5/18 Forterra partners, tsunami debris, DFO layoffs, fish virus, Edmonds port, boat poop, pesticide ban, food justice, Bainbridge park, West Seattle CSO, BC pollution rules

People for Lake Padden will be at Junior Sea to Sea on Saturday. Take the pledge to keep Lake Padden healthy!

We think we have just as reasonable a case to make regarding Google Maps' failure to label "Salish Sea." See you in court?  Iran 'to sue Google' for not labelling Gulf on world map  

Forterra, a renamed conservancy non-profit, unveils a new program with enterprises as varied as Molly Moon's Ice Cream, the Seattle Sounders, and Pearl Jam. At the Thursday (May 17) breakfast, attended by nearly 2,000 people at the Washington State Convention Center, the answer was they are all part of a program to mitigate carbon emissions by planting trees throughout the region.  Forterra’s program, Carbon Capturing Companies, or C3, aims at recruiting businesses to commit to calculating, reducing and mitigating their carbon output.  Conservation and businesses: a basic carbon concept?  

It's been 14 months since a massive tsunami swept over parts of Japan, but federal officials still lack a comprehensive plan for detecting and disposing of the resulting debris that is expected to make landfall on the West Coast by sometime next year, a Senate panel was told Thursday.  Tsunami debris cleanup plan lacking

It’s the first round of notices to go to Fisheries employees since the federal budget, but Fisheries employees also faced a major wave last December when more than 400 letters went out warning of job losses as spending reductions from the department’s strategic review were rolled out.    Job loss notices go out to more than 1,000 workers at Fisheries and Oceans  

A B.C. fish farm where a virus deadly to Atlantic salmon was detected has been quarantined, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Thursday, as officials scramble to contain the highly infectious disease. Earlier this week, Mainstream Canada announced that fish at its Dixon Bay farm north of Tofino tested positive for infectious hematopoietic necrosis, or IHN. It’s the first time in nine years that Atlantic salmon farmed in B.C. have tested positive for IHN.   CFIA quarantines B.C. fish farm as company prepares for cull  

The Port of Edmonds is the first boatyard in the State of Washington to test the effectiveness of oyster shells in filtering metals such as copper and zinc from storm water runoff. During the April 30, Port of Edmonds Commission Meeting, it was announced that the Port of Edmonds has received the Leadership Level of the Clean Boatyard Certification, which is the highest level of certification possible under the New Clean Boating Foundation’s voluntary certification program.  Port Of Edmonds recognized as leader in clean boating facilities  

So, you're sailing through the Gulf Islands and your sewage holding tank is full, but there's no pump-out station within range and new federal regulations say boaters can't discharge untreated sewage within three nautical miles of land.  What to do? Pick the mid-point, find a fast-flowing current, get up some speed and dump, according to regulations that came into effect this month. "The regulations do allow you to do a discharge close to land if there's no pump-out station available, but there's no definition of available. It's very vague," said Michelle Young, Georgia Strait Alliance clean marine program co-ordinator.  Navigating the new sewage rules  

A legislative committee has rejected an outright ban on cosmetic pesticides in B.C., saying the scientific evidence does not sufficiently support such a move. In a report released Thursday morning, the committee made 17 recommendations, including restricting the sale and use of commercial pesticides and enhancing enforcement of existing regulations. But it stopped short of an outright ban.  B.C. legislative committee rejects outright cosmetic pesticide ban  

As the urban food movement expands nationwide, the idea of “food justice” is growing with it. In King County, the Just Garden Project celebrates growing food with a commitment to building gardens for people in need. Since the project began, 70 “just” gardens have been built for food banks, families and senior centers. Martha Baskin reports. Building Food Justice with "Just Gardens" and a Large Helping of Community  

After months of preparation, the Citizens Park Task Force brought the city a plan for their desired park at the gateway to Bainbridge Island. Though council members liked what they saw, they opted to wait one week to consider a letter received Wednesday from Kitsap Transit, co-owners of the property, before giving the park group a thumbs-up. Citizens Park Task Force presents gateway park plan to city council  

King County’s plan to install a one million gallon underground storage tank on private property to the east of Lowman Beach Park has been in discussion since 2009, with citizens and the county alternately butting heads and working together on the project intended to reduce combined sewer overflows from the Murray pump station into the Puget Sound.  Residents split on recreational access and safety concerns as Murray CSO storage project moves on  

