4/11 State budget, gray whale, oysterman, L112, bag bans, buoys, coal, lead shot, ozone, Nookachamps Cr

Mike Benbow's Gray Whale (The Herald)

For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting the news briefs from aboard and from the other side of the country and sharing some observations from afar on the Salish Sea Communications blog.   Stay tuned. Mike

The Washington state Legislature has approved a supplemental budget, setting them up for a final adjournment of an overtime legislative session.  The Senate passed the measure on a 44-2 bipartisan vote and it now goes to the governor for her signature. The House earlier passed the negotiated agreement on a 64-34 vote. Lawmakers worked through the early morning hours passing several bills before taking up the budget.  Wash. Legislature passes budget proposal  

Mike Benbow spotted this gray whale in Port Gardner near Mission Beach on Tuesday. Gray whales migrate between Mexico and Alaska every year. From March through May, they're headed north. About a dozen whales venture into Possession Sound, Port Gardner and Port Susan every year to stop and feed.  A glimpse of wandering gray whales  

In Pictures: Hidden away on Cortes Island in British Columbia's Desolation Sound, lives an oysterman totally dedicated to the cultivation of the perfect oyster  The perfect oyster  

Marine officials hope an analysis of tissue samples in coming days by labs in the U.S. and Canada will solve the mystery of why a bloodied and battered young female killer whale washed up on a beach in Washington State in February. For weeks there has been speculation that naval military exercises in either Canadian or U.S. waters may have been responsible for the endangered whale's death, but officials are urging the public not to jump to conclusions.  Did offshore war games kill endangered West Coast orca?

A request this week for a public vote on the proposed plastic bag ban is getting a tepid response at Bainbridge Island City Hall. Email activist Gary Tripp sent an email to the Bainbridge city council Monday calling for a public vote.  Council members are not embracing the idea, however.  Bainbridge council members wary of public vote on plastic bag ban  A bag ban in Issaquah is also on hold after testimony at an April 2 meeting. The council opted in a 6-1 decision to postpone further discussions on the plastic bag ban to a still-unscheduled meeting in May.  City Council delays decision on plastic bag ban  

Friends of the San Juans would like to help you in helping to restore eelgrass by sharing the cost of replacing or relocating mooring buoys. In 2011, Friends helped finance removal of buoys and floats from eelgrass and herring spawning areas, working with two buoy contractors and six private mooring buoy owners on Orcas and Lopez Islands to remove unwanted buoys and replace them nearby with “screw anchor moorage systems”.  These new systems, according to Friends, will reduce destruction of the eelgrass beds, areas that are crucial to crab, fish and other marine wildlife that live or feed in the eelgrass. 'Friends' to share cost of installing eco-friendly buoys  

U.S. coal exports reached their highest level in two decades last year as strong demand from Asia and Europe offered an outlet for a fuel that is falling from favor at home. U.S. Department of Energy data analyzed by The Associated Press reveal that coal exports topped 107 million tons of fuel worth almost $16 billion in 2011. That's the highest level since 1991, and more than double the export volume from 2006. Much of the increase went to slake the thirst of power-hungry markets in Asia, where rapid development has sparked what mining company Peabody Energy calls a "global coal super cycle" that heralds renewed interest in the fuel.  U.S. coal exports surge to highest level since 1991    See also Spokane Has Concerns Over Proposed Coal Terminals  

The port of Coos Bay, Ore. admits it's in talks with a company interested in developing the site into a coal terminal, but it won't say who. Critics of the shadowy project say the port is trying to avoid facing the potential health and environmental impacts. Dan Chasan at Crosscut reports. Coos Bay's dirty little (coal) secret   

The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition from environmental groups asking it to regulate the lead used in some ammunition. The agency told the groups Monday that it has no authority to ban or regulate lead in ammunition.  The Center for Biological Diversity and more than 100 other groups submitted the petition last month, asking that the lead be regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act. They contend the lead is responsible for poisoning millions of birds and other animals every year.  EPA Says It Can’t Regulate Lead In Hunting Bullets

Metro Vancouver officials are investigating why ground ozone levels are creeping up steadily in the Lower Mainland while most air contaminants have been decreasing.  Ground-level ozone — gas that hovers just above the Earth’s surface — can impact health, damage crops and impact tourism by contributing to poor visibility. Ground-level ozone on rise in Metro Vancouver while other pollutants drop  

