10/31 San Juan Monument, Vashon septics, Goldstream coho, Samish closure, port pollution, Port Gamble, Al Swift at Elwha, Homer the otter, Port Angeles waterfront, Nanaimo fossil

Keep your powder dry, trick-or-treaters: The Northwest "Drought" Erased  and Rainstorm expected to swell North Shore and Howe Sound rivers and streams

New blog: “Last Saturday I got to say in two minutes what one of my concerns was about the Gateway Pacific coal export facility proposed in the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve and what I’d like decision-makers to investigate when making a decision on the permit application...” No Coal: Two-Minute Drill

If you like to watch: Shrouded in fog, stretching out from the northern edge of the Strait of Juan De Fuca lies a treasure of the Northwest: The San Juan Islands. Four islands make up the main draw in the San Juans, but there are 172 named islands and reefs -- some of them little more than rocks jutting out of the ocean. One thousand acres of these pieces of land are at the heart of a passionate movement that puts the tranquil San Juan's in the line of sight of Washington D.C. -- being named a national monument. Molly Shen reports. Support swells to make San Juan Islands a national monument  

Hooray! King County has sent letters to seven property owners on Vashon informing them that they’re now accruing $25-a-day fines — civil penalties for their alleged failure to respond to the county’s order to have their septic systems inspected or repaired. The letters came with a bill of $750 for the first month worth of penalties, according to Dr. Ngozi Oleru, environmental health division director for Public Health — Seattle & King County. The fines will continue to accrue until the property owners respond to the county, she said. Leslie Brown reports. County begins fining property owners in effort to clean up failing septic systems  

The highest number of coho salmon in a decade have returned to the Goldstream River, even though they left in 2011, the same year thousands of litres of fuel spilled into the river. However, few of the returns have tags that were attached to fish released shortly before the spill, adding fuel to fears that any fish in the river at the time of the spill would have perished. About 900 have been counted so far. Judith Lavoie reports. Goldstream coho return best in a decade despite devastation caused by fuel spill  

Yawn, again: The state Department of Health has closed Samish Bay to shellfish harvesting as a precaution after recent heavy rains have caused a rise in the river level and threat of pollution, according to a release today from Skagit County. The bay will remain closed until water samples confirm low levels of fecal coliform contamination, the release says. Samish Bay closed to shellfish harvesting  

Air pollution from the shipping ports in Puget Sound has decreased, according to a new report released today. The report comes as ports throughout the Northwest are trying to increase the volume of cargo they handle while reducing the particulate and greenhouse gases that results from all those ships, trucks, planes and trains. The “Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory” may sound like a pretty boring read but for people concerned about the environment, the news is good. The 300-page report compared emissions of diesel particulates, greenhouse gases and other air pollutants in five Puget Sound ports from 2005 to 2011. Ashley Ahearn reports. How Northwest Ports Are Curbing Their Emissions

Protecting Port Gamble Bay from the effects of development became a repeated theme Monday night during a hearing on Kitsap County's Shoreline Management Master Program. About half the 36 people who testified said they were worried that plans for the redevelopment of Port Gamble could harm fish, shellfish and water quality in Port Gamble Bay. It was the second and final hearing by the county commissioners, who are scheduled to begin deliberations Nov. 19. About 100 people attended Monday's hearing. Chris Dunagan reports. Residents speak out about Port Gamble shorelines

Twenty years after he introduced the law that brought down the Elwha River dams, former U.S. Rep. Al Swift said he was “very impressed” with the project on a recent visit. Swift sponsored the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992, which led to the removal of the century-old Elwha Dam and 85-year-old Glines Canyon Dam in a nationally noted river and salmon restoration project. The former Democratic congressman, an ex-broadcaster from Bellingham, represented the North Olympic Peninsula from 1979 to 1993, when redistricting moved the region from Swift's 2nd District to Norm Dicks' 6th District. Rob Ollikainen reports. Ex-congressman who authored bill to raze Elwha River dams impressed by project

Homer the northern sea otter at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is named for the town on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska near where she was rescued after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. She is the last known otter on the planet to experience the oil spill, according to John Houck, deputy director of the zoo. The spill of almost 11 million gallons spread over hundreds of miles of Alaska coastline. Homer was one of 11,000 otters placed in danger by the oil. Houck, who was an otter wrangler searching for distressed animals, brought her back to the Tacoma zoo. Alan Berner tells the story. Northwest Wanderings: 1989 oil-spill otter outlives them all

Plans for a new marine research and public outreach center on the Port Angeles waterfront are hinging on the results of a predesign study that will be available in draft form in December, city business leaders learned earlier this week. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Carol Bernthal and Feiro Marine Life Center Director Deborah Moriarty told Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce members Monday that they're running out of space, and one solution would be a multi-agency marine campus tied into the city's waterfront redevelopment plan. Rob Ollikainen reports. Marine research campus envisioned as part of Port Angeles waterfront project

An ammonite fossil believed to be the largest ever found on Vancouver Island has been unearthed near Nanaimo. Two residents were hiking near Mount Benson when they stumbled upon the fossilized impression of the ancient sea creature. The spiral-shaped, shelled marine animal is about one metre wide at its widest point. Hikers find giant fossil near Nanaimo

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED OCT 31 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 8 FT AT 10
 SECONDS. 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/30 Elwha Love, Cohen Commission, Norm Dicks, more BC quake, 'fracking' sand

Running free (PHOTO: John Gussman/SeaTimes)

With a big shot of dynamite, the last of Lake Mills drained through what's left of Glines Canyon Dam last week. There's still about 50 feet of the Glines Canyon Dam standing. But the last of the once 210-foot-tall structure will be gone by May. Today the river crashes over what's left of the dam in a waterfall. And while there is still a mixture of water and sediment that can't get past the remaining concrete yet, there are no more reservoirs on the Elwha. "She's all river now," Andy Ritchie, restoration hydrologist for the National Park Service said with a big smile. Lynda Mapes reports. "She's all river now": No more reservoirs on the Elwha

