4/17 Elk, Tokitae return, Springer lessons, viewing distance, hunting prey, water rules suit, air pollution reforms, green fibs, living fossils, Walla Walla woes

Elk (Ginger Holserd/WDFW)

Elk Cervus canadensis
Elk are members of the deer family and share many physical traits with deer, moose, and caribou. They are much larger than deer, but not as large as a moose. Elk are found throughout Washington, with two seperate subspecies primarily occupying opposite sides of the Cascade Crest. Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) are found in the coastal ranges of the Olympic Peninsula, southwest Washington, and the western slopes of the Cascade Range including Western Washington river valleys. Olympic National Park and surrounding forests host the largest number of Roosevelt elk living anywhere -- about 5,000. (WDFW)

Confusion rises over plans to bring Tokitae back to Puget Sound
Over the weekend, plans to return an orca to the Pacific Northwest got a bit more confusing—with the benefactor footing the bill announcing details of a plan, while the CEO of the aquarium in charge responded online calling the statements a "misunderstanding." Matthew Smith reports. (Q13 Fox)

Opinion: Lessons for Lolita from the orca reunion of Springer
Donna Sandstorm writes: "The Miami Seaquarium, the Friends of Lolita and Jim Irsay, owner of the Baltimore Colts, recently announced a partnership to return Lolita, aka Tokitae, to Puget Sound. While at first glance this is good news, it’s way too soon to pop the Champagne. How will this decision actually be made, and what needs to be weighed and considered?" (Seattle Times)

Senate bill changing vessel-orca distance moves forward
Keeping our distance from the whales: 1,000-yard rule for all vessels passes both Washington houses. Nancy DeVaux reports. (Salish Current)

Orca study shows up hunting differences
...Tracked in waters off Port Hardy, the best hunters among the northern resident whales were female. Females spent more time hunting, caught the most prey and, overall, were 68 per cent more efficient than the pod’s male whales, initial surveys found. While northern females dominated their pod’s hunt, females in the southern resident killer whales with a calf were among the least efficient hunters: Not once did the scientists observe a southern resident mother dive for salmon while caring for a calf...Compared with their female southern resident cousins, females from the northern resident group were 257 per cent more efficient at hunting, the study found.  Stefan Labbé reports. (Times Colonist)

Green groups sue EPA over decades-old water pollution rules
Industrial facilities produce millions of pounds of hazardous chemical waste every year and dump it directly into U.S. waterways. Environmental advocates say the government isn’t doing enough to stop them. A coalition of 13 green groups filed a lawsuit  on Tuesday arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has violated federal law by repeatedly failing to update regulations on water pollution for seven industrial sectors. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA is required to set limits on the amount of pollution companies can discharge based on the best available technologies, and to revise those limits every five years. For the industrial sectors highlighted in the lawsuit, however, pollution control standards haven’t been updated for an average of 34 years. Joseph Winters reports. (Grist)

EPA Proposes Air Pollution Reforms for Industrial Facilities
The EPA has proposed tougher air pollution rules for chemical plants and other industrial facilities after ProPublica found an estimated 74 million Americans near those sites faced an elevated risk of cancer. Lisa Song, Kiah Collier and Maya Miller report. (ProPublica)

Seattle to get garbage hauler to take down misleading green ads
Waste Management trucks in Seattle are plastered with advertisements on their sides: “Breathe Clean, Seattle: Powered by Renewable Natural Gas.” Despite the ads and despite a contractual requirement to run the trucks on renewable fuel, those garbage trucks run on regular fossil-fuel natural gas, with all of its climate and pollution impacts. After complaints from environmental activists, Seattle Public Utilities officials say they will get Waste Management to take down the ads. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

He's studied these ‘living fossils’ for over 50 years. They’re still a bit of a mystery
Pleontologist and University of Washington biology professor Peter Ward is an expert on one of the least understood and oldest animals on Earth. The nautilus is a cephalopod, a type of mollusk, and a distant cousin to squids, octopi, and cuttlefish. About 500 million years ago, before the time of dinosaurs, their ancestors were among the largest, most complex, most common animals on Earth. Ward calls them “living fossils.  Kim Malcolm and John O'Brien report. (KUOW)

WA’s struggle to replace ferries may bring a gut punch for local shipbuilders
The image of the Walla Walla beached on Bainbridge Island was a reminder of the state’s aging ferry fleet, in need of ever more maintenance simply to keep them afloat. David Kroman reports. (Seattle Times)

ICYMI: Ferry carrying over 600 people runs aground near Seattle
A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people ran aground near Bainbridge Island west of Seattle on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of injuries or contamination, authorities said, and passengers were being evacuated from the ferry.  The "Walla Walla" ran aground in Rich Passage around 4:30 p.m. as it was traveling from the city of Bremerton to Seattle, according to Washington State Ferries, a division of the state Department of Transportation. "Initial indications are the vessel suffered a generator failure," but investigators were still looking into what happened, the agency said. (CBS News)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  211 AM PDT Mon Apr 17 2023   SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 7 ft at 11 seconds.  Showers. A slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  S wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 9 ft  at 11 seconds. Showers and a slight chance of tstms.

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