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| PHOTO: Jeffrey Lee |
Legislature returns to Olympia this morning for a special session to close another multibillion dollar budget gap. One view is that it might get ugly: Legislature’s special session could get ugly over budget; Democrats want a mix of cuts and new revenue, Republicans want only cuts, and there will be no easy fixes. Another is that reality might prevail: Same budget-cut task, changed political tone for this special session
Ashley Ahearn and Bonnie Stewart at EarthFix report on the increasing risk of an oil spill disaster as budget cuts reduce prevention and response resources. NW Readiness for Oil Spills Drops As Risks Increase
A sea turtle, never before seen in B.C. waters, has washed up on Wickaninnish Beach. An olive ridley turtle washed up on Wickaninnish Beach
Up close and personal: Sea ‘aliens’ color tanks at Port Angeles marine center
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Chuck Snyder ruled that Bellingham doesn't have to provide water service to a proposed 141-home development on Governor's Point, a forested point along Chuckanut Drive. Judge dismisses developer's lawsuit seeking water for Governor's Point
King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum suspended the developer’s application to make the Point Wells high-rise project an urban center until Snohomish County's comprehensive plan amendments and development regulations comply with the State Environmental Policy Act. Judge suspends building Point Wells high-rise project
Envision Skagit 2060, a year-long public process to guide development of Skagit County, is now available in final report form at www.skagitcounty.net/envisionskagit Committee drafts vision for county
According to a Public News Service report, rains have brought 14 federal flood disaster declarations to Washington in the last 20 years, with almost 60 deaths and over $1.4 billion in damages. Dan Siemann, senior environmental policy specialist in the National Wildlife Federation Pacific Region tells what’s wrong with the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance policies. Let It Rain? FEMA Faces Challenges in Soggy WA
Last week’s leak of 1,000 litres of heating oil from a home flowed into Colquitz Creek in Saanich at the height of the salmon return to the creek. Timing 'couldn't be worse' for fuel spill into Colquitz Creek
The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport is now open to visitors through January 29. Salmon help attract bald eagles to the upper Skagit River valley
The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning B.C. poultry farmers and veterinarians to stop using a bovine antibiotic on chickens. The agency believes the practice is behind a significant spike in drug-resistant Campylobacter bacteria found in chicken tested from grocery stores. B.C. poultry industry warned to halt use of antibiotic
Department of Ecology director Ted Sturdevant testified before a Senate panel asking for passage of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and restrict the "worst of the worst" chemicals. They are defined as chemicals that are persistent and build up in the food chain, such as lead, mercury and flame retardants. Ecology chief: New pollution undoing cleanup
What the rains brought to Bremerton: A record flow of stormwater mixed with sewage surged through Bremerton's sewer system early Wednesday, overflowing six pump stations and spilling nearly 700,000 gallons of diluted wastewater into Port Washington Narrows. Bremerton's sewage plant nearly overwhelmed by storm
Former environment minister Barry Penner, best known in Greater Victoria for ordering sewage treatment, is resigning from politics. Former environment minister Barry Penner packs it in, takes job as lawyer
Salmon fishing on the Samish River in Skagit County is closing to reduce incidental hooking of wild steelhead, which are expected to return in numbers below escapement goals. Fishing to close on the Samish River
Tomales Bay, a pristine estuary in West Marin, California, is where aquaculturalist Luc Chamberland has established the Pickleweed Point Community Oyster Farm to educate the public about the benefits of bivalve cultivation. The method: grow your own. Learning on the half-shell
Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON NOV 28 2011
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS. W WIND 10 KT BECOMING S. WIND WAVES 1 FT.
TONIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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Thanks for this, Mike - as always, lots of interesting and useful info here.
ReplyDeleteThe Colquitz Creek story is a sad one with a personal connection for me. A little over 40 years ago I was one of a crew of kids from our high school who worked on cleaning up Colquitz Creek. We hauled masses of garbage out, inspired by feeling part of what then seemed like a new and growing movement - environmentalism - and by the notion that our action could help ensure that the dwindling population of salmon returning to that beleagured waterway not only survived, but thrived. I've always felt good about our accomplishment, but alas, "garbage" takes many forms and it seems our work as environmentalists is never over.