After spending $26-million and hearing from 150 witnesses, a federal judicial inquiry into the collapse of sockeye salmon runs in the Fraser River is about to release its findings. The report of the Cohen Commission – which was filed with the federal government on Monday and will be made public at a press conference in Vancouver on Wednesday – is supposed to provide British Columbia with a blueprint for managing its most important salmon stocks. Mark Hume reports. Fisheries stakeholders searching for answers on eve of Cohen report’s release  

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, will be the lone recipient this year of the Hood Canal Environmental Achievement Awards, given annually by the Hood Canal Coordinating Council. Scott Brewer, executive director of the coordinating council, said Dicks' leadership in Congress helped secure funding for threatened fish, wildlife and related habitats in Hood Canal and throughout Puget Sound, but his passion for Hood Canal in particular really stands out.  Dicks recognized for efforts in Hood Canal

Another earthquake has rattled the north coast of B.C. The 6.2-magnitude tremor was recorded at 7:29 p.m. PT Monday at a depth of about 10 kilometres and was centred about 260 kilometres southwest of Prince Rupert, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Another earthquake rattles B.C. coast

The earthquake that rattled Haida Gwaii Saturday has also jolted the debate surrounding the proposed Northern Gateway project, with some saying the quake underlines the potential pitfalls of oil tankers plying the B.C. coast. That’s despite the fact that neither the pipeline nor the tanker routes outlined in the Enbridge proposal would cross the Queen Charlotte Fault, which runs along the west side of Haida Gwaii and was the seismic backdrop to Saturday’s 7.7-magnitude quake. Wendy Stueck reports. Quake raises more Northern Gateway concerns

The specialized sand arrives at Olympia in 1.5-ton “super sacks,” is poured into enclosed rail cars and then travels 900 miles to the northwest corner of North Dakota, where it plays a role in an economic oil boom reminiscent of Alaska in the 1970s. Called ceramic proppants and manufactured in China, the grains of sand have a hint of alumina and are coated with ceramics. They’re used in an oil-exploration process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” that literally props up the weight of the earth so that oil, deep underground, can be released. Rolf Boone reports. Fracking in Plains means business at Olympia port

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 30 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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10/29 Coal meeting, poor state of the Sound, Haida Gwaii quake, geoengineering, Banksavers Nursery, Island Co shores, oil money

Where the Earth shook (Globe&Mail)

If you need to be persuaded: The New Yorker’s Endorsement of Barack Obama  and Barack Obama for Re-election

Close to 2,000 people came to Squalicum High School on Saturday, Oct. 27, to participate in a public meeting called to identify public concerns about the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal export pier proposed at Whatcom County's Cherry Point.... Although signs for and against the coal port lined the McLeod Road approach to the school in close to equal numbers, the crowd and the commenters in the meeting rooms seemed to be overwhelmingly against it. John Stark reports. Coal port debate packs Squalicum High School Upcoming hearings: Nov 3, Friday Harbor High School, 12-3 PM; Nov 5, McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon, 4-7 PM

Since establishing recovery targets for Puget Sound, the Puget Sound Partnership faces the harsh reality that little progress has been made toward its own restoration goals. Since 2007, the number of killer whales and chinook salmon have declined; herring stocks and eelgrass beds have not increased; and marine water quality shows a recent worsening trend. These are the findings in the latest "State of the Sound" report approved Friday by the Puget Sound Leadership Council, the governing board for the partnership. Improvements were noted for two significant ecosystem indicators. Nearly 1,400 acres of commercial shellfish beds were recovered between 2007 and 2011, and about 2,300 acres of habitat were restored in some 16 major river estuaries. Chris Dunagan reports. Little progress reported in Puget Sound health  

A 6.3-magnitude aftershock struck off the coast of B.C.'s Haida Gwaii islands Sunday morning — less than 24 hours after Canada's strongest earthquake in more than 60 years hit the same area. Officials said the temblor hit 64 kilometres southwest of Sandspit at a depth of 19 kilometres just before noon Sunday. A tweet from Emergency Information B.C. said no tsunami alerts were issued. More than 30 aftershocks have hit the area after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Saturday evening, and several of the aftershocks measured at least 4 in magnitude. 6.3-magnitude aftershock hits near B.C.'s Haida Gwaii  And see: Haida Gwaii’s weekend of tremors sheds new light on future disasters   And also: An Essential Field Guide to North American Earthquake Beasts  

Canada may be called onto the carpet this week as nations gather in the United Kingdom to negotiate the terms of an international treaty to regulate the controversial practice of geoengineering. A First Nations salmon restoration group in Haida Gwaii has attracted worldwide attention after dumping more than 100 metric tonnes of iron into the Pacific Ocean in a process known as ocean fertilization. Many scientists from around the world have condemned the unsanctioned experiment, and the federal government says it is investigating. Haida Gwaii iron dumping hot topic as nations negotiate international geoengineering treaty

Banksavers Nursery is the state's only tribal-owned native plant nursery, and one of the few around that focuses solely on plants native to Western Washington. Operated by the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Banksavers evolved from educational and social efforts to engage tribal members in learning about native plants and their traditional uses. Then it became a program in which the tribe grew native plants for its own salmon habitat projects, establishing wetlands and forests to mitigate for the tribe's development in the county. Gale Fiege reports. Stillaguamish nursery’s native plants key to habitat projects

Island County has 207 miles of shoreline, about 40 percent of which is residential. Owners of those marine or lake shorelines are encouraged to participate in the county's process to update its shoreline management regulations. A series of public hearings continues at 10:20 a.m. Nov. 5 in the Board of Commissioners hearing room in Coupeville and at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 in the same hearing room. Gale Fiege reports. Hearings planned on Island County shoreline rules

Chevron USA, the No. 3 company on the Fortune 500 list, has donated $2.5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a “SuperPAC” designed to maintain Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives and win control of the Senate. Chevron had revenues last year of more than $250 billion and spent $9.5 million on lobbying, with another $5.3 million in lobbying so far in 2012, according to figures compiled by the Center for Public Integrity. In this state, Big Oil has flexed its muscle by underwriting the signature drive for Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1185.  The initiative requires “supermajorities” in both houses of the Legislature to raise taxes or close corporate loopholes. In 2010, the Legislature came close to passing a small per-barrel tax on oil, with the money designated for oil spill cleanup preparation and control of storm runoff of petroleum byproducts into Puget Sound. BP, ConocoPhillips and Equilon have put money into the I-1185 campaign. Joel Connelly reports. $2.5 million from Chevron USA to Republicans  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON OCT 29 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY
TODAY
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN
 THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN RAIN 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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10/26 Orca visits, green governors, coal tax benefits, BC fish biiologists, Skagit algae, Vancouver online, Bainbridge shores, Shannon Pt

