1/29 Mew gull, Navy training, Elwha genes, BC LNG poll, WA climate regs, steelhead opening, A68a, Trump's BLM, winery discharges

Mew gull [Teri Franzen]

Mew gull Larus canus
One of the smallest of the "white-headed" gulls, the Mew Gull is common along Pacific Coast beaches in winter. It also occurs in Eurasia, where it is known as the "Common Gull." The Mew Gull is the only "white-headed" gull that regularly uses trees for nesting. (All About Birds)

Washington state parks commission approves scaled-back proposal for Navy SEALs training 
A state commission has approved the Navy’s use of up to 17 Washington state parks for after-dark stealth training of SEAL teams. The 4-3 vote approves the training over the next five years. The Navy had sought to use up to 28 state parks for up to 48 hours at a stretch to enable special operation SEAL teams to make shoreline landings, then conduct surveillance of other military personnel dressed in plain clothes. Hal Bernton reports, (Seattle Times)

Genetic Resiliency of Elwha River Steelhead Outlasts Dams, New Study Finds
According to a new study examining the effects of removing dams on Washington’s Elwha River, dams do not impact the genetic diversity of steelhead. The findings indicate that steelhead populations cut off from the ocean by dams can rebound and maintain the same natural genetic diversity as fish populations below dams. The study published last week in the journal Genes is part of a special issue on salmon and steelhead genetics. (NOAA Fisheries)

British Columbians favour government investment in clean energy over LNG: poll
The majority of British Columbians want the province to prioritize renewable energy development over LNG, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Clean Energy Canada, a think tank based at Simon Fraser University. The survey found 61 per cent of British Columbians want the province to invest in renewables like hydroelectric power, hydrogen and clean technology. Less than a quarter of respondents said they’d prefer a focus on LNG. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

As climate proposals move through Legislature, offset provisions are causing controversy
The pressure is on to pass climate bills in Olympia. Attempts to pass policies that limit carbon pollution by putting a price on it have often failed here – including two statewide voter initiatives with broad or bipartisan support....Now, a bill called the Climate Commitment Act is moving forward. Commenters from numerous industries and a spectrum of environmental groups packed the 90-minute hearing to give comments after the first reading.  The act would authorize the state to put a price on carbon emissions and make big polluters pay unless they ratchet down their emissions. The money raised would be invested in cleaner transportation and other key projects, using a cap-and-trade market model, similar to California’s...But a number of environmental groups reject this approach because it allows companies to buy permits to keep polluting, often in places where people live. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Steelhead fishery to open on Skagit, Sauk rivers
Portions of the Skagit and Sauk rivers will open to steelhead fishing Monday. The state Department of Fish & Wildlife announced the opening Thursday. The fishery will run Feb. 1 to April 13 on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Up to two hatchery steelhead can be retained per angler. Wild fish must be released. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Split signals end for remnant of Antarctic iceberg A68a
The once-mighty iceberg A68a looks to be in its death throes. The largest fragment from a block of Antarctic ice that originally measured some 5,800 sq km (2,240 sq miles) in area has suffered another major split. Satellite imagery shows at least two segments drifting close together about 135km south-east of the British territory of South Georgia. They will no doubt soon move further apart. Jonathan Amos reports. (BBC)

Trump officials moved most Bureau of Land Management positions out of D.C. More than 87 percent quit instead.
The decision to relocate BLM headquarters to Colorado and redistribute jobs in the West prompted 287 employees to retire or find other jobs. The Trump administration’s decision to relocate most Bureau of Land Management headquarters staffers out West — a move designed to shift power away from the nation’s capital — prompted more than 87 percent of the affected employees either to resign or retire rather than move, according to new data obtained by The Washington Post. Juliet Eilperin reports. (Washington Post)

California to impose first statewide rules for winery wastewater, marking new era Hundreds of California wineries will for the first time be governed by statewide wastewater processing rules, a change from the long-held, regional approach that could increase production costs for wineries and protections for waterways while providing consistency for vintners across the state. The move toward a statewide regulatory framework, a five-year effort championed by industry leaders, was finalized this week by the State Water Resources Control Board, which approved an order setting up guidelines for wastewater processing at most of the more than 3,600 bonded wineries in the state. Tyler Silvy reports. (Press Democrat)

Now, your weekend tug weather--West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  226 AM PST Fri Jan 29 2021   
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 15 seconds. A  slight chance of rain in the morning. A chance of rain in the  afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  4 ft at 19 seconds subsiding to 1 ft at 18 seconds after  midnight. Rain likely in the evening then rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 9 ft at  16 seconds. Rain likely. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell  9 ft at 15 seconds. 
SUN  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 10 ft at  15 seconds.

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