9/29 No Shell drill, sunk tug, detained bulker, opah, Mars water

Burrowing owls (Garrett Lau/BirdNote)

A Murder, a Party, a Stare, or a Siege
Collective nouns are a mixture of poetry, alliteration, and description. Victorians often made up names for groups of birds, as a parlor game. Many names bring a vision of the birds instantly to mind. How about this stare of owls? They're Burrowing Owls! So what would a bunch of birders be called? A gaggle? A flock? A watch? Can you be more creative? (BirdNote)

Exuberance and Disappointment at Shell’s About-Face in the Arctic
For many Alaskans, Monday was “a huge disappointment, a really big disappointment,” as Gov. Bill Walker put it, reflecting on the tax revenue, jobs and investments that may be lost as Royal Dutch Shell abandons its plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic. But for many people here in Washington State and elsewhere, it was a day of exuberance, one that offered evidence that the harbor blockades, city resolutions, lawsuits and relentless cries of “Shell No!” had helped force Shell’s hand. Kirk Johnson reports. (NY Times) See also: Varied pressures force Shell out of Arctic  Royal Dutch’s Shell’s decision to pull back from exploration off Alaska’s North Slope reflects not just the results of a disappointing summer drilling season but also the pressures faced by an oil industry buffeted by low crude prices and increased concern about the environmental risks of developing major new oil fields in the offshore Arctic. (Seattle Times)

Tugboat sinks in Georgia Strait
An 18-metre tugboat sank in the southern Georgia Strait, just west of Vancouver, Monday morning. The Rescue Co-ordination Centre confirms the Harken 10 sank off Sandheads, near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal around 5 a.m. PT. Officials said no one was hurt and the crew managed to climb into an aluminum boat that was being towed behind the tug. (CBC)

Bulker detained for safety shortfalls
Deficient fire safety equipment has led US Coast Guard (USCG) inspectors to detain a Greek bulker at the Port of Tacoma until the issues can be resolved. A team from the agency's Puget Sound sector found the deficiencies on the 81,700 dwt Rena while conducting a routine inspection on 24 September. While on board the 2011-built vessel, listed as owned by Piraeus-based Trojan Maritime, the USCG discovered "multiple areas" that did not meet SOLAS regulations. The agency said the most severe deficiency involved improper pressurisation of the crew's self-contained breathing apparatuses, a problem that would prevent the crew from responding safely to a fire. John Gallagher reports. (IHS Maritime 360)

Rare and strange fish landed off Westport could be new state record
An opah, a warmer water fish known as a sunfish or moonfish, was caught by recreational fishers out of Westport. "The 35 pound, 11 ounce fish was officially weighed and taken to the state Fish and Wildlife office in Olympia for verification as a possible state record." Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Liquid water flows on today's Mars: NASA confirms evidence
New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. (Science Daily)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 254 AM PDT TUE SEP 29 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW 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

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9/15 Navy sonar, whale watching, killer 'blob,' Cornwall cleanup, small coho, fishing lines, BC water

(PHOTO: Associated Press/BBC)

US Navy limits 'whale-harming' sonar in Pacific
The US Navy has agreed to limit its use of sonar that may inadvertently harm whales and dolphins in waters near Hawaii and California. A federal judge in Honolulu signed the deal between the Navy and environmental groups on Monday. It restricts or bans the use of mid-frequency active sonar and explosives used in training exercises. Campaigners say that sonar disrupts the feeding of marine mammals, and can even cause deafness or death. An explosives training exercise in San Diego four years ago killed four dolphins, Earthjustice lawyer David Henkin said when announcing the agreement. (BBC)

Baby Orcas And Gloomy Future: Can Whale Watching Help?
s it ethical to go whale watching? Boats sometimes interfere with whales’ ability to hunt and eat. But whale watching can also connect people with conservation. And that could help the group of orcas that are resident in Puget Sound. The recent arrival of another baby orca in that so-called southern resident group (see photos in the slideshow above) has tickled whale watchers in the San Juan Islands…. David Hyde talks to tour boat skipper Dan Wilkes and author David Niewert about whale watching in the San Juan Islands. (KUOW)

Dead whales in Pacific could be fault of the Blob
Scientists believe the mysterious deaths of more than two dozen whales in B.C. and Alaska since May are probably related to the so-called "Blob" of warm water in the Pacific Ocean. The Blob is a 1,600 kilometre wide patch of warmer-than-usual water that has been linked to several anomalies in the Pacific, including a massive toxic algae bloom that contaminates the krill and sardines that many whales eat. (CBC) See also: Grey whale spotted frolicking in West Vancouver

