numbers. This year's levels are already higher than average as well…. City officials acknowledge the high numbers this year, and say they are working toward keeping the levels down. Wanyee Li reports. (CBC)

Cowichan anxious to solve a drying river
Cowichan Tribes Chief Chip Seymour has watched the once robust Cowichan River reduced to a mere stream. Drought conditions are stranding salmon fry in warm pools, he said, and hampering mature chinook from completing their spring run up to Cowichan Lake…. A long-term solution seems desperate. But stakeholders say one has already been identified: Raise the weir. The problem is, it hasn’t been implemented. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

B.C. to pass 25-year LNG law, but industry wants more; labour, tax concerns
A liquefied natural gas industry: the British Columbia government fought an election on it, launched an extraordinary summer legislative session and made financial concessions, but it still isn't enough for the companies that want even lower taxes and have expressed concerns over the availability of workers. The Liberal government's LNG dream is expected to move towards reality this week when a bill is adopted for a 25-year agreement on what could be B.C.'s first LNG plant. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Tesoro to appeal fines connected to fatal 2010 explosion
After five years of hearing delays, Tesoro’s appeal of safety and health violations and $2 million in fines connected to a fatal explosion is set for next week in Mount Vernon. In 2010, a heat exchanger at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes exploded, killing seven employees…. After the 2010 explosion, Labor and Industries cited Tesoro for 39 willful violations and five serious violations of state and workplace safety and health regulations, according to a department report. Shelby Rowe reports. (Skagit  Valley Herald)

Army eyes North Cascades for helicopter training
Army aviation officials at Joint Base Lewis-McChord want to create a North Cascades training area for helicopter pilots to practice flyovers and high-altitude landings on U.S. Forest Service lands. The high-elevation mountain training area would extend over an aerial space largely east of the Cascades from around Leavenworth up to the Canadian border. It would include seven remote landing zones, including one just inside the boundary of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and another within a mile of the Pacific Crest Trail north of Highway 20. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Camps take to Puget Sound to teach environmental stewardship
Environmental stewardship takes on a whole new feel from inside a kayak navigating the Squaxin Passage on Puget Sound. The overnight camp on Hope Island Marine State Park in Mason County and the nearly half-mile kayak trip from Carlyon Beach to the park is just one of the camps being offered to South Sound teens this summer by the nonprofit Mount2Sound Adventures. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

The new face of Seattle’s Aquarium (maybe)
The Seattle Aquarium released its Master Plan For Expansion this week, rolling out a proposal that would increase exhibit space by at least 40 percent and cost a minimum of $90 million. Our favorite part is the Shark tank. The biggest addition is the Tropical Pacific Pavilion (which would house the shark tank). It would rise to the east of today’s aquarium, connecting the waterfront with the Pike Place Market. The pavilion would allow nearly twice the number of visitors as today. Alex Cnossen reports. (Crosscut)

Researchers probe how much sulfide Puget Sound eelgrass can withstand
What’s green, thin, slimy and sways in the water? It’s eelgrass, an often unseen marine plant that is important for the environment and economy in the Puget Sound region. The eelgrass in Puget Sound is sort of like a canary in a coal mine for the underwater world, serving as an indicator of marine health. It can affect many species that depend on it, from crabs to salmon. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Tracking eelgrass changes  Padilla Bay research program documents eelgrass presence. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

East Bay Drive residents plant oyster seeds in Olympia’s Budd Inlet
The shores of Budd Inlet are lined with mesh bags, filled with oysters. Each year, residents of Olympia’s East Bay neighborhood check the bags, and if the oysters are big enough, they’re set free. The bags are then replaced with new ones, filled with oyster seeds…. The oysters aren’t for eating... The goal of the program is to rebuild the local oyster population and improve water quality. Amelia Dickson reports. (Olympian)

The 'phallic' clam America sells to China
It's not the most beautiful dinner to look at and it has a very odd name... but in China the geoduck is an expensive delicacy, so on North America's Pacific coast the race is on to farm them and cash in. James Morgan reports. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 600 AM PDT MON JUL 20 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. AREAS OF DRIZZLE AND FOG 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

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6/10 Spotted owls, BC drought, adopted orcas, Shell drill, BC LNG, BP Cherry Pt., Gary Greene

Spotted Owls (JaredHobbs/EarthFix)

