12/26 Elwha sand, tsunami invasives, BC wolf killer, Sanctuary ship ban

Elwha Sand (Tom Roorda/Peninsula Daily News)

Few people are excited to see a big pile of sand, unless it's a big pile of sand at the mouth of the Elwha River.  In a yearlong dam removal and restoration project, scientists observing its progress are witnessing the formation of sandbars at the mouth of the river, a sign of the Elwha's slow return to its natural processes and an indicator of sediment flows that haven't been seen in decades. “Everybody has been modeling and mapping and anticipating this event for probably 20 years,” said Anne Shaffer, a marine biologist and coordinator with a group of scientists, called the Elwha Nearshore Consortium, organized to observe the restoration project. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Sediment forming sandbars at Elwha River mouth

Marine scientists say dozens of Japanese coastal species hitched a ride across the Pacific Ocean on a floating dock. The likely piece of tsunami debris washed ashore in Olympic National Park last week. The preliminary list of marine hitchhikers includes 29 species “of Japanese coastal origin.” Several are potentially invasive. National Park Service ecologist Scott Fradkin says he’s concerned about the wilderness environment where the dock landed. Tom Banse reports. Dozens Of Japanese Coastal Species Hitched Ride On Floating Dock

One of the sponsors of a controversial wolf-kill contest in northeast B.C. says that human alteration of the landscape, including seismic lines interlacing the oilpatch, have allowed wolves to flourish to unnatural levels. A statement released by the North Peace Rod and Gun Club says the contest is designed to control wolves to reduce agricultural and wildlife losses and even losses of domestic pets near urban areas. Sponsor of controversial B.C. wolf-kill contest say the predators benefit from human-altered landscape

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking ships of 400 gross tons or greater to stay farther away voluntarily from part of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary when traveling along the coast to protect the area from possible oil spills. The “area to be avoided,” known as an ATBA, extends as far as 25 nautical miles (28.7 miles) west of the coast from Tatoosh Island at the north to Pacific Beach State Park to the south. It was developed by NOAA and the Coast Guard when the sanctuary — which includes 2,408 square nautical miles (2,771 square miles) of marine waters off the Olympic Peninsula Pacific Coast — was established in 1994 to reduce the risk of a shipwreck and resulting pollution to the sanctuary. The ATBA has been marked on nautical charts since then, and vessels greater than 1,600 gross tons were asked to avoid the area. Arwyn Rice reports. NOAA warns large ships to avoid sanctuary

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST WED DEC 26 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT. SW SWELL 6
 FT AT 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO W 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING N TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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