Facing questions about its upcoming withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and "gaps" in its existing policies, Canada told international climate change talks in Germany Thursday that it planned to crack down on oil and gas pollution through draft regulations by next year.  Canada pledges oil and gas pollution rules by 2013 at climate conference

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 18 2012
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/17 Nooksack levees, Penn Cove spill, oyster drill, Pt Wells, Elwha Love, porpoise Jack

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

Laurie MacBride writes: "Our hellebores have outdone themselves this spring – which is surprising, since just a few months ago our resident deer family worked their snouts under the protective netting and mowed them down, along with the Sarcococca, fern and winter jasmine." Hellebore Abundance  

Whatcom County would need to spend lots of money seeking permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep trees on its Nooksack River levees, under draft federal policies. Its other options: remove the trees, putting the county at risk of getting sued for running afoul of environmental laws, or forgo federal levee repair funding. Whatcom County, feds' dispute over Nooksack River levees could be costly

There's no more oil leaking from a sunken fishing boat in Penn Cove, but it will be at least two weeks before the country's oldest and largest mussel farm is back in business there. The owners of Penn Cove Shellfish are crossing their fingers that the spill won't do any lasting damage to their operations — but it could hardly have come at a more sensitive time.  Oil from sunken crabber drags Penn Cove mussel farm into limbo    See also: State expects moving sunken boat from Penn Cove to cost $500,000  

Imagine you’re an oyster laying snugly in your bed in Willapa Bay, filtering in nutrients while growing to two and a half inches in diameter. And then you feel a weight on your quarter-inch thick shell and a short time later you begin to hear a grinding sound.  Slowly, inexorably over the next few hours the drilling continues as the radula (a sandpaper-like tongue) of an Atlantic or Asian oyster drill snail takes away debris that its secretions of hydrochloric acid has created on your shell. When the snail inevitably pokes through your shell, its proboscis makes you its next meal.  Combating Snails To Save Oysters

The town of Woodway has drawn up an alternative vision for Point Wells, the waterfront industrial site where an international developer wants to build 3,100 high-rise condos. Under Woodway's plan, the buildings would top out at 12 stories, rather than 17. That plan also has about two-thirds the number of homes as Blue Square Real Estate's proposal.   Woodway pitches smaller plan for Point Wells  

The Glines Canyon Dam, the upper dam on the Elwha River, will be completely removed ahead of schedule between spring and summer 2013, federal officials said this week. The last remnants of the lower dam, the 108-foot Elwha Dam, which formed Lake Aldwell 5 miles upstream from the river's mouth, were removed in March.  Dam removal ahead of schedule: Glines gone in a year

A harbour porpoise found near death in Horseshoe Bay last September will be calling the Vancouver Aquarium home.  Jack, a five-week-old porpoise, was found stranded on the beach Sept. 16 and was rescued by the aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. Despite six months of intense rehabilitation, the porpoise was recently deemed unfit to survive in the wild by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Jack will reside in the aquarium’s porpoise habitat. Vancouver Aquarium becomes permanent home of rescued porpoise

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 17 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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5/16 L112 encropsy, Ken Balcomb, algae, farm fish virus, BC LNG, snakehead fish, 'gas tax,' eelgrass, lingcod, Ebey Slough, killing sea lions

Snakehead fish (PHOTO: Mike Stocker, Times-Colonist)

New blog: Walking the Talk at Lake Padden   

Congratulations to Kathy Fletcher and Eric Olsson who are being honored today by the Pacific States-British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force for their tireless efforts to protect state waters from spills, especially Puget Sound. Washingtonians honored for their oil spill prevention work  

Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix gets a gold star for the next three stories:

A new report out Tuesday stops short of determining what killed a young female orca that washed up near Long Beach, Wash. The scientists who produced it for a federal agency came up with new details about the whale’s trauma, bruising and hemorrhaging, and lack of broken bones. The necropsy report’s findings have whale experts suspicious of naval activity as a possible cause of her death. The Navy is in the process of renewing its permits to conduct sonar and explosive tests in the Northwest. Report Inconclusive On What Killed Orca L112  

