9/23 Pipeline allies, acid crab, science knowledge, coho failure, Port Orchard shores

Noquiklos' tracks

More on Dragons, Godzilla, T.Rex
Two readers responded to yesterday's item about the shape of the Olympic Peninsula facing Admiralty Inlet. "In Jefferson County, we are well aware of the dragon (not T.Rex) and have been celebrating Noquiklos quite regularly for around 30 years." See The Search for Noquiklos' Tracks  And: "Never saw that before! Looks like Godzilla is heading for the sea maiden who protects Camano and Whidbey Islands, Sara Toga. (See the outline of the body of water between the two islands, otherwise known as Saratoga Passage.)"

Canadian First Nations, U.S. tribes form alliance to stop oil pipelines
First Nations communities from Canada and the northern United States signed a treaty on Thursday to jointly fight proposals to build more pipelines to carry crude from Alberta's oil sands, saying further development would damage the environment. The treaty, signed in Montreal and Vancouver, came as the politics around pipelines have become increasingly sensitive in North America, with the U.S. Justice Department intervening last week to delay construction of a contentious pipeline in North Dakota. The Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion was signed by 50 aboriginal groups in North America, who also plan to oppose tanker and rail projects in both countries, they said in a statement. Targets include projects proposed by Kinder Morgan Inc, TransCanada Corp and Enbridge Inc. (Thomson Reuters)

Studies focus on acidic ocean impact on Dungeness crabs
Millions of pounds of Dungeness crab are pulled from Pacific Northwest waters each year in a more than century-old ritual for commercial and recreational fishermen. But as ocean waters absorb more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, U.S. scientists are worried that the ocean’s changing chemistry may threaten the sweet-flavoured crustaceans. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are exposing tiny crab larvae to acidic seawater in laboratory experiments to understand how ocean acidification might affect one of the West Coast’s most lucrative fisheries. Research published this year found that Dungeness crab eggs and larvae collected from Puget Sound and exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide — which increases ocean acidity — grew more slowly and larvae were more likely to die than those in less corrosive seawater. Now researchers at NOAA’s Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center are taking the experiments a step further to study how the crabs respond to multiple stressors during various growth stages. They also plan to analyze the sublethal effects: Even if the crabs don’t die, are they affected in physiological or other ways by ocean acidification? (Associated Press)

Survey reveals 'significant gaps' in Canadians' understanding of science
You may not know it, but Sept. 19-25 is Science Literacy Week in Canada.  And it seems that's not all we don't know about science. To mark the week comes a new survey looking at just how "science literate" Canadians are — which seems to suggest there are some pretty big gaps in our understanding.  The survey comes from the Ontario Science Centre, and is based on an online poll by Leger of 1,578 Canadians. A probabilistic sample of this size would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.  It reveals what the Ontario Science Centre calls "significant gaps" in our understanding of issues like climate change, vaccinations and genetically modified organisms.  (CBC)

Inslee requests 'commercial fishery failure' declaration
Gov. Jay Inslee is requesting the federal government declare a "commercial fishery failure" in Washington after two consecutive years of poor salmon runs. In a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Inslee asked for a declaration for the 2015 Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay non-treaty commercial salmon fisheries. "Salmon fisheries throughout Washington were affected by the poor return of coho in 2015, with statewide commercial coho catch being less than 20-percent of the recent 5-year average, and ex-vessel value being less than 15-percent of the recent 5-year average," Inslee wrote. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Port Orchard City Council considers easing shoreline regulations
Port Orchard is considering loosening shoreline development regulations for properties in the downtown waterfront area. The purpose of proposed amendments to the city's Shoreline Master Program is "to give more flexibility for existing properties in the downtown high intensity shoreline zone to redevelop and/or expand without creating new environmental impacts," said Keri Sallee, a planner with the city's Department of Community Development."… Under current rules, the standard buffer for non-water dependent structures is 75 feet. A facility like a marina, that relies on proximity to the water, would be considered water-dependent and exempt. Christina Henry reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  303 AM PDT FRI SEP 23 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  

