1/30 Navy pier, Lolita, whale show ban, Jpod travels, Polley mine, Keystone Okd, Shell drill, derelict boats, deer cull, Willow Cr.

Lion’s Mane medusa (Laurie MacBride)

Beauty on a Dark Day
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Cruising on the remote, outer Central Coast of BC, we had anchored in a cove on Stryker Island. It was an utterly gray day with an almost steady rain, so I declined the invitation to go paddling. Taking some “alone time” in the relatively dry confines of our boat seemed the better option. When the rain finally stopped for a few minutes, I ventured out to the foredeck with my camera, in case anything interesting could be found among the copious bits of seaweed, wood and other debris that were floating by in the current. To my delight, a large orange jellyfish was undulating towards the boat…."

Navy unveils plans for pier, facilities on Port Angeles' Ediz Hook
The U.S. Navy has disclosed formal plans for constructing a pier and support facilities for berthing seven submarine-escort vessels on Ediz Hook. An environmental assessment is underway for the three potential sites at the end of the long, narrow spit along shoreline occupied by Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, home to more than 250 Coast Guard personnel. But one of the three alternatives for the $16.7 million project that was revealed in early 2014 continues to draw the ire of diving enthusiasts, area tribes and the Puget Sound Pilots, according to Peninsula Daily News interviews conducted this week. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Lolita’s Fate Unclear As Decision Looms Over Captive Orcas
he fate of the killer whale known as Lolita looms as a decision from the federal government is expected soon. For years, animal activists have campaigned to free Lolita who was captured from Puget Sound waters in 1970 and has been performing at Miami Seaquarium in Florida for over four decades.,,, A decision from the federal government is expected as early as next week. (CBS)

Washington Lawmaker Proposes Ban On Whale, Dolphin Performances  
SeaWorld is famous for its choreographed dolphin and Orca whale performances. Now a Washington state lawmaker wants to make sure what happens at SeaWorld stays at SeaWorld. Washington state Sen. Kevin Ranker introduced legislation to prohibit marine mammal shows in Washington. Austin Jenkins reports. (KPLU)

J pod killer whales still making the rounds, mostly up to the north
Over the past week, J pod continued to hang out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and general San Juan Islands area, as revealed by a satellite transmitter attached to J-27, a 24-year-old male named Blackberry. For the past month, J pod has remained in the inland waterways, traveling from the mouth of the Strait up into the Canadian Strait of Georgia, approaching Campbell River. J pod is one of the three orca pods that frequent Puget Sound. The location of K and L pods remains largely unknown among whale researchers. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Mount Polley report into cause of spill expected Friday
An independent report on the cause of the Mount Polley tailings spill is scheduled to be released Friday morning. When the dam at the Mount Polley tailings pond breached last August, it released 10 billion litres of water and 4.5 million cubic metres of metals-laden sand, contaminating lakes, creeks and rivers near the town of Likely in the province's interior.  (CBC)

Bellingham, Northwest Jobs Alliance respond to Lummi’s coal terminal letter
This week, the City of Bellingham and the Northwest Jobs Alliance have both written letters following up on Lummi Nation’s letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Senate passes bill approving Keystone XL oil pipeline  
The Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday approved a bipartisan bill to construct the Keystone XL oil pipeline, defying a presidential veto threat and setting up the first of many battles with the White House over energy and the environment. Dina Cappiello reports. (Associated Press)

Shell poised to resume drilling off North Slope
Shell Oil plans to resume exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic waters off Alaska this summer. The decision could create local jobs by turning a Seattle port terminal into an fleet hub, but environmental groups are opposed to a lease now under negotiation. Hal Bernton and Coral Garnick report. (Seattle Times)

More Oil Trains Could Roll Through Puget Sound To Shell Refinery
Shell Oil wants to build more tracks at its refinery in Anacortes, Washington, to receive oil by rail. At a packed hearing in Skagit County on Thursday, more than 100 people turned up to comment on the proposal. Shell’s refinery in Anacortes is the last of Washington’s five oil refineries to apply for permits to receive oil by rail from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix) See also: Proposed Oil-By-Rail Expansion At Shell’s Anacortes Refinery Drawing Crowds  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

County officials identify 18 problem boats; three considered ‘derelict’
A two-day survey of Kitsap County’s shoreline identified 90 boats moored on buoys, at anchor or aground — and 18 of them were found to have some kind of problem, according to Richard Bazzell of the Kitsap Public Health District. … Of the 18 vessels with problems, three were declared “derelict” boats with a high risk of sinking or polluting the water, based on criteria developed by the state’s Derelict Vessel Removal Program. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Oak Bay gets permit for cull of 25 deer
Oak Bay has received its permit to cull 25 deer, but Mayor Nils Jensen is keeping tight-lipped about the details. “We’re not disclosing when it’s going to begin or where it’s going to begin,” said Jensen, adding that receipt of the permit from the province is “just another step in the process.” …. Kelly Carson, of DeerSafe Victoria, was not surprised by the issuance of the permit. But she said the secrecy surrounding the cull is very telling. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Edmonds receives $157K grant for Willow Creek
The City of Edmonds will receive a $157,331 grant from the State of Washington Recreation and Conservation office, Salmon Recovery Funding Board to continue work on the Willow Creek “daylighting” project. The grant is part of $18 million given to organizations around the state for projects that restore and protect salmon habitat….. The city will use this grant along with city funds to prepare a preliminary design and permit applications for a daylighted channel from Edmonds Marsh, under BNSF railroad tracks, and across Marina Beach to Puget Sound. (Edmonds Beacon)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 30 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT THIS MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 14 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE
 MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG AFTER
 MIDNIGHT.
SAT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
SAT NIGHT
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING E 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
--
"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.