Spotted owl numbers not only down but also at faster rate
Scientists report that after two decades of attempts to save the species, northern spotted owl numbers in the Northwest are still on the decline — and at a faster rate. The threatened bird nests in old trees and is at the heart of a decades-long struggle over the fate of the region's old-growth forests. Scientists at a conference Tuesday in Vancouver, Washington, reported that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Glen Sachet. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent. Tim Fought reports. (Associated Press) See also: Where Things Stand For Northwest Forests Under The Clinton Plan  Jes Burns reports. (EarthFix)

Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii on alert for drought conditions
Water experts are warning of drought-like conditions in Metro Vancouver this summer, and parts of the province are already on high alert.  With record-low snow packs, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources says Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii can expect serious water shortages unless significant rainfall comes by the end of June. B.C.'s water stewardship manager Valerie Cameron says those areas have been designated as very dry, or level three on the province's drought levels gauge system. That is just one level shy of the worst drought conditions and it is the earliest the province has designated the regions to level three conditions this early in the year. (CBC) See also: Island residents warned of serious water shortages  Dan Fumano reports. (The Province)

New allies in killer whale recovery? Orcas adopted by Obama girls
Gary Weiss has witnessed first-hand how having friends in high places can help further an important cause. And, that’s a big reason why the photographs of a certain two Southern resident killer whales are likely tacked up on a wall somewhere in the White House by now, or perhaps on the refrigerator. The daughters of the First Family of the United States, Malia and Sasha Obama, recently became united with two members of J-pod through the Friday Harbor Whale Museum’s Orca Adoption Program. Dr. Weiss presented a pair of adoption certificates and accompanying memorabilia to the president as gifts for his daughters girls at a May 27 roundtable discussion in Washington D.C. Scott Rasmussen reports. (San Juan Journal)

Six 'grannies' detained in Seattle during Shell rig protest
Six older women were detained by Seattle police on Tuesday during a protest to block access to a Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig that activists believe may depart this week to resume fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, authorities said. The six, members of an activist group known as the Seattle Raging Grannies, were questioned and released by police after blocking railroad tracks near the Port of Seattle, police spokesman Patrick Michaud said. bout two dozen other protesters had left the port but were expected back on Wednesday, he said. Victoria Cavaliere reports. (Reuters)

Beyond “kayak-tivism”: Three ways to actually halt offshore drilling in Alaska 
Drew Atkins proposed: "1. Making Arctic safety a cause; 2. Going after Shell’s core business; 3. Forcing Hillary Clinton to oppose it." (Crosscut)

Federal review of leading LNG project in northwest B.C. halted again
A federal review of Pacific NorthWest LNG has been halted a third time as the company has been told to provide more information on its effects on a sensitive salmon-rearing habitat. The consortium, led by Malaysian state-controlled Petronas, was asked in February to provide three-dimensional modelling data demonstrating the effects of sediment and changed water currents from the project on Flora Bank. The bank in the Skeena River estuary contains eelgrass beds critical for juvenile-salmon rearing. Gord Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

BP Cherry Point oil train facility gets extra track
By the end of June, crews at BP Cherry Point refinery are expected to complete an additional rail loop at the crude oil train unloading facility off Grandview Road. The third loop allows for more room to store empty crude oil tank cars until they can be taken away by BNSF Railway, BP spokesman Scott Dean said in an email. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Hidden world beneath the sea
Marine geologist Gary Greene will treat islanders to an absorbing visual tour of the hidden subsea world around the San Juan Archipelago, showing the strikingly beautiful sonar images he has been recording for the past 20 years. This Orcas Currents lecture is on Thursday, June 11 and is cosponsored by Coates Vineyards and the Northwest Straits Foundation. It begins at 5:30 p.m. in Orcas Center, with a reception to follow sponsored by the Orcas Food Coop. Admission is free. (Islands Sounder)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 10 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 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.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/8 Oceans Day, WA budget, ship misses, oil spill, Longview, fuel trains, port alliance, glass-sponge reefs, herring, clean streets, Navy pier, Skagit dike, Olympic Park, drought

World Oceans Day is June 8th
This year’s theme is healthy oceans, healthy planet and people all over our blue planet are organizing celebrations throughout the week, from June 6th all the way to June 14th. Jump in.

