6/18 Pope's revolution, seastars, Shell drill, geoducks, killer whales, Orca Network, restore Shannon Pt.

Buzzy the hummingbird (Laurie MacBride)

Time for Buzzing Off
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "It seems quieter around our house than usual, and I think I know the reason: in the last day or two, Buzzy and the other adult male Rufous hummingbirds appear to have taken off on their southern journey. They’ll be heading over to the Rockies, where they’ll tank up on wildflower nectar, then on to Mexico – completing a 4000+ mile-long, clockwise circuit of the continent…"

Pope urges revolution to save Earth, fix ‘perverse’ economy
Pope Francis called Thursday for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he calls the “structurally perverse” economic system of the rich exploiting the poor that is turning Earth into an “immense pile of filth.” In a sweeping manifesto aimed at spurring action in U.N. climate negotiations, domestic politics and everyday life, Francis explains the science of global warming, which he blames on an unfair, fossil fuel-based industrial model that he says harms the poor most. Citing Scripture and past popes’ and bishops’ appeals, he urges people of all faiths and no faith to undergo an awakening to save God’s creation for future generations. It’s an indictment of big business and climate doubters alike. Nicole Winfield, Rachel Zoll and Seth Borenstein report. (Associated Press)

Starfish Are Still Disappearing From Northwest Waters
A couple of years ago, divers in Puget Sound began to notice something odd: Starfish were disappearing. The sea creatures would get sores and then melt into piles of mush. Sea star wasting syndrome is a gruesome disease and it spread to starfish all along the West Coast. Scientists still don’t know a lot about it. Katie Campbell, a reporter for EarthFix and KCTS9, says that although scientists have isolated the cause, the creatures continue to die.  Katie Campbell and Isolde Raftery report. (EarthFix)

Greenpeace protesters confront Shell Arctic drilling rig off B.C. coast
Protests against Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic drilling program continued Wednesday, with Greenpeace activists confronting the drilling rig off the coast of B.C. on its trip north from Seattle, Wash. First Nations activist Audrey Siegl, who lives in Vancouver, wore traditional Musqueam regalia while drumming in front of the 90-metre tall rig, according to photos and video provided by Greenpeace. (CBC)


Washington state auctions deepwater quotas amid wider geoduck farming push
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources this month has auctioned 14 quotas for geoduck farming, the Seattle Globalist reported. The deepwater plots are on privately owned areas around Central Puget Sound, the Hood Canal and Hood Head East, the news outlet reported. The industry has also been attempting to increase harvests on private tidelands, and this year is the first time that state-owned lands will be leased for aquaculture, the news outlet reported. (Undercurrent News)

'Of Orcas and Men' review: Killer whales could teach us a few things
If you live in Seattle, you may be peripherally aware that a fellow form of intelligent life is somewhere out on Puget Sound, communicating away while dodging the ferries, freight ships and other maritime traffic. But you probably won't know much more about Orcinus orca than that. David Neiwert's passionate, informative "Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us" fills some of the gaps. Michael Upchurch reviews. (Oregonian)

Whidbey Audubon honors orca protectors
Howard Garrett and Susan Berta received Whidbey Audubon’s Excellence Award at the group’s biennial recognition dinner June 11 in Coupeville. Garrett and Berta founded Orca Network to raise awareness and promote conservation of Pacific Northwest whales. Orca Network programs include the increasingly popular Whale Sighting Network and Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network. (Whidbey News Times)

Orcas in Thurston County’s Eld Inlet getting hassled by boaters
Over the last few months, Kim Merriman has seen orcas frequently from her Eld Inlet home — and she’s also seen plenty of people crowding them. “People are excited to see the orcas, and when there’s one or two boats that’s a different story,” said Merriman, who’s lived on the inlet for 20 years. “But then there’s 10 or 15 or 20, and it gets hard for the (killer whales).” Boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders are effectively trapping the orcas in the inlet at times, or separating them. Merriman said this problem occurs nearly every weekend when the killer whales come to visit, since many people are out on the water. Natalie Deford reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Group documents intertidal life in preparation for Shannon Point restoration project
What is left exposed when the tide rolls out may not look like much more than damp sand and slimy rocks, but an abundance of sea life can be found there. Within about 2 1/2-square-feet of beach at Shannon Point on Wednesday, Michael Kyte and Pattie Hutchins found various types of marine life, including a sea star no more than 2 1/2 inches wide…. The Skagit Marine Resources Committee, under the Northwest Straits Foundation, plans to remove the riprap from along the beach. Made of large, granite boulders, the shoreline armoring stands out from the rest of the scenery. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 18 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
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