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1/29 Shell drill, oil train, Oly spill, Montana spill, Woodard Bay, BC swans, bird flu, microbeads, Koch $

Shell Noble Discoverer (Photo: Capt. Kristjan B. Laxfoss / AP)

Shell’s Arctic drilling vessels not welcome in Seattle: Enviro groups
Seattle should not allow itself to serve as a staging area for Shell Oil’s troubled, long-delayed effort to drill for oil in the Arctic waters of Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, according to a new coalition of nine environmental groups….  Terminal 5 at the Port of Seattle could serve as home port for up to two dozen vessels, such as barges, tugs, exploration drill rigs and icebreakers.  The port would use money from the Shell deal to retrofit the terminal into a ready port for big ships. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Arguments in Shell oil-by-rail appeal
Derailed trains, flammable cargo and dead fish were among the concerns mentioned Wednesday before the Skagit County Hearing Examiner who is hearing an appeal of a permit decision regarding a proposed oil-by-rail facility in Anacortes. Those concerns are not news to county officials. They have been a subject of year-long protest for the Shell Puget Sound Refinery’s latest development proposal. The discussion that started Wednesday is part of an appeals process. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Area around Port of Olympia marine terminal evacuated following chemical spill
The Port of Olympia and businesses within a quarter mile of the port’s marine terminal were evacuated for about three hours Wednesday after a hydrogen peroxide spill sent plumes of steam billowing up from the port yard and city streets. The chemical, which is used to treat stormwater at the port’s new facility, leaked from a 3,300 gallon storage tank that serves the facility. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

Montana oil spill cleanup to slow as river gets dangerous
The struggle to recover 30,000 gallons of oil from a pipeline spill into Montana's Yellowstone River is expected to grind to a near-halt in coming days as warmer weather makes ice on the river increasingly dangerous, state regulators and a company spokesman said Wednesday. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press) See also: Yellowstone oil spills fuel arguments over Keystone line  Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Face of Woodard Bay conservation area is changing
The Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area in South Bay is undergoing quite a transformation. At the north and south ends of the 865-acre complex, a crew from Sound Native Plants of Olympia is converting 14.5 acres of pasture into a forest that features hundreds of seedling trees and shrubs, carefully placed logs and woody debris, and giant snags of Western red cedar, Douglas fir and black cottonwood embedded in the ground, leading to rubber-necking by motorists passing on Shincke Road. “We’re trying to restore the forest structure, putting up the bones of a forest,” noted Sound Native Plants owner Ben Alexander. Over time, the snags and logs should attract all sorts of forest creatures, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, amphibians and small, ground-dwelling mammals. John Dodge reports. (Olympian)

100 trumpeter swans create mayhem for farmers in Cowichan Valley, B.C.
Farmers in B.C.'s Cowichan Valley are locked in battle with a group of giant trumpeter swans that have caused huge amounts of damage to crops - and brought down a power line. Bob Crawford, president of the Cowichan Valley Agricultural Society, said he has seen more than 100 swans in just one field, grazing on the grass, causing flooding and soil damage…. In the case of ducks and Canada geese, farmers can allow hunters on to the field to cull the birds, but trumpeter swans are a protected species. (CBC)

Door-to-door work in Clallam County avian flu quarantine zone ends; no new infections found
Federal health officials have finished their door-to-door inspection of poultry in the Agnew area east of Port Angeles that have been quarantined since Jan. 20 in response to the discovery of birds on a single property that were infected with avian flu. No other instances of the bird flu have been found. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Environmentalists pan microbead ban pushed by beauty industry
The push is on in Washington state to ban synthetic plastic microbeads, the tiny pieces of plastic sometimes used in face washes and bath products as an exfoliant. But in a twist, an environmental group working to curb plastic pollution is critical of the plan, while manufacturers of microbead-laden beauty products are pushing it. The small plastic beads, commonly used in facial scrubs and body washes, are known to pollute waterways and can end up in the bellies of fish and other marine animals, according to the state Department of Ecology. Melissa Santos reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Sound Waters conference to discuss ‘all things Puget Sound’
Beach Watchers will be hosting the Sound Waters educational conference on Saturday, Feb. 7 at South Whidbey High School. Kate Daniel reports. (South Whidbey Record)

Koch Brothers’ Budget of $889 Million for 2016 Is on Par With Both Parties’ Spending
The political network overseen by the conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch plans to spend close to $900 million on the 2016 campaign, an unparalleled effort by coordinated outside groups to shape a presidential election that is already on track to be the most expensive in history. The spending goal, revealed Monday at the Kochs’ annual winter donor retreat near Palm Springs, Calif., would allow their political organization to operate at the same financial scale as the Democratic and Republican Parties. It would require a significant financial commitment from the Kochs and roughly 300 other donors they have recruited over the years, and covers both the presidential and congressional races. In the last presidential election, the Republican National Committee and the party’s two congressional campaign committees spent a total of $657 million. Nicholas Confessore reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU JAN 29 2015
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 15 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.

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1/28 Climate bill, train bill, oil drill, Vic sewage, wolf cull, Snake dams, canoe journeys

D & D Duck (Disney/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: The Duck in the Sailor Suit
Today, we celebrate Donald Fauntleroy Duck, first sighted in Hollywood in 1934. Despite nearly 80 years on the big screen and more than 150 films and countless comic books to his credit, Donald's plumage has never changed. Donald doesn't migrate, but resides year round in Duckburg. To our knowledge, longtime sweetheart Daisy has never made Donald a father. But he does show a strong paternal instinct for a trio of unruly nephews. While he means well, he tends to get in over his head, but he somehow overcomes the odds. And that perhaps is why Donald Duck is still loved after all these years. (BirdNote)

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's Climate Legislation Gets A Hearing
Gov. Jay Inslee has been pushing for a “polluters pay” carbon reduction plan for the majority of his time in office. Tuesday marked the first time that plan went before the state legislature, when the House Environment Committee held a hearing of HB 1314. The bill, which was drafted by the governor’s office, has 37 sponsors, all Democrats.  It would set a cap on statewide emissions that would be gradually ratcheted down over the coming years. Facilities, fuel suppliers and electricity importers whose annual greenhouse gas emissions exceed 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent would have to buy emissions allowances, or credits, beginning July 1, 2016. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Ericksen’s oil train bill moves one step closer to floor vote
Sen. Doug Ericksen’s oil train safety bill was approved by the committee he chairs on Tuesday, Jan. 27. It will now move to the Senate Rules Committee before possibly getting a vote on the floor. The Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee amended Senate Bill 5057 Tuesday, to include provisions that would expand state authority to inspect rail crossings and form a workgroup that would look to see if more regulations are necessary for marine oil transport on the Columbia River and in Grays Harbor, according to an announcement from Ericksen’s office. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Obama opens Atlantic Coast to oil drilling, puts Alaskan Alaskan waters off limits
The Obama administration is opening up waters off the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, while putting big swaths of the Arctic waters of Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off-limits to oil development. A new five-year program for offshore oil and gas leasing, announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Interior, includes 10 sales in the Gulf of Mexico and proposes one big sale in the South Atlantic off the coastlines of Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, former CEO at Recreational Equipment Inc., wants to put Arctic Refuge lands and offshore waters off limits to oil and gas drilling. The “regionally tailored approach” offers a big victory for the oil industry off the East Coast and a major win for environmentalists in Alaska waters. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Victoria mayor to chair east-side sewage group
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps will guide east-side municipalities in development of sewage treatment options. Helps was acclaimed Tuesday as chairwoman of the newly formed east-side wastewater treatment and resource recovery select committee. Saanich Coun. Vic Derman was elected vice-chairman, beating out Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell for the position in a secret ballot. The committee was formed to allow Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay to explore wastewater treatment options together.

