5/5 GiveBIG, PS Starts Here, clingfish, sea star disease, Shell drill, FHL pix, Cherry Point, Padden Cr., Fraser coal

Today, GiveBIG
The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a healthier and more vital place to live. The people behind these organizations, those who work tirelessly to improve the lives of everyone in Greater Seattle, are champions. GiveBIG is a day to support their championship-worthy work. Donate today

New blog: Whither Puget Sound Starts Here?
Governor Inslee proclaims the month of May as Puget Sound Starts Here month. The Puget Sound Partnership laments that, due to funding cuts, Puget Sound Starts Here needs to find another home. Do you care?….

Puget Sound’s clingfish could inspire better medical devices, whale tags
Scooting around in the shallow, coastal waters of Puget Sound is one of the world’s best suction cups. It’s called the Northern clingfish, and its small, finger-sized body uses suction forces to hold up to 150 times its own body weight. These fish actually hold on better to rough surfaces than to smooth ones, putting to shame industrial suction devices that give way with the slightest uneven surface. Michelle Ma reports. (UW Today)

Sea star wasting syndrome may have spread to Haida Gwaii
A disease that causes sea stars to fall apart may have spread to Haida Gwaii. If confirmed, this will be the first time sea star wasting disease would have been found in northern B.C. waters. The condition has killed millions of the marine creatures from California to Vancouver. Aggie Cangardel, a marine biologist for the Council of the Haida Nation, says scientists believe they have found it off the coast of Haida Gwaii. (CBC)

Mayor blocks lease, says Port of Seattle must get new permits to host Shell Oil
The Port of Seattle will have to apply for new permits in order for Shell Oil to use Terminal 5 to stage oil rigs. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray made the announcement to a roar of applause at the Climate Solutions annual breakfast Monday morning. “We need not continue with the past. It’s time to turn the page. Things like oil trains, coal trains and oil drilling rigs are the past,” he said. “If it was up to me, there would be no place for Arctic offshore oil drilling equipment in Seattle.” Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

If you like to watch: The Friday Harbor Labs Image Gallery
Enjoy amazing photos of organisms and researchers from the Salish Sea region and around the world. We want to continue to update this gallery with new photos of FHL classes, research and marine plants and animals.... This image gallery is maintained by the UW Friday Harbor Laboratories as a resource for teachers and students at all levels and stages of their education. The images are being provided by scientists at FHL, and can be used free of charge for all non-profit purposes including lectures, reports, etc. Any for-profit use or publication of these images is prohibited without prior consent of the photographer.

Proponent of Cherry Point coal port prepares response to Lummi opposition
The company that would build a coal terminal at Cherry Point has until May 10 to respond to Lummi Nation’s request to reject the terminal. SSA Marine received a letter April 10 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking for the company’s response, along with copies of information the tribe originally sent to the Corps to support its Jan. 5 request that the agency refuse to grant a permit for the terminal. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Padden Creek project will remove tunnel that’s a barrier to migrating fish
For more than 120 years, a nearly half-mile section of Padden Creek between 22nd and 17th streets has been forced through a tunnel away and hidden from the sun. It’s believed that part of the creek, located off what is now Old Fairhaven Parkway, was routed through the tunnel in 1892 to help drain wetlands in part of Happy Valley so a train station could be built for Great Northern Railroad. That’s where the creek has been since. Now, the city of Bellingham will remove 2,300 feet of the creek from the 8-foot-tall and 4-foot-wide tunnel and return it to a more natural state in a $2.8 million “daylighting” project. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fraser River port considers Panamax coal shipments
Fraser Surrey Docks is considering shipping coal directly from its planned transfer terminal on large ocean-going vessels rather than sending it by barge to Texada Island. The change of plans would cut the number of vessels brimming with U.S. thermal coal and navigating local waters, but the company would have to amend its permit and is asking for public feedback. The amendment would see as many as 80 Panamax-size vessels leave the docks annually. Each would carry about four trainloads of coal in a closed hatch. There would be no change in the total amount of coal — about four million metric tonnes annually — that would be shipped from the site. The company’s current permit allows for up to 640 loaded barges per year — nearly two per day. Matt Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE MAY 5 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF TSTMS.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 7 FT
 AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/4 Jelly blooms, shellfish spray, sea star babies, Simpson exit, oil train rules, Shell protest, BC LNG, sea lab

Moon jellyfish (Dept of Ecology/Seattle Times)

Prime fish give way to hordes of jellyfish in Puget Sound
Correigh Greene hauled the dripping, black net over the stern of the RV Orca and dumped its meager contents into a blue plastic tub: Five fingerling surf smelt, one juvenile herring, a few nickel-sized jellyfish and a handful of assorted larvae. Paltry catches aren’t unusual on cool, April days, explained Greene, a fisheries biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle…. Late last May, in this same spot near Deception Pass State Park, Greene and his crew hauled up a net so heavy they couldn’t winch it up on deck. But the contents didn’t speak well for the health of the ecosystem. Instead of the plump herring and smelt that used to be the dominant forage fish in Puget Sound, the net was bristling with 40,000 sticklebacks — bony, armored fish that seem to be on the upswing. In some parts of the Sound, the researchers’ nets are often crammed with jellyfish — another sign of a shift toward a less-productive environment. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Washington State Officials Withdraw Shellfish Spray Permit
Washington's Department of Ecology has canceled a permit to spray pesticides over shellfish beds in two areas, officials said Sunday. The decision to halt the practice in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor is part of an agreement between the local oyster growers association and the state. The growers association submitted a letter to the Department of Ecology on Sunday, after environmental concerns were raised in news coverage. The department reported hearing from residents across Washington state that the practice did not meet their expectations. (ABC News) See also:  Shellfish producer backs away from pesticide spraying
After receiving calls, emails and social-media comments from customers all day Friday, Washington’s largest shellfish producer has announced it will not treat its oyster beds with a controversial pesticide. “Our customers spoke loud and clear today, and that speaks volumes to us,” Bill Dewey, spokesman for Taylor Shellfish, said Friday.  Carol Garnick reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Oyster pesticide battle shows who really wields power   A couple of chefs accomplished in a few days what two powerful federal agencies couldn’t do in more than a year: head off the plan to spray pesticides on oyster beds. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

