10/30 Pacific wren, fishers, Thunberg, 'We Are Puget Sound,' Russell Foundation, coal bankruptcy, Ballard Locks

Pacific wren [Julio Molero/BirdNote]

What the Pacific Wren Hears
What does the Pacific Wren hear in a song? It's a long story. What we hear as a blur of sound, the bird hears as a precise sequence of sounds, the visual equivalent of seeing a movie as a series of still pictures. That birds can hear the fine structure of song so acutely allows them to convey much information in a short sound. Pacific Wrens are found most often in closed-canopy conifer forests, nesting in cavities, usually within six feet of the ground. (BirdNote)

More fishers released into North Cascades 
In a continuing effort to restore house cat-like, furry predators called fishers to Washington’s Cascades, another eight of the critters were released last week into forest land east of Darrington. A multiyear project involving federal, state and nonprofit partners, as well as some from Canada, aims to bring 160 fishers from areas of Canada where there is a large population into areas of the Cascades where they’ve been absent since facing hunting pressures and habitat changes throughout the early to mid-1900s. The long-term plan is to release 80 in the North Cascades and another 80 in the South Cascades, largely around Mount Rainier. In the North Cascades, the recent release of eight fishers brings the total released in North Cascades National Park and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest lands to 44. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: New Fisher Agreements Boost Conservation On 2 Million Acres In Oregon  Federal wildlife officials have entered into agreements with timber companies and the state of Oregon to protect the rare Pacific fisher on nearly 2 million acres of forestland in Oregon. Yes Burns reports. (OPB)

Greta Thunberg rejects Nordic Council environmental award
Greta Thunberg has turned down an environmental award and prize money because "the climate movement does not need any more awards". She said the offer was a "great honour" and thanked the Nordic Council, which said it respected her decision. But, she said, "politicians and the people in power" need to listen to the "current, best-available science". (BBC)

Puget Sound people, places featured in book ‘We Are Puget Sound’
Chris Dunagan in Watching Our Water Ways writes: "Some of my favorite people are reflected in the new book “We Are Puget Sound,” which offers an overview of the geography, history and natural environment of our inland waterway... Folks recognized for their work in special sections of the book include Betsy Peabody, who is leading a group that restores Olympia oysters and other native species; scuba diver Laura James, who has documented the effects of pollution on sea life; former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, who played a key role in ending the commercial capture of killer whales in the 1970s; and former U.S. Rep Norm Dicks, who secured federal funding for many Puget Sound projects, including the removal of two dams on the Elwha River. Also featured are Native American leaders, including Joseph Pavel of the Skokomish Tribe, Sally Brownfield of the Squaxin Island Tribe, and Ron Charles and Jeromy Sullivan of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, all involved in protecting Puget Sound’s natural resources — including salmon and shellfish, guaranteed to the tribes by the federal government.Release of the book last week in Seattle marked the start of the “We are Puget Sound” campaign, which calls on people to go beyond their daily routines to think about what they can do to help recover Puget Sound."

Russell Foundation aids Seabeck salmon effort, other Puget Sound environmental projects
The Gig Harbor-based Russell Family Foundation has announced $6 million in loans, grants and investments in South Puget Sound environmental and social projects. The investments include a $250,000 loan guarantee to the environmental nonprofit Forterra for the purchase of a 297-acre property that formerly housed a University of Washington fishery research laboratory along the shores of Hood Canal near Seabeck. The parcel, known as the Big Beef Creek property, is about four miles east of Bremerton, in a rural area popular for bird-watching. Forterra seeks to acquire the land to preserve salmon habitat. The foundation also announced a $1.5 million loan to Forterra for the purchase and redevelopment of a former Rite-Aid store in Tacoma’s Hilltop that has become a focus of community efforts.(Peninsula Gateway/News Tribune)

Major Coal Producer And Trump Booster Files For Bankruptcy
The Trump administration has spent three years trying to help the coal industry by rolling back environmental regulations and pushing for subsidies for coal-fired power plants. Still, the long list of coal company bankruptcies has continued, and dozens more plants have announced their retirement since President Trump took office. Now the list of bankruptcies includes a company headed by one of Trump's most vocal supporters. Murray Energy Corp. filed for Chapter 11 on Tuesday morning. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

Take a look inside the depths of a cavernous chamber at the Ballard Locks
One of the chambers in the Ballard Locks that connects ships with Puget Sound is closed until December for much needed maintenance. The cavernous chamber is now completely empty — aside from a thick layer of barnacles, shells and seaweed. When it's in operation, it connects large ships to the Puget Sound from Salmon Bay. It smells strongly of low tide, and gets worse the deeper into the lock we go. Rebekah Way reports. (KNKX)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  300 AM PDT Wed Oct 30 2019   
TODAY  E wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 or 2 ft. W swell 3 ft at 12  seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind waves 1  ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 12 seconds.



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