8/31 BP penalty, Kitsap restoration, stormwater rules, BC First Nations vs Kinder Morgan, Shell drilling

Blunden Harbor (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride writes in Eye on Environment: Blunden Harbour forms a welcome haven on a long stretch of open, exposed coastline on the east side of Queen Charlotte Strait. Inside are extensive intertidal mudflats along with a huge tidal lagoon, a number of streams and miles of protected shoreline..." Blunden Harbour: So Little Remains  

Thoughts at the end of August-- Salish Sea Communications blog: "The Republican presidential nominee asked me last night whether I was better off now than I was four years ago. Here’s my answer:..." Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?  

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has cited the BP Cherry Point refinery for six safety violations stemming from the agency's inspection of the facility after a Feb. 17 fire. The state agency is proposing fines totaling $81,500 for the alleged violations, including one that the agency characterized as a "willful violation."  State safety agency fines BP in wake of refinery fire  

Work began Monday on the Powel Shoreline Restoration Project, a joint effort of the family, the Puget Sound Partnership and the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, aimed at improving nearshore habitat for salmon, forage fish and other marine species. Beyond its immediate ecological impact, environmental groups see the Powel project as an example of landowners taking the lead on habitat restoration. Tad Sooter reports.
Bainbridge project seen as model for shoreline restoration    See also: Bulkhead removal at CK park will test habitat change  

State environmental officials will start enforcing stricter rules to protect Western Washington's waters, and some municipalities are resisting the change. The chairwoman of Birch Bay's Steering Committee was troubled to learn that the community had just been added to the permit list, but county officials said they will not appeal the decision. The new rules, including more water-quality monitoring and more reporting, add a cost burden, Ferndale officials said. The city might join a coalition appealing the new stormwater permit.  Whatcom communities brace for tighter, costlier stormwater regulations  

Keep your eyes on the Burrard Inlet this weekend. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation, which has traditional territory in Burnaby, is co-hosting a historic canoe journey with the Squamish Nation to protect the Salish Sea and stand against Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion project. Jennifer Moreau reports. First Nations band together against Kinder Morgan  

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Thursday made a surprise announcement that the government will allow Shell Oil Co. to begin well work in the Chukchi Sea this year even before its oil spill containment barge is ready.  Salazar told reporters in a news briefing that the newly approved work will involve drilling 1,400 feet or more into the sea floor but that the hole will not reach any oil-bearing zones. So the chance of a spill is virtually nonexistent at this stage, he said.  Shell gets OK to start drilling preparations in Alaska's Chukchi Sea

Now, your Labor/Labour Day weekend weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI AUG 31 2012
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SAT
SW WIND 10 KT BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 20 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT.
SUN AND SUN NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT.
MON AND TUE
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT.

--
"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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8/30 BC quake, Tsawwassen sewage, rockfish challenge, Free Deschutes, Salish Sea Festival, Skagit floods, ambergris

Spill drill (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)

New blog: “After Friends of the San Juans’ board member San Olson told me about a talk he was giving on risks associated with increased vessel traffic in our shared Salish Sea waters, I came across a photo with a story about an oil-spill drill conducted last week around Port Angeles....” ‘Tis Only Human to Spill...

A minor earthquake has shaken southern Vancouver Island. The Pacific Geosciences Centre reports that the tremor, which occurred at 3:20 p.m. PT, had a magnitude of 3.0 and was centred about 20 kilometres west of Victoria. The quake occurred about 25 kilometres underground, a centre spokesman said, and was felt on both coasts of the southern island, from Sooke to Sidney, and as far north as Cowichan Lake.  Earthquake shakes Victoria area   

The Tsawwassen First Nation’s ambitious plans for undeveloped reserve land are being throttled by a lack of infrastructure. The Tsawwassen have made land available to commercial and residential developers who have plans for 1,900 housing units and a 1.8-million-square-foot mall complex that would be the single-largest retail shopping destination in British Columbia. Tsawwassen plan lacks sewage capacity  

Lopez-based conservation laboratory Kwiáht has issued a challenge to high school teachers and their classes throughout San Juan County to devise “reliable, economical” electronic devices to study and monitor the islands’ declining rockfish populations. Kwiáht director Russel Barsh said relatively little is known about their ecology or behavior because a few hours of underwater video observation can cost thousands of dollars. The solution, Barsh suggests, will be compact electronic packages that rest on the sea floor “like the NASA Mars lander” or are attached to individual living fish.  Understanding rockfish: Kwiaht issues tech challenge to local high schools 

Attend the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team picnic on Sept. 1st at Olympia’s Heritage Park and support the vision of a restored estuary and the benefits of removing the dam from Capitol Lake. From 1 p.m., speakers will include Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark, Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero, local historian Emmett O'Connell and music by The Hinges and Dana Lyons. Go with the Flow....Free the Deschutes!!!  

On Sunday September 2nd, the Wilderness Committee and Tanker Free BC join Coast Salish First Nations to co-host the Save the Salish Sea Festival. The free, family-friendly event will be held from noon to 6 p.m. at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver, right next to the Lonsdale Quay Seabus. The event comes a day after a First Nations canoe journey through the Burrard Inlet, which hopes to raise awareness about the increasing tanker traffic coming in and out of Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby marine terminal. Save the Salish Sea Festival Sunday Sept. 2

Skagit County cities and dike districts may have to prepare for a bit of unexpected sticker shock this year, as the county could ask them for money to help pay the local share of a critical flood study. Skagit County’s Natural Resources Division manager Dan Berentson told commissioners Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking the county to come up with $150,000 by year’s end, and another $600,000 next year. The money would pay for the continuation of the Skagit River General Investigation Study. The federal agency and the Skagit County communities are expected to split the costs 50-50. More than $11 million in local and federal funds have been spent on the study, which began in the early 1990s — and the clock is still ticking. Kate Martin reports.  County could ask cities, dike districts, for money to advance critical flood study

A schoolboy has stumbled across a rare piece of whale vomit which could be worth a staggering £40,000. Officially called ambergris, the substance is highly sought after and is used to prolong the scent of perfume. Charlie Naysmith made the discovery at Hengistbury Head, much to the amazement of his parents. Schoolboy's rich after finding Moby's sick  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT THU AUG 30 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND BECOMING NW 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

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8/29 No coal vote, coal study, fuel efficiency, save dams, algae biofuel, Sound Champ, BC caffeine

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Water’s rising: Hurricane Isaac’s made landfall, bringing its storm surge to the Gulf coast, on the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s destructive landfall. Meanwhile the GOP talk love and compassion. Go see Beasts of the Southern Wild and try putting it all together in your head and heart.

