5/9 Bremerton Gasworks, Saanich flushing, Kalakala, hazwaste grants, drinking water, Columbia toxins

Sans sand (Photo: Star Advertiser)

If you like to watch: A BBC/National Geographic film crew have recorded rare footage of humpback whales intervening in a killer whale hunt. Humpback whales intervene in killer whale hunt  

New blog: The US Geological Survey reported that about 70 percent of the beaches on Oahu, Kauai and Maui are being lost to long-term erosion. What’s An Island Beach Without Sand?  

An extensive environmental investigation could be under way this time next year at Bremerton Gasworks, an old industrial site in West Bremerton. The site, along Port Washington Narrows between Thompson and Pennsylvania avenues, will be added this week to the federal Superfund List of the nation's most contaminated properties.  Bremerton Gasworks added to Superfund List  

Saanich Inlet marinas were chock-a-block with recreational boaters Monday - and many of them were unwittingly breaking the law. New federal rules, which kicked in Saturday, prohibit ships and boats from discharging sewage within three nautical miles of shore, meaning raw sewage from holding tanks cannot be discharged anywhere in Saanich Inlet. But, with only two pump-out stations on the Inlet - where there is minimal tidal cleansing - little publicity about the new regulations and almost no information about how they will be enforced, it is a good bet that holding tanks are still being emptied into the waters, said Frances Pugh and Sarah Verstegen of the Saanich Inlet Protection Society. New rules end waste-flushing in Saanich Inlet  

Once an icon of Puget Sound, the historic ferry Kalakala is in such fragile shape it may not withstand being evicted from a Tacoma moorage and could have to be scrapped, the Coast Guard and other agencies say.  Historic ferry Kalakala in dire straits in Tacoma  

The state Department of Ecology recently awarded $18.8 million in grants to 122 local and county governments to help manage solid and hazardous waste, reduce illegal dumping and promote recycling and composting programs, according to an Ecology press release. Skagit Public Works received $300,000 and the Skagit County Public Health Department received $104,000, and both grants were matched 25 percent by local funds. County receives grants from Ecology  

Snohomish County and the rest of central Puget Sound is expected to have enough water for the next half century, according to a Regional Water Supply Update released Monday by the Water Supply Forum. The Water Supply Forum, made up of local water agencies including the city of Everett, which supplies water to most of Snohomish County.  Region's water supply adequate for 50 years


A federal study released Tuesday found more than 100 toxic substances from everyday life are making their way through wastewater treatment plants into the Columbia River. The study looked at water treatment plant discharges in nine cities, from Wenatchee, Wash., downstream to Longview, Wash. They included Umatilla, The Dalles, Hood River, Portland, Vancouver, Wash.; and St. Helens. A total of 112 toxic materials were found, 53 percent of those that were tested for, including flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products, mercury and cleaning products. Toxics from everyday life reaching Columbia River  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 850 PM PDT TUE MAY 8 2012
WED
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
WED NIGHT
NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 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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5/8 B'ham coal, RFK Jr. on coal, Lolita, Shell protest, Manette sewage, cruise ships, BC parks

Sorry, Lolita

New blog: Last week the Waikiki hotels were running at near capacity, thanks to a convention of orthodontists and a horde of visitors from Japan. Travel Notes: Orthodontists, Golden Week and a Part of Town Called Kaimuki  

Getting coal trains to and from a proposed Cherry Point export pier would require construction of a long rail siding that could eliminate Boulevard Park vehicle access and cause other waterfront disruptions in the city.  That was the key finding in a report prepared by Transit Safety Management, a large railroad consulting firm that has worked with the Washington State Department of Transportation and public agencies in a number of states and countries.  Coal trains for Cherry Point terminal would require more rails, limit access to Boulevard Park

Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a proposal to bring coal to Oregon and Washington state will lead to political corruption and environmental damage, while the actual number of jobs it will create is minimal. Kennedy led a rally in Portland on Monday, where he advocated against the proposal to bring coal from Wyoming and Montana to ports in Oregon and Washington, where it would be exported to China.   RFK Jr. calls coal 'corrupting' at Portland rally

