3/5 Weather, BC closure, Port Gamble, Amtrak routing, Oly shores, maritime jobs, Arctic routes

BirdNote: Red-throated loon (Gregg Thompson)

If you like to listen: The word “loon” comes from the Old Norse word for “lame.” Because their feet are so far back on their bodies, loons cannot walk on land. But in flight, they’re graceful, and under water, they're swift in pursuit of fish. Red-throated Loons – like this one – breed in the far north and winter along both coasts of the United States. Red-throated Loons of Deception Pass  

A passion for weather was the common denominator on display Friday and Saturday at the 2012 Pacific Northwest Weather Workshop at the NOAA Western Regional Center in Seattle. Those like me with a simplistic understanding of meteorology were in the minority. Most of the more than 100 people who attended are active or retired meteorologists and atmospheric scientists with an abiding passion — make that obsession — with weather. Me? I took Atmospheric Sciences 101 at the University of Washington in 1967. I’ve had more than 45 years to forget most of what I learned. Yet much of my newspaper career, I’ve served as a messenger for National Weather Service forecasters who need the media to relay forecasts aimed at keeping people out of harm’s way when wind, rain, snow and ice storms lash the Pacific Northwest. Then, once the storms have passed, I’ve been left the task of writing about the damage to property and lives those storms wrought. John Dodge muses. Everybody was talking about the weather

B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake criticized the federal government Monday over the imminent closure of an office that co-ordinates governmental protection of the Lower Mainland’s two most significant aquatic ecosystems, the Fraser River estuary and Burrard Inlet. The multi-government office, a self-described “pioneer” in intergovernmental co-operation that will close at the end of the month, was set up in 1985 and reviewed 153 development projects in 2011. Peter O'Neil reports. B.C. minister attacks closure of office that helps protect Fraser River estuary and Burrard Inlet  

Negotiations about a cleanup plan for Port Gamble Bay continued through the weekend and into Monday evening, according to Jon Rose of Pope Resources, the primary party involved in the $17 million cleanup effort. Last week, the Washington Department of Ecology gave Pope Resources until Monday to agree to a proposed cleanup plan or face an administrative order issued by the agency. The two sides were still trying to work out their differences as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, Rose said, taking a break to report that talks were ongoing. Chris Dunagan reports. Talks continue on Port Gamble cleanup  

An $89 million project to reroute Amtrak trains through DuPont, Lakewood and South Tacoma has won key federal approval but could face a local court challenge. State transportation officials announced Monday that the so-called Point Defiance Bypass would move forward. The Federal Railroad Administration approved the project at the end of a three-year review that determined the bypass would not adversely affect the environment. Officials with the Washington Department of Transportation say rerouting passenger trains away from the Puget Sound waterfront would decrease travel times through the Nisqually-Tacoma corridor by up to 10 minutes, improve rail safety and allow two more trains to run between Portland and Seattle each day. Christian Hill reports. Feds OK Amtrak rerouting; courts may be next    See also: Amtrak rail ridership thriving in Oregon, Washington, study says

After nearly four hours of discussion last week, the Olympia City Council will resume deliberations on its Shoreline Master Program Tuesday night. Council members will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E. The discussion will move to about the northern half of the Budd Inlet shoreline on West Bay and the north and east sections of the peninsula housing the Port of Olympia. Like last week, it will take up most of the council’s time. Matt Batcheldor reports. Council resumes shoreline plan talks

Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon are all big Seattle employers, but a different industry desperately needs workers. The maritime industry is actively looking to hire more men and women.   "There's a lot of jobs available in the maritime industry in the Puget Sound region. We employee nearly a quarter million people either related directly or indirectly to maritime industry," said Chris Peterson, Crowley Marine Services Vice President. He says the tide is changing. Companies are seeing a wave of workers retire and need to fill a big gap. Teresa Yuan reports. Maritime industry needs to get new workers on board  

Shipping lanes through the Arctic Ocean won't put the Suez and Panama canals out of business anytime soon, but global warming will make these frigid routes much more accessible than ever imagined by melting an unprecedented amount of sea ice during the late summer, new UCLA research shows. The findings, which explore accessibility during the Arctic's most navigable month of the year, September, appear in the latest issue of the scholarly journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Plus. The first thorough assessment of trans-Arctic shipping potential as global temperatures continue to rise, the study is based on independent climate forecasts for the years 2040 to 2059. Global Warming Will Open Unexpected New Shipping Routes in Arctic, Researchers Find  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST TUE MAR 5 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 25 TO 30 KT BECOMING SE 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT AND WED
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
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