10/2 Orcas, humpbacks, First Nation land, Fremont toxics, OR seastars, oil trains, Duwamish, landslides

Pacific Wren (Julio Nulero/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: What the Pacific Wren Hears
What does the Pacific Wren hear in a song? It's a long story. What we hear as a blur of sound, the bird hears as a precise sequence of sounds, the visual equivalent of seeing a movie as a series of still pictures. That birds can hear the fine structure of song so acutely allows them to convey much information in a short sound. Pacific Wrens are found most often in closed-canopy conifer forests, nesting in cavities, usually within six feet of the ground. (BirdNote)

Killer whales expected to head south any day now
Chris Dunagan at Watching Our Water Ways blogs: "As chum salmon swim back to their home streams in Puget Sound this fall, three killer whale pods — the Southern Residents — can be expected to follow, making their way south along the eastern shoreline of the Kitsap Peninsula. These forays into Central and South Puget Sound could begin any day now and continue until the chum runs decline in November or December. The Southern Residents, which typically hang out in the San Juan Islands in summer, have not been spotted for several days, so they are likely somewhere in the ocean at the moment, according to Howard Garrett of Orca Network. (Kitsap Sun)

If you like to watch: Video: Splashing humpback whale in Howe Sound, near Horseshoe Bay
Former PNG photographer Stuart Davis’ video captured a stray humpback whale as it wandered around Howe Sound towards Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island, Sept. 29. Davis said he heard the fluke splashes and ran out to shoot the video from his the deck. (Vancouver Sun)

First Nations join Vancouver land deal valued at $307M
In a deal valued at just over $307 million, three parcels of land—in Point Grey, Cambie and West Vancouver—are now held in joint ownership by a coalition of B.C. First Nations and the Canada Lands Agency. The deal, announced Wednesday, makes the First Nations — the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh — 50 per cent owners of the land, with the nations given 28 per cent of the value as beneficial interest, and purchasing another 22 per cent for $68 million. (CBC)

Toxic Waste Cleanup Begins Following Fremont Fire
A large fire destroyed a manufacturing building in Seattle, sending a big plume of black smoke over the city and prompting an effort to contain toxic chemicals….The building houses two companies, Asko and Acu-Line. Asko provides metal finishing for the aerospace industry, and Acu-Line does metal etching. Both companies produce toxic waste. Both companies are considered a “large-quantity generator of hazardous waste,” state Department of Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said. That means the company falls under the category of manufacturers that produce 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste a month. Manuel Valdez reports. (Associated Press)

Starfish Nearly Vanished From Popular Destination On Oregon Coast
An epidemic of sea star wasting disease, which has spread along the West Coast during the past 15 months, wiped out most of the sea stars at Haystack Rock during the 2014 beach season, according to Haystack Rock Awareness Program Coordinator Samantha Ferber. Though she hasn’t finished analyzing the data, Ferber estimates that more than 90 percent of the total sea stars in the lower intertidal areas of Haystack Rock succumbed to the disease. Erick Bengle reports. (EarthFix)

Inslee: More needed to prevent oil train explosion
Citing deadly risks associated with increasing volatile shipments of crude oil through Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday said the state and federal governments need to take swift action to prevent and respond to oil spills. The governor likened an oil train explosion to "a bomb" going off, and said he's concerned that local emergency responders, particularly in smaller communities along rail lines, aren't adequately prepared to respond to accidents. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Green/Duwamish watershed projects receive $1.5 million in grants
Eleven projects aimed at improving water quality, protecting and restoring habitat, and supporting salmon recovery efforts in Water Resource Inventory Area 9 (WRIA 9) – which encompasses the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound watershed received grant funding from the King County Flood Control District this week…. The Flood District board of supervisors approved $1.5 million in Cooperative Watershed Management Grant funding for WRIA 9 to boost the clean water and salmon recovery efforts of local organizations. (Auburn Reporter)

Landslide Safety All Over The Map In Washington 
The Oso landslide devastated one stretch of one valley in Snohomish County. But Washington state is dotted with landslide-prone slopes. An investigation by KUOW and EarthFix has found that many local governments do much less than Snohomish County to keep people from building on dangerous ground.  It’s taken six months of work with heavy machinery to clean up the aftermath of the massive Oso slide. Washington’s Growth Management Act tries to steer development away from dangerous spots like this. But it’s local government that decides how to carry out the law. With the deaths in Oso still fresh in our minds, we wanted to find out how safe people are from landslides in the rest of the state. Apparently, nobody has tried to answer that question. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Ocean health forum is Oct. 7 at NWMC
Learn about the science of changing ocean chemistry and its effects on sea life, with examples of local efforts to combat the problem. The Northwest Straits Commission and Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) host a community forum on ocean health, 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water. Doors open at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome. To learn more about this event and the Jefferson County MRC, login here. (Port Townsend Leader)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PDT WED OCT 1 2014
THU
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
THU NIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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