Students gathered around their young charges — 100 small Western Red Cedar trees, ready to be put in the ground along a small part of the 30-acre restoration site on the floodplain of Nookachamps creek. For some Mount Vernon High School students, Tuesday’s restoration project with the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group was the first time they had ever planted a tree. The project aims to improve salmon habitat on the area — a former dairy farm.  Students get hands-on lesson at Nookachamps restoration site  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT WED APR 11 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 14 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 14 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/10 Padden Trails, CO2, pesticides, Wiley Slough, hot kelp

Climate scientist Cliff Mass says it’s still too early to put your tomato plants outside. Warmth  

Developers now propose to rezone their land near Lake Padden to allow 410 homes - rather than 492 homes - and they say 15 percent of them could be subsidized housing priced for low- and moderate-income families.  The new proposal from Padden Trails LLC was delivered to City Council members on Wednesday, April 4. The council will discuss it during a work session Monday, April 16. Padden Trails proposes new rezone for fewer homes

Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix talks to Steve Davis, a research associate at the Carnegie Institution for Science and a visiting scholar at UW’s Climate Impacts Group, to calculate how much CO2 emissions the mining, transporting and burning American coal would generate if all the terminals planned for Washington and Oregon were built. Counting Up Coal’s CO2  

A draft federal evaluation has found that three more common pesticides used on home lawns and agricultural crops jeopardize the survival of West Coast salmon. The evaluation from NOAA Fisheries Service is the latest resulting from lawsuits filed by conservation groups and salmon fishermen demanding the government enforce restrictions on pesticides near salmon streams. This one looked at the pre-emergent herbicides oryzalin, pendimenthalin and trifluralin.  Feds say 3 pesticides harmful to salmon  

It takes partnerships to achieve the goals of restoration, said Representative Rick Larsen, D-Wash., after he toured Wiley Slough Monday with a group of stakeholders and partners in the $4.3 million project to restore the estuary habitat of the threatened Chinook salmon. Partners on the project, which flooded 157 acres on the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Skagit Wildlife Area on Fir Island to restore the salmon habitat, included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Seattle City Light, among others.  Larsen tours, examines progress, of Wiley Slough project  

Material released in the nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami was detected along the California coast, according to a recently published study. Radioactive particles from Japan found in California kelp l

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 10 2012
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
VARIABLE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/9 Sewage spill, BC Ferries, ghost gear, construction ban, Burns Bog, Blaine Marina, Harry Case, BC bishops

Queen of Oak Bay, 2005 (CBC News)

Officials at Fort Ward Sewer District 7 are working on a plan to clean up an estimated 4,000 gallons of sewage sludge that spilled into a nearby wetland. A no-contact order remains in place for Tani Creek and Blakely Harbor, although water-quality tests suggest that little contamination reached the stream and bay.  Sewage cleanup planned at Fort Ward

Meanwhile, providers of water and sewer services in Kitsap County have begun working in concert toward a long-range goal of cleaning up sewage effluent and using it for irrigation, commercial applications and stream restoration. County leaders want more treatment plants to produce reclaimed water

BC Ferries vessels last year were involved in 18 reportable incidents — 10 of those involving a risk of collision with other vessels — according to federal transportation safety board documents.  The other eight incidents involved problems such as hard landings at docks, mechanical breakdowns and fires. BC Ferries involved in 18 marine incidents last year  

The death of a rescued seal pup, trapped in an underwater tangle of fishing line, shows the deadly toll of lost fishing gear. Old fishing nets, crab pots, lines and hooks ensnare and kill more than half a million sea creatures in Puget Sound every year, according to the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative. Lost fishing gear becoming big threat to Puget Sound marine life  

Legislation that would have allowed people to build homes in areas closed to construction last year has been pulled by its author.  Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen pulled her bill, Senate Bill 6312, which would have allowed landowners in the Fisher, Carpenter and East Nookachamps stream basins to build homes. Last summer, the Department of Ecology said there was too much water being withdrawn from the Fisher-Carpenter creek basins and that salmon could be harmed as a result. Ecology closed the basins to residential well drilling, effectively curtailing all residential development there. Bill that would allow construction in low-flow stream basins is dead 