New sea star babies offer hope amid mass deaths in Pacific
In scattered sites along the Pacific Coast, researchers and others have reported seeing hundreds of juvenile sea stars, buoying hopes for a potential comeback from sea star wasting disease that has caused millions of purple, red and orange sea stars to curl up, grow lesions, lose limbs and disintegrate into a pile of goo. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Simpson pulling up stakes is painful
Shelton was always a company town. For most of the 20th century, Simpson Timber Co.’s logging and mill operations were synonymous with the city’s industrial waterfront and the forest economy of rural Mason County. That era is over now, and this week Mason County’s struggling economy got another clear, urgent message. It needs to diversify, or reinvent its economic identity, and its workforce needs retraining opportunities. Some 270 jobs at Simpson’s mills in Shelton and Dayton are going away by June 30 as Simpson sells those operations to a Northern California firm, Sierra Pacific Industries. (Olympian)

Fish biologist piggy backs on other research as he seeks answers on coastal cutthroat trout
Most days this time of year, James Losee is working on salmon or steelhead projects for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. But when he can, the state fish biologist slips on his waders and life jacket, and joins the crew using a beach seine net to capture smelt along South Sound beaches. Losee’s interest is not the forage fish that are the focus of a Fish and Wildlife research project. It’s the larger fish also caught as the net is brought to shore. Jeffrey P. Mayor reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

New oil-train rules leave a lot of questions unanswered
The U.S. and Canadian governments on Friday unveiled a long-awaited new standard for the tank cars used to transport crude oil and ethanol that includes numerous safety improvements. But it is far from the final word on efforts to reduce the risk of catastrophic derailments, such as the one that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, nearly two years ago. And industry and environmental groups are bracing for a court fight over portions of the new regulations that they don’t like. Most of the current tank car fleet that doesn’t meet the new requirements will be allowed to carry ethanol and some types of crude oil for eight more years. Environmental groups and some lawmakers objected Friday to the extended timeline. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Did You Like Knowing Where Oil Trains Moved In the Northwest? Too Bad.
Northwest emergency responders have complained about receiving little information about oil train movement through their community. They’re about to get even less. A set of new rules for oil train safety announced Friday includes mandates for tank car design, upgraded brakes and lower speed limits. The federal Department of Transportation also used it to rescind a requirement it issued last year requiring railroads notify states about shipments of flammable crude. Tony Schick reports. (KUOW) See also: State lawmakers call newly released rail-safety rules inadequate  Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Washington Fire Chiefs seek BNSF info for disaster planning   Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Kayakers prep for oil-drilling protests in West Seattle  
Judging from the water-safety preparations and drills off Seacrest Park in West Seattle, kayakers are ready for their upcoming mission to protest Shell oil rigs drilling in the Arctic. On Sunday, approximately 19 advanced kayakers learned self-rescue techniques and how to assist when a kayak capsizes in anticipation of the upcoming flotilla protest May 16 in Elliott Bay. Through the Shell No! Action Council, hundreds of kayakers will join forces to oppose the Port of Seattle’s decision to allow Terminal 5 to be used as a staging area for Arctic drilling. (Seattle Times)

'Game changer': Gas company offers $1-billion to First Nations band in B.C.
The proponent of a liquefied natural gas plant on British Columbia’s north coast is offering more than $1-billion to obtain the consent of a First Nations community, a groundbreaking proposal that could establish the new price for natural resource development in traditional aboriginal territories. In a province where resource projects have stalled and sometimes foundered over aboriginal opposition, the tentative deal between the Prince Rupert-based Lax Kw’alaams band and a joint venture led by Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas sets a new benchmark for sharing the wealth from energy extraction. Justine Hunter and Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Underwater observatory to share data with those on land
Imagine if elementary school students took an interest in volcanoes and were able to track volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean over the next 20 years, carrying what they witnessed into later college studies and maybe eventually their careers. That vision is part of what has driven researcher Deborah Kelley to bring to the rest of the world what she has experienced as one of the few deep-sea divers who have spent a significant amount of time along the seafloor. Kelley is part of a network of researchers across the country who have been involved in a decades-long National Science Foundation effort to bring underwater data and observations to people bound to the land…. Kelley, who teaches oceanography at the University of Washington and has been involved with the observatory project for years, said it’s a development that is going to change education across the globe. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Quilcene, Dabob bays closed to recreational shellfish harvesting because of biotoxin fears
Dabob Bay and Quilcene Bay beaches have been closed to the recreational harvest of shellfish because of high levels of a potentially deadly biotoxin. Shellfish samples taken Wednesday were found to contain dangerous amounts of the biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), said Michael Dawson, lead environmental health specialist for the Jefferson County Water Quality Program. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-300 AM PDT MON MAY 4 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 6 FT BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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3/12 Toxic trains, Pierce shore, Growlers, starfish deaths, gray whales, Duwamish, Skagit wells, China coal, Witty's Lagoon

Fog over Drumbeg (PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

“Adrift” in the Fog
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Here on Gabriola Island, we’ve been deep in fog for much of the past week – weather which can dramatically shift my sense of solid ground. When all landmarks beyond those immediately in front of me disappear, along with the horizon, it can feel like being aboard a ship on the open sea…."

Toxic train cargo poses risk in White Rock and Crescent Beach
Rail cars carrying a toxic brew of dangerous goods are quietly rattling through the popular seaside communities of White Rock and Crescent Beach, posing the risk of a major disaster in the event of an accident or explosion. A Vancouver Sun review of codes placed on just a sample of those rail cars reveals dangerous goods such as chlorine, methanol, caustic soda/sodium hydroxide, liquid hydrocarbons, argon/refrigerated liquid, sodium chlorate, ethanol and gasoline mixture, styrene monomer, and petroleum crude oil. Railways are dead set against such information being made available to the public, arguing there are concerns over security and customer privacy. But citizens living alongside railways say the argument is bankrupt given that the codes clearly reveal what’s inside — if you know what to look for. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Pierce County shoreline plan approved after seven-year marathon
It took more than seven years, a rejection from the state Department of Ecology and countless public meetings, but the Pierce County Council this week finally approved a major update to a comprehensive document meant to protect more than 1,000 miles of waterfront and associated animal habitat. The Council’s 5 to 2 approval on Tuesday marked the first major overhaul of the Pierce County Shoreline Master Program since it was created in 1974. It governs everything from docks to marinas, from retaining walls to home construction, on saltwater and freshwater shores ranging from the Nisqually Reach to the White River Basin. Brynn Grimley reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

