12/11 Sablefish, WDFW wins, CWA revision, Skagit water, Hood Canal resotration, Inslee's carbon, Arctic melt, Trump's coal, tanker ban, plastics, whale alert, salmon smell, GBH predation

Sablefish [WDFW]

Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria
Sablefish are commonly caught off the Washington coast by commercial harvesters using otter-trawls, jig handline, and longline gear.  Juveniles are occasionally caught by recreational harvesters in Puget Sound, which is a sablefish nursery. They range from Japan north into the Bering Sea and south through Alaska and British Columbia to Mexico, with highest concentrations in Alaska.  Sablefish are wide-ranging and often migratory. Adults can be found on mud bottom in depths of 300 to 1,500 m (984-4,900 ft). Sablefish can live to at least 90 years. (WDFW)

Fish and Wildlife can regulate land to protect fish 
Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife can regulate construction on dry land if the agency decides fish may be affected, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday. The court rejected a lawsuit by five counties that alleged Fish and Wildlife was overstepping its authority by requiring local governments to get permits from the agency to build and maintain bridges that span but do not touch water. More broadly, the decision affirms Fish and Wildlife's jurisdiction over a host of activities on public and private land, such as clearing brush, maintaining dikes and stabilizing river banks. Critics, including some farm and landowner groups, say the department's reach threatens the use of private property. Dan Jenkins reports. (Capital Press)

Trump Prepares to Unveil a Vast Reworking of Clean Water Protections
The Trump administration is expected on Tuesday to unveil a plan that would weaken federal clean water rules designed to protect millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of streams nationwide from pesticide runoff and other pollutants. Environmentalists say the proposal represents a historic assault on wetlands regulation at a moment when Mr. Trump has repeatedly voiced a commitment to “crystal-clean water.” The proposed new rule would chip away at safeguards put in place a quarter century ago, during the administration of President George H.W. Bush, who implemented a policy designed to ensure that no wetlands lost federal protection. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

County plan gives rural residents well water access
Skagit County debuted a process Monday that makes it possible for all rural residents to have access to well water. In a presentation to the state water availability task force, Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki said the county will issue building permits to residential well users who are willing to install a tank that stores rainwater, then put the water back into the ground, thereby mitigating water used. Will Honea, senior deputy civil prosecuting attorney with the county, said the county started working on this plan in January, soon before Skagit County was left out of a piece of state water availability legislation that is often called the Hirst Fix. Brandon Stone reports. (Skagit Valley Heald)

Major funding advances for restoration projects in Hood Canal region
More than $20 million in ecosystem-restoration projects along the Skokomish River in Southern Hood Canal could be under construction within two years, thanks to special funding approved by the Army Corps of Engineers. Meanwhile, Washington state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board announced this morning that it would provide $18 million for salmon restoration projects statewide — including a portion of the funding needed to purchase nearly 300 acres near the mouth of Big Beef Creek in Kitsap County. The Army Corps of Engineers has secured $13.6 million in federal funds for restoration on 277 acres in the Skokomish River watershed. Included in the work are levee removals, wetland restoration and installation of large-woody debris, said Mike Anderson, chairman of the Skokomish Watershed Action Team, known as SWAT. About $7 million in state matching funds is moving toward approval in the next Legislative session. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Electric ferries, no more coal power: After carbon-fee defeat, Inslee rolls out clean-energy proposals 
Rebounding from the defeat of a carbon-fee initiative he strongly backed, Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing a suite of state legislation to fight climate change, including a plan to rid electric utilities of fossil fuel-generated power by 2045. Calling his proposals “a clean energy smart deal” during a news conference Monday in Seattle, Inslee said they would put Washington on track to meet a target in state law of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. Other proposals in Inslee’s legislative package include phasing out “super-pollutant” hydrofluorocarbons used in air conditioning, a clean-fuels standard targeting auto emissions, incentives for electric vehicles and increased energy-efficiency regulations for buildings. Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times)

The Arctic’s Warmest 5 Years on Record: 2014-Present
The Arctic has been warmer over the last five years than at any time since records began in 1900, and the region is warming at twice the rate as the rest of the planet, scientists said Tuesday. The rising air temperatures are having profound effects on sea ice, and on life on land and in the ocean, the scientists said. The changes can be felt far beyond the region, especially since the changing Arctic climate may be influencing extreme weather events around the world. Those assessments were part of the latest “Arctic Report Card,” issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency, and presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington. John Schwartz reports. (NY Times)

Trump Team Pushes Fossil Fuels at Climate Talks. Protests Erupt, but Allies Emerge, Too.
Trump administration officials at high-stakes climate talks here offered an unapologetic defense of fossil fuels on Monday, arguing that a rapid retreat from coal, oil and gas was unrealistic. While that stance brought scorn from environmentalists and countries that favor stronger action to fight global warming, there are signs that the administration is finding a receptive audience among other major fossil-fuel producers, including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Brad Plumer and Lisa Friedman report. (NY Times) See also: Trump’s missed opportunity on coal and climate change  Amy Harder reports. (Axios)

Climate data helping guide Skagit Land Trust 
The Skagit Land Trust has made climate change part of its conservation strategy that guides the trust on which lands to protect to provide the most benefit to the community and area wildlife. Skagit Land Trust Conservation Project Manager Kari Odden said the local nonprofit has included climate change in the organization’s conservation strategy since 2014. But the emergence in recent years of local data on sea level rise, groundwater availability and species’ habitat needs has helped the land trust better evaluate lands through the lens of climate change. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

First Nations lobbying for lift on tanker ban off B.C.’s coast
Several Indigenous groups across Western Canada are backing a First Nations-led pipeline proposal that has received the endorsement of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and which they say would serve as an alternative to the imperilled Trans Mountain expansion. However, a federal law making its way through the Senate would legislate a ban on oil-tanker traffic off of British Columbia’s North Coast and would quash their hopes for future development. Such a law, they argue, would be a violation of their Indigenous rights. The clashing interests of First Nations looking at pipelines as an economic lifeline while other Indigenous groups oppose tanker traffic on environmental grounds will leave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau facing a dilemma before next year’s federal election. The proposed tanker ban has already raised the ire of political leaders in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Justin Giovannetti reports. (Globe and Mail)

Turtles’ Tummies Found Clogged with Plastic
Tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean are killing juvenile loggerhead turtles, a new study shows, threatening the survival of the endangered species. Wind, waves, and sunshine break down discarded plastic—from water bottles to fishing gear—into tiny pieces. About 90 percent of the estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic that litters the ocean measures less than five millimeters across, or about half the width of a pinky finger. Plastic like this can now be found littering a brown seaweed called sargassum, in which loggerhead turtles forage for food. Allison Salerno reports. (Hakai Magazine)

