10/25 Chanterelle, wet surge, saving orcas, oil $, AK offshore oil, Gulf oil, EPA's Wheeler, crab poacher, Yutu

Yellow chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius
Yellow chanterelles are found in late summer to early fall, often under Douglas firs, hemlocks or spruce in old or second-growth forests. They are one of the best-known and best-liked mushrooms of the West and elsewhere. They are tender and of good quality, often growing in great abundance year after year in the same woods. (The New Savory Wild Mushroom)

'Moisture Surge' Coming To Puget Sound Thursday
A storm system will bring a "moisture surge" to Puget Sound beginning early Thursday and lasting through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. This will be the first major rain event in a while, capable of dropping several inches of rain in some spots. Neal McNamara reports. (Patch.com)

Draft recommendations for orca recovery include permit system for whale-watching, millions in funding
A governor’s task force published a new draft report Wednesday outlining options to help save beleaguered southern resident orcas. Among its potential suggestions: open season on walleye, bass and catfish, a permit system for whale-watching and spending millions on habitat restoration. The report offers 36 draft recommendations. Most are centered on three broad initiatives: To increase the abundance of chinook salmon — orcas’ favorite food, to reduce noise and disturbance from sea vessels and to reduce orcas’ exposure to harmful pollutants. The task force is accepting public comments on its draft recommendations through Oct. 29. The task force will meet again on Nov. 6 in Puyallup and release a final report for its first year on Nov. 16. The report is intended to inform the governor’s requests for the coming legislative session, as well as executive orders. The draft outlines some costs the state and other stakeholders will face in trying to rehabilitate ailing orca populations. The task force recommends spending an estimated $60 million over two years to fully fund existing programs to restore nearshore habitat, paying millions to increase fish-hatchery production and committing hundreds of thousands of dollars toward surveys and research on topics like chinook salmon prey and zooplankton. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

Deluge of oil money aims to block Washington carbon fee
The oil industry has pumped more than $28 million into stopping Washington voters from adopting the nation's first fee on carbon pollution. A gusher of cash from out-of-state oil companies including BP, Phillips 66, Andeavor, Valero and Chevron has made the campaign against the carbon fee initiative the costliest “no” campaign in state history. The unprecedented sum has also unleashed a deluge of political advertising that critics, including Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, say is misleading. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Lasqueti Island
Yesterday's profile of Lasqueti Island brought the following appeal by islander Sheila Harrington, a co-author/coordinator of the 2006 book, Islands in the Salish Sea: "Salish View is a Lasqueti Island Nature Conservancy (LINC) project to purchase 28-acres of endangered old-growth Douglas-fir forest & rocky bluff habitat next to Squitty Bay Provincial Park on Lasqueti Island. We are nearing our goal of acquiring public ownership of this biologically important salmon watershed area. We have raised $170,000 of the required $250,000, with only $80,000 to raise by December 21st, this year. Please help us protect and conserve this key property. If you send a donation to the Islands Trust Conservancy, dedicated to the Lasqueti Acquisition Fund, they will match it up to $4500 or call 250-405-5186. Or donate to LINC by cheque, e-transfer: linc@lasqueti.ca, on-line at CanadaHelps, or by donating appreciated securities tax free. For further info see lasqueti.ca/linc." The campaign has less than 60 days to raise the remaining funds. A generous donation will conserve Salish View today.

The Trump Administration Approves the First Offshore Oil Facility in Federal Waters Off of Alaska
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Tuesday announced the approval of the first offshore oil production facility in federal waters off the coast of Alaska.... The DOI's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the conditional approval to Hilcorp Alaska LLC, which plans to build an artificial, oil-producing island in the Beaufort Sea five miles offshore. Former President Barack Obama banned oil exploration in the Arctic in 2016, citing the unique risks of drilling in the pristine, icy environment and the threats to the endangered animals that live there. Kate Wheeling reports. (Pacific Standard)

A 14-year-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico verges on becoming one of the worst in U.S. history
An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history. Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight, the Taylor offshore spill is threatening to overtake BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster as the largest ever. Darryl Fears reports. (Washington Post)

Trump says EPA acting chief 'doing well,' may become permanent
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, was doing a good job and could be nominated to permanently take on the role.... In Wheeler, Trump has seen another strong supporter of his deregulatory agenda and advocate for the fossil fuels industry, but without the constant criticism over alleged mismanagement that plagued Pruitt. (Reuters)

WDFW police seize crab from suspected poacher in Blaine
A boat and 1,100 pounds of crab was seized from a fisherman who is accused of stockpiling recreationally-caught crab in the Blaine area to resell during the commercial season, which started for most regions in the Puget Sound on October 1.... “Through the investigation, it came to light that the crabber had an extensive closed season plan where he had stockpiled crab in multiple garbage cans,” read a statement on the WDFW Facebook page. “He also admitted to stealing crab from the tribal pot and using galvanic ‘pop ups’ to set over 10 pots in advance of the season.” Popups are devices that allow the crab floats to be held underwater for varying amounts of time; following galvanic action, the line and float are released to return to the surface. The crab was sold to a wholesale dealer, WDFW said. Stefanie Donahue reports. (Northern Light)

Super Typhoon Yutu, 'Strongest Storm Of 2018,' Slams U.S. Pacific Territory
A massive typhoon slammed into a U.S. territory in the west Pacific, lashing the Northern Mariana Islands with gusts of Category 5 intensity Wednesday night local time. Super Typhoon Yutu brought to bear maximum sustained winds of about 180 mph — much more powerful, in other words, than the historically powerful storm that hit Florida several weeks ago. The islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota remain under typhoon warnings from the National Weather Service, while Guam and several smaller islands have been placed under a tropical storm warning. And the NWS expects typhoon conditions to continue through late Thursday morning local time. Colin Dwyer reports. (NPR)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  156 AM PDT Thu Oct 25 2018   

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   

TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 12  ft at 13 seconds. Rain. 

TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  11 ft at 13 seconds. Rain.


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