2/10 Glines Canyon, Boldt40, BC fake reef, Lyme tick, coal port, derelict boats, geoducks, Tarboo Cr., porpoise

Glines Canyon Dam, 2/8/14 (National Park Service photo)

'We're getting close to the bottom': Blast at Glines Canyon Dam expected today
Another chunk of Glines Canyon Dam will be blown away sometime today as work on Elwha River dam removals nears an end. Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said Saturday that crews had drilled 35-foot-deep holes in the concrete over the past week that have been stuffed with explosives to blow out one of the few remaining sections of the once-210-foot-tall dam. Joe Smillie reports.

Boldt40: John Dodge reports: Fish Wars victory still a success for South Sound tribes 40 years later  Rob Carson reports: Boldt decision has rippling effects 40 years later  Ron Judd reports: 40 years after Boldt, the fight goes on over fewer and fewer fish

Sunken Canadian warship could grow artificial reef in B.C.
The rich plant life that once sat at the bottom of Halkett Bay, north of Vancouver at the mouth of Howe Sound, became suffocated when a booming logging industry moved into the area, littering the sea floor. Once the plants were gone, so was the marine life, explains Howard Robins, the president of a group with an ambitious plan to sink a 111-metre decommissioned Canadian warship as an artificial reef. It's hoped once the ship reaches the bottom of the cove, it will become home to plant life and eventually aquatic animals such as cod and anemones.

Island hawk is first to be found with ticks carrying Lyme bug  
A Vancouver Island hawk is the first raptor to join the list of species believed to spread Lyme disease. Research scientist John Scott said the Cooper’s hawk was found with 22 ticks on it, four of which were infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. It’s the first raptor, or bird of prey, known to host the bacteria. Amy Smart reports.

Whatcom council member seeks more oversight of coal terminal
A Whatcom County Council member wants the council to have authority to approve changes to the environmental review of a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point. Chairman Carl Weimer has introduced an ordinance for the council to consider Tuesday, Feb. 11, that takes the authority to approve contract amendments from the county executive and gives it to the council. An attorney representing the terminal's proponent wrote a letter to the council on Friday, Feb. 7, saying this change would be illegal. Ralph Schwartz reports.

State stuck with bill when people ditch boats
State law requires owners of abandoned or derelict vessels to pay the full costs of removing or disposing of the problem boats, but owners rarely do. Since the Department of Natural Resources began a program to rid state waters of potentially dangerous vessels in 2003, vessel owners have only repaid about $28,000 — or less than 1 percent — of the total $8.3 million owed in the past decade, according to agency records. Phuong Le reports.

Geoduck market expands to Chinese neighbors
The market for geoducks harvested in Washington state has shifted from China to other Asian countries, primarily Hong Kong and Vietnam, according to certificates issued by the Washington State Department of Health. Chris Dunagan reports.

Volunteers, new and old, plant 3,000 trees at Tarboo Creek
Volunteers from five schools jumped out of bed and into their mud boots last weekend to plant 3,000 native trees and shrubs along Tarboo Creek during the ninth annual Plant-A-Thon.  The 150 children, parents, grandparents and teachers planted the trees during a daylong work party Feb. 1, said Jude Rubin, director of stewardship at the Port Townsend-based Northwest Watershed Institute, which coordinates the annual event. More than 133,000 trees have been planted in the Tarboo Valley since 2004 to improve conditions for salmon and wildlife.

Harbor porpoise population research expands
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center has joined the Pacific Biodiversity Institute’s Harbor Porpoise Monitoring Network, expanding the reach of harbor porpoise population research in the Salish Sea. The Network recently deployed an underwater acoustic monitoring device, called a C-POD, to record the presence of harbor porpoises in the waters near the Port Townsend science center. The bulk of the network’s research is currently based in Burrows Pass along Washington Park near Anacortes, where underwater monitoring and on-land observation have been used to collect data since 2011, harbor porpoise project director Aileen Jeffries said. Kimberly Cauvel reports. See also: Strange marine mammals of ancient North Pacific revealed

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 315 AM PST MON FEB 10 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN.
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