New alert system warns large ships of nearby whales off B.C. coast
A new alert system is launching off B.C.'s coast to warn large vessels about nearby whales, with the aim of reducing the number hit by boats.... With more than 10,000 large vessels sailing through local waters each year, it's these kinds of collisions that experts are trying to reduce with the new Whale Report Alert System.... The new alert warns ships by text message of any whales spotted in the previous three hours within 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometres) of the vessel. Ship captains can see the location of the whale on a map, with details about the sighting.  Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

Scientists help hatchery salmon find the sweet smell of home
Apparently, salmon don’t like the smell of watercress. The aroma of shrimp doesn’t pique their interest either. And the fragrance eau de steelhead? A definite no-go. “The fish did not like it at all. We tried. They did not like it,” said Oregon State University researcher Maryam Kamran. “They’re very picky.” It turns out this could be helpful information to know when you’re trying to figure out how to keep salmon raised in hatcheries from interbreeding with wild fish — a phenomenon called “straying.” Yes Burns reports. (Crosscut)

Hungry great blue herons in Stanley Park eating young salmon
The excrement of great blue herons in Stanley Park has produced the equivalent of scientific gold. The findings are part of the first study to show that herons eat so many young salmon, or smolts, that they should be considered predators of the fish in the wild. “The most interesting part is to confirm that herons are a significant predator of migrating salmon smolts,” said Zachary Sherker, a masters of science student at the University of B.C. In the summer of 2017, Sherker went to the heron rookery by the tennis courts in the park with a mobile detector looking for passive integrated transponders or PIT tags. Each tag is a thin glass tube with a microchip about 12 mm in length. They’ve been placed in the stomach of salmon in the Capilano River since 2008. Sherker found about 600 tags underneath the heron nests in the bird’s excrement. Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Northwest Watershed Institute study suggests reason behind eagle gathering at Dabob Bay 
Why do eagles gather along more than a mile of shoreline in east Dabob Bay on Hood Canal, and what is the impact of human interference and commercial aquaculture operations on that habitat? Peter Bahls, aquatic ecologist and executive director of the Northwest Watershed Institute (NWI) set out to answer those questions. The study suggests that the eagles gather in large numbers on tidelands between the months of May and July to feed on spawning plainfin midshipman (porichthys notatus), a bottom dwelling fish that lives in ocean depths of nearly 1,000 feet along the Pacific coast. In the spring, the fish migrate up from the depths to the intertidal zone to spawn. Researchers found that the Dabob Bay eagles were hunting midshipmen under clumps of oysters or in rocks. Foraging was tied closely to the tidal cycle, with gatherings occurring in larger numbers during low tides and more fish captured during outgoing tides. Jeannie McMacken reports. (Peninsula Daily News)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  157 AM PST Tue Dec 11 2018   

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON   

TODAY  SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. NW swell 11  ft at 10 seconds. Rain. 

TONIGHT  W wind 20 to 30 kt becoming 20 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. NW swell 12 ft at 11 seconds  building to 14 ft at 12 seconds after midnight. Rain.


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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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12/10 Marmot, COP24, BC pipe, Skagit salmon, sea lion kills, public access, Anacortes sued, Everett bag ban, humpback play, Clallam murrelets, Frognal halt, OR crabs

Olympic marmot [Chad Collins/Flickr]

Olympic marmot Marmota olympus
The Olympic marmot is a rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae; it occurs only in the U.S. state of Washington, on the middle elevations of the Olympic Peninsula. The closest relatives of this species are the hoary marmot and the Vancouver Island marmot. In 2009, it was declared the official endemic mammal of Washington. This marmot is about the size of a domestic cat, typically weighing about 8 kg (18 lb) in summer. The species shows the greatest sexual dimorphism found in marmots, with adult males weighing on average 23% more than females. It can be identified by a wide head, small eyes and ears, stubby legs, and a long, bushy tail. Its sharp, rounded claws aid in digging burrows. The coat color changes with the season and with age, but an adult marmot's coat is brown all over with small whiter areas for most of the year. (Wikipedia)

Climate change: COP24 fails to adopt key scientific report
Attempts to incorporate a key scientific study into global climate talks in Poland have failed. The IPCC report on the impacts of a temperature rise of 1.5C, had a significant impact when it was launched last October. Scientists and many delegates in Poland were shocked as the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected to this meeting "welcoming" the report. It was the 2015 climate conference that had commissioned the landmark study. Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)

At new First Nations consultations on Trans Mountain pipeline, ceremony, tears — and accusations the fix is in 
In a drab, windowless room at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre this week, at the tail end of a weeks-long series of hearings that some have called a sham, there was a rare break from the formal proceedings. Three National Energy Board (NEB) panel members assigned to gather oral evidence from Indigenous leaders about the possible effects of marine traffic related to the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion were asked to assemble in the middle of the room to watch members of the nearby Snuneymuxw First Nation re-create a salmon-honouring ceremony.... But this moment of quiet rapture and human connection was, according to observers and transcripts of previous hearings, more the exception than the rule during three weeks of oral testimony that concluded Thursday. In fact, many participants were not shy in telling the NEB panel they had little faith in the process and feared it was headed for a “predetermined outcome.” Douglas Quan and Maura Forrest report. (Canadian Press)

Seattle City Light surveys help protect salmon
After salmon fight their way upstream in the Skagit River to lay their eggs, they die — providing a source of food for scavengers including bald eagles and black bears but leaving their young defenseless until they hatch. Seattle City Light, which operates three hydroelectric dams on the upper Skagit River, is tasked as part of its federal license with protecting those eggs if possible. The goal is to protect 100 percent of the habitat where salmon and steelhead lay eggs between the utility’s Gorge Dam near Newhalem and where the Sauk River meets the Skagit near Rockport. Seattle City Light fisheries biologist Erin Lowery and Stan Walsh of the Skagit River System Cooperative said the utility consistently protects 97 percent or more of that habitat by maintaining adequate river flows. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Two more sea lions confirmed shot and killed; brings total to 12
Two more sea lions have been confirmed shot in the head, bringing the total shot dead in Puget Sound up to 12. Casey Mclean, from SR, a local nonprofit dedicated to marine wildlife welfare, examined them just last week. (KIRO)

