8/9 Salmon recovery, whale hit, crab bill, closed harvest, marine trail, Nooksack tribe, sage grouse, ship noise, rail oil, Colstrip

Magic mushrooms [Jill Bliss]

Magic Mushrooms: Jill Bliss turns wild fungi into vibrant works of art
Jill Bliss is an artist, naturalist, self-proclaimed nature nerd living in the islands of the Salish Sea – a network of coastal waterways stretching between British Columbia and America’s Pacific North West. (Happy)

Are we making progress on salmon recovery?
In recent decades, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to restore habitat for Puget Sound salmon. In this article, we look at how scientists are gauging their progress. Are environmental conditions improving or getting worse? The answer may depend on where you look and who you ask. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Whale-watching boat hits humpback near Victoria, B.C., 2 injured
One person remains in hospital after a whale-watching boat hit a humpback whale near Victoria, B.C., on Monday. It happened near Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, an outcropping to the south of Metchosin, around 2:45 p.m. PT. A zodiac vessel operated by Prince of Whales Whale Watching struck the humpback, after it unexpectedly surfaced right in front of the vessel. Justin McElroy reports. (CBC)

Bill That Could Stabilize West Coast Crab Industry Heads To Trump's Desk
Lawmakers in Congress passed a major win for West Coast crab fishermen that now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. The bill permanently extends a tri-state fishery management agreement in Washington, Oregon and California. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced the measure in 2014 and received bipartisan support, including a companion bill in the House of Representatives sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican who represents southwest Washington. Molly Solomon reports. (OPB)

Shellfish harvests closed in Liberty Bay, Kingston, Bainbridge
Health officials closed shellfish harvests Tuesday in Liberty Bay, the east shore of Bainbridge Island and the east shore of the Kitsap peninsula from Point No Point to Point Jefferson.  Harvests were closed due to risk for paralytic shellfish poisoning, a biotoxin that can be deadly to humans, according to a Kitsap Public Health District bulletin. Warning signs are being posted at public beaches. (Kitsap Sun)

Salish Sea Marine Trail will hold grand opening at the end of this summer
B.C. Marine Trails Network Association’s vision of a water trail for kayakers is coming to fruition. The Salish Sea Marine Trail will be a part of the Trans-Canada Trail, linking Vancouver to Vancouver Island via a 257-kilometre paddling route, which will include areas in Nanaimo and Gabriola Island. John Kimantas, marine trail project manager, said the trail isn’t fully complete, but functionally complete. Karl Yu reports. Nanaimo News Bulletin)

Disenrolled Nooksack member: 'They're playing Russian roulette with my life' 
Over the past few weeks, dozens of tribes across the Pacific Northwest have been paddling canoes 200-400 miles on the salty waters between Washington and Vancouver Island. Deborah Alexander led about a dozen young paddlers on the annual canoe journey along traditional trade routes. Alexander’s canoe was filled with many people, including herself, who have been disenrolled from their tribe. Emily Fox reports. (KUOW)

Trump Administration Revises Conservation Plan For Western Sage Grouse
A task force is recommending changes that could loosen protections for the greater sage grouse, a Western bird species renowned for its elaborate mating dance. The report comes out of a review by the Trump administration of a massive Obama-era conservation plan for the bird which is imperiled by loss of habitat. The administration says the revisions are aimed at giving states more flexibility. But critics argue that the changes favor mining and petroleum companies and could hurt the bird’s long-term prospects. Nathan Rott reports. (NPR)

Study begins in the Salish Sea as time runs out for whales
Voluntary study started this week to gauge slower vessel speeds’ impact on whales…. Humans use their eyes; on the most part, whales and other cetaceans use their hearing. Marine traffic (the ships engines and propellers) produce low frequency sounds that travel for very long distances, reverberating through the ocean and masking cetacean communication and the whale’s ability to locate food sources. In response to this situation, the Port of Vancouver, with the cooperation of 52 marine shipping organizations , along with Washington State Ferries, have undertaken a voluntary study to focus on the relationship between slower vessel speeds, underwater noise levels and the effects that noise has on killer whales. Tim Collins reports. (Victoria News)

Astoria opposes oil-by-rail project
The Astoria City Council on Monday night joined other cities along the Columbia River in opposing a proposed oil terminal project, but only after City Councilor Bruce Jones did some reading and rewrote the resolution. Environmental advocacy group Columbia Riverkeeper and local activists had asked the council in July to adopt a resolution against the Tesoro Savage terminal project proposed for Washington’s Port of Vancouver, saying it threatens the health of the Columbia River estuary. They said the project could “dramatically increase” the danger of an oil spill. Katie Frankowicz reports. (Daily Astorian)

Talen changes Colstrip exit plans, plans to stay for foreseeable future
Once headed to the exits, Colstrip Power Plant operator Talen Energy has informed co-owners it will keep the coal-fired facility running for the foreseeable future. Spokesmen for some of the six utilities that co-own the southeast Montana power plant confirmed separately this week that Talen’s offer had been accepted, but final details were still being worked out. The reversal comes roughly a year after Talen informed its co-owners that the Pennsylvania-based energy company said it was “not economically viable” to continue operating Colstrip. Talen Energy did not respond to interview requests placed over two weeks. Tom Lutey reports. (Billings Gazette)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  849 AM PDT Wed Aug 9 2017  
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy fog in the morning.  Smoke.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. Smoke. Patchy fog after  midnight.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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