Budget writers in Olympia have tentative spending agreement
State budget writers have tentatively agreed on a spending level for the state’s 2015-17 operating budget, according to the director of the state Office of Financial Management. Lawmakers are in the second special legislative session after months of a stalemate over how to fund government. If there’s no new budget by the July 1 start of the state’s new fiscal year, parts of the government will shut down. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times) Meanwhile: Lawmakers claim $120 daily payments during special sessions Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

A year of close calls for ships on B.C. coast
Commercial ocean-going ships reported being involved in at least 14 official occurrences on the B.C. coast last year, including collisions, groundings, mechanical breakdowns at sea and close calls with other vessels, federal transportation safety board reports show. While not all involved accidents, some had the potential to be extremely serious, including the Japanese-owned 200-metre bulk carrier Ultra Saskatoon on July 2 reporting a “close-quarters situation” with the Hong Kong-owned 217-metre bulk carrier Great Loyalty near Race Rocks marine reserve off Victoria. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

In plain sight: How the Marathassa oil spill took hours to find
The sloop Odin set out from False Creek late on the sunny afternoon of April 8 for a pleasure sail, with the two-man crew, Rob O’Dea and Arnt Arntzen, using a steady northwest wind to tack their way around the transport freighters that use English Bay as a parking lot.  Around 4:45 p.m., the pair aboard Mr. Arntzen’s 21-foot sailboat spotted a large slick on the water, accompanied by the smell of fresh asphalt. It took them just 15 minutes of sailing to track the source to the bulk grain carrier MV Marathassa, which was at anchor in the bay after putting in to the Port of Vancouver to begin loading its cargo. By then, the slick was half a kilometre long and 250 meters wide, by Mr. O’Dea’s estimation. Beneath the blue sheen, he could see the water was thick with globules of oil. Mr. O’Dea called 911 at 5:05 p.m. from his cell phone, and a Canadian Coast Guard official called him back three minutes later to assure him they were already aware of the spill and had dispatched a pollution response team. That would have been reassuring, except there was no Coast Guard or any other emergency response vessel in sight. In fact, the clean-up crew would not be authorized to respond until three hours later. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mike Lowry’s visit to planned coal port upsets environmentalists
On the battlefield of one of the biggest environmental clashes to erupt in the Pacific Northwest in decades, an old soldier for liberal causes and steeped in “green” cred has re-emerged — but this time, he’s fighting for the other side. Or at least that’s how some environmental groups perceive Mike Lowry’s recent visit to the site of a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River, where the former Washington governor and congressman spoke favorably about the controversial project. Lowry’s tour on May 28 of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) coal-export facilities site in Longview — during which he met with company brass, local elected officials and labor representatives who back the project — quickly generated a story in the hometown newspaper. Lewis Kamb reports. (Seattle Times)

The Clean Energy Governor And The Columbia River Oil Refinery
A new oil refinery is the last thing you might expect Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration to be courting. After all, Inslee has developed a national reputation as a champion of curbing the use of fossil fuels. And yet, Inslee’s administration has worked for months to facilitate such a project along the Columbia River. A Texas-based energy company wants to site a combined crude oil and biofuel refinery in Longview, Washington. The company’s goal is to capitalize on low carbon fuel standards championed by West Coast political leaders, including Inslee. Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick report. (KUOW)

Coastal Salish Nation steps up opposition to fossil fuel trains
The Coast Salish Nation issued a statement this week that it plans to work collectively against the transport of crude oil by rail and sea through tribal territories. The Coast Salish Nation includes the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and represents the ancestral territory of British Columbia First Nations and Western Washington tribes. The group met on Swimomish land in May and voted unanimously to try to stop all crude oil shipments through tribal territory. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Tacoma, Seattle ports approve Northwest Seaport Alliance plan
Two ports that for decades competed fiercely for Puget Sound shipping business toasted a friendly new alliance Friday that will join terminal operations and marketing activities under a single management. Those Champagne toasts came after the governing commissions of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle voted unanimously to seek the blessing of the Federal Maritime Commission for the newly named Northwest Seaport Alliance that will link the two ports’ shipping terminals to form the nation’s third-largest container port. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Bellingham port environmental director retires after 20 years
When Mike Stoner first toured the Port of Bellingham’s properties 20 years ago, he started to make a mental list of contaminated sites that needed work…. Two decades and countless hours of investigating, building partnerships, and environmental planning later, one of the largest cleanup projects on that list is about to break ground and Stoner is set to retire. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Ottawa announces fishing closures to protect glass-sponge reefs in Strait of Georgia
Glass sponges are fragile, long-lived lifeforms that can be damaged by prawn traps…. The federal fisheries department announced Friday commercial and recreational fishing closures to protect nine glass-sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. The closures prohibit all "bottom-contact" fisheries, including prawn and crab traps, shrimp trawl, groundfish trawl, and hook-and-line, within a buffer zone of 150 metres around the nine reefs. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