Cleanup for future waterfront park could cost $16 million
It could cost $16 million to clean up contaminated soil on property that will one day be part of the city’s waterfront park at the end of Cornwall Avenue. The city of Bellingham, with oversight from the Washington state Department of Ecology, has completed a study of toxic chemicals found on what’s known as the R.G. Haley site as well as cleanup options. Ecology will hold a Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting about the project that will include a discussion of the preferred cleanup for the property at Cornwall Avenue, near Wharf Street. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Edmonds Coho Derby produces smallest winning fish in the derby’s history, but plenty of fish around to catch in Puget Sound
The Edmonds Coho Derby hosted by the Sno-King Puget Sound Anglers sold close to 1,000 tickets and had 287 coho weighed-in on Saturday under great weather conditions, but the concern lies within the sheer size of the fish. “The winning fish was (7.480 pounds), and was a record low size for the derby’s winning fish and that is just the tip of iceberg,” said Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in Seattle. “I saw more 2 and 2 ½ pound fish than I’ve ever seen in my life, and they looked more like small resident coho than the mature fish type.” Mark Yusaa reports. (Seattle Times)

Fighting fishing line litter
Volunteer Don Coleman never knows what to expect when he visits Fidalgo Island boat launches to empty plastic tubes of their contents. More often than he would like, he finds trash such as cigarette packs, beer cans and juice boxes. The tubes are there so fishermen have a place to put used fishing line, also called monofilament. Fishing line that is left in the water or sent to landfills can last hundreds of years and harm animals. That’s why Coleman and Catherine Buchalski launched a Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program in Skagit County last year through the WSU-Skagit County Beach Watchers. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Some Clallam County beaches reopen to shellfish harvesting
The recreational harvest of all types of shellfish has reopened along the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Clallam County from the Lyre River and Low Point east to Dungeness Spit. Previously, all Clallam County beaches along the Strait of Juan de Fuca were closed to harvesting.  The state Department of Health announced the change Monday after recent tests for marine biotoxins in shellfish came back meeting safety guidelines. (Peninsula Daily News)

New law gives B.C. more authority involving water use; Legislation comes into effect Jan. 1
Hans Schreier has spent a career studying B.C.’s water supply, charting a resource that most of the province seemed to ignore until this summer’s drought. “I worked for 30 years in water and nobody cared,” said Schreier, a University of B.C. emeritus professor of watershed management. “Now everybody wants information.” A scorching hot summer, abnormally low rainfall and dwindling reservoirs meant there wasn’t enough water to sprinkle lawns, fill pools or wash cars in Metro Vancouver and many other cities across B.C. Suddenly, interest spiked in understanding how the province protects and allocates its newest precious resource. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE SEP 15 2015
TODAY
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN
 THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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

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8/31 Salmon watch, windstorm, Hood Canal, Gorge waterway, Mt Baker glacier, oil train, Longview oil, Denali

Elwha 8/28/15 (Tom Roorda and CWI)

If you like to watch: Salmon in the Elwha  (John  Gussman) See also: pinks in the green  (Mark Powell)

If Seattle loses salmon, we also could lose city’s soul
Seattle’s the only city in the Lower 48 where lots of salmon run right through the teeth of the urban environment. But this summer the tour guides have had to work to come up with a fish story. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

100,000 still without power after windstorm  (Seattle Times) B.C. storm: 60,000 in Metro Vancouver still without power  (CBC)

Lack of oxygen killing marine life in Hood Canal waters
A lack of oxygen in southern Hood Canal is killing fish, crab and other marine life, according to Seth Book, a biologist with the Skokomish Tribe who has been monitoring the marine waterway. Through the month of August, Book and other Skokomish staff have observed dead English sole and thousands of dead and dying eel pouts on the beaches. They also have found masses of dead cockles and butter clams, and on Friday, Book said he saw hundreds of crab along the beaches that were trying to get to the surface to breath. “It’s a dead zone anywhere east of Sister’s Point to Belfair, Mason County. There’s very low oxygen at depth,” Book said. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Victoria's Gorge waterway needs cleanup after barge full of scrap cars tips
A barge carrying scrap vehicles tipped in Victoria's Gorge Waterway Friday, sending more than 50 cars spilling into the water. The accident occurred when a crane that was loading cars onto the barge apparently tipped, causing the barge to list badly, said Katie Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the city of Victoria. (CBC)

Living on boats to be a thing of the past in Victoria's Gorge
The sight of live-aboard boats anchoring on the Gorge Waterway in Victoria could soon be a thing of the past. Council passed a bylaw banning overnight anchoring in the Gorge last year, and by the end of October, people living in boats could be told to raise anchor and leave. Council was mostly concerned about environmental impacts from the boats after hearing complaints that some of the people living on the dozen or so boats — some of which have been described as derelict — were dumping sewage and garbage into the ocean near a sensitive ecological habitat. (CBC)