 A federal judge in Tacoma, Wash., has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at freeing the killer whale Lolita from captivity at Miami Seaquarium. Judge Benjamin H. Settle last week ruled that orca activists who sued the federal government didn't give proper notice and failed to state a valid claim. He granted motions by the government and Seaquarium to dismiss the case. Judge dismisses suit to free Lolita from captivity at Miami Seaquarium   

About 50 people marched to the Shell Puget Sound Refinery last Friday morning to protest the refining of tar sands oil and send a message that Puget Sound and the rest of the environment are at risk. Marchers protest tar sands oil refining at Shell

A sewage spill at the northwest end of the Manette Bridge has triggered a four-day health advisory issued by the Kitsap Public Health District. The city was notified of the spill Sunday by a resident of the area. The city tracked the problem and notified the health district Monday. Residents said the spill might have been going on for several days before it was reported, and as much as 50,000 gallons of raw sewage might have spilled onto the beach and drained into the water. Sewage overflows near Manette Bridge  

The number of cruise ships sailing to Alaska from Seattle remains down from the peak of two years ago.  In 2010, 223 ships made the trip.  This year, 202 ships will sail from Seattle.  It's a slight uptick from last year when 196 ships used Seattle as a homeport during the summer Alaska cruising season.  Cruise ships sailing from Seattle to Alaska down from 2010 peak  

More than 550,000 hectares will be added to the province's parks and protected areas system under legislation introduced Monday, the Ministry of Environment announced. A key part of Bill 49, the Protected Areas of B.C. Amendment Act, will add more than 413,000 hectares in northwestern B.C. by establishing 10 new conservancies and adding land to existing Atlin Provincial Park. On Haida Gwaii, the bill will add 166,000 hectares of marine foreshore area to nine existing conservancies and add 611 hectares of land to five existing conservancies.  B.C. adds 550,000 hectares to provincial parks, but also deletes some  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 847 PM PDT MON MAY 7 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT
TUE
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TUE NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7
 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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

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5/7 Kimberly-Clark, chinook fishing, orca deaths, Wild Olympics, spill cleanup, plant diversity, Ediz Hook, coal protests, spot prawns, tangled whale, Keystone redux

[The Everett Herald]

New blog: Travel Notes: Where the GOP Sounds Like Teddy Roosevelt

Cliff Mass asks: “Why are my seeds not germinating and rotting in the soil? Well, I don't pretend to be an expert in this, but I suspect it has something to do so with the temperature of the soil.” Soil Temperatures and Gardening  

For decades, the Kimberly-Clark plant provided countless jobs in Snohomish County and paper products to millions of people. Now that it's closed, the plant is leaving behind another, not-so-positive legacy. Dioxins -- toxic substances thought to cause cancer in humans -- have been found in the waterway next to the plant at a level 15 times higher than what the state considers safe. The dioxins in sediment under the water are a result of the bleaching process in making paper. Bill Sheets reports.  Kimberly-Clark mill leaves a toxic mess behind

Fishermen who catch chinook salmon in the Salish Sea probably are not depriving killer whales of a meal — at least not to the extent that some people believed.  That's the preliminary conclusion of an independent panel of seven U.S. and Canadian scientists. The group was convened to figure out whether the endangered Southern Resident orca population would do better if salmon fishing were reduced or eliminated. Christopher Dunagan reports. Human fishing shown to have little effect on orcas  

Despite assurances from federal officials, San Juan Island residents and officials seem skeptical that Navy training exercises adequately protect local whales. "The people in the San Juans have a special protective feeling about the southern resident orca whales here,” Councilman Howie Rosenfeld told representatives of the Navy at a public meeting in Friday Harbor, Tuesday. The U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet environmental program manager, three other managers and a Navy lawyer came to the island on May 1, telling the San Juan County Council and an overflow audience that testing and training in local waters are critical to the mission of the fleet. Council grills Navy panel over killer whale protections

In a major concession to the forest industry, the Wild Olympics Campaign is accepting the elimination of a “willing-buyer, willing-seller” provision of a land and scenic preservation plan — originally generated by the group — that would have allowed privately owned land to be absorbed into Olympic National Park, group organizer Connie Gallant of Quilcene said. Under the willing-seller, willing-buyer arrangement, the 922,000-acre park — 1,440 square miles — could have purchased up to 20,000 acres, or 30 square miles, of privately owned land outside the park only if a land owner was willing to sell it. It would have allowed the nation’s 13th largest national park to skirt the current legal requirement that the park can now expand its borders only by an act of Congress. Concession made in Wild Olympics wilderness plan   Also: Danny Westneat in the Seattle Times: Olympic National Park expansion felled by politics of misinformation

