10/16 Hedgehog 'shroom, unlawful industrial aquaculture, Leque Is restoration, Trump's California EPA, killing owls, logging Tongass

Hedgehog mushroom

Hedgehog mushroom Hydnum repandum
Often called the "hedgehog mushroom," Hydnum repandum is easily recognized by its pale orange-tan colors, its terrestrial habitat, and the spines or "teeth" on its underside. Over the years mycologists have suspected a relationship between Hydnum repandum (sometimes named Dentinum repandum) and the chanterelles. In fact the hedgehog mushroom is easily mistaken for a faded chanterelle--until you get a peek at its spiny underside. Michael Kuo writes. (MushroomExpert.Com)

Expansion of Washington industrial shellfish aquaculture ruled unlawful
A Federal Court for the Western District of Washington has ruled that the US Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) commercial shellfish aquaculture general permit, which is used to permit the majority of the shellfish aquaculture in Washington, is unlawful. In response to a lawsuit brought by Center for Food Safety (CFS), the court found that Army Corps failed to adequately consider impacts of commercial shellfish aquaculture to Washington shorelines and wildlife habitat. The court ruled that Army Corps’ conclusive findings of minimal cumulative impact were not supported by the evidence before the agency, which shows harm to the environment, including damage to crucial fish habitat that support species like salmon and orcas.  Army Corps’ permit, Nationwide Permit 48 (NWP 48) issued by the Trump administration in 2017, would have allowed an expansion of the industry without sufficient marine wildlife or water quality protections, according to CFS. Sam Mehmet reports. (New Food Magazine)

‘Camano will feel a lot more like an island’ as of this week
As the tide rose in Port Susan Monday afternoon, water inched up a dirt berm on the edge of Leque Island. Just before 5 p.m., the flow seeped over the berm’s edge, rushing into a channel that cuts through the island’s grassy plain. It was the first time saltwater flowed naturally onto the island in over 150 years, since before the almost 300-acre swath of land was diked off for farming in the early 1900s. The last of those dikes were removed Monday as the final step in a project to restore the land to its original state as a salt marsh. With water now on both sides of the highway at high tide, “Camano will feel a lot more like an island,” said Loren Brokaw, restoration project coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He’s been working on the project for about seven years. Julia-Grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

E.P.A. Bypassed Its West Coast Team as a Feud With California Escalated
When the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Andrew Wheeler, accused California of allowing “piles of human feces” on city streets to contaminate sewer systems, leaders of the agency’s West Coast region hastily convened an all-hands meeting of the San Francisco staff. At that meeting, E.P.A. officials informed staff members that Mr. Wheeler’s torrent of allegations about the state’s water pollution were exaggerated, according to five current and former E.P.A. officials briefed on internal discussions. Moreover, the accusations, contained in a Sept. 26 oversight letter, had been developed without the knowledge of the California-based staff, which would normally issue such notices. Instead, it was put together by a small group of political appointees in Washington assigned specifically to target California, according to three current E.P.A. officials. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

Owl killings spur moral questions about human intervention
As he stood amid the thick old-growth forests in the coastal range of Oregon, Dave Wiens was nervous. Before he trained to shoot his first barred owl, he had never fired a gun...Wiens grew up fascinated by birds, and his graduate research in owl interactions helped lay the groundwork for this tense moment. “It’s a little distasteful, I think, to go out killing owls to save another owl species,” said Wiens, a biologist who still views each shooting as “gut-wrenching” as the first. “Nonetheless, I also feel like from a conservation standpoint, our back was up against the wall. We knew that barred owls were outcompeting spotted owls and their populations were going haywire.” The federal government has been trying for decades to save the northern spotted owl, a native bird that sparked an intense battle over logging across Washington, Oregon and California decades ago. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Trump administration issues plan to lift limits on logging in the largest intact temperate rainforest in North America
The Trump administration Tuesday proposed allowing logging on more than half of Alaska’s 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in North America. President Trump instructed federal officials to reverse long-standing limits on tree cutting at the request of Alaska’s top elected officials, on the grounds that it will boost the local economy. But critics say that protections under the “roadless rule,” finalized just before President Bill Clinton left office in 2001, are critical to protecting the region’s lucrative salmon fishery and tourism operations. Juliet Eilperin reports. (Washington Post) See also: Forest Service Backs an End to Limits on Roads in Alaska’s Tongass Forest https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/climate/tongass-forest-roads.html Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  227 AM PDT Wed Oct 16 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft  at 12 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  S wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell  12 ft at 13 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