Scientists, Nooksack tribe study shrinking Mount Baker glacier
…. The glaciers on Mount Baker, a volcanic peak about 125 miles northeast of Seattle, provide a critical water source for agriculture, cities and tribes during the late summer. The icy glacial melt keeps streams cool for fish and replenishes rivers during a time of year when they typically run low. For the Nooksack Indian Tribe, which has relied for hundreds of years on salmon runs in the glacier-fed Nooksack River, a way of life is at risk. Without that glacial runoff, rivers will dry up more quickly and warm up faster, making it harder for salmon to spawn or migrate to the ocean. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Request made to extend comment period on oil-by-rail environmental studies
Several Washington community leaders sent a letter Friday to Skagit County Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt and Gov. Jay Inslee requesting 120-day public comment periods for the proposed Shell Puget Sound Refinery rail unloading facility in Anacortes and the proposed Grays Harbor crude oil terminals. The letter, which was also sent to Hoquiam City Manager Brian Shay and state Department of Ecology Director Maia Bellon, urged officials to allow the longer comment periods for the draft environmental impact statements of the projects in order to give community groups more time to gather information. The draft environmental impact statements have yet to be completed. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Parched Olympic Peninsula Community Eyes New Reservoir
For more than a century, the snowmelt that fed the Dungeness River here has provided water for farmers’ crops as well as salmon journeying to the ocean and back. The system has worked well – except when there’s not enough water. And now that this part of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is caught in the drought afflicting much of the West, interest in building a new reservoir is on the rise. For longtime advocate Gary Smith, that’s a good thing. Ashley Ahearn reports. (KUOW)

Oil And More: Longview Energy Company Proposes Expansion
An energy company wants to build a transfer terminal in Longview, Washington that could handle liquefied natural gas and crude oil, according to documents reviewed Friday by OPB. The project is an expansion on an already proposed oil refinery for Longview. The documents were obtained by Columbia River Keeper through a public records request. They describe an “off-load and transfer terminal” at the Port of Longview that could handle up to two unit trains per day. Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick report. (OPB)

Obama Renaming Continent's Highest Peak From Mt. McKinley To Denali
The White House announced Sunday that President Obama is changing the name of North America's highest peak. Mt. McKinley — named after William McKinley, the 25th president, who served in the White House until his assassination in 1901 — is returning to its traditional Alaska Native name, Denali. Obama will make a public announcement of the name change in Anchorage Monday, during a three-day visit to Alaska. Brakkton Booker reports. (NPR)

Lower Elwha Klallam tribe plans to restore beach on Ediz Hook
A restored beach of sand and dune grass will replace rip rap and concrete rubble on the south side of Ediz Hook this fall. The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe plans to re-establish original habitat to two-thirds of a mile of shoreline east of the old A-frame site. The remains of the A-frame log dock vanished in 2008, and the tribe restored the nearby beach in 2011. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 31 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 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

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7/9 Herons, Elwha water, farm water, Marina Beach plan, smoke, Skagit farmland, Latino climate

(PigeonPoint.Org)

When predator turns protector at B.C.’s largest heron colony in Tsawwassen
It’s the closest thing to Jurassic Park, a wooded bluff on the Tsawwassen First Nation lands that is home to B.C’s largest great blue heron nesting colony. Hundreds of them fly overhead like pterodactyls, distinguished by their hoarse, raucous calls, hunched silhouettes and outstretched wings. By any definition, this is a remarkable place. What makes it even more extraordinary is the fact that the herons have formed an unlikely alliance with their sworn enemy — the bald eagle — to protect their young even as they lose some to predation. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Port Angeles considering stricter city water curbs to protect fish; other sources studied
City officials are pondering imposition of stricter, Stage 3 water conservation measures within the next three weeks as the Elwha River flows slower and slower during the North Olympic Peninsula’s rainless summer, Craig Fulton, city public works and utilities director, said Wednesday. Fulton told City Council members Tuesday that the city also is looking at other options for city water other than the Elwha River so the waterway remains vibrant for fish. Fulton said the river is flowing at 340 cubic feet per second (cfs) two months ahead of schedule. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)
 
Ecology approves transfer of water rights to help farmers
The state Department of Ecology approved Wednesday a water rights transfer to help Skagit County farmers. Farmers in Drainage and Irrigation Improvement District No. 15 and Consolidated Diking Improvement District No. 22, which are west of Mount Vernon and Conway, will receive 1.6 million gallons of Skagit River water a day from the Skagit Public Utility District through Sept. 30. The transfer comes eight days after the city of Anacortes agreed to transfer the rights to 4.8 million gallons of water a day through Sept. 30 to the two districts. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Final open house for Marina Beach Master Plan presents preferred scheme for park, Willow Creek
At the third and final open house on the Marina Beach Master Plan, approximately 40 participants were presented with the final preferred plan for developing and enhancing the park, a major feature of which is a free-flowing, salmon-supporting Willow Creek. The previous open houses in March and May drew almost 200 participants, who provided the consultant team with feedback on design proposals and alternatives. Larry Vogel reports. (My Edmonds News)

