1/31 Oil trains, BC coal, coal poll, Kitsap shore plan, Port Orchard shore

"Squirrely" (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Over the past year the landscape around our lower pond has been changing, thanks to Squirrelly, our resident Red squirrel. This species (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) doesn’t hibernate so needs to eat year-round. In the wild, a Red squirrel requires about 2 hectares of territory – making our property just about the right size for one squirrel with a healthy appetite....." Landscaping by Squirrelly  

An oil boom in the Midwest is laying the tracks for a major transportation hub in Washington. Crude is coming here by rail, pipeline and barge, and state agencies have a hard time keeping up with the pace. Activists have been worried about what proposed coal terminals would do to rail traffic in Washington state, but little attention has been paid to plans to transport. Washington State Ecology officials have been planning to publish a map showing increasing oil maps across the state. The problem is the new proposals are popping up so quickly they have to keep updating it. Crude oil is already rolling down rail lines through Tacoma and Seattle and more is on the way. Gary Chittim reports.  Oil boom bringing trainloads of crude oil through Washington   See also: Crude By Rail Public Meeting Sees Standing Room Only Crowd in Aberdeen  

Health leaders will continue to press Port Metro to conduct wider health-impact assessments of diesel exhaust and coal dust in the Lower Mainland after the go-ahead was given to an expanded coal terminal in North Vancouver. Port Metro says its review of Neptune’s $200-million expansion included health and environmental issues, but their jurisdiction does not extend beyond port boundaries. Critics say the wider implications of transporting coal through the Lower Mainland on open train cars have not been properly considered. Gordon Hoekstra reports. Health advocates continue fight for more study of expanded coal port

Coal-export terminals at Bellingham and Longview are supported by half of Washingtonians. At least according to the first comprehensive poll of public support for the controversial ports, released Wednesday. More than 400 households were polled for the survey, with a significant number of those polled still looking for more details on the plans. The Elway Poll announced similar though slightly less supportive results than polling in recent months by terminal supporters: Overall, 50 percent supported the export terminals, 32 percent were opposed and 19 percent undecided. Only 60 percent of responders knew about the proposals, and half of them knew no details. The most surprising result of the Elway Poll was respondents' support for a regional — rather than just localized — review of coal ports' impacts. Forty-eight percent were in favor, with 43 percent against. That's up sharply from a January poll for the pro-terminals group Alliance for Northwest Jobs & Exports, which found that 77 percent of Washingtonians opposed a regional review. Floyd McKay reports. Despite eco-gains, Washington's pulling for coal

After three years of planning and debate, the Kitsap County commissioners Wednesday put the finishing touches on a plan to govern shoreline development for years to come. If approved by the Washington Department of Ecology, the plan will impose a variety of regulations and mitigation measures to ensure that future development does not cause a net loss of ecological functions. The new Kitsap County Shoreline Master Program represents the first major overhaul of the county’s shoreline regulations in more than 30 years, according to shorelines planner David Greetham. The plan covers marine waters and shorelines up to 200 feet from the high-water mark, along lakes and major streams. Chris Dunagan reports.  Kitsap County commissioners adopt shorelines plan  

A flurry of construction activity on the waterfront heralds progress on long-planned recreational enhancements. Port Orchard and the Port of Bremerton are coordinating on much of the work. Chris Henry reports. Recent activity signals progress on Port Orchard waterfront projects

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU JAN 31 2013
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
 IN THE EVENING.

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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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1/30 San Juan monument, coal export, Port Gamble Bay, Grays Harbor oil

New blog: "Some found amusing the proposal by State Representative Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard) to let state and local agencies raise revenue by charging for the right to rename public buildings and infrastructure. She said the idea came to her while brainstorming how to curb tolls on the Tacoma Narrows bridge...." Naming Rights: Chuck E. Cheese’s Bridge, Tokitae, and Joe Spike Dog

President Obama should act now, using his presidential powers, to designate a national monument to protect “cherished lands” owned by the federal government in the San Juan Islands, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and two House colleagues urged Obama in a letter sent Monday. The lawmakers noted wide local support, and visits by outgoing U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar dating back to April 2011.  “Before Secretary Salazar leaves office, we urge you to consider designating a National Monument in the San Juan Islands, bring his and our efforts to fruition,” they wrote. The letter’s urgency underscores a frustration, locally and nationally,  at the Obama administration’s glacial pace at protecting public lands, even in places like the San Juans where local government leaders and businesses are on board. Joel Connelly reports. Murray, Cantwell tell Obama: We want San Juans monument NOW  

Mark Lowry has driven a bus for almost 20 years in Bellingham, Wash. He takes pride in his job. He also worries blue-collar jobs like his are getting harder to come by. Lowry is the Northwest Washington Central Labor Council president. It represents 19,000 union-member households in Whatcom, Skagit, and San Juan counties. The council supports construction of the Gateway Pacific Terminal near Bellingham. Katie Campbell and Ashley Ahearn report.  Washington Labor Leader Counts Jobs As Coal’s Big Benefit  And, Daniel Person writes: "To truly grasp the local environmental brouhaha of the moment, one must start in Wyoming." Seattle's Coal Training  

The Kitsap Forest & Bay Project has been awarded $1 million from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, for acquisition of the Port Gamble Bay shoreline. The grant came from the National Coastal Wetland Conservation program, which recently awarded a total of $20 million in funding to 24 critical coastal wetland projects in 13 states and territories, to conserve and restore coastal wetlands and their fish and wildlife habitat. That brings the fundraising total to approximately $12 million to purchase nearly 7,000 acres of forest land outside of Port Gamble, owned by Pope Resources. Pope agreed in fall 2011 to keep the land off the market while the Kitsap Forest & Bay Coalition raises money to purchase the land for conservation, public open space, trails and non-motorized access to the water. Kitsap Forest & Bay Project awarded $1 million  

The Port of Grays Harbor is holding a public workshop Wednesday in Aberdeen on proposals for trains to deliver crude oil to an export terminal.  Three companies have proposed "crude by rail" projects: Imperium Terminal Services, LLC, Westway Terminal Company, and U.S. Development Group, LLC. The crude oil would likely come from shale formations in North Dakota, Montana and Alberta, Canada. Oil would be loaded on tankers or barges for West Coast refineries. Hearing on Grays Harbor oil export terminal