It's official: The initiative attempting to prohibit coal shipments through Bellingham will not be on the ballot in November. In a brief opinion issued Monday, Aug. 27, the Washington Court of Appeals upheld an Aug. 3 decision from Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Charles Snyder, who found that the anti-coal ordinance and Community Bill of Rights proposed by the Coal-Free Bellingham group could not withstand post-election legal scrutiny, and would be misleading to voters if they were put on the ballot. John Stark reports. Appeals court keeps anti-coal measure off Bellingham ballot  

Portland city Commissioner Amanda Fritz and Hood River City Council member Kate McBride rallied a group of coal export protesters outside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland offices on Tuesday. The protest group wants the agency to complete a comprehensive study of the possible effects of coal exports on Northwest communities. They also want other elected officials to take action against coal exports. Bonnie Stewart reports. Portland And Hood River Officials Call For Army Corps Of Engineers Study Of Coal Exports  

The best news out of the Obama administration in a long time came in this week's announcement of a deal struck with the auto industry to double the fuel efficiency of U.S. cars and trucks by 2025, to an average of 54.5 mpg across the entire fleet. Danny Westneat writes. A win in the war on warming  

A GOP bill goes before a congressional subcommittee headed by a representative who believes dam-removal proponents seek higher gas prices and reduced lifestyles. The dams-versus-salmon dispute heats up again. Dan Chasan writes. Doc Hastings launches a new effort to save dams from salmon  

Algae biofuels just got a boost. A company in Seattle announced Wednesday that they’ve secured enough funding to expand their research on how to cultivate blue-green algae to make fuel.  Matrix Genetics has spent four years researching cyanobacteria – or blue-green algae. They are a harmless relative of the algae that cause blooms in Puget Sound, and their DNA is very simple. Their simple DNA is what made it possible for the company to genetically modify these algae to be obese. That’s right, they’re making fat algae. Ashley Ahearn reports.  Local Biofuel Efforts Gets A Boost With Fat Algae  

The Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership named Friends of the San Juans (FOSJ) a 2012 Puget Sound Champion. FOSJ earned the recognition for its  effort to create a tool for prioritizing salmon protection and restoration actions for San Juan County. FOSJ named a Puget Sound Champion

And, for another angle on the caffeine flush: Caffeine has become a significant pollutant in the ocean off the U.S. Pacific Northwest, according to a university researcher. Elise Granek, a marine ecologist at Portland State University in Oregon, sampled waters up and down the Oregon coast and found measurable levels of caffeine...Granek, who did all her initial research in the waters off Oregon, said she's curious about caffeine levels in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between southern Vancouver Island and the Washington coast. That's where Victoria pumps untreated sewage effluent directly into its coastal waters, and won’t have a sewage treatment facility in place until 2018. Caffeine flushed into Pacific Ocean stresses marine life

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED AUG 29 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. N SWELL 2 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 9 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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8/28 Navy wharf, Issaquah salmon, Rayonier cleanup, Asian carp, abalone internship, seagull kill, blue moon

Carl Safina's Lionfish

Carl Safina writes: "About 20 years ago, one of the world’s most beautiful and otherworldly fish, the lionfish, started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now, they’re—let’s face it—they’re a plague. Millions of them now live from the northeastern South America to New York, in water you can stand in, down to depths of a thousand feet..." Scourge of the Lionfish, Part 1: The Scourge  

In a case involving tribal rivalries, the Suquamish Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the Navy and other federal agencies over their approval of a new explosives handling wharf at the Navy's Bangor facility. Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman said the lawsuit was necessary to protect the tribe's treaty rights in Hood Canal, where the Navy plans to build a $715 million explosives handling wharf. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall. The lawsuit seeks to halt construction of the wharf and obtain court recognition that federal agencies have violated the tribe's treaty rights. The Suquamish Tribe was left out of mitigation agreements with four other tribes that have uncontested treaty rights on Hood Canal. Under those agreements, the Navy will pay nearly $9 million to mitigate the loss of treaty resources. Christopher Dunagan reports.  Suquamish Tribe files suit over Navy's new wharf at Bangor  

Salmon spawning season at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery started early Aug. 25 as a hatchery docent-in-training spotted the first fish, a small chinook in Issaquah Creek. The recent drop in temperature aided the salmon on a long journey from the Pacific Ocean to Issaquah Creek. Cool conditions often prompt the fish to depart Lake Sammamish and head upstream. Spawning salmon reaches Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

A new state Department of Ecology open house on the Rayonier pulp mill cleanup project will be held in Linkletter Hall at Olympic Medical Center, 939 Caroline St., from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Ecology officials are seeking public comment on an amendment to the company’s agreed order. The amendment outline roles and responsibilities of Rayonier and the city of Port Angeles while pipeline trenches — about a mile — are dug on the property for the city’s $41.7 million combined sewer overflow project.  New hearing on Rayonier cleanup project set for Wednesday

An invasive species of carp could threaten salmon in the Fraser River. Fishermen are reporting sightings of what could be Asian carp near Lillooet and Lytton. The Asian carp is an invasive species that threatens indigenous species and preys on their larvae. They also jump out of the water, endangering recreational boaters and skiers. Shawn Conner reports.  Invasive species of carp could threaten salmon in the Fraser River.  