Anglers win Supreme Court battle against U.S. billionaire over access to lakes, roads
A precedent-setting B.C. Supreme Court decision has ruled that the public should be able to access fishing lakes near Merritt, B.C., after years of what has been described as a "David and Goliath" legal battle. For years, the Douglas Lake Cattle Company (DLCC), the largest working ranch in Canada, owned by U.S. billionaire Stan Kroenke, and a group of determined anglers have been going head to head. Their dispute centred primarily on access to two fishing lakes and a road. Minnie Lake and Stoney Lake are surrounded by land owned by the large ranch, which claimed the access roads, water bodies and fish in them are private property. Members of the Nicola Valley Fish and Game club argued the lakes and roadway are Crown land and should be free for anyone to useIn a lengthy decision released Friday, which cited historical documents, photos, and testimony from members of the Indigenous community, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Joel Groves determined that both lakes are public.  Michelle Ghoussoub reports. (CBC)

Anacortes sued over stormwater management
An environmental group is suing the city of Anacortes under the Clean Water Act, alleging it is failing to manage stormwater pollution. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a Seattle-based nonprofit that focuses on water issues. The lawsuit alleges the city has failed to comply with permits that regulate discharge of stormwater into streams, rivers, lakes and Puget Sound, posing a threat to water quality. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Everett City Council approves ban on single-use plastic bags
It will go into effect in September. Shoppers will be able to purchase a thicker plastic or paper bag for $0.05. Liz Giordano reports. (Everett Herald)

If you like to watch: Rare footage of humpback playing with log near Comox Harbour
A Vancouver-based non-profit has posted rare footage of a humpback having a “whale” of a time, playing with a log in B.C. waters. The four-year-old whale, named Lorax, was recorded doing the sea mammal’s version of the log driver’s waltz off Comox Harbour on Dec. 2. “Logging is a term referring to when whales and dolphins are resting,” said Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce Ocean Friends Director. “This rare type of ‘play logging’ adds to our knowledge of their complex lives.” Harrison Mooney reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Clallam County commissioners approve letter to Department of Natural Resources
The Clallam County commissioners have agreed to send a letter to the state Department of Natural Resources, telling the department that its financial analysis on the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the long-term conservation strategy of the marbled murrelet is inadequate.... The letter says that while the county values protecting the marbled murrelet, a species that has continued to have a population decline, the county also values protecting a source of revenue that affects the entire county.... Commissioners have expressed concern about the amount of timberland set aside near Clallam Bay, saying it will create a financial burden for junior taxing districts such as the Cape Flattery School District. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Judge halts work at Frognal housing development, for now
A group is fighting in court to overturn logging and grading approvals for the subdivision near Mukilteo. Neighbors and environmental groups oppose the 112-home subdivision by Frugal Estates development near Picnic Point because, they say, it poses risks to a salmon-bearing stream and could increase the chances of landslides. (Everett Herald)

Oregon Crab Season Delayed Again Until Start Of 2019
Oregon’s Dungeness crab fishery will not open until at least Dec. 31 after testing by state fishery managers revealed crabs are still too low in meat yield in some areas of the coast. The valuable commercial fishery traditionally opens on Dec. 1. In November, fishery managers announced the season would be delayed until mid-December because crabs were not plump enough. Katie Frankowicz reports. (Daily Astorian)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PST Mon Dec 10 2018   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY  AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 14 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 7 to 9 ft with a dominant period of  13 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening then 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 (@) 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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12/7 'Living Coral,' EPA water rule, warm globe, sage grouse, coal plants, saving whales, Fraser chinook, glass sponges, Bellingham waterfront, plastics

'Living Coral' [Pantone Color Institute]

A Royal Hue: 'Living Coral' Crowned Color Of The Year For 2019
As December draws its darkest hours ever longer, inching moment by moment toward the shortest day of the year — in the northern hemisphere, at least — the Pantone Color Institute is striking a defiant tone. The global experts in hue have crowned "living coral" as their annual color of the year for 2019. You can also call it by its official Pantone code, 16-1546 — though admittedly that doesn't have quite the same ring to it. It would also miss the point, in a way, since the institute selected the color for its "vibrant, yet mellow" life-affirming qualities — both our physical lives and those we lead online. "Representing the fusion of modern life, PANTONE Living Coral is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media," the institute explained in a release Wednesday. Colin Dwyer reports. (NPR)

Trump Rule Would Limit E.P.A.’s Control Over Water Pollution
The Trump administration is expected to put forth a proposal on Tuesday that would significantly weaken a major Obama-era regulation on clean water, according to a talking points memo from the Environmental Protection Agency that was distributed to White House allies this week. The Obama rule was designed to limit pollution in about 60 percent of the nation’s bodies of water, protecting sources of drinking water for about a third of the United States. It extended existing federal authority to limit pollution in large bodies of water, like the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound, to smaller bodies that drain into them, such as tributaries, streams and wetlands. But it became a target for rural landowners, an important part of President Trump’s political base, since it could have restricted how much pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides could seep into water on their property. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Global warming today mirrors conditions during Earth’s largest extinction event: UW study
More than two-thirds of life on earth died off some 252 million years ago, in the largest mass extinction event in Earth’s history. Researchers have long suspected that volcanic eruptions triggered “the Great Dying,” as the end of the Permian geologic period is sometimes called, but exactly how so many creatures died has been something of a mystery. Now scientists at the University of Washington and Stanford believe their models reveal how so many animals were killed, and they see frightening parallels in the path our planet is on today. Models of the effects of volcanic greenhouse-gas releases showed the earth warming dramatically and oxygen disappearing from its oceans, leaving many marine animals unable to breathe, according to a study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Science. By the time temperatures peaked, about 80 percent of the oceans’ oxygen, on average, had been depleted. Most marine animals went extinct. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

Trump Plans Major Rollback of Sage Grouse Protections to Spur Oil Exploration
The Trump administration on Thursday published documents detailing its plan to roll back Obama-era protections for the vast habitat of the greater sage grouse, a chickenlike bird that roams across nearly 11 million acres in 10 oil-rich Western states. The earlier proposal to protect the bird, whose waning numbers have brought it close to endangerment, was put forth under the Interior Department in 2015 and set out to ban or sharply reduce oil and gas drilling in 10.7 million acres of its habitat. The Trump plan, by contrast, would limit the grouse’s protected habitat to just 1.8 million acres, essentially opening up nine million acres of land to drilling, mining and other development. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

E.P.A. Will Ease Path to New Coal Plants
The Trump administration is poised to roll back a significant climate change regulation on coal-fired power plants, making it easier to build new coal plants in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the plan on Thursday, according to four people familiar with the administration’s proposal who were not authorized to speak about it publicly. The proposal will eliminate Obama-era restrictions on newly built coal plants that in effect required them to include systems to capture the carbon dioxide they produced — a technology that is still not in use on a commercial scale. The replacement measure eases those constraints, sending a powerful signal to the coal industry, as well as to other countries struggling with the political difficulties of addressing climate change, that the United States is trying to pave the way for coal-burning plants. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)

