2/9 Great Bear, King Co clean water, unsafe ship, water taxis, Gulf fish farming

Great Horned Owl (Art Siegel/BirdNote)

If you like to listen: Examining Owl Pellets
A roosting owl often leaves visual clues to its whereabouts — a scattering of furry, oval objects below its perch — in the form of pellets. Because owls such as this Great Horned Owl often swallow their prey whole, their digestive system has to deal with bones, fur, and feathers. The owl’s gizzard performs a kind of sorting operation: soft tissues pass through to be digested, while indigestible bits like bones, teeth, and fur are formed into an oval mass that’s regurgitated as a pellet some hours later. (BirdNote)

Preserving the Great Bear Rainforest doesn’t really save the bears
Good news deserves to be announced more than once, but the parties associated with the Great Bear Rainforest agreement unveiled last week must have set some sort of record. The deal that saved the Great Bear Rainforest has been announced about 15 times over the years. B.C. land-use agreement protects rare bears – Pristine area to be hands-off to loggers, one headline stated in 2001, followed in 2002 by Cabinet orders protection of Great Bear Rainforest and in 2006 by Deal reached on Great Bear Rainforest. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

King County to invest $196.8 million in clean-water projects in 2016
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division will do its part to support regional environmental priorities in 2016 by investing more than $196.8 million in dozens of vital sewer improvement projects. Projects entail upgrading aging facilities so they continue to operate reliably and adding new capacity to serve the region’s rapidly growing population. Other priorities include investments in projects that will support the cleanup of Puget Sound and the Lower Duwamish Waterway, and controlling overflows of stormwater mixed with sewage during heavy rains. (Enumclaw Courier-Herald)

Containership Detained in Tacoma for Safety Violations
The 685-foot Liberian-flagged containership Westwood Robson is being held in port after significant safety violations were discovered by Port State Control officers from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound during an inspection at the Husky Terminal in the Port of Tacoma, Thursday. The inspection revealed excessive oil in the bilge holding area, oil-soaked lagging present throughout machinery spaces and clogged oil drains, creating a significant risk of fire, the Coast Guard said. Mechanical issues included deteriorated fittings that contributed to oil and coolant leaks as well as inoperable oil purifiers.  The vessel and crew must are required to stay in port until the deficiencies have been corrected to the satisfaction of Coast Guard inspectors and the Classification Society. Eric Haun reports. (MarineLink.com)

King County Council mulling plan for more water taxis
The King County Council is pursuing the idea of adding additional water taxi routes to Lake Washington and Ballard. The council approved a study on the viability of three different routes: Kenmore (Log Boom Park) to University of Washington (Waterfront Activity Center); Kirkland (Marina Park) to University of Washington (Waterfront Activity Center); Ballard (Shilshole Marina) to Downtown Seattle (Pier 50)…. The three chosen routes met a criteria that included a fare recovery of 25 percent after ten years. Matt Markovich reports. (KOMO)

Gulf Of Mexico Open For Fish-Farming Business
The Gulf of Mexico is now open for commercial fish farming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last month that, for the first time in the U.S., companies can apply to set up fish farms in federal waters. The idea is to compete with hard-to-regulate foreign imports. But opening the Gulf to aquaculture won't be cheap, and it could pose environmental problems. Tegan Wendland reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  251 AM PST TUE FEB 9 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  

TODAY  E WIND 20 TO 30 KT EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

TONIGHT  SE WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES  2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER  MIDNIGHT.

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