6/7 Orca health, Fisheries Act, Billy Frank, coal port, GEMS, 3 Crabs, Kimberly-Clark, shoreline rules, Tani Cr., gasoline production

Orphan orca Springer welcomed home, 2002 (NOAA)

Not having enough Chinook salmon to eat stresses out southern resident killer whales in the Pacific Northwest more than having boatloads of whale watchers nearby, according to hormone levels of whales summering in the Salish Sea. In lean times, however, the stress level normally associated with boats becomes more pronounced, further underscoring the importance of having enough prey, according to Katherine Ayres, an environmental and pet-behavior consultant who led the research while a University of Washington doctoral student in biology. Ayres is lead author of a paper appearing online June 6, in the journal PLoS ONE. Too Few Salmon Is Far Worse Than Too Many Boats for Killer Whales  

Springer was an underweight, sickly killer whale calf when she turned up alone in Puget Sound a decade ago and it seemed the chances of successfully reuniting her with her pod on northern Vancouver Island were slim. But, this month, celebrations are being held in Seattle and Vancouver, with a reunion at Telegraph Cove in July, marking the 10th anniversary of Springer's unique rescue, which saw the orphaned whale brought back to health, transported to northern Vancouver Island and released as members of her pod swam through Johnstone Strait. 10 years later, Springer the killer whale still defies the odds; Sickly orca was rescued and reunited with family - now celebrants await her return, perhaps as a mom   

While farmers and municipalities would like to see some flexibility, they worry the Harper government's omnibus legislation goes too far. Larry Pynn reports in Part 3 of the series. Stakeholders wary of slippery slope that comes with changes to Fisheries Act  

Billy Frank Jr. speaks for the salmon. He always has and he always will. The message delivered by one of the most famous Indians in Washington history rings loud and clear through a new biography released this week entitled “Where the Salmon Run, The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.” The book authored by Trova Heffernan is the 13th in a series of oral histories and biographies by the Legacy Project housed in the Office of the Secretary of State. Voice for salmon heard again  

The Whatcom County Council has approved a modified version of an environmental consulting contract for the Gateway Pacific Terminal project that mandates an expanded public comment period at the first stage of the regulatory process. The council unanimously agreed to specify a minimum of 120 days for public comment on the scope of the environmental study. Whatcom County mandates extended comment on coal terminal study   Also see Survey: 46% of Oregon voters favor coal export  

The old red cannery building along Guemes Channel is for sale.  Plans by local developer GEMS LLC to build a restaurant, hotel and marina at the site have not moved forward since 2010. A listing for the light manufacturing-zoned property appeared on the Commercial Brokers Association Web site recently. The asking price —for the old red cannery, surrounding waterfront and three nearby houses — is nearly $5 million. The buyer will also receive plans and reports with the option to continue a development plan GEMS began when it purchased the property for $1.7 million in 2006, according to the listing. Cannery building for sale; GEMS backs off waterfront hotel, restaurant plans  

The building that has long housed The 3 Crabs restaurant would be removed under a proposed state Fish and Wildlife purchase of the Dungeness Bay landmark location.The state Fish and Wildlife Commission last week approved the $1 million purchase of the nearly 52 acres of land and tideland property along Dungeness Bay's shores overlooking New Dungeness Lighthouse 3 Crabs site would be razed after state buy, proposal says

Kimberly-Clark may begin demolishing its mill site on the waterfront as early as next month, a company spokesman says.  Kimberly-Clark also is considering imploding some of the buildings, but company officials haven't made a decision. K-C mill set for demolition as early as July  

Property rights and protections for shoreline environments were the primary topics at a hearing Tuesday night focused on the proposed Kitsap County Shorelines Master Program. Bob Benze of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners said the county's proposed shoreline buffers are unjustified by studies that have examined the effects of development on shorelines. In fact, he said, saltwater habitat near developed properties is just as healthy as habitat near undeveloped properties. Shorelines plan undergoes public review

