7/2 Duwamish, fish farms, tribal recognition, rail safety, rural growth, slug-eating snake, fisheries, seafood

Record 94 degrees as heat trough blasts through region
Tuesday was the hottest July 1 ever recorded in Seattle, but cooler temperatures will move in on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. (Seattle Times)

Macklemore joins group demanding Duwamish river clean-up
A newly formed group of community leaders who say they represent residents, Tribes, workers, fishing families and others, is demanding a better cleanup plan for the Duwamish River. The group kicked off its “River for All” campaign with a new billboard on Highway 99 South where it crosses the Duwamish. It features their celebrity member, Seattle hip hop artist Macklemore. Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

Report slams secrecy for fish farms
The federal government puts wild salmon stocks and research at risk by not releasing important data about fish farms along the B.C. coast, says a report by the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria. The report takes issue with the lack of information available to researchers and the public about when and where disease outbreaks occur on salmon farms. Currently, when there is a disease outbreak at an aquatic animal facility — such as a fish farm — it must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. However, the federal agency only makes some of that information available to the public. Sarah Petrescu reports. (Times Colonist)

Proposed Changes To Tribal Recognition Hold Both Promise And Pitfalls
The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs wants to rewrite the rules that determine how a tribe becomes officially recognized in the eyes of the feds. The proposal raises hopes for status and federal benefits among some unrecognized tribes in the West. The bid to streamline and simplify the process of tribal recognition encourages leaders of native groups and bands currently frozen out of federal programs. But they have to contend with existing tribes who fear having to share territory, resources or casino customers. That's where the acting chairman of the Chinook tribal council sees a potential pitfall.  Tom Banse reports. (KPLU)

Rail Workers Raise Doubts About Safety Culture As Oil Trains Roll On
BNSF Railway now hauls nearly 20 trains per week of crude oil through the Pacific Northwest. Railroad workers and industry experts say that while railroads have gotten safer over the years, a culture remains that silences whistleblowers and prioritizes speed over safety. Ashley Ahearn and Tony Schick report. (EarthFix)

Environmentalists' cases vs. Whatcom's rural-growth rules see action in state court
Chalk one up for Whatcom County in the rural growth dispute with citizen environmentalists. A Monday, June 30 decision by the State Court of Appeals favored the county over Eric Hirst, Wendy Harris, David Stalheim and Laura Leigh Brakke. The court ruled that the county had done enough to protect rural areas from too much growth by establishing a new policy to check every year for how much growth had occurred in rural areas, and whether that amount had exceeded county-established limits. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Elusive slug-eating snake found on San Juan Island
The sharp-tailed snake, which specialize in eating slugs, spends almost all of their time undercover, in rotting logs, and possibly underground. (San Juan Journal)

Pacific fishing interests oppose Obama’s plan to expand marine reserve
When President Obama announced two weeks ago he intended to expand federal protections around seven islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, many environmentalists hailed the move as an important step for conservation. But the main group overseeing fishing operators in Hawaii and three U.S. territories in the region declared Monday it opposes the proposal, on the grounds that it would hurt the U.S. fishing industry. Juliet Eilperin reprts. (Washington Post) See also: 'The Great Fish Swap': How America Is Downgrading Its Seafood Supply  (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUL 2 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT AFTER NOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 11 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG EARLY IN
 THE MORNING.
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 4 FT AT
 9 SECONDS. PATCHY DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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