Baleen hangs from the walls in Ken Balcomb’s house where others might display prints or paintings. Where some people keep coasters and coffee table books, he keeps an intact orca skull. Instead of cloth placemats he uses laminated photos of dorsal fins. For the past 36 years Balcomb has trained his eyes on the watery horizons of Puget Sound, documenting the movements of one of the most endangered populations of whales on earth.  A Man And The Orcas  

Algae populations boom during sunny warm weather. The spring snowmelt funneling out of rivers into Puget Sound also provides a lot of nutrients for the algae and calm winds have made for an ideal growing environment. Algae Boom in Puget Sound  

A salmon farm north of Tofino is preparing to kill its fish after tests confirmed infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus. IHN, which presents no risks to humans, is naturally carried by Pacific salmon, trout and herring, which have developed a natural immunity, but can cause high mortality among Atlantic salmon.  Island salmon farm culling fish after virus confirmed  

Four global energy firms led by Shell Canada say they are going to develop a 12 million-tonnes-a-year liquefied natural gas plant at Kitimat, the largest by far of four LNG proposals for the B.C. Coast. The announcement Tuesday catapults Shell and its partners into the leading LNG developer in Canada in terms of size.  Shell, Asian energy giants to build largest LNG plant in B.C.

Burnaby park officials are investigating the reported sighting of a snakehead fish at the lagoon in Central Park. A person made a recent video and posted it online with the comment: “Was at Central Park on Mother’s Day, took a walk around the lagoon to check out the carp and Koi. To my surprise I spotted a snakehead fish, a very large one.” Burnaby park officials probing nasty snakehead fish allegedly spotted at Burnaby's Central Park lagoon  

When is a tax on gasoline a "gas tax"?  In June, the court is scheduled to hear a lawsuit over the state's "Hazardous Substances Tax." Voters approved the tax in 1988 to deal with the environmental impacts of toxic chemicals. It falls mostly on petroleum products like fuel and oil, which are the biggest culprits, and currently adds about 3 cents per gallon to the price of gasoline. Cheaper gas or money to fight pollution? Court could decide


Like true grasses on land, eelgrass responds to longer, warmer days by growing new leaves and sometimes forming small, inconspicuous flowers. Eelgrass competes for light with the mat of algae and diatoms [a single-celled algae] that floats above like green clouds. Russel Barsh and Madrona Murphy explain: Eelgrass – a zoo of strange and small animals  

Those hoping to catch lingcod this week should be prepared to put in some time.  Most of the lingcod caught in Puget Sound of late seem to have been too small to legally keep, but there are still anglers catching legal lingcod. The Point Defiance Boathouse Marina reports that you simply have to be willing to put in the work. Fishing Report for May 16

Ebey Slough has been known by that name for about 150 years. Now, suddenly, some different ideas for renaming the northernmost offshoot of the Snohomish River are floating around. Marysville's idea triggered a recent slew of letters and commentary in The Herald suggesting the name Ebey should be expunged from the body of water altogether. Ebey’s name on slough raises question

A federal judge will decide by the end of May whether to stop the government from killing sea lions that eat endangered wild salmon bottled up at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon heard more than three hours of arguments Tuesday on an injunction request from The Humane Society of the United States. The group wants to keep sea lions alive while its suit against the killing goes through the courts.  Judge to rule on killing of sea lions

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 207 AM PDT WED MAY 16 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 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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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

5/15 Tsunami debris, gas price, coal rail, climate change, omnibus bill, Penn Cove, spartina, Skykomish R.

If you like to watch: 1971 Penn Cove orca captures with Interviews  

Debris apparently from the March 2011 Japanese tsunami is now riding the tides up the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The biggest collection of fishing floats — many bearing Asian writing and logos — has been found on Dungeness Spit, which juts into the Strait north of Sequim.  Debris possibly from Japanese tsunami floating up Strait of Juan de Fuca  

Regular self-serve gasoline in Washington was selling Monday for an average $4.20 — more than 47 cents higher than the national average, according to the AAA auto club. West Coast refinery issues have brought the region's gasoline inventories to their lowest levels for the month of May since 1992.  BP's Cherry Point refinery in Whatcom County has been out of commission since a fire Feb. 17.  Drivers fill up with pain as state gas prices soar  

