9/17 Jaegers, Growlers sued, SnoCo water, Hood Canal pollution, Covering Climate Now, shrub-steppe ecosystem

Jaeger in pursuit [Jeff Poklen]

Jaegers Give Chase in September
A tern or gull plunges headfirst into the water, then bounces aloft grasping a small fish in its bill. But before the bird can swallow its catch, a Parasitic Jaeger swoops in. The jaeger nips the bird's wing, and it drops its hard-won fish. The pirate catches the fish in mid-air and gulps it down. The jaeger (German for hunter) is built for sprinting speed and predatory feats. (BirdNote)

Whidbey Island residents sue over expansion of Navy training flights
When Marge Plecki and her husband built their retirement home on Whidbey Island in 2002, they were aware the Navy conducted training flights at a small airstrip nearby. The noise was bearable, though, and she planned around it by running errands or doing other chores while the jets roared. That changed dramatically in March, when the number of EA-18G Growlers in the skies vastly increased. The noise has sent Plecki and more than three dozen other residents of Whidbey Island's Admiral's Cove neighborhood to court, filing a lawsuit that seeks compensation for what they say is their inability to use their property. The neighborhood is a small enclave less than one mile from the end of the landing strip, just beneath the final approach and take-off path for the jets. Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Residents asked: Is county water getting better or worse?
Of the 5,700 miles of rivers and streams in Snohomish County flowing to Puget Sound, 73% are in fair to poor condition, according to a new study. Released last week, data from the “State of Our Waters” program showed 27% of river and stream sites and 77% of lakes tested by Snohomish County Public Works are considered in good to excellent health. Some of the poorest water quality was found in Crystal Creek, McGovern Creek and a marshland stream east of Everett. Julia-Grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

As Hood Canal pollution program progresses, leaders look for sustainable funding
A years-long pollution clean-up program around Hood Canal is starting to see the fruits of its labor: restored shellfish harvesting areas, some of which are starting to reopen. The Hood Canal Coordinating Council wrapped up the third phase of its Pollution Identification and Correction program last month. The regional program — started in 2012 — coordinates efforts between Kitsap, Jefferson and Mason counties and the Port Gamble S’Klallam and Skokomish tribes to find and correct fecal pollution sources in the Hood Canal region. In the past five years, the PIC team has surveyed more than 130 miles of shoreline, inspected 1,158 parcels and identified 131 sewage system failures, which can seep bacterial pollutants into surrounding waterways. A recently released report shows nearly 100 failed systems have been repaired. Austen Macalus reports. (Kitsap Sun)

A new beginning for climate reporting
....It is heartening...to report that the press may at last be waking up to the defining story of our time. At the end of April, the Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation launched Covering Climate Now, a project aimed at encouraging news organizations, here and abroad, to raise their game when it comes to climate coverage. We weren’t going to tell people what to write or broadcast; we just wanted them to do more coverage, and to do it better. Close the gap, we urged them, between the size of the story and the ambition of your efforts. Try it for a week, then report back on what you learned...Our week of focused climate coverage began yesterday and will continue through next Monday, September 23, the day of the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope write. (Columbia Journalism Review) Seattle's Jamie Margolin is 17 and a climate activist. On Wednesday she testifies before Congress.  Jim Brunner reports. (Seattle Times) Greta Thunberg To U.S.: 'You Have A Moral Responsibility' On Climate Change  Bill Chappell reports. (NPR) 'Americans are waking up.' Two-thirds say climate crisis must be addressed  Oliver Milman reports. (KUOW)

Saving the 'missing puzzle piece' to a world of biodiversity, hidden in grass and sagebrush
Once dominant on the landscape, Washington has lost most of its shrub-steppe ecosystem. But a new land acquisition could help the flora and fauna that rely on it survive. Emily McCarty reports. (Crosscut)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  249 AM PDT Tue Sep 17 2019   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less in the  afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Rain. Isolated tstms in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell  7 ft at 9 seconds. Showers likely and isolated tstms in the  evening then a chance of showers after midnight.



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