The San Juan County Council Tuesday agreed with a staff recommendation to send the draft Shoreline Master Program’s Inventory and Characterization Report back to the consultants who compiled it for revisions.  County Senior Planner Colin Maycock told the Council that, after a review of the draft by the Council-appointed Shoreline Master Program Technical Advisory Committee and county staff, it was apparent further revisions were needed.  Maycock characterized the expected changes as significant, most pertaining to the analytical framework used to describe and characterize the shoreline’s geology and associated ecological activities. A new five-week public comment period on the report will begin after the revisions are complete.  Council backs revision of shoreline inventory report  

The Kitsap Public Health District has suspended the "No Contact" advisory for Blakely Harbor and Tani Creek that was issued last month after a sewage spill made it into the headwaters of Tani Creek. The advisory was lifted Tuesday, and the warning signs that were posted at local public access areas have been removed, health officials said.  'No Contact' warning lifted for Tani Creek and Blakely Harbor  

West Coast oil refiners cut gasoline production after a fire earlier this year at the BP Cherry Point refinery, creating a supply shortage that has left West Coast motorists paying very high gas prices at a time when the rest of the nation is seeing prices plunge, according to an influential senator and a veteran energy analyst. In a letter being sent to regulators on Thursday, June 7, and obtained by McClatchy, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., calls on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate refinery operators Alon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Tesoro and BP following the shutdown of BP's Cherry Point refinery near Ferndale.  Cantwell seeks probe of West Coast gas prices after Cherry Point fire  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 7 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN THIS MORNING... THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 SHOWERS.

--
"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

6/6 Saving Puget Sound, low tides, bag bans, Penn Cove mussels, Otto Langer, Mike Mottice, BC beaches

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes about "how in early summer the Oriental poppies (Papaver orientale) come to life, all decked out in their colourful, voluminous skirts, kicking up their heels in an all-too-brief fling." The Dancers Return

The great crusade to restore Puget Sound is five years old. What crusade? People who've moved here since that start of the financial crisis may not recall that on May 7, 2007, Gov. Chris Gregoire stood on the shore of Puget Sound, signed the law that created the Puget Sound Partnership, and launched a campaign to restore the Sound by 2020. The time laid out for the cleanup is more than one-third up. By now, some political insiders have grown to think badly of the Puget Sound Partnership, but most people don't think of it at all. The Sound currently inspires little or no visible leadership. Dan Chasan at Crosscut writes.  After 5 years, Gregoire's Puget Sound progress is uncertain  

Some of the lowest tides of the year are drawing beachcombers to the water’s edge this week. It's a great time to check out sea life and geographic features. Low tides were happening around Victoria Tuesday from about noon to 1 p.m. and will happen again Wednesday around the same time.  Low tides reveal beach secrets  

Issaquah joined a string of cities along Puget Sound to outlaw plastic bags at local retailers Monday, after months of sometimes-acrimonious debate about adverse impacts to the marine environment and the regional economy. In the end, concerns about the environment led the City Council to decide 5-2 to eliminate most retail uses for plastic bags. The legislation is scheduled to go into effect in March 2013 for most businesses.  City Council outlaws plastic bags in Issaquah  

The Port Townsend City Council has approved the concept of a ban on single-use plastic bags. The council unanimously adopted a plastic-bag ban on a first reading Monday night. Before final approval — expected when the council votes after a second reading of the new law this month or next month — changes will be made to the draft bag ban. Port Townsend council votes to adopt plastic-bag ban  

Because a crew of trained noses smelled pollution in some mussel samples from Penn Cove on Tuesday, only a part of the area was deemed safe to reopen.  Mussels face the nose test; part of Penn Cove OK for shellfish harvesting  See also: Derelict crab boat: Up, up and away  

Otto Langer has devoted his adult life to protecting fish habitat. Now he wonders if it was all for nothing.  The retired head of habitat assessment and planning for the federal Fisheries Department in B.C. and Yukon describes the Conservative government’s planned changes to the Fisheries Act as the biggest setback to conservation law in Canada in half a century. Second in a series. Larry Pynn reports. Conservationists, scientists fear Fisheries Act changes  

