12/20 Holly, plane emissions, Tacoma LNG, Point Wells condos, awesome fish, Springbrook Cr Preserve, saving oysters, Chinook decline, Sumas Mtn, PA culvert, kelp plan, resilience

Holly (Ilex) is a genus of about 480 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide. (Wikipedia)

Little-understood, unregulated particles pollute neighborhoods under Sea-Tac flight paths, UW study finds
Kent Palosaari’s persistent cough started eight years after he moved to a rambler on a hill half a mile from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport...Palosaari said he believes a new study from the University of Washington, funded by the state, may bear some clues to the cause of his illness...The UW researchers found plane emissions are polluting communities near the airport with a particularly worrisome type of “ultrafine” particles. Ultrafine particles are less than 100 nanometers in diameter — one one-thousandth the width of a human hair — and their impact on health is only beginning to be studied. Ultrafines aren’t specifically regulated by any state or federal air quality standards.  Katherine Khashimova Long reports. (Seattle Times)

Puyallup Tribe, environmental groups file two appeals against LNG permit
The Puyallup Tribe and a coalition of environmental groups have filed two separate appeals against the permit for a controversial liquefied natural gas plant at the Port of Tacoma. Puget Sound Energy's LNG project got approval from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on Dec. 10. It's meant to replace marine bunker fuel with cleaner-burning LNG. The appeals were filed today with the state pollution controls hearing board. The law firm Earthjustice is representing environmental groups. Their case says the project's environmental impact statement is flawed, especially regarding how it accounts for greenhouse gas emissions. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Point Wells development proposal, once rejected, rises again
A proposal to build thousands of condos on Puget Sound near Edmonds has resurfaced. Backers of the plan met a court-imposed deadline to resubmit paperwork by Dec. 18. They did so last week. King County Superior Court Judge John McHale had given the developer additional time to seek approval for approximately 3,000 condos at Point Wells near Woodway after Snohomish County denied the project last year. The land-use petition revisited a hearing examiner’s conclusion that BSRE Point Wells’ project could not be built as proposed. On appeal, the Snohomish County Council upheld the examiner’s decision. Then the judge gave BSRE, an acronym for Blue Square Real Estate, a lifeline to reactivate permits for the high-rise project. The decision focused on whether development applications had been processed correctly under the urban center code when they were submitted in 2011. Eric Stevick reports. (Everett Herald)

If you like to watch: Salish Sea Wild: Awesome Fishes of the Intertidal
Join scientist and Finding Nemo’s “Fabulous Fish Guy” Adam Summers as he leads Team SeaDoc on a mission to find some of the Salish Sea’s most amazing intertidal creatures. (SeaDoc Society)

Bainbridge Island Land Trust announces purchase of 23-acre forested preserve
Somewhere out in the trees, something small rustles in the underbrush. Birds twitter away in trees that lean back and forth, a creek bubbles along as visitors brush past ferns along a rudimentary trail cleared through the forest. Vines, moss and branches snake out over rusted out hulks of old machinery left behind from long ago. There are plenty of stories tucked away on this quiet chunk of forested land off Fletcher Bay Road, its own diverse ecosystem packed full of life. The Bainbridge Island Land Trust has announced plans to purchase and preserve the 23-acre property it’s labeled Springbrook Creek Preserve. Plans call for the site to remain largely as-is, reserved as a quiet place for visitors to hike through the woods and critters to roam, maintained as a greenbelt in the heart of the island. Nathan Piling reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Washington's oysters are a case study of hope in the face of environmental disaster
When climate change started killing the Pacific Northwest's oysters by the millions, scientists and growers taught the world how to safeguard an ecosystem. Levi Pulkkinen reports. (Bitterroot)

Salmon face a variety of threats. Recent reports paint a grim picture of the future
Puget Sound Chinook numbers have slipped by about a third since the early 1990s, according to the Puget Sound Partnership. The fish was listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1999. Some 20 years of recovery efforts have seen little results, according to reports from the Nov. 5 Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Summit and the Dec. 2 State of the Sound report from the Puget Sound Partnership. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

What do you do when the polluter is a mountain?
Sumas Mountain has been losing weight. For decades, a slow-moving landslide has been exposing the side of Sumas Mountain, in Whatcom County. The landslide material contains naturally-occurring asbestos and heavy metals – and it all ends up in Swift Creek... Since Ecology and Whatcom County can’t stop the asbestos problem or remove it from the environment, we work to control the effects to stream conditions, flooding and manage the sediment in a way designed to reduce risk. To be where we are today took a team effort, dedication, perseverance, more than a few cups of coffee, and a unanimous “yes” vote by the Whatcom County Council on Tuesday, November 19 to sign the Consent Decree that defines the relationship and responsibilities for Ecology and the County. Friday, December 6, 2019 marked a huge milestone with the Consent Decree signing. Ian Fawley & Cris Matthews write. (WA Dept of Ecology)

