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| Dunlins (Mark Mulligan/The Herald) |
From a spot along Port Susan, they first appear as a wispy cloud over the salt marshes and mudflats at high tide. The dunlins shimmer as they swoop and twirl in a flock of thousands, their white bellies flashing in a thin beam of sunshine on a February morning. Dunlins are sandpiper-like shorebirds, some of the many species that depend on the food and safety of 90,000 acres of wetlands in the side-by-side Stillaguamish and Skagit river deltas. Gail Fiege reports. River deltas a busy stop for thousands of shorebirds
Eight years after the Port of Bellingham took over 137 acres of waterfront industrial land from Georgia-Pacific Corp., cleanup of mercury contamination in soil is ready to begin. The small-scale first phase of that cleanup will begin in March 2013 and be finished by May. It will focus on small mercury hot spots at the site of G-P's chlor-alkali plant and mercury recovery unit. John Stark reports. Mercury cleanup set to begin on Bellingham waterfront
Leaked federal memos suggest Stephen Harper's government rushed the controversial closure of the Kitsilano coast guard base in order to expedite the sale of valuable waterfront lands to a First Nations group, a Vancouver city councillor says. An internal government memo titled "Update on Jericho disposal" was obtained Wednesday by Coun. Kerry Jang and Jim Sinclair of the B.C. Federation of Labour. In separate interviews Saturday, both Jang and Sinclair told the Sunday Province the memo appears to explain the puzzling politics behind the Kits base closure. Sam Cooper reports. Is federal land deal behind Kits coast guard closure? Meanwhile: Ottawa insists mariners are still safe in Vancouver, despite the early closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station on Tuesday, the busiest Coast Guard station in Canada. Two days after forcing the early closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station on Tuesday, the federal government announced $6.6 million for a Coast Guard base in Newfoundland. Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose said it was the Coast Guard's decision to invest in the Newfoundland base over the Kitsilano station. Tories defend Kits Coast Guard closure
The city of Poulsbo will be operating under new city shoreline rules after Wednesday, as a result of final approval by the Washington Department of Ecology. Poulsbo is the first local government in Kitsap County to complete the shoreline planning process, which will guide future development over nearly four miles of city shoreline. The effort, which included a series of public hearings, was begun in the summer of 2009. Chris Dunagan reports. State approves Poulsbo shorelines plan Meanwhile: The state Department of Ecology has told Pierce County that its draft of proposed changes to shoreline policies — the first such changes in nearly 40 years — is unacceptable and must be revised. State tells Pierce County to redo shoreline draft
The Olympia City Council will deliberate Tuesday night on final changes to the draft Shoreline Management Program after several years of community conversation. Council members are expected to make comments and suggest changes to the document before making a final review on March 26, approval on April 16 and then transmitting the document to the state, which requires it. Department of Ecology officials have the final say. Matt Batcheldor reports. Council set to review latest shoreline plan
The state Department of Ecology has selected Bellingham to receive $2.6 million in loans and grants to reroute part of Squalicum Creek and improve its habitat. Squalicum Creek doesn't meet state standards for water quality, and is listed as impaired by Ecology. Problems include fecal coliform bacteria, too-warm temperatures and dissolved oxygen levels. Fish passage blockage in the stream also is an issue, as well as declining salmon stocks. (The project) was one of 72 clean water projects the agency selected to receive $162 million in loans and grants starting July 1, the state's next fiscal year. Kie Relyea reports. Ecology selects Bellingham for $2.6 million for Squalicum Creek project
Crews will build a bridge on Old Fairhaven Parkway this summer, in anticipation of work to improve salmon habitat at Padden Creek. Next year, Padden Creek will be restored to its original channel and routed away from a 120-year-old tunnel that is virtually impassable to migrating fish. The creek will flow under the new bridge, near 20th Street, where construction is scheduled to begin on May 1. Ralph Schwartz reports. Bridge construction this summer first step to restoring Padden Creek in Bellingham
Tests of water quality in Lake Padden show cause for concern but not for alarm, says Betsy Gross, director of People for Lake Padden. According to the testing conducted by the volunteer organization that Gross helped organize, Lake Padden has problems that seem similar to those afflicting much larger Lake Whatcom, although Padden's woes are less severe. Unlike Lake Whatcom, Padden has not been a drinking water source for decades. But it is the centerpiece of a popular city park with a bathing beach that is mobbed on warm summer days. Anglers line its banks during the first few days of sport fishing season every spring. The good news is that the quality of Padden's water appears to be stable, Gross said. John Stark reports. Study: Lake Padden water quality stable, but runoff is a concern
A median strip that separates traffic along Silverdale’s Ridgetop Boulevard will be turned into 13 “rain gardens,” thanks to a grant and a loan from the Washington Department of Ecology. The project will treat stormwater runoff that flows from 17 acres of pavement and adjoining land along Ridgetop between Waaga Way and Avante Drive. The rain gardens, also known as bioretention structures, will filter the stormwater with plants and natural soil. In all, the structures are designed to remove more than 91 percent of the fecal bacteria, nitrogen, zinc and suspended solids that wash into Dyes Inlet, according to an engineering report by Herrera and Associates. That’s a reduction of more than 170 pounds of total nitrogen, nearly 5 pounds of dissolved zinc and more than 3 tons of sediment. Chris Dunagan reports. Silverdale's Ridgetop to get 13 new 'rain gardens'