Wolf cull supported by conservation group Wildsight
Kootenay-based conservation group Wildsight is backing a controversial wolf cull in the South Peace and South Selkirks that would kill 184 wolves….. [C]onservation director John Bergenske told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff…"we've run into a situation with mountain caribou in specific places." He said in the South Selkirks the population has dropped to only 18 caribou down from 49 animals in 2009. Other conservation groups have criticized the cull saying loss of habitat is at the root of the caribou's decline — and the government needs to protect land rather than kill the wolves. (CBC) See also: Oregon Wolf Population Meets Level To Consider Delisting

Local dam removal initiative finds footing in Washington D.C.
What started as a petition to be submitted to Washington state congressional representatives will soon find its way to the nation’s capital. Southern Resident Killer Whale Chinook Salmon Initiative, an organization formed recently by San Juan islanders, is petitioning for removal of the lower four Snake River dams. The group wants the dams removed to help recover the beleaguered southern resident orca population that rely heavily on Chinook salmon for food. The dams are located in Southeast Washington. The population of the southern residents sits at 78 whales, a 30-year low. “The orcas are starving,” said Sharon Grace, organizer of Salmon Initiative. “Breaching the Snake River dams is the most effective means to provide food to the orcas.” Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)

Introducing this year’s Canoe ‘Journeys’
The 2015 Canoe Journey will actually consist of several regional Canoe Journeys. When no indigenous nation stepped forward and offered to host in 2015 after the 2014 Canoe Journey/Paddle to Bella Bella, the annual gathering of Northwest canoe cultures appeared to be headed toward a hiatus. But canoe skippers wanted to see the Journey continue without skipping a beat, and so a new approach emerged: Instead of one large Canoe Journey, there will be several Journeys hosted in various regions of the Salish Sea. Richard Walker reports. (Kingston Community News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 28 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING SE 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SPRINKLES.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SPRINKLES.
--
"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.

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1/27 Oil trains, oil spill, Arctic drill, coal future, sea lion rescue, Polley mine, big quake, Sultan coho

(PHOTO: Skagit Valley Herald)

Hearing examiner to consider Shell refinery permits this week
The Skagit County Hearing Examiner will review permits and appeals of Shell Puget Sound Refinery’s oil-by-rail proposal Wednesday and Thursday. Shell’s project proposal has been at least two years in the making, following the lead of Tesoro — the first refinery in the region to accept North Dakota’s Bakken crude oil by train — as well as BP and Phillips 66 refineries in Whatcom County in developing oil-by-rail infrastructure. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

State, local officials not notified of oil spill
State and federal officials are investigating an oil spill from a railroad tank car at Washington’s largest refinery last November, after a key agency was kept in the dark for nearly a month — and emergency spill responders were not notified at all. The delayed notification of the spill highlights gaps in communication and enforcement as more crude oil shipments travel by rail. According to reports reviewed by McClatchy, when the tank car arrived Nov. 5 at the BP Cherry Point refinery, Federal Railroad Administration inspectors discovered oil stains on its sides and wheels. A closer inspection revealed an open valve and a missing plug. The car was also 1,611 gallons short. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

5 things about Obama's move to protect refuge from drilling
President Barack Obama waded into a decades-long fight over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the weekend, announcing that his administration would pursue a wilderness designation for 12.28 million acres, barring drilling in most of the South Carolina-sized refuge. Dina Cappiello reports. (Associated Press)

Goldman Sachs: Coal hits ‘retirement age;’ IEA disagrees
…. When Goldman Sachs talks, people listen. Goldman said in a “research note,” the specifics of which were shared today — Monday, Jan. 26 — by Thomson Reuters, that coal was hitting “retirement age.” This from Reuters’ newsletter “Inside Dry Freight,” dated today:… “The use of coal for power generation is nearing its peak as the world turns to cleaner burning fuels and demand in top consumer China slows, analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a research note. Coal prices have fallen over the last four years and 2015 may make it five, with many now asking whether the fuel is in a cyclical slump or permanent decline....” Ralph Schwarz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Vancouver Aquarium staff rescue sea lion from ocean debris
A Steller sea lion in danger of death after it became entangled in ocean debris was rescued by a team from the Vancouver Aquarium on Monday, but two others are still in trouble. The rescue team spotted the three animals in Fanny Bay a few weeks ago amid a group of sea lions. The one rescued Monday was freed from a packing strap. Olivia Zauli Fellows reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mount Polley rating won’t be released
An industry rating for Imperial Metals’ management of the water and potentially toxic finely-ground rock from its Mount Polley mine will not be released. The Mining Association of Canada made the decision as a result of the collapse of the earth-and-rock dam that had held back millions of cubic metres of water and fine-rock tailings at Mount Polley. (Vancouver Sun)

Jan. 26, 1700: How Scientists Know When The Last Big Earthquake Happened Here
At approximately 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Jan. 26, 1700, a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake occurred on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 600-mile stretch between Vancouver Island, British Columbia and Cape Mendocino, California. What evidence points to an earthquake 1700? Tullan Spitz reports. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Sultan High students operate their own hatchery on campus
Biology students at Sultan High School are raising salmon in a hatchery on campus and expect to release them into the wild later this year. The school's hatchery apparently is unique in the state. Students also visit nearby spawning streams to learn about the life cycle of salmon. Amy Nile reports. (Everett Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE JAN 27 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"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

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1/26 Sea stars, sonar, pol talk, Kalakala,, BC Ferries, Vic sewer, poop dump, dead whale, bird flu, salmon pole, CP dock

(PHOTO: Seattle Aquarium)

Sea Stars Make A Comeback - For Now
The worst of the sea star wasting disease epidemic that decimated sea star populations along the West Coast during the past 19 months appears to be over at Haystack Rock — at least for now. Most of what’s left are the juvenile sea stars that somehow survived the pathogenic onslaught that killed off more than 90 percent of their fellows during the 2014 beach season, according to Haystack Rock Awareness Coordinator Samantha Ferber, who recorded the death toll at three sites. Erick Bengel reports. (Daily Astorian)