105-year-old Port Angeles culvert in need of repairs
A 105-year-old culvert under the heart of Port Angeles is in need of $3 million in repairs, the City Council heard this week. The city will seek state funding to upgrade the 1,007-foot-long Peabody Creek culvert after a consultant completes a hydraulic analysis and preliminary design in 2020. The City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to award a not-to-exceed $149,942 professional services agreement with Parametrix Inc. to complete the hydraulic analysis and preliminary design. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Public Comment Period for the Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan
The Northwest Straits Initiative and numerous partners have spent the past two years developing a draft Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan that is ready for public review! The draft Plan provides a framework for coordinated research and management actions to protect kelp from a suite of global and local stressors...Actions identified in the plan include reducing stress on kelp, informing management on the importance of kelp; monitoring continuing kelp trends; assess state, local and federal management tools to protect kelp habitat; restore kelp habitats; and promote awareness and outreach to the public... The comment period  will be open from December 18 to January 22. (NOAA Rockfish Newsletter)

Enhancing the resilience of Puget Sound recovery: A path through the maze of resilience thinking
Resilience thinking' has exploded in recent decades to become a sprawling discipline, complete with debates and inconsistencies, and literature to match. The idea that ecosystems should be made resilient, or able to absorb disturbance and still bounce back, has gained traction in many policy circles, but there remains some disagreement about what the term means and how it should be applied. A 2019 report from the Puget Sound Institute's Nick Georgiadis looks at resilience in the context of Puget Sound protection and restoration. (Puget Sound Institute) See also: Resilience along the West Coast Research scientist Aimee Kinney presents. (EESI)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  238 AM PST Fri Dec 20 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 13 ft at 16 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  E wind 10 to 20 kt becoming N after midnight. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 12 ft at 15 seconds subsiding to 10 ft  at 14 seconds after midnight. Rain in the evening then rain  likely after midnight. 
SAT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SE in the afternoon. Wind waves  2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 13 seconds. Rain likely in the  morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  9 ft at 12 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 8 ft  at 12 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.

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12/19 Pine, Growler noise, Skagit Valley, BC pipe, barrel company dumping, herring, clear-cut forests, Trump's Red Tree Vole

Shore pine [Walter Siegmund]

Lodgepole pine Pinus contorta
Lodgepole pine or shore pine, also known as twisted pine and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine, but is rare in lowland rain forests. (Wikipedia) The Nisga'a were said to use the split and twisted roots of shore pine as rope. The Haida used peeled sheets of the bark as splints for broken limbs. The pitch was used by the Sechelt to waterproof canoes and baskets, by the Saanich to fasten arrowheads onto shafts and by the Lower Stl'atl'imx as a glue and to provide a protective coating for Indian-hemp fishing nets. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

NAS Whidbey jet noise to be monitored
The National Defense Authorization Act that sets the military budget for 2020 includes a section members of Congress and of the regional Sound Defense Alliance say will require real-time monitoring of jet noise at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The act has passed Congress and now requires President Donald Trump’s signature to enact it. Noise from EA-18G Growler jets flown out of NAS Whidbey has long been a contentious issue for area communities including Coupeville and Oak Harbor. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Defense bill includes real-time sound tests  (Peninsula Daily News)

Who's got the right to be in the Skagit Valley? Tribe says they and elk do, along with farmers
Scott Schuyler said he’s been shot at, his tires slashed, his fish stolen. He’s gotten death threats on social media. “I’ve had a lot of firearms pointed in my direction, a lot of lead being shot in my direction,” Schuyler said. “I’ve been peppered with birdshot.” Schuyler is a member of the Upper Skagit Tribe, and he believes these acts of violence stem from a battle over rights in Skagit Valley: a fight about who gets to decide how water, fish and wildlife are managed. He said some public officials in Skagit County disagree with tribal rights “and it becomes socially acceptable to attack the tribe, tribal members and tribes’ rights,” he said. The tension between tribal members and Skagit farmers is one that dates back more than a century. Most recently, things have come to a head over elk. Eilis O'Neill reports. (Crosscut)

Trans Mountain urges court in Vancouver to dismiss Indigenous action
Trans Mountain Corp, the operator of Canada’s state-owned oil pipeline, asked a court on Wednesday to dismiss a legal application by four indigenous groups to overturn government approval for expansion. A three-day Federal Court of Appeal hearing began in Vancouver on Monday to hear the groups’ concerns that the government did not adequately consult them, the latest obstacle to tripling capacity on the Alberta-to-British Columbia pipeline, which the Canadian oil industry says is badly needed. The indigenous groups “did not negotiate in good faith, or at all,” Trans Mountain lawyer Maureen Killoran said. Effectively, the groups are attempting to hold a veto over the C$10 billion project despite the government’s best attempts to address their concerns, she said. Moira Warburton reports. (Reuters)

