4/24 GBH, WA lege, drought, oil spill ship, BC pipe, ship pilot, BC dives, WA quake, E-Day, SeaWorld

GBH (Steve Bloom/Olympian)

Coalition saves Olympia’s only great blue heron colony
…. “These have been our herons for decades,” said resident Dan Einstein as a handful of herons squawked in the treetops where they nest. “Who knows why they picked our neighborhood, but they did.” Last summer, Einstein helped launch the nonprofit Olympia Coalition for Ecosystems Preservation in response to a proposed townhome development in the woods at the end of Dickinson Avenue. An access road was slated to pass through the heronry. Some people were concerned that the extra human disturbances would cause the birds to leave. The coalition has since led a successful effort to protect the heronry and the land surrounding it. Volunteers have spent countless hours pulling ivy and planting trees. The coalition has installed signs and enclosed the site’s entrance on Dickinson Avenue with split-rail fencing. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Inslee sets Wednesday for special session to finish budget
With no budget deal even close, Washington state lawmakers will adjourn Friday, but Gov. Jay Inslee has called them back for a special session, to start Wednesday. Rachel La Corte reports. (Associated Press)

Wetter weather ahead for Friday and Saturday
…. "I believe the media and some local politicians have gotten a bit too worried about our "drought."   We have not had a precipitation drought at all....we are in a snow drought due to warm temperatures.  The situation is unique and I suspect we will weather this summer far better than expected.  And for those looking for outdoor activities this weekend:  Sunday morning and early afternoon look the best." Cliff Mass writes. (Weather Blog)

Ship involved in Vancouver fuel spill posts $300,000 bond
The cargo vessel that leaked bunker fuel into English Bay earlier this month has returned to anchorage in English Bay, but won’t leave until final environmental inspections are complete, Transport Canada officials said Thursday. “The vessel will not depart until Transport Canada has determined that the vessel is in compliance with Transport Canada regulations and is environmentally safe for voyage,” spokeswoman Jillian Glover said in an email. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. First Nation signs benefit deal over natural gas pipeline
The company planning to build a 900 kilometre natural gas pipeline across northern B.C. has signed a benefit agreement with the Kitselas (KIT'-sell-us) First Nation. TransCanada (TSX:TRP) announced the deal, when signed, will provide financial and other benefits related to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project. (Canadian Press)

If you like to watch: Daily Life: Puget Sound Ship Pilot
Over 7,500 HUGE ships come and go from the Puget Sound each year. In this edition of Daily Life we find out what it takes to bring those ships to dock. (Daily UW)

If you like to watch: B.C. scuba video highlights province's best diving locations
British Columbia's diving community has just released a slick new video showcasing the province's beautiful waters in the hopes of attracting local residents and tourists to the sport. (CBC)

Washington Earthquake's Mysterious Source Discovered
Geologists have finally solved a 142-year-old earthquake mystery in central Washington state. Until now, no one knew the source of a powerful earthquake that rattled windows from Washington to Montana on Dec. 14, 1872. The quake's size, based on historical accounts, was magnitude 6.8. At the time, newspapers put the epicenter in several areas, from underneath the Puget Sound north to Vancouver, British Columbia. But Washington's eyewitness reports, slower to arrive in the sparsely populated state, centered the most intense damage east of the Cascades, near Wenatchee, where a giant landslide temporarily dammed the Columbia River. Becky Oskin reports. (Live Science)

Bay View students help restore trail, wetlands in celebration of Earth Day
Students wearing work gloves were armed with shovels and rakes Wednesday along the perimeter of a field at Bay View Elementary School. Some were up to their elbows in mud, some were raking dry blackberry brambles and some were placing seedlings in new homes. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) And:  Volunteers to pull trash off beaches Saturday as annual Washington Coast Cleanup gets underway  (Peninsula Daily News)

SeaWorld Tanks – Why Bigger Will Never Be Big Enough
No matter how big SeaWorld builds their tanks they will always be hopelessly tiny compared to the environment where orcas live. Yet room to swim and dive are only part of why the orcas’ natural environment can never be duplicated in captivity – those crystal clear tanks of chlorinated water where the whales swim in circles or bob endlessly at the surface are not even remotely representative of the ocean. Whales are uniquely adapted to live in a complex, dynamic, sensory rich environment – below you can see how the saltiness of the Salish Sea (where the Southern Resident orcas live) varies over the course of a single day, and observe what happens as the salty ocean water meets the fresh water from rivers.  Candace Calloway Whiting reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 24 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE
 EVENING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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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