6/30 James Is., garbage bluff, bombing whales, Ken Balcomb, Fraser sockeye, David Vickers, bag ban, oil trains, BP

(PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

A Tad Busy in the Pond
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "With all of humanity’s assaults on life these days, amphibians are having an especially challenging time. So it’s a relief to see a healthy crop of tadpoles in our pond again this year...."

Saving the planet, one moth at a time
James Island is a wild place, a rich man’s private retreat floating a couple of kilometres southeast of Sidney. The size of downtown Victoria, the island crawls with fallow deer descended from the game animals imported more than a century ago when B.C.’s premier, Sir Richard McBride, was among those who used it as a private hunting reserve.... In 1994, the island was bought by Seattle telecommunications billionaire Craig McCaw who, although not a golfer, completed the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course begun by the previous owners. There’s also a 5,000-square-foot main house, a half-dozen guest cottages, a manager’s residence, a pool house, a private air strip and a western-themed “village” housing a library, a full gym and kitchens. McCaw put it all on the market for $75 million two years ago....  Not that Tim Ennis cares about any of that. The West Coast program manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ennis is more interested in the sand verbena moths. They’re way rarer than a Jack Nicklaus golf course. One of the handful of places the moths can still be found is James Island. Jack Knox reports. (Times Colonist)

Work to begin in weeks on project to pull back refuse from bluff in Port Angeles landfill
Work on a multi-million dollar effort to shift decades of buried garbage in the city’s shuttered landfill away from a failing bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca should begin in the next few weeks, the city’s project manager said.... Under a $13.09 million contract with the city, crews with Magnus Pacific of Roseville, Calif., will dig up and shift about 399,090 cubic yards of waste buried in the city’s landfill, which was closed in 2007, upland from the edge of a 135-foot bluff to prevent it from falling into the Strait. Jeremy Schwartz reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

U.S. considers dropping bombs in ocean to scare whales from potential oil slicks
The proponents of two controversial pipelines to British Columbia’s coast say they would consider deploying underwater firecrackers, helicopters and clanging pipes, among other methods, to ensure whales don’t swim toward any disastrous oil spill that might result from increased tanker traffic carrying bitumen to Asia. It’s called hazing and documents obtained by The Globe and Mail show the methods have been studied carefully by U.S. scientists before and since the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill killed 22 orcas in 1989. Last month, the Washington State Department of Ecology asked Trans Mountain to describe any plans it might have to help whales in a spill. In the preamble to its request filed with the National Energy Board, the department notes the proposed expanded pipeline would contribute to “potential cumulative effects on sensory disturbance,” something that “was determined to be significant for southern resident killer whales.” Stanley Tromp reports. (Globe and Mail)

Center for Whale research director featured in 'gripping' expose about navy sonar
Seven years in the making, "War of the Whales," a 420-page expose of the U.S. military's often secretive use of sonar in marine waters around the globe, and account of those, like [Ken} Balcomb, who, through keen supposition and painstaking science, first connected the dots and then launched a courtroom campaign against the U.S. Navy and its perilous program, is due out July 1. Scott Rasmussen reports. (San Juan Journal)

Despite large sockeye forecasts, terrible 2009 sockeye return still haunts B.C.
Predictions for this year’s salmon fishery on British Columbia’s Fraser River are so massive there’s no historical data to use to forecast the many millions of sockeye expected to return. But no one involved in the fishery would dare celebrate early as the ghost of the disastrous 2009 Fraser River fishery continues to haunt their memories. Five years after the collapse of the run that prompted a $26-million federal inquiry, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is forecasting a summer return ranging from a low of 7.3 million to a high of 72.5 million, settling for planning purposes on 23 million. In contrast, the department forecast that some 10 million sockeye would return to the Fraser River in 2009, but only about 1.4 million showed up. (Vancouver Sun)

Landmark judgment cements former B.C. judge David Vickers’ legacy
The week’s landmark judgment on aboriginal title from the Supreme Court of Canada serves as a remarkable tribute to David Vickers, the late B.C. judge who laid out the approach now endorsed by the highest court in the land. Vaughn Palmer reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Scientists scramble to find out why sea stars are wasting away
A mysterious wasting syndrome is wiping out sea stars along the entire West Coast, with a new flareup in Washington hitting hard this month and walloping Oregon waters previously unaffected. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Thurston County’s plastic bag ban begins Tuesday
Coming soon to a retail store checkout near you: Paper bags and a 5 cent fee to use them. A plastic bag ban adopted by the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater as well as unincorporated Thurston County takes effect Tuesday, July 1. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Oil trains: South Sound first responders try to get grip on what new data mean for safety
Two or three trains loaded with Bakken crude oil rumble every day through towns in south Thurston County and suburban Pierce County, and the growing number of 100-tanker trains is bringing risks that emergency responders are starting to scrutinize.... Kathy Estes, director of Thurston County Emergency Management, said last week in an interview that she would like to see more detailed information showing oil volumes, which, according to the state Department of Ecology, have skyrocketed in the past two years. They totaled about 17 million barrels or roughly 250 trains statewide in 2013. But at this point, more details won’t be forthcoming without legislation or additional federal directives. Brad Shannon reports. (Olympian) See also: Aberdeen residents plan daylong oil train protest

BP seeks to wrest back Gulf of Mexico compensation
BP has asked a US court to order a "vast number" of businesses to repay part of the compensation awards they were paid in the wake of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The oil firm said the administrator in charge of processing the claims allowed businesses to inflate their losses. Last year a US court agreed the process was unfair but now the British company wants the money back with interest.... In a court filing on Friday, BP asked a US judge to order the businesses to repay the overpayments plus interest, and requested an injunction to prevent firms spending what it called their "windfall". (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 30 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
--
"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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6/27 First Nation win, oil risks, fish-farm regs, language laws, rhino auklets

Rhinoceros Auklet (Bob Whitney/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: Monitoring Rhinoceros Auklets on Protection Island
The nesting colony of Rhinoceros Auklets on Washington State’s Protection Island is among the largest in the world. The birds’ breeding success reflects the health of surrounding marine waters. Scientists are monitoring the type, number, and food value of the fish the adults provide. And to find out how the chicks are faring, they’re snaking fiber-optic infrared cameras mounted on long cables into the burrows! (BirdNote)