Seattle barrel company used 'hidden drain' to dump caustic material into sewer, federal prosecutors say 
Here’s how federal investigators say they found the “hidden drain” and unraveled an alleged pollution conspiracy by a century-old Seattle barrel company. A sensitive sewer flow meter tipped them off to something strange, according to a federal search-warrant affidavit. So the agents sent a camera-mounted robot into the sewer to investigate. They found a mysterious white stain. Then, they installed a pair of probes to record real-time changes in water chemistry. One day in March, just after dawn, when the probes indicated a spike in the waste water’s pH, federal agents served a search warrant at Seattle Barrel and Cooperage Company, according to a federal indictment handed down Tuesday. The 36-count grand jury indictment says the company, its owner and its plant manager used the hidden drain to dump a corrosive solution of chemicals into public sewers, then lied to regulators about the practice and conspired to cover up their activities. Family-owned Seattle Barrel, collects, reconditions and sells 55-gallon industrial drums. It cleans the drums for reuse in a large tank using “highly corrosive chemical solution,” according to the indictment. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

Herring a key food source and a candidate for endangered species status
Pacific herring — including the Cherry Point subspecies — have been declining since state biologists began studying them in the 1970s, according to the University of Washington’s Puget Sound Institute...State Department of Fish and Wildlife reports showed that Cherry Point herring were at record lows in 2009. Pacific herring are a candidate for state threatened and endangered species status. Pollution and other effects of rising human population in the Puget Sound are thought to be the major issues, along with warming ocean temperatures and over-fishing. Loss of the eelgrass meadows where adults spawn and young fish hide has also had a considerable impact. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C.'s clear-cut forests are 'dead zones,' emitting more greenhouse gases than they absorb, new report finds
The clear-cutting of B.C.'s forests is contributing more to greenhouse gases than the burning of fossil fuels, according to a new report from the Sierra Club of B.C. The report found that 3.6 million hectares of old-growth and second-growth forests were clear-cut in the province between 2005 and 2017 — creating  "dead zones" that, combined, are larger than Vancouver Island. It says the clear-cuts create carbon sequestration dead zones that put more carbon into the atmosphere from decomposing matter and soil than newly replanted trees can absorb. Clare Hennig reports. (CBC)

Oregon’s Red Tree Vole Will Not Receive Federal Protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined the north Oregon coast red tree vole does not warrant a listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. USFWS said the small mammal did not meet the definition of an endangered or threatened species after reviewing the best and most recent scientific data available. In 2011, the USFWS determined the population did warrant listing based on the information provided then. After conducing yearly species status assessments, known as a candidate notice of review, it reversed its decision based on past and present information in 2016. Monica Samayoa reports. (OPB)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  229 AM PST Thu Dec 19 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at 12 seconds.  Rain. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft at 13 seconds building to 12 ft at  17 seconds after midnight. Rain.



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

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12/18 Rockfish, salmon grants, breeding clams, eelgrass, earthquake zone, Anacortes stormwater, dam poll, BC pipe, Trump's 15,413

Vermillion rockfish [California Sea Grant]

Vermillion rockfish Sebastes miniature
Vermilion rockfish s a species of rockfish also known by the common names vermilion seaperch, red snapper, red rock cod, and rasher. Vermilion rockfish can grow up to 76 cm (30 in) in length, and 6.8 kg (15 lbs) in weight. Maximum age is at least 60 years old.
Vermilion rockfish range from Zaikof Bay, Montague Island, Prince William Sound, Alaska, to San Benito Islands, Baja California. Adults are found at water depths from 6 to 436 m (20-1,440 ft) and are most common between 50 and 150 m (165-495 ft). Sub-adult and adult vermillion rockfish aggregate on high relief rocky bottoms.Occasionally caught off the Washington coast by commercial harvesters using otter-trawls and longline gear. Rarely caught by recreational harvesters in Puget Sound.(Wikipedia/WDFW)

Local salmon projects get multi-million boost from grants
The state Salmon Recovery Funding Board announced this week that it is awarding $26 million to projects throughout the state to help bring salmon back from the brink of extinction. The grants include $2 million for four projects in Skagit County, in areas from Marblemount to Mount Vernon. The largest, a $750,000 grant, will allow the Skagit River System Cooperative to complete the first phase of habitat restoration in the Barnaby Reach east of Rockport. The Barnaby Reach is a network of side channels, sloughs and wetlands left behind as the Skagit River changed its course over time, and an abandoned hatchery facility there has long blocked fish passage in the area. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

For sustenance and tradition, Puget Sound tribes and scientists join forces to breed millions of clams
After recent declines, a new breeding program could help safeguard the cockle's future as a food source for tribes like the Suquamish. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut)

