7/15 BC pipe suit, B'ham Bay cleanup, BC air quality, clam kill, Pit to Pier, Oly port, anchovies, Oly Sanctuary

Townsend's Warbler (David Sibley/BirdNote)

If you like to watch and listen: David Sibley - Sketching and Painting Impressions
David Sibley’s paintings connect millions of people with the lives of birds. His talent in observing and portraying birds culminated in The Sibley Guide to Birds, now in its second edition. Sibley describes how he learned to sketch and illustrate birds such as this Townsend’s Warbler: “I spent years in the field, just traveling and birding and sketching,” he says. “ . . . The drawing was so important to me, that there was never any question in my mind of continuing to paint the birds. It’s how I study the birds.” (BirdNote)

Northern Gateway pipeline: First Nations outline constitutional challenges
Several B.C. First Nations are launching at least nine court challenges to try to block Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, leaders revealed at a news conference [Monday] morning in Vancouver. The First Nations leaders said they will argue the proposed pipeline and its recent approval by the federal government is a constitutional violation of their aboriginal land rights in their respective territories, particularly in light of the Supreme Court of Canada victory last month by the Tsilhqot'in First Nation. Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said he was aware of at least nine separate legal actions being launched by various First Nations, as part of a co-ordinated effort to stop the project. Mike Laanela reports. (CBC)

Plan would move contaminants, cap others at Bellingham waterfront site
The Washington Department of Ecology likely will recommend the Port of Bellingham spend $5.7 million to cap and remove some contaminated portions of a waterfront site rather than asking for removal of all contaminated materials. The plan is the cheapest of four cleanup alternatives Ecology proposed for the 31-acre parcel on the former Georgia-Pacific Corp. property in a recently released feasibility statement that is up for public review. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Cruise ship emissions in Victoria hit peak on weekend
Sulphur dioxide emissions related to cruise ships hit a peak Saturday not seen since 2009, says Marg Gardiner, president of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association. Saturday saw the highest recorded one-hour SO2 levels related to cruise ship plumes in five years at Topaz Avenue, three kilometres from Ogden Point, Gardiner said. Monitoring sites in both James Bay and Topaz recorded maximum SO2 levels exceeding World Health Organization 24-hour guidelines, she said. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Air quality advisory issued for eastern Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley  (CBC)

What's Killing Clams? Solve This Low Tide Mystery
One of the lowest tides of the year this weekend revealed a "crime scene" at the beach at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle. The victims: thousands of clams that died in the prime of their lives. Each bivalve victim has a tiny hole drilled near its hinge. Also strewn on the beach were gray rubbery things that looked like toilet plunger heads. The Beach Naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium say concerned citizens have collected them in buckets, upset that someone would have dumped so much litter on the beaches. But it turns out that the holes and the toilet plunger heads are all the products of a little-known predator: the moon snail. Joshua McNichols reports. (KUOW)

Pit to Pier and the Navy and DNR Aquatic Lease
Dan McShane at Reading The Washington Landscape blogs on how the "Pit to Pier" project took a bit of a blow last week when the Washington State Department of Natural Resources completed an agreement with the United States Navy regarding aquatic leases within Hood Canal and why the Navy made the agreement. But there’s more: Jefferson County continues the permitting process for the project and has issued a Draft EIS open for public comment until August 11.

New blog: What Does It Mean To Be Hawaiian?
The best part of thinking about what it meant to be Canadian was to be in Montreal during St-Jean Baptist Day eating hand-pulled Nouilles de Lan zhou in a large bowl, spicy, surrounded by people speaking Chinese. Over the last couple of weeks, the best part of thinking about what it means to be Hawaiian was to be in Honolulu eating the laksa at Panya Bistro and the Belly Bowl ramen at Lucky Belly restaurant and driving my mother to hula lessons at the Alama Sisters’ hula studio....

Port commission rejects bids for second marine terminal warehouse
In a surprise move, the Port of Olympia commission voted to reject all bids for a proposed second marine terminal warehouse Monday night, instead taking a cautionary step after warehouse critics had raised concerns about the overall environmental process. Commissioners Sue Gunn and George Barner voted to reject all bids, while Commissioner Bill McGregor voted to move forward with the second warehouse. All three commissioners, however, voted to move forward with a related step: a master plan and a supplemental environmental impact statement for the marine terminal. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

If you like to watch: Anchovy school at Scripps Pier, July 8, 2014
A school of California anchovies so big it rivals anything seen off the San Diego coast in decades was spotted off La Jolla by researchers with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography June 8. Footage from Scripps Pier by Scripps staff and underwater by Scripps graduate students. But wait, there's more: BONUS anchovy footage

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary to mark 20th anniversary at Wednesday’s Concert on the Pier in Port Angeles
The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will celebrate its 20th anniversary Wednesday by sponsoring a free party on City Pier, and everyone is invited. The sanctuary’s mascot, Sanctuary Sam the sea lion, will greet visitors from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the Concert on the Pier, the music series organized by the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--

WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUL 15 2014
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W
 SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG 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.

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