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 852 AM PST WED JAN 30 2013
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 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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1/29 Tsunami debris, Idle No More, oil & spills, coal & warming, vanishing blogs

B.C. Tsunami Debris (Living Oceans Society)

Debris from the tsunami that struck Japan two years ago is building up on West Coast beaches, with everything from soccer balls to floating docks drifting ashore from Alaska to California. Peter Barratt, operations manager for West Coast Helicopters, has been looking down on British Columbia’s rugged Pacific coastline for much of the past 30 years – and he has never seen as much garbage as he did on a recent reconnaissance flight along northwest Vancouver Island with Will Soltau, of the Living Oceans Society. Tsunami debris litters B.C. beaches

Idle No More protesters turned up outside the Aboriginal Affairs office in Vancouver Monday, with many in the crowd focusing on pollution from Canada’s oil and gas industry. Photos: Idle No More rally in downtown Vancouver  And: First Nation leaders in central B.C. are raising red flags over plans for natural gas pipelines across their territories, warning the projects won't go ahead unless they are consulted and approve. At least four pipelines are being proposed to move natural gas from northeast B.C. to ports on the coast when the product would be turned into liquefied natural gas for export overseas. B.C. First Nations send warnings over gas pipelines  

To follow up on Lynda Mapes' oil spill risk story: Eric Scigliano in Crosscut writes, Northwest energy whack-a-mole: Another pipeline rears its head  Learn even more from a posting by UW grad students: What Are the Increased Risks From Transporting Tar Sands Oil?

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is one of four recipients of $200,000 in state funding for programs designed to recruit volunteers to prepare for and clean up oil spills. The Swinomish are receiving $35,003 to establish standard operating procedures for responding to an oil spill within or adjacent to the Swinomish Reservation. The grant also will support identification of priority habitat, propose updates to regional response plans and help train train employees and volunteers who respond to oil spills. Other recipients of the grant money include: Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team ($52,660), Seattle Audubon Society ($48,479), and Northwest Straits Foundation ($60,000).  Grant awarded to Swins for oil spill response

Tracy Warner opines: If you look at one study, the easy assumptions that exporting coal will harm the climate could prove backward. Two Stanford researchers raise a point worth looking at. Coal exports: There could be a twist on the global warming argument

Just a few years ago, it seemed like new neighborhood blogs were popping up every day. Now, not only are there fewer blogs, but the ones that survive seem to have less content. What happened? Anna Minard reports.  What Happened to the Neighborhood Blogs?

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST TUE JAN 29 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT DURING THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 11
 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN LIKELY.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 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

Follow on Twitter.

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1/28 Idle No More, tankers, Port Gamble, tidal power, Anne Murphy, San Juan Safaris, BC blockades, shooting owls, coal comments, Kitsap Gun club, B'Bay toxins, Pender mining, Sandra Steingraber, Oly NP

Port Gamble development plan

As part of a global day of action, Vancouver Idle No More protesters are planning to rally outside a downtown federal Aboriginal Affairs office Monday starting at noon. The rally is planned for the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Department office near the intersection of Melville and Thurlow streets. Idle No More rally to hit Vancouver amid global day of action  

Oil-tanker traffic in Washington waters is set to increase under a proposal floated by Canadian energy giant Kinder Morgan. The company earlier this month announced that so much interest was expressed by potential customers in long-term purchase contracts for Canadian tar-sands oil that it is bumping up the proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain Pipeline announced last year. The company said this month it wants to increase its pipeline capacity from 750,000 barrels per day announced last April to 890,000 barrels per day. That translates to a big jump from its current capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, and an increase in tankers transiting the Salish Sea from five a month to up to 34 a month, if the expansion is approved. Lynda Mapes reports. State waters might see more oil-tanker traffic  

Olympic Property Group has taken the first official step toward reviving the historic town of Port Gamble. Plans have been submitted to the county for a 325-acre development, including up to 140 new houses; a waterfront "lodge" and restaurant; stores and offices; and tourism facilities. South of town, plans call for a dairy farm, plant nursery and winery, along with a recreation area. A dock for tourism boats is planned. Chris Dunagan reports. Plans submitted for Port Gamble's revival

A Vancouver company has applied to investigate putting underwater energy-generating turbines in three areas around southern Vancouver Island, all within the critical habitat of endangered southern resident killer whales. Western Tidal Holdings Ltd. — whose president, Tony Irwin, could not be reached for comment last week — is looking at tidal power projects in Active Pass, between Galiano and Mayne islands; Navy Channel, between Mayne and North Pender islands; and at Race Rocks, about 1.5 kilometres off the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Judith Lavoie reports. Tidal energy-generating turbines pitched for Island waters   Meanwhile: Two giant turbines generating power from tides at the bottom of Admiralty Inlet would not harm the surrounding environment, according to a federal study. The study could ease the way for the Snohomish County PUD to go ahead with its pilot project to create electricity from tidal currents. Bill Sheets reports. Study a big step for tidal power in Admiralty Inlet   And: Oregon Picks Four Spots For Wave And Offshore Wind Energy  

A sea change is brewing at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, now that its longtime executive director has announced her retirement. “I have informed my board and my staff that it is now time for me to retire,” said Anne Murphy, 61, on Friday. Charlie Bermant reports. Port Townsend Marine Science Center chief to retire   Read Anne’s letter to her supporters: Anne Murphy to Retire from Port Townsend Marine Science Center

San Juan Safaris has a new husband and wife team at the helm. Bill Wright and Colleen Johansen announced the recent sale of San Juan Safaris Whale Watch & Wildlife Tours to Brian and Rachel Goodremont of Friday Harbor. Founded in 1995, with only three touring kayaks at the time, San Jan Safaris initially operated out of Roche Harbor, but by 2007 had expanded its operations to Friday Harbor as well. The locally based company boasts 30 employees. Ownership of San Juan Safaris changes hands

There has been a long history of native bands blockading logging roads in British Columbia, but the big, dramatic confrontations of the past may be fading, thanks to a quiet shift in government policy. In a series of headline-grabbing events starting in 1984, the Tla-o-qui-aht blocked crews from cutting old-growth forest on Meares Island, at the entrance to Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Blockades will always be an option for bands that often feel desperate and ignored. But such protests may become unnecessary if the B.C. government succeeds with an innovative program it began recently, which is giving bands the power to decide if, when and how logging takes place around their communities. B.C.’s strategy to cut down blockades  