TODAY  SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT  13 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT  AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT  S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES  1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING SE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN  E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/22 WA lands vote, Trudeau on pipe, Tacoma LNG, gas lines, carbon tax, shellfish toxin

T. rex in the Salish Sea
A reader writes: "While looking at my Salish Sea map the other day, in my office, I noticed something I'd not seen before: The...corner of the Olympic Peninsula is a giant T-Rex with its breath blowing across Admiralty Inlet." [Actually, we thought Godzilla ate Tukwila...]

Candidate for DNR chief distances himself from Malheur refuge takeover
State commissioner of public lands candidate Steve McLaughlin distanced himself Wednesday from an organization that helped armed occupiers of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. In an interview with The Olympian’s Editorial Board, McLaughlin, a Republican, said he was involved with a coalition of lawmakers from several states calling for the release of imprisoned ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were convicted of arson for lighting fires on private property that spread to government land they had leased to graze cattle. But he said he wasn’t involved with the coalition’s efforts to help an armed group that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, in January to protest the Hammonds’ jailing. Walker Orenstein reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Justin Trudeau: Sticks to pipeline points as ‘consistent’ policy 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hasn’t changed his views on the $7.9-billion Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, he said Wednesday. Trudeau was responding to comments by a senior Enbridge Inc. official a day earlier suggesting Ottawa has shown a willingness to support the megaproject if the environment and First Nations rights are respected. “Our government has been consistent from the very beginning, that Canadians need economic development while at the same time protecting the environment and the well-being of future generations,” Trudeau told Postmedia News at a news conference when asked about comments made by Northern Gateway president John Carruthers. “And that (has) not changed, that is what people expect us to be able to do.” Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Secret PSE-funded studies say LNG plant poses no off-site danger
The safety studies of potential spills, leaks and fires at Puget Sound Energy’s proposed Tacoma Tideflats liquid natural gas plant appear to back up the company’s contention the hazards wouldn’t reach across the site’s property lines. Records obtained by The News Tribune — including a plant siting study, a fire protection evaluation and a series of video models of plant accidents — contemplate incidents from bad to worse as part of explaining the potential risks of building the plant. PSE has fought public disclosure of the documents…. Although they contain no indications the facility constitutes a potential disaster for the broader city, they have become the most controversial records attached to the project. The studies were performed by Chicago Bridge & Iron, an engineering conglomerate based in the Netherlands, and its subcontractor Gexcon, a Norway-based fire and gas explosion safety company. Derrick Nunnally reports. (News Tribune)

State doesn’t keep track of old gas lines like the one in Greenwood
State regulators don’t keep records of abandoned gas lines like the Puget Sound Energy one that caused a Greenwood explosion in March. It’s not clear if PSE does either. Another company, Cascade Natural Gas, faces a $4 million fine for lax record-keeping. Bob Young and Vernal Coleman report. (Seattle Times)

Canada could meet emissions target without huge carbon tax: SFU professor
A new report says Canada could meet its emissions target under the Paris climate agreement without a hefty carbon tax. The carbon tax has been a contentious issue between the provinces and the federal government. Recently, the federal government announced it will impose carbon pricing on provinces that don't find a way to regulate carbon emissions themselves. Alberta and B.C. have adopted a carbon tax, while Ontario and Quebec have opted for a cap and trade policy. (CBC)

Eastern Kitsap shoreline hit with shellfish closure
Shellfish harvesting has been closed from Point White on Bainbridge Island south to the Pierce County border after high levels of marine biotoxins were detected. (Kitsap Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  302 AM PDT THU SEP 22 2016  

TODAY  SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN  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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/21 Whale fight, BC pipe, Peter Goldmark, debris cleanup

(PHOTO: Capt. Russ Nicks/Times Colonist)

