3/1 Rain, tax majority rule, porpoises, Port Gamble cleanup, Discovery Island wolf, Dabob Bay

Welcome, March. Is this the one which comes in like a lion? As online daily newspapers move to paid subscriptions, I’ll do my best to scan and post these weekday clips and maintain this free service for the good of the cause. For the short month of February, we grew to nearly 250 subscribers and had 2,252 visits to the weekday News and Weather website, for a total of 33,548 visits since launch 18 months ago. At the periodic Communications blog website, we had 1,445 visits in February, for a total of 25,673 visits since launch 17 months ago. Thanks for reading and doing your part to save the Salish Sea. Invite others to subscribe— it’s free!

Heavy rains that hit Metro Vancouver Thursday, forcing closure of the Cypress Mountain ski resort, are expected to continue over the next two days. Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning Thursday predicting 40 to 80 millimetres of rain across Metro Vancouver, with the highest amounts expected near the North Shore. Metro Vancouver hit by heavy rainfall

Syzygy and seiche and more. Bill Trandum shares why every mariner knows to be ever respectful of the forces of nature. Winds, Tides and Weathers   And Cliff Mass examines "The Unusual: A Strong Warm Front"

The state Supreme Court has thrown out an initiative passed by voters that would have required a "Supermajority" in both houses of the Legislature to pass new revenue measures or close tax loopholes. In a split 6-3 decision issued Thursday morning, the high court found that Tim Eyman-sponsored Initiative 1053 violates the state constitution. Washington voters passed the initiative in 2010, prompting a lawsuit by the League of Education Voters and others. Joel Connelly reports. High court guts voter-approved tax control initiative

Once common throughout Puget Sound, harbor porpoises pulled a disappearing act decades ago. But the small reclusive marine mammal is once again plying the inland marine waters of the state, arousing the curiosity of scientists and waterfront residents. Earlier this month, 30 marine mammal researchers gathered in Anacortes to share what they know about the population of elusive sea mammmals that reside in the Salish Sea of British Columbia and Washington state. The meeting was triggered by a kind of good news-bad news chain of events. The good news is that harbor porpoises are reseeding areas of Puget Sound they hadn’t been seen in since the 1940s, including South Sound. The bad news is that the number of harbor porpoises washing ashore dead is on the rise, too. John Dodge reports. Harbor porpoises making a comeback in South Sound

Pope Resources has been given a deadline of Monday to sign a cleanup agreement for Port Gamble Bay or face an enforcement order from the state. Except for a single sticking point, Pope Resources and the Washington Department of Ecology have come to terms on a $17 million cleanup plan to remove creosote pilings and other contamination in the bay. The two parties could not agree, however, on whether it would be acceptable to leave two docks inside the bay until a new dock is approved for the town of Port Gamble. Chris Dunagan reports. Deadline approaches for Port Gamble Bay  

The wolf on Discovery Island has outfoxed its would-be captors. Traps set by B.C. Parks have been removed and parks staff will instead rely on education and special food containers in the campground to keep people and the wolf apart. “Through the trapping exercise, conservation officers have got short clips of video from remote cameras and they have determined that the wolf appears to be healthy and surviving quite nicely,” said Joe Benning, B.C. Parks area supervisor. Judith Lavoie reports. Wily Discover Island wolf will remain free after trapping efforts failed

Nature photographer Keith Lazelle and his wife and artist agent, Jane Hall, have set up long-term protection from development for their 18 acres of shoreline property on Jefferson County's Dabob Bay. The December action is part of a larger conservation effort within the proposed boundaries of the Dabob Bay Natural Area at the north end of Hood Canal, northeast of Quilcene, said Peter Bahls, executive director of the Northwest Watershed Institute, which helped complete the arrangement. The couple sold two undeveloped parcels, one on each side of their home, to the state Department of Natural Resources to be permanently protected as part of the natural area project.  Couple sell Dabob Bay property to protect it from development  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 342 AM PST FRI MAR 1 2013
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
S WIND 25 TO 35 KT. COMBINED SEAS 8 TO 11 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 11 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN
 SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
 SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING.
SAT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 16 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN
 RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 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.

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