8/5 Velella, Samish closure, hydraulic code, dam pollutants, oil train disaster, Inslee's climate, GBH

Velella velella

Thousands of tiny jellyfish wash up on shore near Tofino, B.C.
Tofino beachgoers got a big surprise Monday morning when they discovered thousands of tiny jelly fish, known as Velella, velella. washed up on city beaches.... Last month, thousands of  Velella, velella also washed ashore in Oregon. (CBC) See also: Mysterious Velella Washing Up on California Coast Richard Farrell reports. (Discovery News)

Illness closes Samish Bay shellfish harvest through Sept. 30
With an increasing number of illnesses caused by shellfish infected with Vibrio bacteria, harvest will be halted in Samish Bay for the rest of the summer, the State Department of Health announced Monday. The number of reported illnesses has risen from nine t0 13 over the last week. All but one were traced back to commercial growers in Puget Sound. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

News Release: State Allows Limited Opportunity For Public Input On Push For Major Changes In Nearshore Protection Code
The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the state Fish and Wildlife Commission are moving forward with plans for major revisions to the only state law specifically protecting critical nearshore habitats and at-risk fish species. The department and commission have allowed for a minimal public comment period and a single, middle-of-summer, late Friday afternoon public hearing in Olympia on August 8....

Army Corps of Engineers agrees to disclose dam pollutants
For the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to disclose the amount of pollutants its dams are sending into waterways in a groundbreaking legal settlement that could have broad implications for the Corps’ hundreds of dams nationwide. The Corps announced in a settlement on Monday that it will immediately notify the conservation group that filed the lawsuit of any oil spills among its eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington. Nigel Duara reports. (Associated Press)

King County To Lead Rehearsal Of Oil Train Disaster Response
Local and federal responders plan to rehearse how they’d handle the fiery crash of an oil train in Seattle – a hypothetical disaster that will play out around a table in King County. King County’s Emergency Management Department is coordinating with about a dozen different agencies in what they call a “tabletop exercise.” Staff will present the scenario, and responders around the table or on the phone then go through the motions of what happens next. Gabriel Spitzer reports. (KPLU)

As Oysters Die, Climate Policy Goes on the Stump
Billions of baby oysters in the Pacific inlets here are dying and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington is busy spreading the bad news.... The Democratic governor, aided by what is expected to be millions of dollars from his billionaire friend Tom Steyer, is using the story of Washington’s oysters — scientists say a rise in carbon levels has spiked the acidity of the Pacific and is killing off shellfish — to make the case for passing the most far-reaching climate change policies in the nation. Coral Davenportaug reports. (NY Times)

Olympia residents oppose townhome project near great blue herons
A proposed townhome development’s effect on great blue herons drew nearly a dozen citizens to voice their concerns to the Olympia City Council on Monday. The crane-like birds live in a colony located at the end of Dickinson Avenue in west Olympia. Local architect Glenn Wells wants to build six townhomes in a wooded area next to the colony — also known as a rookery or heronry — where about 15 nests are perched high in the trees. The development will disturb the birds and cause them to leave their nests behind, the residents say. The birds have nested in that location for at least three decades, according to residents, and the site is believed to be the last remaining heronry inside Olympia city limits. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 5 2014
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told