Federal whale-saving efforts threaten Vancouver Island livelihoods, say group
Federal government efforts to save threatened southern resident killer whales could endanger the survival of communities on Vancouver Island whose economies depend on sport fishing and tourism revenues, a coalition of tourism, business and recreational fishing groups said Thursday. About two dozen leaders gathered at a popular sport fishing marina near Victoria to warn the federal government almost 10,000 jobs are at stake as well as the futures of several cities, towns and villages on the Island that base their incomes on fishing and tourism. The coalition calls itself Thriving Orcas, Thriving Communities and said the federal government has extended a 5,000 square kilometre critical habitat zone off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island that could result in fishing closures to protect the whales, whose population stands at 74. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Fraser River chinook critical to orcas are in steep decline, new research shows
Fraser River chinook, one of the most important food sources for southern resident killer whales, are in steep decline and should be listed for protection as an endangered species, a Canadian independent science committee has announced. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, an independent advisory board to the Canadian federal government, issued a grim list of species at risk of extinction this month. Among the animals are some of the most beloved in Canada, from its biggest bear, the polar bear, to its biggest salmon — chinook. The decline of chinook in the Fraser and its largest tributary, the Thompson River, over just three generations is so steep some runs are at historic lows, others have dwindled to just a few hundred fish, and others cratered by more than 50 percent. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Monique Keiran: Glass sponges are worthy candidates for protection
A friend tells me that, back in the 1970s, he used to dive in Saanich Inlet to visit a local reef. He says it was spectacular. It included strange, pillowy sponges and a community of shrimps, crabs, fish and other critters. But, he says, the reef vanished decades ago. With the critters gone and any remains buried under 40 years of sediment, it would be difficult to determine if the reef had been one of B.C.’s now-iconic glass-sponge reefs. With hard tissues made of tiny shards of silicate minerals — glass — the sponges are extremely fragile. A crab pot dragged across a reef, for example, can shatter the sponges into smithereens. Equipment from a bottom trawler can plow swathes through them. Long thought to be extinct, living glass-sponge reefs were discovered in the deep waters of Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound in the late 1980s. Scientists have since located glass-sponge reefs in shallower waters in Howe Sound, off Tsawwassen and Parksville, and off Bowen, Mayne, Galiano and Gabriola islands, and in Chatham Sound near Prince Rupert. Similar reefs have also been found in Alaska’s Lynn Canal and off Washington state. Monique Keiran writes. (Times Colonist)

After 12 years of more talk than action, work on Bellingham's central waterfront is finally underway
AT ONE OF the many new local brewpubs — locals stopped counting after the first dozen — wisecracking skeptics up in the Fourth Corner might be tempted to write off the spendy, long-delayed Bellingham waterfront redevelopment project as a cruel joke, sprung on graying-hippie local residents by fleeing captains of industry: “Want your precious natural waterfront, free of our toxins (and jobs), to remake on your own terms, in your own greenie image? Knock yourselves out, kids.” Most of the redevelopment work is still in the works, but even now, residents actually can access Bellingham Bay. Ron Judd writes. (Seattle Times)

If you like to watch: Plastic Free Salish Sea
Carl Davis's new video about what it takes to make the Salish Sea plastic free. Produced for the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee. (20:37)  See also: The Riddle of the Roaming Plastics  It is one of the modern world’s biggest mysteries—99 percent of the plastics that enter the ocean are missing. Matthew Halliday reports. (Hakai Magazine)


Now, your weekend tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PST Fri Dec 7 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 15 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  4 ft at 15 seconds. Rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 14 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  4 ft at 10 seconds. 
SUN  E wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SE to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less in the afternoon.  W swell 8 ft at 12 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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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

12/6 Madrone, global carbon, BC climate plan, Tacoma refinery, 20o dolphins, Frognal trees, grants, Littleneck Beach, restoring McNeil Is., rain garden, 42nd LD election, Tacoma LNG

Pacific madrone [Laurie MacBride]

The Prize at the End of the Trail
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "In my previous post I described the trail at Francis Point Provincial Park, and how we were encouraged to carry on by a hiker who assured us we’d reach the end soon. 'You’ll know you’re there when you get to the arbutus trees,' he said casually. It was a hot day, and we’ve seen innumerable Arbutus menziesii over the years – they are, like my husband and me, native to our region – so it was tempting to give it a miss and head back to our boat for a cool drink. But I’m glad we carried on, because what greeted us at the end of the trail was no “ordinary” arbutus grove (if there is such a thing). This was a unique and expansive forest of brilliant orange trunks and limbs…"

'We are in trouble.' Global carbon emissions reached a record high in 2018.
Global emissions of carbon dioxide have reached the highest levels on record, scientists projected Wednesday, in the latest evidence of the chasm between international goals for combating climate change and what countries are actually doing. Between 2014 and 2016, emissions remained largely flat, leading to hopes that the world was beginning to turn a corner. Those hopes have been dashed. In 2017, global emissions grew 1.6 percent. The rise in 2018 is projected to be 2.7 percent. The expected increase, which would bring fossil fuel and industrial emissions to a record high of 37.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, is being driven by nearly 5 percent emissions growth in China and more than 6 percent in India, researchers estimated, along with growth in many other nations throughout the world. Emissions by the United States grew 2.5 percent, while emissions by the European Union declined by just under 1 percent. Brady Dennis and Chris Mooney report. (Washington Post)

Tax breaks at centre of B.C.'s long-term climate plan
B.C. has unveiled its long-awaited clean climate plan, outlining the province's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the province by offering tax breaks for home retrofitting and zero-emission vehicles. The plan, Clean B.C., also redirects revenue from the carbon tax into incentives for the province's biggest industries to move to cleaner operations. "We want to make shifts: shifts in our home, shifts in our vehicles and shifts in our industry away from fossil fuels and into green energy," Premier John Horgan told reporters. Rhianna Schmunk reports. (CBC) See also: B.C.'s clean climate plan targets natural gas and oil sector  B.C.’s new greenhouse gas-emission target calls for a 40-per-cent reduction by 2030 over 2007 levels, a decrease of 24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun) And also: 'LNG-sized gap' in B.C.'s climate plan raises questions about government's priorities  Liam Britten reports. (CBC)

