12/1 Dolphins, chinook closure, Whale Scout, Salish Sea Studies, clean energy, Gorge spill

Short-beaked common dolphin (Vancouver Sun)

New species of dolphin to B.C. waters shows up alive for the first time
A species of dolphin has been discovered in B.C. waters for the first time — alive. Two small schools of short-beaked common dolphins have been confirmed about 75 kilometres off southwestern Vancouver Island. The only prior record of the species on the west coast of Canada has been three dead animals found over a period of more than 60 years. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Impact of catch-and-release on salmon causes early closure
Fisheries managers are concerned about the impact catch-and-release is having on endangered chinook salmon and have closed salmon fishing two months early in the central Puget Sound. (Associated Press)

Local nonprofit works to spot, and save, orcas
It’s that time of year — the whales are back. Starting in the fall, southern resident killer whales can be spotted in our neck of Puget Sound. Whale watching tours that let customers go out on a boat to see whales up close are popular, but there’s another option. Next time you’re on the beach, keep an eye for a Whale Scout. Whale Scout is a program started by Whitney Neugebauer of Bothell. Whale Scout volunteer naturalists go out to beaches on the Sound to educate people and help them spot whales. Naturalists send alerts to people on social media when they’re going out, and to those who have signed up for text notifications. Emily Hamann reports. (Woodinville Weekly)

Western Establishes New Salish Sea Studies Institute
Western Washington University’s Provost Council in November approved the establishment of the University’s new Salish Sea Studies Institute, an interdisciplinary center for collaboration, education, research and community involvement focused on the health of the Salish Sea and its environs – the body of water encompassing the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca…. The institute will be led initially by a leadership team of retired Western faculty member and “Father of the Salish Sea,” Bert Webber; Wayne Landis, director of Western‘s Institute for Environmental Toxicology and a professor of Environmental Science; and Brian Burton, Western’s associate vice president for Academic Affairs. (Western Today)

Bill Gates lays out vision for clean energy at Paris climate conference
In the kickoff to the historic summit, Bill Gates unveiled a new role as a global recruiter for billionaires willing to push clean-energy ideas out of the lab and into the marketplace. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Columbia Basin breaking records for returning fall chinook salmon
This year has seen the second largest count of salmon returning to the Columbia River in 80 years, which regulators attribute to efforts at restoring fish habitat George Plaven reports. (East Oregonian)

Esquimalt crews try to contain spill in Gorge
Esquimalt workers responded to what was described as a petrochemical spill Monday in the Gorge waterway, near the foot of Sioux Place and Kinsmen Gorge Park. The type and volume of the substance involved are not yet known. Workers noticed the spill at 9:30 a.m. Booms and absorbent tiles are being used to help contain the spill, and efforts are being made to find the source. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 310 AM PST TUE DEC 1 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 10 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.

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7/14 Pluto, T46C2, The Big One, water price, drought aid, Polley mine, 3 Crabs, small nukes

Pluto ( NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI )

NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Zips by Pluto
It was like New Year’s Eve in Times Square as the countdown clock ticked down to zero. “We’re going to do our 10-9-8 thing and you can get your flags out,” S. Alan Stern, the principal investigator for NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto told the people gathered at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory here, which is operating the mission. “We’re going to go absolutely ape.” At about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made it closest pass by Pluto, coming within 7,800 miles of the surface. Kenneth Chang reports. (New York Times)

Rescued juvenile transient whale spotted reunited with family
Researchers studying whales off the coast of B.C. have finally got the good news they've been waiting for two years — Sam, a young transient killer whale rescued in August 2013 has been reunited with his family.  The young whale, T46C2, was two years old when he was stranded in a small cove near remote Aristazabal Island in the summer of 2013 for several weeks. Scientists kept a close eye on the juvenile, hoping he would leave the bay himself. (CBC)

The Really Big One
An earthquake will destroy a sizable portion of the coastal Northwest. The question is when. Kathryn Schulz reports. (The New Yorker) See also: If you think New Yorker’s earthquake story is scary, better read this  (Seattle Times)

B.C. to review ‘low’ water prices after complaints about Nestlé deal
Premier Christy Clark has ordered a review of the fees charged to bottled-water companies, amid a public backlash that accused her government of being too generous with the province’s water during a summer drought. Clark said the government is rethinking the new groundwater rate structure it plans to charge companies as of Jan. 1. The decision came after more than 200,000 people signed an online petition calling the rates too low, since a company like Nestlé can bottle 265 million litres of water annually for only $596. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State grants for drought aid available from Ecology
The state Department of Ecology is accepting applications for grants for projects to relieve hardships from drought. The agency received a $16 million appropriation from the Legislature for the grants. The funds can be used over the next two years to help protect public health and safety from effects of the drought, and reduce economic or environmental impacts from water shortages, Ecology said. (Peninsula Daily News)