A mutual love of the water brought two students to Anacortes this summer to work on a project meant to restore native abalone to local waters. Annie Thomson attends the University of Washington and Anne Benolkin goes to the University of Alaska Southeast, and both finished their undergraduate research internships last week at the Shannon Point Marine Center. They lived at the center and worked in the surrounding waters and at the laboratory. Erinn Unger reports.  “…A beautiful place to do science.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee has killed about 150 seagulls with a pellet gun at Swantown Marina since Oct. 1, 2011, under a gull management contract with the Port of Olympia designed to reduce gull droppings, the agency’s district supervisor for Western Washington said Monday. Port Harbor Director Bruce Marshall said the program is necessary to keep gull droppings from covering the docks and boats. The gull droppings are a source of constant complaints from boaters and visitors to the marina, he said.  150 gulls killed at Swantown  

Skygazers will be treated to a blue moon on Friday. But don't get overly excited. Under one widely accepted but disputed definition, a blue moon is simply the second full moon in a given month. The moon was also full on Aug. 2. Since full moons appear 29.5 days apart, it comes down to how long the month is and how early in the month the first full moon falls. In other words, math. 'Blue moon' is all about the math

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 28 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT EARLY...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 7 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

8/27 Marble butterfly, McNeil Is., Bainbridge water, U Place sewer, orca lawsuit, BC Coast Guard, Enbridge bitumen, Tacoma Tideflats, Shaw Is., invasives app

Xerces Society (Jim Miskelly)

Dean Kahn writes: 40th birthday party planned for Lake Padden Park

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation filed a petition today, August 22, 2012 requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extend Endangered Species Act protection to the island marble butterfly. The butterfly, found on Lopez and San Juan islands only, is in imminent danger of extinction. Because it has an extremely small and isolated population, has experienced recent declines in abundance and site occupancy, and its habitat faces continued threats, it is among the most imperiled animals in the world according to Xerces Society. Petition filed to add Island Marble Butterfly to Endangered Species List

Got ideas about what should happen next on McNeil Island, now that the prison’s closed? Here’s your chance to make them known. As part of a long-range planning process for the island, the state Office of Financial Management has scheduled two open houses next week to explain the process and gather public comments. The first open house will be in Olympia. It’s scheduled for 12:30-2:30 p.m. Monday in the Columbia Room of the Legislative Building on the Capitol campus. The second open house will be in University Place. It’s scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pierce County Environmental Services Building, 9850 64th St. W.  Public comment sought on future of McNeil Island  

The State of the Island's Waters report is Bainbridge's first comprehensive look at the health of streams and nearshore water. The 156-page report was drawn from data gathered in all 12 Bainbridge watersheds and along the island's shoreline over the last five years by staff and volunteers from the city's Water Quality and Flow Monitoring Program. The findings of the report largely confirmed what state and local scientists already knew. Most Bainbridge streams struggle with harmful levels of bacteria and nutrients, and low levels of oxygen. The same issues plaguing island streams trickle down into the island's nearshore waters. Of the 16 streams regularly sampled by the city, all but Cooper Creek failed to meet the state Department of Ecology standards for fecal coliform bacteria, one of the greatest concerns for human health. Tad Sooter reports. Report raises concerns about Bainbridge streams, shorelines

The City of University Place will get a big infusion of cash – $2.25 million – as advance payment for permits and other work that’s required to expand the county’s Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to a county-city agreement. The money will pay for the city to do inspections, review plans and issue permits for the $353 million expansion of the sewage treatment facility inside city limits, next door to Chamber Bay Golf Course. University Place will get $2.25 million for wastewater project  

Animal rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the conditions in which Miami Seaquarium is keeping Lolita, a member of the endangered southern resident killer whale pods. The lawsuit, filed by Orca Network, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, is challenging the USDA's decision to renew the Seaquarium's Animal Welfare Act licence. Animal groups launch lawsuit to move aquarium's orca to sea  

Dozens of demonstrators, elected officials and union members rallied outside the Kitsilano Coast Guard base on Saturday, urging the federal government once again to reverse its decision to shut down the base. Federal, provincial and local politicians reiterated their support on Saturday for the Kitsilano station, stressing that without it, mariners’ lives would be in jeopardy.  Fight against closure of Vancouver’s Kitsilano Coast Guard base continues   See also: 100 protest Kitsilano coast guard station closure

Enbridge Inc.’s response plan for a potential spill of Northern Gateway oil into the pristine waters off British Columbia doesn’t take into account the unique oil mixture the pipeline would actually carry, documents show. Enbridge officials confirm the spill-response plan they have filed with the federal review panel studying the pipeline proposal deals with conventional crude, not specifically the diluted bitumen the pipeline will carry.  Enbridge cleanup plan does not take bitumen into account  

Three decades ago, Tacoma Tideflats industries emitted a witch’s brew of foul-smelling and health-threatening pollutants. Many of the Tideflats industrial sites were contaminated with chemicals, and its log yards were paved with a layer of arsenic- and metal-laden ground slag from Tacoma’s Asarco copper smelter. The Tideflats’ air was polluted, its ground contaminated and its waters tainted. That’s no longer the case, thanks to a dedicated cleanup effort and economic changes that eliminated the biggest sources of pollution. John Gillie reports. Port of Tacoma, industry have eyes on a clean future

Thank goodness: "This is the last of four stories about the San Juan Islands. Shaw Island in the San Juan Islands is small, private and quiet, by design, but a peek into its world finds a timeless community of cloistered nuns, reclusive millionaires and faithful stewards of a protected way of life. Brian J. Cantwell reports. Tranquil Shaw is an island of blessings

Want to fight against the spread of Scotch broom or the invasion of giant hogweed? There's an app for that. A new Report-A-Weed B.C. app - developed by the Invasive Species Council of B.C., the Forests Ministry and Hipwood Digital - allows users to upload photos of strange, spreading plants, browse a list of invasive plants and view an interactive weed map. Most importantly, it will allow users to submit reports on invasive plant sightings. The free app is available for iPhones and Android phones. It can be downloaded through the Apple iTunes store and Google Play. New app helps weed out invasive species

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 27 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. CHANCE
 OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

8/24 Glines Canyon Dam, netpens, Kinder Morgan, BC green reviews, shellfish toxin, Victoria sewage, LOTT wastewater, Oly shores

Glines Canyon Dam (Peninsula Daily News)