Navy wants to deploy more sonar-emitting buoys
The U.S. Navy is seeking permits to expand sonar and other training exercises off the Pacific Coast, a proposal raising concerns from animal advocates who say more sonar-emitting buoys would harm whales and other sea creatures. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

A Republican And A Democrat Walk Into A Bar - To Talk Climate Change
This legislative session is looking like the make-or-break for any action on climate change from the Washington state legislature. As Governor Jay Inslee and the Democrats continue to push for a cap and trade system, Republicans continue to voice strong opposition. Is there a middle ground? You be the judge of that. Listen in as two leading senators - one Republican, one Democrat - sit down for a beer with EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn and talk about climate change — with some detours in the conversation to discuss baby goats and Santa Claus, too. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

The Kalakala rides to its deconstruction in Tacoma, but wait just a second
In the dark, in the rain, the ferry Kalakala made its final voyage Thursday morning. It came to die. It did not go easily. After more than a decade spent rusting on Tacoma’s Hylebos Waterway, and lit Thursday by a single spotlight, the ferry was released from its moorings at 3:45 a.m. A pair of tugs then guided it over 2.5 miles and just over 90 minutes into Commencement Bay and then to a graving dock on the Blair Waterway. It will be cut apart for scrap over the next week. C.R. Roberts reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

Everybody wants to fix BC Ferries, but nobody knows how
With costs rising and ridership falling, the province, the ferry commissioner and the corporation are at odds over the best course forward for essential ferry service on the westcoast.  Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Equipment failure causes unscreened sewage discharge at Clover Point
A Friday afternoon sewer discharge at Clover Point has prompted Capital Regional District officials to have public-health advisory signs erected in the area. About 3,000 cubic metres of unscreened sewage was discharged through the Clover Point outfall about 3:45 p.m. due to a failure of mechanical equipment. The failure was corrected later in the day. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist) See also: Victoria's Secret: Dumping Raw Sewage Like It's 1915   The icky, smelly, rotten no-good political mess that could cost taxpayers a billion. (Yes, a billion!)  Sarah Berman reports. (The Tyee)

Pleasure boats may be allowed to dump sewage closer to Vancouver-area beaches http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pleasure+boats+allowed+dump+sewage+closer+shore/10755885/story.html
Vancouver Coastal Health wants to see local beaches exempt from a proposal by Transport Canada that suggests small pleasure boats be allowed to dump their sewage closer to shore. Medical health officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn said such a move, which is still in the public consultation phase, could potentially increase the occurrence of E. coli in local waters and lead to more frequent closures of the area’s beaches. Under Transport Canada’s plan, small boats carrying fewer than 15 people would be allowed to discharge sewage just one nautical mile from shore, closer than the three nautical miles that are required today. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Dead whale found at Seattle dock struck by ship propeller
A 32-foot gray whale that turned up dead under the Washington state ferry terminal in downtown Seattle died earlier this week because it was struck by the propeller of a large vessel, according to the initial results of a necropsy completed Saturday. (Seattle Times)

Third strain of bird flu confirmed in wild duck in Whatcom County http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/01/23/4094980_third-strain-of-bird-flu-confirmed.html
A third strain of bird flu has been found in a wild duck in Whatcom County, officials said Friday, Jan. 23. Tests confirmed the H5N1 strain in a green-winged teal killed by a hunter near Sumas, said Hector Castro, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. Like the other two strains traced to wild ducks in Whatcom County in December, this one also is highly pathogenic. That means the strain is deadly to domestic chickens and turkeys. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Salmon pole unveiled at Wa He Lut Indian School in honor of Billy Frank Jr.
There were tribal songs, dances and prayers. And there were raindrops, something Wa He Lut Principal Harvey Whitford urged everyone to be thankful for during the unveiling of a 10-foot high salmon pole carved in honor of late Nisqually leader and activist Billy Frank Jr…. The pole was carved by Jewell James of the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham, and a small group known as the House of Tears Carvers. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Thousands of environmentalists’ comments on BP Cherry Point dock marked as ‘malicious spam’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lost about 28,000 public comments about a controversial oil-shipping dock at a Whatcom County refinery after they were marked as “malicious spam” by an email security system. Last July, the Corps solicited comment on its draft environmental impact statement exploring the possible impacts of operating the north wing of a Y-shaped oil transfer dock at the BP Cherry Point refinery. The long-awaited draft came out after a more than eight-year process that included delays over studies of vessel traffic to the dock. In response to the draft, environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth created a form letter and asked people on its mailing list to sign and send it to the Corps through a communication program called Salsa. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON JAN 26 2015
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

--
"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

1/23 J50, BC rain, culvert cost, dead whale, sewage to beer, Cowichan herring

J50 and J16 (Dave Ellifrit, Center For Whale Research)

Who yo mama? New orca baby doing well, closely linked to 43-year-old female
The young killer whale born into J pod three weeks ago still appears to be doing well, according to Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research, who observed the calf when her pod came through the San Juan Islands on Monday. The new calf, J-50, has been sticking close to J-16, a 43-year-old female and her likely mom. In his written notes, Dave said the calf, designated J-50, was staying close to J-16, a 43-year-old female named “Slick.” Meanwhile, Slick’s daughter, 16-year-old J-36 or Alki, remained some distance away. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Environment Canada issues heavy rainfall warning as Pineapple Express hits B.C.
Environment Canada has posted a rainfall warning as the Pineapple Express arrives in Metro Vancouver this morning, bringing with it up to 100 millimetres of rain in some areas. The federal weather agency says rainfall amounts of up to five millimetres an hour will result in 50 to 70 millimetres of rain by Saturday morning, and up to 100 millimetres over parts of Howe Sound and near the North Shore mountains. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

New blog: A Braille Lego Printer, United Nations Food, and “A Few Stupid Extremists”
Yes, let’s change the world: Last week it was Bill Gates drinking water purified from sewage, this week it’s a 13-year old’s prototype of a simple Braille printer built from Legos….