Cooling Smoke
Cliff Mass writes: "Tuesday was almost comfortable over much of Northwest Washington today... but why? One of the reasons might be unexpected:  the Northwest part of Washington State had a relatively thick layer of smoke overhead.  It almost seemed like an overcast day...but there were no clouds, but plenty of smoke from the British Columbia fires…. Smoke like this tends to cool the surface by scattering some of the solar radiation back to space…. Weaker sun means less warming. Well, if this theory is correct we should be able to see it in the high temperatures yesterday...let's check it out. South of Seattle there are lots of temperatures between 82 and 85F.  This is true even with some cooler marine air and low clouds pushing into that area Tuesday AM.  But north of Seattle most land stations east of the Sound and Georgia Strait were in the 70s--Bellingham was only 72F! (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Another 1,000 acres of farmland to be preserved from development
Another 1,000 acres of Skagit County farmland will be preserved forever against development after funding was included last week in the state’s capital budget. The Legislature approved about $1.3 million, and the Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program, which protects local agriculture, will match the funding. The 1,000 acres will be added to 9,500 acres of Skagit County farmland — out of about 100,000 total acres — that have been preserved against development since 1996. The 9,500 acres come from 194 farms. Shelby Rowe reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Majority of Latinos see global warming as serious problem, poll shows
A large majority of Latinos see global warming as a serious problem - a view that crosses party lines and includes Republicans, whose party leaders are climate change skeptics. More than 73 percent of U.S. Latinos surveyed by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative consider global warming to be a somewhat serious or very serious problem. Concern is higher among Democrats - 82 percent than among Republicans at 62.2 percent. Concern is much lower - 49 percent - among Latinos who are independents or not registered. Anthony Man reports. (Sun Sentinel)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 308 AM PDT THU JUL 9 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SW SWELL
 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS. AREAS OF 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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5/6 Shellfish closures, biz climate, Vic sewer, dog poop, NW drought, Polly spill, free Lolita

Elwha roll on, 5/2/15 (Tom Roorda & CWI)

Bacteria force state officials to restrict shellfish in 3 commercial areas
State health officials are restricting shellfish harvesting in sections of three commercial growing areas due to high levels of bacteria. The state Department of Health announced the restrictions on Tuesday for Hood Canal 6, Pickering Passage and Vaughn Bay. Officials also said another 17 areas are considered “threatened” due to declining water quality. The announcement came after the agency conducted its annual evaluation of the state’s 102 commercial shellfish growing areas. (Associated Press)

Big business gets behind combating climate change
Big business is gradually advocating for action on climate change, as it becomes clearer to executives that a warmer planet will adversely impact them. That was the message from Mindy Lubber, keynote speaker for the annual Climate Solutions breakfast Monday…. Lubber is president of CERES, a Boston organization that works with companies in investing in efforts to counter climate change. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Potential west-side sewage-treatment sites identified
At least 20 potential sewage-treatment sites in the West Shore communities of Colwood, Langford, View Royal and Esquimalt have been identified. Compiled by the Westside Solutions technical committee, the sites were selected based on their size and proximity to trunk lines, potential outfalls, neighbourhoods and developments that could take advantage of resource-recovery opportunities. The next step will be to determine which sites are truly feasible through a series of public roundtables today, May 9 and May 13, said Esquimalt Mayor and Westside Solutions co-chair Barb Desjardins. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Burnaby apartment tenants ordered to submit dog poop to management
A landlord at a Burnaby apartment complex is demanding tenants submit samples of their dogs’ feces in order to catch the canine that made a mess in the building’s stairwell. A memo delivered to dog owners at Waldorf  Manor Apartments (7466 14 Avenue, Burnaby) stated that since an unknown tenant had “let his dog poop on the stairs, twice, and did not have the decency to clean after his dog” management needed to collect samples of feces from all the dogs in the complex so they could be analyzed in a lab and compared with the offending feces found on the stairs. “The technology exists and the dog can be identified,” the memo said. A plastic baggy was included with the order. Failure to provide a poop sample, the memo said, would be viewed by management as an “admission of guilt, and reason for immediate eviction.” Waldorf residents intend to fight the order. Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Deepening Northwest Drought Poses Challenges For Farmers
A drive across the Northwest quickly reveals things look really dry everywhere.  In Oregon’s dramatic Gorge, the normally spring-green cheatgrass has already cured to a rusty hue. On Washington’s White Pass there are just traces of snow clinging under the shade. In Idaho, vast forests are drying out quickly from lack of snow. And the consequences could be severe in Washington’s Yakima Valley. The Yakima Valley is one of the entire Northwest’s highest-value agricultural zones. Think sweet cherries, apples, mint and wine grapes. But many of those crops' farmers will have a hard time getting the water they need this summer. Anna King reports. (KUOW)

