6//1 David Suzuki, drought, Shell drill, Fred Felleman, halibut, tsunami debris, Kitsap pollution

David Suzuki (Charlie Cho/CBC)

David Suzuki reflects on life and death in 'Letters to My Grandchildren'
Famed environmentalist shared 5 personal reflections with CBC upon the release of his new book: On Family, On Death, On Legacy, On Discrimination, On Naysayers. (CBC)

Washington farmers, wildlife managers prepare for drought
With Washington state experiencing the worst mountain snowpack in decades and a drought emergency declared two weeks ago, farmers, growers and wildlife managers are preparing for a tough summer as conditions are expected to worsen. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press) See also: What drought? Meteorologist Cliff Mass vs. nearly everyone  Drew Atkins reports. (Crosscut)

West Seattle sea scene: Another Shell fleet vessel, Tor Viking II
From the “what’s that vessel?” file: Thanks to Lynn Hall and Don Brubeck for sending photos of this icebreaker/tug seen off West Seattle this morning (May 30).... Online information indicates that the Norway-built Tor Viking II is associated with the Royal Dutch Shell offshore-Arctic-drilling fleet; while most of the information involves its tasks from Shell’s 2012 Arctic efforts, this is one of the more than two dozen vessels listed in the U.S. Coast Guard “rule” for Puget Sound “temporary safety zones” related to Shell’s fleet. (West Seattle Blog) See also: B.C. activists protest Shell oil drilling ship's movement through Inside Passage  (Canadian Press)

Hometown environmental advocate takes plunge into Seattle port commission race
Fred Felleman has spent a career holding the feet of a host of public agencies to the fire. Now, the part-time San Juan Island resident, a renowned maritime industry watchdog and former member of the Whale Museum Board of Directors, is seeking to join one of the many public agencies that he's gone to the mat against in the past, and in a position of oversight, no less. Felleman is one of nine candidates vying for an open seat on the Seattle Port Commission, which oversees the Port of Seattle, a $9 billion a year enterprise. (San Juan Journal)

Dumping of halibut sparks fight among North Pacific fishing fleets
Due to concern about the halibut stock, trawlers are required to toss the millions of pounds they accidentally catch. The fleet says proposals to trim the amount of halibut it catches would be damaging, while other fishermen call for tighter controls on the trawlers’ bycatch. Hal Bernton and Justin Mayo report. (Seattle Times)

Tsunami debris still washing up in Washington 4 years later
Four years after a tsunami devastated Japan's coast, debris still washes up in Washington — and winds up in the hands of state wildlife officials. The debris comes with an environmental threat — invasive species and parasites that have hitched a ride across the Pacific Ocean. Another barnacle-encrusted Japanese skiff has made its way to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's aquatic invasive species unit. The 25-foot boat was recovered off a remote shore near La Push and arrived in two halves last week at the department's property south of Tumwater. The unit's goal is to remove marine debris and prevent the spread of invasive marine life. Andy Hobbs reports. (Olympian)

Water cleanup program will forego grants, reorganize for efficiency
Chris Dunagan writes: "After much success in cleaning up streams in Kitsap County, pollution investigators for the Kitsap Public Health District plan to turn their backs on most state and federal grants and reorganize their approach to local waterways. I’m talking about the folks who literally wrote the book on pollution identification and correction, or PIC, a strategic approach to tracking down bacterial contamination and eliminating the sources. A 2012 “Protocol Manual” (PDF 10.6 mb) and a 2014 “guidance document” (PDF 4.3 mb) — both developed by Kitsap’s pollution investigators — are now being used by local health departments throughout the state. That’s why I was surprised to hear that the health district plans to change course for its pollution-cleanup program this fall — especially the part about reducing reliance on state and federal grants. For many Puget Sound jurisdictions, these grants provide the major sources of funding, if not the only funding for their PIC projects. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 219 AM PDT MON JUN 1 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 3 FT
 AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
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