Tsilhqot'in First Nation granted B.C. title claim in Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court of Canada has granted declaration of aboriginal title to more than 1,700 square kilometres of land in British Columbia to the Tsilhqot'in First Nation, the first time the court has made such a ruling regarding aboriginal land. The unanimous 8-0 decision released Thursday resolves many important legal questions, such as how to determine aboriginal title and whether provincial laws apply to those lands. It will apply wherever there are outstanding land claims. The decision, written by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, also has implications for future economic or resource development on First Nations lands. (CBC) See also:  Land claims court ruling reshapes resource sector nationwide  Kathryn Blaze Carlson reports. (Globe and Mail)

BC's Rising Oil Spill Risk Threatens Otters: Washington State Report
New risks from Canadian oil tanker spills confront the 1,100 sea otters living around the Olympic Peninsula, said an internal report of March 2014 by the Washington State Ecology Department. The otters live from Point Grenville to Neah Bay on the rocky and perilous west coast of the state, about half of them around Destruction Island. Their cousins who share the Salish Sea north of the B.C. border are considered an endangered species in Canada. "The relative risk of an oil spill occurring near the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca may increase by over four times with the development of new oil transport facilities in British Columbia, Canada and Washington State," said the report. These include the Northern Gateway plan, the Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion, and proposed changes at Delta Port. Stanley Tromp reports. (The Tyee) See also: Kinder Morgan’s oil spill cost estimates rejected by U.S. EPA  Mychaylo Prystupa reports. (Vancouver Observer)

The oil boom in one slick infographic
Oil, oil everywhere! It’s coming … by sea, by rail, and by pipeline. Over the past five years, domestic oil production has jumped by 50 percent. The boom adds up to a mess of oil – and oil data. Click on this interactive infographic to see how much of the black stuff has been flowing domestically, and why the Northwest may be in for a crude awakening... Amber Cortes reports. (Grist)

Oil train dangers extend past Bakken
The dangers posed by a spike in oil shipments by rail extend beyond crude from the booming Bakken region of the Northern Plains and include oil produced elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada, U.S. safety officials and lawmakers said. Acting National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart said all crude shipments are flammable and can damage the environment — not just the Bakken shipments involved in a series of fiery accidents. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

DFO aims to streamline fish-farm regulations
Amendments to federal Fisheries Act regulations will specifically allow salmon farmers to treat their fish with pesticides and drugs as part of its effort to streamline aquaculture regulation, Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced Thursday. The Fisheries Act’s anti-pollution measures prohibit anyone from dumping anything that would harm fish or fish habitat, unless authorized by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Shea said the rules proposed Thursday will streamline the regulation of aquaculture — which is now governed by 10 different federal acts — within DFO and help give an industry that is worth $2 billion a year to the Canadian economy a chance to grow. Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Environment Canada tornado tweets stalled by language laws
Meteorologists in the United States use Twitter to push weather warnings to the public, but that doesn't happen in Canada — official bilingualism has proved a barrier to weather warning tweets. Canadian meteorologists are not authorized to tweet because all government communication has to follow Canada’s language laws, according to Environment Canada's executive director of national programs Ken Macdonald.... Macdonald said Environment Canada is working on software that would make this possible, but it's not ready yet. (CBC)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 402 AM PDT FRI JUN 27 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY
TODAY
E WIND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT BY MIDMORNING...THEN BECOMING SW 10 KT ABOUT MIDDAY. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING.
 W SWELL 2 TO 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. RAIN TAPERING OFF TO SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
SAT
SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL BUILDING TO 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/26 NOAA orcas, native land rights, 'pit-to-pier,' Oso slide, polluted beaches, Tesoro blast

(PHOTO: NOAA Fisheries)

You gotta watch: Recovering the Southern Resident Killer Whale: 10 Years of Research and Conservation
Check out this seven-minute piece from NOAA about what scientists have discovered after 10 years of studying the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

Despite decade of protection, resident orcas still in trouble
n the decade since Puget Sound’s southern resident killer whales were protected under the Endangered Species Act, scientists have figured out where they go in winter, learned that they eat mostly chinook and have documented the many ways orcas shift their behavior in response to noise from boats. Despite that vast increase in knowledge since the cetaceans were listed as endangered in 2005, the region’s orca population — already a fraction of what it was in the 1960s — still is not growing, according to a new synopsis of research on the troubled whales by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Craig Welch reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Years of Research Reveal More About Iconic Orcas  (Time/Associated Press) See also: Key To Saving Endangered Orcas: Chinook Salmon, Says Local Expert  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU) Read the complete report (PDF).

Supreme Court’s land-rights ruling could imperil Northern Gateway pipeline
The right of aboriginal groups to control vast swaths of land, and gain new leverage over lucrative development projects, will be at stake when the Supreme Court of Canada rules Thursday in a case pitting the small Tsilhqot’in Nation, a group of 3,000 people, against the government of British Columbia.... At issue is the concept of aboriginal title to land. In 1997, the Supreme Court said in a case known as Delgamuukw v. British Columbia that there is such a thing as aboriginal title – the right to possession of ancestral lands. It goes beyond the right to hunt and fish, and includes the right to benefit economically from the trees, minerals and oil and gas on, or under, the land. But its actual existence on a particular piece of land has never been recognized anywhere in Canada outside of reserves, and the rights it gives the aboriginals who hold it have never been spelled out. Sean Fine reports. (Globe and Mail)

Hood Canal 'pit-to-pier' draft environmental impact statement is released
One of the most controversial land-use applications in modern Jefferson County history is back on the front burner. The Jefferson County Department of Community Development (DCD) has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Thorndyke Resource Central Conveyor and Pier project, commonly referred to as “pit-to-pier.” The proposed pier site is five miles south of the Hood Canal Bridge and northwest across the canal from the U.S. Navy submarine base at Bangor. Details are now available to the public, in advance of an "open house" meeting Aug. 4 in Port Ludlow and an official public comment period ending Aug. 11. (Port Townsend Leader)