Culvert replacement costs loom as a budget problem for lawmakers
While funding for Washington’s “basic education” remains a potential budget-buster, some legislators are beginning to worry about a $2.4-billion financial pitfall involving culverts and salmon streams. In 2013, a federal judge ordered Washington state to replace nearly 1,000 culverts that block or impede fish passage along Western Washington streams. The $2.4-billion cost, as estimated by the Washington State Department of Transportation, amounts to about $310 million per biennium until the deadline of 2030. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Dead whale found under Seattle’s Colman ferry dock
The dead gray whale found under the Colman ferry dock Thursday morning has been moved to a temporary site at Pier 48, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service. The whale, a 32-foot-long female, is partially decomposed and had likely been dead for several days, NOAA said. Divers moved the whale from underneath the dock. Jennifer Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

Oregon Water Treatment Company Wants To Turn Sewer Water Into Beer
Clean Water Services of Hillsboro has an advanced treatment process that can turn sewage into drinking water. The company, which runs four wastewater treatment plants in the Portland metro area, wants to show off its “high-purity” system by turning recycled wastewater into beer. But under current rules, the state of Oregon wouldn’t allow anyone to drink it. Clean Water Services has asked the state to amend those rules so the company can give its recycled water to a group of home brewers. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

CERCA project aims to bring herring back to Cowichan Bay
It was a cold and rainy evening when 10 Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association volunteers met at the Fisherman's Wharf in Cowichan Bay on Jan. 3 to initiate CERCA's herring recovery project in this part of the Salish Sea. The work was timed to take advantage of a very low tide of 0.4 metres at 9:30 p.m., chosen to wrap a whopping total of 28 pilings under the sheltered wharf. Historically, herring had spawned in abundance in numerous places along the shorelines and estuaries of the Salish Sea including the Cowichan Estuary. Dr. Goetz Schuerholz writes. (Cowichan Valley Citizen)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 23 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 18 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE
 AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
--
"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.

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1/22 King tide, fish farm, bird flu, rain gardens, Lululemon dock, LOTT science, Way of Whales

Alki Beach, Dec. 2012 (King County)

King Tide Shows What Climate Change Has In Store
This weekend the tide will rise three feet above normal, soaking the shore, spoiling freshwater aquifers, and giving us all a glimpse of the future. Dan Person reports. (Seattle Weekly) See also: King tides expected this week on Budd Inlet  Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Ban on new aquaculture projects was imposed to give time for possible settlement over SMP dispute
The city's six-month ban on new commercial aquaculture activities will give Bainbridge Island time to make a "limited amendment" to the new aquaculture rules in its updated Shoreline Master Program, officials said this week. The Bainbridge Island City Council unanimously adopted an emergency six-month moratorium at its meeting Tuesday on new aquaculture projects. The ban is aimed at projects that would require a substantial shoreline development permit and conditional use permits. The move was needed, according to the city, to preserve the "status quo" and stop new applications for commercial aquaculture projects while the city has a chance to amend its new aquaculture regulations. Brian Kelly reports. (Bainbridge Review)

Avian flu quarantine set in Agnew area as inspectors go door to door
State officials have imposed an avian-flu-related quarantine in a radius of about 6 miles around a residence in the Agnew area east of Port Angeles. Two teams with the U.S. Department of Agriculture began traveling door to door Monday to talk with residents and ask their permission to test their flocks, said Dr. Alan Huddleston. Leah Leach and Paul Gottlieb report. (Peninsula Daily News)

New Study Suggests Rain Gardens Can Save Salmon
The lethal effects of urban runoff that kills some salmon and their prey can be reversed by filtering the water through a common soil mix, according to new research by state and federal scientists. When it rains or people wash their cars, the water that runs over pavement picks up toxic chemicals such as oils, heavy metals and residue from car emissions. This can go straight into our waterways. So-called Green infrastructure - things like rain gardens and green roofs - uses soils and other natural materials to slow down and filter this urban runoff. But does it work? Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU) See also: Simple soil mixture reverses toxic stormwater effects  (WSU)

Friday Harbor storm water pollution calls for ideas
As a project to raise awareness, the rain garden at the intersection of First and Spring streets has been a success. As a pollution filtration system to be applied on a larger scale? Not so much. “It was a test case. No one knew how effective it would be,” Friday Harbor Administrator Duncan Wilson said. “We’ve never seen any results that indicated a significant benefit,” So, the town has other ideas to help curb pollution from storm water runoff. Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)

Lululemon founder’s dock proposal has Sunshine Coast neighbours up in arms
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson has raised the ire of his neighbours on the Sunshine Coast over his plans to build a massive private dock to moor his pleasure boats and seaplane in the pristine waters of Middlepoint Bight. Wilson, a Vancouver billionaire, has asked the provincial government for permission to build a 2,498-sq-ft dock and two 3,106-sq-ft breakwaters on the south side of the seasonal mansion he has built on the bight, which is located between Pender Harbour and Sechelt. The dock is proposed to replace a modest moorage that has been approved on the north side of Wilson’s 20-acre property at 11329 Sunshine Coast Hwy. Kelly Sinoski reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Hear how marine life reacts to human sounds
Visitors to the LOTT WET Science Center on Saturday will have the chance to hear how human sounds affect marine life in Puget Sound…. The program will take place at LOTT’s WET Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia. The center is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, except holidays. Admission is free. Jeffrey P. Mayor reports. (Olympian)

Ways of whales set for Saturday in Coupeville
It's that time of year again when Whidbey Islanders will gather to talk about whales, whales and more whales. Orca Network's annual Ways of Whales Workshop is 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, in the Coupeville Middle School Performing Arts Center, 501 S. Main St., Coupeville. A special screening of the new documentary "Fragile Waters" will follow at the Nordic Lodge. (South Whidbey Record)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST THU JAN 22 2015
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN AT TIMES.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.
--
"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

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1/21 Seabirds, SSA fined, seastars, oil spills, pipeline safety, invasives, bird flu, ELF, FH port, orca close-up

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 

Puget Sound seabird numbers better than expected
More than a dozen species of Puget Sound seabirds thought to be in decline appear to be doing better than expected, according to an ongoing survey by citizen scientists organized by the Seattle Audubon Society. Of the 18 species monitored for seven years at 62 sites near Puget Sound from the north end of Whidbey Island to Olympia, 14 show increased numbers, including cormorants, loons, rhinoceros auklets, bufflehead and harlequin ducks, the new survey analysis shows. The species selected for detailed study are considered good barometers of environmental health because of their relative abundance and their dependence on Puget Sound food and habitat, researchers said. John Dodge reports. (Olympian)

SSA Terminals To Pay $215,000 For Clean Water Act Violations
SSA Terminals will pay $215,000 dollars for violations of the Clean Water Act at its Harbor Island facility in Seattle. After several years of litigation, brought by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the company has agreed to reduce their pollution discharges into Elliott Bay. The settlement was announced in a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Our Fight 2015
NextGen Climate draws the battle line.