PHOTO: Dawn Noren/USFWS

Residents of the J, K, and L pod of orca whales have visited local waters three times already this month, from Admiralty Inlet to the south end of Vashon Island, where they were seen last weekend. "Any time after Oct. 1 is fair game," said Brad Hanson, wildlife biologist with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center of Seattle, who added that the whales are here to catch returning runs of Puget Sound chinook and chum headed to local rivers to spawn. Lynda Mapes reports. Orcas back in local waters

The whales can’t vote so you’ll have to do it for them: For residents of The Evergreen State, the economy and the environment are two of the most important issues. They're shaping arguments in the hotly-contested race for Washington's next Governor. So, if you’re choosing a candidate, who’s the greenest?  Belamy Pailthorp reports. Inslee vs. McKenna: Down to the wire on environmental issues

The debate over the potential tax revenue from Gateway Pacific Terminal reveals a lot about the complexity of the property tax system and the role that industry plays in Whatcom County's tax base. Gateway Pacific backers stirred up the debate earlier this week by releasing a report from FCS Group Consultants indicating that the Cherry Point coal and bulk cargo terminal proposed by SSA Marine could go on the property tax rolls at a value of about $665 million, making it the second-largest taxpayer after the BP Cherry Point refinery at about $829 million. Assessed at that amount, Gateway Pacific would pay about $7 million in annual property taxes to the state and local governments, with the state share estimated at $1.7 million. There would be millions more in sales tax revenue. John Stark reports. Tax benefit claimed by Cherry Point coal port stirs debate

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is considering significant cuts to the ranks of the workers who protect fish habitat on the Pacific Coast, according to internal federal documents obtained by The Globe and Mail. These biologists are the front-line protectors of the province’s salmon resource. They study the fish for signs they are suffering from disease, pollution or overfishing and monitor their habitats. Mark Hume reports. Austerity measures threaten to sink salmon biologist jobs

The Skagit County Health Department says water samples taken recently from Pass Lake show the presence of toxic blue-green algae, which can cause illness in humans and animals. Water samples taken from the lake at Deception Pass State Park Oct. 18 show concerning levels of Anatoxin-a, the Health Department said in a press release Thursday. Evidence of toxic algae also has been found over the past few months on Fidalgo Island in Heart, Erie and Campbell lakes. Toxic algae detected in Pass Lake  

Metro Vancouver’s old methods of getting residents’ feedback — public hearings, open houses and surveys at the doorstep — aren’t as effective any more in the Internet world. A new start-up called Place-Speak hopes to bridge that gap with a virtual consultation platform designed to connect people with local issues — such as a massive housing development, dog park or transportation project — online. New online survey platform connects people with local issues

A group of Bainbridge homeowners petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court last month to hear its lawsuit against the city stemming from the moratorium. The federal suit claims the city violated the constitutional rights of the property owners by enforcing an unlawful ban on shoreline development in Blakely Harbor between 2001 and 2003. A federal district court and appeals court have already found in favor of the city in the lawsuit. Aaron Laing, one of the attorneys representing the Bainbridge property owners, said he expects to learn by the end of the year whether the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the case. Tad Sooter reports. U.S. Supreme Court asked to hear Bainbridge shoreline lawsuit

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $543,000 grant to two scientists at Western Washington University’s Shannon Point Marine Center to study the effects of ocean acidification on organisms that form the base of the ocean’s food web. Marine scientist Brady Olson and WWU assistant professor Brooke Love collaborated with Julie Keister of the University of Washington to get the grant. The study builds on past ocean-acidification research the two did with National Science Foundation funding. Gina Cole reports.  Marine Center gets national grant   Meanwhile: Steve Sulkin, who has been director of Shannon Point for 28 years, will be retiring. Head of marine center announces retirement  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI OCT 26 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 20 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SE 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT
 AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.
SAT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 9
 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. SW SWELL 4
 FT.
SUN
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT.

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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

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/25 Hood Canal Council, coal hearing, derelict vessels, Land Conservancy, iron-dumping, chum run, Snohomish dredge, Oly shores, GAGA ferns

Joseph's Coat rose (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "With the days getting noticeably shorter and our cool, wet season closing in, it’s lovely to still find some flowers in the garden. There’s something extra special about having a bouquet of homegrown roses on your dining table at this time of year...." Still Unfolding

New blog: I thought it was simple: While I’m sleeping, this spirit— something between Jack Flash and Jack Black — paints fall colors on the leaves when it starts to get colder and the nights get longer. Fall Colors— You Mean It’s Not Jack Frost?

Have you checked out the online Encyclopedia of Puget Sound?

Mason County commissioners have announced their intent to pull out of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council if their various concerns are not remedied during upcoming discussions. In a meeting Tuesday night, the commissioners voted to provide an official 90-day notice of withdrawal, as spelled out in an agreement with Kitsap and Jefferson counties, the other counties on the coordinating council. Mason County Commissioner Lynda Ring-Erickson said the 90-day notice provides an opportunity to open discussions about operations of the coordinating council, including a new in-lieu-fee mitigation program. Chris Dunagan reports. Mason County votes to pull out of Hood Canal council

If you like to watch: A selection of images from Nikon's Small World photomicrography competition, showcasing photographs or digital images taken through microscopes Nikon Small World photomicrography competition - in pictures

Backers and opponents of the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal export pier are trying to rally their faithful for Saturday's public meeting on the project, even though the government agencies convening the meeting insist that gauging public sentiment is not the point. The meeting - scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at Squalicum High School - is formally known as a "scoping meeting." Its purpose is to collect public comment on what environmental and economic impacts of the Gateway Pacific project ought to be evaluated during the preparation of an environmental impact statement, which could take two years. John Stark reports. Coal terminal environmental meeting in Bellingham likely to draw huge crowd