Mount Polley spill shows increase in temperature, sediment levels: UNBC report
A study on the impacts of a tailings pond spill at the Mount Polley mine last summer shows a number of changes to the Quesnel Lake ecosystem, but researchers say it's still too early to determine the long term impacts on fish and drinking water. The report, authored by five researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia, documented the findings of samples taken in the two months immediately following the spill, between Aug 4 and Oct 4, 2014. It found the levels of the lake rose 7.7 centimetres in that time, and the temperature at the bottom of the lake increased from 1 to 2.5 degrees Celsius. It also found higher levels of sediment — associated with an increase in turbidity in the lake. (CBC)

Advocates Will Hold Protest In Support Of Lolita At Miami Seaquarium This Saturday
If the name Palace Entertainment doesn't ring a bell, it should soon. They're getting plenty of attention, and not the kind anyone wants. Last year, the company purchased the Miami Seaquarium, and with it, a killer whale named Lolita, which means they've become a major target for animal activists…. The newest effort to draw attention to her plight is a series of protests starting this Saturday, May 9, at all Palace Entertainment locations nationwide — including the Miami Seaquarium. Dubbed the Shut Down Palace Campaign, this effort is being spearheaded by advocates Wendy King and Robin Jewell Roberts (Miracle March to Protect the Captive founder and President). Roberts led a massive Seaquarium protest this January that earned international media attention. Hannah Sentenac reports. (Miami New Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-230 AM PDT WED MAY 6 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
 TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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4/22 Earth Day, WA lege, climate works, spotted owl, endangered species, whale hunt, CA water, Port of PT

If you like to listen: Celebrate the Earth. It's Earth Day!
Celebrate the earth -- from a canyon in the West, where meadowlarks sing … to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, where a pair of Common Loons returns to breed and raise their young and spring peepers sing for mates … to an old-growth hardwood forest in North Carolina, where warblers and vireos sing and woodpeckers drum. The soundscapes featured in today's show were recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com. (BirdNote)

Overtime: Washington Legislature going into special session
The House's budget chair said Tuesday Washington lawmakers will not finish their work by Sunday's deadline and will need a special session to work out the details on the state budget and adequately paying for public education. Gov. Jay Inslee agreed with Rep. Ross Hunter's assessment. But he said special session plans haven't been talked about yet. Donna Blankinship and Rachel La Corte report. (Associated Press)

U.S. recognizes 2 W. Washington climate-change projects
The federal government on Tuesday recognized two collaborative efforts in Western Washington that seek to conserve, restore and make lands more resilient to climate change. In the Puget Sound region, federal, state and county agencies are partnering to improve coastal watersheds. In the Snohomish River watershed, governments, tribes and nonprofits are working to restore and increase the storage capacity of flood plains and revive tidal wetland habitats. Western Washington was one of four regions recognized in the Tuesday joint announcement by the Interior Department, EPA and NOAA. The federal government is highlighting these regional efforts to showcase how partnerships can help prepare vulnerable lands for the effects of climate change. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Feds consider “uplisting” spotted owl
The forest-dwelling bird that has become known for causing grief in the region’s logging communities is again under Endangered Species Act review. This time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to increase protection for the Northern spotted owl. Timber industry representatives worry the potential change could further restrict logging and actually take away from the decades-long efforts to restore the species. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Humpback whales recovering, baby orcas being born, but plenty of species in peril
The eve of Earth Day 45 brought news that humpback whales, beloved attractions from waters between Maui and Lanai in Hawaii to Alaska’s Lynn Canal, are candidates to be taken off the endangered species list. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing to de-list 10 species of humpbacks…. The Salish Sea has witnessed its own whale news in recent weeks.  Four baby whales have been born into the southern resident orca population, endangered by oil development and decline of its chief food — chinook salmon. The view elsewhere, particularly in Third World countries, is bleak. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com) See also: Transient orca population counted in big numbers off Vancouver Island (CBC)

Public comment sought on proposed Makah whale hunt with meeting set next Wednesday in Port Angeles
A public meeting on a draft environmental impact statement evaluating the Makah tribe's request to resume treaty-based hunting of gray whales is set in Port Angeles next week. The meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St. No registration is required. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries also will host a public meeting in Seattle on Monday. Public comment will be taken at both meetings. (Peninsula Daily News)

Stormwater: Port considers noncompliance fees
Port of Port Townsend commissioners and Al Cairns, environmental compliance officer, on April 8 discussed imposing fines for violating Best Management Practices (BMPs), rules designed to help reduce environmental damage. The port has invested $400,000 in a stormwater treatment system. "We're still by a large order of magnitude over our stormwater standards," Cairns said. Robin Dudley reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