A railroad official has written a letter to Bellingham City Council members attempting to calm fears that construction of a proposed coal terminal would force construction of a long and potentially disruptive rail siding along much of the city's waterfront.  In his letter to the council, BNSF Railway Co. government affairs director Terry Finn said it is incorrect to assume that the siding project is essential to Gateway Pacific operations. But his letter also notes that additional rail capacity through this area is needed.  BNSF downplays fears over Bellingham waterfront rail siding   

As climate change transforms their habitat, some animals are already on the move. But a new analysis from the University of Washington warns that many species won't be able to run fast enough to survive a warming world.  UW study: Running from climate change may trip up some species  

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans was ready to dismiss questions about a study connecting climate change to higher seal pup mortality rates when the department prepared to face reporters in announcing the launch of the annual seal hunt. Documents released under an access to information request show the government wanted to play down any environmental questions about the annual cull and instead focus on the current population of the herd, which the government says is just fine.  No sea ice for seals? They'll adapt and go elsewhere, feds says  

A new front in the battle against the federal government’s omnibus budget bill opened up Monday when B.C. Conservative Party leader John Cummins sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper warning of major threats to fishing communities and the environment if major Fisheries Act amendments are passed.  Omnibus bill threatens fish: Cummins  

The Penn Cove Shellfish company has suspended harvests at Whidbey Island while clean-up crews stop a diesel sheen coming from a derelict vessel that burned and sank. Penn Cove general manager Ian Jefferds says the harvest is suspended Monday to confirm the safety of its products. He says customers are being supplied from company shellfish beds at Quilcene.  Boat fire disturbs Whidbey Island shellfish farm  

It doesn’t look like something that could disrupt ecosystems, destroy wildlife habitats, impact a state’s shellfish industry, or increase the threat of flooding, but Spartina, also known as common cordgrass, is a plant that can and has done all of these. Northwest Ag’s Greg Martin reports on planned spartina treatments for the 2012 season.  Spartina Eradication

The fight is intensifying over the possibility that a mini-dam for hydropower could be built on the Skykomish River. The Snohomish County Public Utility District is studying building a small dam just above Sunset Falls near Index. A national environmental group, American Rivers, plans Tuesday to include the south fork of the Skykomish River on its annual list of the 10 most endangered rivers in the nation.  Dam fight grows; Skykomish on list of at-risk rivers  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 227 AM PDT TUE MAY 15 2012
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

5/14 Coal trains, dead porpoises, Navy exercises, Union River, seafood toxin, Kimberly-Clark, BC LNG

PHOTO: Stephan Michaels

What a weekend. Cliff Mass writes, "On Saturday it became toasty here in Northwest, with many locations gets into the 70s and lower 80s.  Yet a number of locations exprienced daily minimum temperature records in the morning..."  Cold Records with Warm Temperatures  

Bellingham City Council will discuss today a new report that warns of likely waterfront disruptions if a massive new rail siding is constructed to accommodate coal trains headed for a proposed export pier at Cherry Point. At 1:55 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, the council's transportation committee expects to take a closer look at a recent consultant's report commissioned by Communitywise Bellingham. That report indicates that the single track on the BNSF Railway Co. mainline through the city is already close to its practical capacity.  Coal train complexities face Bellingham City Council

North Sound Baykeeper dubs Sanitary Service Company a Stormwater Hero.

Three dead porpoises have washed ashore on Whidbey Island in a matter of days, and now some experts are wondering if the animals were ill - or the cause of their deaths is something worse. One of the porpoises was found a few yards away from the iconic Admiralty Lighthouse on Whidbey Island, and Susan Berta is hoping to find answers that will shed light on the mystery. The dead harbor porpoise found near the lighthouse is the third one she has investigated this week. Just as concerning is what happened north of here, along the San Juan Islands. In early May, over a seven-day stretch, eight porpoises were found dead along the shoreline. Porpoise deaths raise alarms about health of Puget Sound   

The U.S. Navy may hurt more dolphins and whales by using sonar and explosives in Hawaii and California than thought, says an analysis that reflects new research and covers naval activities in a wider area than previous studies. The Navy estimates its use of explosives and sonar may unintentionally cause more than 1,600 instances of hearing loss or other injury to marine mammals each year, according to a draft environmental impact statement that covers training and testing planned from 2014 to 2019. The Navy calculates the explosives could potentially kill more than 200 marine mammals a year. Sonar, explosives pose high risk for marine mammals  