First Nation Heiltsuk calls for extension of herring fishery closure
The Heiltsuk First Nation is calling for a coast-wide closure of the 2016 herring fishery, after it successfully shut down the 2015 fishery on the central coast earlier this spring. On Tuesday, the Bella Bella-based First Nation will issue a declaration that the herring and herring roe fisheries will remain closed until herring stocks have recovered. The Heiltsuk are in talks with the Haida and Nuu-chah-nulth to support a closure for the entire coast. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State public lands commissioner calls for more study on Navy electronic warfare range plan
The Navy should rethink its proposed expansion of activities in its electronic warfare range in light of potential impacts on the threatened marbled murrelet and a deluge of comments against the plan, said Peter Goldmark, state commissioner of public lands. Goldmark, who manages the state Department of Natural Resources, said last week that the Navy's 2010 environmental impact statement on the effects of jet noise on the seabird listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act did not go far enough. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Cleaner streets for cleaner Puget Sound planned
Copper, zinc, phosphorous and other pollutants build up on Seattle’s streets before rain washes them into storm drains and waterways that lead to Puget Sound. During heavy rains, the sewer system fills up and the problem can worsen. As a solution, the city plans to double the coverage of its street-cleaning program, hoping to scour at least 40 additional tons of pollutants from roadways each year before they can reach the Sound. The $800,000 street-cleaning expansion — meant to help satisfy a consent agreement with state and federal authorities to rein in combined sewage overflows — also is the frugal way to go, officials said. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Navy offers new option for proposed Port Angeles submarine escort pier
The Navy has announced the location of a fourth alternative site for a proposed pier at Ediz Hook, where a plethora of activity already is taking place. The new location was offered to mollify concerns expressed by the Puget Sound Pilots and others about the $16.7 million proposal, which would provide a dock for up to seven Navy submarine escort vessels. But the route of the vessels as they proceed to the newest-option pier also places them within 100 feet of Seattle-based Icicle Seafoods Inc.’s Atlantic-salmon fish farm. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Fir Island Farms Reserve closed to public for dike setback
Public access is now closed to the Fir Island Farms Reserve, where heavy machinery will begin moving dirt and materials next week for the start of a two-year tidal marsh restoration project, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday. The project, which is being done on Fish and Wildlife land on Fir Island, will set back the existing mile-long dike about 5,500 feet to reopen 131 acres of tidal marsh in the Skagit River Delta to fish and wildlife. Kimberley Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Whatcom charter review board targets environmental groups
Conservatives on the county Charter Review Commission and their allies have a strategy for fixing what they say is wrong with Whatcom County. In addition to recommending more local representation on the council through district-only voting, a task they finished in February, they seek to de-fund “special interest groups” that support environmental causes. At the May 18 charter review meeting, Michelle Luke, who was endorsed by Republicans during her unsuccessful campaign for council in 2013, said district-only voting was needed to correct the excessive protections placed on rural land by conservation nonprofits…. Commissioners on May 18 didn’t mention by name any of the nonprofits they were targeting, but it appeared they were referring to conservation advocacy groups such as Futurewise and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Olympic National Park's newest attraction is made out of an old dam
The west rim of the Glines Canyon overlook is finished and ready for visitors, just in time for summer. Perched on what was once the spillway of the 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam, the overlook offers expansive views of a wide valley that previously held the Lake Mills reservoir. The Elwha River, released by breaching of the dam that was finished in August, now flows freely through the deep canyon just below the viewpoint. (Peninsula Daily News)

Drought Conditions Reach Unexpected Corners Of Northwest
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington are now in severe drought. But the dry conditions are also reaching into corners of the Northwest that usually remain relatively lush. An example is the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. The river feels different and is slower than normal. Jessica Robinson reports. (EarthFix)

Will fake killer whale fool sea lions in Astoria — and what if it does?
Chris Dunagan writes: "I was eager to find out if a 32-foot fiberglass replica of a killer whale could scare off a huge number of sea lions crowded together on the docks in Astoria, Ore. I kept telling my wife Sue, “It’s not going to work” — and I had not the slightest idea that the motorized orca might capsize during its attempt to frighten the persistent sea lions…." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Calls mount for B.C. to take stronger action against invasive mussels
With the start of summer boating season in British Columbia’s freshwater lakes, the annual game of chance begins: The provincial government is gambling that it can prevent any boats contaminated with invasive mussels from launching within its borders. B.C. introduced its new mobile decontamination units on May 29, to check boats coming from other parts of North America for signs of quagga and zebra mussels. The rapidly reproducing invaders can hitchhike on boats, marine trailers and fishing gear. Once they have a foothold they choke out native species, clog infrastructure such as water intakes, and leave beaches littered with piercing shells. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 8 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. 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.

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