A private landowner is hoping to turn 36 hectares of land next to Delta’s Burns Bog into a comprehensive “mixed development.” But first, MK Delta Lands Group Inc. will have to jump over several hurdles, including getting approval from Metro Vancouver to pull the property out of the region’s green zone and change the area’s zoning designation from conservation and recreation to urban. Private landowner sets sight on land around Delta’s Burns Bog

The Port of Bellingham is preparing to clean up a polluted fuel storage site at Blaine Harbor, and the state is taking public comment on the some of the work plans. Petroleum found in the soil and groundwater near a tank farm and fueling station operated by Blaine Marina Inc. is at unacceptably high levels. The state is requiring the cleanup, which will begin with repair of a failing bulkhead that protects fuel lines. More information, go to Department of Ecology, click on "Search for Cleanup Sites," then enter "63" in the Cleanup Site ID field. Comment sought on plan for Blaine Harbor cleanup

Property owner Harry Case of Langley and the Whidbey Camano Land Trust work together to preserve Case's 176 acres as a working forest-- in perpetuity.  Trust assures Whidbey forestland will endure

In a letter posted on Good Friday, six Anglican bishops from across British Columbia and the Yukon have called on the ongoing environmental review hearings for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to demonstrate integrity and remain fair and free from federal political pressure. Six B.C. and Yukon Anglican bishops demand fairness in Northern Gateway pipeline hearings  


Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON APR 9 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PDT EARLY THIS MORNING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 KT THIS MORNING. WIND WAVES 3 FT OR LESS...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS THIS MORNING. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
N WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 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@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

4/6 Bluffs, Samish poop, Padden plant, pipeline review, ghost ship, salmon season, natural gas, Fishman

The First Trillium (Dave Green)

Geologist Dana Hunter blogs: “Whidbey Island, Washington is a fantastic place to see glacial deposits while you enjoy some seascapes. You can also see excellent evidence of why it’s not a good idea to build on a bluff.” Whidbey Island Erosion  

Dave Green at Lake Padden News blogs: "The trillium only spends as much time above ground as needed to gain sufficient energy stores then escapes (dies back) to its underground rhizome." The First Trillium  

Because of a high fecal coliform reading Wednesday, Samish Bay will not be upgraded from “conditionally approved” to “approved” by the state. Due to a greater than 200 cubic feet rise in the river, the bay was automatically closed as a precaution Tuesday night. A water sample Wednesday then confirmed a reading of 5.1 trillion fecal coliform colonies per day, just exceeding the 4.7 colonies per day criteria. No upgrade for Samish Bay 

North Sound Baykeeper blogs: "What happens when a dozen farmers, a half dozen interested citizens, a shellfish farmer, a Skagit County Commissioner, staff from Skagit County Public Works and the Skagit Conservations District, and a couple environmentalists all get together? A lot of ideas are generated! This happened during a recent meeting at the Alger Community Hall hosted by the Skagit Conservation District. The purpose of the meeting was to give everyone a chance to talk about ways to solve fecal coliform pollution in the Samish River caused by animal waste." Brainstorming for Clean Water at the Alger Community Hall – Got Ideas?  

The federal review of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline has hit another setback this week after a coastal first nation community withdrew from the process, saying the Harper government has predetermined the outcome. Pipeline review process hits another snag as second native band pulls out  

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into a Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year's tsunami, sinking the vessel in the Gulf of Alaska and eliminating the hazard it posed to shipping and the coastline.  Coast Guard guns sink drifting ghost ship   Raw video

The 2012 salmon fishing seasons, developed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty tribes, were finalized yesterday during the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Seattle. The package sets regulations for salmon fisheries in Puget Sound, Washington’s ocean and coastal areas and the Columbia River. Washington, tribes agree to salmon fishing seasons for 2012

Two large Puget Sound-area ship operators are planning to spend $100 million each to convert their vessels from diesel fuel to liquefied natural gas — and they expect to save a lot of money in the process.  The Washington State Ferries and cargo operator Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) are just two among many big energy users turning to natural gas as its price plummets. State ferries seek $100M conversion to liquefied natural gas

Cathy Lehman will resign her position as director of the local chapter of Futurewise and will take a marketing and communications position at the Center for Economic Vitality at Western Washington University.  Bellingham council member Lehman to leave Futurewise, join WWU