The federal Bureau of Land Management has announced its new acting state director for Oregon and Washington. The agency said Tuesday that Mike Mottice replaces Ed Shepard, who served as state director from 2006 until the end of May. Mottice will serve during a search for a permanent state director. The agency manages more than 15.7 million acres of public land in Oregon and about 425,000 acres in Washington, as well as some 23.4 million acres of federal subsurface minerals.  New BLM acting director for Oregon-Washington  

For Lucas Harris, every piece of garbage that a small group of surfers collects on B.C.’s supposedly pristine beaches helps to paint a bigger picture on marine debris.  The plastic bottles, fuel containers, buoys, fish nets, ropes and blocks of Styrofoam his group collects (more than one ton of garbage on a recent outing) all help to reveal patterns of waste in the mass of detritus washing ashore daily on Canada’s coastlines.  Inspection reveals B.C. beaches a global garbage dump  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 6 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NE 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY EARLY...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/5 Islands monument, Springer, Elwha Love, Gold R. hydro, Deep Sea, Esperanza, 'big one,' BC conservatives, Red Mill Farm, Arc of Venus

The Arc of Venus (André Rondi, Science Digest)

Businesses from a far corner of the “lower 48″ states have send a message to President Obama:  Get moving on creation of a National Monument or National Conservation Area in the San Juan Islands. The 44th President ought to listen:  San Juan County delivers bigger Democratic majorities than anyplace else in the state. Joel Connelly blogs. San Juan Islanders tell Obama: Move on Monument  

#Springer If you like to watch: Footage from 10 years ago when the 2-year old orphan orca Springer was reunited with her family near Telegraph Cove. 10-year anniversary of first orphaned orca rescue celebrated by Vancouver Aquarium  See also: Vancouver Aquarium Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program

Salish Sea Communications blog: “Regular gasoline in my Bellingham neighborhood was $4.49 a gallon last Friday but my purchase of a 750 ML bottle of Jack Daniels from our new privatized retail system was cheaper that the same product from the state liquor store....” Alice, Let’s Drink

On the Olympic Peninsula the largest dam removal project in history is well underway, and the Elwha River is starting to show signs of life not seen here for nearly a century.  There haven’t been salmon in the upper Elwha for almost 100 years. But that’s changing. Ashley Ahearn reports. Spring Brings New Life To Washington’s Recovering Elwha River  

The job of taking apart an old, unused B.C. Hydro dam in poor condition near Gold River is expected to begin in coming weeks. The B.C. Utilities Commission has approved the plan, aimed at returning the area to its natural state.  Hydro dam to be dismantled, area returned to natural state

The decrepit 140-foot fishing boat Deep Sea, which sank in Penn Cove after a fire May 13, has been raised to the surface and will be towed to Seattle to be dismantled when calm weather allows. State local and federal agencies issued a joint statement Monday saying the boat will be towed once waves along the route from Whidbey Island to Seattle are forecast for heights of three feet or less.  Deep Sea floated in Penn Cove, awaits dismantling in Seattle  

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza, with a rainbow painted on its bow, anchored Sunday evening off Manchester, then conducted training exercises Monday as its crew prepares to "shadow" two Shell oil rigs headed to Alaska. Shell obtained a restraining order from U.S. District Court in Alaska to keep Greenpeace ships and personnel at least 1,000 meters (3,281 feet or about two-thirds mile) away from the two vessels. Chris Dunagan reports. Greenpeace ship spotted off Manchester in advance of Alaska trip  

One of the world’s most advanced research ships will be cruising along the Washington and Oregon coasts this month – to look for clues about giant earthquakes. A zone that runs parallel to the coast – but deep beneath the sea – is known to have unleashed mega-quakes in the past, similar to the one that caused the giant tsunami last year in Japan. The Cascadia fault zone runs about 700 miles alongside Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon. Keith Seinfeld reports.  Cruising the coast for signs of where 'the big one' will hit

