7/9 Pigeon, green Trump, climate news, Pt Orchard erosion, Russell grants, pipe protest, prairie fight, Army diving

Rock pigeon [Luke Seitz]

Rock Pigeons: Bobbleheads
A Rock Pigeon bobs its head as it walks, making it appear that its head and feet are linked. Pigeons' eyes are on the sides of their heads, permitting them to watch for predators from all directions, but limiting their ability to distinguish distances. To compensate, these birds move their heads and can see differences in apparent motion between nearby and distant objects. (BirdNote)

Trump Touts 'Environmental Leadership,' Even As D.C. Has Floods And Critics Pounce
President Trump used the pomp and circumstance of the East Room, complete with an entrance to Hail to the Chief and a bevy of supportive cabinet members, to tout “America’s Environmental Leadership.” There was no new policy announcement, in fact the event felt mostly like a campaign rally. But it may amount to recognition that the environment and climate change is a growing concern for U.S. voters, and an issue on which Democrats hold an edge. “We want clean air and we want crystal clear water,” Trump told an enthusiastic crowd, saying that achieving both things does not conflict with his “pro-growth policies.” Jennifer Ludden reports. (NPR)

As the World Heats Up, the Climate for News Is Changing, Too
As Europe heats up, Greenland melts and the Midwest floods, many news organizations are devoting more resources to climate change as they cover the topic with more urgency. In Florida, six newsrooms with different owners have taken the unusual step of pooling their resources and sharing their reporting on the issue. They plan to examine how climate change will affect the state’s enormous agriculture sector as well as “the future of coastal towns and cities — which ones survive, which ones go under,” according to a statement released when the initiative was announced last month. Marc Tracy reports. (NY Times)

Ecology fines Port Orchard project developer for damaging Ruby and Blackjack creeks
Washington's Department of Ecology has ordered all work to stop on a development off Glenwood Road slated for more than 300 homes, due to multiple erosion control violations in 2018 that damaged wetlands and threatened neighboring properties. Developers with Stetson Heights LLC have been fined $202,500 and ordered to mitigate "significant damage" done to roughly 4.5 acres of wetlands that feed Ruby Creek and Blackjack Creek, both fish-bearing streams, according to a news release issued Monday by Ecology officials. Last summer, Stetson Heights LLC cleared 80 acres of steeply sloped land without protecting the bare ground from stormwater erosion, Ecology charges. Stormwater from autumn rains flowed from the cleared land laden with sediment. Chris Henry reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Russell grants will aid orca whales, clean water
Efforts to protect endangered orca whales in South Puget Sound will get a half-million dollar boost from a Gig Harbor-based charity. The Russell Family Foundation will donate $590,000 to environmental groups working to sustain the health of Puget Sound and its marine life, the foundation announced last week. A major focus of the grants will be research and protection of orca whales and the Chinook salmon runs on which they depend. Grants will also go to a number of nonprofit groups that advocate for clean water and fight pollution. (New Tribune of Tacoma)

Burnaby should pay 90% RCMP bill for policing pipeline protests: feds
Burnaby taxpayers should pay 90 per cent of the costs of policing the Trans Mountain pipeline protests, according to the federal government. Public Safety Canada says in an email that “costs associated with maintaining law and order in the City of Burnaby resulting from incidents, including demonstrations, are to be cost shared 90% (Burnaby) and 10% (federal).” Postmedia asked to interview Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. He was not made available for comment. Kevin Griffin reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: CSIS welcomed energy industry info about alleged threats, documents show  (CBC)

Rare South Sound prairie at center of economic battle. Will industry or nature win?
Once again, a battle is brewing over a stretch of rare prairie land in Thurston County. The Port of Tacoma has an offer on the table to sell its 745-acre Maytown site to a Kansas City-based company that wants to build a logistics center there. By law, the port needs to divest itself of the property, which is outside its jurisdiction.  Debbie Cockrell reports. (News Tribune of Tacoma)

Army divers begin Puget Sound clean up to benefit fish and wildlife
A new collaboration between the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army's 569th Engineer Dive Detachment will help improve wildlife habitat in Puget Sound waters by removing derelict fishing nets beginning Monday. The partnership provides the Army divers training in deep-water diving operations while removing wildlife-threatening derelict fishing nets at no cost to the state. Diving operations will be conducted off a contracted vessel through July 28. The divers will remove deep-water derelict fishing nets as part the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training Program. Nic Scott reports. (FiberOne)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  813 PM PDT Mon Jul 8 2019
TUE  Light wind becoming NW to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 18 seconds. A chance of rain  in the afternoon. 
TUE NIGHT  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 3 ft at 18 seconds. Rain.



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