9/9 Birds at risk, Duwamish cleanup, orca watching, Kinder Morgan, Polley mine, Morrow coal port

Oystercatchers (Laurie MacBride)

Beaks at the Ready
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "With their gaudy orange beaks and colourful eyes, Black oystercatchers remind me of circus clowns – so I tend to chuckle every time I see one. Nonetheless, they’re beautiful birds and I love watching them, and hearing their piercing whistles. Although almost half of the world’s Black oystercatcher population lives here on the BC coast, we see them only infrequently, usually when we’re out kayaking…."

Half of North America’s bird species at risk from warming, study says
Half of all bird species in North America — including the bald eagle — are at risk of severe population decline by 2080 if the swift pace of global warming continues, the National Audubon Society concluded in a study released Monday. Louis Sahagun reports. (LA Times)

Seattle Area Leaders Announce Plans To Merge Duwamish River Clean Up Efforts
King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced plans Monday to combine efforts to clean up of the Duwamish and Green River watershed. The strategy calls for coordinating the work of governments, non-profits and businesses already involved in the clean-up. Constantine said bringing all the players together will improve the chances that the cleanup will work, permanently. (EarthFix)

Whale Watching In The San Juans
The terms ‘magical’ and ‘life-enhancing’ are so overused nowadays, but try as I might, I can’t find other words to describe our recent experience watching the orcas of the San Juan Islands. Paola Thomas reports. (KOMO)

NEB sets deadline for Burnaby, Kinder Morgan pipeline dispute submissions
The National Energy Board has set mid-September as the deadline for submissions in the bitter dispute over Burnaby’s attempt to stop Kinder Morgan from doing preliminary survey work on Burnaby Mountain. Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Mount Polley mine spill contamination still worries residents
Some residents of the small British Columbia community of Likely, downstream from a mine breach say they don't trust that the provincial government is dealing with the disaster. More than a month after the failure of the tailings pond at the Mount Polley mine northeast of Williams Lake, B.C., cottage owner Carla Zanotto said area residents aren't getting any answers. (CBC)

Wyoming appeals Oregon's denial of coal port
Wyoming is appealing Oregon's recent decision to deny an application to build a coal terminal at the Port of Morrow, on the Columbia River. Wyoming, the nation's largest coal-producer, has been pressing for access to ports to export coal to Asia, but it has run into stiff opposition in the Northwest. Gov. Matt Mead said Monday that Oregon's decision last month to block an application from a subsidiary of Ambre Energy, an Australian company, to build the terminal at the Port of Morrow violates the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause. Ben Neary reports. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 302 AM PDT TUE SEP 9 2014
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS.

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