12/7 ANWR, SJI Monument, Growlers, whale watch, Coquitlam R, salmon ranch, PS sewage, heron count, TM COVID, FL oil drill, SnoCo runoff fee, Nisqually asphalt, BC LNG worker safety

Tundra swan [Ian Davies/All About Birds]

Anniversary of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
December 6th was the 60th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic coastal plain is probably the most important place in Alaska for the widest number of avian species - including this Pectoral Sandpiper - and the greatest number of birds. Ironically, that habitat type has the least protection in the entire state. From the American Birding Association to the National Rifle Association, groups are joining together in support of wildlife refuges. (BirdNote)

Vulnerable lands — and creatures — of San Juan Islands National Monument await management details
One thousand acres of unique and fragile San Juan Islands land sit waiting for an imminent management plan that will outline the next 20 years of protection and recreation.  The San Juan Islands National Monument, designated in 2013 by President Barack Obama, protects 65 sites in the San Juan Islands. These acres are currently part of the portfolio of the Bureau of Land Management [BLM] under general agency regulations and await a resource management plan [RMP] to be finalized and implemented. As this plan for the monument languishes at the federal level, helping hands on the ground are tied and much is left in limbo locally. Genevieve Iverson reports. (Salish Current)

Navy Growler jet noise loud enough to reach orca pods even 100 feet underwater, new research shows
In a paper published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, scientists reported an underwater microphone anchored in nearly 100 feet of water offshore of the runway at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island distinctly picked up the sound of the jets, at levels known to affect orca behavior. To the orcas at that depth, the noise is about as loud as a cruise ship about 650 feet away, said Rob Williams, lead scientist at the research nonprofit Oceans Initiative, and an author on the paper. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Whale watch operators insist their presence helps protect southern resident orcas
Operators of commercial whale-watching vessels are pushing back against proposed new regulations from the state. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is implementing a mandatory licensing system for the vessels, after the Washington Legislature passed a directive last year that also instructed the department to develop rules for viewing endangered southern resident killer whales..Commercial whale-watch operators say they accept the need for the new licensing system, to keep better track of who is in the industry and spending time near the whales. But they insist they play a "sentinel role" on the water. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Sockeye restoration efforts spark hope and heartbreak on the Coquitlam River
After 2 decades of painstaking work to revive native sockeye, the Kwikwetlem First Nation is changing course. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Research group buys 'salmon ranch' to feed southern resident orcas
...The Center for Whale Research, based in Friday Harbour, Washington, said chinook salmon are the main food source for the resident orcas, whose numbers have been squeezed down to 74 largely because of dwindling salmon stocks in the Salish Sea. The centre has acquired 45 acres on the Elwha River near Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula, where native chinook salmon spawn. They’ve dubbed the property Big Salmon Ranch. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Outdated sewage treatment is suffocating fish in Puget Sound
....Environmentalists have sued the state over the sewage-treatment plants’ waste dumping, pointing out that the last time the Washington Department of Ecology required major modernization of wastewater plants was in 1987 — and that was an upgrade to a technology first deployed in the early 20th century. The Department of Ecology is now on course to require plants to adopt better sewage treatment methods developed in the 1980s and used for decades on the East Coast. That technology is capable of removing “nutrients,” especially nitrogen, that act like fertilizer and feed Puget Sound’s  algae and jellyfish explosions. But most of those upgrades on Puget Sound-area plants won’t be completed until at least 2035. Allegra Abramo reports. (InvestigateWest/Crosscut)

Work of Skagit Land Trust continues through pandemic
Hands flat against the trunk of the tree, neck craned skyward, volunteer Rachel VanBoven counted how many nests she could see in the branches of a large maple on March Point. “I’ve got 12,” she called out to Jane Zillig, a recent retiree of the Skagit Land Trust. VanBoven and Zillig were part of a group counting great blue heron nests in a forested patch of March Point between Highway 20 and Padilla Bay. It’s a survey the land trust conducts each year to track heron use of this key habitat where the birds raise their young in the spring. Kimberly Cuavel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Trans Mountain's COVID-19 costs are now $12.5 million and growing
New numbers show that Trans Mountain's COVID-19 costs are now 10 times higher than the figure the pipeline initially reported. Last month, the federal government-owned pipeline said it had spent about $1.2 million on measures to keep employees safe during the pandemic. New figures show that Trans Mountain has actually dropped about $12.5 million on related COVID-19 expenses across the organization. NDP MP Peter Julian said that cost "discrepancy" is generating doubts about whether the project to twin Trans Mountain's existing line between Alberta and British Columbia will come in on budget. David Thurton reports. (CBC)

Offshore Drilling Set To Begin Off Florida Alarms Environmentalists
President Trump recently signed an order extending a ban on drilling in U.S. waters in the Atlantic. But in the Bahamas, a small company has received permission to begin doing exploratory drilling just 150 miles from the Florida coast. Bahamas Petroleum Company is headquartered on the Isle of Man, part of the United Kingdom, but has offices in the Bahamas. More importantly, it has leases on potential oil fields covering some 4 million acres in waters between Andros, the nation's largest island, and the north coast of Cuba. A high-tech drill ship, the Stena IceMAX, is expected to be onsite and ready to begin drilling by mid-December. Greg Allen reports. (NPR)

Break on surface water fee means less money for environment
Ratepayers in unincorporated Snohomish County will get a break from one fee increase next year — but at the cost of funding for some environmental programs. The Snohomish County Council last month voted 3-2 to nix a 2.8% annual inflationary adjustment attached to Surface Water Management utility fees. Councilmember Stephanie Wright proposed the change to give ratepayers a “one-year vacation” as many struggle financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Julia Grace-Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

Thurston may allow asphalt recycling in Nisqually subarea
Asphalt recycling, a contentious issue in the critical Nisqually subarea for years, may be allowed if the Thurston County board of commissioners votes to amend the policy on Dec. 15. The board voted 2-1 Dec. 2 to advance a version of the amendment to the final meeting of the year. If it passes, asphalt recycling could be permitted in the critical aquifer recharge area if operators follow best management practices. (The Olympian)

LNG Canada workers complained about unsafe conditions prior to COVID-19 outbreak
WorkSafe BC documents reveal concerns about LNG Canada’s cleaning procedures as rising number of cases at work camps across Northern Health prompt fresh calls for shutdowns.
Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  251 AM PST Mon Dec 7 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  12 ft at 19 seconds building to 19 ft at 18 seconds in the  afternoon. Rain. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S 20 to 30 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft building to 3 to 5 ft after  midnight. W swell 17 ft at 18 seconds. Rain.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told