Growlers go 'gear-up' to reduce noise
A little relief from the thunder of Navy jets may rest in the landing gear. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is directing its Growler pilots to keep their landing gear up until they are over water as they fly routes over Lopez Island to lessen the impacts of jet noise, according to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen. Officials of NAS Whidbey Island recently performed informal sound tests in areas on Lopez Island. One of the tests involved flying two jets overhead, one with landing gear up and one with landing gear down. Officials discovered a significant noise difference between the two jets. (San Juan Journal)

Massive starfish deaths prompt calls for emergency help
With millions of starfish dying all along the West Coast, Washington state Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives say it’s time for Congress to intervene and find out why. The outbreak, first noticed in the state by rangers in Olympic National Park in June 2013, has hit 20 species of starfish, also known as sea stars. After getting lesions on their bodies, the sea stars begin curling up and soon lose their legs, shriveling up and disintegrating into mush. Researchers fear the epidemic may be the result of a virus caused by climate change, with the disease showing its fastest progression in warmer ocean waters. Rob Hotakainen reports. (McClatchy)

Prime season for whale watching approaches as gray whales make their way north
Gray whales have begun their spring migration, which will take them more than 10,000 miles from the warm waters off Mexico to the Bering Sea. During their journey, the estimated 23,000 whales will cruise past the Washington coast. Some even take a break and spend time in the Strait of Juan de Fuca…. The best time to look for whale is from March-May as the gray whales make their way from their breeding grounds off Baja California to their summer feeding grounds in the North Pacific. Early mornings with calm ocean conditions offer the best chance for spotting whales from shore…. Some whales, however, will make a right turn into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They often make it as far into the Salish Sea as Whidbey and Camano islands, feeding on ghost shrimp. Jeffrey P. Mayor reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

Duwamish River’s rowing club feel right at home on Superfund site
The Duwamish River, a Superfund site in South Seattle with ongoing pollution cleanup, is increasingly being used for recreation, including rowing. Daniel Beekman reports. (Seattle Times)

Skagit well water access bill gains Senate approval
The state Senate Wednesday approved a bill that could allow permit-exempt well access to hundreds of Skagit County landowners, despite opposition from several Washington native American tribes, including the Swinomish Tribe. Senate Bill SB 5407 passed on a 26-23 vote. The bill states that levels and flows may limit groundwater withdrawals from permit-exempt wells only if Ecology demonstrates that the particular groundwater withdrawal from the specific permit-exempt well at issue will cause impairment to levels and flows. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Port: Enviros playing politics with suit against Shell Arctic fleet homeport
Environmentalists are using a court suit to pursue political goals and have no legal standing to block a lease that will base Shell’s Arctic oil drilling fleet at Terminal 5 on the Seattle waterfront, according to legal filings Wednesday by the Port of Seattle and Foss Maritime. “The subject matter of this motion is the subject of intense political campaigning by the Plaintiffs, but such politics have no place in this courtroom,” the Port said in a legal filing with King County Superior Court. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

China’s push to cut coal use could be bad news for proposed Cherry Point terminal
China is the world’s largest energy user, with an economy heavily dependent on cheap, coal-generated power. Just three years ago, Australia and the United States were shipping record amounts of coal overseas to feed China’s voracious appetite. Since then, China’s demand for coal has dropped, and it’s expected drop further, based on announcements of the last week in Beijing. Premier Li Keqiang said China wanted to reduce energy intensity — the amount of energy used per unit of gross domestic product — by 3.1 percent this yer. That translates to an annual reduction in coal usage of 176 million tons. Stuart Leavenworth reports. (McClatchy)

Stairs to Witty’s Lagoon beach get temporary reprieve
The stairs to the beach at Witty’s Lagoon have won a temporary reprieve. Capital Regional District staff had recommended the stairs off Witty Beach Road be removed at a cost of about $10,000 after engineering reports said the slope on which they are built is unstable. The engineering reports say stabilizing the slope and rebuilding the stairs would cost between $700,000 and $1.3 million. The slope, they say, has a history of failure due to natural erosion and is only marginally stable. They provided three options: rip-rap the shoreline, provide tiered retaining walls or insert anchors into the slope. But at the suggestion of Metchosin Mayor John Ranns, CRD directors asked for an assessment of how other jurisdictions manage such risks, instead of ordering the stairs removed. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Propane terminal rejected in Longview
Commissioners for the Port of Longview rejected plans to lease a 24-acre site for a proposed $300 million propane terminal. By a 3-0 vote, commissioners rejected leasing property to Haven Energy, reports The Daily News online. Wednesday's vote came after 90 minutes of testimony. Commissioners expressed concern that the site rather than the nature of the project wouldn't work. It is not clear if the vote ends the project. Wendy Culverwell reports. (Portland Business Journal)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAR 12 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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2/17 Elwha, Grace Islet, oil train crash, spill risk, BC fish farms, sea star comeback, OR minnow, bird beaks

Elwha River 2/15 (Tom Roodra/Coastal Watershed Institute)

Elwha Shoreline Changes Public Forum and Field Tour, Feb. 21
Coastal Watershed Institute and partners present a free forum and field trip for you to learn about changes on the Elwha shoreline as a result of dam removal. A forum will be held 11 AM- 12 PM at the Landing Mall, Room 205, 115 E. Railroad Ave., Port Angeles, and a shoreline walking tour (1 - 4 PM) will be held near the Place Road Beach Access. Carpool advised.