The B.C. government has approved the shooting of one species of owl in a last-ditch effort to save their endangered cousins, as the number of northern spotted owls continues to decline decades after they became the mascot of the "War in the Woods" over old-growth logging. Northern spotted owls are on the brink of extinction in Canada, with only 10 birds remaining in the wild in southwestern B.C., according to some estimates. The situation is so grave that over the past five years the provincial Forests and Lands Ministry has relocated 73 and authorized the shooting of 39 barred owls, the larger and more aggressive bird encroaching on the spotted owls' limited habitat. Shooting of owls OK'd to protect endangered species  

Federal, state and local agencies have yet to finish counting, much less actually reviewing, the thousands of public comments submitted on the question of what issues require study during the multi-year process of determining whether a coal export terminal will be built at Cherry Point. Larry Altose of the state Department of Ecology said the avalanche of last-minute comments would push the total above 50,000, with an exact count still days away. Significant numbers of those comments are near-identical because they were churned out by campaigns organized by both backers and opponents of SSA Marine's Gateway Pacific Terminal project, Altose said. John Stark reports. Review of comments on Cherry Point coal terminal will take months

Pete McMartin: In Port Metro Vancouver, it’s full steam ahead with coal 

A hazardous site assessment has been completed for Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club's shooting range on Seabeck Highway. The site has been ranked a "2" on a scale from 1 to 5, with "1" being the worst, according to an official notice to the club from the Kitsap Public Health District, which conducted the assessment for the Washington Department of Ecology. The assessment of the 70-acre shooting range — officially called a "site hazard assessment" — showed high levels of lead and vanadium in earthen berms behind targets on the rifle and pistol lines. The lead no doubt comes from bullet fragments, while the vanadium is typically used in high-strength steel, according to the report. Chris Dunagan reports. Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club ranked as hazardous site  

Soil, sediment and groundwater samples are being collected from a Fairhaven shipyard site as a first step toward designing an environmental cleanup project. The Port of Bellingham property at 201 Harris Ave. has been used for shipbuilding and maintenance since the early 1900s. Contractors working for the Port of Bellingham will collect samples from in and around the property Monday, Jan. 28, through Feb. 2, and again on Feb. 14.  John Stark reports. Bellingham shipyard soil sampling will help set cleanup plan

No stretch of imagination would make Gary Steeves’ small lot on North Pender Island fit into the provincial criteria for a commercial mining operation. But that has not stopped would-be miner William Simons from staking a claim on the 0.16 hectare property and has not prevented the Mineral Titles branch of the Energy and Mines Ministry from informing Steeves that Simons will be carrying out mining exploration activities between April 1 and July 1. Judith Lavoie reports. Mining battle rages over tiny plot on Pender Island

Fifty years ago, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring carried warnings of the dangers of pesticides. Yet toxic chemicals are still on the market today. In her book, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis, acclaimed biologist and author Sandra Steingraber lays out a plan to get chemicals out of our lives and reform the industry once and for all. Martha Baskin reports. Raising Elijah Protecting Our Children In An Age of Environmental Crisis - Interview with Author and Biologist Sandra Steingraber

What matters most to you in the national park that spans the North Olympic Peninsula? The public is asked to answer questions about their desires for the Olympic National Park as officials begin to develop a wilderness stewardship plan for management of the 95 percent of the park devoted to wilderness areas. Comments can be made at one of several workshops on the Peninsula in February or can be delivered by mail or by hand to the park superintendent’s office in Port Angeles. The public comment period began Wednesday and will close March 23.  Olympic National Park solicits input for wilderness plan

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 847 AM PST MON JAN 28 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
TODAY
NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN AT TIMES.
TONIGHT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF 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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1/25 BC coal, BC marine areas, Shell drill, BC toilets, Fish Tale Brew Pub

BC Neptune Terminals (Wayne Leidenfrost)

NEXT FRIDAY, Feb. 1: At exactly 12:30 PM in Port Townsend, Sound Experience will recognize the  exact day a century ago that the historic schooner Adventuress “splashed” in E. Boothbay, Maine. You're invited to come aboard for a "Flash Shanty" to sing the shanty "Paddy Lay Back" filmed for YouTube-- or to post your own singing of the shanty on YouTube. For more, visit Sound Experience.

Port Metro Vancouver has approved a $200 million expansion project at North Vancouver’s Neptune Bulk Terminals that will double the terminal’s coal export capacity. The decision, announced on the port’s website Jan 23, is the first of two applications before the port authority that will help secure Metro Vancouver’s role as North America’s largest coal export hub. It comes at a time when public awareness is growing over coal exports, the role coal plays in global warming, and the port’s procedure in approving the expansions in-house. Neptune proposes doubling its capacity from 8.5 million tonnes of coal a year to 18.5 million tonnes. The terminal exports metallurgical coal – used in steelmaking – but it has become caught up in the controversy over thermal coal exports generated by an application from Fraser Surrey Docks to establish a terminal on the Fraser River for exporting American thermal coal to Asia. Port Metro Vancouver has yet to rule on that application. The two proposals, coupled with Westshore Terminal’s coal exporting capacity, would push total coal exports from the region to over 50 million tonnes a year. Gordon Hamilton reports. Port Metro Vancouver approves first of two controversial coal export projects  See also: Vancouver coal-shipment permit rocks environmentalists

Federal promises to create a network of marine protected areas are progressing at a snail’s pace, and there are fears that federal cutbacks will slow the process even further, says a report by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Canada made a commitment in 2010 to protect at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2020, but, with only one per cent protected so far, there is a long way to go, said Sabine Jessen, the conservation group’s national oceans manager. Judith Lavoie reports. Federal government promise to protect marine areas is way behind target

A Shell drilling rig that ran aground near Alaska's Kodiak Island remains anchored in a nearby sheltered bay three weeks later, and its fate is as unknown as whether the oil company will be able to drill in waters off the state this year. The damaged Kulluk drillship is a key part of Royal Dutch Shell's ambitious plan to drill for oil in two parts of the Arctic Ocean. Beyond its work last year in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's northern coast, it serves as a required backup for Shell's contracted rig, the Noble Corp-owned Discoverer. Yereth Rosen reports. Shell Arctic plans anchored with its Alaska drillship

