4/11 Sally Jewell, Sound Action, BC bluebirds, Anne Shaffer, dandelions

(KOMO-TV)

New blog: “Gun safety is public safety and the U.S. Senate begins its deliberations this week. Our state legislature seems to have already tucked its head neatly into the sand on the issue, with state legislators going on a shooting junket last week. Maybe you need to handle a gun to have any cred in talking about gun safety as public safety...” Gimme That Gun! (Or, Lessons Guns Have Taught Me)

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Sally Jewell as the new secretary of the Interior Wednesday, sending the REI chief executive to the helm of sprawling agency grappling with major decisions ranging from Arctic oil exploration to protection for the lesser prairie chicken. The 87-11 vote came three weeks after Jewell’s nomination passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by a 19-3 vote and two months after President Obama made her the first woman picked for his second-term cabinet. Jewell, 57, is expected to be sworn in at the White House as early as Thursday and immediately replace Ken Salazar, who resigned to return to his ranch in Colorado. Kyung Song reports. Senate confirms Sally Jewell as Interior secretary

A new environmental group, called Sound Action, will serve as a “watchdog” to protect shoreline habitats throughout Puget Sound, according to Amy Carey, the group’s first executive director. Carey, who headed the group Preserve Our Islands, said the new group includes some of the same board members but has added new members to give the group a regional focus. Preserve Our Islands became known for its successful effort to stop a major gravel operation on Maury Island until the land could be purchased for protection. “We found out through our fight how broken the regulatory system is,” Carey said. “Agencies were rubber-stamping projects, and we found that DFW (the state Department of Fish and Wildlife), for whatever reason, was not applying fish windows. We had to take legal action against them.” Chris Dunagan reports. New Puget Sound 'watchdog' group formed

There will be bluebirds over the meadows of the Cowichan Valley this week and hopes are high that others will be flying in shortly. It’s the first sign bluebirds are returning to Vancouver Island. Three pairs of Western bluebirds flew into the sunset Monday evening after being released from aviaries in the Somenos-Quamichan Lake area. The Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team is asking for help spotting the brightly coloured birds. Judith Lavoie reports.  Eyes turn to the sky for bluebirds’ return to Vancouver Island

A Port-Angeles-based marine biologist and one of the armada of scientists studying the ongoing Elwha River restoration project has been honored for her conservation efforts. Anne Shaffer, executive director of the Coastal Watershed Institute, has been named the 2013 Conservationist of the Year by the Society for Ecological Restoration's Northwest chapter, based in Seattle. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Port Angeles woman honored for conservation efforts


If you like to watch: Paul Wheaton says, "New video with Sepp Holzer, Toby Hemenway, Owen Hablutzel, Alexia Allen, Jacqueline Freeman, Eden Gal, Michael Pilarski and many more.  20 people total.  I think Norris Thomlinson said it best that it starts off as a weed, then it's a nutrient accumulator so you don't pull it anymore, then it turns out also be a food crop, then it turns out to be a major food crop and one of the most important things to grow in any garden." Dandelions in Permaculture

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU APR 11 2013
TODAY
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
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