9/12 Salish Sea News & Weather: Elwha Love, Puget Sound cleanup time, Samish pollution, Nisqually Aquatic Reserve, BC quake, budget shortfall, fisheries, Frankenfish, wonderful science

Glines Canyon Dam, c. 1926.

Great while it lasted: Cooling in Puget Sound on Monday back into the upper 70s and low 80s, then Tuesday and Wednesday continued cooling with increasing onshore winds and highs in upper 60s and low 70s. Nine straight days of 80-plus degree temperatures break record 

Elwha Love in high gear: Get your guide to this week's Elwha River dam removal events 
Tom Callis is excited: It begins! It finally begins — Elwha dams' removal starts Thursday 
And John Kendall shares a 7-part history of The Elwha Dams

Action, Now: The Seattle Times editorialized yesterday that planning for a healthy Puget Sound has gone on long enough and now it’s time to focus on the cleanup. I say long overdue. Time to move from strategizing to cleanup of Puget Sound

Everybody poops; now what?: Two studies to track the sources of fecal coliform pollution in the Samish Bay confirmed that feces from ruminants, birds and humans were most present in samples throughout the Samish watershed. Samish pollution comes from variety of sources, tests show

One of the studies, conducted by Oregon State University, showed that 58% of the samples could be traced to livestock, 54% to birds and 17% to humans. Many of the samples had both livestock and bird markers, and some could be traced to all three sources. New Studies Track Pollution in Samish Bay

Kudos to WA DNR: The new Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve was formally designated on Friday and includes all state-owned aquatic lands surrounding Anderson, Ketron and Eagle islands and stretches to the south shore of McNeil Island. Nisqually now an aquatic reserve 

Did you feel the earth move under your feet? Earthquake hits off Vancouver Island; desks rumble, chandeliers shake

Uh, oh: Governor says state must brace for another $1.5 billion shortfall in revenue, wiping out budget reserve

Fish Talk: Chuck at Southern Fried Science blogs on last week’s American Fisheries Society meeting in Seattle and recaps some of the sessions he attended.

Boo!: Frankenfish scare enough members of Congress that they are pushing the FDA to hold off on approving Aquabounty’s application to put the genetically engineered salmon on the market. Engineered salmon still a distant reality 

Double Boo!: Scientists have isolated a viral gene that induces zombie-like behavior -- in caterpillars. The virus causes gypsy moth caterpillars to climb to the tops of trees, where they die and their disintegrating bodies rain infectious particles on their unsuspecting brethren below. Zombie caterpillars rain death on species

And, why we love science: Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have shown that sea urchins see with their entire body despite having no eyes at all.  Sea Urchins See With Their Whole Body 
 
Now, your tug weather:
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 601 AM PDT MON SEP 12 2011
  TODAY
 SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY MORNING FOG.
 TONIGHT
 W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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