A number of B.C. public agencies say their composting toilets are not working as advertised. Metro Vancouver and B.C. Parks are retrofitting units built with the once-celebrated green technology. And UBC is re-evaluating five high-profile composting toilets in the CK Choi building after testing revealed problems with the by-products. Jason Proctor reports. Composting toilets not working as advertised

The Fish Tale Brew Pub, an Olympia area gem, will be featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" next month. Food Network host, Guy Fieri, brought the TV show’s video crew to the Olympia area favorite for filming last October, in conjunction with his appearance at a Saint Martin’s University special event.  Fish Tale Pub goes national on TV

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 25 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PST EARLY THIS MORNING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT EARLY...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 15
 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
E WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 18 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
SAT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 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

1/24 Geoducks, coal export, Cedar Grove, real fish, Jean Takekawa, blackmouth, Idle No More, pumpouts, cruise ships, Anacortes

Whidbey geoducks (KOMO)

If you like to watch: The commercial geoduck harvest is returning to Whidbey Island after being closed for several years. The big, funny-looking shellfish are a multi-million-dollar business for Washington -- nearly the only place you can find geoducks. Geoduck harvest returns to Whidbey Island after long hiatus

Tonight: Ocean Acidification Free Seminar, 6 PM, Everett Station Weyerhauser Room, 3201 Smith Ave, Everett. Dave Somers, Terrie Klinger, Shalin Busch, Brad Warren talk. Qs&As follow.

New blog: “Two days after last Christmas, I woke up to the world spinning to my right and wanted to throw up. I spent the morning lying very still in bed and in the afternoon, after throwing up and being examined in the doctor’s office, I was informed that I was suffering from labyrithitis....”  An Argument Against Intelligent Design

Read Part 3 of Floyd McKay’s Crosscut article on the Gateway Pacific coal terminal proposal: Coal Train, Part 3: Who gets to greenlight Bellingham's giant coal port?

Two lawsuits were filed on Wednesday on behalf of about 350 people seeking up to $75,000 each in damages from Cedar Grove Composting. The company operates plants in Everett and Maple Valley. People who live in areas near both plants have complained for several years of a rotting-garbage stench they believe comes from the operations, especially during warmer months. Bill Sheets reports. 2 lawsuits filed against Cedar Grove over odor  

When you order that special filet at a restaurant or store, you're often going on trust that the fish actually is what the menu or label says it is. In Washington, two state agencies are asking for tougher penalties to deter seafood fraud. Investigators for Consumer Reports recently found more than one-fifth of the fish they submitted for DNA identification was mislabeled at the point of sale. Washington Fish and Wildlife police deputy chief Mike Cenci says the penalties for false labeling need to be stronger. Tom Banse reports. Authorities seek tougher penalties for false labeling of fish  

John Dodge at The Olympian wrties: "Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge manager Jean Takekawa tried to ease into retirement this month without fanfare or public acknowledgment of a successful, 35-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I would have none of it. Takekawa, 58, packed her warm-weather clothes last week and headed to the San Diego area to join her partner, former U.S. Parks Service ranger Ed Forner, whom she met in college 40 years ago when they had summer jobs at the Grand Teton National Park. I tracked her down via cellphone, and she agreed to an exit interview from her first of many travel destinations — Silver Strand State Beach on Coronado Island near San Diego. Soundings: Retired manager shaped Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

Every summer, hundreds of thousands of juvenile Chinook salmon visit San Juan County on their way to the ocean, feasting on the islands’ herring, sandlance, larval crabs and insects. Why do some of these fish remain in the islands and become “Blackmouth,” a critical resource for recreational anglers? Kwiaht seeks anglers' help in solving 'Blackmouth' mystery

A nationwide CBC News/Nanos online survey suggests British Columbians are divided in the their view of the Idle No More movement and nearly two thirds do not believe that the hunger strike by Attiwapiskat Chief Theresa Spence will advance the cause of indigenous people in Canada. Idle No More has been attempting to bring more attention to Bill C-45, the Conservative government's controversial omnibus budget bill that directly affects First Nations communities. B.C. split on Idle No More, poll suggests  

Liberty Bay Marina in Poulsbo and Eagle Harbor Marina on Bainbridge Island will replace their aging sewage pumpout facilities with the help of federal and state grants. Federal funds from the Clean Vessel Act program will pay 75 percent of the cost, according to Alan Wolslegel of the Washington State Parks Boating Program. State funding from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account was available to pay the remaining 25 percent for the two Kitsap marinas, he added. Chris Dunagan reports. New pumpout stations coming for marinas in Poulsbo, Bainbridge

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is proposing changes to the way the state regulates wastewater from cruise ships — drawing criticism that his proposal would roll back provisions of a 2006 citizen initiative that required cruise ships to meet state water quality standards when dumping wastewater. The proposal, SB29 in the state Senate, got its first hearing Wednesday in front of the chamber's Resources Committee. Larry Hartig, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the proposal would align the rules for cruise ships with those for others who get discharge permits from the agency. Becky Bohrer reports. Alaska governor proposes changes to the way wastewater from cruise ships is regulated

If you like to watch: The Anacortes Chamber of Commerce has partnered with others in the community to create a TV commercial.  Anacortes - Coast In. Hang Out.  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 856 AM PST THU JAN 24 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
S WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 15 SECONDS...
 SUBSIDING TO 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.

