10/31 Wolf spider, sea lice, Gorst quarry, humpbacks, Tacoma LNG, auto emissions, Ruth Gates

Wolf spider [Wikipedia]

Wolf spider Hogna lenta
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word "λύκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude and hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short distances. Some wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow.... Wolf spiders can be found in a wide range of habitats both coastal and inland. These include shrublands, woodland, wet coastal forest, alpine meadows, suburban gardens, and homes.... The Carolina wolf spider (H. carolinensis) is the official state spider of South Carolina, designated as such in 2000. South Carolina is the only U.S. state that recognizes a state spider. (Wikipedia)

Drug resistant sea lice ‘out of control’ on B.C. coast: report
Sea lice are “out of control” at salmon farms on the West Coast of B.C. this year because they have become drug resistant, says a new report by two environmental groups. The groups, Living Oceans and Raincoast Research, also claim that industry regulators have failed to protect wild juvenile salmon and other fish from the parasites. The report, “Lousy Choices,” released Tuesday, says sea lice at fish farms on Clayoquot Sound have evolved a resistance to SLICE, an emamectin benzoate drug, approved for use to eradicate the parasite in Canada. The researchers say some resistance to the drug has also been observed at fish farms in the Broughton area. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Neighbors rally against Gorst quarry expansion
From her property high on a hillside above Gorst, Sally Harrison can hear the grinding and squealing of mining equipment. Some days she feels the rumble of underground blasts. For now, the Kitsap Reclamation and Materials quarry is a relatively distant nuisance for Harrison and many of her Sherman Heights neighbors. But if a proposed change is made to the county's comprehensive plan, mining operations could creep closer to their backyards. Kitsap Reclamation and Materials has applied for a mineral resource overlay to cover 69 acres northwest of the existing quarry, owned by Roland Culbertson. The designation would protect rock extraction as a use on the Culbertson property. Under a recommendation from county staff, a conditional use permit would still be required to approve mining projects on the property. Tad Sooter reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Three new humpback whales identified off east Vancouver Island
Three new humpback whales have been identified off the East Coast of Vancouver Island as that species makes a massive comeback in our waters. The non-profit group, Keta Coastal Conservation, launched a research trip to cover the Salish Sea from Nanaimo to north of Campbell River and it was packed with sightings of the massive whales. Skye Ryan reports. (CHEK)

Hundreds gather to speak during public hearing on proposed LNG plant
Hundreds gathered at the Rialto Theater in Tacoma to speak for and against the proposed LNG facility. The public hearing was held by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency after they released a draft of their environmental review of the proposed plant. Video by Joshua Bessex (Tacoma News Tribune)

Automakers fight Trump’s auto emissions rollback
Major automakers are pushing the Trump administration to abandon its plan to roll back climate change rules for cars. Companies had emphatically encouraged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) to undo the Obama administration’s plans to ratchet up greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency rules for cars through 2026.  But now they’re trying to stop the agencies from going too far in the other direction and freezing the standards in 2020. In a filing made with those agencies Friday — the deadline for comments —  General Motors Co. said the Obama administration standards are “not technologically feasible or economically practicable,” and would increase vehicle costs at the expense of jobs. But the Trump administration’s plan to completely stop those rules “is not the answer to these regulatory challenges,” GM added. “Rather, we prefer standards through 2026 that continue improving the fuel economy of gasoline powered vehicles at historic rates and policies that support American leadership in zero emissions vehicles.” Timothy Cama reports. (The Hill)

The World Loses A Top Coral Scientist And ‘Indomitable Spirit’
Her laugh was infectious. It’s the first thing many who knew Ruth Gates for years, or just a matter of minutes, will tell you. She was forever optimistic in a world pummeled by pessimism. Especially in her work over the past three decades as a marine ecologist, coral researcher and, most recently, director of the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology. Gates died Thursday at age 56, five months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. She dedicated her life to saving coral from the doom of climate change and inspired a younger generation to take up the fight. Nathan Eagle reports. (Civil Beat)


Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Wed Oct 31 2018   

TODAY  SW wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 8 ft at  9 seconds. Rain likely in the morning then a chance of rain in the  afternoon. 

TONIGHT  W wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of rain in the  evening then rain likely after midnight.


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