William Shatner: Solve California drought with Seattle pipeline
For generations, water-hungry Southern California has jealously eyed the rainy Pacific Northwest as a potential source of the precious resource. And time after time, it has been rebuffed. When Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn in 1990 proposed digging aqueducts that would grab water from the Columbia and Snake rivers, Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt responded: “I have the distinct impression that you are trying to steal my water.” Now actor William Shatner has waded in with his own improbable plan. Veronica Rocha reports. (LA Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 308 AM PDT WED APR 22 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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4/6 Poop DNA, fake reef, hatcheries, fish farm, sardines, fish slaves, snowpack, protect orcas, train watch, Skagit GI, beaver dams, Octo Ursula, CA water

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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4/3 Crab moves, Navy sonar, coal power, PT MSC, ferry reservations, AK oil, drought

(Ocean Networks Canada/Vancouver Sun)

If you like to watch: Video: Rare footage of mass crab migration off Vancouver Island
An Ocean Networks Canada seafloor observatory has obtained rare footage of a mass migration of grooved tanner crabs at a depth of almost 1,000 metres at Barkley Canyon, about 100 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Researchers believe the migration to shallower waters is related to mating and egg laying. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Court Rules Navy's Sonar Training In Pacific Violates Environmental Laws
A federal judge on Tuesday said the National Marine Fisheries Service violated environmental laws when it approved the Navy's plans for training in waters off Hawaii and Southern California. The agency failed to support its finding that the training would have a "negligible impact" on marine life, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Oki Mollway wrote in her ruling. The Navy, she said, also failed to take a hard look at alternatives such as training in different areas or at different times to avoid potentially harming dolphins, whales and other species. Environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Conservation Council for Hawaii, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Honolulu. (ABC News)

The Northwest Struggles With Coal-Generated Power From Out Of State
Northwest utilities are fighting pressure to end to all use of coal-fired power -- even when it's generated in places like Utah and Montana. Many people are surprised to find out how much coal-fired power the Northwest still uses, even with all of its hydroelectric dams and wind farms. Oregon still gets about a third of its electricity from coal. In Washington, it's about 15 percent. And while the two coal plants based in Oregon and Washington are both scheduled to close – Eastern Oregon's Boardman plant in 2020 and Eastern Washington's Centralia plant in 2025 – that won't mean the end of coal-fired power in the two states. Both states have utilities that get some of their power from out-of-state coal plants. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Port Townsend Marine Science Center exhibit opens for season today
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s marine exhibit opens for the spring season today to offer visitors up-close-and-personal contact with area sea life. A variety of sea animals are in open pools at the exhibit at the end pier at Fort Worden State Park. Hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News) And: WHO AM I? Help name the new octopus at Port Angeles' marine life center in today's Peninsula Poll

San Juan Islanders largely OK with ferry reservation system
Washington State Ferries implemented a three-tier vehicle reservation system Dec. 2 to better manage congestion on ferries between the Anacortes terminal and the San Juan Islands. Reservations have been taken for travel via ferry since Jan. 5. And while there have been some complaints about the system, locals say it’s better than waiting hours to get on a sailing. Shelby Rowe reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Hit to Alaska from dropping oil prices could dampen Puget Sound trade
Economic damage to Alaska from low oil prices may hit the Puget Sound area economy hard in 2016. That was the warning from a panel of Alaska experts in Seattle Thursday, who said purchases of Washington goods and even Alaska-bound cruise tourism could suffer. Alaska, which depends on oil for 90 percent of its state government revenue, is facing a $3 billion state budget shortfall, about a quarter of a normal budget…. Washington state and Alaska are closely linked economically, with113,000 direct and indirect Alaska-linked jobs paying $6.2 billion in the Puget Sound region, according to a January report, “Ties that Bind,” by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Western Drought Response Kicks Into Higher Gear
California Governor Jerry Brown ordered statewide mandatory water saving measures Wednesday. Water managers are preparing for drought in Oregon and Washington state as well. Washington and Oregon's governors have already declared drought emergencies in select counties where farmers depend on runoff for irrigation. In Olympia, a drought and water supply committee that has been dormant for years has been reconvened. Tom Banse reports. (KUOW)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 3 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT BY NOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT
 10 SECONDS. RAIN TAPERING OFF TO SHOWERS BY NOON. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7 OR 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS THIS EVENING. SHOWERS
 LIKELY.
SAT
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS
 LIKELY.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 OR 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SUN
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 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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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.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

3/11 Tsunami debris, forage fish, WQ standards, drought, Shell drills, WA climate, train safety, Prince Rupert, nets

Tsunami debris (Vancouver Sun)

Photos: Japanese tsunami debris still washing up on B.C. shores
March 11, 2015 is the fourth anniversary of the devastating tidal waves that hit Japan after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Debris from Japan has been washing up on North American shores since 2012. (Vancouver Sun)