--
"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

1/23 Partnership, coal export, BC LNG, ferry costs, Klallam dictiionary, bag ban, octopus panel, Irondale Beach, rain gardens

After the Rain (Red Russian kale) [Laurie MacBride]

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Aside from checking on the salad veggies in our greenhouse, there’s not much gardening going on at our place right now. It’ll be another five or six weeks before I get to planting garlic, the first crop I sow each year. In the meantime, I’ve begun thinking about my rotation plan for this year’s crops, and inspecting the garden beds to see what damage the overly abundant fall rains and recent cold snap might have wrought...." Beauty in the Winter Garden  

New blog: “Two weeks ago in Salish Sea News and Weather, I encouraged folks to read Paul Kingsnorth’s essay in Orion Magazine, “Dark Ecology: Searching for Truth in a post-green world.”  It’s long but pretty provocative; it merits some discussion. Here’s some discussion....”  Discussing "Dark Ecology" 

Puget Sound Partnership needs to create accountability tools to better measure progress toward restoring the impaired waterway, according to a new report. When the Legislature created the partnership, it called for an Action Agenda that would prioritize strategies for achieving measurable objectives, the report says. The law called for a deliberate management structure with "actions" linked to "milestones" linked to "long-term goals." After five years, the partnership still has not fully implemented the structure envisioned by the Legislature, states the report, which will be presented Wednesday to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee. The committee, which plays a key role in overseeing the partnership, consists of state senators and representatives. Christopher Dunagan reports. Puget Sound group needs to measure progress, state report says

If you like to watch: Edward James Olmos Narrates Waterkeeper Alliance PSA "Around The World" (30 seconds)

The Northwest Clean Air Agency submitted comments Tuesday on the scope of the environmental impact statement for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal, asking that potential air pollution be considered as part of the environmental review. The agency is tasked with protecting air quality in Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties under the Washington Clean Air Act. Its executive director, Mark Asmundson, asked co-lead agencies working on the EIS to consider potential air pollution caused by operation of the terminal and analyze ways to control it. Gina Cole reports.  Air regulators ask agencies to consider air pollution from coal  

After seven public meetings across Washington about a proposed coal export terminal near Bellingham more than 14,000 comments have been collected. The comments will determine issues to be examined in an environmental study. State Ecology Department spokesman Larry Altose told The Daily Herald a final decision on the terminal from the department, Corps of Engineers and Whatcom County is at least a couple of years away. 14,000 Comments About NW Coal Export Terminal

Floyd McKay’s second part article in Crosscut on the who’s who and what’s what of the coal export proposal at Cherry Point: Coal Train, Part Two: An insider's guide to the coal port's environmental review


British Columbia is on the verge of a natural gas development boom that will rival anything Alberta has experienced, according to B.C.’s Community Minister. Bill Bennett made that comparison Tuesday while speaking at a press conference to announce the final regulatory pieces have fallen in place for a new liquefied natural gas plant to be built on a native reserve near Kitimat. The massive LNG plant, a joint venture by Apache Canada Ltd. and Chevron Canada Ltd., in co-operation with the Haisla First Nation, will process nearly 700 million cubic feet of gas per day, becoming a key link in the transportation chain between B.C.’ s northeast gas fields and off-shore markets. Mark Hume reports. Bennett predicts a natural gas boom as way cleared for LNG plant  

The Chetzemoka ferry used on the Coupeville-Port Townsend route cost $36.3 million more to build than a similar designed boat constructed across the country, state auditors found. Washington State Ferries has spent millions of dollars more on its six newest ferries in part because of a state law that requires the vessels be built by a Washington company, the audit concluded. Auditors said the law limits competition and pushes up costs. Todd Shipyards, which is now owned by Vigor Industrial, built the past six ferries for the state and is building two more now. They recommend rewriting the law to allow out-of-state shipyards to at least bid on new vessel construction contracts, if bids from in-state firms are insufficient or higher than expected. They also suggest the agency assert tighter control of the terms and prices in construction contracts in order to save money. Jerry Cornfield reports. State spends millions more than others on ferries  

It weighs in at nearly six pounds, fills more than 1,000 pages, and represents the work of many hands and hearts. The Klallam people’s first dictionary for what was always an unwritten language was built syllable-by-syllable, from tapes and spoken words transcribed into a phonetic alphabet. The work was a race against time: About 100 people spoke Klallam as their first language when he first began learning Klallam in 1978, said Timothy Montler, a University of North Texas linguistics professor, and author of the dictionary. By the time the dictionary was published by the University of Washington Press last September, only two were left. Lynda Mapes reports.  Klallam dictionary opens window into tribal heritage  

Aiming to cut down on waste and help preserve marine environment and sea life, a volunteer group is hoping to make Anacortes the seventh community on the Puget Sound to ban retail stores from handing out plastic bags. Currently composed of environmentalist advocates, business owners and city councilmen Ryan Walters and Eric Johnson, the Anacortes Bring Your Own Bag Coalition is putting together an ordinance based on Bellingham’s bag ban, which bans stores from giving away plastic bags with a purchase and charges 5 cents for a paper bag. However, the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce and several small business owners in the city have taken a stand against the proposal, citing increased costs and space requirements for businesses, less convenience for consumers and worries about increased shoplifting as detriments to the idea. Mark Stayton reports. Plastic ban reaction a mixed bag in Anacortes


Members are being sought for a octopus advisory group formed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The group was made in response to the legal harvest of giant Pacific octopus in Seattle last October. Up to 12 people will be picked for the advisory group to develop recommendations for protecting the octopus throughout the Puget Sound, meeting periodically through the end of August.  Nominees sought for giant octopus advisory group

A fourth-grader will cut the ribbon during the grand reopening of Irondale Beach County Park at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The reopening ceremony at the park at 526 Moore St. in Irondale will cap a cleanup and restoration effort that has been in the works in some form since 2007. The park had been closed while the state Department of Ecology cleaned the former Irondale Iron and Steel site of petroleum hydrocarbons and metals. Fox Elder, a 9-year-old fourth-grader at Chimacum Elementary School who has done service projects at the park since he was 4 years old, will be on hand to cut the opening ribbon for the park. Fox and his parents are members of Friends of Chimacum Creek, a volunteer group that has adopted the park and will be responsible for maintaining it. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Irondale Beach Park reopening ceremony set Thursday

According to Lisa Stiffler at Sightline, the answer to the question: "Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites?" is "No."