In his new book, The Big Thirst, Charles Fishman isn’t out to add to the chorus of laments about the global water crisis. Instead he focuses on solutions. He envisions a world where conservation is habitual and recycled wastewater becomes part of everyday life. Green Acre Radio reporter Martha Baskin reports: Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 931 AM PDT FRI APR 6 2012
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NE 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS EVENING.
SAT
NE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.
SUN
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING. W SWELL 4 FT.
SUN NIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/5 L112, orca talk, pesticide ban, tar-sand risks, Arctic cod, ocean acid, Delta farmland, 'coon isle

Raccoon Island (PHOTO: Martin Halliwell)

New blog: Things People Say

Federal law-enforcement officers have launched an investigation into the death of the orca L-112, with an emphasis on looking for those who may have been involved in her fatal injuries. Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun blogs on Orca’s death enters the realm of law enforcement  

Dawn Noren is a research fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal Program who works on where to find the resident orcas of Puget Sound when they are not home. Ashley Ahearn at EarthFix reports. Catching Up With Orcas

Support for a complete ban on lawn and garden pesticides is growing across political lines in B.C., according to a new survey prepared for the Canadian Cancer Society. The survey polled residents in the Port Moody-Coquitlam byelection riding, and shows support for the ban of 71, 70 and 69 per cent respectively among NDP-, Liberal- and Conservative-leaning voters. Survey shows cross-party support for pesticide ban  

In a Seattle Times guest editorial, environmentalists point out that Kinder Morgan intends to more than double the capacity of its Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, B.C., while deepening its port there to utilize tankers larger than those allowed to enter Washington waters. Should a spill occur, the international boundary in the Strait of Juan de Fuca won't be much of a barrier to the toxic spread from these larger vessels. Tar-sand risks threaten health of Puget Sound

In a first for North America and possibly the world, the Vancouver Aquarium has successfully bred Arctic cod in captivity. Within weeks, an estimated 500 to 600 juvenile cod will be on display for the public. Vancouver Aquarium makes Arctic cod breeding breakthrough

Eric Scigliano at Crosscut reports on how 50-year-old carbon emissions came back to ravage Northwest shellfish, how scientists and hatcheries unraveled the mystery of acid upwellings, and how a clam farmer persuaded Gov. Gregoire and the Obama administration to take action, with a little help from Ron Sims.  Rallying to save the souring seas and the Northwest's cherished oyster harvest

The battle to save Metro Vancouver’s agricultural land is heating up, with regional officials pushing back at the potential loss of 600 acres of prime south Delta farmland for port expansion. Directors at Metro’s environment committee Wednesday agreed unanimously to have staff investigate an option-to-purchase agreement for the active farm land, which is now in the Agricultural Land Reserve but is tagged for a logistics and rail yard for the province’s Gateway Project. Metro Vancouver rejects potential sale of farmland

Wildlife experts say that raccoons, intelligent and highly adaptable scavengers, are found in large numbers all around the Seattle area and aren’t necessarily more abundant on Vashon. But while the cute and pesky creatures  knock over trash cans and pick fights with dogs in the city, on Vashon raccoons — who frequently raid gardens and massacre flocks of chickens — seem to have earned a special place of wonder, amusement and disdain among Islanders. Raccoon Island: Vashon struggles with its cute but pesky neighbors  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU APR 5 2012
TODAY
W SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS. W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/4 BLM, Barker Cr, Tani Cr, state budget, L112, Kitsap clams, megayachts, Pierce Co floods

Spring bunny (Dave Green)

In an unanimous vote San Juan County Council agreed to send a letter to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar asking him to ask President Barack Obama to sign a proclamation creating San Juan National Monument. This would permanently protect the 1,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management Land in San Juan County.  One giant step closer to permanent protection for BLM land in SJC  

State health authorities have lifted a shellfish closure in Dyes Inlet at the mouth of Barker Creek near Silverdale, following a successful pollution cleanup program, officials say. A pollution identification and correction (PIC) program launched by the Kitsap Public Health District in 2004 reduced levels of fecal bacteria in Barker Creek by half, according to Stuart Whitford, the district's PIC program manager. The stream now meets state standards for bacterial pollution. Barker Creek meets clean water standards