With eye on discounted Bakken crude, Par Pacific buys refinery
A Houston-based energy infrastructure company will pay nearly $340 million for a Washington refinery advantaged because of its connection to Bakken crude. Par Pacific has agreed to acquire U.S. Oil & Refining Co.’s Tacoma, Washington-energy complex that includes a 42,000-bpd refinery and 107-rail car facility capable of handling nearly 60,000 bpd of Bakken and other crude sources from the Rockies or Canada.Par Pacific has been in talks with the private equity-backed U.S. Oil & Refining since the spring and now has a deal set that will help it connect crude from the Bakken and Western Canada to energy operations in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Much of the crude is used to make gasoline, distillate or asphalt. Barges and pipelines in Tacoma will move product that stays in the continental U.S. to West Coast locations. Luke Geiver reports. (North American Shale)

If you like to watch: 'Never seen anything like it': 200 dolphins spotted swimming from ferry
The day started off like any other ferry ride that Henry Irizawa has taken. He's lived in Comox for 10 years and was on a Tuesday morning ferry to Horseshoe Bay — one that he's done "at least 300 times." About 40 minutes into the trip, Irizawa recalls the captain came on the PA system to say a large pod of dolphins was swimming in front of the vessel.  Irizawa rushed onto the deck and and whipped out his phone. Tamara Baluja reports. (CBC)

Trees fall at Frognal development as activists look on 
A developer Wednesday began taking initial steps ahead of major logging and grading at the Picnic Point project. Neighbors and environmental groups oppose the 112-home subdivision, which they say poses risks to a salmon-bearing stream and could increase the chance of landslides. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Northwest Indian College awarded $3.5 million grant from National Science Foundation
Northwest Indian College’s Salish Sea Research Center was awarded a $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant partners with Lummi Natural Resources and forms a network of other partners, which will focus on community-driven issues related to environmental impacts on the Salish Sea that affect Coast Salish peoples. The grant will fund the creation of the Tribal Advancement Enterprise Center for Community Marine Research. The center will give time, resources and space to facilitate research, drawing from local expertise to produce the next generation of indigenous scholars to serve as decision makers and intellectual resources for their communities. In total, the National Science Foundation gave $14 million to establish these centers and support scientific and engineering research at four tribal colleges around the country. (Bellingham Business Journal)

Russell Family Foundation Awards $2.3M In Grants
The Gig Harbor-based Russell Family Foundation this week announced it will award $2.3 million in grants to 25 nonprofits serving folks in the Pacific Northwest. The wide-ranging grants dispersal will assist groups that support and advocate for young women, students, houseless individuals, and minority communities, as well as environmental and economic equity groups. (Patch)

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe seeks to rename clamming beach
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is seeking to rename a beach at the mouth of Dean Creek near Blyn. The tribe filed paperwork with the state Department of Natural Resources to rename the beach to Littleneck Beach, a name it said honors the generations of S’Klallam ancestors who have gathered clams at that location. The beach is one of very few that naturally sustains colonies of native littleneck clams, according to the tribe. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily New)

McNeil Island becoming known for fish and wildlife, not just prison
Christopher Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes: "If you’ve heard of McNeil Island, you are probably thinking of a former federal or state prison in South Puget Sound — not the rare and exclusive habitat that has won high praise from fish and wildlife biologists. I never realized that McNeil Island was such a gem until I learned about state restoration plans that could lead to near-pristine conditions for the island, located about seven miles southwest of Tacoma. To be sure, more than 90 percent of the island’s 12-mile-long shoreline remains in a natural state, including large trees bending over the water . The restoration — the result of a longtime planning effort — will focus on discrete areas that have been highly degraded by human activities, some for more than a century...."

A rain garden can beautify your landscape and turn you into an environmental hero at the same time
YOU MAY FIND yourself in a beautiful house. With a beautiful wife. You may ask yourself, “Where does my rainwater go?” Even if you aren’t a Talking Heads fan, you should be asking that question. It’s important because if you live in the Seattle region, the runoff from your roof probably is affecting the water quality of Puget Sound. In many neighborhoods, runoff goes into an antiquated sewer system that overflows into the Sound during heavy storms. In other areas, it runs down the street directly into the Sound, after picking up some engine oil and garbage along the way. Both of these scenarios present hazards to the ecosystem. In fact, storm runoff is the largest source of pollution in the Sound, creating problems for fish, birds, vegetation and every other living thing that depends on fresh water. Colin McCrate writes. (Seattle Times)

Election recount affirms win of two Whatcom incumbents
A hand recount has confirmed the Nov. 6 election victories of two incumbents in the 42nd Legislative District of Whatcom County — races so close that extra ballot scrutiny was required under state law. Both state Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, and state Rep. Luanne Van Werven, R-Lynden retained their seats, each by fewer than 100 votes out of more than 72,000 cast, according to the final Canvassing Board meeting Wednesday afternoon.... Ericksen won his third Senate term, defeating Democratic challenger Pinky Vargas, a Bellingham City Council member, by 45 votes —49.9 percent to 49.8 percent — out of 72,779 votes cast.... Van Werven won her third House term, defeating Democratic opponent Justin Boneau of Bellingham by 50 percent to 49.9 percent, or 81 votes. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Silently withholding records - such as Tacoma LNG safety studies - betrays open government
The [Tacoma] News Tribune editorial board writes: "Here’s a refreshing lesson in government transparency, one that touches on Tacoma and the controversial liquefied natural gas plant being built on the Tideflats. You don’t always have a right to know every secret that Washington public officials are keeping from you. But you do always have a right to know the secret exists, and why they’re hiding it. When officials play cat-and-mouse games over documents whose disclosure could be sensitive or embarrassing, it’s called “silent withholding.” Washington’s exalted Public Records Act doesn’t condone misleading tactics, and the state Supreme Court reinforced the law in a 1994 decision that expressly bars silent withholding...."


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  246 AM PST Thu Dec 6 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 5 ft  at 18 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 17 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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12/5 Francis Point, murrelet plan, Navy ospreys, dead birds, BC pipe, suing Big Oil, WA plastic ban, Roberts Bank terminal study

Francis Point Park [Laurie MacBride]

The Trail to Francis Point
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "On a dry day, Francis Point Provincial Park on BC’s Sunshine Coast provides a good opportunity for boaters whose legs are itching for exercise – as ours were this past summer, when we set out to walk there from our anchorage in Gerrans Bay, about a mile away in Pender Harbour. The day was hot, the skies were clear, and once we reached the shoreline portion of the trail, the views across to Texada Island and north up Malaspina Strait were glorious...."