Mount Polley restart ignores water concerns: First Nations
The T’exelc and Xatsull First Nations say they are extremely disappointed that the B.C. government has allowed Imperial Metals to partly restart the Mount Polley mine. The First Nations contend that allowing the gold and copper mine to reopen is premature, ignores their concerns and could place their and other communities at risk. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Changing face of 3 Crabs: Neighbors object to proposed wetlands restoration project that would change road
A proposed restoration project intended to revitalize wetlands near 3 Crabs Road has angered residents living in the area. “We will be severely impacted by the proposed realignment project,” Julie Smyth, who lives in the 400 block of 3 Crabs Road, said during a public hearing Wednesday night at the Clallam County Courthouse. Smyth, 65, was nominated to speak for the 25 homeowners in her neighborhood, who have signed a letter opposing the project. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Small nuke reactors: Search for site is planned
The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will begin searching for a potential manufacturing site for small modular reactors. That information came from a recent Energy Northwest blog entry. Energy Northwest is lined up to operate small modular reactors courts under a Northwest venture allied with the federal Department of Energy. The most likely manufacturing site is a half-built reactor located just north of Richland and near Energy Northwest’s sole existing reactor. John Stang reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 224 AM PDT TUE JUL 14 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

--
"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.

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5/8 CO2, Shell drill, BC LNG, WA pipe, BC farm fish, GiveBIG, Billy Frank Jr., Energize Eastside, bluebirds

(PHOTO: BBC)

CO2 levels reach monthly record
The milestone was announced by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). They said it was the first month that the entire globe broke 400ppm, reaching levels that haven't been seen for about two million years. Noaa's Pieter Tans said that reaching the mark was "a significant milestone". Scientists announced that CO2 had passed the 400 ppm level for the first time in the Arctic in 2012, and then at Mauna Loa in Hawaii in 2013. (BBC) See also: Summer 2015: The Northwest's Global Warming Stress Test  Cliff Mass reports. (Weather Blog)

Shell drillship expected to dock in Everett before heading to Seattle
The Noble Discoverer, the drillship that’s part of Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet, will arrive in Everett next week, according to the Port of Everett. Shell confirmed Thursday that the ship will load and unload supplies in Everett before it heads to Seattle. The news comes as Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said Monday that the Port of Seattle needs new permits to host Shell’s drilling fleet at Terminal 5. The port plans to discuss the issue at a public meeting Tuesday. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Shell: We have ‘backup plans’ if blocked from Port of Seattle  Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

B.C. First Nations group rejects $1-billion offer from LNG venture
In the second stage of three votes, members of a B.C. First Nations group have again unanimously rejected a $1-billion offer from a liquefied natural gas project. More than 255 eligible Lax Kw’alaams voters at a meeting Thursday night in Prince Rupert stood up to show their opposition, row upon row, two sources close to the aboriginal group said. In the first vote in Lax Kw’alaams on Tuesday night, more than 180 eligible voters also unanimously stood up to signal their opposition to the Pacific NorthWest LNG joint venture led by Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas. Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece and 12 elected councillors will make the final decision on behalf of the 3,600-member band, after voting wraps up next Tuesday in Vancouver. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail) See also: Portland Mayor Withdraws Support For Propane Export Terminal  Cassandra Profita reports. KUOW)

State Pipeline Rights Under Siege? Wash. Citizens’ Oversight Panel Sounding Alarm
A new report from a statewide citizens’ committee on pipeline safety is calling foul on a federal proposal. The 13-member panel says the interstate agreements that authorize local response to pipeline issues could be rescinded…. The latest annual report from the Citizens’ Oversight Committee says the federal government is threatening to take away states’ authority over interstate pipelines. Their concern is that inspectors would have to come from too far away, slowing response times and loosening enforcement. There are nine interstate transmission pipelines in Washington. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Court orders new safeguards to prevent fish farm disease spreading to ocean
The federal government must shield the Pacific Ocean from the potential spread of diseases by infected fish being farmed along the British Columbia coast, a Federal Court has ruled. The Department of Fisheries has been ordered to shore up its regulations to prevent infections from being transferred from dozens of fish farms to the open marine environment. The legal action was prompted by elevated concerns about one particular illness that attacks the heart and muscles of salmon, which the court heard could imperil the Fraser River sockeye. (Canadian Press)