A ring of proposed pipeline and resource development projects surrounding Vancouver Island would dramatically increase the number of tankers and freighters in nearby waterways, and there are growing fears - on both sides of the border - that Canada is not prepared to deal with a major oil spill. Judith Lavoie reports.  Is Canada prepared for an oil disaster?

The biggest toys in B.C.'s oil-spill cleanup toybox are stashed on Vancouver Island. Western Canada Marine Response Corp., the only Transport Canada-certified organization responsible for cleaning up marine oil spills on the West Coast, has caches of equipment in communities from Port Hardy to Esquimalt, including a 56-metre barge in Esquimalt, the organization's largest skimming vessel in Nanaimo and zoombooms, floating bladders and other goodies in eight Island communities. Even with that stash, it could take WCMRC up to 72 hours, plus travel time, to assemble the equipment at the scene of a major spill - a time frame that exceeds Transport Canada standards. Judith Lavoie reports.  The gear's here, but spill may be far off   See also:  Taxpayers last resort for cleanup tab

Loss of biodiversity appears to affect ecosystems just as much as pollution, climate change and other major stressors on the environment, according to a new study from the international research team - based at nine institutions in the U.S., Canada and Sweden. Their results were published online in the journal Nature on Wednesday, May 2. WWU biologist: Loss of plant biodiversity could affect ecosystems as much as global climate change, pollution

Habitat restoration is planned on a 1,200-foot stretch of Ediz Hook this summer. The Lower Elwha ­Klallam tribe and state Department of Natural Resources will restore the “A-frame” site on the spit, a former log dump area that was used until the 1970s.  It will be cleared of fill and existing structures during an eight-week period starting June 16. Restoration work planned on Ediz Hook this summer

Hundreds of coal train opponents rallied through downtown Bellingham Saturday, May 5, in protest of a proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point. More than 450 people, under the banners of several local anti-coal groups, marched from City Hall to Maritime Heritage Park at noon. Protesters turn out in hundreds for anti-coal march in Bellingham

About a dozen people were arrested Saturday after protesters in White Rock tried to block a coal shipment arriving by rail for export from B.C. ports. The arrests were peaceful and all were released after being served with $115 tickets for trespassing on railway property, the RCMP said in a release. The protesters, from British Columbians for Climate Action, began gathering on Marine Drive near the White Rock pier Saturday morning, with numbers fluctuating between 25 and 40 people, the release says. At about 6 p.m. some walked onto the rail line just east of the pier and erected a banner that said "Stop Coal - Keep It In the Ground." The Burlington North Santa Fe stopped short of the protest. White Rock protestors arrested after blocking a coal shipment

This week, you might see chefs around town with Cheshire smiles and maybe even leaping and clicking their heels. Why? The spot prawn season begins tomorrow at high noon. This West Coast specialty intoxicates the minds of chefs. Nothing says West Coast seafood as elegantly as spot prawns. There’s a certain elegance in spot prawn biology, too. In a move called sequential hermaphroditism, they start life as males and in their last year (about the third year), they turn into females to lay some 2,000 to 4,000 eggs. Spot prawns: A West Coast treasure

Crab fisherman Mark Anello noticed something odd near his boat off the Northern California coast: three buoys floating nearby were moving. Motoring closer he saw a gray whale tangled in a large fishing line. It was the same whale, officials determined later, that was first spotted hundreds of miles south off the Orange County coast April 17, dragging several buoys attached to a net.  At that time, rescuers attempted to free the marine mammal, but it disappeared. It was spotted about a week later still entangled off the coast of Monterey County.  Northern California fishermen free entangled whale

The energy hot potato known as the Keystone XL pipeline was back to the State Department, which announced Friday that it had received a new application from developer TransCanada that includes a reworked route through Nebraska.  Environmental groups and industry quickly lined up on opposite sides, while the Obama administration said a final decision is not likely before next year. Reworked Keystone pipeline application back for US review