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST WED JAN 23 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT
TODAY
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 17 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 15 SECONDS. W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.  A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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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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1/22 Seal kills, coho kills, coal export, polluter pays, Boat Basin, Oly shores, whale workshop, Blackfish, Peninsula marine science, Reel Time Trivia

President Barack Obama

FULL TEXT: Barack Obama's Second Inaugural Speech  

New blog: “When Molly Met David. Molly is, of course, my Molly Stevens, author of All About Roasting and All About Braising. And David is David Chang, wunderkind chef/founder of the Momofuku Food Group and co-author with Peter Meehan of the Momofuku Cookbook...." When Molly Met David

Charges have been dropped against a B.C. salmon farming company after it reached a deal with the Department of Fisheries over the deaths of almost 70 sea lions and seals. Sixty-five sea lions and four seals became entangled and drowned in nets at Grieg Seafood B.C.'s Gold River farm in early 2010. Instead of charges, Grieg has agreed to invest $100,000 in three projects, most of which will go towards the Nootka Sound Watershed Society for community education.  Charges dropped in B.C. sea lion deaths  

Stormwater runoff from highways appears to contain one or more unidentified compounds shown to be highly toxic to coho salmon and perhaps other salmon as well. The problem has been studied only a few years. Now, experiments at Grover's Creek Hatchery in North Kitsap have confirmed that polluted stormwater has the ability to kill adult coho before they can spawn. The problem was first suspected in Seattle's Longfellow Creek, which receives a rush of stormwater whenever it rains. Observers noticed that many of the female coho that made it home to their natal streams were dying before they could lay their eggs, often within a few hours of a rainstorm. Leading up to their deaths, researchers noticed that the fish seemed confused, often going in different directions and turning onto their sides while swimming. Chris Dunagan reports. Mystery compound found to kill coho salmon  

State and federal agencies studying potential impacts of a new coal terminal near Bellingham must consider the increased train traffic in cities around the state, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday. On coal ports and the trains that will feed them, Inslee said he wanted a "complete, consistent, reliable evaluation" of all impacts in the state, which would include the towns that trains pass through. Some supporters of the new coal terminal want the environmental impact statement to take a narrower view of just the local effects in and around Bellingham. Inslee, who talked about global climate change during Wednesday's inaugural address and at the start of his press conference, said the world needs to reduce carbon emissions, no matter where they originate. Opponents of the terminal contend its environmental statement should consider the effects burning that coal in China will have on the global climate. That's a more challenging question, Inslee said, and he needs to talk with legal advisers to see whether the state has the authority to do that. Jim Camden reports. Inslee wants proposed coal ports, train traffic studied

Environment Minister Terry Lake meets with industry officials today to discuss how oil and hazardous materials spills should be handled in B.C. Representatives from the Association of Petroleum Producers, the Energy Pipeline Association, Transport Canada, and the coast guard are among the 13 groups attending the roundtable on spill preparedness and response. Lake says the province receives about 3,500 notices of environmental emergencies each year, ranging from home-based oil accidents to overturned tanker trucks, train derailments and spills on water. He says it's time to overhaul policies to support a full polluter-pay system so taxpayers do not bear the burden of costly clean-ups. Polluter pay legislation tops B.C. plans for new oil spill response strategy

While British Columbians have been preoccupied by the debate over oil pipelines, our neighbours in Washington state have been duking it out over their own environmental issue lately. Their fight is over coal. If built, the Gateway Pacific Terminal would dwarf Roberts Bank and supplant it as the largest coal exporting facility in North America. Plans call for a maximum exporting capacity of 54 million metric tonnes annually, 48 million tonnes of which would be coal. In comparison, the Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank, even after its recent new expansion, exported just over 26 million tonnes of coal in 2012.  Pete McMartin reports. Proposed coal-exporting terminal would make already-busy shipping lanes even busier

The proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal has sparked the most-complex environmental review since, well, forever. The first public comment period ends today. In this first of a three-part series, take an inside look at the players on both sides of the issue. Floyd McKay reports. Coal Train: The people and process behind Bellingham's coal port decision

Plans to replace a historic marina in Nanaimo known as the Boat Basin with a modern, higher-end marine development have residents of Protection Island calling for more consultation. The Nanaimo Port Authority announced plans last spring to sign a 30-year lease with private developer Pacific Northwest Marina Group, which says it plans to invest $9 million in the project. An environmental review is underway, said Bernie Dumas, CEO of the port authority. The lease is expected to be signed in the next month or two. Sandra McCulloch reports. Protection Islanders want say in new marina

A crowd is expected to gather at City Hall tonight to tell the Olympia City Council what it thinks about the city’s proposed Shoreline Management Program. It’s the council’s first formal public hearing on the issue since the state required the city to update the plan, which has been the subject of more than three years of discussions. While it covers all major waterways in Olympia, its effect on the Budd Inlet shoreline is particularly pronounced. Matt Batcheldor reports. Public can comment on shoreline proposal

Are you a naturalist, researcher, educator, or someone who thrills at seeing whales and wants to learn more about these amazing beings that live in the Salish Sea and beyond?  Register in advance for Orca Network's all-day Ways of Whales Workshop, January 26, in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Cost is $35 ($25 for students/seniors); hot lunch $10. Speaker info and registration online here.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s emotionally powerful Blackfish documents a shattering reality far removed from both the sensationalistic horror of the 1977 Richard Harris Jaws imitator, Orca, and the cuddly fantasy of Free Willy. For anyone who has ever questioned the humaneness of keeping wild animals in captivity and training them to perform tricks for food, this will be trenchant, often harrowing stuff. Perhaps even more so for those who have never considered the issue. Taking its title from the name given to killer whales by Native American fisherman, the film is a damning indictment of the SeaWorld theme park franchise, whose management declined repeated requests to be interviewed. It’s framed by details of the death in 2010 at the company’s Orlando park of Dawn Brancheau, reportedly one of the most safety-conscious trainers, who was dragged underwater and drowned by Tilikum, a 12,000 pound bull orca. Blackfish: Sundance Review  

Two small North Olympic Peninsula marine science education organizations are working to combine forces to create a major educational and tourist attraction in downtown Port Angeles. For the past four months, the Feiro Marine Life Center, a private nonprofit on City Pier, and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, based in Port Angeles and overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, have been working to find ways to combine funding and function in a combined new facility for marine science education. Arwyn Rice reports. A marine life marriage in Port Angeles? Feiro, national marine sanctuary consider merging visitor centers

Reel Time Pacific Northwest fishing and outdoor trivia question of the week: This little river that feeds into northern Puget Sound bay and flows directly under I-5 through valley farmlands offers an angler a chance at late-summer kings, but has been dogged recently as "snag city." Many landowners on the eastern banks of the river have shutdown their access with some now charging fees. It is commonly referred to as "The Ditch" and the aesthetics aren't like being on a pristine northern Olympic coastal river, however, it can generate some excellent king fishing in late August and September for kings 10- to 30-plus pounds. Where am I fishing? Mark Yuasa asks. It's Reel Time trivia so put on your fishing thinking cap

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST TUE JAN 22 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
TONIGHT
E WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 20 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 19 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

1/21 Partnership, dead whale, marine area protection, wind storm, BC coal port, coal trains, Victoria sewage, rising seas, martens, orca tags

In celebration of service, opportunity and responsibility: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

New blog: "Puget Sound Partnership Executive Director Tony Wright took the helm of the agency charged with restoring the Sound to health late last July and yesterday sent a letter to us announcing his return to the private sector...." Whither Puget Sound Partnership, Whither Puget Sound? 