Seattle Foundation's GiveBig fundraiser blows past 2014 totals
In its annual 24-hour online fundraising event, the Seattle Foundation raised $16.3 million for area nonprofits on Tuesday, surpassing the 2014 total raised by 12 percent…. The 2015 GiveBig event generated $14.3 million in online contributions, $850,000 in challenge grants and $1.1 million in stretch dollars. Becky Monk reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge would be renamed for civil rights hero Billy Frank Jr. http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2015/05/07/nisqually-wildlife-refuge-would-be-renamed-for-civil-rights-hero-billy-frank-jr/
The state’s congressional delegation, showing rare bipartisan unity, plans next week to introduce legislation that would rename the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in honor of Billy Frank  Jr., champion of native fishing rights and a Washington civil rights hero. The bill would create a National Historic Site to mark the 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek, which took land from natives but did guarantee them the right to take fish “at all usual and accustomed stations . . . in common with the citizens of the territory.” Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Environmental review begins for PSE’s Energize Eastside project
The City of Bellevue has begun the environmental review process for Puget Sound Energy's Energize Eastside project. It will include five scoping meetings for the public to weigh in on details they want to see included when preparing the Environmental Impact Statement for the project, as required by the Washington State Environmental Policy Act. The project will run 18 miles of 230kV transmission lines from Renton to Redmond and add another transformer to the system in an effort to prevent capacity issues projected as soon as winter 2017-18. The scoping period for Phase 1 of the EIS closes June 15. The city is leading the environmental process, with partnering cities Kirkland, Newcastle, Redmond and Renton. (Mercer Island Reporter)

Bluebirds back on Island after almost two decades
After disappearing from Vancouver Island in the mid-1990s, the western bluebird is back and hatching in the Cowichan Valley. At least 20 birds are nesting and breeding on the Island after successfully re-establishing themselves via breeding pairs brought from southern Washington state — one of the few enclaves with enough of the songbirds to spare, said Jemma Green, Victoria-based co-ordinator of the Bring Back the Bluebirds Project. Last week, six of the 2015 nestlings hatched and so far they’re doing well, Green said. “They are really sweet, one of the gentlest of the native birds we have in B.C., and they really need our help.” Katherine Dedyna reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 250 AM PDT FRI MAY 8 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
N WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
--
"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.

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5/1 Coal port, rail fees, whaling, toxic spray, tugboat grant, sea lice, Bowen shore, sub volcano, Tesla battery

May Day 2015

Northwest tribes stand with Lummis at Cherry Point in opposition to coal port
Speaking in the Lummi language, tribal chief Bill James told a crowd assembled Thursday, April 30, on the Gulf Road beach at Cherry Point that a late elder once brought him to the site and told him, “This is the place of our ancestors from long ago. They need to be protected.” Speeches by Lummi tribal members and a seaside lunch featuring prawns, crabs and halibut fished from Puget Sound marked the end of the two-day Tribal Habitat Conference, where Puget Sound tribes shared stories about habitat restoration — and degradation. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Fee proposed on rail cars that haul oil, other flammables
U.S. senators from six states on Thursday proposed that the government charge companies a special fee to ship oil, ethanol and other flammable liquids in older railroad tank cars that have been involved in fiery explosions. The fee would start at $175 and increase to $1,400 per car by 2018. It would raise an estimated $600 million to train first responders, clean up spills and relocate rail tracks around populated areas. The proposal would be paired with tax breaks for upgrades to newer tank cars, so they can better withstand derailments. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Whaling opponent changes mind to support Makah tribe's request; turnaround shocks those at Port Angeles meeting
At least one mind changed sides Wednesday at a public meeting on the Makah tribe's request to resume whaling, turning upon a flow of tears shed by a man who said he'd swum with whales. Gary Michael Lee of Salt Spring Island, B.C., led off the 19 people who testified at a NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service public hearing... He first urged NOAA Fisheries administrators to deny the Makah request for a waiver from the Marine Mammal Protection Act. But after 18 others had spoken — 15 in favor of whaling — Lee returned to the lectern about an hour later and tearfully renounced his point of view. “I've listened to all this testimony, and I'm moved,” he said. “These [whales] are valuable creatures, but a deal [the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay] has been made. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Plan to put neurotoxin on oyster beds distresses restaurants
A plan to spray pesticide over the sizable oyster beds at Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor is raising concerns with chefs and their diners. Renee Erickson was on the phone to her oyster suppliers as soon as she heard the news about Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. As chef/owner of several Seattle restaurants, including renowned oyster bar The Walrus and The Carpenter, the region’s famous bivalves are her bread and butter, so she was “horrified” by a newly approved plan to spray some Washington oyster beds with imidacloprid, a neurotoxic pesticide, starting as soon as low tide on May 17. Bethany Jean Clement reports. (Seattle Times)

Big grant to help preserve ‘Tugboat Annie’ vessel
Congrats to Northwest Seaport for securing an $87,000 grant to help preserve of the historic Arthur Foss tugboat, which was featured in the classic movie Tugboat Annie. Built in 1889, the boat has a long and storied past, including roles on the Columbia River towing sailing vessels cross the bar, carting miners and others up the coast during the Yukon Gold Rush, and narrowly escaping Japanese forces as they invaded Wake Island during World War II. The boat is part of the collection of historic ships maintained by Northwest Seaport and moored near the Museum of History and Industry at South Lake Union in Seattle. Marty McOmber reports. (Three Sheets Northwest)