When a deal to protect B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest was brokered in January 2007, one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most trusted lieutenants singled out the environmental and social justice organization Tides Canada as being crucial in Ottawa's decision to contribute $30 million to the plan. Flash-forward to late 2011 and the world has turned upside-down. First in a four-part series. Peter O'Neil reports. How the Conservatives' brief love affair with environmentalism came to an ugly end

The San Juan Preservation Trust got its start more three decades ago with a slice of land in the heart of San Juan Valley. Three weeks ago, the Preservation Trust followed the trail back to its beginning, but this time it came away with much more than a slice. Through the combination of a land donation and purchase, the Trust acquired San Juan Island’s 687-acre Red Mill Farm, the largest working farm in the San Juan archipelago. San Juan Preservation Trust lands San Juan’s largest farm  

When Venus transits the sun on June 5th and 6th, an armada of spacecraft and ground-based telescopes will be on the lookout for something elusive and, until recently, unexpected: The Arc of Venus.  The Mysterious Arc of Venus  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 315 AM PDT TUE JUN 5 2012...CORRECTED
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

--
"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

6/4 BlackOutSpeakOut, BLM land, coal trains, Deep Sea, Kitsap plans, fish virus, Navy pier $s, UpGarden, Harbor Days, Snoqualmie R., fish regs, kitty adoption

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Today in Canada, two things that I cherish are truly on the line: nature and democracy."  Breaking the Silence    Salish Sea Communications joins her and all Canadians to speak out for nature and democracy today.

Speaking up: Last Friday, 156 local businesses sent a letter to President Obama supporting protecting San Juan Islands Bureau of Land Management land.  Business letter to President Obama

Sometimes it helps to have a weather man to know which way the wind blows. Climate scientist Cliff Mass weighs in: "Folks,  coal trains and coal export to Asia are dumb ideas.   REALLY dumb ideas." Coal Trains: Bad for the Northwest Environment

Now that a derelict fishing boat has been lifted from the bottom of Penn Cove, area residents could resume shellfish farming and harvesting as early as Tuesday, state officials say. Although some people remain bitter about what they called slow efforts to seize the Deep Sea before it sank last month, most were simply glad to see it float again Sunday — a sign it will soon be scrapped. Penn Cove shellfish harvest may resume soon  

A hearing on proposed revisions to the Kitsap Shoreline Master Program is scheduled before the Kitsap County Planning Commission at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the County Commissioners Chambers, 619 Division St. in Port Orchard. Among the proposed changes are new maps with revised shoreline designations (zoning), along with new policies and development standards. A flexible mitigation program has been proposed in place of the existing fixed buffers.  Hearing set on county shoreline plan   See also: Hearing on county's comprehensive plan will be Monday

The quarantine on a salmon farm near Sechelt has been lifted and the majority of B.C. fish farms tested so far have proved negative for the infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus, says B.C. Salmon Farmers Association.  Quarantine on salmon farm lifted after tests for virus  

A mitigation program that could bring millions of federal dollars to restoration projects in Hood Canal was approved Friday by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.  If approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington Department of Ecology, the new program would first be used to compensate for environmental damage from the Navy's $715-million explosives handling wharf to be built at Bangor. Hood Canal council OKs program to handle federal restoration money  

Fifty years ago when the Seattle Center was built for the world’s fair, the future promised a space age car culture. Today the roof of an on-site parking lot hopes to be a demo pilot for a new future, how to grow food and green space under the Seattle skyline. Martha Baskin reports.  Sustainability Starts at the Top and Keeps Growing with People Power: The ‘UpGarden!’ at Mercer  

The South Sound may benefit in two ways with the passage of Harbor Days and Tug Boat Festival from the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association to the Olympia Kiwanis Club.  The proceeds from the popular Harbor Days festival will now be used to expand the Kiwanians’ community service work, while the heritage association can return its focus toward creating a museum dedicated to the preservation and public awareness of the southern Puget Sound’s maritime history.  Harbor Days agreement creates 2 benefits for community  

The Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie is a beloved hiking destination, for its proximity to Seattle and its beauty, pretty as anything that takes hours in a car to reach. It boasts soaring views of Russian Butte and the green slide of the Pratt and Snoqualmie rivers twining through miles of forest. And now this treat is about to get even better. More than 10 years in the planning, the Middle Fork is about to get a major makeover, including a nearly $25 million paving project to smooth the access road. Today the Southeast Middle Fork Road is a horror show of potholes and blowing dust in the summer, and a mud wallow in the winter. The nearly 10-mile paving project is expected to begin in the summer of 2013 and will make getting to miles of trails easier than ever, perhaps as soon as the fall of 2015.  Snoqualmie's Middle Fork, loved by Seattle hikers, to be improved

Proposing revisions to a portion of the annual set sport fishing regulations under which we all fish has been made more convenient by the state fish and wildlife department. With the new online option, citizens have until June 15 to submit ideas for rewrites and additions to or deletions from the personal use (sport) regulations, which if they make the grade, would become the law of the Washington landscape, May 1, 2013. The WDFW website for proposing and submitting fishing regulations is here.  You're invited to rewrite a sports fishing rule  

And, if you really care: Kitten Adoption Center Should Be Shelved in Proposed Eastlake Development Project

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 4 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
NE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

--
"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

6/1 Vashon beach, Deep Sea, salmon sanctuaries, BP, green oversight, Clark Cr. hatchery, Vancouver parks, Venus transit

Pick your (privatized) poison [PHOTO: The Herald]

Here we are: June 1 already. Thanks for reading this Salish Sea News and Weather blog  (1,736 page views in May) and the Salish Sea Communications blog  (1,312 page views in May). Subscribing by email is free, so encourage friends, family and associates to subscribe.

Stop by Jensen Point on Sunday, when Island naturalists will “bring the beach to you.” At the third annual We Bring the Beach to You event, Vashon Beach Naturalists, with help from some junior naturalists from the Homestead School, will bring colorful starfish, sticky anemones, scuttling hermit crabs and huge moon snails to a place where they can be easily observed at the park.  Island naturalists bring the beach to residents

The Deep Sea, a 140-foot fishing vessel, caught fire and sank almost three weeks ago. It’s been leaking oil ever since, forcing the closure of local shellfish beds. The boat’s set to be removed from Penn Cove on Sunday. What’s taken so long?  Sunken Vessel Off Whidbey Island to be Removed Sunday

Biologist Jim Pojar and ecologist Jack Stanford write: Recent federal budget cuts to Canada’s environmental review processes have weakened environmental protections, leaving many of the last best places for wild salmon and salmon habitat at risk. Perhaps no region is more threatened than the transboundary watersheds of northwest British Columbia and southeast Alaska.  Wild salmon ‘sanctuaries’ under threat

The BP Cherry Point refinery near Blaine is back in business.  The refinery was hit by a fire Feb. 17 and the company decided to move up scheduled maintenance during the outage. BP Cherry Point is the third-largest refinery on the West Coast. It produces 20 percent of Washington’s gasoline needs and supplies the majority of jet fuel for Sea-Tac, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia, airports.  BP Cherry Point refinery back in operation  

Changes to environmental reviews of industrial projects in recent years are already "preventing process duplication," says an internal government presentation prepared by the Canadian Environmental Assessment (CEA) Agency last fall.  No red tape in green oversight, environment minister told

A seafood company won’t lease the state-owned Puyallup Trout Hatchery on Clarks Creek – at least not anytime soon.  Opponents raised concerns about everything from the impact on public access to the effect of an expanded commercial operation on the already-polluted creek. They also criticized Fish and Wildlife for not notifying the public sooner of the lease discussions.  ‘Strong' reaction halts plan to lease hatchery

Metro Vancouver is floating the idea of selling sections of parkland with “low-recreational value” as well as fundraising, borrowing money and raising rental fees to maintain and acquire parks over the next 30 years in order to serve the region’s growing population.  Metro Vancouver parks under ‘significant stress’