Kitsap County health authorities have issued a no-contact advisory for Tani Creek and the head of Blakely Harbor following a sewage spill at the Fort Ward treatment plant. The spill occurred Friday through a 1-inch rupture in a digester tank containing liquid sewage sludge.  Sewage spills near Fort Ward  

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire’s deadline for a bipartisan budget deal has come and gone. Lawmakers Tuesday failed to agree on a plan to rebalance the state budget and implement so-called government reforms. Now, House Democrats say they will pass their own budget in hopes of breaking the logjam. The clock runs out next Tuesday on the current 30-day overtime session.  No budget deal in Washington, House plans action

Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research writes about the death of L112 (Sooke): "Her death was undoubtedly caused by humans, and we have to look for the source of the blast. I have asked the law enforcement division of the National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate so that there will be a clear set of rules concerning withholding, filtering, or losing evidence in this case. The southern resident killer whale population was designated "endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act, and its protective management is under NOAA, NMFS." Bombing range or sanctuary? One in the same for endangered orcas  

From Liberty Bay to Port Gamble to Elliott Bay, efforts are underway to make sure that clams destined for the dinner table are aplenty now and in future generations. And that no clam or its habitat becomes extinct under our watch.  Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal explains. When the tide is out the table is set... with help from local efforts  

A new bill will make it easier for owners of foreign-flagged megayachts to spend time — and money — in Washington.  The legislation, which was recently signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, eases pilotage requirements for foreign-flagged vessels. Under the bill, boats up to 750 gross tons or under 200 feet can apply for a pilotage exemption, which was previously capped at 500 gross tons or 200 feet. Vessels over the cap are required to have a licensed pilot onboard any time the boat is moved, even if it’s just going to the fuel dock, at a cost of more than $150 an hour.  New bill makes it easier for big boats to visit Washington waters

The Pierce County Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to create a countywide taxing district to pay for flood control, a step one council member called a milestone but another said would create an unnecessary additional tax. Several council members cited the need to protect the public from catastrophe by forming a flood-control zone district. It would pay for projects ranging from rebuilding levees to buying up flood-prone properties. Pierce County Council approves forming flood-control district

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED APR 4 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. W WIND 10 TO 20 KT... BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/3 BLM, Everett waterfront, Sheldon resigns, Bella Bella protest, bag ban, SSA permits, ghost ship, small fish, Pierce flood district, "Satellite" Sandy, Scotch broom, Bainbridge SMP, coal dollars, John Murray, Pacific radiation

Speaking out in Bella Bella (Anthony Bonello, Globe and Mail)

Speak Up: The San Juan County Council today will be deciding if they support a dual approach to conserve Bureau of Land Management lands in the San Juans as a National Conservation Area and/or a National Monument. Support the dual approach by speaking during the County Council "Citizen Access Time" at 10 AM in person in Friday Harbor or via teleconference at the Lopez or Orcas Island Library. Each person has up to 3 minutes to give their view. The discussion by the council on whether to support a presidential proclamation of a National Monument will be at 11:15 AM.

Show Up: The city of Everett is planning an open house from 4 to 6:30 p.m. today for what it is calling "the Central Waterfront Planning area," which includes the soon-to-be vacant Kimberly-Clark mill and some surrounding properties.  The meeting is at the Weyerhaeuser Room at the Everett Station, 3201 Smith St. Open house for Everett’s waterfront plans  

Sign Up: Dr. Tom Mumford and Dr. Bob Waaland lead an intensive workshop on kelp April 8-15 at the UW Friday Harbor Labs. Professionals: $800, plus all meals and lodging; students: $550, plus all meals and lodging. Contact Tom Mumford, 360.789.9584.