Action Taken To Protect Fish At Bottom Of Ocean Food Chain
West Coast fishery managers adopted a new rule Tuesday that protects many species of forage fish at the bottom of the ocean food chain. The rule prohibits commercial fishing of herring, smelt, squid and other small fish that aren't currently targeted by fishermen. It sets up new, more protective regulations for anyone who might want to start fishing for those species in the future. The Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously voted to adopt the rule at a meeting in Vancouver, Washington. The council sets ocean fishing seasons off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Feds watch closely as state updates water-quality standards
For more than 40 years, state regulators have been pondering the raw end of effluent pipes to control water pollution — and they will keep doing so for the foreseeable future. Under federal guidelines, the state Department of Ecology has been enforcing statewide water quality standards, which were last updated in 1992. These apply to toxic discharges from industrial facilities and sewage-treatment plants. Now, under threat from the Environmental Protection Agency, Ecology is rushing to complete a new set of standards for toxic chemicals before the EPA takes over and imposes its own standards on the state. The situation is expected to come to a head in August. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Kitsap Sun)

It's official: Olympic Mountains — source of our water supply — in a state of drought
A stubbornly warm winter is still providing the Olympic Mountains with little snowpack, and the mountain range has been declared to officially be in a state of drought. After a short-lived storm restored about a foot of snow last week, the meager, melting snowpack in the Olympics is back to single-digit percentages of where it should be. The snow level is above the tops of most of the Olympics peaks, meaning that today's rains are just that — rain — and not snow. Both the short- and long-range forecasts are for above-normal temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

A Port pledge? Shell’s Arctic fleet out in 2 years, no more lightning leases
The Seattle Port Commission is seeking a passage to calmer waters after facing protest and song over its lease of Terminal 5 to provide a staging area for Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic oil drilling fleet. A motion, set for vote at a future Commission meeting, would require that Shell’s fleet be gone within two years.  It also promises no more quickie deals removed from public scrutiny.  And the Commission would take over all future details of the controversial deal with Foss Maritime, which services Shell’s ships. “We are not changing terms of the lease,” said Seattle Port Commissioner Tom Albro.  “We are, essentially, owning the lease as an executive action and determining what will happen there.” Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com) See also: Critics sound off against Port’s lease for Shell drilling-fleet base   Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

State Senate’s collision with science and climate change
At least nobody brought in a snowball to argue that the planet is cooling. That’s about the best I can say about our Washington state Senate and the issue of climate change: That it isn’t as willfully misinformed as its national counterpart, the U.S. Senate. But a half-hour debate this week in Olympia showed it’s a depressingly close race…. In the end every Republican senator but one voted against the statement that “human activity significantly contributes to climate change.” They replaced it with “human activity may contribute” to climate change. Danny Westneat reports. (Seattle Times)

State Senate passes oil train safety bill
The state Senate passed a measure Monday night to improve the safety of oil transportation, one of two competing bills that deal with the increasing shipments of crude oil through the state. Senate Bill 5057, sponsored by Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale, passed 26-23 after extended debate. The House passed a competing bill last week…. The Senate-approved measure requires the Department of Ecology to review oil-spill response plans, provide grants to local emergency responders and convene a panel to evaluate whether tug escorts are needed for oil vessels on the Columbia River and in Grays Harbor. Ericksen’s bill also extends a barrel tax collected on oil that comes to the state by train, with the proceeds going to an oil-spill response fund. It differs from House Bill 1449, which passed last week, because it doesn’t cover oil shipped by pipeline and lacks requirements that railroads and others show they can pay to clean up a spill. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Associated Press)

Prince Rupert’s port to expand by 500,000 containers
A container terminal at a northern British Columbia port announced an expansion Tuesday that will increase the facility’s capacity by nearly 60 per cent. Maher Terminals said it’s expanding its Fairview Container Terminal at the Prince Rupert Port to handle 1.3 million containers per year, from its current capacity of 850,000 units. Don Krusel, president of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said construction would begin immediately and is expected to be finished by the middle of 2017. He said the expansion will involve a capital investment of more than $200-million. (Globe and Mail)

Bainbridge Island company casts its net a bit wider
Before they begin scooping fish out of the ocean, many trawl nets are born at a factory off Day Road on Bainbridge Island…. The Bainbridge Island company is the only manufacturer in North America with the looms needed to produce this knotless, polyethylene netting, a product it unabashedly calls the “world’s strongest.” Squares in the netting are formed with braids instead of the traditional knots, making it less likely to lose its shape or break, according to its makers. Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 227 AM PDT WED MAR 11 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

3/4/ Black birding, WA oil, Shell appeal, Van Is coal, snowpack, Growlers, murrelets, orcas, Yakima spill, cit sci, Adele Ferguson, shipyard merger