If you like to watch: The intake tower at Glines Canyon Dam and its Lake Mills reservoir crashes to the ground on Wednesday in a video (and still photos) courtesy of cinematographer John Gussman of Sequim. Click here  to see them. Note the "Play the Video Here" button at the beginning and at the end of the string of stills.  TIMBER! A tower at Glines Canyon Dam crashes to the ground as part of Elwha River restoration (VIDEO)

Our Man on the Peninsula writes: "If you are concerned about the latest proposals to bring net pen aquaculture to the Strait of Juan de Fuca (5 miles west of Port Angeles), or are concerned and unclear about the current standoff by the Department of Ecology and the Jefferson County Commissioners over allowing in water net pen aquaculture in Jefferson County (through the Shoreline Master Program updated), then you should take the time to listen to this lecture (it runs over an hour in total)... Dr. Lawrence Dill is one of the foremost researchers on sea lice, and has a lot to say about the “possible” negative impacts of net pen aquaculture based on years of scientific, peer reviewed, published work. He was brought to lecture in Port Angeles last week, by a consortium of environmental groups concerned about the proposals for net pen aquaculture in Jefferson and Clallam counties lately." Dr. Lawrence Dill Net Pen Presentation Now Online

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners KMP.N said on Thursday that shippers on its chronically overbooked Trans Mountain oil pipeline system between Alberta and the Pacific Coast will be limited to just 33 percent of their hoped-for volumes in September. Kinder Morgan said the system, which carries Canadian crude to the Vancouver area and Washington state refineries, is over-nominated by 67 percent. Increasing numbers of shippers are seeking to move oil to the Vancouver harbor, where it can be shipped to Asia and other markets offering richer returns than more traditional markets for Canadian crude such as the U.S. Midwest. Overbooking on Trans Mountain pipeline leaves users short

Fears are growing that developments such as independent power projects, shellfish farms on beaches and marina expansions are likely to be built without oversight as the federal government cuts back on environmental assessments. Changes to the federal Environmental Assessment Act are halting more than 500 B.C. assessments in their tracks and many future projects will no longer meet the criteria for assessments.  Environmental groups fear reviews won't be conducted at all after cuts

Shellfish toxins have reached deadly levels and recently sent a South Kitsap man to the emergency room, according to the Kitsap Public Health District. The 51-year-old ate mussels gathered Aug. 15 in the Manchester/Colchester area, said Jim Zimny, water quality expert with the health district. His entire body went numb and he was taken to the hospital. The symptoms remained for four days.  Toxin levels in Kitsap shellfish climbing to potentially fatal levels

Greater Victoria's sewage-treatment project will use $6 million over the next six months to take its first steps, establishing a program management office and appointing the commission that will oversee the project. Included in the six-month budget - approved Wednesday at the Capital Regional District's core area liquid waste management committee meeting - is $4 million for consultant and advisory fees, a large chunk of which will go to Stantec Inc., which has a long-term contract with the CRD to provide management and technical services on the project. CRD approves 6-month budget for sewage project

The LOTT Clean Water Alliance ( Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Thurston County )seeks a dozen or more Thurston County residents to help forge public opinion about a study to define the sewer utility’s ability to mix highly treated wastewater with groundwater. The four-year scientific study, estimated to cost roughly $4.2 million, is designed to answer questions about where and how much reclaimed wastewater can be safely injected into the region’s groundwater supplies. Applicants are sought to join a citizens group that will ensure the study addresses community concerns, said Karla Fowler, LOTT director of community relations and environmental policy. John Dodge reports. LOTT Alliance seeks residents to help answer public's wastewater questions

The Olympia City Council might not approve a controversial update to its state-mandated shoreline plan until March, instead of the end of the year, under a new plan it considered this week. Tuesday night, the council agreed to a schedule involving at least three more public workshops on the Shoreline Management Program. The proposed meeting schedule, presented by Keith Stahley, director of Community Planning and Development, would push council approval of the plan until March 26, following a public hearing. The city already missed the state’s 2011 deadline. Matt Bacheldor reports. Olympia council might not OK shoreline plan update until '13

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI AUG 24 2012
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT.
SUN
SW WIND 10 KT EARLY...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT.

--
"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

8/23 Coal export, big whales, Sound Transit, parks future, Navy wharf, BC oil tankers, Sultan R habitat, BC spiders

Big Whales Near Shore (Associated Press)

Ashley Ahearn boats with Senator Kevin Ranker to Cherry Point, a proposed site of the Gateway Pacific Terminal, one of five possible coal export terminals being considered for construction in Washington and Oregon as American coal companies look to the Northwest as the fastest way to bring their product from the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana to Asian markets: American Coal Companies Look To The Northwest For Export Opportunities   And, at the source: The U.S. produces about a billion tons of coal every year. Almost half of it is mined here in the Powder River Basin in the northeastern corner of the state of Wyoming. Katie Campbell and Ashley Ahearn report. What Wyoming Coal Means For The Northwest - The View From Coal Country  

Tourists from around the world are flocking to the Monterey Bay to catch a glimpse of the massive marine mammals, including impressive numbers of blue whales, the largest animals on earth. Longtime observers say they've seen a sharp increase in endangered blue and humpback whales feeding close to California's shores. What's bringing the whales so close to shore? A bumper harvest of their favorite food: tiny, shrimplike critters known as krill.  Endangered whales invade California coastal waters

The Qwuloolt estuary project south of Marysville aims to restore 380 acres of farmland to its original condition as a saltwater marsh. For its part in helping the project move forward, Sound Transit is being honored with an environmental excellence award at a presentation scheduled for today. The $11 million estuary project aims to re-establish salmon habitat. The idea is to breach several earthen dikes to let saltwater from Possession Sound flow into the marsh north of Ebey Slough. Estuary restoration work earns Sound Transit an award

State legislators have told Washington State Parks to become completely self–sufficient by 2013. But one of the avenues to achieving that goal, the Discover Pass, is struggling. So, what's next for state parks? David Hyde talks with Don Hoch, the head of Washington State Parks. What's The Future Of Washington State Parks?  

