5/6 Shellfish closures, biz climate, Vic sewer, dog poop, NW drought, Polly spill, free Lolita

Elwha roll on, 5/2/15 (Tom Roorda & CWI)

Bacteria force state officials to restrict shellfish in 3 commercial areas
State health officials are restricting shellfish harvesting in sections of three commercial growing areas due to high levels of bacteria. The state Department of Health announced the restrictions on Tuesday for Hood Canal 6, Pickering Passage and Vaughn Bay. Officials also said another 17 areas are considered “threatened” due to declining water quality. The announcement came after the agency conducted its annual evaluation of the state’s 102 commercial shellfish growing areas. (Associated Press)

Big business gets behind combating climate change
Big business is gradually advocating for action on climate change, as it becomes clearer to executives that a warmer planet will adversely impact them. That was the message from Mindy Lubber, keynote speaker for the annual Climate Solutions breakfast Monday…. Lubber is president of CERES, a Boston organization that works with companies in investing in efforts to counter climate change. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Potential west-side sewage-treatment sites identified
At least 20 potential sewage-treatment sites in the West Shore communities of Colwood, Langford, View Royal and Esquimalt have been identified. Compiled by the Westside Solutions technical committee, the sites were selected based on their size and proximity to trunk lines, potential outfalls, neighbourhoods and developments that could take advantage of resource-recovery opportunities. The next step will be to determine which sites are truly feasible through a series of public roundtables today, May 9 and May 13, said Esquimalt Mayor and Westside Solutions co-chair Barb Desjardins. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Burnaby apartment tenants ordered to submit dog poop to management
A landlord at a Burnaby apartment complex is demanding tenants submit samples of their dogs’ feces in order to catch the canine that made a mess in the building’s stairwell. A memo delivered to dog owners at Waldorf  Manor Apartments (7466 14 Avenue, Burnaby) stated that since an unknown tenant had “let his dog poop on the stairs, twice, and did not have the decency to clean after his dog” management needed to collect samples of feces from all the dogs in the complex so they could be analyzed in a lab and compared with the offending feces found on the stairs. “The technology exists and the dog can be identified,” the memo said. A plastic baggy was included with the order. Failure to provide a poop sample, the memo said, would be viewed by management as an “admission of guilt, and reason for immediate eviction.” Waldorf residents intend to fight the order. Scott Brown reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Deepening Northwest Drought Poses Challenges For Farmers
A drive across the Northwest quickly reveals things look really dry everywhere.  In Oregon’s dramatic Gorge, the normally spring-green cheatgrass has already cured to a rusty hue. On Washington’s White Pass there are just traces of snow clinging under the shade. In Idaho, vast forests are drying out quickly from lack of snow. And the consequences could be severe in Washington’s Yakima Valley. The Yakima Valley is one of the entire Northwest’s highest-value agricultural zones. Think sweet cherries, apples, mint and wine grapes. But many of those crops' farmers will have a hard time getting the water they need this summer. Anna King reports. (KUOW)

Mount Polley spill shows increase in temperature, sediment levels: UNBC report
A study on the impacts of a tailings pond spill at the Mount Polley mine last summer shows a number of changes to the Quesnel Lake ecosystem, but researchers say it's still too early to determine the long term impacts on fish and drinking water. The report, authored by five researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia, documented the findings of samples taken in the two months immediately following the spill, between Aug 4 and Oct 4, 2014. It found the levels of the lake rose 7.7 centimetres in that time, and the temperature at the bottom of the lake increased from 1 to 2.5 degrees Celsius. It also found higher levels of sediment — associated with an increase in turbidity in the lake. (CBC)

Advocates Will Hold Protest In Support Of Lolita At Miami Seaquarium This Saturday
If the name Palace Entertainment doesn't ring a bell, it should soon. They're getting plenty of attention, and not the kind anyone wants. Last year, the company purchased the Miami Seaquarium, and with it, a killer whale named Lolita, which means they've become a major target for animal activists…. The newest effort to draw attention to her plight is a series of protests starting this Saturday, May 9, at all Palace Entertainment locations nationwide — including the Miami Seaquarium. Dubbed the Shut Down Palace Campaign, this effort is being spearheaded by advocates Wendy King and Robin Jewell Roberts (Miracle March to Protect the Captive founder and President). Roberts led a massive Seaquarium protest this January that earned international media attention. Hannah Sentenac reports. (Miami New Times)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-230 AM PDT WED MAY 6 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
 TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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