A proposed assessment of habitat conditions in the Union River could be a major step toward increasing the number of baby salmon that can survive in the river, experts say. The $125,000 survey would identify the best places to restore channel complexity and boost salmon productivity year after year in this highly developed region near Belfair, said Mendy Harlow of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. Critics of Union River restoration, including Ken VanBuskirk of Belfair, question whether the watershed can ever be restored to high productivity, given the numbers of homes built along the river in Mason County and up into Kitsap. Union River restoration seen as key to summer chum salmon return  

 NOAA scientists have found a novel way to detect low level exposure to a seafood toxin in marine mammals. While high level exposure has long presented a significant health threat, the outcome of increasing low-level toxin threats was unknown. Subsistence shellfish harvesters, particularly in coastal and tribal communities, are most at risk. Martha Baskin reports on Green Acre Radio.  NOAA Scientists Discover Novel Way to Detect Low Level Exposure to Seafood Toxin:  Students at Northwest Indian College Learn How to Conduct Tests  

The Port of Everett is aggressively exploring whether it should buy the 66-acre Kimberly-Clark site, which is for sale after the waterfront pulp-paper mill closed last month.  It's a rare piece of real estate: a large, industrial tract with access to a deep-water channel on Puget Sound, a wharf, a railroad, truck access and a huge, dedicated water supply pipeline.  Port considers buying K-C mill site    See also: Potential buyers eye Kimberly-Clark's former mill site in Everett  

Public access to the waterfront should be a top concern for the redevelopment of the Kimberly-Clark mill site. That's one of the key findings of a city survey that asked the public what they think should happen to the prime waterfront land.  Other top responses favor family-wage jobs and cleaning up pollution on site.  Public wants access to waterfront via mill site  

B.C. Premier Christy Clark is prepared to alter her government’s strict climate-change targets to pave the way for her plan to create a liquefied natural gas industry in the province. Ms. Clark is in Japan this week seeking investors and buyers for a string of proposed LNG plants on British Columbia’s north coast. In an interview before her departure, she said she expects legislated targets to reduce the province’s emissions will have to change.  LNG plans may alter B.C.'s climate-change goals   

A special issue in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes looks at how hatcheries are affecting wild fish populations. Research for the issue came from scientists around the Pacific Ocean – from Japan to California. One of the major findings: hatchery fish may be outcompeting wild fish for food in the Bering Sea. New Research: Hatchery Salmon Posing Problems For Wild Stocks  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON MAY 14 2012
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
 PATCHY FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

5/11 Oil money, Port Susan, Birch Bay, North Creek sewer, bag ban, bear deaths

Happy Mother's Day

Hi, Mom!

Meteorologists say this weekend is going to be warm. We may even break 80 degrees on Sunday, Mother's Day. It's going to be a warm weekend, forecasters say  Also see: Cliff Mass on Summer in May  

If you like to watch: A virtual fly-through along the lower Elwha River  

The petroleum giant BP, which brought America the 2010 Gulf oil spill, is now speaking with its checkbook in a bid to bring Washington voters another Tim Eyman initiative in November. BP and ConocoPhillips have each contributed $100,000 to the campaign for Initiative 1185, which would (again) put in place the requirement of a two-thirds vote in both houses of the Washington Legislature to enact new revenue measures or close corporate loopholes. Joel Connely reports.  Big Oil bankrolls latest Eyman initiative

More fish, birds, native plants and animals are expected to thrive in Port Susan following the removal of a dike along the bay to restore part of the Stillaguamish River estuary. The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group that owns more than 4,000 acres of tidelands in Port Susan, has begun work on a project to remove an earthen dike that seals off the bay from 150 acres of former estuary. The second part of the project involves rebuilding another dike to the east to serve as the new boundary between the bay and adjoining farmland.  Work begins to remove dike, restore estuary  

Whatcom County qualifies for a $7 million state loan for a major Birch Bay waterfront project because the state Department of Ecology determined the project would restore a substantially damaged environment. The low-interest loan from the state Public Works Trust Fund would provide the bulk of funding necessary for the estimated $10 million project.  Ecology clears way for county to get $7M loan for Birch Bay work  