The Navy can start building a second explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. The Army Corps of Engineers issued the final permit needed for the $715 million project Tuesday, it announced Wednesday. The wharf will be used to load and unload ballistic missiles from Trident submarines. Work is expected to begin in early September and be completed by January 2016.  Corps of Engineers issues final permit for Navy wharf  

Is there or is there not a moratorium on tanker traffic in the coast waters of B.C.? Samantha Garvey reports. Slick Talk: A history of oil tankers and B.C.’s coast  

A helicopter whirred over a patch of woods near the Sultan River on Wednesday morning, dangling a 40-foot log that would soon be plopped expertly into a shallow channel of water to create fish habitat. The bustle in the air and on the ground at Sultan's Osprey Park was part of a $3 million project by the Snohomish County Public Utility District. The work fulfills one of several promises the PUD made last year as part of a new, long-term license to operate a dam and hydropower plant upstream. Noah Haglund reports. PUD creating salmon habitat along Sultan River

A group of B.C researchers are volunteering their time in search of what many people spend their summers trying to avoid — spiders. B.C is home to more than half of Canada's spider species but so many are undiscovered, researchers say it's hard to nail down the numbers. B.C's spider hunters uncovering new high altitude species 

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU AUG 23 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF DRIZZLE THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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8/22 Kitsap shores, coal trains, Elwha Love, water bottling, Old Town Dock, downwind rule

Skull Cove (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: “Along parts of the British Columbia coast, boaters refer to August as “Fogust”, for good reason. As warm, moist air moves over the colder sea surface, fog forms overnight, and often doesn’t dissipate until the next afternoon. It can make for some tricky traveling....”  Fogust: Love It or Loathe It 

New blog: “I’m reminded of giving a talk about runoff pollution and how preserving wetlands could offset the costs of treating pollutants in runoff.  During the subsequent discussion, I was reminded by two women sitting in the front row that I should not forget that these wetlands are also good simply for the birds and the animals that live there....” The Selfish Environmentalist

The Kitsap County Planning Commission has proposed that 22 additional shoreline areas be designated "natural," the most-protective zone available in the county's revised Shorelines Master Program. Most of the additions, which include miles of undeveloped shoreline along Hood Canal, were previously considered borderline between "natural" and "rural conservative," according to Kitsap County shorelines planner Dave Greetham. The "natural" designation, with standard buffers of 200 feet, is reserved for areas relatively untouched by humans. Christopher Dunagan reports. More shoreline meets 'natural' criteria, planners say  

A string of derailments of trains carrying coal has galvanized opponents of new coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest, who are concerned that more traffic in their communities would compromise health, the environment and public safety. Early Tuesday, a CSX coal train turned over on its side in Ellicott City, Md., near Baltimore. Two college students were killed, and the accident closed roads and businesses. Last month, a Union Pacific coal train derailed on a highway overpass near Chicago, killing two people in a car on the road below. Recent derailments of coal trains in Washington state and Texas resulted in no fatalities, but they added to the debate over transporting coal. Curtis Tate reports.  Train derailments fuel debate over transporting coal  

Lake Mills is reduced to a large puddle, Lake Aldwell is gone, plants are starting to grow in the empty lakebeds, and the salmon already are coming back to stretches of the Elwha River where they haven’t been seen for 100 years. In all, it was a very good year of progress on the Elwha River’s recovery, Todd Suess, acting superintendent of Olympic National Park, told an audience of about 200 at Peninsula College’s Little Theater on Monday. The gathering was the first of two free public events during the four-day 2012 Elwha River Science Symposium. Arwyn Rice reports.  Scientists tells of Elwha restoration progress during symposium   And: More king salmon sightings upriver in Elwha

Residents on both sides of the issue spoke at Monday night’s City Council meeting about the proposal to add about 11 acres of property to the city’s urban growth area with the possibility of siting the Tethys Enterprises bottling plant there. Twenty-five business leaders and residents spoke in front of the crowd of roughly 100 people. Proponents of the addition cited the jobs and economic advantages of adding the property. Opponents took issue with the process, citing lack of public participation, as well as the potential transportation and environmental impacts and large size of the Tethys proposal with several calling the company a “vulture” capital firm. The council opted to postpone any decision on whether the urban growth area process should move forward until its Tuesday, Sept. 4 meeting. Kimberly Jacobson reports. Public weighs in on potential Tethys site

Tacoma’s Old Town Dock might finally be available for public use next summer – nearly five years after the city barred access because of deterioration. The Tacoma City Council awarded to Quigg Bros., Inc., of Aberdeen a $1.7 million contract Monday for renovations to the dock on Ruston Way. The project, which is scheduled for completion in June 2013, will replace deteriorated wooden pilings and decking that made the dock a hazard to pedestrians. Tacoma City Council OKs $1.7M contract to repair Old Town Dock

A federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a federal rule that laid out how much air pollution states would have to clean up to avoid incurring violations in downwind states. The decision sends the Environmental Protection Agency, and perhaps even Congress, back to the drawing board in what has become a long and paralyzing argument over how to mesh a system of state-by-state regulation with the problem of industrial smokestacks pumping pollutants into a single atmosphere.  Court Blocks E.P.A. Rule on Cross-State Pollution  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED AUG 22 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. AREAS OF DRIZZLE THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE
 OF RAIN OR DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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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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8/21 BC orcas, 'not stupid,' Anacortes annexation, Kimberly-Clark demolition

BC Orcas (CBC News)

If you like to watch: Close to Shore, Humpbacks Are Far From Safe  

A group of orcas off B.C.’s central coast appears to have less food than usual this summer and researchers say they’ll be monitoring the animals to see how many survive the winter. The marine mammals usually travel in collections of family groups called super pods at this time of year, but that’s not what scientists are seeing. “The resident killer whales are travelling in quite small groups, much smaller than usual,” said Lance Barrett-Lennard, a marine mammal researcher at the Vancouver Aquarium. The aquarium’s research team has just returned from a research trip monitoring the orcas and say that in addition to travelling in smaller groups, the whales also are talking less among themselves — another indication that food is scarce. Some B.C. orcas facing food shortage  

A Canadian man caught in a photo appearing to fill up garbage bags with fuel from a Bellingham gasoline station told a Vancouver, B.C., newspaper that he had gas cans inside the bag. "What kind of a stupid person would put gas in a plastic bag?" the man said. "You can see (the bags) weren't overflowing like they would if you were putting liquid." B.C. man alleged to have filled garbage bags with gas in Bellingham says he used jerry cans  