Humpback whales save sea lion from orcas off Sooke coast
A pod of “heroic” humpback whales came to the rescue of a desperate sea lion under attack from four cunning and hungry orcas off the coast of Sooke, a phenomenon never before seen by whale-watching operators in the Salish Sea…. Capt. Russ Nicks of Victoria-based B.C. Whale Tours, was one of the first on scene. He said it was fascinating to watch the show of aggression. He and his guests marvelled at the strategy of one of the planet’s most sophisticated hunters as the orcas split into two groups — one to try to draw the humpbacks away while the other group went in for the kill on the sea lion…. The humpbacks took turns diving and slashing at the orcas for about 40 minutes, until the orcas, known as the T100 family, finally retreated.Katie DeRosa reports. (Times Colonist)

Ottawa won't appeal court decision blocking Northern Gateway pipeline
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr won't appeal a recent court decision that overturned the former Harper government's approval of the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline project. Earlier Tuesday, Northern Gateway also said it wouldn't pursue an appeal…. The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in June that the federal government had not adequately consulted with Indigenous peoples who will be affected by the project, which is backed by the energy company Enbridge, and which would stretch from outside Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. John Paul Tasker and Chris Hallreport. (CBC) See also: Feds won't appeal Northern Gateway court ruling, but still open to pipeline: Enbridge exec  Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Advice For The Next Commissioner Of Public Lands: A Conversation With Peter Goldmark
Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands presides over more than five and a half million acres of state forests and aquatic lands. It’s an open seat in the upcoming 2016 election, since incumbent Peter Goldmark announced his decision not to run for a third term. One of the top priorities of the office is the constitutional mandate to fund schools through logging. But conservation is also part of it. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Huge tsunami debris cleanup operation begins along B.C.'s West Coast
Work began Tuesday to clear dozens of beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island of debris and plastics, much of it washed ashore from the 2011 tsunami that swept Japan. Using a helicopter, a barge and a tug, volunteers are picking up cached bundles of garbage from one end of the island to the other. For months, hundreds of volunteers from seven groups have combed beaches by foot and by boat between Cape Scott in the north and Sooke in the south. They bagged a staggering array of plastic junk and stashed them above the tide line for later removal. More than 40 tonnes of material, including fishing and mooring floats, foam packaging, used oil containers and plastic drinking bottles were assembled. Now, with the last bits of money provided by the Japanese government for a multi-year tsunami debris cleanup program, members of the Vancouver Island Marine Debris Working Group hired the tug Westco Rouge out of Campbell River to pick up the junk and take it to Richmond for recycling. Jeff Lee reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  327 AM PDT WED SEP 21 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4  FT AT 9 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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/20 Racial equity, lone wolf, Rialto, Vic sewer, septic care, wave power, climate summit

Double rainbow (Port of Seattle/Seattle Times)

Double rainbow, lenticular clouds over Mount Rainier remind us why we live here
The sky has given us quite a showing the past few days. On Monday, a double rainbow made for a spectacular morning scene over Elliott Bay.  Benjamin Woodard reports. On Friday, a common, yet impressive, cloud formation over Mount Rainier was captured in images posted to Twitter by the National Weather Service. Lenticular clouds are formed as moist air flows over mountains or other obstructions. Check out the photos. (Seattle Times) See also: Convergence Zone brings torrential rain, hail, flooded streets to North Sound  Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Washington Environmental Groups Hosting First Meetups On Racial Equity
The intersection of race and the environment is the focus this week of two community conversations taking place in Seattle. The public meetups are a first for members of the mainstream Washington Environmental Council and its partner, Washington Conservation Voters. Taking a hard look at racial equity and the environment has been an internal focus for the staff of both organizations for the past year. Washington Environmental Council President Becky Kelley says both groups are adopting five-year plans that include a new focus on the connection between racial and environmental justice. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Encounter with Discovery Island's lone wolf sees island closed to tourists
A small island off Victoria has been closed to the public after a group of campers had a frightening encounter with a lone wolf. BC Parks announced that Discovery Island Marine Provincial Park is off limits until spring 2017 to allow "behavioural assessments on the animal to determine if there are any public safety concerns." But a former environmental consultant who has been studying the island's resident predator for several years says it is people who pose a threat to the wolf, not the reverse. Deborah Wilson reports. (CBC)