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 837 PM PDT SUN MAY 6 2012
MON
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
MON NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 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

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5/4 Lisa Brown, coal, B'ham waterfront, Cedar Grove, purple martin, water-trails map, super moon, Squaxin salmon, first nation projects

New blog:  There are seven, some say eight, types of geckos living in Hawaii. Since being introduced in the 1940s, the Common House Gecko ( Hemidactylus frenatus ) has pretty much taken over. Travel Notes: Tropic Living Below Nature’s Chirping

Sen. Majority Leader Lisa Brown announced Thursday that she won't run for re-election and will leave her seat in the state Legislature after her term expires at the end of the year. The Spokane Democrat said that after 20 years in the Legislature, she is ready to move on.  State Sen. Lisa Brown won't seek re-election  

Martha Baskin of Green Acre Radio reports: 'Ever since Peabody Coal and investors like Goldman Sachs came up with a plan to export tens of millions of tons of coal through the Pacific NW to foreign markets, there’s been opposition. It’s been most vocal in Bellingham, site of a proposed “Gateway Pacific Terminal”. But opponents all along the proposed route – including Seattle – are gearing up to quote “power past coal”.' Walking the Walk to Power Past Coal

Port of Bellingham and city officials provided a preview of a slimmed-down plan for a redeveloped central waterfront at a Thursday, May 3, joint meeting of City Council and the Port of Bellingham commission. For at least two years, it has been clear that both port and city were moving away from redevelopment visions born amid the real estate boom that was still heating up when the port acquired the old G-P property in 2005. The most significant message from Thursday's meeting may have been the fact that port and city now seem to be working together on the plan, and the conflicts of recent years over street alignment, the pace of development and other key issues appear to have been resolved.  Plans for Bellingham waterfront shifting to more modest goals

Cedar Grove Composting -- long a target of complaints about odor -- was allowed to double its capacity with limited environmental review despite not meeting the original conditions of its permit set years earlier, according to public records recently obtained by the city of Marysville. Among those conditions was a mandate to enclose the grinding machine that pulverizes raw yard and food waste into compostable material. Compost facility hasn’t met permit, opponents claim  

The spring return of the purple martin to Victoria marks an environmental success story, a species rebound for a bird whose B.C. numbers were near zero only decades ago. Volunteers have posted nest boxes in various locations, including Royal Roads University and the Gorge Waterway, to permit successful breeding of the purple martin, North America's largest swallow.  Purple martins come home   And: Many migratory birds travel by starlight, aloft in the night sky for hundreds and even thousands of miles to join us here. Never mind the calendar — for some the arrival of the first swallow is when spring starts.  Migratory birds: They bring the songs of spring  

Seattle has the giant boat parade at Montlake Cut. Kitsap has 238 miles of hushed shoreline for nature-loving paddlers. Opening day of boating season is Saturday, and tourism promoters hope water-enthusiasts prefer Option No. 2 in the coming months. Promoters hope new water-trails map paddles in the bucks  

If the skies clear up Saturday night you could get a glimpse of the “super moon.”  Saturday’s full moon will appear the largest it has in more than a year.   According to NASA, the scientific term for a “super moon” is perigee moon. The moon’s orbit is an elliptical shape, so it will look bigger because it is actually closer to the earth. The moon will reach perigee in Seattle at 8:34 p.m. Look! Up in the sky! It’s Super Moon …  

The Squaxin Island Tribe released thousands of juvenile coho into the Deschutes River to see where they go. Increasingly low runs of coho to the Deschutes in recent decades mean there are not enough coho to count. “In order to find out where the good coho habitat is in the Deschutes, we need to put some coho in the river,” said Scott Stetlzner, salmon biologist for the tribe.  Squaxin Island Tribe releases salmon to find out where they go  

Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Mary Polak introduced legislation Thursday that will, for the first time, allow provincial laws and regulations to apply to major projects on Indian Reserve Land.  The bill applies specifically to two proposed projects — a commercial and residential development on Squamish Nation reserve lands in West Vancouver and a liquefied natural gas facility on a Haisla Nation reserve near Kitimat — though officials said it will be possible for the law to be amended in future to add others.  Legislation applies provincial regulations to first nations projects

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 840 PM PDT THU MAY 3 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING
FRI
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
FRI NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT.
SUN
NW WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT.

