7/13 Monterey kings, dead humpback, Sequalitchew Cr., Seattle waterfront, Thurston CAO, train emissions, Little Squalicum Beach, bad plastic

From Off the Road, The Travel Adventures of a Nomad on the Cheap: “The beaches of Monterey, California—and nearby sites, like Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium—are a fine place to spend a summer Sunday afternoon, but it’s two miles due west and 100 feet straight down that the salmon are teeming. This pair of kings was caught from a kayak.” Photo by Andrew Bland.  Return of the King Salmon  

You like thunderstorms? Cliff Mass does. Thunderstorm Fest

A Fisheries Department spokesman says a humpback whale that washed up last month on the beach in White Rock had fishing gear caught in its mouth before it starved to death. Paul Cottrell says it's tough to pin down where the longline fishing gear came from or whether it was being used or abandoned. Young humpback whale found on White Rock beach died of starvation: report

Work begins in earnest next week on a plan to restore water flows to the water-starved Sequalitchew Creek in DuPont. The stream-restoration project is part of a 2011 settlement agreement among CalPortland Co., environmental groups and the state Department of Ecology that would allow CalPortland Co. to seek permits to expand its regional mine in DuPont.  Plan to restore water to DuPont's Sequalitchew Creek creek starts soon  

The latest proposal to remake Seattle's waterfront is being compared to the 1962 World's Fair in terms of its wide-ranging impact on the community. Now comes the funding part.  After the Alaskan Way Viaduct, city sees 'a waterfront for all'
 
The Thurston County commissioners could soon approve a proposed critical-areas ordinance that has generated outrage among some residents. County staffers and the commissioners are reviewing comments received during a public hearing last month with a goal of approving the revised ordinance as early as July 24.  Controversial critical-areas ordinance closer to being OK'd  

A University of Puget Sound chemistry professor is studying train emissions in Tacoma, gathering data that could be used to determine whether more stringent regulations are needed and whether greenhouse gases are decreasing. Dan Burgard and student Matt Breuer are spending four weeks standing on bridges above railroad tracks at Foss Waterway and Chambers Bay, using a machine to measure emissions from passing trains. The research is important because most of the data on rail emissions is outdated, and testing occurs in a laboratory, Burgard said. Little or none of the information was done in real time.  UPS professor taking measure of Tacoma train emissions  

Whatcom County health officials warn the public not to swim or wade off Little Squalicum Beach because of too much bacteria in the water. Recent testing shows that bacteria at the beach exceed federal water quality standards. Warning signs will remain posted there. Pollution prompts warning to swimmers at Bellingham's Little Squalicum Beach

It's like beer goggles gone wrong. A common chemical used to make plastics also causes fish to indiscriminately court members of other species – behaviour that could result in interbreeding and the merger of two species.  Plastic ingredient makes fish court other species

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT FRI JUL 13 2012
TODAY
E WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF TSTMS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF TSTMS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT BUILDING TO 7 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SUN
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 7 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.

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7/12 Copper salmon, coal trains, Enbridge, Kinder Morgan, Stanley Park birds, Elwha salmon, Partnership, Asian smoke, Paddle 2012, species protection

(PHOTO: Russ Maddox)

Researchers have known for years that copper from brake pads and pesticides can confuse salmon entering their natal streams — but the outcome could be far worse than confusion, according to a new study. Juvenile salmon exposed to copper in a stream are more likely to be eaten by predators. That's the conclusion of Jenifer McIntyre, a research biologist who conducted a series of experiments at the University of Washington's Big Beef Creek Research Station near Seabeck. Christopher Dunagan reports.   Copper can make salmon vulnerable to predators, UW researcher finds  

A new study purports to add to mounting evidence that more coal trains will further strain already taxed rail lines in the Pacific Northwest. The study was both commissioned and conducted by groups who promote the interests of farmers and ranchers in the West. A spokeswoman for BNSF Railway had serious reservations about the study. Even so, the study's authors insist the results are objective and should demand the attention of those who will decide the fate of proposed coal terminals in Oregon and Washington, including the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point. Study: Coal terminal near Bellingham would tie up rail lines    See also: How coal trains could choke NW's economic engines