10/15 Arched hooktip, Columbia dam removal, octopus watch, Van sewage, fisheries management, people and clams

Arched hooktip [Michael Hodge]

Arched hooktip Drepana arcuata
The arched hooktip or masked birch caterpillar is a moth of the family Drepanidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1855. It is found from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, south to at least North Carolina, South Carolina and California...The larvae feed on Betula papyrifera and Alnus species, which they may use as a medium to communicate. Sound is produced by shaking their bodies, drumming and scraping their mouthparts, or dragging specialised anal "oars" against the surface of a leaf. Larvae build communal silk shelters and the sounds may attract other larva to the shelter. (Wikipedia)

Yakama, Lummi tribal leaders call for removal of three lower Columbia River dams
In a historic stand, the Yakama and Lummi nations called Monday for taking down the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day dams on the Columbia River to restore salmon runs once the mightiest in the world. The three big energy producers churn out enough electricity to power more than 2 million Pacific Northwest homes annually and also provide an important inland navigation route for commercial goods. Jay Julius, chairman of the Lummi Nation, and JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakama Nation, gathered — on Indigenous Peoples Day — at Celilo Village, all that is left of the fishing and cultural center at Celilo Falls, the most productive salmon fishery in the world for some 11,000 years. The falls were drowned beneath the reservoir of The Dalles Dam in 1957. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Why's the octopus awake? Night at the Seattle Aquarium 
It’s almost midnight and Bailey is still awake, stretching and pushing against the glass in front of her. Bailey is an octopus at the Seattle Aquarium, and she’s not the only one at the Aquarium at this hour. Michelle Arnett is the night biologist at the Seattle Aquarium. Arnett works in semi-darkness, occasionally flipping on a flashlight with a red, muted glow ... because, despite the wakefulness of some residents, it’s night time for the animals, too. It’s the octopuses you want to keep an eye on, she said. The top of the exhibit has a ring with Astroturf on it, something the suckers can’t stick to. Kate Walters reports. (KUOW)

Metro Vancouver looks at turning sewage sludge into fuel, fertilizer
Metro Vancouver is moving ahead with planning for a facility that will dry the solid waste left over from sewage treatment so it can be burned as fuel or mixed into fertilizer. “It’s innovative for us, it’s new for us, it’s a proven technology,” said Lillian Zaremba, a program manager with Metro’s liquid waste services department. “This is exciting because it’s different uses than we’ve had in the past, so a diversity of options.” The regional district’s five wastewater treatment plants processed more than 450 billion litres of sewage in 2018 and generated 55,000 tonnes of treated sewage sludge, or biosolids. Over the past 20 years, Metro has used 98 per cent of its biosolids on land, including in Nutrifor topsoil for landscaping projects in the region, reclaiming mine sites and gravel pits, as a biocover for landfills to absorb methane, and for fertilizing range and agricultural land in the Interior. Jennifer Saltman reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Fishing for the triple bottom line: profit, planet — and people
Fisheries managers typically strive to strike a delicate balance between two, often competing, types of needs: the needs for fishermen’s profits and the needs for the planet. But in 1994, entrepreneur John Elkington posited that true sustainability requires consideration of a third “P” — the needs of the people. In making this argument, he coined the term “the triple bottom line.” In a new study, an interdisciplinary group of researchers used Pacific herring in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, as a case study for modeling the implicit tradeoffs within the triple bottom line that result from various fisheries management decisions. They found that considering spatial dynamics is a key component of this modeling process — for example, considering the geographic areas of the fish populations, the areas that are important to the various communities of people, and the areas that are impacted by management decisions. Samantha Larson reports. (UW News)