‘One last swim in Seattle!’ It’s moving day for Rialto, the rescued baby sea otter
It’s moving day for Rialto. The baby sea otter rescued and nursed back to health by the Seattle Aquarium heads to his permanent home at the Vancouver Aquarium on Monday. Fit and fat at more than 15 pounds, he’s a different animal from the waif washed up on Rialto beach Aug. 1. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Esquimalt council resigned to sewage plant at McLoughlin Point
sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point Monday night but they pretty much think it stinks. There was talk of betrayal of the public process, having to take the hit for the rest of the capital region, neighbourhood chaos during impending pipeline construction from McLoughlin to the Hartland landfill and safety concerns unanswered by the expert panel that recommended McLoughlin. Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

EPA encourages proper septic system care
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging homeowners to maintain their systems this week, during the agency’s fourth annual SepticSmart Week. Properly functioning septic systems clean wastewater by allowing it to filter through the soil. Septic systems that don’t function properly can allow contamination to reach waterways, causing pollution problems such as those seen in Samish and Padilla bays. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

First wave-produced electricity in U.S. goes online in Hawaii
In the waters off the coast of Hawaii, a tall buoy bobs and sways in the water, using the rise and fall of the waves to generate electricity. The current travels through an undersea cable for a mile to a military base, where it feeds into Oahu’s power grid — the first wave-produced electricity to go online in the U.S. By some estimates, the ocean’s endless motion packs enough power to meet a quarter of America’s energy needs and dramatically reduce the nation’s reliance on oil, gas and coal. But wave energy technology lags well behind wind and solar power, with important technical hurdles still to be overcome. To that end, the Navy has established a test site in Hawaii, with hopes the technology can someday be used to produce clean, renewable power for offshore fueling stations for the fleet and provide electricity to coastal communities in fuel-starved places around the world. (Associated Press)

Tulalips convene summit on adapting to climate change
On the second day of a tribal summit in the Lummi Nation’s Silver Reef Hotel and Casino last week, Reggie Joule got up to speak about the importance of food to his tribe. His name in the Iñupiaq language, Isigrauqtauq, is the word for the part of the liver of the bowhead whale that is used to make drum heads, he said. Joule, the former mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, said the changing climate has upset the patterns of hunting and gathering that provide most of the native community’s foods, such as whale, seal and caribou. Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  307 AM PDT TUE SEP 20 2016  

TODAY  E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT  10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/19 Coal port, rising sea, marbled murrelet, derelict barge, culverts, Elwha beach, Vic sewer, ginko biloba

Crow, left, and raven (Tom Grey/BirdNote)

Ravens and Crows - Who Is Who
Is that big black bird a crow or a raven? How can you tell? Ravens (seen right here) often travel in pairs, while crows (left) are seen in larger groups. Also, study the tail as the bird flies overhead. A crow's tail is shaped like a fan, while the raven's tail appears wedge-shaped. Another clue is to listen closely to the birds' calls. Crows give a cawing sound, but ravens produce a lower croaking sound. (BirdNote)