A boat that sank over the weekend off Port Orchard's waterfront will be recovered and placed in storage Thursday morning, officials say. Five other boats in the area have been tagged and await a similar fate if they are not claimed by the owners, said Cmdr. Geoffrey Marti of the Port Orchard Police Department.  Chris Dunagan reports. Sunken boat to be removed from Port Orchard waterfront  

The Land Conservancy says it needs to find $1 million immediately if it is to meet its financial obligations. The money is needed to pay off short-term debt, including interest on privately held mortgages and severance payments to laid-off staff. Board chairman Alastair Craighead said he is confident solutions can be found, allowing the organization and its more than 50 protected heritage and wilderness properties to survive. Judith Lavoie reports.  Land Conservancy faces urgent $1-million gap

German businessman Alexander Schoppmann says he was approached by controversial American carbon project developer Russ George to sell greenhouse gas reduction credits from a Haida Gwaii ocean iron-dumping project. But Schoppmann says he declined to take the project on. Schoppmann flirted with the possibility of his company selling carbon credits once before for an ocean iron fertilization project, in a 2009 and 2010 venture he called Blue CO2. Zoe McKnight and Gorden Hoekstra report. Haida iron-dumping project sought Swiss company to sell carbon credits

The prime time for seeing chum salmon spawning in South Sound streams is fast approaching with state fisheries managers predicting runs ranging from average to robust. Results from the early commercial and test fisheries in the marine waters south of Seattle suggest a total returning population of 700,000 to 1 million chum salmon in South Sound, said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. That compares to a 10-year average in the South Sound area of 740,000 returning fish, he said. John Dodge reports. Chum salmon spawning to begin soon

Another round of dredging in the lower Snohomish River and Port Gardner has begun as part of the ongoing task of keeping the waterway safe for shipping. The Army Corps of Engineers is spending $1.5 million on the job, scheduled to last through February. Some of the spoils -- a term for dredged material -- will be available for use by local governments, while some will be used to reinforce the shoreline along Jetty Island, said William Dowell, a spokesman for the federal agency. Bill Sheets reports. $1.5 million dredging work begins on Snohomish  

The Olympia City Council indicated late Tuesday night that it would relax development restrictions on city shorelines from those proposed by the city’s planning commission, but the restrictions would still be stricter than those in place now. On Port of Olympia property on the north and east points of the port peninsula, the council concurred on a 50-foot setback from the shoreline, in which development would not be allowed unless additional restoration is provided. Then builders could develop as close as 30 feet from the shoreline. That’s a big change from the Planning Commission’s proposal, which would restrict new commercial development within 100 feet of the port’s shoreline along all the north and most of the east sides of the port peninsula. The Port of Olympia objects to that proposal, saying it would inhibit its building plans. Matt Batcheldor reports. Port may win its shoreline

Top this: Pop music megastar Lady Gaga is being honored with the name of a new genus of ferns found in Central and South America, Mexico, Arizona and Texas. A genus is a group of closely related species; in this case, 19 species of ferns will carry the name Gaga. At one stage of its life, the new genus Gaga has somewhat fluid definitions of gender and bears a striking resemblance to one of Gaga’s famous costumes. Members of the new genus also bear a distinct DNA sequence spelling GAGA. Nineteen species of fern named for Lady Gaga

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU OCT 25 2012
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY 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

10/24 Coal ships, coal taxes, ocean fertilization, Kitsap shores, PenPly cleanup, Betty Fletcher, oil output, Shell smell

UW News

University of Washington scientists are using advanced photography to reveal the world in ways unimaginable generations ago. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture presents talks in the series “The Scientific Lens: Research and Photography.” The first is tonight at 7 p.m. at the museum. Admission is free for UW faculty, staff and students; others pay $5 at the door. Pre-register here. Imaging deep-water, extreme environments is first in series

While other areas worry about train traffic and climate change, San Juan Islanders also fear a shipping disaster that could harm whales, salmon, and beaches. Although exact statistics on ship transits are difficult to obtain, the Washington Department of Ecology lists 2011 traffic through Puget Sound at 10,360 large ships, in excess of 300 gross tons; nearly half are headed for the docks of Port Metro in Vancouver, the busiest foreign-export terminal in North America. Those ships are already here — without a serious accident in recent years — but two huge export proposals would up the ante by some 1,572 tankers and coal ships a year. Floyd McKay reports. NW coal port traffic raises worry about huge marine spill

A study released Tuesday, Oct. 23, by SSA Marine claims a significant impact on the local economy and tax base from construction and operation of a coal export terminal proposed for Cherry Point. If it were completed, the $665 million Gateway Pacific Terminal would be the second largest property taxpayer in the county, after BP Cherry Point, according to the study. Much of the $7 million in annual property taxes paid by Gateway Pacific Terminal would not be new revenue but rather a tax reduction for other property taxpayers. That's because property tax collections by cities, counties and school districts are generally fixed. Ralph Schwartz reports.  Coal terminal study: Gateway Pacific would 'significantly' add to tax rolls  

A large-scale, ocean-fertilization experiment that took place off the west coast of Haida Gwaii this summer raises long-term environmental and legal questions, says a representative of a United Nations science agency. “Our major concern is that the science is uncertain and that this seems to have been done without authority,” Wendy Watson-Wright, assistant director general of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, said Tuesday. Mark Hume reports. UN questions ocean-seeding test project off coast of Haida Gwaii

Kitsap County's proposed Shoreline Management Master Program reaches far beyond regulations needed to protect the environment, and it threatens to violate personal property rights, according to several people who spoke during a hearing this week on the plan. William Palmer, president of Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners, told the Kitsap County commissioners Monday to send the proposed shorelines plan back to the drawing board. Chris Dunagan reports. Property rights advocates angry over county's shorelines plan  

It may be the year after the next presidential election — the one in 2016 — before 19 acres of prime though polluted Marine Drive mill property just west of downtown is ready for development. That's what Rebecca Lawson, a regional manager for the state Department of Ecology toxics-cleanup program, said at a public open house on the mill site's future. The draft agreed order with Ecology that lays out the cleanup tasks of the Port of Port Angeles, which is responsible for ridding the former Peninsula Plywood site of pollution, was discussed at the open house Monday. Paul Gottleib reports. Ecology: PenPly cleanup could take five years