Sea stars may be on path to recovery; summer could provide answers
…. Barb Erickson, Linda Martin and Peg Tillery… have been serving as amateur researchers, monitoring the Lofall beach, like hundreds of other volunteers at various locations along the West Coast. When they started monitoring the beach in February 2014, they observed dozens of healthy sea stars — but conditions changed dramatically by June…. I was not sure what to expect when I accompanied the three women to the Lofall pier on Saturday…. What we saw Saturday was a great many more young sea stars than last year, along with adults that seemed to be healthy. None of the starfish showed signs of disease. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Northwest Ships: Near Misses and Almost-Spills
The Northwest is evaluating more than a dozen major projects that would add oil tankers and other major cargo ships to the region’s waters. Nearly all of these plans would affect Washington’s waters: either on the Columbia River, Grays Harbor, or in the labyrinthine channels of the Salish Sea. In the simplest terms, increasing ship traffic means increasing risk. And as the region is contemplating an astonishing jump in vessel traffic, it’s worth pausing to examine the record. Eric de Place reports. (Sightline)

Kinder Morgan needs to disclose more on safety plans, says B.C. Premier Christy Clark
B.C. Premier Christy Clark is demanding Kinder Morgan disclose more details about its safety plans before the province approves the company's $5.4-billion pipeline expansion project.  The National Energy Board rejected the government's call for more information after the pipeline company submitted an incomplete version of its existing spill-response plans. The energy regulator says it is satisfied with the amount of information Kinder Morgan supplied, though it raised concerns over how clearly the company communicated the reasons for the information it left out. But Clark says Kinder Morgan hasn't met the five conditions set out by the province, and until that happens, it won't be going ahead with the project. (Canadian Press)

B.C. government mulling an Invasive Species Act to fight costly introduction of non-native species
The B.C. government is considering new legislation to coordinate the attack against a costly and ever-growing threat posed by the introduction of non-native plants, animals and diseases. Tim Sheldan, deputy minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, said Tuesday that the existing Weed Control Act and regulations have been under internal study and that an “extensive scientific review” of invasive plant species for regulation is nearing completion. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Government Ag Teams Encircle New Washington Bird Flu Case
Three new hot spots of bird flu have been found in wild ducks and domestic birds in Idaho. A second Oregon case was confirmed last week in a wild duck near Eugene. And a flock of 118 birds was euthanized over the weekend in Port Angeles, Washington. Anna King reports. (KPLU)

Rolling Out the Hot New Wheels
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Here on Gabriola Island these days, my father-in-law, Ted, is turning heads, attracting crowds and prompting smiles every time he goes out. It’s not just because he’s well-liked on the island – though he definitely is. The buzz is because of his hot new wheels: an electric-assist ELF tricycle, which arrived on a foggy morning in early January. This is not your ordinary pedal trike. Aside from its smooth, continuously variable transmission and its comfortable ride, it has the added bonus of an electric motor to help get up slopes, powered by a battery that’s recharged by the the ELF’s solar panel or by plugging in to household power…."

$4 million port project complete, ribbon cutting ceremony to follow
The Port of Friday Harbor's multi-million dollar marina reconstruction project is complete. In October 2014 Manson Construction mobilized into the marina with their huge crane and got to work removing old creosote pilings and wooden floats throughout the marina. The Harbormaster relocated vessels to accommodate the major renovations and no vessels were turned away for guest moorage during the holidays. Manson Construction replaced the inner marina with new concrete floats, steel pilings and upgraded utilities. (San Juan Journal)

If you like to watch: Paddle boarders close encounter with Orcas
Rich German on January 14 posted:  "My dream of seeing Orcas (aka killer whales) recently came true. Watch as a friendly pod of 5 orcas interacts with me on my paddle board. This was filmed with my GoPro off the coast of Laguna Beach California last week. You'll see the whales come directly under my board twice. This was an amazing."

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 21 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5
 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN
 LIKELY 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.

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1/20 Pipeline secrets, bird flu, Gorge spill, farm bill $, flame retardants, Taseko Mines, Jennifer Rumley

Shaka the Crab (PHOTO: Alan Berner/Seattle Times)

"Honu by the Sea" at the Seattle Aquarium
Bryce Irvine is Shaka the Crab in the environmental musical at the Seattle Aquarium this weekend. "Honu by the Sea" is about discovering the need to protect and guard reefs and oceans threatened by negligent human activity. For more information see: honubythesea.com Colin Diltz reports. (Seattle Times)

Kinder Morgan can keep plans secret: National Energy Board
Kinder Morgan has won the next round in the battle over the push to expand its oil pipeline through Burnaby. The province has lost a bid to force the company to detail its emergency response plan in case of an accident. Kinder Morgan says it needs to keep the plans secret in the interest of security. The National Energy Board (NEB) ruling came down Friday saying the oil company had justified their argument to keep much of the plan secret which perplexes John Foy with the Wilderness Committee. Simon Druker reports. (News1130)

Avian flu found on North Olympic Peninsula; domestic birds destroyed at Agnew farm
Avian flu has been found in a backyard flock of ducks, chickens and geese east of Port Angeles, and all the birds were destroyed. The H5N2 bird flu strain is not harmful to humans.  But the disease is very contagious and deadly among birds, and the fear is that it could spread into commercially raised chickens and turkeys. A ban on the movement of eggs, domestic poultry and poultry products within and outside of a 10 kilometer radius — 6.2 miles — likely will be placed today around the home at 92 Cosmos Lane in the Agnew area, state Department of Agriculture spokesman Hector Castro said. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Rain clears storm drains of fuel-oil spill near Gorge
The rain that pelted Victoria over the weekend helped clean out the storm-drain system feeding a heating-oil spill on the Gorge Waterway, virtually eliminating any pollution threat. B.C. Hazmat’s David Rogers said that absorptive booms replaced on Sunday night were “lily-white and clean” on Monday, meaning no oil had reached them. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

Farm Bill money will support continued Clean Samish efforts
Farms, shellfish, salmon and water quality in the Puget Sound Region will get a $9 million boost from a new federal conservation program included in the 2014 Farm Bill. Some of that money will go to Skagit County’s Samish watershed, which has been plagued with fecal coliform pollution for years. The grants come from the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. They are part of a $370 million package Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that will support 115 projects across the U.S. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

