8/10 Patos Light, clearing skies, Trans Mountain, Trump salmon, Robert Wielgus, toxic tuna, jellies

Patos Light [Keepers of the Patos Light]

Patos Island Light
Patos Island Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation overlooking the Strait of Georgia at Alden Point on the western tip of Patos Island in the San Juan Islands, San Juan County, Washington, in the United States. The station is the northernmost in the San Juan Islands and marks the division point between the eastern and western passages into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (Wikipedia) See also: Keepers of the Patos Light  On Sunday, August 27th, the Birthday Boat will depart from Orcas Island to Patos at 7:45 AM! We will celebrate the 124th Lighthouse Birthday Party, this time in the AM…returning to Orcas by noon. Cost will be $50 per person for the boat.

When will it end? Rain could clear smoky South Coast skies
A rainy summer weekend in Vancouver? Bring it on. Environment Canada says a change is coming that could clear smoke-filled skies on the South Coast and possibly help with wildfire-fighting efforts in the B.C. Interior. The first step is forecast for Friday, where winds from the south are forecast to blow the lingering smoke inland and away from the coast. Lisa Johnson reports. (CBC) See also: This is not a drill: Seattle's hazy smoke from B.C. wildfires could finally lift on Friday  Jessica Lee reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. hires outside counsel to begin legal challenge of Trans Mountain pipeline project
B.C. has announced it has hired outside counsel to begin its legal challenge of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. On Thursday, B.C. Environment Minister George Heyman and Attorney General David Eby said the province has hired lawyer Thomas Berger to provide advice to the government. Berger is a former Supreme Court justice. (CBC)

Northwest farmers urge Trump administration to sidestep salmon protection rules
A group that represents farmers is calling the costs of saving imperiled salmon in the largest river system in the Pacific Northwest unsustainable and is turning to the Trump administration to sidestep endangered species laws. The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association wants the government to convene a Cabinet-level committee with the power to allow exemptions to the Endangered Species Act. Known as the “God squad” because its decisions can lead to extinctions of threatened wildlife, it has only gathered three times — the last 25 years ago during a controversy over spotted owl habitat in the Northwest. Keith Ridler reports. (Associated Press)

Outspoken WSU wolf researcher says university, lawmakers silenced and punished him
By a slow slide of river deep in Washington’s wolf country, Robert Wielgus laughs at the tattoo on his arm of Four Claws, the grizzly that almost killed him. “I would rather face charging grizzly bears trying to kill me than politicians and university administrators, because it is over quickly,” said Wielgus, director of the Large Carnivore Conservation Lab at Washington State University. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Some Tuna Can Carry Up To 36 Times The Toxic Chemicals Of Others. Here's Why
A new study may prompt hand wringing among you tuna poke and sushi lovers. When it comes to pollutant levels, researchers now say where your tuna was caught matters. In a first-of-its-kind global study, scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego analyzed 117 yellowfin tuna taken from 12 locations worldwide, measuring the contaminant levels of each. They found yellowfin tuna caught closer to more industrialized locations off North America and Europe can carry 36 times more pollutants — including pesticides, flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — than the same species caught in more remote locations, like in the West Pacific Ocean. Clare Leschin-Hoar reports. (NPR)

When Oceans Give You Jellyfish Blooms, Turn Them Into Tasty Chips
…. there’s some evidence that climate change is causing a rise in jellyfish populations. And if that’s true, it may soon become hard to ignore these creatures. The scale of the problem is scientifically hard to gauge, as historical data is in short supply (see the above link), and seasonal blooms are a natural part of jellyfish life cycle. But in localized situations there is no question that large smacks of jellyfish can wreak havoc on things like fishing nets and nuclear power plants, where they’ve caused shut-downs by clogging the pipes that bring cool water into the facilities. What to do? Open your mind and your mouth, says Mie Thorborg Pedersen, a gastrophysicist at the University of Southern Denmark. Sidsel Overgaard reports. (NPR)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  855 AM PDT Thu Aug 10 2017  
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. Areas of  fog in the morning. Patchy smoke.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. Patchy smoke.

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