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


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5/3 Padden blooms, swallows, fishing, coal export, BC oil, farm and sea, scotch broom, microsubs

Horsetail Cone (Dave Green)

Dave Green in Lake Padden News shows: Blooming in the Park May First  

Laurie MacBride in Eye on the Environment reports: ‘Violet-Green swallows are back, fresh from their long journey from the tropics. They visited us four or five times in April, announcing their arrival in that lively bubbling language that is so unmistakably “Swallow”.’ Return of the Swallows

New blog: Brussels, Baltimore— now back in Bellingham. Travel Notes: Back To The Little “B”

Spring fishing opportunities are in full bloom to catch lingcod, trout, spot shrimp, halibut and razor clams. Lingcod opened Tuesday to good fishing. Trout, spot shrimp, halibut and razor clams also abundant in area waters for anglers.  Spring fishing is now in full bloom  

Portland General Electric may have put the brakes on one of two coal export terminals proposed for the Port of St. Helens. The regional utility leases land at the port where Kinder Morgan wants to build a coal export facility. But PGE spokesman Steve Corson says the coal export project isn’t compatible with his company’s natural gas power plant nearby.  Oregon Utility Vetoes St. Helens Coal Export Terminal  

Vancouver city council is being "silly" in drafting a bylaw to require tanker operators to indemnify the city against the effects of a major oil spill, a maritime lawyer said Tuesday .... The city's opposition sets the stage for it to be a participant in hearings before the National Energy Board when Kinder Morgan applies for permission to double its Alberta-B.C. pipeline and triple the volume of oil sent for export at its Westridge terminal on Burrard Inlet in Burnaby.  Vancouver council called 'silly' for seeking oil spill indemnity  

A century ago, farmers from Vashon and Bainbridge islands brought goods and produce to a city too crowded to grow or produce their own. They came on wooden boats and steamships, moored in the bustling corridors of Pioneer Square and Pike Place, and offered what they could to their Seattle neighbors. Today, that farm-to-water-to-market tradition has been revitalized by FarmBoat, a nonprofit floating farmers market. The boat-based market officially kicks off this month at the Lake Union Park Wharf, and will continue every Thursday until December.  Nautical market fuses farm and sea  

Bainbridge celebrated its Scotch Broom Festival — a local tradition known mainly for being unexpected, rather quirky, and resulting in a horde of cheering islanders marching around downtown with handfuls of scotch broom.  Winslow's classic Scotch Broom Festival surprises downtown   On the other hand: Let’s get busy and yank out the broom  

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of the first self-propelled "microsubmarines" designed to pick up droplets of oil from contaminated waters and transport them to collection facilities. A report in the journal ACS Nano concludes that these tiny machines could play an important role in cleaning up oil spills, like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. First 'Microsubmarines' Designed to Help Clean Up Oil Spills   

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 837 PM PDT WED MAY 2 2012
THU
NE WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
THU NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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5/2 Octopus vs Seagull, San Juan protection, navigation, clean-fuel rule, opening day

Lowland lakes opening day

If you like to watch: Photos of a giant Pacific octopus grabbing a seagull at the Ogden Point breakwater are going viral on the Internet. At breakwater's edge, a giant octopus makes a quick meal of a seagull  

“I understand a Presidential Proclamation to place these lands in conservation status is being considered if Congressional action for designation as a National Conservation Area looks uncertain,” Gregoire said in a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Voicing her “ardent support” to protect key federal holdings in the San Juan Islands, Gov. Chris Gregoire indicates she would support action by President Obama if Congress continues to dawdle. Joel Connelly reports. Gregoire to Obama admin.: Protect San Juans  

The Coast Guard is changing out bulbs in navigational markers in Puget Sound. But these are not ordinary bulbs in navigational marker that boats, ships and ferries use to find their way safely through Puget Sound. Currently a bulky lamp, battery and separate solar panel occupy the platform. The crew is swapping that system out for a self contained, one piece lantern that has tested out to be just as bright, last twice and long and cost half as much as the older style. Gary Chittim reports. Casting a greener light on Puget Sound  