Sea lice limit young salmon’s ability to get food
Sea lice could be affecting wild salmon stocks, according to a new study by a Simon Fraser University-led team of researchers that found a link between sea lice infestation and the ability of juvenile sockeye salmon to forage for food. The competitive foraging experiment was conducted in part by Sean Godwin, a doctoral biology student at SFU. Godwin found that highly infected juvenile sockeye salmon were 20 per cent less successful at consuming food, on average, than lightly infected fish. Shawn Conner reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Bowen’s beaches help to feed the Salish Sea
A healthy shoreline is good for human security, ecology and economics, and Bowen’s shores have a lot of potential, says biologist Ramona DeGraaf. DeGraaf sampled soft-sediment beaches all around Bowen last October to assess their suitability for forage fish spawning, and delivered the results to council this week. “I sampled 75 beach units, with a beach unit being an area no more than 300 metres long. Fourty beach units I sampled equalling 3.4 kilometers, are amenable for surf smelt or Pacific sand lance spawning,” says De Graaf. “Being a Howe Sound Island, the shoreline is mostly made up of hard rock, limiting the amount of shoreline that is available in the first place.” (Bowen Island Undercurrent)

Did she blow? NW submarine volcano likely just erupted
More than 80 scientists from around the world gathered in Seattle last week to discuss a thrilling development: For the first time, seafloor instruments were providing a real-time look at the most active, submarine volcano off the Northwest coast — and all signs indicated it might erupt soon. But even the researchers most closely monitoring Axial Seamount were stunned by what happened next. Beginning Thursday, April 23 — the day after the workshop ended — the new sensors recorded 8,000 small earthquakes in a 24-hour period. The volcano’s caldera, which had been swelling rapidly from an influx of magma, collapsed like a deflated balloon. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Tesla expanding battery technology to homes, businesses
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is trying to steer his electric-car company’s battery technology into homes and businesses as part of an elaborate plan to reshape the power grid with millions of small power plants made of solar panels on roofs and batteries in garages. Michael Liedtke and Jonathan Fahey reports. (Associated Press)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 1 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 6 FT
 AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT
N WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND 10 TO 20 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT IN THE EVENING...THEN LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6
 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SUN
SE WIND TO 10 KT IN THE MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
--
"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

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4/20 Sunsets, oil trains, oil spill, Shell drill, drought, low-carbon energy, mystery ship, BP oil, green murder

NW sky (Sigma Sreedharan Photography/KOMO)

Smoke from Siberian wildfires turns Northwestern sunsets a fiery red
The scenes have almost felt like they're out of Hollywood imagination -- brilliant red sunrises and sunsets the last couple of days around Western Washington.  Why so red? It's a byproduct of the massive wildfires currently burning in Siberia. The atmospheric winds are aligned this week to carry the smoke across the Pacific Ocean and into the Pacific Northwest. Here is a high-resolution satellite image from Saturday and note the haze over Washington and B.C. -- amazingly, quite a bit of it; this is on par or perhaps even more intense than the haze we usually get with Eastern Washington wildfires. Scatt Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Transportation officials issue oil train safety measures
An emergency order requiring trains hauling crude oil and other flammable liquids to slow down as they pass through urban areas and a series of other steps to improve the safety were announced Friday by the Department of Transportation. The Obama administration has been under intense pressure from members of Congress as well as state and local officials to ensure the safety of oil trains that traverse the country after leaving the Bakken region of North Dakota. To get to refineries on the East and West coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, oil shipments travel through more than 400 counties, including major metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago, Newark and dozens of other cities. Joan Lowy reports. (Associated Press)

In plain sight: How the Marathassa oil spill took hours to find
'We should have screamed like hell' A fuel spill in Vancouver's picturesque English Bay has raised serious questions about the federal government's ability to respond to a marine oil spill.  Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail) See also: Major Vancouver beaches reopen following oil spill  (CBC)