Odors in the air over Anacortes since at least August have been traced back to the wastewater treatment facility at the Shell Puget Sound Refinery, according to Mark Buford, Northwest Clean Air Agency assistant director. The agency received 70 complaints from the beginning of August to late last week, Buford said. Each complaint is investigated to try to find the source. During these major events, the odors have been found to come from Shell, he said. Joan Pringle reports. NW Clean Air Agency, Shell working to cut nuisance odor http://www.goanacortes.com/news/entry/nw_clean_air_agency_shell_working_to_cut_nuisance_odor

Northwest wild mushrooms are in short supply this year. That’s had a big impact on the region’s lucrative mushroom hunting industry. It’s also changed what’s on fall restaurant menus in the Northwest and across the nation. Anna King reports. Northwest Wild Mushrooms In Short Supply

A thoughtful commentary by David Suzuki and Art Serritt: For the love of our B.C. coast  

U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer. Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day. This will be the fourth straight year of crude increases and the biggest single-year gain since 1951. The boom has surprised even the experts. Jonathan Fahey reports. U.S. oil production soars toward record

Betty Binns Fletcher, a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a strong believer in justice for the disadvantaged, died Monday, at age 89. Just five days earlier she had been on the bench listening to oral arguments, having never really retired from the job to which President Jimmy Carter appointed her in 1979. "She was one of the embattled liberals on the court, fighting for the little guy, whether it was for immigration or the planet," her son, Paul Fletcher, a Seattle physician, said. "She felt she was fighting a very important battle." There will be a memorial service at noon on Nov. 10 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.  Judge Betty Fletcher, of the appeals court

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED OCT 24 2012
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

--
"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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10/23 Seabeck DSP, brake pads, BC pipes and oil, Turtleback Mtn., pesticide ban, 'Dougy Fir,' Port Angeles cleanup, killing sea lions

PHOTO: Ken Ohlsen (The Herald)

Wow, a waterspout on Puget Sound!  Ken Ohlsen took this photo of a waterspout touching down between Clinton on Whidbey Island and Hat Island Saturday. Rare waterspout spotted Saturday near Hat Island

New blog: ‘“Obama Lies America Dies” That’s what the bumper sticker on the SUV with the Romney/Ryan sticker said. My first reaction in the post office parking lot was to punch out the old guy who got out of the vehicle...’ “Obama Lies America Dies”

It’s raining, I’m going: Bellingham’s RE Sources leads a stormwater tour of the Monroe Street management system on Thursday at noon. Meet at the RE Store, 2309 Meridian St, 360-733-8307.

An emerging shellfish toxin, diarrhetic shellfish poison, has resulted in an expanding closure area in central Hood Canal — with the latest closure covering shellfish beaches in the Seabeck area. The Seabeck closure follows similar closures this summer in Hood Canal in Jefferson County, including Quilcene and Dabob bays plus beaches from Seal Rock Campground south to the Mason County line, according to Jim Zimny of the Kitsap Public Health District. Chris Dunagan reports. DSP shellfish closure extends to Seabeck

The Washington Department of Ecology has been working collaboratively for two years with the brake manufacturing industry, automobile part distributors, environmental groups, and others to develop a certification process for environmentally friendly brake pads and shoes.  Ecology has announced it has adopted rules to complete this process and move forward to carry out a groundbreaking state law. In 2010 Washington state became the first place in the world to pass a law -- Chapter 70.285 RCW, known as the Better Brakes Law -- regulating the content of brake friction material because of its impact on the environment.  The law phases out copper, asbestos, and several heavy metals from brakes sold in Washington. Washington set to begin phase-out of copper, other toxics from brakes pads  

Several thousand people gathered on the front lawn of the B.C. legislature Monday to protest against the Northern Gateway pipeline project. The sit-in was organized by a coalition of groups that wants to send a clear message to the provincial and federal governments about the plan to pipe crude from the Alberta oilsands to a tanker port in Kitimat. Speakers and performers appeared throughout the day, along with a 235-metre black banner, the length of an oil tanker.  Thousands protest against pipeline at B.C. legislature Meanwhile: A high-profile conservative think tank says B.C. could make billions of dollars if the ban on oil exploration off the province’s coast was lifted. The Fraser institute issued a report Monday, calling for a suspension of the 40-year-old federal moratorium on West Coast offshore drilling. Offshore oil worth $9.6B to B.C. says Fraser Institute  

The San Juan Preservation Trust has acquired property on Orcas Island which will add more than 140 acres to the Turtleback Mountain Preserve, permanently protecting the entire ridgeline of the mountain. The iconic turtle-shaped profile of Turtleback Mountain is recognizable from throughout the San Juan archipelago. In 2006, thanks to an outpouring of public support, 1,578 acres of the mountain were saved from development. Preservation Trust inks deal for 111 more acres on Turtleback

An East Coast court case could have big impacts on West Coast fish, and farmers too. Chemical manufacturers are suing the federal government to get a rule restricting pesticide use wiped off the books. In 2008 the National Marine Fisheries Service ruled a certain class of pesticides is a mortal threat to salmon and steelhead populations. Organophosphates are common on farms, and used to be widely used in gardens before regulators phased them out. Gabriel Spitzer reports. Pesticide protections for Pacific salmon head to court

Cadboro Bay residents could only watch as workers cut down what is believed to be a 300-year-old suburban tree that had been the focus of a court battle. People from the Saanich neighbourhood had blocked municipal workers from cutting it down this month, but staff retaliated by taking the protesters to court. On Friday, the B.C. Supreme Court approved the district’s application to have the diseased tree removed, on the ground that it poses a danger to public safety. Police also had been given authorization to arrest anyone who interfered with its removal. Friends of ‘Dougy Fir’ lose court fight to save 300-year-old tree; get dinged with Saanich’s legal fees

The Port of Port Angeles will not have to go it alone on an estimated $4.4 million-$6.4 million environmental cleanup of the former Peninsula Plywood mill site. A $2 million state grant is available to help soften the financial blow, a state Department of Ecology official said Monday. Port Board President John Calhoun has estimated that cleanup of the 439 Marine Drive site, the former home of K Ply and ITT Rayonier before that, will cost $4.4 million to $6.4 million, including the $1.6 million demolition of mill-related buildings slated to begin next month. Paul Gottleib reports. Port of Port Angeles to get millions to lift cleanup burden