Edmonds residents and officials on Wednesday rallied against plans to double coal train traffic through their community. The coal would be shipped to a proposed terminal a 100 miles to the north. It’s something the city fears because more than 40 trains per day already bisect the waterfront, causing limited access to the Kingston ferry dock and waterfront businesses. The ferry system chief said a solution like a new tunnel or underpass would require a partnership between state and local officials with private companies. "But I know enough to know we don't have the money, the city doesn't have the money and the private sector doesn't have all the money but together we might be able to craft a solution that really we need now,” said David Mosley.  Edmonds residents rally against coal train traffic  

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has issued a public warning to Enbridge Inc. about its proposed Northern Gateway pipeline in the wake of revelations about the company’s handling of a massive 2010 oil spill in Michigan.  B.C. Premier puts Enbridge on notice over pipeline safety

Starting in September 2012, Texas-based pipeline giant Kinder Morgan will begin public consultations for an estimated $4 billion expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta’s oil sands in Edmonton to Metro Vancouver. Their plan is to more than double the capacity of the pipeline by 2017. The project rivals Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline, which aims to export oil sands crude through the Great Bear Rainforest. With the benefit of an existing right-of-way, could Kinder Morgan succeed in making Vancouver the first major artery of oil sands expansion on the West Coast? Or will their record of oil spills tar up their plans?  Southern Gateway: An American pipeline giant's plans for Vancouver  

At least 236 bird species that rely on Stanley Park for food, wintering, migration stopovers, or breeding habitat would be at risk from an oil-tanker spill in Burrard Inlet, a Wilderness Committee report warned Wednesday. The report, written by Greenpeace International co-founder Rex Weyler, notes that a spill would have devastating and long-lasting impacts on aquatic habitat critical to birds. Among them are globally significant populations of wintering Barrow's goldeneye and thousands of surf scoters, a species of special concern in B.C.  Wilderness Committee raises alarm over oil-tanker threat to Stanley Park wildlife  

Scientists knew ocean-going fish would eventually return to the Elwha River on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula, once two massive concrete dams were torn down. They just didn't think it would happen so soon. Biologists tracking fish in a tributary of the Elwha last month spotted wild steelhead that likely made it on their own past the site where the Elwha Dam stood for nearly a century -- before it was dismantled in March as part of the nation's largest dam removal project. With 1 of 2 dams down, fish return to Elwha River  

Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center writes: "The cleanup is on a third boss in five years. One problem may be a lack of focus on the hard science of saving the Sound."  Puget Sound Partnership: Can anybody here figure out a plan?

I asked Cliff Mass if he was certain the fireworks he refers to were made in Asia and not in the U.S.: “In a previous blog I made the case that smoke from huge Asian wildfires was moving across the Pacific, greatly degrading air quality in Northwest....and as I shall tell you, poor visibility is only one of the effects.  And our Asian friends also contributed to a major degradation of air quality on two days in particularly--July 4th and 5th--as a result of the massive amount of fireworks they have sold us.”  Asian Fires and Fireworks Smoke Up the Northwest  

Pullers from central and southern Washington coastal areas will reach LaPush today in the 2012 Paddle Journey. The canoe journey of Native Americans from the Pacific Northwest, Canada and other areas will end in a celebration at the end of the month hosted by the Squaxin Island tribe in Kamilche near Shelton.  Paddle Journey 2012 canoes due in LaPush today  

Five amphibians and reptiles that call Washington home are among more than 50 included in a petition for federal protection. Arizona’s Center for Biological Diversity has filed the petition for protection of 53 amphibians and reptiles in 45 states. 5 Washington critters among species group would have feds protect  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT WED JUL 11 2012
THU
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF MORNING FOG AND PATCHY DRIZZLE.
THU NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF DRIZZLE 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

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7/11 Seattle fault, Lummi mitigation bank, Embridge spill, Orton Junction, Sliammon treaty, Shell drill, Bob Marley

French grunt with Gnathia marleyi. (Elizabeth Brill)

The last time the Seattle fault ripped, it jolted shorelines and unleashed a tsunami. Now a new study suggests that quake might have rocked an even bigger area than anyone thought. Sandi Doughton reports. Ancient quake and tsunami in Puget Sound shake researchers  