Vancouver oil spill leads to petition delivered to MP James Moore
Environmentalists and First Nations groups gathered at Conservative MP James Moore's constituency office in Port Moody to deliver a petition in response to a recent oil spill in Vancouver. The petition calls for the government to: re-open the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station, restore funding to the Marine Communications Centre in B.C., stop increased tanker traffic off the B.C. coast. (CBC) See also: Trans Mountain Pipeline plan could be a casualty of slow spill response  Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Next step for Port Angeles' giant visitor: floating alone in harbor
It may be up to a week before the Polar Pioneer towering above the town in Port Angeles Harbor is offloaded from the semi-submersible heavy-lift ship MV Blue Marlin, which piggybacked the huge mobile oil rig from Asia. It will remain in the harbor for at least another week before it is towed to Seattle. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Gov. Inslee expands drought emergency declaration
Citing projections that say this summer will have the least snowmelt in 64 years, Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday expanded the state's month-old drought emergency declaration to cover 44 percent of the state. Inslee's announcement more than doubles the number of Washington watershed areas officially considered to be suffering from drought. In March, the governor identified 11 watersheds as drought-afflicted — six west of the Cascades and five on the east side. Thirteen more river basins were added Friday to the drought list.  Derrick Nunnally reports. (Associated Press) See also: Rainfall and aquifers keep drought away from the Kitsap Peninsula  Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Low-carbon energy systems costlier than gas-fed plants
As Vancouver encourages the creation of new low-carbon district energy systems, users of those utilities can expect to pay more in order to help the city reach its goal of reducing city greenhouse gas emissions by a third by 2020. However, those district utilities, targeted for some of the city’s densest neighbourhoods, are also making Vancouver a North American leader in both the reduction of greenhouse gases and the expansion of waste heat recovery systems. Jeff Lee reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Mystery ship becoming part of Tacoma waterfront scenery
A 600-foot-long auto transport ship has become something of a Commencement Bay icon as it awaits Coast Guard-mandated repairs before leaving its anchorage just off Tacoma’s Point Ruston development. The blue-hulled City of Tokyo left its cargo of automobiles at the Port of Tacoma March 28 before proceeding to its anchorage just south of the Tacoma Yacht Club near Point Defiance Park. The 28-year-old auto carrier has become the temporary centerpiece of the water view from the high-end condominiums and apartments that occupy the shoreline at Point Ruston. John Gillie reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Science uncovering truths, piecing together puzzle of BP oil spill
Vernon Asper is a scientist who works in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, looking for oil. It's still out there, five years after the nation's worst oil spill - the Deepwater Horizon blowout in April 2010 that killed 11 rig workers and spewed what was estimated at the time to be 205 million gallons into the Gulf over three months. How much is there and where it is are legitimate questions, but five years out, answers still aren't there. It may have to be enough to know scientists are still looking and that some of it is accounted for - burned, skimmed, oxidized and eaten by bacteria. But it is in the deep waters. And learning how oil connects with sediment there is hugely important to finding where the oil is. Karen Nelson reports. (Sun Herald)

Green activist killings up by a fifth - Global Witness
Killings of environmental activists have risen by 20% in the last year, according to campaign group Global Witness. A report published by the organisation said there were 116 deaths worldwide in 2014, including 29 in Brazil, 25 in Colombia and 15 in the Philippines. Activists also faced abduction and other threats if they interfered in corporate or state interests, it added. Last year saw a spike in killings related to hydropower programs. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT MON APR 20 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING E TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE
 AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG. PATCHY DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"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.

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1/21 Seabirds, SSA fined, seastars, oil spills, pipeline safety, invasives, bird flu, ELF, FH port, orca close-up

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 

Puget Sound seabird numbers better than expected
More than a dozen species of Puget Sound seabirds thought to be in decline appear to be doing better than expected, according to an ongoing survey by citizen scientists organized by the Seattle Audubon Society. Of the 18 species monitored for seven years at 62 sites near Puget Sound from the north end of Whidbey Island to Olympia, 14 show increased numbers, including cormorants, loons, rhinoceros auklets, bufflehead and harlequin ducks, the new survey analysis shows. The species selected for detailed study are considered good barometers of environmental health because of their relative abundance and their dependence on Puget Sound food and habitat, researchers said. John Dodge reports. (Olympian)

SSA Terminals To Pay $215,000 For Clean Water Act Violations
SSA Terminals will pay $215,000 dollars for violations of the Clean Water Act at its Harbor Island facility in Seattle. After several years of litigation, brought by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the company has agreed to reduce their pollution discharges into Elliott Bay. The settlement was announced in a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

If you like to watch: Our Fight 2015
NextGen Climate draws the battle line.

Sea stars may be on path to recovery; summer could provide answers
…. Barb Erickson, Linda Martin and Peg Tillery… have been serving as amateur researchers, monitoring the Lofall beach, like hundreds of other volunteers at various locations along the West Coast. When they started monitoring the beach in February 2014, they observed dozens of healthy sea stars — but conditions changed dramatically by June…. I was not sure what to expect when I accompanied the three women to the Lofall pier on Saturday…. What we saw Saturday was a great many more young sea stars than last year, along with adults that seemed to be healthy. None of the starfish showed signs of disease. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Northwest Ships: Near Misses and Almost-Spills
The Northwest is evaluating more than a dozen major projects that would add oil tankers and other major cargo ships to the region’s waters. Nearly all of these plans would affect Washington’s waters: either on the Columbia River, Grays Harbor, or in the labyrinthine channels of the Salish Sea. In the simplest terms, increasing ship traffic means increasing risk. And as the region is contemplating an astonishing jump in vessel traffic, it’s worth pausing to examine the record. Eric de Place reports. (Sightline)

Kinder Morgan needs to disclose more on safety plans, says B.C. Premier Christy Clark
B.C. Premier Christy Clark is demanding Kinder Morgan disclose more details about its safety plans before the province approves the company's $5.4-billion pipeline expansion project.  The National Energy Board rejected the government's call for more information after the pipeline company submitted an incomplete version of its existing spill-response plans. The energy regulator says it is satisfied with the amount of information Kinder Morgan supplied, though it raised concerns over how clearly the company communicated the reasons for the information it left out. But Clark says Kinder Morgan hasn't met the five conditions set out by the province, and until that happens, it won't be going ahead with the project. (Canadian Press)