6-month ban on new construction near Oso slide OK’d
The Snohomish County Council imposed a six-month ban Wednesday on new construction in the immediate area of the Oso mudslide and areas to the east where flood dangers are thought to have increased. The emergency ordinances were the county’s first major changes in land-use policy since the March 22 slide, which covered a square mile in dirt and debris, killing 43 people. The council did not even discuss some of the more controversial ideas, which faced opposition from builders and realtors. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald) See also: One bend of the Stillaguamish River is a known danger for slides  Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Annual report highlights Bay View beach pollution
Bay View State Park placed second on a top-five list for the state’s public beaches, and it’s not a good review. The park’s beach, which was closed to swimming Friday due to high concentrations of bacteria associated with fecal matter, has had pollution issues since 2011, BEACH Program Manager Debby Sargeant said. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Sewage spill closes access to Port Ludlow Bay waters
Stay out of the water at Port Ludlow Bay. That’s the advice from the Jefferson County Public Health Department, which issued a no-contact order Wednesday after a sewage spill earlier in the week....  A mechanical failure on an access timer caused the spill, which resulted in partially treated effluent being pumped into the bay from about 4 p.m. Monday to 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Olympic Water and Sewer, a division of Port Ludlow Associates that handles the water and sewer for the Port Ludlow resort area. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Report: Urgent Recommendations For Tesoro Refinery Safety Were Suppressed
In the months following a deadly refinery explosion in Anacortes, Washington, in April 2010, federal investigators with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board were ready to issue urgent safety recommendations. But management at the agency blocked the release of their urgent alert. It then took the Chemical Safety Board another three and a half years to issue recommendations for making the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes safer. Those are some of the scathing conclusions of a Congressional inquiry into mismanagement at the Chemical Safety Board. John Ryan reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 256 AM PDT THU JUN 26 2014
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER NOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT
 AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING VARIABLE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING. W SWELL 3 FT AT
 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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6/25 Wild Oly, climate change, oil trains, Elwha film, Kitsap Water Trail, submarine canyon

Wild Olympics/This American Land

If you like to watch: Wild Olympics
Washington’s Wild Olympics and the local effort to safeguard its clean water and old growth forests are highlighted in an upcoming episode of the television series This American Land, which airs nationwide on PBS stations. Check out the segment which features interviews with a number of Olympic Peninsula community members working to permanently protect ancient forests and salmon streams on Olympic National Forest as wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers.

New blog: What Does It Mean To Be Canadian?
I ask that having being in Montreal these last three days, reading signs in French, conversing with bartenders in English and having a great bowl of Nouilles de Lan zhou in a tiny restaurant in Chinatown where everyone was speaking Chinese...

Money men tally cost of climate change
Climate change is likely to exact enormous costs on U.S. regional economies in the form of lost property, reduced industrial output and more deaths, according to a report backed by a trio of men with vast business experience. The report, released Tuesday, is designed to convince businesses to factor in the cost of climate change in their long-term decisions and to push for reductions in emissions blamed for heating the planet. It was commissioned by the Risky Business Project, which describes itself as nonpartisan and is chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Thomas F. Steyer, a former hedge fund manager. Jonathan Fahey reports. (Associated Press) See also: Bipartisan Report Tallies High Toll on Economy From Global Warming Justin Gillis reports. (NY Times) Read the report, Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States

Whatcom County gets 5 Bakken oil trains per week, BNSF report shows
Five trains loaded with Bakken crude oil roll through Whatcom County each week, according to BNSF Railway figures released by Washington state on Tuesday, June 24. That ranked on the low end for Washington state. Kickitat County gets the most BNSF trains carrying Bakken crude, at 19 per week. Snohomish gets 10 and Skagit County nine, according to the BNSF data. The information came from a one-week count of rail traffic, for May 29-June 4. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy) See also: Ferndale senator's handling of oil safety hearing slammed by critics  Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Screening of 'Return of the River' planned Thursday in Port Angeles; admission free for Elwha documentary showing
After four years of filming, editing, testing and re-editing, a documentary of the restoration of the Elwha River is ready for prime time — but not before a test screening in front of the Port Angeles public. “Return of the River” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at Peninsula College's Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Kitsap Water Trail earns national designation
The Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails is one the newest National Water Trails. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis Tuesday named it and the Black Canyon Water Trail in Nevada and Arizona into the National Water Trails system....
The two new trails join a system of 14 locally managed water trails throughout the country. Federal, state and local partners have worked together on these trails to increase access to water-based outdoor recreation, encourage community stewardship and promote local tourism.

Oceanographers Discover the Headwaters of Puget Sound
Scientists may have discovered the source of the Pacific Northwest’s legendary rich waters, in a submarine canyon in the deep ocean. University of Washington oceanographers published their findings in March: a surging flow of nutrient-rich warm water from the deep ocean canyon between the U.S. and Canada is swept into the Puget Sound at 20-30 times the rate at which river water comes into Puget Sound from the land. Katie Jennings reports. (QUEST/KQED)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 25 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

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6/24 EPA rule, Oso slide, BC pollution, oil train info, ship bell, Wild Olympics

Supreme Court upholds rules curbing greenhouse gases from power plants
The Supreme Court in a split decision Monday upheld most of the Obama administration’s environmental rules designed to limit greenhouse gases from power plants. The outcome is likely to be welcomed by environmentalists because it confirms the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to restrict greenhouse gases. The justices handed down two separate rulings in a dispute over permits for new or modified power plants and factories. In a 7-2 vote, the justices agreed the Environmental Protection Agency could force major polluters to use new and better technology to limit their emissions of carbon dioxide.... But in a separate 5-4 vote, the court struck down an EPA regulation that could have extended the required greenhouse gas permits to millions of other facilities. Scalia said EPA had stretched the law to cover new facilities that were not major polluters. While most of the court’s opinion dealt with the rejected permitting rules, the court said EPA had won more than it had lost. David Savage reports. (LA Times)