Skygazers have a rare opportunity next week to watch the dark circle of Venus cross the Sun - an astronomical event that will not happen again for 105 years.  Starting at 3: 05 p.m. Tuesday, Venus will appear to move across the Sun's shape for what is called the transit of Venus. The orbits of Mercury and Venus lie inside Earth's orbit, making them the only planets that can pass between the Earth and Sun to produce a transit. On June 5, the Sun will set at 9: 49 p.m. in Victoria, midway through the phenomenon. Weather-permitting, there will be almost seven hours of transit-viewing time. Viewing points organized to watch transit of Venus

Thurston County is seeking public input on the proposed update to the Critical Areas Ordinance. A public hearing on the draft ordinance will be held at 10 a.m. June 23 at the Thurston County Courthouse Building 2, Room 129. The ordinance is part of the county code that protects wetlands; aquifer recharge areas; geologically hazardous areas; flood, seismic and volcanic hazard areas; and fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas. The ordinance was adopted in 1994 and has yet to be updated.  Public to weigh in on new Thurston County ordinance

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI JUN 1 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN THIS MORNING... THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS EARLY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.
SUN
NW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. 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

5/31 Baby orca, Springer, CH2M Hill, Skagit QR, Bristol Bay mine, entangled humpback, "The Fire Inside," beach naturalists, Salish Sea fishing, munching goats

Baby L119 (PHOTO: Center for Whale Research)

The three killer whale pods that frequent the Salish Sea returned en masse to inland waters Tuesday, bringing along a new baby. The calf has been designated L-119 by the Center for Whale Research, which maintains an ongoing census of the orcas. The mother is L-77, a 25-year-old female named Matia. Christopher Dunagan reports.  Orca observers celebrate new baby in L pod  

Have you “Liked” Celebrate Springer?

Whatcom County has selected environmental consulting company CH2M Hill to play a key role in the preparation of an environmental impact statement that will evaluate the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal and bulk cargo pier proposed at Cherry Point.  Whatcom County, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are cooperating to oversee the environmental review process for the proposed terminal, as well as the BNSF Railway Co. projects that will be required to get trains carrying coal and other cargoes to the site.  Consulting firm picked for Cherry Point coal terminal study  

Working with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group within the Junior Stream Stewards program, the eighth-grade class at Edison Elementary is creating QR codes, containing students’ photos and research, for visitors to Padilla Bay. The barcodes, which can be scanned with applications on smartphones, will allow visitors to access information about the estuary, its wildlife and its role in the watershed.  Student project will allow visitors to tap into Padilla Bay  

Fishing vessels in Northwest ports will soon be bound for Alaskan waters. Before they depart, fisherman will have the chance to speak out on the proposed Pebble Mine, upstream from Bristol Bay’s renowned salmon-fishing grounds. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a hearing Thursday on its assessment of the mine’s ecological risks. Ashley Ahearn reports. Why An Alaska Mine Worries Fishermen In The Northwest  

If you like to watch: The Fire Inside: Place, Passion & the Primacy of Nature is a 30-minute documentary film by Phil Walker about a group of NW activists and religious leaders on a kayaking adventure into the heart of the Salish Sea. Watch online at Fire Inside Film.

A young humpback whale, entangled in prawn traps in Knight Inlet, has been rescued in the nick of time. The race to save an entangled humpback whale in Knight Inlet  

The Seattle Aquarium is dispatching beach naturalists to several Puget Sound beaches this weekend, June 2 and 3, 2012 — and at other times this spring and summer — to help beachcombers learn more about the low-tide habitat.  Fit & Fun: at low tide, a whole new world at the beach  

The Cascade River and Skagit River from the Highway 530 Bridge at Rockport to Cascade River Road will open for spring chinook Friday and initial reports indicate fish are already milling around. Spring chinook also were returning to the Marblemount Hatchery on the Cascade River. The Skagit spring chinook forecast is 3,590. Early signs indicate plenty of chinook salmon   And, from the Canadian side: Bright future for fishing

The Peace River Regional District is taking an innovative approach, bringing several hundred goats to the edge of Fort St. John this weekend to munch on its invasive plant problem.  Munching goats graze away at invasive plants in Peace district