Whatcom’s eelgrass hit hard by climate and development. How to help ‘ocean’s nursery’
Eelgrass has been dying around the Salish Sea for about the past 20 years, contributing to habitat loss for a plant that’s critical to coastal marine life in a variety of ways, including salmon fisheries...Researchers are unsure why the grasses are dying, but it is strongly suspected that rising ocean temperatures feed the bacteria that are killing eelgrass. Pollution, shoreline development and sea-level rise also are linked to declines in eelgrass. Casey Cook, director of the Marine Life Center at the Port of Bellingham, said eelgrass are the long green grasses that grow in shallow water. In some places, such as Padilla Bay in Skagit County, eelgrass forms huge meadows. Eelgrass can also be seen in the shallows at Marine Park south of Fairhaven, the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve south of Birch Bay State Park and elsewhere along the Whatcom County coast...Eelgrass wasting disease was found at 16 sites that scientists monitored in the San Juan Islands, Padilla Bay, Hood Canal, South Puget Sound and Willapa Bay, according to research presented at a Seattle conference in 2018. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Puget Sound is an earthquake hot zone, according to new seismic update
Puget Sound has a 75 percent or greater chance of being struck by a damaging earthquake in the next 100 years, according to a new earthquake danger assessment by the U. S. Geological Survey. For a region hit by at least three fatal, brick-busting earthquakes in the last 70 years, that might come as little surprise. What the update released in late November does show is that Puget Sound is on par with California in the earthquake danger zone. Only western Nevada and a small area where Idaho, Montana and Wyoming meet share the red zone — the map’s highest level. Craig Sailor reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Anacortes resolves stormwater lawsuit
The city of Anacortes will improve its stormwater program as part of a settlement agreement it reached this month with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance....The Anacortes City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a consent decree...As part of the settlement, Anacortes agrees to pay $73,000 to cover Puget Soundkeeper’s lawyer fees and legal costs, and make changes to its stormwater program. Among the changes are a revision of the city’s annual Stormwater Management Program Plan; incorporation of low-impact development (LID) into the city’s development regulations and design standards update; training sessions on stormwater for city staff; and stormwater pollution and prevention education for Anacortes students. Jacqueline Allison reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Washington Policy Center releases results of statewide poll on Snake River dams
Results of a statewide poll released on Tuesday shed light on what Washingtonians think about the lower Snake River dams and how much they really know. The Washington Policy Center, a public policy research organization, surveyed 500 Washingtonians in November for the results. One takeaway of the poll - some in Washington appear to have inaccurate or incomplete perceptions of the lower Snake River dams. WPC's polling results showed that 93 percent of Washingtonians surveyed didn't know how many dams were on the lower Snake River. Only 5 percent of those polled knew that salmon populations on the lower Snake River have been increasing in recent years. "The more Washingtonians know, the more they want to keep the Snake River dams," said Chris Cargill, Eastern Washington director at the Washington Policy Center...In the WPC poll, respondents were also asked if they would be willing to pay more for their electricity in order to remove the dams and help salmon. 33 percent said they would, and 60 percent said no. When respondents were asked if they would be willing to pay more for fish passage at the dams, 65 percent said yes, and 28 percent said no.  Carissa Lehmkuhl reports. (YakTriNews.com)

First Nations accuse Canada of altering internal reviews of marine spill risk reports on Trans Mountain
The Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish nations have accused Ottawa of altering internal government documents related to the risks of marine spills before once again approving the Trans Mountain expansion project.  Details of these allegations were presented in the Federal Court of Appeal this week where four First Nations groups are challenging the re-approval of the pipeline, arguing that consultations with their communities once again fell short of the standard required.,,Canada's lawyers, who started their submissions on Tuesday, said the allegations were "unfounded" and that "there's nothing nefarious going on" in relation to the internal documents called into question or the behaviour of government officials. They also objected to the characterization of the internal documents as peer reviews by government scientists. Canada described them as summary reviews used for the purpose of educating the consultation teams.  Chantelle Bellrichard reports. (CBC)

Fact Checker: President Trump has made 15,413 false or misleading claims over 1,055 days
In 2017, President Trump made nearly 1,999 false or misleading claims. In 2018, he added another 5,689, for a total of 7,688. Now, with a few weeks still left in 2019, the president already has more than doubled the total number of false or misleading claims in just a single year. As of Dec. 10, his 1,055th day in office, Trump had made 15,413 false or misleading claims, according to the Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement he has uttered. That’s an average of more than 32 claims a day since our last update 62 days ago. Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly report. (Washington Post)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PST Wed Dec 18 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 12 ft  at 14 seconds. Rain. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SW 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less. W swell  10 ft at 12 seconds. Rain.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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12/17 Ribbon worm, shrinking whales, Northern orcas, no-discharge zone, ocean acid, Whatcom sea rise, First Nations BC pipe challenge

Lavender and white ribbon worm [Mary Jo Adams]