County Council to take up land use in slide areas
Homebuilders and conservationists are honing arguments to sway the Snohomish County Council's policy decisions about building near landslide zones. They'll get to put their powers of persuasion to the test during a hearing scheduled Wednesday. That's when county lawmakers plan to take up proposed land-use changes reacting to the catastrophic Oso mudslide. They could vote to pass some into law, after two months of back-and-forth. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Mudslide geological data to be released soon  Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Polluters now face fines of up to $75,000
Polluters could face stiff new fines of up to $75,000 under administrative penalties announced by the government on Monday. The new penalties fill “a gap” between warnings, violation tickets and criminal prosecutions for such offences as dumping waste, the government said in a statement. Those violations include releasing too much of a regulated substance into the environment, and not following other regulatory rules under the Environmental Management Act and Integrated Pest Management Act. Fines would fall into categories of $2,000, $10,000, $40,000 and $75,000 depending on the offence, the Ministry of Environment said in a statement. (Vancouver Sun)

BNSF Won’t Seek Injunction To Stop Release Of Oil Train Info In Washington
BNSF Railway says it’s not going to court before Monday’s deadline to block Washington state from releasing oil train notification information under its public records law. “BNSF does not intend to file an injunction regarding prospective handling of the information provided,” spokeswoman Courtney Wallace wrote in an email Monday. “The determination about how such information is controlled or communicated is ultimately a decision for the federal government and subsequently the Washington State Emergency Response Commission.” Tony Schick reports. (EarthFix) See also: Wash. state senators say public has right to know about oil trains

Original Adventuress bell to be reunited with schooner in Port Townsend
A belle of the seas is getting her bell back. Lost for 99 years, the schooner Adventuress’ original ship’s bell arrived in Washington state Sunday after being retrieved from a Belmont, Calif., family by cinematographer John Leben and Catherine Collins, executive director of Sound Experience, the Port Townsend-based nonprofit that owns and operates the vessel for youth education programs. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Wild Olympics legislation an investment in environmental, economic future, proponent tells Jefferson County chamber
The Wild Olympics bill represents an investment in the future that makes good economic and environmental sense, a speaker told the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday. “Business owners willingly tell you what they do, but they won’t always tell you why,” said Roy Nott, president of Surfactor Americas LLC in Centralia, a manufacturer of surfaces for the woodworking industry. “In this case, my ‘why’ has to do with my 6-year-old granddaughter Mariam and her peers and their future.” Nott addressed about 45 people at the chamber’s weekly meeting at the Port Townsend Elks Club. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUN 24 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY...
 MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

6/23 Elliott Norse, Vic sewer, BC pipe, seastar wasting, climate change, Mukilteo beach

PHOTO: Laurie MacBride

Windswept on the Edge of the Strait
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "The Strait of Georgia is a windy stretch of water, as you can see by the angle of these trees even on a calm day. Their home is an exposed little islet in the Flat Tops, an island chain just south of Gabriola Island, on the western edge of the Strait. The Strait – or “the Gulf”, as mariners have traditionally called it – is not a body of water to take lightly...."

Redmond man behind scenes in push for ocean protections
Elliott Norse, a marine biologist and former official in the Carter White House, was a key force behind the Obama administration’s announcement last week that it plans to preserve more of the south-central Pacific Ocean.... In recent weeks, Norse — founder of a small Northwest nonprofit called the Marine Conservation Institute — helped get more than 350 top ocean scientists to sign a letter urging President Obama to protect more of the sea from fishing and development...  Craig Welch reports. (Seattle Times)

Time to challenge federal government on sewage: group
Rather than trying to push ahead with expensive sewage treatment, the Capital Regional District should challenge the federal government’s “high risk” classification of Greater Victoria’s sewage system, says a local lobby group. The federal government has classified the CRD’s practice of pumping raw, screened sewage through long, deep-water outfalls as high risk even though CRD’s monitoring data proves otherwise, said Brian Burchill, chairman of the Association for Responsible and Environmentally Sustainable Sewage Treatment or ARESST.... ARESST has long argued that deep-water outfalls into the frigid, fast-moving waters acts as a type of natural sewage treatment. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Health warning issued for Beaver Lake, Cordova Bay swimming areas  Sarah Petrescu reports. (Times Colonist) See also: ‘Astounding’ tax hit for Victoria area lurks in sewage mess Bill Cleverely reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Bellingham wastewater treatment plant dedication set for Tuesday
The public is invited to celebrate the completed expansion of the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant at a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 24. After a ribbon cutting, cake will be served and public officials and project staff will lead tours of the new facilities, as well as explain the treatment process. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

B.C. oil pipeline: A threat to the whole Northwest?
With the assist of a friendly Conservative government in Canada, Big Energy wins a skirmish. How will it affect the larger battle over coal and oil exports? Floyd McKay reports. (Crosscut)

Peninsula volunteers pitching in on sea star wasting disease research
The efforts of volunteers across the North Olympic Peninsula have been vital in recent months as scientists work to uncover the secrets of a mysterious affliction eating its way through sea star populations up and down the West Coast. “Citizen scientists” have braved slippery rocks along the northern coasts of Clallam and Jefferson counties to seek signs of the disease, called sea star wasting syndrome, in the multi-armed creatures that live on the craggy shorelines. Jeremy Schwartz reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Conservation District adds climate change to goals
For the first time, the Skagit Conservation District is including climate change in its annual goals, which the organization sets for its July-to-June fiscal year. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

New Mukilteo beach access trail opens today
A trail providing public access to a park and beach with views of Whidbey Island and Possession Sound opens today in Mukilteo. The gravel trail begins near Sound Transit's Mukilteo station at 920 First St. and continues for about a quarter of a mile, leading to Edgewater Beach. The park will be open from dawn to dusk. The trail will provide interim access to the one-acre park, which is owned by the Port of Everett. Sharon Salyer reports. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 23 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS...THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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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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6/20 Rail safety, CWA, Kitimat blockade, Martinac Shipbuilding, Skagit floods, Capitol Lake, shellfish closures