This little seabird lives in tall trees that Washington state may cut down to support schools
Marbled murrelets have one of the more bizarre daily routines in the avian world: They spend the day diving deep beneath coastal waters to catch small fish. In the evening twilight, they fly home through the air at 60 miles an hour, flapping hard — like potatoes with wings — to reach their mossy nests in the tops of old trees, as much as 50 miles inland. Before dawn, they make the same commute in reverse. This dependence on big trees has them in trouble. The little seabird was put on the federal threatened-species list a quarter century ago, but even so, Murrelet numbers have fallen by about half in Washington since 2001. Now Washington state officials are launching a long-term strategy to keep a little bird with a long commute from going extinct. The Washington Department of Natural Resources is taking public comment through Thursday, Dec. 6, on its proposal to protect most of the threatened bird’s nesting habitat on state land, but to allow 38,000 acres of those coastal forests to be logged over the next 50 years. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Navy hoping to discourage pair of ospreys from nesting on Bremerton's mothballed ships
Bremerton's fleet of inactive mothballed Navy vessels has become the nesting grounds of choice for a pair of ospreys, and the Navy is working on a plan to encourage the birds to make their homes somewhere other than at the top of the expensive federal property. The Navy hasn't secured the funding required to construct the alternative nesting sites, but officials have started the preliminary planning phase.  The towers will most likely be tall platforms constructed close to the mothball fleet with a similar view and features the ospreys have become accustomed to. Julianne Stanford reports. (Kitsap Sun)

‘To throw away these birds in this manner is disgusting,’ wildlife officer says
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recovered 50 dead ducks and geese Friday from along a stretch of Weidkamp Road east of Lynden, and the Whatcom County chapter of the Northwest Washington Waterfowl Association has offered a $500 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. Wildlife officer Joshua Koontz told The Bellingham Herald in an interview Tuesday that a bus driver reported seeing the carcasses in the middle of the road near West Badger Road and in the roadside ditch Friday, and Koontz went out and collected 50 birds that had been dumped. Koontz said he spoke area residents who had not noticed the rotting birds before that morning. David Rasbach reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. chief says one major oil spill could ruin her nation’s economy
Leaders from several north-coast B.C. First Nations say if the Senate doesn’t approve a bill barring super-sized oil tankers from the region, their thriving but fragile marine-based economies will die. The bill is already a sore point between the federal government and Alberta. Indigenous communities also disagree on the ban: nearly three dozen First Nations are behind a $16-billion pipeline proposal that has no future if supertankers can’t carry Fort McMurray oil away from the port in Prince Rupert, B.C. Marilyn Slett, chief of the Heiltsuk Nation and president of the Coastal First Nations alliance of nine B.C. bands, said Tuesday that coastal B.C. nations have been speaking out against tankers in their waters for decades. (Canadian Press) See also: The Warning of the Black Fish  Tim Johnson writes. (Cascade Weekly)

Trudeau apologizes for First Nation consultation failures on Trans Mountain pipeline
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he didn't expect "unanimity" from First Nations on the Trans Mountain pipeline project but apologized for his government's failure on consultation after a speech to the Assembly of First Nations on Tuesday.  Trudeau took the podium at the annual AFN December meeting in the wake of two recent major announcements by his government on Indigenous issues — child welfare legislation and a reform of the way Ottawa handles historic claims. In a rare move, Trudeau, who has spoken to the AFN more times than any other prime minister, stayed to take unscripted questions from the floor. (CBC)

Fishermen Sue Big Oil For Its Role In Climate Change
While oil companies built seawalls and elevated their oil rigs to protect critical production infrastructure from the rising sea level, they concealed from the public the knowledge that burning fossil fuels could have catastrophic impacts on the biosphere. That's what citizens and local governments across the United States are asserting in lawsuits against oil, gas, and coal companies. Plaintiffs in the cases have alleged that fossil fuel producers knowingly subjected the entire planet and future generations to the dire consequences of their actions. On Nov. 14, fishermen in California and Oregon joined the legal fray by filing suit against 30 companies, mainly oil producers. Alastair Bland reports. (NPR)

Plastic Oceans Plastic Bags State Kicks off Campaign for a Statewide Reusable Bag Bill
The campaign for a reusable statewide bag bill kicked off this month. Environmental organizations and their legislative allies hope to build off existing 23 local ordinances already in place in Washington and introduce the bill in the 2019 legislative session. Proponents say there are more than 86 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans with the equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic trash for every foot of coastline spilling into oceans annually. Martha Baskin reports. (PRX)

Field Studies Continue for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is continuing field studies in December 2018 as part of ongoing environmental and technical work for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) Project. Since 2011, the Port Authority has been conducting field studies at Roberts Bank and the surrounding areas that build on previous scientific work as well as address existing information gaps. According to the Port, the purpose of these studies is to determine the physical conditions (e.g., temperature and salinity) influencing biofilm presence and distribution at Roberts Bank. The Roberts Bank study area is located in the upper and mid intertidal zones north of the Roberts Bank causeway. The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project is a proposed new three-berth marine container terminal located at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, approximately 35 km south of Vancouver. (Dredging Today)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  226 AM PST Wed Dec 5 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 4 ft  at 6 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft  at 11 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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12/4 Razor clam, Chinook, Growlers, BC pipe, whale watch surcharge, busy beavers, sea lion kill, protected Skagit R., repeal water rule, McNeil Is., bag ban, sinking island, Frognal homes

Pacific razor clam [Walla Walla U.]

Pacific razor clam Siliqua patula
The Pacific razor clam (Siliqua patula) is an exceptionally meaty shellfish which ranges from California to Alaska. It is abundant on surf-pounded ocean beaches, but also occurs in sheltered areas along the coast. Limited diving observations have indicated some adult razor clams (S.patula) offshore for up to one-half mile. Razor clams dredged in water deeper than 30 feet, although similar to the beach clam, are a different species (Siliqua sloati). Washington razor clam season is open for 4 days beginning Dec. 6. (WDFW)

Half of Canada’s chinook salmon populations in decline: scientists
Half the country’s chinook salmon populations are endangered and most of the rest are in decline, according to a science committee that monitors the health of wildlife populations. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife In Canada reported Monday that of Canada’s 16 Chinook populations, eight are endangered, four are threatened and one is considered of special concern. Only one, located in British Columbia’s Thompson River, is considered stable. The condition of two populations is unknown. Endangered is the committee’s most serious ranking, suggesting the population is in danger of being wiped out. Bob Weber reports. (Canadian Press)