The heavy fuel that oceangoing vessels burn adds so much to air pollution hundreds of miles inland that the United States joined with Canada during President George W. Bush’s administration to ask the International Maritime Organization to create an emissions-control area along the coasts. Large ships would be required to reduce pollution dramatically in a zone 200 miles out to sea along all the coasts of North America, mainly by using cleaner fuel. The cargo-shipping industry supported the stringent emission reductions. The cruise-ship industry, however, wants an emissions-averaging plan that would allow it to burn the same heavy fuel it always has used in some areas, and it’s lobbying Congress for help.  Cruise-ship industry fights cleaner-fuel rule

Good weather and big trout helped to boost catch rates on opening day of this year’s lowland lakes fishing season.  Based on creel checks conducted at 112 lakes around the state, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) estimates that anglers caught an average of 3.99 trout on opening day Saturday, April 28.  Anglers enjoy big trout, nice weather on opening day of lowland lakes season

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 607 AM PDT WED MAY 2 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS. ISOLATED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate
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http://salishseacommunications.blogspot.com/2011/10/salish-sea-communications-truth-well.html

5/1 Elwha Love, Manson spill, Navy dock, E.coli test, Chinese appetites, no prayers

Happy Beltane! Thanks for your support. We’re now sending out this morning news service to 170 souls directly and have increased daily web visits to about 40 a day. Both ways make it worth my while to compile the clips to meet Salish Sea Communication’s goal to communicate, educate, advocate. Ask others to subscribe (no cost) or to log on here.

Cliff Mass asks-- and answers: “What is it with Mt. Vernon and funnel clouds during the annual spring Tulip festival?”  Tornadoes and Tulips: The Mt. Vernon Connection

Elwha Love: The sediment loads in the Elwha River are spiking because the reservoir behind former Elwha Dam is now completely gone. That means the settling of fines that used to occur in the lake is no longer happening so all that material is pouring into the river, and heading on down to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.... And while the amount of sediment is large -- about 50 times normal levels for the Elwha -- don't call it mud. Sediment is a single word for a whole range of material that the river has been depositing behind the two dams for the past 100 years: rocks, gravel, cobble, sand, silt, and clay. About 40 percent of that material is expected to eventually make its way out to sea. Lynda Mapes at the Seattle Times explains. Elwha sediment not just mud, it's nourishment

A Seattle-based construction company has been fined $10,000 for spilling 177 gallons of diesel into the Blair Waterway.  The Washington State Department of Ecology announced the fine Monday. The spill happened Oct. 29, 2010, when Manson Construction Co. was transferring fuel from a tugboat to a barge. Seattle firm fined $10,000 for Tacoma waterway spill

The Navy invites the public to comment on a supplemental environmental assessment on its explosives handling wharf pile replacement project. The supplement is the result of changes to the project and the appearance of unexpected animals since the original environmental assessment was issued. Public can comment about work on existing explosives handling wharf  

Urban beach closures due to coliform outbreaks have become disturbing signs of summer, yet water-testing technology has never been fast enough to keep up with changing conditions, nor accessible enough to check all waters. Now, researchers at McMaster University have developed a rapid testing method using a simple paper strip that can detect E. coli in recreational water within minutes. The new tool can close the gap between outbreak and detection, improving public safety.  Rapid Test Strips Detect Bacterial Contamination in Swimming Water

Blame the Chinese but spell the crime right: Geoducks, the long-lived clam with the odd-sounding name, are fetching top dollar on the international market, particularly in China. The surge in demand makes Washington geoducks (pronounced “gooey ducks”) the most valuable of all Puget Sound seafood products. The insatiable Chinese appetite for geoducks has apparently triggered a resurgence in geoduck poaching, a problem that has plagued the fishery off and on since deep-water harvest of the clams first began in earnest some 40 years ago. Rampant pouching puts region’s geoduck populations at risk

No aboriginal prayer ceremonies, please, and no kindergarten plays about dead fish: The request from Taseko Mines Ltd. seeks to reshape the federal environmental review for its new Prosperity Mines application. Taseko Mines asks Harper to place limits on first nations input  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE MAY 1 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT EARLY BECOMING 15 TO 20 KT IN THE MORNING. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 10 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS EARLY.

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