The city of Anacortes is hearing comments from the public at its meeting Monday night over a potential new manufacturing facility. But no one seems to know exactly what the controversial new plant will make. Sara Lerner reports.  Anacortes Considers Massive New Manufacturing Plant  

A months-long demolition of the Kimberly-Clark pulp and paper mill has started. The work wasn't visible Monday. Some workers were on top of one roof, and big booming sounds could be heard on the Port Gardner side of the mill.  Kimberly-Clark mill demolition begins  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 21 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 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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8/20 Safe seafood, killing gulls, sea-level rise, Embridge science, Pt Gamble oysters, Stoops award, Slug U

You really don't want to watch: B.C. man caught filling garbage bags full of gas in Bellingham  

A dispute over how much seafood people eat in Washington -- and what it means for the state's environmental regulations -- will have to wait for the administration of a Gov. Jay Inslee or a Gov. Rob McKenna. Fish-consumption rates are more controversial than they sound, because of their implications for how much pollution industrial and municipal plants are allowed to discharge into lakes, rivers and Puget Sound. That's why lobbyists for businesses, local governments, environmentalists and Indian tribes were at one time eagerly awaiting rules that Gov. Chris Gregoire's Department of Ecology proposed last week and a technical document that is now due out in the next two weeks. Both were supposed to include estimates of fish consumption that would lead to a rate in state rules by the end of the year. But Ecology decided not to publish a number for fish consumption in either document, which will delay the adoption of an official rate until 2013 or 2014. Jordan Schrader reports. State passes on setting fish-consumption rates

No surprise here, but things are a little backed up down in Olympia. Three years after an advisory committee voted to turn it back into an estuary, the 250-acre, man-made Capitol Lake, which lies below the Capitol dome, is backing up with 10,000 dump trucks full of gunky sediment flowing from the Deschutes River, The Olympian reports. State Gunky Sediment officials reportedly are putting off dredging and other work in deference to the uncanny symbolism. Ron Judd muses. Bring on the mudslinging: Olympia's Capitol Lake could use it  

Whether you praise or condemn the squawking gangs of sea gulls in Port Angeles — and the white-streaks they create by their droppings — more of the birds would be creating a ruckus if not for an abatement practice that suffocates chicks in their shells. A federal sea gull management program has prevented 950 chicks from being hatched atop downtown buildings since 2004 by spraying the birds’ eggs with corn oil, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services district supervisor said last week. Port Angeles is the only city on the North Olympic Peninsula taking part in the Integrated Pest Management Program, which is intended to reduce the sea gull population and limit the amount of sea gull feces coating sidewalks and streets and splattered on cars, District Supervisor Matt Cleland said. Paul Gottleb reports. Which comes first — the sea gull or the egg? 

A risk assessment on climate change for the City of Victoria says it needs to start work now to prepare for rising sea levels, more storms, wetter winters and drier summers. The assessment looks at the projected risks the city will face with changes in climate conditions by 2050. The report predicts temperatures in Victoria could rise by more than two degrees by 2050, the amount of summer rain could drop by 32 per cent, while winter precipitation may jump 14 per cent, along with a similar increase in the number of intense storms. Victoria should brace for rising sea levels, more storms: climate change report

Critics of Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway pipeline from the Alberta oilsands to tankers on the British Columbia coast say there is no time for the science to be completed before a federal deadline for the environmental assessment currently underway. Documents filed with the National Energy Board show the environmental review panel studying the Northern Gateway project asked Fisheries and Oceans Canada for risk assessments for the bodies of water the proposed pipeline will cross. The pipeline is to traverse nearly 1,000 streams and rivers in the upper Fraser, Skeena and Kitimat watersheds. The department didn't have them. Northern Gateway review hobbled by budget cuts, critics say  

Efforts of the nonprofit Puget Sound Restoration Fund are adding Olympia oysters and kelp near Point Julia in Port Gamble Bay, bringing back a native species and underwater forest that supports the local ecosystem. A team of nine full- and part-time staff began the first portion of the restoration project in late June for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, when divers placed 1,200 feet of natural-fiber ropes seeded with young bull kelp plants. Work underway to return Olympia oysters to Port Gamble Bay  

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is seeking nominations for the 2012 Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award.  The award recognizes people on the North Olympic Peninsula who are stewards of the environment and have demonstrated leadership in efforts to protect the natural world. Nominations must be submitted to the marine science center before 5 p.m. Aug. 31. The winner and runners-up will be honored at the marine science center’s Stewardship Breakfast at the Fort Worden Commons at 8 a.m. Oct. 4. Eleanor Stopps award nominations being accepted

The sun was going down and the river ran red. It wasn't the reflection of the sunset, however. Earlier this week, state Department of Ecology researchers Markus Von Prause and Ralph Svrjcek waded out hip-deep into the Stillaguamish to pour fluorescent red dye into the river as part of water quality study. Gail Fiege reports. Red dye helps measure health of Stillaguamish  

Wearing a set of red-and-orange tentacles on her head made from pipe cleaners, Calie Williamson patiently waited for the opening of “Slug University.”  Last week’s two-hour class was part of Washington State University Thurston County Extension’s summertime children’s program at the Dirt Works Demonstration Garden in Olympia.  Slimy, shunned — and a big hit with kids

Watch your back, tansy ragwort. Beware, butterfly bush. Bill Rogers is coming for you.  Weedbusters of Skagit County 

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT MON AUG 20 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 2 FT AT 8 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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8/17 Capitol Lake, state parks, vibrio closures, boats 'n' orcas, Olympic wilderness, San Juan prairie, Toxic 100, treehugger marketing

Capitol Lake (Steve Bloom/The Olympian)

Another hot one; be cool and enjoy it.