(PHOTO: Nick Templeman)

Public input missing from White House meetings on rail safety rules
As the White House reviews a package of proposed rail safety regulations, the rail, petroleum and chemical industries in recent weeks have held nearly a dozen meetings with Obama administration officials. However, state and local governments; safety, health and environmental groups; and emergency responders, who are on the front lines of the issue, so far have not been at the table. Additionally, the meetings are shielded from public view. The White House only discloses the dates, times and participants. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Environment Washington Pushing To Close Loopholes In Clean Water Act
Industrial polluters dumped more than two million pounds of toxic chemicals into Washington’s waterways in 2012, according to a new report from Environment Washington. The group says tightening federal law could help curb the problem.  The group used data reported to the Environmental Protection Agency by the polluters themselves. Among the findings: the Lower Chehalis River watershed southwest of Olympia received the second highest volume in the nation of toxins that affect reproductive health. That’s due primarily to chemicals dumped by paper mills, says Anusha Narayanan, a field associate with Environment Washington. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

B.C. First Nation’s crochet blockade to protest against Northern Gateway
The women of the Gitga’at Nation of British Columbia will erect a symbolic blockade made of yarn across the Douglas Channel today to protest the federal government’s approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. The crochet chain will stretch 2.5 nautical miles across the opening of the narrow channel tankers will have to navigate to a marine export terminal to be built in Kitimat, on the north coast. (Globe and Mail)

Storied Tacoma shipyard in foreclosure
At nearly 90 years old, one of Tacoma’s last major shipyards may be closing down for good next month. J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. faces a foreclosure auction of its Thea Foss Waterway shipyard July 18 on the County City Building entry plaza unless it finds new business or an angel investor to pay some $415,000 in payments and fees overdue on a $5.4 million loan its owners signed in December 2012. The shipyard also owes Pierce County some $13,429 in property taxes for the last three years. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Skagit River GI study meets with mixed reactions
A report detailing the logistics and potential impacts of options to deal with flood risk in the Skagit Valley was met with mixed reactions Thursday evening at a presentation that included public comment....  More than 60 people packed into the community meeting room at Skagit Station to hear about the plan. But even those who criticized the “tentatively selected plan” were pleased to see some result of the many-year study.... The plan under consideration — and open to public comment until July 21 — would come at a cost of up to $225.6 million, but would reduce the estimated cost from flood damages by about half, according to the report. Daniel DeMay reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Some Peninsula beaches closed to recreational shellfish harvest  
Kilisut Harbor and Mystery Bay beaches have been closed to recreational shellfish harvesting because of high levels of the marine biotoxins that cause diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. Concentrations above the safe level of 16 micrograms per 100 grams of tissue were found in shellfish samples collected from Mystery Bay, the state Department of Health announced Wednesday. Jefferson County Environmental Health has posted a danger sign at Mystery Bay warning people not to consume shellfish from the area. (Peninsula Daily News)

Thurston County Chamber set to discuss Capitol Lake at July forum
The future of Capitol Lake is the subject of the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce’s July forum. The lunch forum is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 9 at the Red Lion Hotel Olympia. Dr. Dave Milne, a water quality expert and a former professor at The Evergreen State College, will talk about the impact of Budd Bay Inlet and Capitol Lake on water quality within the Deschutes Urban Watershed. Denis Curry, management consultant and economist, will discuss the cost and impact of either removing the dam at Capitol Lake, or managing the lake and urban watershed. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 430 AM PDT FRI JUN 20 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY
TODAY
W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS AFTER NOON. W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. A
 CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT AT
 9 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/19 Duwamish restoration, Kukutail Preserve, BC LNG, climate, Vic sewer, oil train, Navy noise, fish-eating spiders

Listen up. Stephen Colbert's Bald Eagle: Wait! That sounds like a .... Red-tailed Hawk!
Watch Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, and you'll see a Bald Eagle streak across the screen, screaming, talons outstretched, ferocious, majestic. But - in the spirit of truthiness - we must declare that the bird you hear is not a Bald Eagle, but a Red-tailed Hawk. Be sure to read the story about Stephen, Jr. - a real Bald Eagle named after Stephen Colbert. Ellen Blackstone reports. (BirdNote)

Boeing's new Duwamish chapter
Boeing made history on a one-mile stretch of the Duwamish River, twice.   First, during World War II, it defied the odds by churning out 12,000 B-17 Bombers. Today [Wednesday] it celebrated the largest restoration project in the history of the lower Duwamish River. Boeing replaced its giant buildings and hangars with 170,000 native plants on a redesigned river bank. The stretch of river across from the South Park neighborhood is especially important to migrating salmon. It's where they get their first taste of salt water before heading out to sea. The project converted the area from a rapidly flowing channel squeezed between steep man-made banks to a slower, meandering river with side channels where fish can rest and get used to the change. The project is part of a $100,000,000 restoration budget that satisfies state and federal agencies overseeing the work. Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

Kukutali Preserve opens to the public  
Skagit County already boasts the state’s most popular state park, a wealth of natural resources and rich Native American history and culture. Those treasured features have collided in the Kukutali Preserve, which has become the nation’s first park land where state and tribal control overlaps... It opened to the public Monday as a pedestrian-only addition to Deception Pass State Park and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community reservation, four years after state parks and the Swinomish purchased the land together. It was a special day for many state parks employees and Swinomish tribal members who labored over a co-management plan for years. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. premier warned to stand firm against Northern Gateway project or face LNG backlash
The day after Ottawa approved the $7.9-billion Northern Gateway pipeline, some B.C. aboriginal leaders warned Premier Christy Clark to stand firm against the project or risk jeopardizing First Nations’ support for LNG. Clark has pinned her growth strategy for B.C. on liquefied natural gas, banking on five plants supporting 75,000 jobs and fuelling an $100-billion prosperity fund. (Analysts, however, suggest there will likely only be one or two built). Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Former EPA chiefs say it’s time to act on climate change
Four administrators of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who served under Republican presidents told a Senate panel Wednesday that climate change is real and the federal government has the responsibility and the legal authority to combat it. While saying they might differ on the details of how U.S. officials should react, the former administrators said the cost of delay — or of doing nothing — was high. Chris Adams reports. (McClatchy)