B.C. government mulling an Invasive Species Act to fight costly introduction of non-native species
The B.C. government is considering new legislation to coordinate the attack against a costly and ever-growing threat posed by the introduction of non-native plants, animals and diseases. Tim Sheldan, deputy minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, said Tuesday that the existing Weed Control Act and regulations have been under internal study and that an “extensive scientific review” of invasive plant species for regulation is nearing completion. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Government Ag Teams Encircle New Washington Bird Flu Case
Three new hot spots of bird flu have been found in wild ducks and domestic birds in Idaho. A second Oregon case was confirmed last week in a wild duck near Eugene. And a flock of 118 birds was euthanized over the weekend in Port Angeles, Washington. Anna King reports. (KPLU)

Rolling Out the Hot New Wheels
Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Here on Gabriola Island these days, my father-in-law, Ted, is turning heads, attracting crowds and prompting smiles every time he goes out. It’s not just because he’s well-liked on the island – though he definitely is. The buzz is because of his hot new wheels: an electric-assist ELF tricycle, which arrived on a foggy morning in early January. This is not your ordinary pedal trike. Aside from its smooth, continuously variable transmission and its comfortable ride, it has the added bonus of an electric motor to help get up slopes, powered by a battery that’s recharged by the the ELF’s solar panel or by plugging in to household power…."

$4 million port project complete, ribbon cutting ceremony to follow
The Port of Friday Harbor's multi-million dollar marina reconstruction project is complete. In October 2014 Manson Construction mobilized into the marina with their huge crane and got to work removing old creosote pilings and wooden floats throughout the marina. The Harbormaster relocated vessels to accommodate the major renovations and no vessels were turned away for guest moorage during the holidays. Manson Construction replaced the inner marina with new concrete floats, steel pilings and upgraded utilities. (San Juan Journal)

If you like to watch: Paddle boarders close encounter with Orcas
Rich German on January 14 posted:  "My dream of seeing Orcas (aka killer whales) recently came true. Watch as a friendly pod of 5 orcas interacts with me on my paddle board. This was filmed with my GoPro off the coast of Laguna Beach California last week. You'll see the whales come directly under my board twice. This was an amazing."

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 21 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5
 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN
 LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"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.

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1/15 Oil safety, Shell drill, geoduck farm, dumping, BC resource reviews, state ESA, energy prize

Forecast: Rain in Puget Sound, snow in the Cascades
Forecasters say a storm blowing into Washington Thursday night and Friday will bring rain to western Washington and snow to the mountains. It also will bring snow or freezing rain to parts of eastern Washington that will persist through the weekend. The National Weather Service forecasts about an inch of rain by Friday in western Washington. Six to 11 inches of snow are forecast above 4,500 feet in the Cascades, which will affect the higher ski resorts and roads to Mount Baker and Paradise ranger station on Mount Rainier. Lisa Cowan reports. (Associated Press) See also: Let it snow, let it snow  Statewide, snowpack is at about 50 percent of historical average levels for this time of year thanks to a warm and rainy start to winter.Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Ericksen, Ranker introduce dueling oil transportation safety bills
Two legislators who represent parts of Whatcom County have introduced dueling oil transportation safety bills in the Senate. Wasting no time, Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, introduced his bill the first day of the session. As chair of the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee, he will host a public hearing on the bill tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 15 at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, along with Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Kitsap County, introduced oil legislation requested by Gov. Jay Inslee. That bill has also been referred to Ericksen’s committee. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Shell Arctic Drilling Fleet OK'd To Use 'Green' West Seattle Port
The Seattle Port Commission decided on Tuesday to let Shell Oil's Arctic drilling fleet use West Seattle as its home port. Shell's drill rigs and barges would overwinter at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5 in West Seattle while the terminal is being renovated. At a commission meeting on Tuesday, environmentalists asked the five-member port commission to block the proposal. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Possible shellfish farm in Dungeness Bay interest intensifies
The second floor of the Dungeness Schoolhouse was standing room only Saturday where community members gathered to learn about a possible 30-acre geoduck farm in Dungeness Bay. The well-attended meeting was coordinated by citizen representative for the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound, Laura Hendricks, and reviewed the potential adverse implications associated with shellfish aquaculture and specifically Taylor Shellfish Farms’ proposed geoduck farm in Dungeness Bay…. At their project location offshore from the mouth of the Dungeness River and neighboring the eastern border of U.S.` Fish and Wildlife Service Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Taylor Shellfish officials plan to stagger planting geoducks within 0.5- to 5-acre parcels in any given year. Alana Linderoth reports. (Sequim Gazette)

