7/16 BC drought, octo mom, WA WQ, RainWise, conservation $s, Indian treaties, Elwha ferry, bacon seaweed

Atlantic puffin (BirdNote)

Puffins - Clowns of the Sea
Puffins are icons of the seabird world. With clown-like faces and huge, multicolored bills, they stand upright on sea cliffs along the northern oceans. Tufted Puffins nest on islands and rough coastlines, from the Channel Islands of Southern California across the north Pacific to Siberia. The Atlantic Puffin, like this one, breeds in the North Atlantic. (BirdNote)

Level 4 drought declared for South Coast and Lower Fraser
Conditions are so dry in B.C's Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley that the provincial government has raised the drought rating to the highest category — Level 4 — and are warning that if things get worse, water shortages could affect people, industry and agriculture. (CBC) See also: See also: Record warm temperatures to have years-long effect on B.C. salmon stocks: scientist  (Canadian Pres)

If you like to watch: VIDEO: Giant Pacific Octopus mom-to-be in West Seattle waters
Diver Laura James shares the story of a mama octopus and her eggs at Cove 2 near Seacrest off the West Seattle shore. (West Seattle Blog)

Without key bill, Inslee to weigh next move on water quality
Gov. Jay Inslee did not get legislation he said was needed to update the state's water quality standards that are partly tied to how much fish people eat. Now, he'll have to decide his next move as federal regulators are preparing to step in and tell Washington what to do in case it fails to finalize a rule by this year. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

RainWise helps Seattle homeowners collect stormwater, prevent pollution
The RainWise program, which previously had cost an average of $4,600 in upfront costs, has become less of a financial burden for homeowners. Ciscoe Morris reports. (Seattle Times)

Nelson announces millions more for environmental conservation
As a group gathered last week to celebrate a flurry of recent conservation purchases on Vashon, State Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) announced that she has secured another $2 million for environmental preservation on the island. The state funding will allow King County and Vashon’s land trust to continue purchasing ecologically important forestland and shoreline on Vashon at a quick rate, a project that began two years ago with Nelson’s first allocation of $4 million in state funding. Natalie Martin reports. (Vashon Beachcomber)

Indian Treaties are the new front in the battle against coal exports
The 1865 Treaty of Point Elliot is clear… the Lummi Nation has the right to fish, hunt and gather in their accustomed places in perpetuity - and they can't do that if a gigantic coal terminal is built in the Salish Sea's most productive waters. First Nations' treaty rights are now central to protecting the Pacific Northwest from destruction by fossil fuels. Jan Hasselman writes. (The Ecologist)

Elwha out of service for rest of summer season
The Elwha ferry is out of service for the rest of the summer season for approximately four months according to a Washington State Department of Transportation travel alert bulletin. Ian Sterling, spokesperson for WSDOT Ferry Divisions, says the problem is a complicated electrical issue with the drive motor, but replacement parts are on hand and repairs are being made as quickly as possible in Eagle Harbor. (San Juan Journal)

Scientists In Oregon Discover Bacon-Flavored Seaweed
What grows quickly, is packed with protein, has twice the nutritional value of kale and … tastes like bacon? The answer, according to scientists at Oregon State University, is a new strain of seaweed they recently patented. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT THU JUL 16 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
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