Whatcom Council shelves GPT coal terminal environmental study
Whatcom County is ready to wrap up loose ends on a draft environmental study for the proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point and archive it so work can be picked up again in the future if need be. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Whatcom County Council approved a 6-month extension with environmental consultant CH2M Hill, to ensure the work on the draft environmental impact study for the Gateway Pacific Terminal and the BNSF Custer Spur Improvement Project “is closed out in an orderly fashion.” The $51,085 in work will be paid for with pass-through money from project proponent Pacific International Terminals (PIT), owned by SSA Marine. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Island County gets an advance look at future sea levels
Island County is getting a leg up in planning for the likelihood of rising sea levels. Washington Sea Grant, an outreach arm of the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, has put together a study to estimate that amount over the next century as it applies to the waters around Whidbey and Camano islands. It is notoriously difficult to make predictions involving changes to the climate of any sort, given the number of variables involved, ranging from the rate of glacial melting to public policies on pollution control. But Sea Grant researcher Ian Miller has taken a stab at it by combining historical data and previously published research into a new way of looking at the problem. And the end result is a number that Island County planners can use: 5.9 feet. That’s the amount the sea level is likely to rise around Whidbey and Camano islands by 2150, the data suggests. Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Marbled murrelet plans to have little impact on county harvests, says Clallam commissioner
Proposed protections for the marbled murrelet on state-managed forests would have a “minimal impact” on harvest volumes in Clallam County, Commissioner Bill Peach reported last week. Peach also serves on the state Board of Natural Resources, which sets policies that guide how the state Department of Natural Resources manages forest lands and other resources. The DNR board is considering six alternatives in a long-term conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests in coastal forests. It is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act and by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.   Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Barge that’s been polluting canal for decades being removed
A derelict barge that had for decades both poisoned and smothered part of a Hood Canal estuary is finally on its way to the dump. A state Department of Natural Resources-led crew used excavators and dump trucks to break up and haul out the 475-ton barge this week. Constructed of creosote-treated timbers, the barge has been leaching wood preservatives and other chemicals into the Dosewallips River estuary, directly across the canal from Seabeck, for 40 or more years. About 200 feet long and 40 feet wide, the former shellfish processing barge also took up a piece of tidal real estate that has high value to threatened salmon and other marine life. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

License to kill: how Washington may lose its right to wipe out salmon
…. (The) 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has decided the state must do more toward fixing its hundreds of culverts. The court affirmed a lower court decision ordering the state to replace its worst salmon-killing culverts that block passage upstream for the fish. A unanimous three-judge panel held that the culverts violate federal treaties signed with Washington tribes. When the 9th Circuit ruled for the feds and tribes on appeal, it scathingly rejected the state’s arguments and even its math. For one thing, the court found the state’s cost estimates — running to $1.9 billion — were “dramatically overstated.” This case really goes back to issues raised nearly half a century ago, and its legal underpinnings stretch back more than a century before that.  Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Restored expanse of beach near Elwha River shared with public
About 75 North Olympic Peninsula residents and visitors have been treated to a glimpse of the renewed Beach Lake shoreline east of the Elwha River estuary, courtesy of the Coastal Watershed Institute. The beach is located on private property along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and is not yet accessible to the public. Attendees at Saturday’s tour were curious about the recent $2 million, multi-agency effort to remove shoreline armoring from the beach, allowing the shore to restore itself with sediment moving as a result of the removal of the dams on the nearby Elwha River. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

New Vessel Aims to Transform the Fishing Industry
Seattle-based company Blue North has christened F/V Blue North, a state-of-the-art vessel designed to transform the fishing industry by improving conditions for workers, reducing environmental impact and harvesting seafood more humanely. Designed with sustainability in mind, the new longliner is geared specifically for the Alaskan cod fishery, built by Dakota Creek Industries, Inc. of Anacortes, Wash. from a design (ST-155L) by Norwegian firm Skipsteknisk AS. The result, according to Blue North: “the most modern, low-impact and innovative vessel to ever enter the North Pacific fishing fleet.” Eric Haun reports.  (Marine Link)

Avoid water near Clover Point, Ross Bay after sewage discharge, CRD says
Members of the public should avoid wading or swimming in the waters near Clover Point and Ross Bay until further notice after sewage was discharged in the area. Unscreened sewage was discharged through the Clover Point short outfall after a mechanical equipment failure about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The equipment failed when heavy rains flushed large debris through the sewer system into the pump station. The Capital Regional District is worried the wastewater might pose a health risk, said Matthew McCrank, the CRD’s senior manager of infrastructure operations. The affected area is between St. Charles and Cook streets. (Times Colonist)