British Columbia pays $5.45-million for Grace Islet
B.C. has finalized its deal to buy Grace Islet, with the lion’s share of the purchase price going to the former owner who had planned to build a retirement home on the picturesque site. The province announced Monday it has put up $5.45-million for the property – in Ganges Harbour off Saltspring Island in the Gulf Islands – consisting of $850,000 for the land and $4.6-million as a settlement with the previous landowner. That amount represents “costs incurred over the past two decades by the landowner and his lost opportunity for future enjoyment of the property,” the province said in a statement Monday. Costs also reflect the expense of putting in utilities and materials for a “high-end house,” the statement added. The province announced its plans to buy the island in January but had not disclosed a price. Reached after months of controversy, the deal was struck to protect the ancient aboriginal cemetery that covers the property. Wendy Stueck reports. (Globe and Mail)

Two oil trains derail, tank cars burning in West Virginia, Ontario
Two oil trains have derailed and caught fire, one in a populated area of Fayette County, W.V., and the other in a remote Ontario forest, during the past 48 hours. The West Virginia accident has seen 14 tankers and a house catch on fire, with at least one tanker car going into the Kanawha River. A nearby water-treatment plant was shut down. The train was carrying Bakken field crude oil from North Dakota, the same somewhat volatile oil that is now passing by rail along waterfronts of Puget Sound cities en route to oil refineries at Anacortes and Cherry Point on northern Puget Sound. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Risk of oil spills shifts from big ships to smaller vessels, Coast Guard expert says
f you fear a big oil spill on Washington waters, you're wiser to worry about small spills and fret about them more often, according to several public and private agency experts. They told an oil spill forum earlier this month that pleasure craft and fishing boats leak more oil than do cargo ships, luxury liners or tankers. And on the North Olympic Peninsula, they said, be grateful we have no train tracks because the threat from so-called crude by rail is greater than a marine spill. Still, no one dismisses the possibility of a disaster like the Arco Anchorage catastrophe in Port Angeles Harbor late in 1985 “when a lot of folks instead of spending Christmas with their families went out and worked on an oil spill,” said Jeff Ward of the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Ottawa extends multi-year aquaculture licences in B.C.
The federal government will issue multi-year licences for finfish and shellfish aquaculture facilities in B.C. to promote investment in sustainable design and technology by the industry. Licenses issued in B.C. by Fisheries and Oceans Canada have previously been limited to one year, which may have discouraged operators from making significant investments in more secure — and more expensive — ocean-based facilities and in land-based hatcheries, according to Jeremy Dunn, executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: B.C.’s only land-based salmon farm on target  Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Sea Stars Could Be Making a Comeback
On a windless, cloudless night in late January, Salish Sea ecologist Russel Barsh and his team of scientists at the Kwiáht biology lab scoured Indian Island for sea stars. No humans live on the island, a tiny strip of land just south of Port Townsend, but the winter low tide reveals a colorful variety of the island’s other inhabitants: violently fucking sea slugs, dazzling red octopuses, reptilian-looking snail fish, and the island’s famous sea stars—one as big as a yard wide—that have traditionally feasted on the mussels and clams hidden in the sand. Indian Island’s sea star population—like other sea star hangouts up and down the West Coast—experienced a swift and mystifying die-off that inspired alarmist headlines in 2014. Marine biologists looked on with horror as appendages of the keystone species—a species that plays a fundamental role in its ecosystem—washed ashore. But this year, Barsh and his crew found something hopeful: Hundreds of sea stars, babies, mostly. And healthy, from the looks of it. Syndey Brownstone reports. (The Stranger)

Oregon minnow is first fish to be taken off endangered list
It’s official. A tiny minnow that lives only in backwaters in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the first fish to be formally removed from Endangered Species Act protection because it is no longer in danger of extinction. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe was to make the announcement Tuesday afternoon at a wildlife refuge outside Corvallis. The action comes 22 years after the 3-inch-long fish was first listed as an endangered species, and five years after it was upgraded to threatened. Jeff Barnard reports. (Associated Press)

Chemical contaminants suspect in mystery of Alaska chickadee beak deformities
When black-capped chickadees and some other birds in the Anchorage area began turning up in the late 1990s with elongated, weirdly curved or twisted beaks, biologists and bird lovers began to worry. The deformities range from slight to gross and can have severe consequences for the birds if they are unable to use their beaks to pick up food or groom feathers so their bodies retain heat. The tiny black-capped chickadees are the most afflicted, with 7 percent of Alaska adults developing deformed beaks. The deformities are also showing up in other birds, including ravens and crows, though not as frequently, (said Colleen Handel, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist.) Now the beak-deformity outbreak has spread north to Fairbanks, south to the Puget Sound region and -- for an unknown reason -- across the globe to Great Britain, where it is showing up among starlings, tits and other species, Handel said. Yereth Rosen reports. (Alaska Dispatch News)

Citizen Scientists Generate Big Data For Annual Bird Count
Downy woodpecker, dark-eyed junco, tufted titmouse. These are just a few of the most popular birds to have been sighted in last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, when in 2014, bird enthusiasts from 135 countries participated in counting over 4,000 species. Monday is the final day of the annual count. It’s a chance for researchers at Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab to harness the power of nearly 100,000 citizen scientists over a 4-day period. Michelle Leis reports. (OPB)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 251 AM PST TUE FEB 17 2015
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

1/26 Sea stars, sonar, pol talk, Kalakala,, BC Ferries, Vic sewer, poop dump, dead whale, bird flu, salmon pole, CP dock

(PHOTO: Seattle Aquarium)

Sea Stars Make A Comeback - For Now
The worst of the sea star wasting disease epidemic that decimated sea star populations along the West Coast during the past 19 months appears to be over at Haystack Rock — at least for now. Most of what’s left are the juvenile sea stars that somehow survived the pathogenic onslaught that killed off more than 90 percent of their fellows during the 2014 beach season, according to Haystack Rock Awareness Coordinator Samantha Ferber, who recorded the death toll at three sites. Erick Bengel reports. (Daily Astorian)

Navy wants to deploy more sonar-emitting buoys
The U.S. Navy is seeking permits to expand sonar and other training exercises off the Pacific Coast, a proposal raising concerns from animal advocates who say more sonar-emitting buoys would harm whales and other sea creatures. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

A Republican And A Democrat Walk Into A Bar - To Talk Climate Change
This legislative session is looking like the make-or-break for any action on climate change from the Washington state legislature. As Governor Jay Inslee and the Democrats continue to push for a cap and trade system, Republicans continue to voice strong opposition. Is there a middle ground? You be the judge of that. Listen in as two leading senators - one Republican, one Democrat - sit down for a beer with EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn and talk about climate change — with some detours in the conversation to discuss baby goats and Santa Claus, too. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