People and clams have a more complex history than you might think
The relationship between clams and humans is deeper than just chowder. We’ve been interacting with the bivalves for thousands of years, according to a new study, and the animals have actually thrived under human management. Researchers focused on clams in the Salish Sea in British Columbia in Canada. They started out looking at populations of butter clams—small, tasty marine mollusks—that lived about 11,500 years ago before the arrival of permanent human settlers. These early clams were relatively small—about 80% the size of today’s butter clams—but they got bigger and lived longer as sea levels stabilized and glaciers receded after the end of the last ice age, leaving rocky sea floors in their wake. By 10,900 to 9500 years ago, the clams were much larger, Eva Frederick reports. (Science Magazine)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  224 AM PDT Tue Oct 15 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 14 seconds building to 7 ft at  12 seconds in the afternoon. A slight chance of rain in the  morning then rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at 11 seconds. 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

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/14 Pipefish, white orca, salmon virus, hybrid salmon, climate change, Salish Sea book, cruise ship regs, tsunami map, mad owl

Bay pipefish [Monterey Bay Aquarium]

Bay Pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchus
The Bay Pipefish will often float or anchor themselves to strands of eelgrass while in a vertical position, rendering it almost invisible to predators... The protection and gentle currents of the eelgrass beds is a necessity for the pipefish, as they are poor swimmers who would quickly perish in open or coastal waters. Like their seahorse relatives, male pipefish carry the young in a special pouch until they emerge and swim away. (Oregon Coast Aquarium)

Rare white orca among dozens of whales spotted around Puget Sound
Whale-watchers who have braved the chillier fall weather in search of orca sightings got a real treat over the weekend. Island Adventures Whale Watching tells Q13 that October has been full of orca sightings throughout the region, including Tl'uk, a white orca calf that's known for his unusually light coloration.  He is not albino, but something in his genes makes him look different than his family. His name means "moon" in Coast Salish language. Tl'uk was part of a large group of nearly 40 transient, mammal-eating orcas that came into the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Port Angeles and Victoria on Saturday...There was also a group of about 20 southern resident orcas from the J pod in Puget Sound all weekend in front of Seattle. (KCPQ) See also: Orcas sighted in Puget Sound, including rare 'little white whale'  (KOMO)

New Viruses Found in Farmed and Wild Salmon
Researchers have found three new-to-science viruses in chinook and sockeye salmon in British Columbia. The discovery, led by Gideon Mordecai, a University of British Columbia molecular biologist who studies the ecology of viruses, is part of a larger investigation into whether viruses are contributing to the steep declines in wild British Columbia salmon populations over the past 30 years. The researchers now aim to find out if these infectious agents are being transmitted from farmed to wild fish. Erica Gies reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Hybrid salmon discovered by scientists on Vancouver Island 
Two salmon researchers say a surprising discovery has been made on Vancouver Island. Andres Araujo, a biologist at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Will Duguid, a PhD biology student at the University of Victoria, recently found fish in the Cowichan River, north of Victoria, B.C., that have the genes of both coho and chinook salmon. Tissue samples revealed the fish are second-generation hybrids, meaning they are the spawn of hybrids. (CBC)

These dramatic photos show climate change at work in the Northwest
Climate change is not a scary thing that might happen in the future. It is here. The photos [below] show how striking a role climate change has already played in the Pacific Northwest — helping to push houses into the ocean and forcing eels to "pant" for air. Here are some ways that climate change is already altering the region. Isolde Raftery reports. (KUOW)

New book 'We Are Puget Sound' reminds us what's at risk if we ignore the struggles of the Salish Sea
A book launch event for “We Are Puget Sound: Discovering & Recovering the Salish Sea” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Seattle Central Library, in the Microsoft Auditorium. Speaking will be Mindy Roberts of Washington Environmental Council, author David L. Workman, photographer Brian Walsh, Sally Brownfield of the Squaxin Island Tribe and Darcie Larson of the Seattle Aquarium. The event is free and open to the public. The book is written by David L. Workman, Leonard Forsman, Mindy Roberts and Brian J. Cantwell. Photography by Brian Walsh and contributors. Foreword by Martha Kongsgaard. (Seattle Times)