It’s been three years since an advisory committee recommended on a split vote that the state revert the 250-acre manmade Capitol Lake back to the Deschutes River estuary. Very little has happened since to maintain the lake or create the estuary. Without money or a political and community consensus on how to proceed, Capitol Lake keeps filling up with sediment carried down the Deschutes River, an estimated 100,000 cubic yards since 2009, enough to fill 10,000 dump trucks. “Everybody’s so afraid to make a move,” said Dave Peeler, a former state Department of Ecology water quality manager and one of the founders of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team. John Dodge reports. Capitol Lake conundrum

And another condundrum: When it comes to the state's cherished park system, the two men vying to be Washington's next governor are of the same opinion -- it needs public funding.  They're just not sure on how much money to commit. Republican Rob McKenna and Democrat Jay Inslee each said this week their first budget would provide taxpayer dollars to operate and maintain the system, which will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Jerry Cornfeld reports. Governor candidates fuzzy on state park funding

The discovery of vibrio bacteria in shellfish has prompted the closure for the rest of the summer of three commercial growing areas, including one in Dabob Bay, the state Department of Health said Thursday. The closure in Dabob Bay affects 14 commercial companies, said Richard Lillie, public health adviser in the shellfish and water safety office of the state Health Department. The two other areas closed are North Bay, between Allyn and Victor on the Hood Canal, and Totten Inlet near Olympia.  Vibrio bacteria prompts closure in Dabob Bay

A boater who was caught by the Coast Guard too close to Puget Sound killer whales on Wednesday won't be penalized, but next summer violators could be fined thousands of dollars.  On Wednesday a Coast Guard cutter from Port Angeles witnessed a 25-foot pleasure boat remaining within 200 yards of whales near Orcas Island. The boaters were told they were too close.  No fine yet for closing on Puget Sound orcas  

Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Norm Dicks hit the Olympic Peninsula Thursday, trying to sell locals on a plan to designate more wilderness there. They say their latest bill is a grand compromise, and they’re hoping to convince Olympic Peninsula communities that fought earlier versions. The plan would place 126,554 acres of Olympic National Forest under wilderness protection, with more than 5,000 more to be added later. It would also designate 19 rivers, including the newly-wild Elwha, and seven tributaries, as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Whether they’re turned around public opinion over nearly three years of negotiations remains to be seen. The Peninsula still teems with signs charging a “land grab.”  Olympic Peninsula wilderness plan is scaled back, but is it a compromise?

Islanders have up until a deadline of Sept. 4, others do as well, to weigh-in, offer suggestions or provide a critique as to the extent and the scope — what should be included or not — of the "Prairie Stewardship Plan" of San Juan Island National Historical Park, now in formative stages of construction.  The Stewardship Plan will serve as a guide for managing the prairie areas of American Camp and of Young Hill, at English Camp, and, following its completion, it is expected to advance the ability of National Parks to restore components of the rare island prairie ecosystem through the use of various management and restorative tools.  Hey you! What about the prairies?  

Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today released the 4th Toxic 100 Air Polluters, an updated list of the top corporate air polluters in the U.S. The Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index is based on air releases of hundreds of chemicals from tens of thousands of industrial facilities across the U.S. The rankings take into account not only the quantity of releases, but also the toxicity of chemicals, factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks, and the number of people exposed. The Toxic 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters Identified  

Earnest, well-meaning environmental messages are supposed to be ineffective relics of a bygone age, when bumper stickers still worked and treehuggers hadn’t realized that self-interest speaks louder than Mother Earth ever could. But don’t put that Save the Whales t-shirt on eBay just yet. In experiments published August 12 in Nature Climate Change, psychologists found that telling people about carpooling’s money-saving benefits seemingly makes them less likely to recycle. In short, appeals to self-interest backfired, accidentally encouraging people to behave selfishly in other areas. Constantly encouraged to care about nature because it'll save money, people could forget it's possible to just care.  Think Globally, Act Selfishly: How Utilitarian Environmentalism Can Backfire

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI AUG 17 2012
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 2 FT.

--
"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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8/16 BC sockeye, Baker ascent, farms vs fish, spill containment spill, red tide, prairie protection, ocean health

Sunflower Star (Laurie MacBride)

Gonna be hot; be cool. Two-day heat wave bringing bad air  

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment wrties: “Looking down from our kayaks as we drift along in the shallows, we almost always see plenty of interesting sea life. Even the “common” critters can be pretty amazing – like the Sunflower Star, for instance. These colourful animals are BIG, at least in starfish terms: in the nutrient-rich waters here in the Pacific Northwest, they can grow up to 40 inches in diameter....”  Sunflowers of the Sea

British Columbia's lucrative commercial and recreational sockeye salmon fishery is not likely to open this year, as Fisheries and Oceans Canada says there are simply not enough fish coming back. Although there has been enough returning fish to fill the spawning grounds and open an aboriginal fishery, numbers have actually started to decrease. In order for a commercial fishery to operate, the number of summer run sockeye salmon would have had to be roughly double last week's count.  B.C. sockeye salmon fishery likely closed again

Nearly 145 years after the first documented summit of Mount Baker, made possible with the help of four Lummi guides, a group is celebrating that piece of climbing history with a modern-day version of the journey by sea and by land. Participants on the replica tall ship Lady Washington sailed into the waters off Boulevard Park on Wednesday, Aug. 15, on the first leg of the effort to retrace the route taken by climber and writer Edmund T. Coleman in the Aug. 17, 1868, ascent. "We want to celebrate our connection to the sea and the mountains, and our communities - both Lopez Island and the Lummi Nation," said Cottingham, who noted that, unlike the first ascent when the Lummi guides were left behind on the glacier, the goal is to have all on the summit. Climbers retrace route taken in first documented ascent of Mount Baker in 1868  

The Skagit delta farming system's intricate rotation of some 80 vegetable and seed crops has been 150 years in the making. Dikes to keep the low-lying farmland dry and tide gates to prevent saltwater incursion into croplands are valuable to farmers, but not so much to Natives trying to revive salmon runs on the third largest American river on the contiguous West Coast. The Swinomish Tribe's priority is fish, not farms. And a century and a half of treaty law has put in their hands considerable power to press their case. In 1855, territorial Governor Isaac Stevens negotiated with western Washington tribes, trying to coax them into giving up millions of acres of land and retreat to reservations with prescribed boundaries. The Treaty of Point Elliott, signed by tribal leaders at a place later known as Mukilteo, included a guarantee of perpetual fishing rights. Dick Clever reports. Fish vs. Farms on the Skagit Delta  