'A living fossil': one of the oldest trees on earth might be stinking up your backyard
Have you ever taken a stroll down a tree-lined street in the fall in Vancouver only to stop and wonder, "Wow, what is that smell?" The odds are you walked past a gingko biloba tree — one of the most popular urban trees in Vancouver. Each fall, the trees produce edible nuts, and according to 'Tree Guy' David Tracey, they're rumoured to have certain medicinal properties. But they smell bad. Like, really bad…. But Tracey says you shouldn't let the smell distract you. The trees are living legends. Gingko biloba trees have grown for nearly 270 million years — they're one of the oldest living species of trees on Earth. They predate the dinosaurs, which started taking strides tens of millions of years later.  Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT MON SEP 19 2016  

TODAY  SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT  AT 12 SECONDS. SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS.
TONIGHT  S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/16 Pigs, coal terminal, eDNA, Delta flooding, carbon cap, coho, Great Bear, Elwha blasting, Beard's Cove

Harbor porpoise (Wikipedia)

The return of the pig
After an almost complete collapse in the 1970s, harbor porpoise populations in Puget Sound have rebounded. Scientists are celebrating the recovery of the species sometimes known as the "puffing pig." Eric Wagner reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

State could put cutout for proposed Cherry Point coal terminal in aquatic reserve
The state Department of Natural Resources will consider incorporating an area set aside for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal into the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve after a request from Lummi Nation earlier this week. On Monday, Sept. 12, Lummi requested DNR reevaluate an area that was left out of the reserve when it was put together for the then-proposed terminal, which would be the largest coal terminal in North America. In May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied GPT a needed permit because it would impact Lummi Nation’s treaty-protected fishing rights, and DNR followed suit, denying a separate lease application because the federal permit hadn’t been obtained. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Urban Waters Surprisingly Rich In Marine Life Finds High-Tech Sampling
Researchers from the University of Washington and NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center found the opposite of what they expected when they used a new scientific method to sample the waters of Puget Sound. Like humans, sea creatures are constantly leaving their DNA behind -- shedding, oozing from wounds or pooping into the environment. University of Washington professor Ryan Kelly said DNA testing has advanced so far that just one scoop of water can reveal what animals were nearby. This relatively new capability is called environmental DNA, or eDNA for short. It can be used in two basic ways. One is to confirm the presence or absence of a specific critter, typically an invasive or endangered species. The other is to identify the suite of creatures around a place. Tom Banse reports. (NW Public Radio)

Video game simulates survival in a future Delta devastated by climate change
A video game designed by UBC researchers imagines a dystopian future where leaders have failed to address climate change. Delta Future 2.0 is set in 2100 and allows players to navigate a world devastated by rising sea levels, heat waves, fires, food shortages and more. Project coordinator Alicia LaValle told On The Coast's guest host Gloria Macarenko that her team developed the game for high school students who will be the generation the most affected by the effects of climate change. Michelle Ghoussoub reports. (CBC)

Washington state adopts new caps on large carbon polluters
Washington state adopted a new rule Thursday to limit greenhouse gas emissions from large carbon polluters, joining a handful of other states in capping emissions to address climate change. State environmental regulators finalized a rule requiring large industrial emitters to gradually reduce carbon emissions over time. The change will cover power plants, oil refineries, fuel distributors, pulp and paper mills and other industries. (Associated Press)