Victoria mayor calls for regulation of cruise ship industry to reduce emissions and waste
Victoria's mayor and two councillors have tabled a motion asking for among other things a limit on cruise ships entering the city until a plan can be found to limit their emissions and waste. Lisa Helps and councillors Marianne Alto and Ben Isitt tabled the motion which will go before council on Oct. 17. It makes a number of recommendations, including having staff look into requiring cruise ships to use shore power while docked; having the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) report to council on the impact of the cruise ship operations on the environment; and not increasing the number of cruise ships coming to Victoria until emissions and waste issues are dealt with. (CBC)

Maps show low chance of reaching high ground along coast in event of tsunami
Washington has released tsunami safety maps for Port Townsend, Ilwaco, Long Beach, Seaview and Westport. The maps indicate how much time you have to get to safety before a tsunami hits following a magnitude 9 earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone. Some of the maps indicate there is almost no chance of reaching safety in the necessary time. For example, in Westport you would have only 15 minutes to get out. All of the walking routes would take longer than that. And, officials say, with roads and bridges out after a quake walking may be your only option. Paula Wissel reports. (KNKX)

County receives award for creative conversations about poop
Skagit County has spent years trying to keep fecal pollution getting out of local waterways including the Samish River. The county’s Clean Water Program took its efforts online in March 2018, unveiling a website detailing the problems and how community members can help. That website, poopsmart.org, has won a national award. The City-County Communications & Marketing Association, also referred to as 3CMA, recently recognized Skagit County’s Poop Smart campaign with a Diamond Award, an honor given in government communications. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Bikers warned to stay off Whistler trail due to an aggressive owl
Attacks by an ornery owl have prompted the municipality of Whistler to warn the public to steer clear of a local bike trail. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service received a report on Monday about an aggressive bird that was swooping down on people along the Don’t Look Back biking trail located above the Function Junction neighbourhood. At least one trail runner was left with minor injuries after being attacked by a barred owl. Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Invasive zebra mussels found on boat bound for Seattle
Montana officials say a boat infested with an invasive species of mussels passed two watercraft checkpoints before they were discovered. The Missoulian reported that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say the zebra mussels were found on a boat bound for Seattle. Officials say zebra and quagga mussels can clog water intake pipes, disrupt the fishing tourism industry and cost industries, businesses and communities billions of dollars. Officials say the aquatic invasive species on the vessel that originated in Lake Michigan could have spread in the Columbia River basin without the discovery. (Associated Press)

EPA Proposes New Regulations For Lead In Drinking Water
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new proposal that would change how communities test for lead in drinking water. It’s the first major update to the Lead and Copper Rule in nearly 30 years, but it does not go as far as many health advocates had hoped. The regulations are aimed at stopping people’s water from being contaminated through lead pipes that connect public water supplies to homes. The EPA’s website points out that ingesting lead “can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels.” The proposal that was announced Thursday would require water systems to keep a public inventory of where those lead service lines are and help homeowners replace them if their water is found to be contaminated with lead. Paolo Zialcita reports. (NPR)

Urban deer get birth control to curb overpopulation
On the southern tip of Vancouver Island sits the small community of Oak Bay.  For years it's been stalked by roving urban deer.  But now science is stepping in a bid to stop the population from procreating. Researchers, along with the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society, scientists and veterinarians, are giving birth control to dozens of wild deer. Lead researcher Jason Fisher says it's a first-of-its-kind study in Canada and, if successful, could help shape the future of animal management across the country. Georgie Smyth reports.(CBC)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PDT Mon Oct 14 2019   
TODAY  SE wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 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

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/11 Bull kelp, bird climate woes, laundry microfibres, Duwamish Tribe, Seaport Alliance noise

Bull kelp [Mary Jo Adams]

Bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana
Attaches to rocks just beyond lowest tides. Entire growth takes place from spring to fall (to several inches per day). Most plants die off during the first winter; release spores that become the microscopic, overwintering gametophyte generation. Bull kelp beds shelter schools of fishes; seabirds rest in calmed sea around fronds. Large tangled are washed ashore by winter storms; leathery stalks may last months. Hollow bulbs were used by coastal Indians as water vessels; long stiles were knotted end-to-end as fishing line for halibut. (Marine Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans, and the Strait of Georgia)

Audubon study finds harm to most Washington bird species as global temperatures rise 
If climate change continues on its current trajectory, more than half of 296 Washington bird species face trouble as forests shrink, sea levels rise and the seasons warm, according to an Audubon study released Thursday. The Washington outlook for the year 2100 includes population declines for many species as well as the potential for some localized extinctions as birds try to adapt to a warming world. The state assessment is part of an Audubon study of  U.S. bird populations in a world where temperatures climb by 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degree Fahrenheit). That’s the forecast for the century’s end without major reductions in fossil-fuel emissions that scientists say are spurring climate change. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Heavy load: Study breaks down toll of laundry microfibres on ocean ecosystems
A new report from Vancouver researchers suggests laundry machines in Canada and the U.S. release 878 tonnes of potentially harmful microfibres into aquatic environments every year. That's the equivalent to the weight of 10 blue whales flowing into oceans, lakes and rivers even after wastewater treatment, according to the study from Ocean Wise. These tiny fibres, which break off clothing and other textiles during the wash cycle, include a large volume of plastics that don't degrade and could cause serious problems in aquatic ecosystems, according to Peter Ross, vice-president of research at the conservation organization. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

Seattle was named after a tribal chief. Now his descendants own less than an acre of city land.
The Native American tribe whose former leader inspired this city’s name plans to kick off its celebration of Indigenous People’s Day with a Friday gala on the downtown Seattle waterfront, a central location designed to remind the public that the tribe persists. The event also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the tribe’s longhouse, a traditional shelter built with Western red cedar that sits on less than an acre of land — all that the Duwamish tribe still owns of its ancestral home. For decades, the tribe’s leaders have fought for federal recognition and to regain some of the land that their ancestors inhabited along Puget Sound, once populated with more than 50 traditional village sites. But after Chief Si’ahl greeted early pioneers in 1851, the settlers adopted not only his name — Anglicized to Seattle — but also his tribe’s home. Greg Skugges reports. (Washington Post)

NW Seaport Alliance Joins Underwater Noise Partnership
The Northwest Seaport Alliance is working with the Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma, Washington State Ferries, NOAA, and the Puget Sound Partnership to find ways to reduce underwater noise - a key factor in the continued survival of Southern Resident orcas, the non-migratory population that inhabits the Salish Sea. Underwater noise hinders killer whales' ability to find food and communicate. The competing seaport of Vancouver, British Columbia has already established a voluntary noise reduction program, and NWSA and other stakeholders gathered at a conference October 3 to look at ways to take up similar measures. (Marine Executive)




Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  213 AM PDT Fri Oct 11 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 14 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  2 ft at 13 seconds. 
SAT  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft  at 9 seconds. A slight chance of rain. 
SAT NIGHT  N wind to 10 kt becoming W after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 9 seconds. 
SUN  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 10 seconds.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/10 Agate Pass, Kalama methanol, Bristol Bay mine, PacifiCorp coal, jellyfish, Canada's plastic polluters, B'ham port plans, bye-bye birdies

Agate Pass

Agate Pass
Agate Pass or Agate Passage is a high-current tidal strait in Puget Sound connecting Port Madison and mainland Kitsap County. It lies between Bainbridge Island and the mainland of the Kitsap Peninsula near Suquamish... The traditional winter village of the Suquamish people was located on Agate Pass. It was the site of Old Man House, the largest longhouse on Puget Sound, and Haleets, a petroglyph. Agate Pass was unknown to non-native people until it was discovered by the Wilkes Expedition in 1841. Before then, Europeans thought Bainbridge Island was a peninsula. It was named by U.S. Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes in honor of one of the members of the expedition, Alfred Thomas Agate. (Wikipedia)