The Everett City Council passed an emergency resolution Wednesday night so crews could get to work faster replacing a faulty sewer pipe that collects the waste of 15,000 people. That pipe ruptured April 12 in the 11800 block of Silver Way, sending 1 million gallons of raw sewage through one Everett man's yard and into nearby North Creek. Afterward, a forensic analysis showed that other parts of the pipe are susceptible to breaks.  Everett council fast-tracks sewer pipe fix  

A proposed ban on plastic bags will be submitted to the Port Townsend City Council for discussion and possible approval in June. The potential ban — based on one approved by the city of Bainbridge Island in April — was discussed at a meeting of the city's Special Projects Committee on Wednesday. The bags that would be subject to the ban are plastic bags with handles that are given out by retailers at the cash register. Plastic-bag ban proposal to go to Port Townsend council

A provincial conservation officer is voicing frustration with North Vancouverites after two bears had to be killed here in the space of a week because residents had failed to heed warnings about garbage. Dave Cox, a member of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said Wednesday that while his agency was responsible for putting the animals down, it was really the local homeowners who hadn’t locked up bear attractants who were to blame for the deaths. Conservation officer fingers North Vancouver homeowners for bear killings

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 850 PM PDT THU MAY 10 2012
FRI
NE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
FRI NIGHT
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING LIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING N IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.
SAT NIGHT NW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING N 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

5/10 Sea plastics, Black Out Speak Out, spot shrimp, PSPoison, growth cost, coal review, algae, Ft Worden

Spot Shrimp boom (Seattle Times)

Thank you, Mr. President!


The amount of plastic debris in the part of the Pacific Ocean known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has grown 100-fold in the past 40 years. But that wasn't the major finding the scientists are reporting. The scientists have found that all those pieces of plastic have provided ample opportunity for insects called "sea skaters" to breed. Study: Plastic in Pacific Ocean increased 100-fold in 40 years

Canada's leading environmental organizations will black out their websites for one day next month to protest what they consider attacks by the federal government - and they are asking businesses, social justice groups and individuals to join them.  The Black Out Speak Out campaign, culminating in website blackouts June 4, is a symbolic act to focus attention on government actions.  Eco groups protesting government bill, attacks

The spot shrimp fishery started off on a high note, and looks like it should stay that way heading into the next opener this Friday.  "What we're seeing in Puget Sound the past few years is an increase for Dungeness crab and spot shrimp like we've never seen before," said Rich Childers, a state Fish and Wildlife shellfish manager.  Spot shrimp fishery off the charts good in Puget Sound, and should remain that way in open days ahead

Harvesting of a number of shellfish species is banned from Sandy Point north to the Canadian border and at Point Roberts due to rising levels of paralytic shellfish poison. Until further notice, clams, cockles, mussels, scallops and oysters may not be harvested from those areas. Crabs can still be taken, but crab "butter" and crab entrails should be discarded.  Biotoxin closes shellfish harvest from Sandy Point to border

A predicted influx of new county residents in the next 50 years is likely to cost more to cities and other governments than the taxes they will generate, a report unveiled Tuesday stated. The report was presented to Skagit County commissioners as part of the Envision Skagit 2060 project. Expected growth won’t pay for itself, report reveals  

The Washington Ecology Department is asking the Corps of Engineers to develop a cumulative study of plans for coal export terminals in the Northwest.  In a letter Tuesday, Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant said a federal review of rail and vessel congestion, air quality and other possible problems is necessary to help state and local governments.  Last month the Environmental Protection Agency also asked the corps for such a review. Washington Ecology Boss Seeks Federal Coal Review

Sunshine is causing algae blooms in Western Washington waters, including Sinclair Inlet, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. So far, only Jefferson County's Anderson Lake has been closed. It was found to have toxic bluegreen algae. People are advised to stay out of the lake.  Sunshine causing algae blooms in Sinclair Inlet, elsewhere  

The development of a plan for running a lifelong learning center at Fort Worden State Park moved closer toward fruition this week as public development authority board members discussed options for a partnership with the state. The first option includes leasing out several buildings that are now used for storage and renovating them to generate revenue. The second option concentrates on managing the campus area of Fort Worden, with the transfer to the PDA of all existing leases and leaseholders.  Development authority sets two options for management of lifelong learning center at Fort Worden

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 848 PM PDT WED MAY 9 2012
THU
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
THU NIGHT
NW WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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