The Lummi Nation is enhancing nearly 2,000 acres of habitat in the Nooksack and Lummi river deltas as part of the first federally backed tribal wetland and habitat mitigation bank. Eventually, credits in the bank will be sold or transferred to developers who are required to mitigate for unavoidable adverse effects their projects might have on wetlands and associated buffer areas. These projects are expected to include homes built on tribal members’ land assignments and Lummi Nation projects as well as development off-reservation.  Lummi Nation creating first federally backed tribal mitigation bank

Opponents of Enbridge’s controversial Northern Gateway pipeline are pointing to a scathing report into a spill in the United States to bolster their argument that the company’s proposal to transport oil over remote areas of British Columbia is too risky. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board issued a report Tuesday into a July 2010 spill that saw more than three million litres of crude oil spill into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River and nearby wetlands. The board concluded Enbridge failed to fix a defect discovered five years earlier and then responded poorly when the spill occurred.  U.S. oil spill report adds fuel to opposition to Enbridge pipeline in B.C.  

In a ruling that disappointed government officials and developers but thrilled some local farmland preservation activists, the state Growth Management Hearings Board has sided with opponents of a controversial project in the Sumner area. The board’s decision, made public Tuesday, means the future of the Orton Junction mixed-use development anchored by a YMCA is in limbo.  Ruling freezes Orton Junction  

Friends of the Hidden River are holding the Ground to Sound STEM Camp Challenge 2012 this week at the Brightwater Environmental Education Center in Woodinville. The science-based day camp program will reconnect students to the natural and reclaimed environment through a series of original motivating challenges designed to promote awareness and action to improve the health of Puget Sound.  Ground to Sound STEM Camp Challenge on tap this week

Members of a B.C. First Nation have approved a treaty with the federal and provincial governments. Residents of the Sliammon First Nation voted 318-235 in favour following a court ruling that guaranteed the polling station would be accessible. After the vote, Chief Clint Williams told about 60 people at the Salish Centre that it was not a victory but “just another step toward nationhood.” Sliammon First Nation approves treaty  

Environmental groups are suing the federal government, arguing that Shell Oil does not have an adequate plan to deal with a spill. The coalition says the goal is not to delay drilling this summer. The brief was filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage this morning, practically as the doors opened for business. It’s just the latest suit in a string of them filed over Arctic drilling and it takes aim at the Department of Interior, specifically, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE.  Environmental Groups Say Shell’s Spill Response Plan is Inadequate  

President Barack Obama has one. Comedian Stephen Colbert has one. Elvis Presley has one. Even computer software magnate Bill Gates has one. And now, Bob Marley--the late popular Jamaican singer and guitarist--also has one. So what is it that each of these luminaries have? The answer: they each have a biological species that has been named after them.  New Parasitic Coral Reef Crustacean Named After Late Reggae Performer Bob Marley  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT TUE JUL 10 2012
WED
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
WED NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 14 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

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7/10 Samish Bay, Port Gamble S'Klallam trust, Haida Gwaii tsunami debris

Morning Caution (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: '“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight – red in the morning, sailor take warning!” After months of preparation, we’ve cast off the lines, heading north to cruise the BC coast. Our sealegs and boating brains are rusty from months on land, but we’ve begun our annual process of shifting from terrestrial beings to mariners.' Safe passage, good friend. Regaining our Sea Legs

Samish Bay is open to shellfish harvest again, the state Department of Health said in a press release Monday.
The state actually reopened Samish Bay to harvest Saturday morning after water samples confirmed that fecal coliform counts had declined, making the shellfish safe to eat.  Samish Bay reopens  

The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe on Monday announced the approval of trust status for a 390-acre parcel it has owned for nearly 8 years. The status change for the land, located south of the reservation along Hansville Highway and east of Little Boston Road, increases the tribe's current 1,300-acre reservation in North Kitsap by 30 percent. Under trust status, the federal government holds legal title to the land, but occupancy interest remains with a tribe in perpetuity. Tribes typically pursue trust status on purchased lands so they can exercise full jurisdiction and expand reservation boundaries.  Trust status approved for land owned by Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe  

