7/29 Ocean acid, seastar wasting, train protest, dirty coal, BC LNG, saving fish, Samish vibrio

Lime Kiln SP 2013 (PHOTO: Chris Teren)

Smile: August 7 is National Lighthouse Day and the FOLKS at Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island invite you to celebrate with free tours, music and a commemorative photo by Chris Teren (like the one he took in July 2013).

Changing sea chemistry will hit Alaska communities hard
Oyster growers in the Pacific Northwest have already been stung by changes in ocean chemistry linked to greenhouse-gas emissions. Now, a new study led by Seattle researchers finds communities in Southwest and Southeast Alaska that rely on the sea for food and jobs are also likely to be hit hard over the coming decades. The analysis, published Tuesday in the journal Progress in Oceanography, is among the first to examine the potential social and economic impacts of ocean acidification — sometimes called global warming’s twin. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Peninsula marine life centers losing sea stars to mysterious disease
Visitors to the North Olympic Peninsula's two major marine science centers are likely to see few sea stars. Sea star wasting disease, which has decimated wild populations, also is tearing through captive collections. The disease has accelerated this summer, said staff members at both the Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles and the Port Townsend Marine Life Center. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Oil train protest on tracks ends at Tesoro refinery
Three people who had attached themselves to the train tracks Monday near Tesoro Refinery to protest the movement of oil by rail were arrested. The protesters, joined by more than a dozen sign-waving supporters, started sitting on the railroad tracks about 8 a.m. Skagit County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jennifer Sheahan-Lee said the protesters on the tracks would be removed. See video: Oil Train Protest  (Skagit Valley Herald)

Not in my backyard: US sending dirty coal abroad
As the Obama administration weans the U.S. off dirty fuels blamed for global warming, energy companies have been sending more of America’s unwanted energy leftovers to other parts of the world where they could create even more pollution. This fossil fuel trade threatens to undermine President Barack Obama’s strategy for reducing the gases blamed for climate change and reveals a little-discussed side effect of countries acting alone on a global problem. The contribution of this exported pollution to global warming is not something the administration wants to measure, or even talk about. Dina Cappiello reports. (Associated Press) See also: Pacific Rim Coal Prices Continue to Tumble  Clark Williams-Derry reports. (Sightline)

B.C. announces $1.35-million for training LNG workers
There’ll be 272 new seats in trades programs at the B.C. Institute of Technology this September, and the provincial government says they’ll help equip students to work in the proposed liquefied natural gas industry. Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk said Monday the Burnaby, B.C.-based institution will receive a total of $1.35-million to pay for the new positions and some minor equipment, and there’ll be similar announcements in the coming weeks across the province as the government rolls out its Skills for Jobs Blueprint. Keven Drews reports. (Canada Press)

One man rescue mission saves fish at risk
These hot, dry, high summer mornings, just as the early sun slants in through the black cottonwoods and red cedars, sparkling on the riffles where the Cowichan River murmurs past, Joe Saysell will finish his tea on the deck, give his chunky, broad-headed Labrador retriever Sweet a pat and set out on his solitary mission to save fish. And fish are in dire need of a saviour on this blue ribbon heritage river that sings past the house Joe and his wife Gail built on its banks 40 years ago and from which he’s emerged as one of the region’s best-known guides, a man who has forgotten more about the natural world than most of us will ever know. Stephen Hume reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Shellfish-related illness case traced to Samish Bay
Of nine reports of illness from shellfish infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus this summer, at least one has been traced back to commercial harvest in Samish Bay and is suspected in a second case of undetermined origin, according to the state Department of Health. Because of the chance that two illnesses were related to the harvest area within 30 days, strict summer harvest rules have been tightened for growers for the rest of the season, cutting daily harvest times from four hours to three. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT TUE JUL 29 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS
 MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.

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