7/28 Gulches, oil trains, chinook, Elwha recovery, new beaches, Vic sewage, protect Skagit

(PHOTO: Laurie MacBride)

Classic in Clinker
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Earlier this year, my eye was drawn by the classic lines of this clinker-built sailing dinghy, built by Barefoot Wooden Boats here on Gabriola Island. At the time I took the photo, the boat seemed ready for some sprucing up – not surprising since it’s exposed to the elements day in, day out, year round at its dock in Silva Bay. Nevertheless I could see it was a beautiful, sturdy little vessel, holding up well. Since then it’s had a bit of TLC, and with its spiffy new paint, it’s now looking great...."

If you like to watch: Gulches: Taming Tacoma’s last wild places
Down in Tacoma’s gulches, you’re in another world — a wild one. Deep ravines sandwiched between residential streets and fed by springs flowing to Puget Sound, the gulches are filled with tangled forests and moss, with deer, coyote and birdsong. Rosemary Ponnekanti reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

If you need to know: Summer Is Back! Dry Weather And Warm, Sunny Skies In the Forecast
The last week of July is historically the driest week of the year. And despite record-breaking rain last week, the forecast for the days ahead fits the bill for this time of year, says KPLU weather expert Cliff Mass. “We’re going to have sun, warmth and virtually no precipitation,” Mass said of the week ahead. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Oil trains crowd out grain shipments to NW ports
As oil trains hauling North Dakota crude delay rail transport of grain to Pacific Northwest ports, the prospect of growing fossil-fuel traffic has some fearing that such shipping disruptions will become a long-term problem impeding exports and the regional economy. Ángel González reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Coal trains pose economic, traffic worries for Puget Sound region  Floyd McKay reports. (Crosscut) And: Oregon Oil Train Safety Report Calls For More Rail Inspectors, Fees  Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Island sports fishing best in years — chinook catch ‘spectacular’
Chinook salmon are returning to Island waters in strong numbers, making this one of the best years in recent memory for recreational fishermen and charter boat operators, especially off the east coast. Anglers are thrilled that they are catching lots of big silvery chinook salmon just off Greater Victoria’s waterfront. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Biologists track fish recovery in tough conditions on Elwha River
From sonar to snorkels, biologists are using a range of tactics to keep track of fish recovery under way on the Elwha River. The last of two fish-blocking dams are expected to be out as of mid-September, a major milestone in a $325 million recovery program for the river.... As the concrete tumbles, biologists from state and federal agencies and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are working under difficult conditions to learn how recovery is progressing. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

New beaches take shape along Port Angeles waterfront as work moves on schedule
The clatter of rocks falling from excavator buckets is the sound of creation as two new beaches take form on the waterfront. Crews with Bruch and Bruch Construction Inc. of Port Angeles are carving out the “pocket beaches,” the first step in creating a new park, between the Valley Creek estuary to the west and the waterfront esplanade. Jeremy Schwartz reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

A poopy promise: B.C. premier vows sewage treatment for Victoria — someday
"We have made it clear that sewage treatment will happen. That is not up for debate. Failure to comply with these obligations would result in the possible loss of provincial and federal funding, as well as other potential penalties under federal and provincial laws. Thank you again for writing, and I am pleased to provide you with this response." -- British Columbia Premier Christy Clark. (Seattle Times)

Nature Conservancy highlights model project in Skagit watershed
The Nature Conservancy’s state Director Mike Stevens visited with local partners and individuals from around the region this past week to discuss conservation issues. Stevens stressed the Skagit River’s regional importance for farmland, fish habitat and flood protection, as well as a place that speaks to his organization’s own evolution over the last several decades. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 302 AM PDT MON JUL 28 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. AREAS
 OF FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
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