Navy ends talks to ease Growler jet impacts on Whidbey Island historic district
The Navy has terminated talks with state and local groups about easing the impacts of expanding EA-18G Growler jet training over a central Whidbey Island historic district. A Navy statement Friday cited a “fundamental difference of opinion” on what should be done to reduce the noise and other adverse effects of the training flights. The breakdown of talks is the latest sign of a bitter divide between the Navy and many residents of the rural central part of the island who fiercely oppose plans to quadruple, in the years ahead, the number of Growler flights over the Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve. State officials also took issue with the Navy. They joined with local groups in declining to sign a proposed  memorandum of agreement. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

A mournful plea: NEB pipeline hearing challenged on endangered whales
Tom Sampson, an elder with the Tsartlip First Nation, stood before the National Energy Board last week and sang a prayer song in the language his grandmother would sing when someone died. He was singing for Tahlequah, a member of the J-Pod of killer whales, who this summer carried her dead newborn calf in the waters off of southern Vancouver Island for more than two weeks in an apparent display of grief. The mother whale, part of the endangered southern resident killer whale population, was delivering a message, he said: “Something is wrong with what we are doing.” The NEB panel is reconsidering the Trans Mountain expansion proposal, after the federal Court of Appeal overturned Ottawa’s approval for the oil pipeline. Unlike the first hearings, the plight of the whales is at the core of this review. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

B.C. whale-watching group uses surcharge to boost salmon, orca research
A British Columbia whale-watching organization is boosting its passenger surcharge to increase spending on science programs and salmon-recovery projects for killer whale conservation. Prince of Whales Whale Watching says the conservation fee charged to passengers will rise from $2 to $5 and will be aimed at supporting the endangered southern resident killer whale population. The company says in a news release the added fee is expected to generate more than $1 million over the next five years with the money going towards orca-based science programs and chinook salmon recovery projects, the preferred food of the resident whales. (Canadian Press)

Busy beavers create salmon habitat in Kitsap
On a wooded stretch of Barker Creek, where the stream meanders past a churchyard, water pools behind a dam not built by human hands.  Beavers are busy throughout the soggy gully. Tidy stacks of gnawed sticks divert the flow of water in places, creating sprawling ponds. The stream banks are littered with fallen trees, and the trunks of still-standing cedars have been chewed nearly in half.  In places like Barker, and other creeks across the county, stream-watchers have noticed an uptick in beaver activity this year, raising concern among some observers that the natural barriers could block fish passages. A dry start to the fall kept water levels low in many creeks, slowing the progress of salmon to spawning grounds and making the beaver dams even more noticeable. Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

10 sea lions confirmed shot in Puget Sound, and that number could grow
Another sea lion was shot in the Puget Sound, among at least 16 that have died from “acute trauma” caused by humans since September. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday that a sea lion found dead earlier this month was confirmed via a necropsy to have been shot. The findings bring the total number of sea lions shot since early fall to at least 10. The actual number may be higher, as decomposition sometimes impedes officials’ ability to determine an animal’s cause of death. (KCPQ/Associated Press)

Stretch of Skagit riverfront permanently protected for fish, wildlife
A 1,500-footlong stretch of riverfront along the Skagit River near Rockport, Skagit County, totaling 61 acres has been permanently protected by Seattle City Light for fish and wildlife habitat. The land connects to other protected parcels to create a wildlife corridor for elk and other wildlife. Bald eagles fishing for salmon, all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as steelhead, utilize this stretch of river. Denise Krownbell, of City Light’s environment, land and licensing business unit, said the utility closed on the property last month. The utility tried to buy the property once before in 2012, Krownbell said, but this time succeeded with grants from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Herrera Beutler Introduces Water Bill
A bill introduced by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, intends to accomplish what the Environmental Protection Agency has been unable to do: repeal the Waters of the United States rule. "It is time for Congress to provide permanent relief for Southwest Washington farmers and landowners who would be so detrimentally impacted by this devastating rule that would cost time, money and jobs," Herrera Beutler said in a press release. The rule, also known as the Clean Water Rule, was instituted in June 2015 under President Barack Obama. It was suspended for two years in January. Katy Sword reports. (The Columbian)

Sewage spill prompts advisory for Silverdale waterfront
Health officials issued a no-contact advisory for the north end of Dyes Inlet on Monday, following a sewage spill.  The 2,500-gallon spill occurred Saturday on Levin Road, near the mouth of Clear Creek, according to Kitsap Public Health District. The advisory, which remains in effect through Dec. 8, includes the north shore of Dyes Inlet from Newberry Hill Road to Anna Smith Park. (Kitsap Sun)

State cleaning 100-year-old debris from south Puget Sound island
Washington state is spending $500,000 to remove 100-year-old debris from an island in south Puget Sound. So far over 1,000 tons of debris including creosote-soaked pilings have been removed from McNeil Island. McNeil Island in Pierce County once had a school, prison, lumber mill, and homes. Now the only residents on the six-square-mile island in southern Puget Sound are the 200 sex offenders living in a special state facility. But reminders of the island’s past can be found on its beaches. Drew Mikkelson reports. (KING)

Esquimalt council to consider ban on single-use plastic bags
Esquimalt is the latest municipality following Victoria’s lead in taking steps to ban single-use plastic bags at the checkout counter. A proposal to be considered by Esquimalt councillors Monday evening recommended the township develop a timeline, work plan and budget to regulate the use of single-use bags (using Victoria’s bag bylaw as a model), and prepare a public engagement process related to banning the bags. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

What a sinking island can tell us about sea-level change and earthquakes
One of the most striking features of Santa Catalina Island, southwest of Los Angeles, is an absence. Unlike much of the California coast and its closest islands, Catalina lacks cliffs stepping up and back from the sea – remnants of shorelines carved when the Pacific sloshed higher than it does today and fault movements had yet to push this part of the continent beyond the water’s reach. Instead, Catalina’s ancient beaches lie hidden beneath the surf. Now, new research led by Stanford University geophysicists explains why: while most islands in southern California are inching upward, Catalina is sinking. Scientists have debated whether Catalina is rising or sinking for more than 100 years. As recently as 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey published a paper concluding that the island was rapidly uplifting. “We’re directly contrary to their results,” said Chris Castillo, a graduate student in geophysics at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth) and lead author of the new paper. Josie Garthwaite writes. (Stanford News Service)

Neighbors band together to delay work on Frognal development
Appeals are pending on the project, which would put 112 homes on steep forested land south of Mukilteo. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  222 AM PST Tue Dec 4 2018   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell 4 ft  at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell  4 ft at 11 seconds.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

12/3 Goldeneye, climate change, ANWR, WQ standards, fishers, orcas, 'incidental harassment,' bag bans, quake water, shelter dogs