The Kalakala rides to its deconstruction in Tacoma, but wait just a second
In the dark, in the rain, the ferry Kalakala made its final voyage Thursday morning. It came to die. It did not go easily. After more than a decade spent rusting on Tacoma’s Hylebos Waterway, and lit Thursday by a single spotlight, the ferry was released from its moorings at 3:45 a.m. A pair of tugs then guided it over 2.5 miles and just over 90 minutes into Commencement Bay and then to a graving dock on the Blair Waterway. It will be cut apart for scrap over the next week. C.R. Roberts reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

Everybody wants to fix BC Ferries, but nobody knows how
With costs rising and ridership falling, the province, the ferry commissioner and the corporation are at odds over the best course forward for essential ferry service on the westcoast.  Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Equipment failure causes unscreened sewage discharge at Clover Point
A Friday afternoon sewer discharge at Clover Point has prompted Capital Regional District officials to have public-health advisory signs erected in the area. About 3,000 cubic metres of unscreened sewage was discharged through the Clover Point outfall about 3:45 p.m. due to a failure of mechanical equipment. The failure was corrected later in the day. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Victoria's Secret: Dumping Raw Sewage Like It's 1915   The icky, smelly, rotten no-good political mess that could cost taxpayers a billion. (Yes, a billion!)  Sarah Berman reports. (The Tyee)

Pleasure boats may be allowed to dump sewage closer to Vancouver-area beaches http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pleasure+boats+allowed+dump+sewage+closer+shore/10755885/story.html
Vancouver Coastal Health wants to see local beaches exempt from a proposal by Transport Canada that suggests small pleasure boats be allowed to dump their sewage closer to shore. Medical health officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn said such a move, which is still in the public consultation phase, could potentially increase the occurrence of E. coli in local waters and lead to more frequent closures of the area’s beaches. Under Transport Canada’s plan, small boats carrying fewer than 15 people would be allowed to discharge sewage just one nautical mile from shore, closer than the three nautical miles that are required today. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Dead whale found at Seattle dock struck by ship propeller
A 32-foot gray whale that turned up dead under the Washington state ferry terminal in downtown Seattle died earlier this week because it was struck by the propeller of a large vessel, according to the initial results of a necropsy completed Saturday. (Seattle Times)

Third strain of bird flu confirmed in wild duck in Whatcom County http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/01/23/4094980_third-strain-of-bird-flu-confirmed.html
A third strain of bird flu has been found in a wild duck in Whatcom County, officials said Friday, Jan. 23. Tests confirmed the H5N1 strain in a green-winged teal killed by a hunter near Sumas, said Hector Castro, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. Like the other two strains traced to wild ducks in Whatcom County in December, this one also is highly pathogenic. That means the strain is deadly to domestic chickens and turkeys. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Salmon pole unveiled at Wa He Lut Indian School in honor of Billy Frank Jr.
There were tribal songs, dances and prayers. And there were raindrops, something Wa He Lut Principal Harvey Whitford urged everyone to be thankful for during the unveiling of a 10-foot high salmon pole carved in honor of late Nisqually leader and activist Billy Frank Jr…. The pole was carved by Jewell James of the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham, and a small group known as the House of Tears Carvers. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Thousands of environmentalists’ comments on BP Cherry Point dock marked as ‘malicious spam’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lost about 28,000 public comments about a controversial oil-shipping dock at a Whatcom County refinery after they were marked as “malicious spam” by an email security system. Last July, the Corps solicited comment on its draft environmental impact statement exploring the possible impacts of operating the north wing of a Y-shaped oil transfer dock at the BP Cherry Point refinery. The long-awaited draft came out after a more than eight-year process that included delays over studies of vessel traffic to the dock. In response to the draft, environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth created a form letter and asked people on its mailing list to sign and send it to the Corps through a communication program called Salsa. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON JAN 26 2015
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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1/21 Seabirds, SSA fined, seastars, oil spills, pipeline safety, invasives, bird flu, ELF, FH port, orca close-up

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 

Puget Sound seabird numbers better than expected
More than a dozen species of Puget Sound seabirds thought to be in decline appear to be doing better than expected, according to an ongoing survey by citizen scientists organized by the Seattle Audubon Society. Of the 18 species monitored for seven years at 62 sites near Puget Sound from the north end of Whidbey Island to Olympia, 14 show increased numbers, including cormorants, loons, rhinoceros auklets, bufflehead and harlequin ducks, the new survey analysis shows. The species selected for detailed study are considered good barometers of environmental health because of their relative abundance and their dependence on Puget Sound food and habitat, researchers said. John Dodge reports. (Olympian)

SSA Terminals To Pay $215,000 For Clean Water Act Violations
SSA Terminals will pay $215,000 dollars for violations of the Clean Water Act at its Harbor Island facility in Seattle. After several years of litigation, brought by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the company has agreed to reduce their pollution discharges into Elliott Bay. The settlement was announced in a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Our Fight 2015
NextGen Climate draws the battle line.

Sea stars may be on path to recovery; summer could provide answers
…. Barb Erickson, Linda Martin and Peg Tillery… have been serving as amateur researchers, monitoring the Lofall beach, like hundreds of other volunteers at various locations along the West Coast. When they started monitoring the beach in February 2014, they observed dozens of healthy sea stars — but conditions changed dramatically by June…. I was not sure what to expect when I accompanied the three women to the Lofall pier on Saturday…. What we saw Saturday was a great many more young sea stars than last year, along with adults that seemed to be healthy. None of the starfish showed signs of disease. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Northwest Ships: Near Misses and Almost-Spills
The Northwest is evaluating more than a dozen major projects that would add oil tankers and other major cargo ships to the region’s waters. Nearly all of these plans would affect Washington’s waters: either on the Columbia River, Grays Harbor, or in the labyrinthine channels of the Salish Sea. In the simplest terms, increasing ship traffic means increasing risk. And as the region is contemplating an astonishing jump in vessel traffic, it’s worth pausing to examine the record. Eric de Place reports. (Sightline)