If you like to watch: Rules for the Black Birdwatcher, with J. Drew Lanham  (BirdNote)

Leaking cars, vapor pressure, vessel traffic among concerns in Ecology’s final oil transportation study
The state Department of Ecology has turned in its final oil transportation study to the Legislature with updated recommendations and some new information. Really quickly, the final report has a few new sections that weren’t included in the draft version published in December 2014. Among other things, those include information about investigations of leaking rail cars that traveled through the state, changes in North Dakota intended to make Bakken safer to move, and the potential impacts of increased vessel traffic discussed at a Salish Sea Workshop held in Whatcom County in January. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Shell to appeal mandate for full study of rail project  
The Shell Puget Sound Refinery plans to challenge a hearing examiner’s decision to require a full environmental impact statement for the refinery’s proposed rail offloading facility and is seeking the Skagit County commissioners’ guidance on just how that should happen. A notice of appeal filed with county commissioners seeks clarification of where Shell should go next — back to the county or to some other venue. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Coal company withdraws proposal for contentious mine on Vancouver Island
A controversial proposal to mine more than 16 million tons of coal in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island has been withdrawn in the face of growing criticism about the negative impacts it could have on rich shellfish and salmon grounds. Stephen Ellis, president of Compliance Coal Corporation, said his company has backed out of the B.C. environmental assessment process for the proposed Raven coal mine not because it’s environmentally risky, but because there is so much public misunderstanding about the project. And he made clear the company hasn’t given up on the proposal yet. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Snowpack in state and North Cascades well below normal
Washington state’s snowpack is 29 percent of normal, further deepening concerns of drought this summer. Measurements compiled for the first part of March also showed that the snowpack for the North Cascades region is about 40 percent of normal as a mild, warm winter continued its hold. Very little snow fell in February and what did fall was on mountain peaks, according to Scott Pattee, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Mount Vernon. Kie Relyea reports. (Belingham Herald)

Whidbey anti-jet group appeals to Navy brass
A Central Whidbey citizen group is amping up the scope of its fight against the Navy’s increasing presence in Puget Sound. Representatives of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, say they mailed a letter in February to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus addressing what they describe as the dangers of the Navy’s new EA-18G Growler. The group also threatens additional action, if necessary. Janis Reid reports. (Whidbey News-Times)

Federal court upholds protection for threatened marbled murrelets by rejecting timber industry lawsuit
A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by the timber industry seeking to strip Endangered Species Act protection from a threatened seabird that nests in old-growth forests. Environmentalists said the ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., should mark the end of a 15-year legal battle over logging trees used by marbled murrelets along the coasts of Oregon, Washington and northern California. Jeff Barnard reports. (Associated Press)

Data deficiency? Buying time?
The critical habitat afforded to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales could expand to include 700 miles of coastline, but it won’t happen anytime soon. National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency that will oversee the decision, says it will need until 2017 to gather scientific evidence and make an informed ruling. Local orca advocates say the expansion is long overdue and the delay effectively allows military to obtain permits for continued testing and training off the Washington coast. Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)

Washington state spill covers 50 birds in used motor oil
Environmental officials say spilled oil has covered 50 birds after as much as 1,500 gallons of used motor oil leaked into irrigation canals and a river in an agricultural area of south-central Washington. Ecology Department spokeswoman Joye Redfield-Wilder says a subcontractor was hired Tuesday to try to save the birds. (Associated Press)

Citizen science proves a draw for new program manager at Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Programs in which volunteers participate in science research attracted the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s new program manager to the nonprofit organization. “One of the things that drew me to the marine science center is its reputation for citizen science, and I think that’s been kept secret,” said Susan Bullerdick, who started her new position last Sunday…. Bullerdick, 52, commutes from Whidbey Island. She plans to relocate to Port Townsend.  She worked for the Seattle Aquarium for 10 years. For seven of those years, she served as the operations manager for Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE), a collaboration among the Seattle Aquarium, the Ocean Inquiry Project and the University of Washington Oceanography department and College of Education. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Longtime Sun reporter, pioneer of journalism Adele Ferguson dies
Adele Ferguson answered the phone so gruffly and loud that a young state Senate staff member hung up in fear. That staffer was in powerful company, because legislators had the same fear and respect for Ferguson throughout her career. Ferguson, a pioneer in Olympia political journalism history, died Monday at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton after a short illness. She was 90, something a newspaper could never get away with revealing if she were still here. Steve Gardner reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Seattle and Portland shipyards merge to create $650 million whale
Two of the Northwest's largest shipyards are merging, creating a combined entity that will generate $650 million in revenue this year. Portland-based Vigor Industrial LLC is acquiring Seattle-based Kvichak Marine Industries, in an exchange of stock and cash. Vigor CEO Frank Foti declined to disclose the particulars of the transaction between the two privately held companies. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 250 AM PST WED MAR 4 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

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