No new green crabs have been found, but the search will go on
No European green crabs were caught this week during an intensive two-day trapping program designed to see if any of the invasive crabs have gained a foothold in the San Juan Islands. If you recall, a single adult green crab was trapped Aug. 31 by a team of volunteers in the San Juan Islands. It was the first green crab ever found in Puget Sound, but experts have been worried about the crab for years. (See Water Ways, Sept. 3.) The volunteers are involved in a citizen science monitoring program to locate green crabs when they first arrive in Puget Sound and before they become a breeding population. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Lake Washington coho returns still strong as sport fishery in north-end of lake opens Friday
The coho counts at the Ballard Locks fish ladder – the entrance to Lake Washington – continue to climb upwards and are now well above the pre-season forecast. The larger than anticipated run to Lake Washington has allowed anglers to wet a line for coho beginning Friday (Sept. 16). The latest count at the Ballard Locks show 12,443 (preseason forecast was 4,414) counted through Wednesday (Sept. 14). The 10-year average from 2004 to 2014 at this point of the run has been 6,085. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Private lands within the Great Bear Rainforest donated for conservation
A vast tract of pristine waterfront within British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest has been donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, filling in part of a patchwork of conservation efforts in the prized wilderness. Parcels of private land are scattered throughout the Great Bear Rainforest that stretches along B.C.'s central coast and is about the size of Ireland. It accounts for one-quarter of the world's coastal temperate rainforests. Only about one-third of the rainforest is fully protected under parks and conservation areas, while nine per cent of the total area is available for logging. Linda Givetash reports. (Canadian Press)

Skagit Land Trust brings more habitat under protection
About 108.5 acres of habitat, including wetlands, forested areas and a pocket of old growth came under the Skagit Land Trust’s protection during the past year. In addition to purchasing 67 acres of wetlands near Nookachamps Creek, the trust entered conservation easement agreements for another 41.5 acres. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

More blasting done on Elwha River dam site
Crews are removing metal bars sticking out from the former Elwha Dam’s foundation and blasting boulders near the site of the former dam and at the former Glines Canyon Dam site upstream. Olympic National Park officials say the boulders could become barriers to fish reaching the upper Elwha River, while the rebar presents a hazard to boaters. Crews with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week are using an underwater torch to cut about 25 pieces of metal, ranging from one foot long to three feet long, from the dam’s foundation and are blasting apart boulders at both dam sites to facilitate fish passage, said Barb Maynes, spokeswoman for the park. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Return to splendor
In 1973, a hill near Belfair was dug up, hauled across the street and dumped on a saltwater wetland, suffocating what had been rich habitat for salmon and other marine creatures. The aim was to build a beachside pool, bathhouse and private parkland to adorn the Beard's Cove housing development taking shape nearby. Forty-three years later, the pool is gone, and the sandy fill — all 4,600 dump truck loads — has been put back where it came from. Tristan Baurick reports. (Kitsap Sun)

B.C. Court of Appeal upholds Site C environmental assessment report
British Columbia's highest court has ruled against the Peace Valley Landowner Association in its continuing fight against BC Hydro's Site C hydroelectric project in northeastern B.C. The Association hoped to overturn a lower court order that rejected a judicial review of Site C's environmental assessment certificate. In a unanimous ruling, the B.C. Court of Appeal says the ministries of environment and forestry can issue a certificate for the mega project without considering all 50 recommendations contained in an environmental assessment report. The Peace Valley Landowner Association argued Section 17 of the Environmental Assessment Act requires consideration of all recommendations of a hearing panel before a certificate is issued. (Canadian Press)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT FRI SEP 16 2016  

TODAY  SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE  EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT  SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE  MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT  LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT  8 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 15 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SUN  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 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 at salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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9/15 Friday's moon, Vic sewer, BC pipe & tankers, Overwaitea seafood, science quiz

2014 supermoon (Kai Pfallenbach/Reuters)

Harvest or super-harvest moon? Astronomers debate Friday's lunar event
It's a lunar phenomenon that Neil Young sang about and Native people took as a sign their corn was ready. On Friday, we'll get a peek at the season's first harvest moon. In fact, it's being called a "super" harvest moon by some, but not without controversy. There's a debate taking place in astronomy circles as to whether this first full moon of September 2016 qualifies for supermoon status or not. The harvest moon is usually described as the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox, which falls on Sept. 22 this year. (That said, some astronomers disagree about this definition and time frame.) But most can agree that a supermoon is defined as a full moon that occurs at — or very near — the moon's closest point to the Earth on its elliptical orbit. Kalin Mitchell reports. (CBC)