If debris from last year’s deadly Japanese tsunami continues to pile up on the beaches of Haida Gwaii, it will have to transported off the island, says B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake. After viewing first-hand on Monday the higher-than-normal amount of debris on some beaches, Lake acknowledged the concerns of municipal and Haida leaders that there will not be enough room in their landfills for the debris.  Tsunami debris will likely have to be taken off Haida Gwaii, minister says  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT MON JUL 9 2012
TUE
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
TUE NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 14 SECONDS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Toldl

7/9 Partnership change, Hood Canal mitigation, Closet Canuck, Jeff Co shellfish, Canoe Journey, Port McNeill fish, Edmonds rail, Bremerton shores, low tides, John Laxton, Blair Waterway spill

In a surprise move, Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday appointed Anthony "Tony" Wright, a retired colonel with the Army Corps of Engineers, to head the Puget Sound Partnership. The governor offered little explanation for her displacement of Gerry O'Keefe, who was appointed to the executive director post in February 2011, after serving as interim director for 10 months. Martha Kongsgaard, who chairs the Puget Sound Leadership Council, said  the governor must have realized that she needs someone in the director position who can "go external in a big way." Chris Dunagan reports.  Governor names new leader for Puget Sound restoration

A mitigation program expected to bring millions of federal dollars to restoration projects in Hood Canal was approved Friday, following more than a year of intense discussions. The mitigation program is one of the final hurdles before the Navy obtains approval to proceed with construction of a $715-million explosives handling wharf at Bangor. The program, to be administered by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, allows a developer to pay cash instead of constructing restoration projects to compensate for environmental damage. Navy officials say they will use the program for the new wharf and probably future projects as well. Chris Dunagan reports.  New mitigation program approved for Hood Canal   

Closet Canuck Sue Fause writes: "It's an anniversary that has been celebrated at the Vancouver Aquarium and Seattle's Alki Beach Bathhouse, and now British Columbia is again joining in the festivities. Celebrate Springer is being held in BC's Telegraph Cove July 12-15, 2012 to mark the 10th anniversary of the only successful rescue of a killer whale and subsequent reunion with its family...."  BC's Telegraph Cove celebrates 10th anniversary of Springer's rescue  

Cliff Mass writes: Asian Smoke Reaches the Pacific Northwest   Meanwhile: Smoke from U.S. fires could hide B.C. blazes

A biotoxin that causes flu-like symptoms has prompted the closure of Quilcene, Dabob and Discovery bays to recreational shellfish harvesting. The recent discovery was the first time any toxin has been found in shellfish in either Quilcene Bay or Dabob Bay. The toxin, called diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, or DSP, closed Sequim Bay last year after three King County residents who ate mussels they harvested there fell ill in late June. Recreational shellfish closures spread to Jefferson County  

North Vancouver’s Tsleil-Waututh First Nation is planning to become the 131st nation to sign a declaration that would ban Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project and other proposed pipelines from crossing their land in order to protect the vast Fraser River watershed. The Fraser Declaration is set to be signed tonight by the Tsleil-Waututh after a ceremony honouring members visiting from five first nations with territories between Prince George and the Coast Range that have campaigned across the country in opposition to the project. Meanwhile, Enbridge announced last month almost 60 per cent of the 45 aboriginal communities along its proposed pipeline route have accepted an equity position in the $5.5-billion project.  North Shore First Nations band to oppose pipelines  

Since its inception, the Canoe Journey has built bridges of understanding between cultures. For the non-Native community, the Journey is an entry into the ceremonies and longhouses, an introduction to the dances and songs, languages and protocols, gifting and sharing. This year in Suquamish, as in past years, visitors will enjoy a dinner of salmon and crab provided by the Tribe, as well as side dishes provided by volunteers from the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors. Volunteers also help serve meals.  Canoe Journey builds bridges between cultures | Canoe Journey 2012  

An experiment unfolding near Port McNeill on northern Vancouver Island is designed to settle a long-running debate over whether a land-based system can raise fish from fry to market-size entirely on land – and make enough money to persuade investors to back the capital-intensive operations. The $7-million ‘Namgis Closed Containment Project is also part of broader business plans for the ‘Namgis First Nation, which will build and run it through the band-owned K’udas Limited Partnership. First Nation has high hopes for fish farm