Lavender and white ribbon worm Micrura verrilli
The unique color pattern of this nemertean makes it easy to identify.  The body of Micrura verrilli is deep purple or brownish purple with 30-40 white bands and the head is orange.  The underside of the body is ivory white.  The nemertean is sometimes cloaked in a translucent mucus tube.  Look for it under rocks low in the intertidal, among the root masses of surfgrass, in eelgrass, and in kelp holdfasts.  This species has also been known under the scientific name Lineus striatus and the common name Verrill’s ribbon worm. (Mary Jo Adams/Sound Water Stewards)

Northwest killer whales are shrinking in size -- and so are their prey, chinook salmon, new research shows
Hungry young orcas grow up to be stunted orcas, new research shows, revealing that salmon run downturns can have lifelong effects. The findings, published last month in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Endangered Species Research, were based on aerial photos taken by drone of whales in both the southern and northern resident orca populations. The photos document just how closely the health of resident killer whales is tied to the abundance of their favorite prey: big chinook salmon. Younger whales born since the 1980s in both the northern and southern populations of salmon-eating resident orcas are shorter in length than older whales that grew up when chinook runs were more abundant, the photos revealed. It was a significant difference: The stunted whales growing up in lean times were on average nearly half a meter shorter than older adults... Lynda Makes reports (Seattle Times)

Northern Resident orcas compete with endangered Southern Residents for largest Chinook
Chinook salmon – the Northwest’s largest and most iconic fish species – are shrinking. Researchers have documented that adult kings returning from the North Pacific are on average 10 percent shorter and as much as 30 percent lighter than 40 years ago. “If you catch a 30-pound Chinook these days, you’re pretty happy with that,” said Daniel Schindler, a professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington. “It used to be relatively common to catch 50-pound Chinook salmon. And those size fish are almost unheard of these days.” Schindler is part of a team of UW scientists who collaborated with federal researchers at NOAA Fisheries to query data sets over the past four decades, looking for the reason why the endangered fish are getting smaller. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX) See also: Killer whales: Northern orcas devour salmon, southern orcas go hungry   Northern resident killer whales and Alaska residents are getting first crack at the best chinooks. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

EPA Loses Bid for Remand of Puget Sound Discharge Determination
A lawsuit challenging an EPA determination allowing a no-discharge zone in Puget Sound will move forward after a D.C. federal judge refused to remand or vacate the agency’s decision. A tugboat, towboat, and barge industry association challenged the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination on the grounds that the agency hadn’t considered how expensive it would be for boaters to comply. Washington’s state ecology department and a trio of environmental groups intervened, and the EPA asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to remand so the agency could take costs into consideration. Jennifer Bennett reports. (Bloomberg)

Rate of ocean acidification may accelerate, scientists warn
Ocean acidification, which threatens sea life throughout the world, is affecting Pacific Northwest waters — including the Salish Sea — sooner than most regions around the globe, according to ongoing studies. Even more alarming is new research now causing oceanographers to predict that the changes in ocean chemistry will soon pick up the pace, causing the rate of ocean acidification to accelerate...Ocean acidification, caused by the absorption of more and more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, can affect the survival, growth and behavior of all kinds of sea creatures. New evidence suggests that ocean acidification impairs the sense of smell in salmon, impedes growth in herring and other critical prey species, and can affect plankton populations, thereby altering the food web. Most notable in the struggle for survival amid ocean acidification are species that form shells of calcium carbonate — including succulent oysters that support a vast industry, solitary corals that live in local waters, and a wide variety of tiny animals that serve as food for others. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Here’s where Whatcom County will see the impacts of rising sea levels
Most coastal damage in Whatcom County is caused by high wind and large waves from storms — especially when powerful El Niño storms arrive during a winter high tide. Because of climate change, scientists expect to see more storms like the ferocious Dec. 20, 2018, monster that hammered Blaine and Birch Bay, flooding homes and businesses and damaging a stretch of coastal roadway...Sea Level Rise in Washington State, A 2018 Assessment, from the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and others found a likely rise of 6 inches to a foot by 2050 and about 2 to 3 feet by the year 2100. Models from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine show about 10-inch rise in that time frame. Whatcom County from Blaine to Chuckanut Drive faces the potential of about 1 to 2 feet of sea-level rise over the next 80 years, according to data from the 2018 UW report. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Court to hear First Nations’ challenge of Trans Mountain expansion 
A lawyer for a British Columbia First Nation is accusing the federal government of withholding key information about oil spills until after the latest consultation on the Trans Mountain pipeline was over. Scott Smith, who represents the Tsleil-Waututh, told the Federal Court of Appeal in Vancouver today that the First Nation prepared three expert reports on the risks of oil spills and other environmental concerns surrounding the pipeline expansion. Smith says a federal peer review of the reports effectively agreed with their findings that there is a lack of information about the effects and behaviour of diluted bitumen, but it wasn’t shared with the First Nation until after consultation closed. Amy Smart reports. (Canadian Press)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PST Tue Dec 17 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 10 ft  at 14 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain likely  in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  10 ft at 13 seconds subsiding to 8 ft at 16 seconds after  midnight. Rain.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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12/16 Shoveler, dam breaching, ship wastewater, climate talks, BC pipe, Coastal Resiliency Act, ocean acid, dead zones, Kitsap plastic, Samish R.