‘Free’ sewage-treatment plant offer an insult, Esquimalt mayor says
Esquimalt taxpayers could have a sewage treatment system built at no cost if Esquimalt council reverses an earlier decision and allows the Capital Regional District to build a treatment plant at McLoughlin Point. But Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins called the offer an insult to residents. Members of the CRD’s liquid waste management committee are recommending the regional district offer Esquimalt $19 million to cover its share of capital costs for allowing the plant at McLoughlin Point. Desjardins said rejection of McLoughlin Point was never about money. She said hundreds of residents spoke at four nights of public hearings in opposition to McLoughlin over issues ranging from the site being too small and at risk of a tsunami to inadequacy of secondary treatment. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Feds: Oil train details not security sensitive
U.S. transportation officials said Wednesday that details about volatile oil train shipments are not sensitive security information, after railroads sought to keep the material from the public following a string of fiery accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered railroads to give state officials specifics on oil-train routes and volumes so emergency responders can better prepare for accidents. Railroads have convinced some states to sign agreements restricting the information's release for business and security reasons. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

How does navy blasting affect marine mammals?
A B.C. conservation biologist wants the Royal Canadian Navy to conduct more research on the effects of underwater blasts on marine mammals. Dr. Rob Williams says scientists have documented whales and porpoises killed by blast effects from underwater tests by the U.S. Navy, but there is little empirical research. That's why he wants the Canadian navy to work with scientists when it sets off blasts in the ocean around Vancouver Island. (CBC) See also: B.C. residents deeply divided on whales, dolphins in captivity, according to survey

Volunteers track beach health at Boulevard Park in second year of study
Eleanor Hines and Wendy Courtemanche crouch on part of the restored beach exposed by low tide at Boulevard Park and study the life on the rocks near their knees Sunday, June 15.... The Bellingham residents were among the trained volunteers who took part in a monitoring project, now in its second year, on two stretches of beach at one of the city's most popular parks Saturday, June 14, and Sunday. The goal of last weekend's survey - conducted on exposed shoreline on both sides of The Woods Coffee - was to see what intertidal species were there, how many, and how they were affected by the city of Bellingham's restoration of one of the beaches. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Scientists find fish-eating spiders around the world
Spiders are pretty well known as good hunters, feeding mainly on other insects. But new research is showing just how many of them are good at catching — and dining on — fish as well. The study in the journal PLOS ONE by zoologist and spider expert Martin Nyffeler, from the University of Basel in Switzerland, and Bradley Pusey, from the University of Western Australia, documents more than 80 incidents of spiders killing fish across the world, confirming that spiders do not exclusively eat insects. Hoai-Tran Bui reports. (USA Today)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 19 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER NOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER NOON. W SWELL 4 FT
 AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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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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6/18 BC pipe OK'd, Pacific monument, state $, oil terminals, trains, WA ferries, fish flesh, salmon plan

Northern Gateway pipeline approved by Harper government
With the Harper government’s approval of Enbridge’s $7.9-billion Northern Gateway pipeline on Tuesday, the project passed a critical hurdle that could see construction begin as early as the fall of 2015. But the stage has also been set in British Columbia for a colossal environmental battle that could delay the mega-project. Legal challenges by First Nations and environmentalists could drag on for years. There is even the potential for civil disobedience by opponents who have said they will do whatever is needed to stop the project, evoking the memory of logging protests two decades ago in Clayoquot Sound. Gordon Hoekstra, Peter O'Neil, Derrick Penner and Rob Shaw report. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Northern Gateway Pipeline approved: B.C. reacts  (CBC) See also: Northern Gateway is not alone - 5 more pipelines to watch (CBC)

Obama setting aside massive Pacific Ocean preserve
Vowing to protect fragile marine life, President Barack Obama acted Tuesday to create the world's largest ocean preserve by expanding a national monument his predecessor established in waters thousands of miles from the American mainland. The designation for a remote stretch of the Pacific Ocean marks a major symbolic victory for environmentalists, who have urged the president to take action on his own to protect the planet as Congress turns its focus elsewhere. But the initiative will have limited practical implications because little fishing or drilling are taking place even without the new protections. Protecting the world's oceans and the vibrant ecosystems that thrive deep under the surface is a task that's bigger than any one country but the U.S. must take the lead, Obama said, announcing the initiative during an ocean conservation conference. Josh Lederman reports. (Associated Press)

State predicts more revenue, but it might not be enough
Money Washington collects as taxes and fees is increasing, but perhaps not fast enough to stave off spending cuts for state agencies next year. A new forecast issued Tuesday predicts the state will take in $157 million more in revenue in the next fiscal year than had been assumed three months ago. And it predicts the slowly growing economy will generate $238 million more for the next two-year budget than had been previously estimated. But even with those millions of additional dollars, Gov. Jay Inslee's budget director said it won't enable the state to cover the cost of existing public services and comply with a state Supreme Court order to meet the state's constitutional obligation to fund public schools. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

22,253 comments made on Imperium and Westway EIS scoping
For the next few weeks, City of Hoquiam and the state Department of Ecology officials will spend their time wading through thousands upon thousands of comments all related to the crude oil shipping facilities proposed for Grays Harbor by Westway Teminal Co. and Imperium Renewables. The agencies sought comments as part of the scoping process for an Environmental Impact Statement, which will examine the environmental effects of the two projects, as well as a third crude-by-rail project proposed by U.S. Development, but not as far along in the process as the other two. Hoquiam and Ecology asked citizens and other organizations to comment on what they think should be analyzed during the study. However, many of the comments were outside the purview of determining what should be studied in the impact statement, and commenters instead made arguments as to whether the projects should be allowed at all. Amelia Dickson reports. (Daily World)