House looking to pass a bill banning some flame retardants
A bill to ban two flame retardants from children's products and upholstered furniture is taking its third trip through the Washington Legislature. Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, introduced the bipartisan bill, which went to a House Environment Committee public hearing Monday. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Mining giant takes on B.C. environmental group in defamation court battle
Criticism of a proposed mine by an environmental group and allegations of defamation by the project's owner have landed both parties in B.C. Supreme Court. Taseko Mines Ltd. launched the lawsuit after the Wilderness Committee claimed during a 2012 public comment period that the New Prosperity mine could destroy Fish Lake. The proposed gold and copper mine, 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, was undergoing a federal environmental assessment when the statements were made. Tasmyn Burgmann reports. (Canadian Press)

Green Beat - Intern nets endangered species
When Langley resident Jennifer Rumley graduated with a Trinity Western University Environmental Studies degree in 2014, she was hoping to get a paying job. Instead, this past fall she paid to get some experience with A Rocha Canada. “The internship with A Rocha was the next best thing to a paid position,” said Jennifer. “I got to do some meaningful work in my field, and have some exciting adventures working with endangered species and their habitat.” Rumley sought the elusive Salish sucker along the length of the Little Campbell River which begins in Aldergrove and runs to the ocean in White Rock. David Clements reports.  (Langley Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE JAN 20 2015
TODAY
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

--
"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

1/19 Elwha, Alki, MLK, Lummi, BC pipes, Gorge spill, Ioco land, BC megathrust, Lynnwood wetland

Eulachon samples (Coastal Watershed Institute)

If you like to watch: Coastal Watershed Institute Elwha Sampling
Anne Shaffer of CWI writes: "At our January long term sampling of the Elwha estuary and lower river we documented-for the first time after looking for over a decade-hundreds of gravid and spent eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus, and a gravid female long fin smelt, Spirinchus thaleichthys. These   forage fish, which are federally listed along areas of the west coast due to their  precipitous decline, are-literally-the backbone of coastal cultures and nearshore ecosystems…. Within five months of the dam removal ending, these fish are literally flooding the system, feeding dozens of harbor seals and thousands of birds."

If you like to watch: Alki Junkyard - 1/17/2015
Laura James shares some cool underwater views-- and maybe some good news about seastar recovery.

New blog: The 12th Man On MLK Day
"Hard to sit down and compose a Martin Luther King Day blog after watching the end of Sunday’s Seattle Seahawk game. The 12th Man/Woman in houses up and down the neighborhood street yelled himself/herself hoarse. I hope they yell as hard for justice on Monday but race, civil rights, equal opportunity, domestic abuse, gender equality aren’t as simple as a football game, regardless of how much some people might think of sports as a metaphor for life…."

Lummis reject ‘standing offer’ to negotiate approval of Whatcom County coal terminal
The chairman of Lummi Nation said Thursday, Jan. 15, the tribe is not negotiating with the shipping-terminal company that would build a coal-export facility at Cherry Point. Lummi Chairman Tim Ballew sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dated Jan. 5, asking the agency to immediately deny a federal permit for the Gateway Pacific Terminal. The terminal applicant, SSA Marine, responded by asserting its “standing offer” to meet with Lummi officials and work out a deal that would allow the terminal to be built. “Plain and simple, the response is just as the letter to the Corps said,” Ballew said on Thursday, Jan 15. “There is no way to mitigate the damages the proposed project would bring.” Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Kinder Morgan pipeline: Vancouver submits almost 600 more questions
The City of Vancouver has sent Kinder Morgan almost 600 more questions about its proposed pipeline plan in an effort to plug "significant gaps" in the information already provided by the energy giant. Using its status as intervenor, the city says its questions, submitted to the National Energy Board (NEB), have arisen from either a lack of clarity in Kinder Morgan's 15,000 page proposal, or from responses to previous questions. "It is imperative that all of our questions are fully answered by the company this time," the city said in a statement. "In the first round of requests, Kinder Morgan failed to answer nearly 150 of the 394 questions submitted by us." (CBC)

Falling oil prices pose another delay for B.C. pipelines
Energy economists say that a prolonged slump in oil prices will further slow two proposed pipelines already hamstrung by court challenges and community opposition in British Columbia. Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver has maintained that “the strategic need is still there” for both the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipelines to go through the province. But the slumping price of oil has caused enough “market instability,” as Mr. Oliver put it, to prompt Ottawa to postpone its budget to at least April. Mike Hager reports. (Globe and Mail)

BP oil spill smaller than feared, judge rules
BP faces a fine of up to $13.7bn (£9bn) after a US judge ruled that the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was smaller than initially feared. His ruling put the spill at 3.2 million barrels - the US government had estimated it at 4.09 million barrels. It shields the oil giant from what could have been a $17.6bn fine. A final figure is expected later this month. (BBC)

Olympia runs short on money for much-needed repairs at Percival Landing
Percival Landing on Olympia’s downtown waterfront would cost millions of dollars to repair, but the city is trying to scrape up enough money for basic maintenance. City parks staff updated the Olympia City Council about the aging park’s condition — and expected costs for repairs — at a study session Jan. 13. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Haz-mat crews at work on fuel spill in Gorge Waterway
Animals chewing on copper line coming from a home fuel-oil tank could be the culprits in a 1,000-litre spill into the Gorge Waterway. The spill — at least the third to enter the Gorge in the past year — was discovered about 10 a.m. Friday. It was traced to a broken fuel line at a modular home just off Admirals Road, about 500 metres from where the oil entered the water, said David Rogers of B.C. Hazmat. Jeff Bell report. (Times Colonist)

Metro Vancouver land package including Ioco townsite sold
A new player in Metro Vancouver real estate development — Brilliant Circle Group Investments Ltd — has bought 230 acres of Imperial Oil land in Port Moody and Anmore to develop a master-planned new village. The deal, which closed last week, includes about half of the Ioco townsite as well as the surrounding area, which is forested land in both Port Moody and Anmore. The purchase price was not disclosed. The property includes some heritage buildings and is close to an environmentally sensitive salmon hatchery. Jenny Lee and Brian Morton report. (Vancouver Sun)

Lynnwood rents land for $5, but wetland strings are attached
A small stretch of Highway 99 in Lynnwood is the scene of a quiet, cordial conflict between wetland preservation and business promotion. The disagreement involves two billboards, a 28-year-old document and a 99.8 percent discount on a city contract. Rikki King reports. (Everett Herald)

As waters acidify, Maine looks to Pacific Northwest peers for help
In the icy waters of midcoast Maine, Bill Mook has his eyes on his oysters – and how the waters they need to survive are gradually, but clearly, changing. Down the coast near Portland, the issue is clams and the mud flats that have become inhospitable to their survival. Farther south still, near Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the worry is so-called “sea butterflies,” tiny marine snails that live low on the food chain and are – like the oysters and clams – threatened by a process known as “ocean acidification.” Chris Adams reports. (McClatchy)

