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.
--
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