8/22 Hairy hermit, Elwha mouth, gorgeous solar, electric ferry, huckleberry harvest, glass sponge, coal health

Hairy hermit crab [Wikimedia]

Hairy hermit crab Pagurus hirsutiusculus
This common intertidal species is more abundant in protected waters, and can often be found in tidepools under rocks or seeking shelter from coralline algae and other seaweeds…. Its range extends from central Alaska to Monterey, California…. This species abandons its small shell quickly when disturbed or provoked. Instead of using the shell for protection, its main mode of defense against predators is its speed. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

Elwha River mouth work funding in state capital budget
Funding that would help the Coastal Watershed Institute continue its restoration efforts east of the Elwha River mouth is delayed as the state Senate has continued to fail to pass a capital budget. If the budget passes as recommended, state officials said Coastal Watershed Institute (CWI) is due to receive $668,652 in state Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP) funding, a program through the state Recreation and Conservation Office and state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The project is the eighth on the list and officials said they expect enough funding for the first 11 projects on the 2017 prioritized project list. Jesse Major reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

One of the largest solar projects in the state just opened. And it’s gorgeous.
he Skokomish Tribe’s long-awaited community center features more than 400 solar panels on the roof — enough that it is expected to produce more energy than it uses. “It’s slated to potentially be the first net-zero building on tribal land in the United States,” said Daniel Glenn, principal with 7 Directions, the Seattle-based architectural firm that designed the building. The tribe, which is headquartered north of Shelton, plans to sell any excess solar energy that’s generated to Mason County Public Utility District No. 1, which serves approximately more than 5,200 electric customers. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Sailing soon: an Orca-friendly, all-electric car ferry
Washington is poised to embark on an experiment in electric car ferries that could eventually transform the largest ferry fleet in the nation. And little Skagit County is leading the way, as it moves to replace its old diesel-powered Guemes Island ferry with a battery-powered, zero emissions model. That would make the run between Anacortes and the island the first all-electric car ferry in the nation, and one of the first in the world. Allegra Abramo reports. (Crosscut)

Tribe's Huckleberry Harvest Brings Fire (Or Something Like It) Back To The Forest 
…. Traditionally, the Tulalip ate huckleberries — at home and in ceremonies — brewed tea from the leaves, and used the juice to dye their clothes. Huckleberries were abundant thanks to forest fires, which opened up wetlands and meadows and made space for short, shrubby plants that need the sun—plants like huckleberry bushes. But, for decades the Forest Service has tried to put out fires as fast as possible, so there isn’t much huckleberry habitat left. That’s why the Tulalip Tribe is working with the Forest Service to recreate open patches in the forest. Eilís O'Neill reports. (KUOW)

Looking for signs of life in B.C's rare glass sponge reefs
The first scientific exploration of two rare glass sponge reefs off British Columbia's coast has revealed one healthy reef and one mostly dead, ancient reef. A team of federal researchers and members of B.C.'s Kitsumkalum First Nation have been studying the recently discovered and extremely rare glass sponge reefs in Chatham Sound, near Prince Rupert, for the last week…. Glass sponge reefs are only found in B.C. and Alaska and are so fragile that even sediment stirred up by fishing gear or nearby development can damage or kill them. Ash Kelly and Carolina de Ryk report. (CBC)

Coal Mining Health Study Is Halted by Interior Department 
The Interior Department has ordered a halt to a scientific study begun under President Obama of the public health risks of mountaintop-removal coal mining. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which was conducting the study, said in a statement Monday that they were ordered to stop work because the Interior Department is conducting an agencywide budgetary review. Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer report. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Tue Aug 22 2017  
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt this afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft building to 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at 11  seconds.

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