Kinder Morgan needs to disclose more on safety plans, says B.C. Premier Christy Clark
B.C. Premier Christy Clark is demanding Kinder Morgan disclose more details about its safety plans before the province approves the company's $5.4-billion pipeline expansion project.  The National Energy Board rejected the government's call for more information after the pipeline company submitted an incomplete version of its existing spill-response plans. The energy regulator says it is satisfied with the amount of information Kinder Morgan supplied, though it raised concerns over how clearly the company communicated the reasons for the information it left out. But Clark says Kinder Morgan hasn't met the five conditions set out by the province, and until that happens, it won't be going ahead with the project. (Canadian Press)

B.C. government mulling an Invasive Species Act to fight costly introduction of non-native species
The B.C. government is considering new legislation to coordinate the attack against a costly and ever-growing threat posed by the introduction of non-native plants, animals and diseases. Tim Sheldan, deputy minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, said Tuesday that the existing Weed Control Act and regulations have been under internal study and that an “extensive scientific review” of invasive plant species for regulation is nearing completion. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Government Ag Teams Encircle New Washington Bird Flu Case
Three new hot spots of bird flu have been found in wild ducks and domestic birds in Idaho. A second Oregon case was confirmed last week in a wild duck near Eugene. And a flock of 118 birds was euthanized over the weekend in Port Angeles, Washington. Anna King reports. (KPLU)

Rolling Out the Hot New Wheels
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Here on Gabriola Island these days, my father-in-law, Ted, is turning heads, attracting crowds and prompting smiles every time he goes out. It’s not just because he’s well-liked on the island – though he definitely is. The buzz is because of his hot new wheels: an electric-assist ELF tricycle, which arrived on a foggy morning in early January. This is not your ordinary pedal trike. Aside from its smooth, continuously variable transmission and its comfortable ride, it has the added bonus of an electric motor to help get up slopes, powered by a battery that’s recharged by the the ELF’s solar panel or by plugging in to household power…."

$4 million port project complete, ribbon cutting ceremony to follow
The Port of Friday Harbor's multi-million dollar marina reconstruction project is complete. In October 2014 Manson Construction mobilized into the marina with their huge crane and got to work removing old creosote pilings and wooden floats throughout the marina. The Harbormaster relocated vessels to accommodate the major renovations and no vessels were turned away for guest moorage during the holidays. Manson Construction replaced the inner marina with new concrete floats, steel pilings and upgraded utilities. (San Juan Journal)

If you like to watch: Paddle boarders close encounter with Orcas
Rich German on January 14 posted:  "My dream of seeing Orcas (aka killer whales) recently came true. Watch as a friendly pod of 5 orcas interacts with me on my paddle board. This was filmed with my GoPro off the coast of Laguna Beach California last week. You'll see the whales come directly under my board twice. This was an amazing."

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 21 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5
 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN
 LIKELY 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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1/19 Elwha, Alki, MLK, Lummi, BC pipes, Gorge spill, Ioco land, BC megathrust, Lynnwood wetland

Eulachon samples (Coastal Watershed Institute)

If you like to watch: Coastal Watershed Institute Elwha Sampling
Anne Shaffer of CWI writes: "At our January long term sampling of the Elwha estuary and lower river we documented-for the first time after looking for over a decade-hundreds of gravid and spent eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus, and a gravid female long fin smelt, Spirinchus thaleichthys. These   forage fish, which are federally listed along areas of the west coast due to their  precipitous decline, are-literally-the backbone of coastal cultures and nearshore ecosystems…. Within five months of the dam removal ending, these fish are literally flooding the system, feeding dozens of harbor seals and thousands of birds."

If you like to watch: Alki Junkyard - 1/17/2015
Laura James shares some cool underwater views-- and maybe some good news about seastar recovery.

New blog: The 12th Man On MLK Day
"Hard to sit down and compose a Martin Luther King Day blog after watching the end of Sunday’s Seattle Seahawk game. The 12th Man/Woman in houses up and down the neighborhood street yelled himself/herself hoarse. I hope they yell as hard for justice on Monday but race, civil rights, equal opportunity, domestic abuse, gender equality aren’t as simple as a football game, regardless of how much some people might think of sports as a metaphor for life…."

Lummis reject ‘standing offer’ to negotiate approval of Whatcom County coal terminal
The chairman of Lummi Nation said Thursday, Jan. 15, the tribe is not negotiating with the shipping-terminal company that would build a coal-export facility at Cherry Point. Lummi Chairman Tim Ballew sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated Jan. 5, asking the agency to immediately deny a federal permit for the Gateway Pacific Terminal. The terminal applicant, SSA Marine, responded by asserting its “standing offer” to meet with Lummi officials and work out a deal that would allow the terminal to be built. “Plain and simple, the response is just as the letter to the Corps said,” Ballew said on Thursday, Jan 15. “There is no way to mitigate the damages the proposed project would bring.” Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Kinder Morgan pipeline: Vancouver submits almost 600 more questions
The City of Vancouver has sent Kinder Morgan almost 600 more questions about its proposed pipeline plan in an effort to plug "significant gaps" in the information already provided by the energy giant. Using its status as intervenor, the city says its questions, submitted to the National Energy Board (NEB), have arisen from either a lack of clarity in Kinder Morgan's 15,000 page proposal, or from responses to previous questions. "It is imperative that all of our questions are fully answered by the company this time," the city said in a statement. "In the first round of requests, Kinder Morgan failed to answer nearly 150 of the 394 questions submitted by us." (CBC)

Falling oil prices pose another delay for B.C. pipelines
Energy economists say that a prolonged slump in oil prices will further slow two proposed pipelines already hamstrung by court challenges and community opposition in British Columbia. Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver has maintained that “the strategic need is still there” for both the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipelines to go through the province. But the slumping price of oil has caused enough “market instability,” as Mr. Oliver put it, to prompt Ottawa to postpone its budget to at least April. Mike Hager reports. (Globe and Mail)

BP oil spill smaller than feared, judge rules
BP faces a fine of up to $13.7bn (£9bn) after a US judge ruled that the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was smaller than initially feared. His ruling put the spill at 3.2 million barrels - the US government had estimated it at 4.09 million barrels. It shields the oil giant from what could have been a $17.6bn fine. A final figure is expected later this month. (BBC)