The possibility of earning big money through tribal gambling has complicated the effort of some tribes to win federal recognition. Meanwhile, two existing Washington tribes want to open casinos off their reservations.  Duwamish say tribal rivalry hinders bid for recognition  

Rail traffic is already an issue for the ferry system and public safety because passing trains block waterfront access. Mayor Dave Earling for months has followed news about the Gateway Pacific Terminal project, a proposed coal terminal near Bellingham. "We are the only city that has the at-grade crossing railroad that interferes with the state ferry system," Earling said. Train terminal worries Edmonds  

A three-year process to revise Bremerton's Shoreline Master Program launches into the final city phase Wednesday. The Bremerton City Council will hold a study session going over why the update is necessary, what the Department of Ecology's role in the update is, research, analysis and goals. The meeting is at 5 p.m. at the Norm Dicks Government Center, 345 Sixth St.  Bremerton council to consider shoreline rules

Imagine you are a creature that lives in an extreme habitat here in the Northwest. Temperatures can fluctuate between 45-85 degress Farenheit – all in the same day. At times you are submerged under very cold water, and other times the sun bakes down and you have to protect yourself from dehydration for hours on end. When there is water surrounding you, sometimes it has a high salt content, other times it is mostly fresh. Some days, when you are not in the water, there are cold winds that blast you from all sides. Water and rocks often crash into you, putting you in danger of being dislodged from your chosen spot. And, throughout all of these extremes, you need to stay safe from predators too. Where are you? In a tide pool on the Washington coast.  Low tides expose creatures living in extreme conditions on beaches  

A former head of BC Hydro has been charged with violating the federal Fisheries Act by allegedly damaging local salmon habitat at his waterfront property in West Vancouver.  John Laxton, chairman of BC Hydro from 1995 to 1999, built an extensive breakwater in front of his four waterfront properties on Marine Drive between late 2010 and fall of 2011. Officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allege the structure could harm wild salmon stocks. Former BC Hydro chairman facing charges under Fisheries Act  

An accident Friday night aboard a vessel in the Blair Waterway caused about 50 gallons of oil to spill into the shipping channel at the Port of Tacoma. According to the State Department of Ecology, a tanker truck on board the MV Midnight Sun was struck by another vehicle, rupturing one of the truck’s four compartments. About 1,500 gallons of lube oil spilled out of the tanker, but most was contained on the ship’s deck.  Oil spill in Blair Waterway

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT SUN JUL 8 2012
MON
W WIND 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
MON NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 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

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7/6 Higgs boson, oysters, Victoria sewage, coal traffic, seabirds, Shell drilling, Kitsap shores

Sea Cucumber

Dr. J wanted to know if we'd heard the one about the Higgs boson walking into church. "We don't allow Higgs bosons in here!" shouted the priest. "But without me, how can you have mass?" asked the particle.

Oysters on the half-shell – what’s a summer without them? For thousands of years oysters were considered inexhaustible in the Pacific Northwest. But loss of habitat, over-harvest and, most recently, ocean waters saturated with greenhouse gases are undermining stocks. Can these rich succulent marine creatures be reestablished in community shellfish farms? Martha Baskin takes a look and brings us the story.  Oyster Reclamation: One Estuary and Community Shellfish Farm at a Time  

The Capital Regional District is expecting the federal and provincial governments to announce their shares of sewage treatment funding "within weeks," CRD chairman Geoff Young said Wednesday.  The provincial government ordered in 2006 that secondary sewage treatment be in place in the region by 2016. But a delay in funding announcements for the provincial and federal governments' portions of the project has pushed back the completion date. If the funding is announced soon, construction could start in 2013, with completion in 2018. The cost of the $782million project is to be split equally between the CRD, the province and the federal government.  Sewage-project cash likely 'within weeks'

The San Juan Islands and surrounding waterways should be included as part of the official study of environmental impacts from the proposed Gateway Pacific coal terminal in Whatcom County, according to the San Juan County Council.  On June 26, the County Council unanimously approved sending a letter to Brigadier Gen. John McMahon, commander of the Northwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, requesting that an area-wide environmental impact statement be conducted that would "address the cumulative impacts of new coal terminals in the Pacific Northwest, including the Gateway Pacific Terminal." An area-wide EIS would include the San Juan Islands and might extend through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the ocean. County Council calls for expanded review of proposed coal terminal project