Capital Regional District approves Victoria-area sewage treatment plant
he Capital Regional District voted in favour of building a regional sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt, Wednesday. The approval follows the recommendation of a provincial project board appointed to take a fresh look at the options available and deal with residents' concerns. McLoughlin Point was previously chosen by the CRD as the preferred site, but the plan fell apart when Esquimalt's city council refused to approve the required zoning. Liam Britten reports. (CBC) See also: Jack Knox: Capital region dysfunction: The ultimate in raw deals?  (Times Colonist) And also: Decades of dumping raw sewage is killing Victoria's ocean floor, diver claims Roshini Nair reports (CBC)

A pipeline next door: Canadian project means 34 tankers a month in our waters
…. Nobody in public office, and certainly nobody in the radical/huckster wing of the local environmental movement, has begun developing a response to  the pipeline next door. It's coming. The Canadian federal cabinet, on or before December 19th, is likely to approve a tripling of the TransMountain Pipeline, which carries oil from Edmonton, Alberta, to Burnaby just east of Vancouver. The completed pipeline would have a capacity to 890,000 barrels, more than the Keystone XL pipeline.  The bitumen oil, from Alberta's mammoth tar sands project, would be bound for export to Asia.  Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

If you like to watch: 10,000 Ton Texas Tanker traveling the B.C. Coast
Ingmar Lee and Pacific Wild posted a video a year ago detailing the unescorted movement of oil by a tug barge through BC's Inside Passage. Ingmar Lee writes: "The Nathan E. Stewart/DBL 54 is an articulated tug/barge" (ATB) and is owned by the Texas-based Kirby Corporation, which is one of the largest petroleum product ATB operators in the USA. It travels back and forth up the B.C. Inside Passage by “special waiver" which exempts it from Transport Canada shipping regulations. These guide the movement of all other tankers operating in BC waters. As a result, it operates here with no Canadian pilots on board, it does not require escort tugs while maneuvering in Port Metro Vancouver, and most egregiously, it is allowed to travel north through Seymour Narrows and into the "voluntary tanker exclusion zone" that is the B.C. Inside Passage. As such, this unflagged foreign vessel blatantly flouts the concerns of the people of Canada, and operates here secretively without any social license whatsoever."

Overwaitea seafood gets 'Ocean Wise' approval from Vancouver Aquarium
Overwaitea Food Group, one of the largest grocery chains in Western Canada, has partnered with the Vancouver Aquarium to provide sustainable seafood in its supermarkets. The announcement comes nearly a year after the Suzuki Foundation ended its partnership with the grocer, due in large part to untraceable fish products. Overwaitea chains, including Save-On Foods and Urban Fare, will now offer Ocean Wise seafood products — a stamp of approval from the Vancouver Aquarium that highlights sustainable fishing practices. Ocean Wise measures sustainability in terms of abundant/resilient populations and whether the species are well managed and harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats.   Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)

Top Takeaways From Presidential Candidates’ Views on Science
The great presidential science quiz is over, and while the overall results aren’t exactly shocking, the candidates did deliver a few surprises. The 2016 election is the third in which ScienceDebate.org has compiled a questionnaire in an effort to get the U.S. presidential candidates to focus on pressing issues in science and engineering, from climate change to space exploration. ScienceDebate.org is a coalition of 56 science organizations and 10 million voters collectively, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences…. While efforts to convince the candidates to hold a science-only debate fizzled, three of the four presidential hopefuls did take to the task of answering 20 written questions with gusto…. You can read the full answers to all 20 questions on the ScienceDebate.org website. Laura Parker reports. (National Geographic)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  300 AM PDT THU SEP 15 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 2 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE  AFTERNOON. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. 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 at 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