Six months into the job, Anthony "Tony" Wright is planning to leave his post as executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership and return to work at a private consulting firm.... After announcing his resignation, Wright says people are demanding to know the "real reason" he is leaving. "Nobody is asking me to leave, and I'm not angry at anybody," he said.... Inslee spokesman David Postman said the recruiting of director candidates started about two weeks ago. Interviews could begin as early as next week, he added, and the Leadership Council will play an integral role in the selection. Chris Dunagan reports. Director leaving Puget Sound Partnership after brief tenure

The State of Washington Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee (JLARC) briefing report on PSP’S (the Puget Sound Partnership) 2012 Action Agenda Update finds that “Revised Approach Continues to Lack Key Accountability Tools Envisioned in Statute” January 23, 2013.  Specifically in three areas: 1) The Action Agenda Does Not Link Actions to the Amount of Progress They Will Make Towards the Long-Term Restoration Goals Established by the Legislature; 2) Actions are Not Prioritized to Meet Long-Term Restoration Goals; 3)Monitoring Data Is Not Available to Facilitate Adaptive Management

A gray whale has turned up dead near Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It was first spotted Saturday night near the USS Ronald Reagan, then it couldn't be found Sunday morning — raising hope it might have swam away — but its body was later found nearby. Steve Jeffries, a marine mammal specialist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, determined from a preliminary examination that it was a juvenile female gray whale about 28 to 30 feet long. The whale had old scars likely from an attack by an orca, Jeffries said, but there was no sign of recent trauma. The whale was emaciated and appears to have died of starvation, he said. Chris Henry reports. Dead gray whale found near PSNS

A new report from an environmental group says the federal government is moving too slowly in setting aside marine areas for environmental protection. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society was urging Ottawa to have a network of 12 protected sites by the end of 2012. In its report released Monday, the group says that while that didn't happen overall, progress is also too slow. Susan Lunn reports. Canada slow to protect marine areas, report argues  

On January 20, 1993, one of the strongest windstorms to strike Western Washington in the 20th Century rolled ashore that morning, bringing winds of 60-75 mph with some isolated gusts that were even stronger, including an 88 mph gust at the University of Washington. A registered gust of 70 mph at Boeing Field was the second-strongest gust there recorded in the past 60 years, According to Wolf Read's Storm King windstorm research site.  Six people died and over 600,000 people lost power, according to Historylink.org. Among those killed were a 19-year-old Lynnwood man who died when a tree fell on his car, and a 3-year-old Port Orchard boy who was killed by a falling tree. Scott Sistek reports. 20 years ago, the infamous Inauguration Day Windstorm struck  

A B.C. environmental group is promising a "firestorm" of protest if Port Metro Vancouver doesn't delay plans to ramp up the amount of coal moving through its terminals and hold more public consultations. The port is currently considering applications to expand two Metro Vancouver port terminals. One application would expand coal capacity at the Neptune Terminal in North Vancouver. The other proposal would create a new coal transfer facility at a terminal on the Fraser River in Surrey. But Dogwood Initiative executive director Will Horter says the port has failed to adequately consult with the public and has ignored opposition. Environmentalists vow to fight coal terminal expansion plans

Traffic was backed up at three major intersections in Mount Vernon. Bus routes stalled. Drivers waited almost an hour. This sounds like a scene from Skagit’s springtime Tulip Festival, when a torrent of tourists floods the valley with extra traffic. But this backup happened in December. A locked wheel had stalled a train on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks that run through the center of the city, said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas. No injuries or collisions were reported from the incident. But with crossings blocked at West Fir Street, Riverside Drive and College Way, that locked wheel threw a wrench in plenty of people’s morning plans. Gina Cole reports. Coal trains: What is the impact?  And, Mark Stayton reports: Local considerations: Concerns voiced about coal traffic’s effect on area economy

Victoria’s neighbours to the south are applauding the capital region’s sewage treatment plans. Port Angeles Mayor Cherie Kidd said her city, and others in Washington that face Greater Victoria, have been keeping a close eye as their Canadian neighbour progresses toward treating its sewage. Kidd mailed a letter to the Capital Regional District’s sewage committee encouraging the CRD treatment project for its long-term environmental benefits. The letter was received this month. Rob Shaw reports. Port Angeles mayor praises capital region’s sewage-treatment plan

State officials have approved Port Orchard's Shoreline Master Program — provided the City Council can accommodate about a dozen changes. Ecology could not agree to industrial development over the water unless it was "water-dependent" or fits criteria to show that a dock or other structure is truly needed. The city had previously agreed to discourage, but not prohibit, such structures. Other issues involve wetland identification and regulations, the need to include properties recently annexed, and textual changes for clarification. Ecology agreed to "buffer averaging," in which a buffer may be wider in some places and narrower in others, but said the technique should not create an average buffer less than 75 percent of the standard buffer. The city had proposed a reduction of up to 50 percent. Chris Dunagan reports. Port Orchard shoreline plan nearly finished

For political activists concerned about global warming and the rising level of Puget Sound, a confluence of events last week at the state capital presented an opportunity too good to pass up. The start of 2013 legislative activities Monday coincided with one of the highest tides of the year – a 16.9-foot whopper that at 7:47 a.m. pushed salt water to the verge of parking lots at the head of Budd Inlet, within sight of the Capitol dome. Despite the evidence that sea levels are rising, jurisdictions throughout Puget Sound – including Pierce County and the Port of Tacoma – have been slow to react, paralyzed by the potential enormity of the problem and lingering doubts that scientists’ projections of dramatic tidal change really will take place. Rob Carson reports. As tides creep up, some just look away