Supporters of an effort to stop the government from killing sea lions at Bonneville Dam made their case to a federal judge in Portland Friday. The animals are targeted because they feed on endangered salmon. The lawsuit was filed by the Humane Society of the United States this spring after the National Marine Fisheries Service gave Oregon and Washington the go-ahead to kill up to 30 California sea lions. Chris Lehman reports. Lawsuit seeking to end sea lion killing moves ahead  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 23 2012
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 OR 3 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 OR 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
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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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10/22 Ruston path, Kitsap shores, Enbridge protest, Cherry Point coal, ocean dump, Haida fisheries, Stanley Park birds, pier peers, Lake Mills, train crossings, 'war on coal'

Waterwalk (Dean J. Koepfler/Tacoma News Tribune)

First frost this morning: here at 676 feet, south Bellingham.

The first phase of Point Ruston’s new Waterwalk, from the north end of Ruston Way to Point Ruston’s ferry boat sales office, is expected to open in November. The remainder of the waterfront pathway from the ferry boat to Point Defiance Park is expected to open early next year. John Gillie reports. Long-awaited Point Ruston path opening soon

Kitsap County's revised Shoreline Management Master Program is nearing approval, as the county commissioners prepare to hold the final two public hearings on the document. The commissioners will hold their first hearing on the plan during their regular meeting Monday. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the County Administration Building, 614 Division St., in Port Orchard. The second hearing will be held the following Monday, Oct. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at Poulsbo City Hall. An open house to provide information about the shorelines plan will begin at 4:30 p.m. before each hearing. Chris Dunagan reports. Kitsap County commissioners review shorelines plan

Critics of the Northern Gateway project are hoping at least a thousand people turn up for a big rally today at the B.C. legislature to protest the proposed pipeline. The sit-in was organized by a coalition of groups that want to send a clear message to the provincial and federal governments about the plan to pipe crude from the Alberta oil sands to a tanker port in Kitimat.  Pipeline opponents gathering for protest at B.C. legislature Also: B.C. government rethinks pipeline-approval process

Matt writes: "Our first chance to provide input that will stop the coal terminal at Cherry Point is just days away. Join your friends and neighbors in providing comments at the scoping hearing at Squalicum High on Saturday, October 27. Arrive at 10 a.m. to make sure your voice is heard! Event organizers also still need people to help us get the word out and work the event. If you're interested in volunteering, contact Matt P., 360-733-8307, about building turnout beforehand and volunteer shifts throughout the day. There will be coffee and treats for anyone arriving early!"

A group that did an unsanctioned experiment off the coast of British Columbia, fertilizing a vast expanse of ocean with iron sulphate, is struggling to justify its project in the face of withering attacks from the scientific community. In a press conference at the Vancouver Aquarium on Friday, backers of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation project said they are doing good research and have collected a treasure trove of data that may show how to combat global warming. Mark Hume reports. Ocean fertilization experiment alarms marine scientists  

When the president of the Haida Nation was told earlier this week that fishermen were taking sea cucumbers off the coast of Haida Gwaii, he wasted no time in intervening. The fishermen were sent packing and Fisheries and Oceans can expect an earful. "They approved a fishery for 50,000 pounds of sea cucumber. That's ridiculous. They do an inventory in one area and then extrapolate over the whole thing," said Guujaaw, the Haida Nation's president since 2000. No fishery should take place without accurate science to back it up, he said. Judith Lavoie reports. For Haida, science at heart of disagreement with village

Peering over the side of the Erlands Point bridge, Jon Oleyar described how the rising waters of Chico Creek have incited a sudden rush of salmon, providing an opportunity for people to watch the migration. "Those rocks over there were all exposed a couple of days ago, and there was no water coming around that log," said Oleyar, a biologist for the Suquamish Tribe. Observing the creek Friday morning, Oleyar said overnight rains had caused streams to wash over many rocks and logs, opening upstream routes for chum and coho salmon throughout the region. Chris Dunagan reports. Rains bring sudden rush of salmon to Kitsap peninsula  

Chronic industrial pollution and small spills from oil tankers moving through Burrard Inlet are contributing to declining numbers of birds in Stanley Park, according to the conservation program manager for the Stanley Park Ecology Society. Robyn Worcester said in the past decade conservation group Bird Studies Canada has found a decline in the number of loons and grebes that rely on small fish in the intertidal areas for their food. Birds also feed on the Pacific blue mussels and barnacles that live close to shore.  Pollution, oil spills threaten Stanley Park birds   

The South Sound Estuary Association has announced it will continue the popular Pier Peer event, once run by People for Puget Sound, at Boston Harbor Marina. The next program will be Nov. 3, said Diana Larsen-Mills, president of the association’s board of directors. There will be a pier peer held the first Saturday of every month, starting at 8 p.m., until further notice. Olympia conservation group revives Pier Peer program  

Lake Mills has been steadily dropping since dam removal began on the river in September 2011. But, depending on weather over this weekend, it will be gone by next week. The lake is only about 8 to 10 feet deep at the deepest right now -- down from 180 feet before workers began taking down the 210 foot tall dam, now only about 70 feet high. Lynda Mapes reports. Lake Mills on the Elwha is almost history

Last week, a Sounder commuter train smashed into a truck in front of the Edmonds ferry dock, tearing off the front of the semi. While no one was injured, the collision Tuesday morning snarled early-morning traffic for hours. The crash illustrates what local officials have long said is a need for improved rail crossings -- both in Edmonds and elsewhere -- not only for safety but to keep traffic moving. The roadblock is the same as it is with many other issues. Bill Sheets reports.  Lack of funding obstacle to improving train crossings  

Drive through the coalfields of Central Appalachia, and signs of the siege are everywhere. Highway billboards announce entry to "Obama's No Job Zone," while decals on pickup truck windows show a spikey-haired boy peeing on the president's name. "Stop the War on Coal," yard signs demand. "Fire Obama." Only a few generations ago, coal miners were literally at war with their employers, spilling and shedding blood on West Virginia's Blair Mountain in a historic battle for union representation and fair treatment. Today, their descendants are allies in a carefully choreographed rhetorical war playing out across eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia and all of West Virginia. Vicki Smith reports. 'War on coal' label obscures battlefield realities  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON OCT 22 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY
 IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4
 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS...THEN A CHANCE OF 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