Kalama methanol plant decision delayed
A key permit decision for a methanol project in Kalama, Washington, is on hold after the state Department of Ecology announced it’s pausing its review to ask for more information. The Daily News reports that Ecology issued a decision Wednesday and is requesting information from Cowlitz County, Northwest Innovation Works and the Port of Kalama regarding the project’s greenhouse gas emissions before it will make a decision on whether or not to issue a shoreline conditional use permit for the project. Northwest Innovation Works hopes to build the $2 billion project at the Port of Kalama to convert natural gas into methanol for shipment to Asia. Backers say the project would create about 1,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs and generate millions of dollars in local taxes. (Associated Press)

Battle over Bristol Bay mine: Native, fisheries groups sue Trump
Five Bristol Bay native and fisheries groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking to restore Clean Water Act protection and block a giant open pit copper-goldmine proposed cheek-by-jowl with the world's greatest sockeye salmon fishery. The suit was filed on National Salmon Day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reportedly after intervention by President Donald Trump, in July withdrew a determination that the proposed Pebble Mine would cause enormous potential harm to rivers and wetlands where salmon spawn. The mine would be located between two of the most productive salmon streams in the Bristol Bay fishery. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.com)

PacifiCorp Plan To Move Away From Coal Exposes Deep Divide Among Western States
....This month, PacifiCorp released a 20-year power plan that cuts way back on coal-fired power and ramps up renewable wind and solar. The plan exposes a harsh reality: With more than half of its power still coming from coal, the utility is stuck in the middle of a regional tug of war over the future of coal in the West. The West Coast states the company serves have firm plans to stop paying for coal-fired power. And they’re increasingly focused on reducing contributions to climate change like the carbon emissions that come from burning coal. But PacifiCorp customers in the Rocky Mountain states are still staffing its fleet of power plants and mining the coal they’re scheduled to be using for many years to come. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)

What's with all the jellyfish in Puget Sound waters?
It was a strange and surreal sight: Thousands of moon jellyfish swimming in Puget Sound. And not just in one spot -- we've received photos of jellyfish swarms in Vashon Island's Quartermaster Harbor and off Orcas Island. And stories of swarms in Sinclair Inlet too... But it turns out, it's not an unusual event -- in fact, it's an annual event. "Highest number of moon (jellyfish) typically occur in the late summer and fall," says Christopher Krembs with the Department of Ecology. He oversees the Eyes Over Puget Sound team and has been documenting jellyfish occurrence using aerial photos for several years now. Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Nestlé, Tim Hortons named Canada's top plastic polluters again
For the second year in a row, Nestlé and Tim Hortons were the top companies behind branded plastic bottles, coffee cups, and lids and other plastic waste collected in shoreline cleanups across the country, Greenpeace Canada reported Tuesday. Starbucks, McDonald's and the Coca-Cola Company rounded out the top five of the environmental advocacy group's list of plastic polluters...The companies were named from 1,426 pieces of identifiably branded plastic out of 13,822 pieces of plastic waste collected and audited by 400 volunteers during shoreline cleanups between April and Sept. 21. The cleanups were organized by community groups participating in the global Break Free from Plastic movement in Halifax; Covehead, P.E.I.; Fredericton; Montreal; Toronto; Grimsby, Ont.; Broken Group Islands, B.C.; Vancouver and Victoria. Emily Chung reports. (CBC)

WWU-Port of Bellingham plan this renewable energy research and development project
In an attempt to jump-start a key waterfront project, two public agencies will soon be reaching out to the private sector. Officials from the Port of Bellingham and Western Washington University have an outline in place to move forward with the Western Crossing Innovation Park. The Port of Bellingham commissioners approved an amendment in a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8; the plan is scheduled to go before Western’s Board of Trustees on Friday, Oct. 11. The plan calls for a public-private partnership where the Port and Western would seek out others, including business start-ups, to “nurture scientific and technological entrepreneurial ventures.” The focus of the park would be renewable energy research and development, according to port documents. Other ideas for the innovation park include cybersecurity and marine engineering. Dave Gallagher reports. (Bellingham Herald)