Northern shoveler [Lee Barnes]

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Northern Shovelers inhabit shallow, marshy ponds and wetlands at low elevations. Breeding habitat is in open country (prairie or tundra), or lowland woodlands and clearings, always near shallow water. During winter and migration they will use virtually any wetland as long as it has muddy edges. Shovelers will forage in sewage ponds and stagnant or polluted waters avoided by other species of ducks. (BirdWeb)

Results of Inslee’s dam breaching review out Friday 
An effort initiated by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to explore the potential economic consequences and ecological benefits of either keeping or breaching the four lower Snake River dams is nearing completion. Last spring, the Washington Legislature approved a $750,000 request from Inslee’s Orca Task Force to take a more in-depth look at Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams in eastern Washington. The federal dams provide hydroelectric power generation, inland barge transportation and a small amount of irrigation. But they also harm threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead that among other things provide a critical food source to southern resident killer whales, which are also endangered... The Inslee-supported, Washington-centric look at the Snake River dams is intended to help the governor and the state shape comments on an upcoming environmental and economic review of all eight federal dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers and whether the four dams on the Snake should be recommended for removal. That review, ordered by federal Judge Michael Simon at Portland, and being led by the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration, is expected to be released as a draft in February... A draft report summarizing about 100 interviews with people and organizations with interests in the dams, fish and whales is scheduled to be released Friday. That will be followed by a workshop from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 7 at Clarkston’s Quality Inn to share the findings of the report with the public. Workshops will also be held in the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, Wash. Eric Barker reports. (Lewiston Tribune)

Contaminated wastewater from ships harmful to orcas: study  
Cruise ships that use scrubbers to comply with international sulphur-limit laws may be unintentionally harming endangered whales off the coast of B.C., says a new WWF-commissioned study. The report “A whale of a problem? Heavy fuel oil, exhaust gas cleaning systems, and British Columbia’s resident killer whales” was released this week by the International Council on Clean Transportation. The study was funded by World Wildlife Fund Canada. For the study, researchers analyzed 30 commercial ships operating off the coast of B.C. that are equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems, also called scrubbers, that remove harmful sulphur oxides from exhaust gases of heavy fuel oil used in marine engines. Open-looped scrubbers, the most commonly used system, pump a mix of water and contaminants into the ocean called wash water. The wash water contains “carcinogenic substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals,” according to the report. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

U.N. Climate Talks End With Big Polluters Blocking Stronger Action
In what was widely denounced as one of the worst outcomes in a quarter-century of climate negotiations, United Nations talks ended early Sunday morning with the United States and other big polluters blocking even a nonbinding measure that would have encouraged countries to adopt more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions next year... The Trump administration used the meeting to push back on a range of proposals, including a mechanism to compensate developing countries for losses that were the result of more intense storms, droughts, rising seas and other effects of global warming. Somini Sengupta reports. (NY Times)

Trans Mountain oil pipeline faces latest legal challenge in Canada court
The Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion faces its latest legal hurdle in a federal court this week as indigenous groups appeal the pipeline's expansion, arguing the government did not adequately consult them before approving it. A three-day hearing begins on Monday at Canada's Federal Court of Appeal in Vancouver, which agreed to hear concerns from the Coldwater Indian band, the Squamish Nation, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and others that the government's second consultation with them on the project this year was "window-dressing, box-ticking and nice-sounding words." The legal challenge is the latest setback for Trans Mountain, whose previous owners first proposed the expansion in 2013, as well as two pipeline projects proposed separately by TC Energy Corp and Enbridge Inc that would provide badly needed transport for Alberta's oil. (Thomson Reuters) See also: Kamloops: Property owner seeks compensation from Trans Mountain  A Black Pines resident wants compensation as a result of twinning of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which goes through his front yard. Jessica Wallace reports. (Kamloops This Week)

Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act could help communities on the front line of climate change
Rising sea levels caused by global warming hit coastal communities the hardest. In Washington, many of those communities are tribes that settled near the water long before climate change became an issue. A new bill moving through Congress aims to provide them with more relief.  The Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act would provide dedicated funding to help tribes impacted by climate change. The bill's prime sponsor is Washington Rep. Derek Kilmer. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Here’s how ocean acidification threatens one of Whatcom County’s oldest industries
....An increase in acidity has shown to hurt some shellfish species, such as those found in Whatcom County, according to Brooke Love, who holds a doctorate in chemical oceanography and is an associate professor at Western Washington University. “If you like to eat seafood, as many of us do, (acidification) threatens all seafood,” Love said. Ocean acidification threatens shellfish because an increase in acidity means less carbonate, the mineral used by mussels, oysters and other shellfish to build their shells. Warren Sterling reports. (Bellingham Herald)