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10/19 Climate, Enbridge, Bainbridge sewer, Point Ruston, La Conner boardwalk, salt marshes

Oh,in case you wondered. Cliff Mass writes: “The atmospheric flow pattern is changing in a big way, developing a deep trough over the eastern Pacific, and driving much colder air south...and I mean south.  The Cascades will get its first real snowfall starting on Monday and then the white stuff will push southward towards the Sierras.  The snow level will drop sufficiently that even our lower passes could get covered with a few inches of the white stuff. “  Snow and Cold Returns to the Northwest and California

One big topic largely missing from this year’s election debate is climate change. In a year of catastrophic wildfires, record heat waves and blistering droughts, it’s unusual for candidates in any race to talk about clean energy as a solution to not only the jobs crisis but climate change. In Washington State the governor’s race gets about as close as any race to talking about the issues. Martha Baskin at Green Acre Radio reports. A Governor’s Race Where Clean Energy Is Touted As An Answer to the Jobs Crisis. The Climate Crisis? Not Much Talk About That  And from Bonnie Stewart at EarthFix: Presidential Candidates Not Focused On The Environment

B.C.'s environment minister says the company behind the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline has not yet instilled confidence in the provincial government that the project will be safe. Terry Lake said Enbridge is making lots of promises about how it would mitigate environmental risks, but is so far short on providing solid evidence and action.  Enbridge not impressing B.C. government on pipeline safety    Meanwhile: Tory MPs on pipeline route put their faith in project’s review process

The city of Bainbridge launched the design phase this week of a project to prevent sewer spills in Eagle Harbor. The City Council awarded a $300,000 contract to Carollo Engineers on Wednesday to develop a 30 percent design for replacing corroded sewer pipes along the north shore of the bay. Three sewage mains carry untreated sewage beneath the beach to the city's wastewater treatment plant on Donald Place, east of the ferry terminal. A discharge pipe transports treated sewage to Puget Sound. Two of the 30-year-old sewage mains have failed since 2003. A leak in 2009 dumped more than 400,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the harbor. Tad Sooter reports. Bainbridge starts design work on sewer pipe replacement  

On Thursday, representatives from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Point Ruston, LLC (Point Ruston) finalized an agreement to complete the cleanup and remediation of more than 18 acres of state-owned aquatic lands contaminated by nearly 100 years of industrial operations at the former American Smelting and Refining Company (Asarco) site. Point Ruston is undertaking the redevelopment of this 97-acre site, which is currently one of the state’s largest development projects with nearly one million square feet of commercial and retail space and 1,200 residential units being developed on this nearly one-mile-long waterfront property. Over the last four years, DNR and Point Ruston engaged in various aspects of the cleanup of the aquatic lands at this site, which is situated along Commencement Bay at the southern end of Puget Sound.  DNR and Point Ruston Reach Agreement to Help Clean Up Puget Sound

Some children don't have the opportunity to take an autumnal hike in the forest. So Thursday, staff from the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest visited the students of Horizon Elementary School on W. Casino Road in south Everett. Seattle-based EarthCorps volunteers were there, too, hosting a work party for fourth- and fifth-grade students in the woods and wetlands adjacent to the school yard. Gale Fiege reports.  Hands-on approach to critical habitats  

State, county and town of La Conner officials gathered after a ceremony Thursday near Gilkey Square to kick off the start of the first phase of a project to build a 2,780-foot-long boardwalk along La Conner’s waterfront. The first phase of five will be about 700 to 750 feet long, starting at Gilkey Square and continuing south along the Swinomish Channel waterfront. The first phase is estimated to cost about $800,000, with the majority of that being paid for with $750,000 in state funding. Building the boardwalk  

Salt marshes have been disintegrating and dying over the past two decades along the U.S. Eastern seaboard and other highly developed coastlines, without anyone fully understanding why. This week in the journal Nature, MBL Ecosystems Center scientist Linda Deegan and colleagues report that nutrients -- such as nitrogen and phosphorus from septic and sewer systems and lawn fertilizers -- can cause salt-marsh loss.  Why Are U.S. Eastern Seaboard Salt Marshes Falling Apart?   

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI OCT 19 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7
 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. A
 CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 8 FT.
SUN
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT.
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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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10/18 Stormwater, ocean fertilization, Puget Sound encyclopedia, Japanese Gulch salmon, Vic sewage

What Sank People For Puget Sound?

New blog: “My colleague Joan Crooks of Washington Environmental Council wrote me a nice email on Monday dressed up just like a message from People For Puget Sound. She even got the typography of capitalizing the “F” in “For” right. Maybe it was meant to be new wine in old skin or maybe old wine in new skin or old wine in old skin —somebody help me here— but it just tasted weird and strange...” Saving Puget Sound: Brand, Re-brand, No Brand

At least since the 1970s, scientists and engineers have been devising methods to intercept contaminant-laced rainwater that sloughs off hard surfaces. Yet these methods still are not widely mandated, making stormwater a leading reason the Clean Water Act –- passed into law 40 years ago today -– has failed to meet its goals. Robert McClure reports. If Green Roofs And Rain Gardens Are So Great, Why Aren’t There More?   See also: Urban stormwater runoff beat out a number of other water pollution sources as a top concern in a poll commissioned by EarthFix and conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall (DHM Research). EarthFix Poll: Do NW Residents Care About Stormwater?