Illegal-dumping charges filed against owner of tank-removal company
The state Attorney General’s Office has filed charges against the owner of a Seattle tank removal and repair company for allegedly dumping at least 20,000 gallons of wastewater into the public sewer system. Thomas Wise, the owner of Tank Wise, a company located in South Seattle, was charged in King County Superior Court with first-degree defrauding a public utility, unlawful dumping of solid waste without a permit and making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. Wise is accused of using a pipe to discharge oil and oil sludge into a sanitary sewer near the Duwamish River for up to eight years. Paige Cornwell reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. government reviews environmental oversight of resource development
The B.C. Liberal government has launched an internal review of how its laws and oversight of resource development affects wildlife habitat. The review, headed by Prince George North MLA Mike Morris, is a response, in part, to concerns raised by a trio of wildlife user groups late last year. The 43,000-member B.C. Wildlife Federation, B.C. Trappers Association and the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. called on the provincial government to retake control of resource extraction practices, planning and oversight. The groups said the government’s move in the past decade to rely on professionals hired by industry to make decisions on the land base, with little government oversight, has failed. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Comments being accepted through Jan. 23 on status of tufted puffins, Steller sea lions
State wildlife managers are seeking public comment on the protective status for tufted puffins and Steller sea lions. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has recommended listing tufted puffins on the state's endangered species list and removing Steller sea lions from the state's threatened species list. The public can submit written comments through Jan. 23. (Peninsula Daily News)

County reaches semifinals of $5M energy prize competition
San Juan County on Wednesday advanced to the semifinal round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a national competition challenging communities across the U.S. to rethink their energy use. At a Jan. 14 press event in Washington, D.C. today, San Juan County was recognized as one of the 50 communities leading the way in energy efficiency. (San Juan Journal) [Also in contention, locally: Anacortes, Bellingham, Bellevue, and Walla Walla.]

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 252 AM PST THU JAN 15 2015
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 7 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS...
 BUILDING TO 8 TO 10 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 25 TO 35 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 7 TO 9 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS...
 BUILDING TO 10 TO 12 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 12 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

--
"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.

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6/5 Crows, orcas, rail disclosure, Kinder Morgan, coal power, shoreline restoration, sea star wasting

(Associated Press/MyNorthwest.com)

Angry Birds: Crow attack season underway in Western Washington
Like a bad movie sequel, the dive-bombing crows are back and launching their annual attacks on unsuspecting people across the Puget Sound area. It happens at this time every year as young crows begin leaving their nests for the first time. The fledglings don't fly well and often end up on the ground, and crow parents are extremely protective, says University of Washington professor and crow expert Dr. John Marzluff. Josh Kerns reports. (MyNorthwest)

If you like to watch: 'Massive killer whale parade' off San Juan Island Elizabeth Wiley reports. (KING)

Railroads seek to limit disclosure on oil trains
Two railroad companies want to prevent the public from getting ahold of details about oil shipments through Washington state, a disclosure the federal government ordered be given to state emergency managers in the wake of several oil train accidents. But restricting that information violates the state’s public records law, so the state has not signed documents from the rail companies seeking confidentiality, said Mark Stewart, a spokesman for the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division.... Stewart said the state Emergency Response Commission sought legal advice and determined that those agreements “require us to withhold the information in a manner that’s not consistent with the state public records act.” Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Kinder Morgan could force access to Burnaby's land with National Energy Board order
Kinder Morgan is considering seeking orders from the National Energy Board to access land to test a new tunnel route under Burnaby Mountain for its Trans Mountain pipeline, a sign of how contentious the $5.4-billion project is in Burnaby. The company announced last week the tunnel is its preferred route because recent public consultations showed it was least disruptive to residents. However, Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said Tuesday the City of Burnaby is preventing the company from going onto city lands and doing the necessary geotechnical work to determine if tunnelling is possible. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Poll finds rising opposition in B.C. to Kinder Morgan mega-pipeline proposal Brian Morton reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Anacortes shoreline areas target for restoration
Shoreline armoring intended to protect nearby roads and buildings changes the nearshore marine environment, damaging valuable habitat for fish spawning. The Skagit County Marine Resources Committee and Northwest Straits Foundation are working together on several restoration efforts to remedy the problem along beaches in the Anacortes area. They say the projects will benefit several fish species including feeder fish like surf smelt and sand lance, as well as salmon and other larger species that eat them. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Regulators Discuss The Future Of Coal-Fired Power In The West
The Obama administration’s new rules to cut carbon emissions fueled energy sector leaders’ conversations about the future of coal in the West during their gathering here this week. The Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners on Wednesday wrapped up its conference — a gathering of the people who decide where the region’s power comes from and how to regulate it. Now that the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that states cut CO2 emissions from power plants by 30 percent over the next 16 years, regulators are turning their attention to coal. Does it have a future? Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Rapidly Spreading Sea Star Disease Spurs Talk Of ‘Localized Extinction’ In Oregon
A common species of sea star faces possible extinction along parts of the Oregon Coast because of a mysterious wasting syndrome that was scarcely present in the state’s marine waters two months ago. Sea star wasting syndrome has been ravaging the marine creature’s population on much of the West Coast for months — particularly in the waters of Puget Sound, British Columbia and California. The first reports of the disease among Oregon sea stars — more commonly called star fish — came out in May. Now, according to Oregon State University, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the Oregon populations of the ochre sea star species in the intertidal zone have the disease. Devan Schwartz reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 5 2014
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

--
"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.

