8/4 Georgia Strait swim, Saltspring burial site shooting nutria, seastar wasting

Liquid Forest (Laurie MacBride)

Shoreline Impressionism
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "At anchor one quiet evening a couple of summers ago, I noticed how the trees along the shoreline were reflected in the water beside our boat. Although daylight had all but disappeared, I could still see a surprising richness of colour and visible movement of light in the water – reminiscent of an Impressionist painting. I took this photo, which I call “Liquid Forest”, in Shoal Harbour in the Broughton Archipelago...."

If you like to watch: Three videos take us upstream, where it all begins
Chris Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes; "John F. Williams of Suquamish, known for his brilliant underwater videos, has worked his way upstream from Puget Sound and into the freshwater streams of the Kitsap Peninsula." (Kitsap Sun)

Rachel Schoeler's 35-km Georgia Strait swim delayed
A Vancouver woman hopes that tomorrow [Monday] she'll become the first woman in 42 years to swim across the Strait of Georgia — a swim three kilometres longer than the 32-kilometre English Channel....Schoeler's plan was to leave Nanaimo's Neck Point at 8 a.m. PT today and swim 35 kilometres to Sechelt on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, arriving some 11 to 13 hours later. But, due to strong winds, her start has been delayed, her father confirmed just before 8 a.m. Sunday.... Aside from her personal goal, Schoeler is also doing the swim to raise awareness about water quality on the South Coast, and to fundraise for the Fraser Riverkeeper's  programs to educate beachgoers on ways they can improve water quality. (CBC)

Fury grows over house at islet burial site near Saltspring Island
Saltspring Islanders have stepped up their efforts to halt the building of a luxury home over a First Nations burial ground on Grace Islet. About 30 boaters blockaded the main dock on the islet and prevented workers from getting to the job site on Friday morning, prompting a warning from the RCMP.... Grace Islet, at the tip of Ganges Harbour, is part of a well-documented ancient First Nations village site. The residential-zoned islet is about the size of three lots. It was bought by Alberta businessman Barry Slawsky in 1990. His plans to build a home were stalled in 2006 when human remains and 17 burial cairns were discovered. Sara Petrescu reports. (Times Colonist)

Pest rodent known as nutria will soon find itself in gun sights at Capitol Lake
In a bid to control the critters, the Department of Enterprise Services has hired federal wildlife agents to shoot the beaver-like animals during an undisclosed evening this week. (Olympian)

Eyes are on local beaches as scientists study sea star die-off
When Rayna Holtz and Yvonne Kuperberg began monitoring a strip of west-side beach a few years ago, searching for dead sea birds as part of a citizen science project through the University of Washington, they soon realized they likely wouldn’t find any dead birds. So the two women, also Vashon Beach Naturalists, began recording other sea creatures they saw on their monthly walks, thinking it would be interesting to watch how their populations changed over time. Little did they know they would soon see one of the Puget Sound’s most iconic sea creatures — the sea star — nearly disappear from the beach, hit by a mysterious disease that has decimated sea star populations up and down the West Coast. Natalie Martin reports. (Vashon Beachcomber) See also: Seattle Aquarium injecting sea stars in fight against wasting disease Gary Chittim reports. (KING)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON AUG 4 2014
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
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