A dead zone in the Salish Sea would harm Whatcom’s economy. Here’s how
Ocean dead zones, areas of low to no oxygen, kill fish and other marine life, harming commercial fishing...“Such areas of extremely low oxygen, sometimes referred to as ‘dead zones,’ are related to excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, that over-feed a large variety of tiny plankton drifting through the water,” according to the University of Washington’s Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. The over-fed plankton eventually die and are decomposed by oxygen-consuming bacteria...areas with the lowest level of dissolved oxygen commonly occur where organic matter, from human and natural processes, is abundant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Periods of low dissolved oxygen have been observed throughout the inlets and canals of the Puget Sound. Low dissolved oxygen is often indicated by large die-offs of aquatic life — particularly species that are not mobile enough to leave the area. Warren Sterling reports. (Bellingham Herald)


Retailers part with plastic as bag ban approaches
Businesses are letting their supply of plastic bags diminish as the resolution to ban plastic bags goes into effect for Kitsap County, Bremerton and Port Orchard on Jan. 1. Retailers will be prohibited from offering thin plastic bags under the ban. Instead, they may offer paper bags made of 40% recycled content or thicker, reusable plastic bags for a minimum charge of 8 cents. Customers who are on food assistance programs, like SNAP or WIC, will not be charged a fee.  Jessie Darland reports. (Kitsap Sun)

State considers land purchase along Samish River
The state Department of Fish & Wildlife is considering a move that would about double the land it owns near the mouth of the Samish River, potentially opening more access for fishermen along the popular river. The 109-acre property east of the river and south of Bay View Edison Road is one of 18 throughout the state that Fish & Wildlife is considering buying to further protect wildlife and provide more access for recreation. The agency is taking comment on the proposed acquisitions through Jan. 3. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  233 AM PST Mon Dec 16 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 8 ft  at 12 seconds. Rain likely. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell  10 ft at 14 seconds. A chance of 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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12/13 Point No Point, Bellingham climate plan, Alaska climate, Lolita, orca grannies, Great Pacific Garbage

Point No Point

Point No Point
Point No Point is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington. It was named by Wilkes because at close range it appeared to be less of a promontory than it appeared from a distance. The Indian name for the large sand spit was hahdskus, meaning "long nose." It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty and is the site of the Point No Point Light. (Wikipedia)

Bellingham looking for 100% renewable energy by 2035. Here’s the plan
Bellingham officials are getting ready to take their “moon shot” — an ambitious and controversial plan for the city to do its part to conserve energy and reduce pollution in the face of global climate change. It’s their version of the adage “think globally, act locally.” A volunteer Climate Action Task Force — composed of academics, activists and industry professionals — has been working for the past 16 months on recommendations for the City Council to consider. Task force members presented their findings at a council committee meeting Monday afternoon, giving an overview of what’s required for the city to achieve its goal of using 100% renewable energy in the next 10 to 15 years. Council members voted to create a permanent council Climate Action Committee and begin discussing the task force recommendations at their Jan. 13, 2020, meeting. Robert Mittendorf reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Alaska climate change: Facing catastrophe, this town can’t quit Big Oil
....On Alaska’s North Slope, a remote wilderness of astonishing vastness and variety, the cold Arctic landscape once seemed eternal. When her grandmother was a girl, Itta’s ancestors were nomads, roaming the mountains, rivers and frozen tundra in search of caribou and other game. Now, Itta lives in Nuiqsut (noo-IK-sut), a village of some 480 souls whose lives have been utterly transformed by oil. Oil drilling has brought great prosperity to Nuiqsut, but the town’s very foundations are imperiled by oil’s fundamental role in the global economy. Juliet Eilperin, Bonnie Jo Mount and John Muyskens report. (Washington Post)

Orca family of Miami Seaquarium’s Lolita on path to extinction as feds mull whale watch
Lolita’s Southern Resident killer whale family is on an extinction trajectory, setting off a bitter fight among orca advocates, naturalists, scientists and lawyers in the Salish Sea region. Antonio Fins reports. (Palm Beach Post)

News coverage: Killer whale grandmothers help their pods endure
Chris Dunagan writes in Watching Our Water Ways: "I was surprised to see the sudden surge of news coverage explaining the important role that orca grandmothers play in our Northwest resident pods. A new research paper adds statistical support to our understanding of why female orcas live long beyond their reproductive years. The new findings are certainly worthy of coverage — although I have never seen a news story about orca research snapped up all at once by the New York Times, Washington Post, Science magazine, National Geographic, London Daily Mail and South China Morning Post, as well as CNN, BBC and Seattle broadcasters. Most news outlets broke the story within hours of Monday’s publication in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/12/03/1903844116