After nearly 18 months as the Port of Bellingham's executive director, Charlie Sheldon's tenure is coming to an end. Sheldon is expected to submit a letter of resignation at today’s Port Commissioners' meeting. Sheldon to resign from top Port of Bellingham post  

The federal review of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline is set to resume Tuesday after the hearings were abruptly cancelled on the heels of a protest organized by the community school. Panel members arrived in the remote coastal community on Sunday to find the main street lined with protesters. That evening, officials sent notice to community leaders that the hearings, which were set to run for four days in Bella Bella, would not take place.  Pipeline review set to resume in Bella Bella after first nations protest  

The Issaquah city council voted to put on hold any decision to outlaw plastic bags Monday after a contentious discussion and appeals from environmentalists concerned about Puget Sound pollution and plastics manufacturers anxious about lost livelihoods.  The council opted in a 6-1 decision to postpone further discussions on the plastic bag ban to a still-unscheduled meeting. City Council delays decision on Issaquah plastic bag ban

Whatcom County planners say SSA Marine has now filed a complete application for its proposal to build a terminal at Cherry Point to export coal and other bulk cargos. Coal-Free Bellingham is gathering signatures with the hope of placing an anti-coal-train initiative on the Bellingham ballot this fall. Protect Whatcom last Friday sent a letter to county officials urging them to require an economic impact assessment as part of the environmental review for the project. County officials have yet to decide what will be studied through the environmental impact statement process, which also will be reviewed by state and federal agencies and by Indian tribes. Application for Gateway Pacific cargo terminal now complete

On Saturday ocean currents moved a Japanese squid fishing boat into American waters, after it was floating aimlessly off British Columbia’s coast for the past two weeks. The ship, adrift for a year after last year’s brutal tsunami, is now about 130 nautical miles (241 km) west of the very southern tip of Alaska’s coast, according to a tracking device dropped by a U.S. Coast Guard plane on Saturday. Japanese tsunami ghost ship now in Alaskan waters  

An international research panel recommends cutting in half the global harvest of small, schooling fish like sardines, anchovy and herring. The group included researchers from the Northwest. The panel estimates little fish are roughly twice as valuable in the sea as in the net because so many larger sea creatures prey on them.  Panel recommends harvest cutbacks on small schooling fish

A hearings examiner Monday denied an appeal by Gig Harbor and Milton, clearing the way for the Pierce County Council to vote today to create a countywide taxing district to pay for flood control. The two cities filed an appeal in November challenging a step that Pierce County took toward forming a flood-control zone district. A senior county planner had determined creating a countywide flood district would have no significant environmental impacts. Cities denied appeal for countywide flood district tax

Robin Lindsey of Seal Sitters reports that West Seattle’s rehabbed seal pup “Satellite” Sandy was found dead on Sunday, entangled in fishing line near the Edmonds fishing pier. Satellite-tracked seal pup Sandy found dead, tangled in line

In a case of invader versus invader, a European insect spreading south in Oregon has given botanists and others hope of turning the tide against Scotch broom, a European shrub that turned into one of the most aggravating weeds in Oregon. Two clusters of gall mites, native to Western Europe, have been found near Eagle Point and in Ashland's Siskiyou Mountain Park. The microscopic bugs attack Scotch broom buds, reducing their ability to reproduce and even killing large swaths of the bushy plants during especially large infestations. Mite might give Oregon hope against Scotch broom

The Bainbridge Island Planning Commission will hold a special meeting on April 12 to consider public comments and amendments to the Shoreline Master Program. Planning commissioners are also expected to consider the recommendation they will make to the city council on the update to the Shoreline Master Program. Bainbridge Island Planning Commission plans to make recommendation on shoreline program update

Proposed coal traffic increases could mean 100 million more tons of coal traveling through the area. Cassandra Profita at EarthFix EarthFix talks with Darren Epps, editor of Platts’ market analysis newsletter on U.S. Coal. The Economic Pull of Coal Exports in the Northwest   

Nearly 140 years after Canadian-born scientist John Murray began gathering the first comprehensive data on sea water temperatures around the world, a team of U.S. and British researchers has revisited the pioneering discoveries from the famous 1872-76 voyage of the HMS Challenger to create the clearest picture yet of the steady warming trend now threatening the planet's marine environment. Canadian scientist's 140-year-old data sheds light on global warming

An international research team is reporting the results of a research cruise they organized to study the amount, spread, and impacts of radiation released into the ocean from the tsunami-crippled reactors in Fukushima, Japan. The group of 17 researchers and technicians from eight institutions spent 15 days at sea in June 2011 studying ocean currents, and sampling water and marine organisms up to the edge of the exclusion zone around the reactors. Sampling the Pacific for Signs of Fukushima  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 745 AM PDT TUE APR 3 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 17 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 13 FT AT 12 SECONDS. S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY.

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