11/1 Rose hip, salmon hatchery, Cooke Aqua, no whale watch, orca-salmon connection, Keystone Pipe leak, local big money races, Trump's coal waste

Rosa rugosa hip [WikiCommons]

Rose hip
The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the accessory fruit of the rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after successful pollination of flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through autumn...Rose hips are used for herbal teas, jam, jelly, syrup, rose hip soup, beverages, pies, bread, wine, and marmalade. They can also be eaten raw, like a berry, if care is taken to avoid the hairs inside the fruit. (Wikipedia)

Washington's latest plan to save its endangered orcas: hatch more salmon
A new type of chinook salmon hatchery is being proposed as part of a state effort to revive Puget Sound’s orca population. State Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, plans to introduce a bill this January calling for a $2.5 million study to determine the feasibility of a public-private hatchery in Bellingham. The hatchery would be constructed next to Whatcom Creek Hatchery, which is operated by Bellingham Technical College. If the study supports the concept, then $40 million to $45 million more could be appropriated in 2021 to build the new hatchery. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Comment deadline for steelhead farm proposal extended
The state has again extended the opportunity to comment on Cooke Aquaculture’s proposal to move from farming Atlantic salmon to farming native steelhead trout. The deadline to comment is now 5 p.m. Nov. 22. Cooke Aquaculture proposes raising sterile female steelhead at its various fish farms, or net pens, in the Puget Sound region, including at Hope Island near the Kukutali Preserve portion of Deception Pass State Park. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also: Comment period extended for fish farm plan Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News) And also: Cooke Aquaculture seeks to farm native steelhead in Puget Sound after 2017 Atlantic salmon escape  Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

‘Orcas are not for entertainment:’ Victoria activist plans to disrupt West Coast whale watching
A Victoria activist is sailing a boat of shame on the Salish Sea in an effort to end commercial whale watching. “The Salish Sea is not a circus [and] orcas are not for entertainment,” says James Whitehead, the captain and performance artist behind the demonstration. “They are an extremely rare and precious animal.” Whitehead, who is using the name Jim White for his demonstration, has a history of environmental activism in the region, and plans to protest with a 75-foot former Canadian Forces Navy vessel he has named the Seaquarium’s Shame. Painted red with representations of the southern resident killer whale spirit pod at the base, Whitehead’s mission is to disrupt commercial whale watching activities off the West Coast. Nina Grossman reports. (Victoria News)

If you like to watch: Protecting Orca: The orca-salmon connection
Today, orca face a wide range of threats, including not having ample food.
Ensuring the survival of Chinook salmon will help orca survive. Scientists are partnering with the team at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to sleuth out toxics that are affecting juvenile Chinook salmon. (WA Dept of Ecology)

Keystone Pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons of oil in second big spill in two years
Approximately 383,000 gallons of crude oil have spilled into a North Dakota wetland this week in the latest leak from the Keystone Pipeline, further fueling long-standing opposition to plans for the pipeline network’s extension. With about half an Olympic swimming pool’s worth of oil covering roughly half an acre, the leak is among the largest in the state, said Karl Rockeman, who directs the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality’s division of water quality. But the spill does not appear to pose an immediate threat to public health, he added, as people do not live nearby and the wetland is not a source of drinking water. Hannah Knowles reports. (Washington Post)

Big money influences two regional races as candidates debate fossil fuels, land use
Weeks after thousands of young people stormed the streets to demand more action on climate change, the issue is shaping campaigns across the nation. That wave is rippling through two races in Western Washington — and big money is flowing in, both for and against candidates who are outspoken about the need to reign in use of fossil fuels. Among them are two open seats on Tacoma’s Port Commission. Together, the candidates in these races have attracted more campaign contributions for the four candidates running this year than at any time in the past decade – more than $260,000.  And according the Public Disclosure Commission, independent expenditures from political action committees in these races totals more than $100,000 — about five times as much as just two years ago. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (kNKX)

E.P.A. Set to Roll Back Rules on Toxic Metals From Coal Plants
The Trump administration is expected to roll back an Obama-era regulation meant to limit the leaching of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury into water supplies from the ash of coal-fired power plants, according to two people familiar with the plans. With a series of new rules expected in the coming days, the Environmental Protection Agency will move to weaken the 2015 regulation that would have strengthened inspection and monitoring at coal plants, lowered acceptable levels of toxic effluent and required plants to install new technology to protect water supplies from contaminated coal ash. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times)



Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  230 AM PDT Fri Nov 1 2019   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  4 ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  NE wind to 10 kt in the evening becoming light. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 10 seconds. 
SAT  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 3 ft at 12 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the evening becoming light.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 11 seconds. 
SUN  Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 4 ft at 11 seconds.



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