Olympia runs short on money for much-needed repairs at Percival Landing
Percival Landing on Olympia’s downtown waterfront would cost millions of dollars to repair, but the city is trying to scrape up enough money for basic maintenance. City parks staff updated the Olympia City Council about the aging park’s condition — and expected costs for repairs — at a study session Jan. 13. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Haz-mat crews at work on fuel spill in Gorge Waterway
Animals chewing on copper line coming from a home fuel-oil tank could be the culprits in a 1,000-litre spill into the Gorge Waterway. The spill — at least the third to enter the Gorge in the past year — was discovered about 10 a.m. Friday. It was traced to a broken fuel line at a modular home just off Admirals Road, about 500 metres from where the oil entered the water, said David Rogers of B.C. Hazmat. Jeff Bell report. (Times Colonist)

Metro Vancouver land package including Ioco townsite sold
A new player in Metro Vancouver real estate development — Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd — has bought 230 acres of Imperial Oil land in Port Moody and Anmore to develop a master-planned new village. The deal, which closed last week, includes about half of the Ioco townsite as well as the surrounding area, which is forested land in both Port Moody and Anmore. The purchase price was not disclosed. The property includes some heritage buildings and is close to an environmentally sensitive salmon hatchery. Jenny Lee and Brian Morton report. (Vancouver Sun)

Lynnwood rents land for $5, but wetland strings are attached
A small stretch of Highway 99 in Lynnwood is the scene of a quiet, cordial conflict between wetland preservation and business promotion. The disagreement involves two billboards, a 28-year-old document and a 99.8 percent discount on a city contract. Rikki King reports. (Everett Herald)

As waters acidify, Maine looks to Pacific Northwest peers for help
In the icy waters of midcoast Maine, Bill Mook has his eyes on his oysters – and how the waters they need to survive are gradually, but clearly, changing. Down the coast near Portland, the issue is clams and the mud flats that have become inhospitable to their survival. Farther south still, near Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the worry is so-called “sea butterflies,” tiny marine snails that live low on the food chain and are – like the oysters and clams – threatened by a process known as “ocean acidification.” Chris Adams reports. (McClatchy)

B.C. megathrust earthquake will rip earth open like a zipper says expert
Last megathrust earthquake off B.C. coast in 1700 generated a four storey tsunami in Japan nine hours later. A Natural Resources Canada seismologist says the odds of 'big one' occurring in next 50 years are one in 10. Dirk Meissner reports. (The Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 216 AM PST MON JAN 19 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 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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11/19 Burnaby Mtn protest, Keystone, Jeff Foster orcas, hydraulics advice, fish plant, seastar virus

Burnaby Mountain protest (Vancouver Sun)

Kinder Morgan plans to resume work on Burnaby Mountain as soon as it’s ‘safe’  
Police were on hand to ensure the pipeline protest was peaceful. Hundreds gathered on Burnaby Mountain to stop Kinder Morgan. Despite the injunction many protesters have vowed to protect the lands for the people and are willing to be arrested. Some protesters have camped on the site since September 3…. Kinder Morgan is in discussions with Burnaby RCMP about bringing survey crews back to Burnaby Mountain “once it has been determined safe for our workers,” the company said in a statement Tuesday….Sgt. Major John Buis of the Burnaby RCMP said Tuesday he could not reveal details of when police would move to enforce the court order.

Senate rejects Keystone pipeline, but GOP vows replay
In a combustible blend of oil and politics, the Democratic-controlled Senate rejected legislation Tuesday night aimed at forcing completion of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Republicans vowed to resurrect the controversial issue swiftly after taking two-house control of Congress in January. The 59-41 Senate vote was one shy short of the 60 needed to clear the House-passed measure. The outcome marked a severe blow to embattled Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who had seized control of the chamber's agenda in hopes of securing approval of the project and boosting her chances in an uphill Dec. 6 runoff election in her energy-rich state. David Espo and Dina Cappiello report. (Associated Press)

If you like to watch: Former Orca Hunter Releases Rare Footage Of Whale Captures
Never-before-seen footage of orca whale captures has just been released by a former orca hunter. On Anderson Cooper’s “AC360,” Jeff Foster, who now works on projects to rescue whales, shared footage of himself and others capturing young orcas off the coast of Iceland. Melissa Cronin reports. (The Dodo)

WDFW seeks nominations to advisory group on implementation of state’s Hydraulic Code
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking nominations to a citizen group responsible for advising the department on implementation of the state’s Hydraulic Code, which is designed to protect fish life in Washington waters…. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Dec. 12. Nominations may be submitted to Randi Thurston, WDFW habitat protection division manager, by mail: 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA, 98501-1091; or by email.

Not quite fish in a barrel, but close - 340,000 fish planted
State Fish & Wildlife crews gave anglers at Cranberry Lake winning tickets in the lakeside lottery on Tuesday. A total of 27,000 fish are being pumped into the lake at Deception Pass State Park this fall. Fishermen could only sit wide-eyed and smiling as they greeted the unexpected arrival with open coolers…. The fish were holdovers from a lawsuit against the state seeking to keep hatchery fish out of Puget Sound waters. The suit has been settled and all of these fish will be released in self-contained lakes, not rivers. The release means countless people will now be able to fish straight through until spring. Eric Wilkinson reports. (KING)

North Olympic Peninsula marine centers look for more information on sea star wasting syndrome after virus research
Staff at the two North Olympic Peninsula marine life centers hope a study pinpointing a variety of densovirus as the likely cause of sea star wasting syndrome is only the beginning. The Cornell University study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is a great scientific breakthrough, but doesn't help the remaining sea star population in the short term, said Shannon Phillips, an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED NOV 19 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 6 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

11/18 Seastar virus, Burnaby protest, Murray CSO, Inslee climate, BC boozed birds

Elwha, Nov. 14, 2014 (Tom Roorda/Coastal Watershed Institute)

Virus may be cause of epidemic killing millions of sea stars
Grisly sea star deaths are continuing to litter the tidelands with decaying, ghostly goo, but scientists now believe they, at least, may have identified the culprit. New evidence suggests a mysterious wasting disease killing sea stars by the millions may be the result of a virus that has been found in starfish since at least the 1940s, according to new research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. But it remains unclear if the pathogen’s current deadly spread is part of a complex natural cycle — or whether blame for this massive die-off is linked in some way to climate change, souring seas or other harm humans have inflicted on the ocean. Craig Welch reports. (Seattle Times)