Government bodies knew about a controversial experimental project in which 100 tonnes of a dust-like material enriched with iron was dumped into the ocean off B.C.'s north coast, the project's leader says. John Disney, the president of the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp, which initiated the $2-million ocean fertilization project, told CBC News that various federal government departments were aware of his controversial plan. An experimental project in which 100 tonnes of a dust-like material was dumped into the ocean off B.C.'s north coast is sparking controversy. The chemical compound was dumped about 300 kilometres west of the islands of Haida Gwaii in a process called ocean fertilization.  Iron fertilization project in Pacific known to government  Meanwhile: An ocean iron-dumping experiment, resulting in a massive algae bloom off Haida Gwaii, will provide valuable, previously unattainable data, says John Nightingale, Vancouver Aquarium president. Dumping of iron in the ocean stirs wave of controversy

Representatives of the Encyclopedia of Earth and the Encyclopedia of Life will be on the University of Washington campus Wednesday, Oct. 24, for the public launch of an encyclopedia unique to Puget Sound. Spearheaded by the UW-based Puget Sound Institute, the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound is meant to be a synthesis of the best available information for Puget Sound recovery from experts with state and federal agencies, academic institutions, tribes and organizations. A key starting point for the project, for example, was to incorporate the latest science update from the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency and encyclopedia partner. Organizers of the online-only encyclopedia want to create a network of researchers and students to provide content that regional scientists will review to ensure it is current and authoritative.  Scientists building crowdsourced encyclopedia to further Puget Sound recovery  

The city of Mukilteo, Paine Field Airport, and Edmonds Community College have won an award from the Puget Sound Regional Council for the Japanese Gulch Fish Passage Improvement Project. The VISION 2040 award recognize innovative projects and programs that help ensure a sustainable future as the region grows. The Japanese Gulch Fish Passage Improvement Project is the result of a partnership to eliminate fish barriers and daylight the Japanese Gulch Creek with the hopes of returning salmon to a stream as part of the environmental mitigation for Paine Field. Japanese Gulch Fish Passage wins vision award  http://mukilteobeacon.villagesoup.com/news/story/japanese-gulch-fish-passage-wins-vision-award/911686

Greater Victoria municipalities are looking at whether a last-ditch attempt to fix underground pipes could cut the bill for sewage treatment, but it's too late to affect the project's $783-million sticker price, they have been told. Politicians on the Capital Regional District's sewage committee mused last week about whether a quick blitz of repairs to leaky pipes, which let rainwater into the system, could cut flow - and costs - to the planned sewage treatment system. New estimates show households could pay between $232 and $391 a year for sewage treatment, depending on the municipality. The treatment system is set to go online in 2018. Sewage: Fixing pipes won't cut treatment bill, official says

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU OCT 18 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6
 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN THIS MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 7
 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN...THEN RAIN LIKELY 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

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Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

10/17 Stormwater, Bellingham port, biomass, natural gas, Enbridge pipe, Comox seaweed, seal tracking, Tethys UGA

Tomato Time (PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

Mmmmm-- Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "From the smooth juiciness of the Yellow Brandywines to the smoky tang of the Black Cherries, it’s been a fabulous year for tomatoes. All 10 of the varieties we grew this summer have been prolific and delicious, making meal times at our place a mouth-watering affair...." A Mouth-Watering Affair

Yuk-- Gliding through the clear, emerald water of Puget Sound, Diver Laura James stopped when something shiny on the bottom caught her eye. She reached down and picked up a tire-flattened beer can. And then she noticed more garbage — stir straws, bubble gum wrappers, coffee lids, a plastic packet of ketchup — littered across the sound’s sandy floor. “I didn’t understand what I was seeing at first,” James says. “We’d swim along and we’d see this decaying swath – black with dead leaves and garbage. And then it would go back to normal.” Ashley Ahearn and Katie Campbell report. How We Got Into Such A Mess With Stormwater

The three finalists for the executive director job at the Port of Bellingham will meet the public at a reception scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven. Finalists are Les Reardanz, Jonathan Daniels, William Panos. John Stark reports. Port of Bellingham unveils finalists for executive post

A plan to place four temporary air-quality monitors in Port Angeles and Sequim in 2013 and monitors in Port Townsend in 2014 doesn't go far enough, according to many at a packed Olympic Region Clean Air Agency board meeting in Sequim. Many among the more than two dozen Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend residents who gave maximum-three-minute comments at the meeting Monday night were concerned about biomass expansion projects under construction in Port Angeles and Port Townsend. Paul Gottlieb reports. Biomass meet in Sequim draws a crowd of protesters

Natural gas production in North America has increased so dramatically that no fewer than 17 companies have now applied to export the fuel overseas. Two gas export terminals are proposed in the Northwest -- one near Coos Bay, Oregon and the other at the Port of Astoria. This week, federal energy regulators are getting an earful of public testimony. As public meetings go, Monday’s visit by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Oregon Coast was more tense and raucous than usual.  Tom Banse reports. To keep or to export? The Northwest's natural gas debate  

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams and a growing array of entertainers, including Michael Moore, Daryl Hannah and Mark Ruffalo, are adding their voices to a protest against a proposed pipeline across British Columbia. Ms. Williams, an American who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to ban anti-personnel landmines, said at a press conference in Vancouver on Tuesday that a tour along the pipeline route left her convinced that local communities will halt the proposed Enbridge project. Mark Hume reports. Nobel winner joins pipeline opposition

The Comox Valley could become known for a new agricultural export -- dried seaweed. The provincial government has issued a licence to harvest 1,000 tonnes of the species mazzaella japonica — commonly known as Irish moss — from the shoreline between Deep Bay and Qualicum Beach. And the idea is that it would be transported to a currently disused barn at Beaver Meadow Farms on Anderton Road in Comox, which would be restored to house a new drying plant. Plan to export dried seaweed could be new money-maker for Vancouver Island  

In a new pilot project, the Vancouver Aquarium is starting to track five harbour seals that have been rescued and released. Members of the public will also be able to track the seals’ progress and whereabouts by using the website SeaTurtle.org. The aquarium rehabilitated 145 seal pups this year, and equipped five of those with satellite-linked transmitters before releasing them back into their natural habitat on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.  Vancouver Aquarium, public can track five harbour seals that have been rescued and released  

The city of Anacortes is compiling more information for its urban growth area request after the county asked for clarification in order to move forward with the proposal. The property, about 11 acres on the south side of Stevenson Road off Reservation Road, is being eyed by Tethys Enterprises as part of the property it needs for its proposed facility. Tethys is working to acquire property and build a huge beverage-bottling plant here. County wants more information on city’s UGA request  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 845 AM PDT WED OCT 17 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
NW SWELL 11 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS LATE. E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN 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.

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