These State Birds May Be Forced Out of Their States as the World Warms
Each state in America has an official state bird, usually an iconic species that helps define the landscape. Minnesota chose the common loon, whose haunting wails echo across the state’s northern lakes each summer. Georgia picked the brown thrasher, a fiercely territorial bird with a repertoire of more than 1,000 song types. But as the planet warms and birds across the country relocate to escape the heat, at least eight states could see their state birds largely or entirely disappear from within their borders during the summer, according to a new study. Brad Plumer reports. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  217 AM PDT Thu Oct 10 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell  3 ft at 13 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 14 seconds.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/9 Horned grebe, orca task force, Drayton green crab, climate emergency, grizzly restoration, killer moths

Horned grebe [Conner Mah]

Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
A small diver found mostly on northern marshes in summer, coastal bays in winter. Also widespread in Eurasia, where it is called Slavonian Grebe. Similar to Eared Grebe, but much less gregarious, it seldom nests in colonies and seldom gathers in large flocks at other seasons. Like other grebes, it must patter across surface of water to become airborne; may become trapped when waters freeze quickly overnight. (Audubon Field Guide)

Orca task force adds 13 recommendations at final meeting as 'biological extinction' looms 
Their goal is clear: to prevent Puget Sound’s iconic Southern Resident killer whales from going extinct. Solving that problem is anything but simple. The task force convened by Gov. Jay Inslee to save the orcas added 13 new recommendations this week, at its final meeting. The additions to the group’s so-called “Year 2 Report” cover more than 100 pages, adding climate change and population growth to the list of issues complicating orca recovery. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

17 European green crabs trapped in Drayton Harbor, raising fears about these invaders
Seventeen European green crabs were trapped in Drayton Harbor over two days in late September, worrying those working to keep the hungry invaders from taking root here and elsewhere in Washington state. “This is the highest number of green crabs trapped in such a short period of time from any one area along Washington’s inland shoreline,” the state Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

‘We’re staring at the end of a livable future’: Native activists call for a climate emergency in Washington
On the steps of the Capitol building, Indigenous activists are urging the governor to treat climate change as a statewide emergency. But what would that mean in action? Manola Secaira reports. (Crosscut)

Proposal To Restore Grizzlies To Washington Draws Hundreds To Public Meeting
It’s been four years since the federal government initially started asking Washington residents whether they’d like to see more grizzly bears brought into the state. And still, the heated debate continues. Around 450 people filed into the AgriComplex building at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds Monday night. They wanted to voice their opinions on a draft plan to relocate grizzlies to the North Cascades. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Outbreak of tree-killing, allergy-inducing moths prompts warnings from B.C. government
An infestation of insects that have the ability to quickly kill healthy Douglas fir trees is on the move in British Columbia and the Ministry of Forests says it has now been found further north than ever before. A statement from the ministry Tuesday said an infestation of tussock moth has been found in trees in the western Cariboo, just south of the community of Alkali Lake. The pest is usually found in more southern parts of the province, such as Kamloops and the Okanagan. They can kill a large Douglas fir in just one to two years during a severe infestation, according to the ministry. (Canadian Press)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  111 AM PDT Wed Oct 9 2019   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at  8 seconds.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/8 St. John's wort, saving orcas and salmon, Seattle 'streamline,' climate protest, saving forests, Snohomish R junkers, oil profits, ghost forests

St. John's wort [Jennifer Anderson/USDA]

Common St. John's Wort Hypericum perforatum
Common St. John's wort is a Eurasian perennial weed and a serious pest in fields, pastures and on roadsides and waste places, common from about Tacoma south to California, and scattered north to central Vancouver Island and the lower Fraser Valley. It was introduced from Europe where it has been used in medicine since ancient times. In herbal medicine it has been widely employed to alleviate nervous disorders and it was applied to wounds where the nerves were exposed. It contains a phototoxin concentrated in the glandular dots on the leaves. Recent studies indicate that 2 compounds isolated form this species strongly inhibit a variety of retrovirus, leading to speculation about its effect on HIIV. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