Farmer Joe Lemire refuses to fence his cows to keep them off the banks of Pataha Creek and his case heads to the Washington Supreme Court in what is shaping up as a pivotal decision about farmers' obligatios to protect Northwest waterways. Lemire has become a cause célèbre in the countryside, where farm bureaus are soliciting residents to send money to cover the costs of his legal fight. In a related struggle, Indian tribes are charging that farmers such as Lemire are killing salmon. Robert McClure reports.  Agricultural Pollution Draws Scrutiny As Industrial Dumping Declines  

Construction of an oil-containment vessel destined for Alaska has been plagued by minor oil spills in the past few weeks, prompting the state to threaten fines against the builder. Three spills, each releasing about one quart of oil into Whatcom Waterway, came from leaks in pressurized hydraulic systems on July 24, and Aug. 4 and 6. The state's notice of violation was sent to Superior Energy Services, which is building the oil-containment barge Arctic Challenger at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, 629 Cornwall Ave. Oil-containment barge under construction in Bellingham spills oil

Marine biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), also known as "red tide," have been detected in high levels in shellfish samples from north Hood Canal. As a result, the Washington State Department of Health and the Kitsap Public Health District have closed recreational shellfish harvesting in north Hood Canal from Foulweather Bluff south to the Hood Canal bridge, including all bays and inlets, for all species of clams, oysters and mussels. An existing PSP closure for all species of shellfish remains in effect on the eastern shoreline of Kitsap County from Foulweather Bluff south to the Pierce County line. 'Red tide' closure for shellfish harvesting expands

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has given Thurston County a $750,000 grant to develop the South Puget Sound Prairie Habitat Conservation Plan. The grant is part of the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, a competitive grant program that awarded nearly $33 million to programs and projects in 21 states this year. The county is partnering with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and others to develop a comprehensive plan to protect the remaining 3 percent of high quality prairie land that exists in the South Puget Sound region, as well as the numerous plant and animal prairie species that are either endangered, threatened or a species of concern.  Thurston County awarded $750K conservation grant

As the Ocean Health Index makes its public debut, three of its parents describe the moment of ‘Eureka!’ in summing up the well-being of the global ocean and its human dependents.  Is the Global Ocean Healthy? We Can Answer That Now  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU AUG 16 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING S 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

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8/15 Gates' toilet, Hoquiam coal, Enbridge, shark fin ban, whale mitts, Spee-Bi-Dah, BC odors, Ancich Netshed

Next Big Thing (PHOTO: Michael Hanson/Gates Foundation)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday unveiled the winner of a contest to design a replacement for a technology that hasn't changed much since the 19th century: the flush toilet. The new toilets are designed primarily for the developing world, where the lack of plumbing often makes conventional toilets impractical. The winning loo, a solar-powered model designed by researchers from the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, generates hydrogen and electricity to boot. Theodoric Meyer reports.  Caltech toilet is No. 1 in Gates Foundation contest  

Regional railroad operator RailAmerica told Port of Grays Harbor commissioners Tuesday that it is shelving current plans to build a coal storage and export facility at the port's Terminal 3 in Hoquiam. The company now believes there are other uses for the terminal that are more likely to generate jobs, tax revenues and business for the port and for the company.  Rail company shelving Hoquiam WA coal export plans

About 1,000 square kilometres of islands have disappeared from Douglas Channel in an animated depiction of Enbridge Inc.'s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker route. The project would send bitumen by pipeline from Alberta's oilsands to Kitimat, where it would be loaded onto tankers for export to Asia. A video on the Enbridge website shows Douglas Channel as a wide open funnel leading from Kitimat to the Pacific, omitting the narrow channels, islands and rocky outcrops that make up the potential tanker access route.  Enbridge stirs up controversy with depiction of waterway

Nanaimo has joined a growing list of communities that have banned shark fin products. Council voted unanimously Monday night to ban the trade, sale or distribution of shark fin in Nanaimo after a presentation by Anthony Marr of the Vancouver Animal Defence League. Shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese delicacy, is the result of shark finning, the practice of slicing off the fins of a shark and then dumping the live animal back into the water. Canada bans the practice, but there is no federal or provincial law banning the sale of shark fins, leaving it to municipalities to outlaw the product. Walter Cordery reports. Nanaimo joins shark fin ban

Wearing a whale on your hands is the best way to get the warm fuzzies this winter, says Susan Berta of Orca Network, and she's looking for whale-loving knitters. Tara Melendez, a knitting pattern designer and Orca Network supporter who lives in Washington, has drawn up a pattern for mittens depicting Lolita, a killer whale captured in 1970 and sent to Miami Seaquarium. Activists, including Orca Network, are waging a campaign to have Lolita removed from her small performance pool and returned to a net pen in her home waters so she can once again hear the voices of her family.  Whale group hopes for hand-knit help  

Julie Muhlstein shares Jack Bartlett's fish story and the story of Spee-Bi-Dah, a private beach community on the Tulalip Tribe reservation.  Fish tale turns into local history lesson  

Metro Vancouver is drafting a bylaw that may soon see pungent processing plants pay in accordance with the odours they emit. The move comes after a spike in odour complaints at West Coast Reduction Ltd., a rendering plant located at the north end of Commercial Drive in Vancouver. The plant renders more than 10,000 tonnes of animal byproducts each week, converting them into such things as tallow and byproduct meal. Vancouver polluting plants to pay for pungent odours, not taxpayers   

At a special meeting on Aug. 6, the Gig Harbor City Council authorized the purchase of one of the last pieces of waterfront property that provides public access to the shoreline. The property, which City Administrator Denny Richards refers to as the Ancich Netshed, comprises three adjacent lots on Harborview Drive that total .31 acre. According to Lita Dawn Stanton, the city’s historic preservation officer, the Ancich Netshed is one of the two netsheds on the City of Gig Harbor Register of Historic Places, the other being the Skansie Netshed to the south. City votes to purchase waterfront property and historic netshed  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED AUG 15 2012
TODAY
NE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

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