B.C. megathrust earthquake will rip earth open like a zipper says expert
Last megathrust earthquake off B.C. coast in 1700 generated a four storey tsunami in Japan nine hours later. A Natural Resources Canada seismologist says the odds of 'big one' occurring in next 50 years are one in 10. Dirk Meissner reports. (The Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 216 AM PST MON JAN 19 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

--
"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

1/16 Warming, Snake dams, free Lolita, Grace Islet, safe trains, BC wolf hunt, Blyn sewer line, bird flu, Icicle farms

Overall, last year was very warm in Washington state 
Last year, Washington state experienced its fifth-hottest year in 120 years of records maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways) See also: Scientists: Human activity has pushed Earth beyond four of nine ‘planetary boundaries’  At the rate things are going, the Earth in the coming decades could cease to be a “safe operating space” for human beings. That is the conclusion of a new paper published Thursday in the journal Science by 18 researchers trying to gauge the breaking points in the natural world. Joel Achenbach reports. (Washington Post)

Send a message to the "other" Washington: Remove The Four Lower Snake River Dams To Save The Southern Resident Killer Whale From Being Dammed To Extinction
Patagonia, Save Our Wild Salmon and the folks who made the film "DamNation" are in Washington DC the last week of January lobbying Administration officials, agencies like the Army Corps, and our NW delegation. It would be great to show the “other” Washington that the petition to save our endangered orcas by removing the damn dams had at least 10,000 supporters. Sign the petition and keep in touch on Facebook.

New blog: Having A Drink With Bill Gates
“Starting out a new year writing with a blank sheet of paper requires examining the kinds of things I’d enjoy writing about. Oh, there’s the obligatory flogging of elected officials and regulators, black-hatted oil and coal and railroad guys, obscene profit-taking developers and bankers. But we’ll save that for another time because today, at the end of the first week of our national Congressional session and our state legislative session, here are three stories I’d rather tell you about:...”

March for Orcas: Free a Whale From Solitary Confinement
Brenda Peterson writes: "This Saturday there are worldwide marches for the wild-born Lolita, the orca who has spent 44 years in captivity in a Miami Seaquarium, performing three shows a day for us -- as if we have not grown up…. Join the Miracle March to Free Lolita, including one on Alki Beach, in Seattle. [March for about a mile along Alki, starting at 1:15 pm at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, 61st/Alki] (Huffington Post)

Grace Islet controversy ends as B.C. steps in to buy land
A controversial development on Grace Islet, the site of a a First Nations burial ground, has been stopped after the province stepped in with a plan to purchase the land. The islet, which is located just off Saltspring Island, B.C., drew attention last year as the private owner began building a house on land that contains at least 16 ancient burial cairns. According to a government statement, the province has partnered with local First Nations and the Nature Conservancy of Canada to create a "framework agreement" to purchase the land from the current owner. (CBC)

Oil train safety draws quick attention in Olympia
Two competing oil-train safety bills have come into quick play in the Washington Senate. A Republican measure, proposed by Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale, received a hearing on Thursday before the Senate Environment, Energy & Telecommunications Committee, which he chairs. Also on Thursday, Democratic Sens. Christine Rolfes of Bainbridge Island and Kevin Ranker of Orcas Island introduced a bill to cover what Gov. Jay Inslee wants to do. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

People warned to avoid water at Titlow Beach after sewage spill
Health officials suggested Thursday that people stay out of the water at Tacoma’s Titlow Beach after a sewage spill there. It wasn’t immediately clear where the sewage came from, or when the spill happened. Alex Krell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

B.C. to hunt wolves by helicopter in order to save endangered mountain caribou herds
Government-contracted hunters were in helicopters over two regions of British Columbia on Thursday as the province launched a controversial culling program that will sacrifice as many as 184 wolves this year alone in an attempt to save endangered caribou. The province announced a plan to immediately start killing wolves during the next four years in the South Peace region, located in northern B.C., and in the South Selkirk region along the border with Washington state and Idaho. (Vancouver Sun)

New wastewater line may fuel resort plans near Blyn casino
A humble wastewater main line could pour revenue into the coffers of both the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe and the city of Sequim. Building the 6.5-mile-long pipe may pump new life into the tribe’s dream of a resort near 7 Cedars Casino and drain off some of the city’s excess sewage-treatment capacity. The project will cost the tribe $8.3 million, according to the city. The resort was estimated to cost $7.5 million in 2010, when the tribe temporarily shelved the idea. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Avian Flu Detected In Oregon Wild Duck
Wildlife officials in Oregon say a mallard duck shot by a hunter near Eugene has tested positive for avian flu.   The strain of influenza (H5N2) is relatively common in Europe and Asia and has not caused any human sickness.  The flu does not appear to cause illness in wild waterfowl, which have evolved with the virus.  But it could kill falcons and hawks.   The real concern, though, is an outbreak in domesticated birds. Jes Burns reports. (EarthFix) See also: Backyard poultry owners in Whatcom County urged to get their flocks tested for bird flu

Cooke likely to look at Icicle salmon farms
The acquisitive Canadian salmon, seabass and seabream farmer and processor Cooke Aquaculture is likely to be interested in up-for-grabs Icicle Seafoods’ salmon farms, located on the West Coast of the US, where the Canadian firm is not present, sources said. With private equity group Paine & Partners looking to sell US harvester and processor Icicle, which it acquired in 2007, the seafood sector is rife with speculation as to whether Icicle will be sold as a whole or broken up into its various pieces…. The business produces over 6,000 metric tons of salmon a year in Puget Sound, with farms at Bainbridge Island, Cypress Island, Port Angeles and Hope Island, Washington. Tom Seaman reports. (Undercurrent News)

Lynden-based fishing boat owner fined $11,000 for spill
The Lynden-based owner of a fishing vessel has been fined $11,000 because one of its boats spilled diesel into Elliott Bay in Seattle, the Washington state Department of Ecology announced Thursday, Jan. 15. The Sept. 13, 2013, spill occurred while the Bristol Leader was refueling from a tank truck at Terminal 91. The spill totaled 181 gallons. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 244 AM PST FRI JAN 16 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 W SWELL 12 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
S WIND 10 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W
 SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 W SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND 20 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS...BUILDING TO
 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
--
"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.

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