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 31 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY EARLY...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

5/30 Coal vote, pipeline battle, Samish septics, Kent side channel, mooring plan, caterpillars, Harbor porpoise, Lonesome Larry, seagrasses

Anna's hummingbird (Kevin Mack)

Thank You, City Council! The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the development of coal-export terminals in the state after raising concerns about increased train traffic and potential harm to health and the environment. The vote came as the federal government is reviewing the first of at least six port facilities proposed in Washington and Oregon to ship coal from the Powder River basin of Montana and Wyoming to hungry markets in Asia.  Seattle City Council opposes coal-export terminals in state  

Take a look at these pix: There are things that people don't get to appreciate. They're busy. And baby hummingbirds grow up and fly away too fast. "The things that happen under our noses are incredible," said Kevin Mack, a PAWS naturalist, who spent this spring photographing a hummingbird nest he found on the nonprofit animal rescue center's property. Lynnwood naturalist closely followed hummingbirds  

The battle for the hearts and minds of British Columbians over a proposed oil pipeline has ramped up after Enbridge Inc. launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign – and Greenpeace Canada responded by unfurling a giant, eye-catching banner on Lions Gate Bridge. The tactics revealed on Tuesday by the opposing sides in the debate are dramatically different.  Enbridge ad campaign intensifies pipeline battle  

Skagit County Commissioners approved an expansion of the Marine Recovery designation in the Samish Bay Watershed Tuesday with the aim of encouraging higher inspection rates of septic systems in the watershed. Designating almost all of the watershed as a Marine Recovery Area allows the county Health Department to use state and federal funding to contact owners of the septic systems in those MRAs and ensure they’ve had an inspection of their septic systems. The MRA designation also means that property owners who don’t respond to repeated notices from the county Health Department to have their systems inspected could start incurring a $75 per day fine.  Commissioners approve recovery area expansion in watershed  

The city of Kent and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have begun construction of a side channel at Riverview Park in Kent to restore salmon habitat and reduce potential flooding on the Green River. TProject manager Beth Tan said construction of the side channel will create summer rearing habitat and a high flow refuge for multiple endangered salmon species including Chinook, steelhead and bull trout.  Green River project in Kent to improve salmon habitat, flood protection  

The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working to map out specific places where mooring buoys will be allowed in Quartermaster Harbor, the next step in a long-term project to clear the harbor of abandoned buoys and make the bay safer for boats. On Thursday DNR officials will visit Vashon to discuss the mooring buoy plan with boat owners who may be affected.  State presents plan to map where boats can moor in harbor

The branches of fruit trees on southern Vancouver Island are alive with western tent caterpillars, as the tiny insects enjoy a population boom.  It's a peak year for the insects, which hatch from web "tents" high in trees, then proceed to make breakfast, lunch and dinner out of succulent green leaves.  South Island's caterpillar population explodes  

Traffic through Burrows Pass is getting extra attention these days with a study of how many commuters make the waterway on the east side of Fidalgo Island part of their journey. Only it’s not boaters that are the subject — it’s Pacific harbor porpoises. The number of the sea creatures, once abundant in the Puget Sound during the 1950s, had decreased drastically by the early 1990s.  Burrows Pass study aims to help species in decline  

In 1992, four Snake River sockeye made their way through eight dams, past nets and predators and on to their home in Idaho's Sawtooth Valley. One male completed the final climb up the Snake and Salmon rivers to a weir on Redfish Lake Creek, a wakeup call for Idahoans and making the fish the symbol of the entire Snake and Columbia salmon-restoration program. Lonesome Larry's legacy lives on in salmon's rebound  

Per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world’s temperate and tropical forests.  This makes seagrasses a vital part of the solution to climate change, according to a new international study, published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.  The paper is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses and demonstrates that coastal seagrass beds can store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils below them. For comparison, a typical terrestrial forest stores around 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer, most of which is in the form of wood.  Saving seagrass could bury more carbon

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT WED MAY 30 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND BECOMING E 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 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