Kinder Morgan pipeline protesters defy court order on Burnaby Mountain
It remains unclear when police might move in to arrest protesters on Burnaby Mountain who have defied a court order to take down their camp by yesterday afternoon…. Around 2:30 p.m. representatives of the company arrived with police and read out the court order. But police also announced they would not be moving in to make arrests immediately. Instead they planned to give the protesters time to remove their camp. But instead of removing the camp, hundreds of protesters staged a rally at the site, with some vowing to risk arrest rather than comply with the court order. (CBC)

King County just about ready to pour the 17 foot thick base for the Murray Basin CSO: Expect traffic disruptions near Lowman Beach
King County contractors finished digging out the tank area at the Murray CSO Control Project site on Thursday, November 13. The resulting hole is 60 feet deep – big enough to house the facility’s one million gallon underground storage tank. The tank will help keep sewage and stormwater out of Puget Sound. Before the tank can be built, crews must install a 17-foot thick concrete base below the tank. The base will keep the tank from being pushed out of the ground by groundwater. Rebar will be installed in the next 10 days. Then nearly 5,000 cubic yards of concrete will be poured into the hole over three days to build the base. (West Seattle Herald)

Inslee climate agenda to go beyond carbon pricing
Gov. Jay Inslee wants to put a price on Washington carbon emissions to combat climate change, but other efforts also will be needed to comply with a state law that requires emission reductions of more than 25 percent over the next 20 years. In the weeks ahead, Inslee is expected to propose legislation to price carbon, as well as propose other steps to boost public transportation, energy efficiency, solar power and the use of electric cars. Inslee also is considering an executive order to create a standard for low-carbon transportation fuels, such as some forms of biodiesel. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. birds getting boozed up from frost-fermented berries
As the long winter freeze begins in northern British Columbia, some species of birds are getting boozed up from berries fermented by frost. During almost 40 years of running a wildlife refuge outside Dawson Creek, Leona Green has seen many cases where small berry-eating birds like the Bohemian waxwing slip off their perches like drunks on a bar stool at closing time. Mike Hager reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE NOV 18 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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11/4 Floods, train trench, Marshland, Seattle shore, sea star wasting, pipe hearings, hi-def sonar, BEnv degree

Tom Magliozzi (Richard Howard/NPR)

Tom Magliozzi: As Warm In Real Life As He Was On The Radio
Susan Stamberg remembers the elder half of "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers" of Car Talk. (NPR/KPLU)

North Shore flooding: Lynn Valley creeks overflow, heavy rain hits Dundarave
Creeks overflowed and flooded streets and homes in Lynn Valley in the midst of heavy rainfall Monday night. Multiple flooding calls have also been reported in West Vancouver. (CBC)

City of Edmonds releases train trench costs, estimated at $250 million to $290 million
Building a train trench to address increasing train traffic along the Edmonds waterfront could cost between $250 million to $290 million, according to a preliminary cost and feasibility analysis conducted by engineering firm Tetra Tech on behalf of the City of Edmonds. The initial study was commissioned by Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling as part of the city’s effort to assess the feasibility of potential solutions to what he calls an “alarming increase” in train traffic blocking critical access to the Edmonds waterfront. This study comes on the heels of the Mayor’s town hall meeting last month about train traffic in Edmonds. (My Edmonds News)

Everett Marshland’s future a bit muddy
Low-lying farmland could be turned into hundreds of acres of restored wetland. Or, in the opinion of one farmer, it could be a huge boondoggle. The area is the Everett Marshland on the eastern edge of the Lowell neighborhood, on the west bank of the Snohomish River. It's 829 acres of mostly agricultural land, with small landholders, community gardens and larger farms. The city of Everett owns more than 300 acres of the area. Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

The shoreline that once was
In today’s highly-regulated, environmentally-conscious shoreline development era (well, mostly; the occasional rogue goes off and reroutes a river without permission) you might be forgiven for imagining the Puget Sound shoreline as ancient, historic, and immutable. Certainly, at least in the Seattle area, little has changed at the wave-lapped edges of the waterfront in the past decade or so. But the coming changes proposed to the downtown Seattle waterfront on the heels of the viaduct demolition and replacement project is sparking new discussion about what the urban waterfront might be — including proposals for a new public marina (although as cost estimates have increased, the city has made noise about dramatically scaling back any redevelopment efforts there). Scott Wilson blogs. (Three Sheets Northwest) See also: Brighter future for salmon at downtown seawall   (Salish Sea Currents)

Seattle Aquarium awarded grant to study sea-star wasting disease
The Seattle Aquarium has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Boeing Company to support the aquarium’s efforts to investigative and respond to a disease that has affected millions of sea stars along the West Coast. Paige Cornwell reports. (Seattle Times)

Kinder Morgan pipeline hearings a 'farce,' says former BC Hydro head
The former head of BC Hydro, Marc Eliesen, has pulled out of the federal hearings on the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline project. In a scathing letter to the National Energy Board, Eliesen calls the public hearing process around the project "a farce," noting the removal of the oral cross-examination phase. "Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that the board, through its decisions, is engaged in a public deception," the letter states. "Continued involvement with this process is a waste of time and effort, and represents a disservice to the public interest because it endorses a fraudulent process."   (CBC)

If you like to watch: High definition comes to ocean floor
On Lake Union the University of Washington oceanographic research vessel Clifford Barnes is being used to showing scientists and students the newest in underwater mapping imagery that creates pictures using sound waves. The technology was developed by Konsberg Underwater Technology out of Norway, that maintains offices in Lynnwood. It's been used around the world to help scientists map the bottom of lakes, rivers and oceans in detail. Glen Farley reports. (KING)

SFU degree will train environmental managers
A new Simon Fraser University four-year program will train students to become better decision-makers and consultants when it comes to environmental stewardship. The Bachelor of Environment (BEnv) degree, the only one offered in Canada, brings disciplines together for an integrated approach to the effects and science of global environmental issues, as well as possible solutions. Unlike Bachelor of Environmental Studies or Bachelor of Environmental Science degrees, the interdisciplinary program combines humanistic, socio-economic and scientific approaches. Shawn Conner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE NOV 4 2014
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told