Ship with 60 bags of plastic trash from Great Pacific Garbage patch docks in Vancouver
Sixty cubic metre bags filled with plastic trash ranging from toothbrushes to fishing nets were brought ashore in Vancouver Thursday from a nonprofit vessel collecting plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The trash is being collected as part of a larger initiative organized by the Ocean Cleanup, which originated in the Netherlands but uses B.C. as its base...The vessel has spent the past two months collecting garbage, using a U-shaped contraption that acts like an artificial coastline to collect debris. Micki Cowan reports. (CBC)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  236 AM PST Fri Dec 13 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING   
TODAY  SW wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 14 ft at 16 seconds. Showers likely  and a slight chance of tstms. 
TONIGHT  NW wind to 10 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 12 ft at 15 seconds. A chance of  showers. 
SAT  SE wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 9 ft at 14 seconds. A slight chance of  showers. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  8 ft at 13 seconds. 
SUN  SE wind to 10 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 7 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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12/12 Snailfish, Tacoma LNG, escaping methane, Ardagh Glass suit, Wild Olympics Act, octopus vs eagle

Showy snailfish [Lynn Flaherty]

Showy snailfish Liparis puchellus
Showy snailfish are most commonly sighted resting on soft, sandy bottoms, often curled up around their tails like sleeping dogs. They range in color from pale, golden yellow to chocolate brown. Showy snailfish can be found along the coast from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to central California. Natalie Gibb writes. (liveaboutdotcom]

Environmental groups announce appeal after approval of final permit in Tacoma LNG project 
Environmental groups in Tacoma say they're planning a swift appeal against the decision from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approving a permit for the liquefied natural gas facility that's being built in the city's tideflats...The Sierra Club and Physicians for Social Responsibility convened a press conference to announce their opposition. Barb Church, with the Tacoma Social Justice group The Conversation, says they stand with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and will fight the LNG plant to the end. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Exposing a Hidden Climate Threat: Methane ‘Super Emitters’
Vast amounts of methane are escaping from oil and gas sites nationwide, worsening global warming, even as the Trump administration weakens restrictions on offenders. Jonah M. Kessel and Hiroko Tabuchi report. (NY Times)

Puget Soundkeeper and Waste Action Project Send Notice of Intent to Sue to Ardagh Glass
On December 11, 2019 Puget Soundkeeper and Waste Action Project sent a Notice of Intent to Sue Letter to the glass manufacturer, Ardagh Glass Inc. formerly known as Saint Gobain Containers, operating in the South Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown. Ardaugh Group is a Luxembourg-based producer of glass and metal products. As of 2012, the company operated 89 facilities in 22 countries and had approximately $8.5 billion in revenue. The Seattle glass plant is located on East Marginal Way in a Seattle neighborhood where health studies have shown Washington residents live sicker and die younger than people in other parts of Seattle due, in part, to high pollution emitted by manufacturers in the area. (Skanner News)

Wild Olympics Act clears committee, headed to House floor
Congressman Derek Kilmer’s Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee for possible consideration on the House floor. H.R. 2642 would designate 126,000-plus acres — almost 200 square miles, an area roughly 2 1/2 times the size of Seattle — of Olympic National Forest land as wilderness, and 19 rivers and their tributaries – 464 river miles – as Wild and Scenic rivers. Supporters of the act lauded this latest move as a step in the right direction toward protecting water quality, salmon habitat and forests, while expanding recreation opportunities, including hiking, boating, hunting and fishing without closing any roads or trailhead access. Opponents argue the act makes access to multi-use lands more difficult and takes tens of thousands of acres of second-growth harvestable timber out of the economy. Dan Hammock reports. (Aberdeen Daily News)

If you like to watch: Tentacles vs. talons: Octopus battles bald eagle in video shot off B.C. coast
John Ilett and his colleagues were working at a fish farm off the coast of northern Vancouver Island this week when they witnessed a knock-down drag-out fight between an octopus and bald eagle and caught the battle on video. The crew was in their boat finishing up work late Monday afternoon near Quatsino, B.C., when Ilett said they "heard a lot of screeching, a lot of splashing sounds" and saw a bald eagle drowning in the death grip of a large octopus....The crew didn't know if they should intervene, but eventually decided to step in and save the bird. Bridgette Watson reports. (CBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  237 AM PST Thu Dec 12 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING   
TODAY  S wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt late this  morning. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less late  morning. W swell 15 ft at 18 seconds building to 17 ft at 16  seconds in the afternoon. A chance of rain in the morning then  rain likely and a slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  17 ft at 16 seconds. Showers likely and isolated tstms in the  evening then showers after midnight.



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

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told