Washington residents rail against oil shipments
Numerous speakers told a state Senate committee Tuesday that they oppose the rapid increase in railcars carrying crude oil from the Bakken fields of North Dakota and Montana through the state. The Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee met in Spokane, a major railroad hub for the northern United States, to take testimony on a bill that seeks to improve the safety of those oil shipments. But nearly all the members of the public who spoke attacked the measure as too friendly to the oil and railroad industries. Nicholas Geranios reports. (Associated Press) See also: Oil train fires require SWAT teams, veteran firefighters tell states  Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Ferries chief finalist withdraws; search begins anew
Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson announced today she will restart the search for a new leader of the state ferry system after one of two finalists withdrew. Peterson said Interim Assistant Secretary George Capacci notified her over the weekend that he was pulling out of consideration. That left former Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg as the remaining candidate, and Peterson elected to not hire him. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

Enviros lose challenge to log sale in Murrelet habitat
The points of law involved in losing the battle to save old growth forests and marbled murrelet nesting habitat. Al Bergstein reports. (Olympic Peninsula Environmental Network)

Red Fish, Blue Fish: Where The Fish Flesh Rainbow Comes From
The Salt: From red to white to orange to blue, fish flesh can land almost anywhere on the color spectrum. What's behind this huge variation? A lot of things — from genetics to bile pigments. And parsing the rainbow can tell us something about where a fish came from, its swimming routine and what it ate. Alastair Bland reports. (KPLU)

Federal Salmon Plan Heads Back To The Courtroom
It’s back to court for the federal government and salmon advocates. Conservationists Tuesday once again challenged the government’s plan to manage dams on the Columbia River to protect endangered salmon and steelhead. In January, officials released a finalized plan, known as a biological opinion or BiOp, that guides dam operations. It’s been subject to more than 20 years of legal conflict between people who want to protect salmon and people who want to produce hydroelectricity and maintain shipping channels. “Welcome to Groundhog Day,” said Todd True, lead attorney for the challengers and Earthjustice. True said the latest plan is far too similar to previous plans already struck down by the courts. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Radio)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 18 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
 AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/17 Football, toxic fish, smelt catch, BC pipe, oil trains, seastar wasting, Columbia sea lions

First kick (Walk Again Project/New Scientist)

Something to really cheer about: Watch mind-controlled exoskeleton kick off World Cup
Juliano Pinto, a 29-year-old Brazilian who has paralysis in his lower body, took the first kick of the World Cup [Thursday] – using the power of his mind and a whole lot of cutting-edge technology. Pinto used an exoskeleton controlled by his thoughts to take the first swing at the ball of the football tournament in yesterday's opening ceremony in São Paulo, Brazil. The exoskeleton belongs to the Walk Again Project, an international collaboration using technology to overcome paralysis, led by Brazilian neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Pinto kicked the ball a short distance along a mat laid down near the touchline. Jessica Griggs reports. (New Scientist)

Unions join fight over Washington fish consumption
Unions representing Boeing machinists and mill workers are siding with businesses in a bitter fight over how much fish people eat, and thus how clean Washington state waters should be. The Machinists union and others are worried a new water quality standard being developed by the state would hurt jobs and economic development -- concerns that Boeing Co. and other industry groups have also raised. The unlikely allies have found common ground, uniting over the topic of environmental regulations. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

State opts to curtail recreational, commercial fishing for smelt in Puget Sound
The state will curtail recreational and commercial smelt fishing in Puget Sound in hopes of increasing protection for the species. The decision was made by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Friday. The new regulations demonstrate the agency’s conservation objective to maintain a healthy population of forage fish, which are an important food source to a variety of species in Puget Sound, Miranda Wecker, commission chairwoman, said in a news release. Jeffrey Mayor reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Final decision on Northern Gateway pipeline going down to deadline Tuesday
The federal government will announce its much-anticipated decision on the Northern Gateway pipeline after markets close on Tuesday. Under its own rules, the Conservative government has a June 17 deadline for the final word on whether the 1,200-kilometre pipeline can be built linking the Alberta oilsands to a port on the British Columbia coast. A joint review panel of the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency released a report in December recommending approval, and Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford has hinted the cabinet decision will be a positive one for the project. Dene Moore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Government numbers on crude-oil train safety don’t add up
The State Department projects 28 more fatalities and 189 more injuries a year if crude oil moves by rail instead of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Sounds bad, but is it true? The railroad industry and its Washington regulators boast that more than 99.99 percent of hazardous materials rail shipments reach their destinations safely. Sounds good, but is it good enough? The debate over moving the nation’s surging oil production by rail has generated a heated debate, and some impressive-sounding numbers that both sides have used to bolster their cases. On closer scrutiny, however, some of those numbers don’t add up. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

If you like to watch: Hood Canal Wasting - Sund Rock  
Laura James documents seastar wasting in Hood Canal.

Salmon munching sea lions at Bonneville Dam shifting to different species, new problems
New data suggest that while fewer California sea lions are showing up at Bonneville Dam and eating fewer spring salmon than just a few years ago, the number of Steller sea lions could be increasing, and along with them, the volume of salmon they eat. Data also show over the last several years that sea lions -- mostly Stellers -- are increasingly showing up in the fall to prey on that fish run. Experts say these two factors mean there's a chance the sea lion removal program, which includes trapping and killing animals, could be expanded to new species and seasons. Thomas Boyd reports. (Oregonian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUN 17 2014
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT AFTER NOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER NOON. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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6/16 Sea stars, data boats, seal cam, Fraser sturgeon, BC pipe, CG push, logging OK, B'ham cleanup, recreation budget, Taylor's checkerspot

If you like to watch: Smart Birds Open Doors
Grant Hughes shares a look at smart swallows at the University of Victoria.

Laura James reports sea star die-offs in Hood Canal. Sund rock stars   Meanwhile, Scientists Close In On The Cause Of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome
Drew Harvell peers into the nooks and crannies along the rocky shoreline of Eastsound on Orcas Island. Purple and orange starfish clutch the rocks, as if hanging on for dear life.... Scientists have been working for months to find out what’s causing the massive die-off and now Harvell and others have evidence that an infectious disease caused by a bacteria or virus, may be at the root of the problem. The disease, they say, could be compounded by warming waters, which put the sea stars under stress, making them more vulnerable to the pathogen... While scientists are reluctant to assign blame to climate change, Harvell explained that as oceans warm, outbreaks like this are more likely to occur. Katie Campbell and Ashley Ahearn report. (EarthFix)

New blog: “When You Go To Victoria, Don’t Flush”
Two years ago in these pages we heralded what we thought was the light at the end of Victoria’s sewer discharge pipe after the Canadian government, the province of British Columbia and the Capital Regional District put $782 million down for a long-awaited sewage treatment system. Alas, we were wrong....

