6/14 HPAs, orcas, Barker Cr., forage fish, algae blooms, Port Orchard, BC bag ban, LNG, Mojo

OrcaSing 2011 Poster  (Troy Coleman)

A permit for construction in and around state waters — free of charge since the program started in 1943 — will now cost $150 for processing. The permit, called a hydraulic project approval, or HPA, is used to ensure that construction projects adequately protect fish and shellfish. Christopher Dunagan reports. Permit fee added for construction near state waters

Howard Garrett from the Orca Network is the featured speaker at the Mukilteo Historical Society meeting tonight. The meeting will begin at 7:15 PM in the Fowler Room of the Rosehill Community Center. Refreshments, including the Orca favorite of salmon, will be served.  Noted orca expert to speak at historical society meeting  

Every summer the City Cantábile Choir, directed by Fred West, conducts a "musical celebration of the environment" at Limekiln State Park on San Juan Island. This annual summer solstice event at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16 is dedicated to the recovery of the resident orca population.  Orca Sing Saturday June 16 at Limekiln State Park  

Barker Creek cuts through the semi-rural landscape of hobby farms and small towns on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula. And like many small waterways in this region, Barker Creek has had problems with fecal coliform. Rain washes the bacteria from animal manure and leaky septic systems into nearby waterways. In some watersheds, the contamination can get so bad that officials have to close shellfish beds and post signs warning people to stay away from the water. But, for the first time since 1996, Barker Creek has its fecal coliform levels under control. Ashley Ahearn reports. Tackling Water Pollution One Creek At A Time

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council could dive into the protection of the smaller species that feed marine mammals, salmon, tuna, and other fish that people love to eat. Big fish, little fish: Fisheries Council looks at pre-emptive protection  

Scientists are amazed at the size and number of algae blooms staining the waters of Puget Sound. The Department of Ecology has conducted flyovers of Puget Sound the last two days and what they saw has them searching for answers. They are hoping other agencies will sample and test water from the blooms to determine what they are and maybe where they came from. Unexplained algae blooms have scientists searching for answers  

Capping a three-year public process, the Port Orchard City Council on Tuesday approved a revision of its Shoreline Master Program, which regulates development near fresh- and saltwater shorelines. Other local jurisdictions are at various stages of shoreline updates. Poulsbo approved its shorelines plan in May. Kitsap County's Planning Commission held a hearing on the county's revised plan June 6. Chris Henry reports.  Port Orchard approves shorelines plan  

Sixty per cent of British Columbians say prohibiting retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags is a good idea, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. The online survey involved of a representative national sample of 1,019 Canadian adults. The margin of error — which measures sampling variability — is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. Most British Columbians want plastic bags banned - poll  

Wearing red shirts and small white buttons with the acronym LNG crossed out, dozens of opponents of a proposed “bi-directional” liquefied natural gas terminal in Warrenton were greeted at an informational open house Tuesday evening by project staffers with their own decorative baubles: Large green buttons stating that LNG is good for business. ‘We would just like LNG to go away’  

With a clean bill of health and 230 more pounds on its chassis, Wolf Hollow's most voracious guest checked out and hit the beach at the end of May. Nicknamed Mojo, the young Stellar sea lion that spent nearly four months being nursed back to health at the San Juan Island-based wildlife rehabilitation center was escorted back to Washington's outer coast May 29 and released back into the wild, south of the Olympic Peninsula, in an area where many of its kind are known to congregate. Scott Rasmussen reports.  Homeward bound: fit, fat and back to sea    And: From stuck in the mud back to the skies

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT THU JUN 14 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND PATCHY DRIZZLE THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING W 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

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