Barrow's goldeneye [Slater Museum]

 

Barrow's goldeneye Bucephala islandica
The less numerous of the two goldeneye species, found mainly in wild country of northwestern North America, with small populations in eastern Canada and Iceland. Occurs in small groups in winter on cold waters, sometimes associating with Common Goldeneye flocks. Since it does not always nest in tree cavities, Barrow's may nest farther north than Common Goldeneye, extending north of treeline. (Audubon Field Guide)

Climate change: 'World at crossroads' warning as key talks begin
Four senior figures behind efforts to limit climate change have warned that the planet "is at a crossroads" as key talks opened a day early in Poland. In a rare move, four former presidents of the United Nations-sponsored talks called for decisive action. The meeting in Katowice is the most critical on climate change since the 2015 Paris agreement. Experts say that drastic cuts in emissions will be needed if the world is to reach targets agreed in Paris.   Matt McGrath reports. (BBC)

In the Blink of an Eye, a Hunt for Oil Threatens Pristine Alaska
It is the last great stretch of nothingness in the United States, a vast landscape of mosses, sedges and shrubs that is home to migrating caribou and the winter dens of polar bears. Aside from a Native village at its northern tip, civilization has not dented its 19 million acres, an area the size of South Carolina. There are no roads and no visitors beyond the occasional hunter and backpacker. But the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — a federally protected place of austere beauty that during a recent flyover was painted white by heavy snowfall — is on the cusp of major change. The biggest untapped onshore trove of oil in North America is believed to lie beneath the refuge’s coastal plain along the Beaufort Sea. For more than a generation, opposition to drilling has left the refuge largely unscathed, but now the Trump administration, working with Republicans in Congress and an influential and wealthy Alaska Native corporation, is clearing the way for oil exploration along the coast. Henry Fountain and Steve Eder report. (NY Times)

Debate over water quality standards takes a new turn
An unlikely disagreement between state and federal authorities over water-quality standards has flared up again. Two years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency stepped in to impose more stringent water-quality standards than those approved by Washington state. Now a petition from industry groups is causing the EPA to review its earlier stance. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Puget Sound Institute)

Fishers Will Return To The North Cascades
Washington’s North Cascades will soon see the return of a small, weasel-like predator called the fisher. The carnivores have been missing from the area since the 1930s. Biologists hope the reintroduction [this] week will follow in the footsteps of other successful efforts in Washington. Fishers are elusive predators that eat small wildlife like squirrels, snowshoe hare and mountain beavers. They’re about the size of a pet cat. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Radio/EarthFix)

World's largest congregation of eagles begins in the Fraser Valley
About 35,000 eagles gather in the lower Fraser Valley between November and February. Along the Harrison River in B.C. thousands of eagles are gathering to gorge on salmon that have reached the spawning ground. David Hancock, a biologist who has been studying eagles for about 65 years, says the world's largest congregation of bald eagles happens on the river in the little community of Harrison Mills, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver. (Canadian Press)

Puget Sound's orcas are back in town, thrilling onlookers at Alki
Orcas were back in the central Puget Sound again Friday, thrilling onlookers at Alki Point. The whales are here likely foraging on chum and coho and resident chinook salmon, said Brad Hanson, biologist with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. It’s been unusual to see the orcas so frequently, including two weeks in November when the whales wowed ferry riders and residents all over the region. Friday’s arrival was right on time with the whales’ more typical pattern. The southern residents often visit Seattle’s inland sea in December. It is J pod that most frequently visits the inland waters of Puget Sound in December but K pod was putting on the show Friday. Lynda Makes reports. (Seattle Times)

Trump Administration Says Companies Can 'Incidentally Harass' Marine Mammals
The Trump administration has authorized five companies to “incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals” by using seismic air guns to search for oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a decision opposed by environmental groups, who say the blasts could harm marine animals such as humpback whales, and some coastal communities, who fear it could be a precursor to offshore drilling. The authorizations issued by NOAA Fisheries are not the final step, however – the companies must also obtain permits from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management before they can start exploring. Merrit Kennedy reports. (NPR)

Olympic Peninsula legislators discuss ban on plastic bags
Lawmakers representing the North Olympic Peninsula have mixed feelings about a proposed state-wide ban on single-use plastic carryout bags. State Rep. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, and State Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, both said Thursday they support bans on plastic bags, although they questioned the proposed fee. State Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, said he’d need to look at the legislation before expressing an opinion. The three represent the 24th District, which includes the Peninsula. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News) See also: A statewide plastic bag ban may be in Washington’s future  Rep. Peterson is pushing for a prohibition similar to the one he helped enact in Edmonds in 2009. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C. MP hopes Parliament passes private member's bill on plastic pollution
A Vancouver Island MP is hoping the federal government will pass his private member's motion that would create legislation to keep plastic pollution out of Canadian waters. "People are counting on elected officials and their leaders to ... demonstrate their commitment to future generations [by] protecting our environment and ensuring that we don't leave them a pile of garbage for them to clean up," said Gord Johns, MP for Courtenay-Alberni. Scientists with the Vancouver Aquarium say the average Canadian uses up to four times their body weight in throw away plastics every year. Enough of it is ending up in oceans, lakes and rivers that plastic is being found in shellfish and even drinking water. Chad Pawson reports. (CBC)

Seattle, suburbs would lose all water pressure within 24 hours of catastrophic earthquake, city study says
A new seismic analysis shows Seattle area residents could be without water for one to two months after a big quake, but SPU is keeping the entire report secret and releasing only a 13-page summary due to security concerns. Daniel Beekman and Sandi Doughton report. (Seattle Times)

Shelter dogs get a second life as poop-sniffing scientists
Many shelter dogs spend their days sniffing out poop — but few find homes, purpose, cult followings, and calendar modeling opportunities because of it. Enter Conservation Canines: In 1997, University of Washington Center for Conservation Biology director Dr. Sam Wasser developed a program that adapts police dog detection techniques for conservation science — namely, training dogs to track down the scat of endangered and threatened wildlife species.  Since then, a rotating cast of 17 lucky dogs has spent their days in Washington's 4,300-acre Pack Forest with nine handlers. Conservation Canines (CC) looks for dogs with tireless energy and a need for stimulation — traits that prevented them from finding homes, but which makes them ideal scent detectives. They are taught to approach scent detection as a game, where they are rewarded for learning how to track the scents of dozens of species' feces. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  228 AM PST Mon Dec 3 2018   

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON   

TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 4 ft  at 13 seconds. Areas of fog in the morning. 

TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 4 ft  at 13 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

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told