Fishing boats become salmon labs in Puget Sound
More than 40 scientists in U.S. and Canadian waters are catching batches of young salmon to find out why they can be so healthy in the rivers but begin to die off in Puget Sound. Studies show some species die at a rate of 80 percent from the time they leave their native river and get through the Sound to The Pacific Ocean. There are similar concerns all the way through the northern Strait of Georgia, which, when combined with Puget Sound, forms the Salish Sea. Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

MV Salish ferry now equipped with device to gather Admiralty Inlet data
The state ferries system has attached a device to the hull of the MV Salish on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route to provide data on low-oxygen water and ocean acidification from Admiralty Inlet.... During a recent servicing, Washington State Ferries crews attached the sensor, an acoustic doppler current profiler, to the bottom of the Salish, which makes 11 daily crossings between Port Townsend and Coupeville on Whidbey Island. The sensor gathers data during the crossings of the area known as Admiralty Inlet, or Admiralty Reach, the gateway to the Puget Sound, where salt and fresh water merges. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Seal cam at Fisherman's Wharf opens new world under the sea
...Since October, an underwater camera installed at Fisherman’s Wharf has been feeding live footage to online users who tune in. More than 35,000 viewers from 110 countries have taken a peek at Sammy and other sea creatures below the surface, said Mike Irvine, founder of SubEye Technologies, who built waterproof housing for the camera. For Irvine, it’s about sharing his love of ocean life.... Live feeds are available at subeye.ca or eaglewingtours.com. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Giant sturgeon caught on Fraser river...again
A 19-year-old angler from Atlanta, Ga, fishing with his father for the first time, is the fourth person in less than two years to catch a giant Fraser River sturgeon. On Thursday, Paul Jarvis, and his dad, Don, were on the first day of a three-day father-son fishing trip when Paul hooked into one of the largest white sturgeon ever caught on the Fraser River. The giant fish measured more than three-and-a half metres long and one-and-a-half metres in girth. Since it was never removed from the water, its weight was calculated, based on a mathematical formula, at 400 kilograms. (CBC)

Northern Gateway opponents prepare for provincial referendum
Resigned, perhaps, that federal government approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline is inevitable, opponents of the project are formulating a plan to make sure British Columbia's politicians remain opposed to the project. For months now, members of the Dogwood Initiative have been preparing for a provincial referendum akin to the vote that forced the Liberal government to repeal the harmonized sales tax in British Columbia. Should Ottawa give the pipeline the go-ahead by this Tuesday's deadline and the province issues the necessary permits and authorizations, spokesman Kai Nagata said his group will be ready. (CBC)

States worry about Coast Guard’s new power push
New rules proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard might dilute states’ power to prevent and prepare for oil spills — for instance, by overriding Washington’s requirement that tugboat escorts accompany supertankers into Puget Sound. The controversy is prompted by a Coast Guard effort to assert federal authority over maritime issues. State officials in Washington, California and New York have asked the Coast Guard to withdraw rules it proposed in December. They say the rules would limit the states’ role in protecting citizens from vessel accidents and pollution. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Judge permits timber harvest that environmentalists claim threatens marbled murrelet in Clallam and Jefferson counties
A Jefferson County judge has rejected a request for a temporary injunction against a state-approved harvest of 234 acres of timber on the West End adjacent to habitat of the threatened marbled murrelet. After an hourlong presentation last week from attorneys on both sides of the issue, Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper ruled against the plaintiffs, permitting the timber harvest by Interfor, which has mills in Forks and Port Angeles. The judge ruled Friday that the area in question is outside of the murrelet’s habitat and that the plaintiffs could have filed an action in advance of the beginning of the logging operation, which had been scheduled to begin Saturday. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Bellingham waterfront cleanup, new walkway still waiting for Lummi Nation approval
Two key waterfront projects are still waiting for federal permits that have been stalled because of environmental and treaty fishing rights issues raised by Lummi Nation. Those projects are the Port of Bellingham's $37 million environmental cleanup project in Whatcom Waterway at the mouth of Whatcom Creek, and the city's $6.5 million over-water walkway that would link Boulevard Park to the park planned for the Cornwall Beach landfill site to the north. Neither project can move ahead without permits from the Seattle office of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. Because of past federal court rulings upholding tribal treaty fishing rights, the Corps routinely submits permit applications in and around the fishing grounds to area tribes for review. Lummi Nation has raised objections to both projects. John Stark reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Recreation funding advocates lay out list of priority projects for Legislature in 2015
he Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition has released its annual list of projects that is is asking Gov. Jay Inslee and the Legislature to include in the 2015 state capital budget. The price tag is $97 million, higher than recent levels, but this reflects growing needs spurred by a growing population and also rising costs for construction and to buy lands, according to Peter Dykstra, president of the bipartisan group’s board.... The coalition request includes money for 220 proposals in 34 of the state’s 39 counties. That includes 21 multi-use trails, 37 farmland conservation easements, 45 projects to preserve or conserve habitat, and 114 projects for outdoor recreation including state and local parks and public access to waterways. Brad Shannon reports. (Olympian)

Endangered butterfly seems to like Clallam the best in quest for survival
An endangered butterfly is holding its own in Clallam County, where seven of 11 known clusters of the Taylor’s checkerspot still exist. Named for its orange-and-white checkered appearance, the 2-inch butterfly once flourished in Western Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. More than 80 populations, or isolated groups, were documented by wildlife experts before a loss of habitat threatened to wipe out the colorful critter. The Taylor’s checkerspot was listed in October 2013 on the Federal Register as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 16 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told