8/26 Opossum, Tacoma LNG, Makah whaling, pink closure, AK dead salmon, Democrat no climate debate, coral bleaching, Pt Wells, mining Utah monument, handling manure

Opossum [Kim Chandler]

Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
Opossums have adapted well to living close to people in urban and suburban environments. Except for higher elevations, opossums now occupy most human-occupied habitats in western Washington. Prior to European settlement of North America, the opossum was found only in Central America and the southeastern United States. During the 1900s, its range expanded northward and westward. Virginia opossums, also known as “possums,” first arrived in Washington in the early 1900s as pets and novelties. Some of these animals, or their offspring, later escaped from captivity or were intentionally released. (WDFW)

Day of LNG hearing also to include rally, march
Puget Sound Energy’s liquefied natural gas facility on the Tideflats faces a final public permit hearing on Tuesday, and both sides once again are ready to make their case for and against the project. The hearing, like the one held in October, is set to take place in two sessions: from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday at Tacoma’s Rialto Theater, 310 S. Ninth St. The two sessions will address Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s draft approval order for the LNG project’s facility construction permit. Debbie Cockrell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Makah whaling hearing scheduled
A hearing before a federal administrative law judge that could lead to a resumption of Makah whaling has been postponed to Nov. 14. The hearing was originally scheduled for Aug. 12. Parties to the ongoing hearing process include the tribe, Joyce-based Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, a Department of Commerce agency, recommended in April that the tribe be allowed to hunt Eastern North Pacific gray whales. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Low return of pink salmon forces fishery closure
The state Department of Fish & Wildlife has closed the marine fishery for pink salmon in Skagit Bay and surrounding waters.  The closure was prompted by low returns of the fish, which are making their way up the Skagit River to spawn. The closure is for Marine Area 8-1, which extends from Deception Pass south to include Skagit Bay and Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey islands. Those waters are a major route for salmon making their way from the Pacific Ocean back to the Skagit River watershed to reproduce. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Heat stress that killed thousands of salmon in Alaska is a sign of things to come, scientist warns
Scientists believe heat stress killed thousands of salmon in an Alaskan river last month.  From July 7 to 11, communities along the Koyukuk River experienced sustained air temperatures of over 30 C, well above the seasonal average highs of less than 20 C.  Shortly after the heat wave, locals began reporting an unusual number of dead chum salmon washing up on the banks of the river.  Rhiannon Johnson reports. (CBC)

Democratic National Committee votes against allowing 2020 candidates to participate in climate change debate
Democratic National Committee members on Saturday voted down a resolution that would have resulted in single-issue debates among candidates -- including on the issue of the climate crisis. The language that was rejected -- inserted at the behest of climate change activists during a contentious Resolutions Committee meeting on Thursday -- said the DNC, "will continue to encourage candidates to participate in multi-candidate issue-specific forums with the candidates appearing on the same stage, engaging one another in discussion." Democratic presidential candidates are barred from appearing together on stage outside of DNC-sanctioned debates. The committee's approved language from Thursday "essentially lifted the ban on candidates being unable to appear together on a stage at a forum or a candidate gathering," Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski, a leader in the effort, told CNN. DNC members defeated the move to lift such a ban Saturday in a 222-137 vote. There were multiple observers from both sides who monitored the vote count. Adam Levy and Leyla Santiago report. (CNN)

Scientists bracing for major coral bleaching event
With warmer than average ocean temperatures, scientists are bracing for a major coral reef bleaching event sometime in the weeks ahead. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that ocean temperatures across Hawaii are extremely warm, at about 3 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal. At the same time, ocean temperatures this month have been about 1.5 degrees higher than the same time in 2015. The peak of summer temperatures, however, has yet to arrive in September. “If the ocean continues to warm even further as predicted, we are likely to witness a repeat of unprecedented bleaching events in 2014 and 2015,” said NOAA scientist Jamison Gove. Nina Wu reports. (Star-Advertiser)

On point: Rival high-rise condo critics look to join forces
After years of tussling over a prime piece of waterfront, the cities to either side may be on the verge of forging an alliance. Leaders from the town of Woodway and the city of Shoreline on Friday announced that they’re hammering out an agreement for a united front when it comes to the fate of Point Wells, industrial land on Puget Sound where a real estate company wants to build thousands of luxury condos. BSRE Point Wells’ plans call for buildings of up to 17 stories in an area surrounded by single-family homes. A draft agreement could come out early next month, with open discussions possible at each city’s Sept. 23 council meeting. The pact would put the cities on the same page when it comes to issues that have caused neighbors the greatest anxiety: traffic increases, blocked views and landslide hazards. Allowing public access to the waterfront, which is closed off now, is another area they’ll take up. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

New Grand Staircase plans greenlight mining on lands Trump stripped from Utah monument
Hundreds of thousands of acres inside what used to be Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will be opened to mining and drilling under a plan the Bureau of Land Management released Friday, renewing charges that President Donald Trump’s executive action reducing the 23-year-old preserve was engineered to promote energy extraction in some of America’s most scenic landscapes. The plans also greatly expand access for recreation on lands remaining in the monument, with expanded visitor services and signs, group size limits lifted to as many as 50 people, and allowing competitive sporting events, such as next month’s Grand to Grand Ultra footrace, which currently is routed outside the monument. Friday’s release comes on the heels of the final management plan for Bears Ears National Monument, the other big preserve Trump eviscerated a year into his presidency. Brian Maffly reports. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Trials show hope for handling manure at Washington dairies
Washington's besieged dairies are testing several promising systems for recycling cow manure, turning it into fertilizer and clean water. To do that, engineers are using processes that range from oversize bins of worms to cutting-edge technologies to reduce and reuse the nitrogen and phosphorous found in manure. The stakes are huge. In recent years, the state's $1.1 billion dairy industry has been the target of an onslaught of government regulations and private lawsuits, most of which targeted surface and groundwater pollution linked to manure. In the past year, the five publicly subsidized manure projects have faced financial, technical and regulatory challenges. Some have struggled to meet their goals. Nevertheless, final reports submitted last month to the State Conservation Commission suggest progress — and offer hope that the dairies can find an economically feasible way to handle manure. Don Jenkins reports. (KING)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  251 AM PDT Mon Aug 26 2019   
TODAY  Light wind becoming E to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. 
TONIGHT  Light wind. Wind waves less than 1 ft. W swell 4 ft at  11 seconds.



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