It’s about 25 degrees on a clear Saturday morning when Greg Treinish gathers a small group of outdoor adventurers around him near the Duckabush River in the Olympic National Forest. Treinish is the executive director of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, a non-profit that puts volunteers to work gathering data for scientists around the world. The mission for this group: Help biologists figure out if there are any martens left in the Olympic National Forest. They’ll be setting up motion-activated cameras in some of the forest’s snowiest, most remote territory. The citizen scientists fill their packs with a strange assortment of gear, including chicken wire, hammers, folding saws and — wait for it — human-head-sized chunks of beaver carcass. Ashley Ahearn reports. Searching The Olympic Forest For The Elusive Marten

Biologists are gaining new information about the winter movements of endangered Puget Sound orcas by tracking the daily activities of one of them by a satellite tag. Since scientists attached a transmitter to a 21-year-old male orca named as Scoter two weeks ago, they’ve watched as he sprinted more than 1,000 miles – from the Seattle area to north of San Francisco before curiously reversing course over the weekend and heading north. “One thing that has struck us is it seems to be directed movement. They haven’t paused very long in one place,” said Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle who is leading the satellite tagging project. Phuong Le reports. Tag reveals winter movements of Puget Sound orcas

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST MON JAN 21 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING.
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS
 OF FOG IN THE MORNING.

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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

1/18 Tony Wright, bad air, green priorities, Brinnon resort, bag ban, Mutiny Bay, shot eagles

Harlequin male in winter (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Surely there can’t be a more dapper duck than the male Harlequin. This natty bird seems appropriately named. In Renaissance Italy, Harlequin was a stock character in Commedia dell’arte – the popular improvisational theatre form of the time...." Harlequin: the Patchwork Performer

Our Man on the Peninsula reports: "In a letter to his partners, Tony Wright, the Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership, announced his resignation and intent to leave in the near future. He is staying until a new ED is found. This is quite shocking news. Mr. Wright only took the helm of the Partnership last summer, after the resignation of Gerry O”Keefe, who himself had not been in the ED role for very long. n meeting with members of the Marine Resource Committee members at their annual conference last winter, Mr. Wright was all a bundle of fire, an excellent motivational speaker. He left the distinct taste that this was a man who was going to get things done. About the only thing he appears to have done, is reorganized the Partnership...." Tony Wright to leave the Puget Sound Partnership

Climate scientist Cliff Mass writes: "Cold air and foggy conditions have dominated the lowlands on both sides of the Cascades, as  shown by visible satellite imagery this afternoon. The irony of all this is that while near sea level the temperatures were in the 20s and 30sF , a few thousand feet up it was sunny and in the lower 50s...." Super Inversion and Bad Air

A coalition of environmental groups is wasting no time in setting priorities for the legislature. “Clean Energy Solutions”, “Toxic-Free Kids and Families” and “Conservation Works” are the buzz words. Themes range from putting people back to work and stopping giveaways to dirty fuels, to protecting waterways across the state from polluted runoff. On a recent Saturday activists learned how to lobby their legislators. But not everyone was convinced the priorities were urgent enough for the next generation. Martha Baskin reports. Unfazed by Power Shifts, Environmental Community Sets Priorities for 2013 Legislative Session  

A Seattle consulting firm is set to begin an environmental study on a long-planned 252-acre resort on Hood Canal that the builder hopes to begin developing by the end of this year. The Jefferson County Department of Community Development is finalizing a contract with EA Blumen of Seattle to draft a $92,950 supplemental environmental impact statement on the proposed Pleasant Harbor Marina and Golf Resort located 3 miles south of Brinnon, Associate Planner David Wayne Johnson said. The project applicant is the Statesman Group of Companies, a Calgary-based resort-building corporation that first proposed the  $300 million project in 2006. Paul Gottlieb reports. Brinnon resort looks back on track, with study set

Thin, carryout plastic bags have nearly disappeared from big grocery and retail stores in Seattle, six months after city officials enacted a ban to reduce litter and protect Puget Sound sea life. But costs for many stores have increased. Shoplifting has gone up slightly and stores have gotten pushback from some customers who don’t want to pay for paper. Those are some results of a survey by Seattle Public Utilities to see how stores and shoppers are faring under the new rules. A second survey by Environment Washington, one of the proponents of the new law, found that 64 percent of shoppers agree with the bag ban and more than half say it has prompted them to bring reusable ones more often. Lynn Thompson reports.  Seattle shoppers getting used to reusable bags, stores less so  

Island County will accept the donation of 300 feet of waterfront property on South Whidbey. The Island County commissioners  informally agreed in a split decision to authorize Public Works officials to move forward with the final legal details to secure the property. The property in question is owned by Frank Robinson, a South Whidbey native who went on to found the Robinson Helicopter Company in Los Angeles. He has allowed the public to use the property, located adjacent to the Mutiny Bay boat launch, for years. Justin Burnett reports. Island County accepts Mutiny Bay beach donation

Wildlife agents are investigating the deaths of four bald eagles found floating in a lake east of Granite Falls. "It was real apparent that three of them had been shot by a small caliber rifle," state Department of Fish and Wildlife Sgt. Jennifer Maurstad said. "My guess is all four were probably shot." Eric Stevick reports. Deaths of 4 bald eagles near Granite Falls investigated

Coming Events:

Whale Trail’s winter meeting/speaker series on Thursday, Jan. 24, features Mark Sears, local orca researcher who has studied whales in this area for over 30 years. The program is held at C&P Coffee, 5612 California Ave SW, Seattle, 6:30 welcome, 7 pm program. $5 suggested donation, kids free. Advance tickets.

Leading experts who are helping the state study and counteract rising ocean acidity levels are scheduled to speak at a free seminar Jan. 24 at Everett Station. The Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee is hosting the event featuring speakers from the Washington State Panel on Ocean Acidification. The seminar is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. in Everett Station's Weyerhaeuser Room, 3201 Smith Ave. Panel to discuss acid levels in state waters

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 18 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 16 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 20 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 20 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 20 SECONDS.
SUN AND SUN NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. W SWELL 6 FT AT 18 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told