How to help Puget Sound's orcas and salmon: What Seattle-area leaders say can make a difference
Leaders around our region had lots to say when asked what should be done to restore threatened salmon runs and Puget Sound’s endangered orcas...Some Seattle-area leaders said nothing will change unless we get serious about land use and reverse the destruction underway of the habitat salmon and orcas depend on...A carbon tax, fishing ban and more funding for habitat recovery were also among the things that would be needed, they said. Explore more of the potential solutions in our interactive. Lynda Makes reports. (Seattle Times)

Seattle council votes to 'streamline' environmental reviews for upzones, some housing projects
The City Council passed legislation Monday that supporters say will speed up environmental reviews for some major policies and projects needed to make Seattle more sustainable, such as denser zoning and large apartment buildings. Councilmembers Abel Pacheco and Mike O’Brien sponsored the legislation, and the vote was 8-0, with Councilmember M. Lorena González absent. Representatives of urbanist environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and 350 Seattle asked the council to adopt the changes, arguing neighborhood opponents have time and again used misused State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) appeals to obstruct policies and projects related to smart urban growth. Daniel Beekmam reports. (Seattle Times)

Climate protesters arrested after blocking Burrard Street Bridge for hours
More than 100 rain-soaked climate activists took over the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver Monday morning, blocking traffic in order to draw attention to a global demonstration demanding world leaders take urgent action to cut carbon emissions and prevent environmental disaster. Rhianna Schmunk reports. (CBC) Dancers in red protest Trans Mountain pipeline expansion  Seven dancers dressed in crimson robes with their faces painted white, theatrically protested the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline outside of a storage yard containing materials for the pipeline in Kamloops on Monday. Dominika Lirette reports. (CBC) Climate Change Protests: With Fake Blood, Extinction Rebellion Hits N.Y. Tourists and workers on Wall Street on Monday were met by a jarring spectacle: protesters, some lying in pools of fake blood outside the New York Stock Exchange, some dancing and others chanting, all to call attention to people killed by climate-related disease and disaster. Anne Barnard reports. (NY Times)

‘Thin it or watch it burn’: How Washington is chewing up trees and spitting out resilient landscapes
Using machinery and prescribed burns, land managers are hoping to safeguard 2.7 million acres of forest from catastrophic fires like the one that destroyed Paradise in California. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

Snohomish River almost rid of its worst abandoned junk boats
Weeks after crews worked to dismantle and remove the 100-foot Midas from the Snohomish River, another sunken boat nearby awaits a similar fate. The state Department of Natural Resource’s Derelict Vessels Removal Program took custody Monday of a 50-foot sailboat about half a mile north of where the Midas sat for more than a year. Contractors have until Oct. 15 to submit bids to remove the wreck, with the hope of having it out of the river by the end of the month, program manager Troy Wood said. If a contractor is selected quickly, work could start Oct. 21 Joseph Thompson reports. (Everett Herald)

Oil Companies Ponder Climate Change, but Profits Still Rule
Two decades ago, John Browne rocked the oil industry by saying that the “possibility cannot be discounted” of a link between man-made carbon emissions and global warming, and that it was time for “action.” In 1997, Mr. Browne, then chief executive of BP, the London-based oil company, was a lonely voice among his peers. How much has changed since his speech? Most large oil companies no longer deny the connection between burning fossil fuels and climate change. In fact, they are scrambling to position themselves to be seen as part of the solution to what is increasingly seen by worried citizens as a major threat. Stanley Reed reports. (NY Times)

As Sea Levels Rise, So Do Ghost Forests
Up and down the mid-Atlantic coast, sea levels are rising rapidly, creating stands of dead trees — often bleached, sometimes blackened — known as ghost forests. The water is gaining as much as 5 millimeters per year in some places, well above the global average of 3.1 millimeters, driven by profound environmental shifts that include climate change. Moises Velasquez-Manoff and Gabriella Demczuk report. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  215 AM PDT Tue Oct 8 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING   
TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 8 ft at 8 seconds. A chance of rain in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  N wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told