Sea cucumbers are slimy, rubbery sacks of ocean water. About a foot-long, sausage-shaped and covered in warts, these echinoderms (think sea urchins and starfish), inhabit ocean floors around the world. Their skin is also able to morph from flexible and blubbery to rigid in a matter of seconds to defend against predators. When startled or threatened, some of the more than 1,000 species will excrete their entrails. Who would have guessed that the blubbery, slug-like creatures are also a big cash crop for commercial dive fishermen in Anacortes and throughout Puget Sound? Sea cucumbers: An unlikely, profitable delicacy  

Seabirds eat everything from twine, candy wrappers and Styrofoam, and their stomach contents show there's been a dramatic increase in plastic pollution off the Pacific Northwest coast in the last four decades, a new study suggests.  Seabirds on B.C. coast eating bellyfuls of plastic: study


A unique ice-class barge designed to clean up any oil spills that might result from Shell Alaska’s upcoming operations in the Arctic Ocean has so far failed to acquire final U.S. Coast Guard certification. Engineers from the oil company say it's no longer appropriate to require them to meet the rigorous weather standards originally proposed. Further, sea trials for the Arctic Challenger — a 37-year-old barge undergoing a multimillion-dollar retrofit — have been delayed in Washington state as federal  inspectors insist on improvements to electrical, piping and fire protection systems, a senior Coast Guard inspector confirmed Thursday. Shell may be ready for the Arctic, but its oil spill barge isn't


United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists began their shoreline forage fish study in Kitsap County the weekend of June 9 with what might be a local resident’s all too common problem — boat trouble.  These scientists access beaches by boat and work along the shoreline during both day and night periods wearing visually identifiable USGS clothing, and the boat clearly marked as a USGS research vessel. USGS beach study in Kitsap to correlate forage fish spawn habitat in local bays  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT THU JUL 5 2012
FRI
W WIND 5 TO 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
FRI NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 10 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT.
SUN
W WIND 5 TO 10 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 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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7/5 Higgs boson, Embridge spill, Delta port expansion, Everett sewage

For everyone who’s found the Higgs boson discovery just too complicated to understand, here is the photo primer that will allow you to toss around names like Large Hadron Collider and Standard Model with ease. We’ve even thrown in an example that uses George Clooney.  Higgs boson for dummies  

A disorganized control room and bullying of inexperienced staff are allegedly to blame for a three-million litre oil spill in a Michigan River from a pipeline operated by Alberta-based Enbridge, says newly released records among hundreds of pages of evidence from a U.S. government investigation. The evidence includes testimony from a senior Enbridge employee who suggests the energy company, now promoting new projects in Canada such as the multibillion dollar Northern Gateway pipeline from Edmonton to the British Columbia coast, is years away from achieving "world-class" safety standards. The environmental disaster in July 2010 triggered clean-up operations that Enbridge estimates will cost it more than $700 million. The energy company is also facing a record $3.7 million fine for 22 alleged violations related to the U.S. spill that continues to leave traces of oil in the Kalamazoo River. Disorganized control room to blame for Enbridge U.S. pipeline spill: records

The planned expansion of the Deltaport terminal and development of nearby farmland may further imperil bird populations in south Delta, a key landing station on the Pacific coast migratory route, according to a council report. The port expansion will result in the loss of about 25 acres (10 hectares) of agricultural land, according to the report. And more widespread land development related to the expansion may further threaten the sanctity of the birds’ natural habitat. Delta birds in danger as port expansion plans proceed  

Everett is preparing to start a $77 million upgrade of its wastewater treatment plant, which is nearing capacity. Wastewater customers -- the people footing the bill -- should start preparing to see a hike in their rates next year. The Everett City Council is expected to vote on a rate increase proposal this fall. The city hasn't figured out how much that rate hike will be. Everett to increase rates to pay for sewer plant upgrades  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
900 PM PDT WED JUL 4
THU
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
THU NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 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