5/16 St. Helens, Erich Hoyt, train derailment, whale hunt, glass sponge reefs, Hantavirus risk

Mount St. Helens (Richard Bowen/Oregonian)

If you like to watch: An unrivaled view of Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Great photographs, great story. Seth Walker reports. (Oregonian)

If you like to listen: On The Whale Trail with the Orca Tour
Green Acres Radio’s Martha Baskin talks with orca expert and author Erich Hoyt about Salish Sea and Russian killer whales. Hoyt will conclude his journey along The Whale Trail with a 2 pm talk this Sunday at McCaw Hall in Seattle and on Tuesday at the Vancouver Public Library. Brown Paper Tickets; details at Orca Tour 2014.

Third train derailment in 2 weeks in Grays Harbor County
Seven cars of a grain-hauling train derailed Thursday near Montesano, spilling its cargo and making it the third train derailment in Grays Harbor County in the past two weeks. There were on injuries in the Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad derailment. But  the railroad’s general manager, Larry Sorensen, said there is concern in the area because the county relies on the tracks for exports out of the harbor. Crews are expected to be on the scene for several days to get the cars upright and the track fixed. Last week, one car of a train jumped the track just west of Aberdeen, and later, on the east side of the city, one car of another train jumped the track. (KCPQ)

Makah group plans to mark whale hunt anniversary Saturday in Neah Bay
A small flotilla of canoes is expected to set out into Neah Bay on Saturday to mark the 15th anniversary of the Makah tribe’s last legal whale hunt. At the same time, federal officials are coming closer to finalizing an environmental review that could lead to another hunt. Wayne Johnson, who captained the crew that on May 17, 1999, killed the Makah’s first gray whale since the 1920s, said the Makah Whaling Commission organized a paddle to mark the anniversary.  Joe Smillie reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C.'s glass sponge reefs protected from spot prawn fishers
B.C.'s commercial spot prawn fishermen have, for the first time, agreed to voluntarily avoid nine prehistoric glass-sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia during this year's spot prawn fishery. The scientific community was stunned when glass-sponge reefs, described by the Vancouver Aquarium as the "longest living animals in the world." were first discovered in Hecate Strait in 1987. (CBC)

Risk of Hantavirus on the rise
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome can occur during any month, but spring and summer present more opportunities for exposure. Cleaning cabins, outbuildings and campers, and spending more time outdoors puts people in contact with deer mice...There are typically one to three cases of hantavirus each year in Washington. This severe respiratory disease is caused by inhaling air contaminated with the virus. People are often exposed when rodent droppings, urine or nesting materials are stirred up when sweeping or cleaning. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 16 2014
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG. PATCHY DRIZZLE.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
SAT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 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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