A new study out of the Pacific Northwest has found people may be exposed to far less of the chemical BPA than previously thought. BPA, also known as bisphenol A, has been linked to genital defects, early onset of puberty and obesity. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., have found the amount of BPA in people’s blood is many times less than what earlier studies have found. Toxicologist Justin Teeguarden says there’s a reason other studies have found high concentrations of the chemical that’s used to harden plastic. Researchers can contaminate the samples they take. Courtney Flatt reports. NW Study Says BPA Exposures Are Lower Than Once Thought
The U.S. Coast Guard has found evidence of multiple safety and environmental violations in Shell Alaska's Noble Discoverer Arctic drilling rig and forwarded it to the U.S. Justice Department for a decision about possible civil or criminal penalties, authorities confirmed Friday. The news is the latest setback for Shell’s troubled Arctic drilling program, launched last summer off the coast of Alaska to tap one of the world’s biggest remaining oil and gas deposits. It has been plagued with logistical and mechanical troubles that raise questions about the company’s ability to continue this year. Already, the company’s second Arctic drilling rig, the Kulluk, is facing substantial repairs after coming loose from a tow through the Gulf of Alaska and grounding on rocks near Kodiak Island. Now it appears that the Noble Discoverer has problems of its own, detailed in a Coast Guard report made available this week to the House Natural Resources Committee. Kim Murphy reports. Coast Guard finds evidence of safety violations on Shell rig
The Northwest Clean Air Agency has awarded nearly $3.2 million to three projects that will reduce greenhouse gases - from improving energy efficiency in homes and dairy farms to constructing a small hydroelectric plant on the Bellingham waterfront. The money for the projects will come from BP Cherry Point Refinery to help offset the additional carbon dioxide that will be released from its new reactor, which will produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel beginning later this year. BP is required to produce the fuel, which will help reduce sulfur emissions that cause acid rain as well as harmful particulates and ozone precursors. Still, the new unit is expected to release about 440,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, a year. The refinery is voluntarily paying for the projects, which form the biggest chunk of the $4.3 million it committed to help offset the impact of its ultra-low-sulfur diesel production. Kie Reylea reports. $3.2 million awarded for Whatcom projects to reduce greenhouse gases
For a young University of Washington researcher, engaging people is the key to saving animals. Everything seems to come together in Lekelia (Kiki) Jenkins’ life, even things that we aren’t used to seeing in tandem. For instance, she’s both a natural scientist and a social scientist. Jenkins is one of three University of Washington faculty members awarded Sloan Research Fellowships by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The fellowships recognize young scientists and scholars who, based on their early work, are expected to be future leaders in their fields. Jerry Large reports. Natural science, social science mix in young researcher’s work
Building a mini-dam on a scenic stretch of the Skykomish River would not cause flooding or reduce water flow, according to preliminary studies by the Snohomish County Public Utility District. These findings are among the results of studies done recently by the PUD in determining whether to pursue the project. The utility is looking at building an inflatable mini-dam, or weir, on the river just above Sunset Falls near Index. The PUD believes the project could generate enough power for nearly 10,000 homes. Its cost is estimated at between $110 million and $170 million. Bill Sheets reports. PUD’s studies support proposed mini-dam on Skykomish
The Fraser Delta, on Vancouver’s southern doorstep, is a wetland of international importance, a gathering place for salmon, waterfowl, shorebirds, and whales, and for people. It has rich, productive farmland, some of the best in Canada, yet under the wide open skies, nature struggles for space. Snow geese feed in school yards and orcas swim among container ships. Pumpkin and blueberry fields compete for space with shopping malls, golf courses, and housing developments. The delta landscape, recently designated as a UN Ramsar site for its critical wetland values, is changing rapidly, powered by agencies and policies that destroy the environment and ignore community concerns. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the actions of Port Metro Vancouver, whose determination to push through operational expansions on a massive scale, has many Delta residents enraged. Anne Murray comments. A dark cloud hangs over South Delta
Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask: Romantic relationships are complicated, and so is sex. Relationships can be fraught with the potential for miscommunication or misunderstanding at the best of times, so imagine how troublesome it is to admit, out loud, to your partner, that you've got a sexual interest or fantasy that sits far outside the cultural norms. But here’s a secret. For just about any fantasy between consenting adults that might be thought of as beyond conventional sexual practices or decency as dictated by society, you can bet that there's a non-human species for whom that particular behaviour is commonplace. Jason Goldman at BBC Future reports. The wilder side of sex
Now, your thank-goodness-for-tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 251 AM PST MON FEB 25 2013
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 25 TO 35 KT. COMBINED SEAS 12 TO 14 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 10 SECONDS... BUILDING TO 15 TO 16 FT WITH A
DOMINANT PERIOD OF 11 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 7 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 13 FT AT 10 SECONDS...
SUBSIDING TO 11 FT AT 17 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
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