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5/30 Mar Vista, landslide risks, extinction, Cornwall cleanup, nat'l energy, invasives app, Kinder Morgan risks

The former Mar Vista Resort site (San Juan Islander)

New blog: What Would You Do With $217 Million?
Buy a big stretch of San Juan Island shoreline, cut down trees along the shoreline, and propose building a 271-foot dock in a pocket beach to moor six boats up to 30 feet long for six single-family residences? You’d still have a lot of change left even after all that. That’s the story thus far about Virginia Powerball winner David Honeywell...

Oso Highlights A Policy Challenge: Development Pressure Vs. Landslide Risk
In the wake of the Oso landslide, Snohomish County struggles to find a balance between the demands of a rising population, and the risks associated with building in landslide-prone areas. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

World On Brink Of Sixth Great Extinction, Species Disappearing Faster Than Ever Before
Species of plants and animals are becoming extinct at least 1,000 times faster than they did before humans arrived on the scene, and the world is on the brink of a sixth great extinction, a new study says. The study looks at past and present rates of extinction and finds a lower rate in the past than scientists had thought. Species are now disappearing from Earth about 10 times faster than biologists had believed, said study lead author noted biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University.... The work, published Thursday by the journal Science, was hailed as a landmark study by outside experts. Seth Borenstein reports. (Associated Press)

Cornwall landfill cleanup is one step closer to a city park
The plan to turn an old city dump site into a waterfront park is nearing the end of the regulatory process, and the Washington Department of Ecology is taking public comment on final plans for dealing with contamination there. Ecology prepared the plan as part of a legal agreement with the city of Bellingham, the Port of Bellingham, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The public is invited to comment on the plan from June 2 to July 2. John Stark reports. (Bellingham Herald)

White House energy report omits Keystone, other controversial issues
A White House report on its energy policy Thursday stressed good news but omitted any discussion of controversial issues such as lifting a ban on oil exports, the long-delayed Keystone pipeline or growing concern about crude oil in railroad tank cars. Coming days before a signature White House proposal to crack down on carbon emissions at power plants, the administration’s report card touting its “all of the above” energy strategy was sharply criticized by green groups. They complained that President Barack Obama tries to look tough on pollution while eroding that very effort by touting the record U.S. production of oil and natural gas. Kevin G. Hall reports. (McClatchy)

There's Now An App To Report Sightings Of Invasive Species
Sightings of invasive thistles, moths and wild pigs can now be reported using a smartphone app launched this week by the Washington Invasive Species Council. The idea is to get more eyes and ears on certain plants and animals that are considered destructive to the local environment. Users of the Washington Invasives App will be able to take a photo of plants and animals that they think might not belong here. Experts will then identify the species before uploading the photos to a statewide map. Rae Ellen Bichell reports. (KPLU)

Plan to add oil tanks at Kinder Morgan terminal causes concern
The Burnaby Fire Department warned of a terrifying scenario Wednesday involving a potential explosion at Kinder Morgan Canada’s Burnaby Mountain tank farm that could result in toxic fumes and a tide of molten crude rolling down toward nearby residents and an elementary school. But the company shot back that the scenario is unrealistically based on a worst-case event in which the company, which has had no tank farm fires in 60 years of operation, has taken no steps to contain the fire at the storage facility. Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bowcock said in an interview he’s concerned about the company’s plan to add 14 larger storage tanks to the 13 already located on the side of the mountain. Peter O'Neil reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI MAY 30 2014
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT THIS MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT
SW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SUN
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
--
"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

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2/19 Crow funeral, whale talk, tidal power, Esquimalt dock, cows & clams

Crow funeral (Tony Angell)

If you like to listen: Tony Angell, along with Professor John Marzluff of the University of Washington, wrote the book, Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans. Tony says, "A crow 'funeral' is where the deceased bird is surrounded by members of the same species, in significant numbers." Crow Funeral - with Tony Angell

Whale hugging; The Whale Trail’s “Orca Talk” series at C&P Coffee, 5621 California Ave SW in West Seattle, features on February 21 Lynne Barre of NOAA Fisheries speaking on how our Southern resident killer whales are doing seven years after they were listed as endangered. Also giving updates are Robin Lindsay (Seal Sitters.org) and Laura James (tox-ick.org). Suggested donation: $5. Advanced tickets at Brown Paper Tickets. Info at The Whale Trail.

While a federal study recently gave an environmental OK to the Snohomish County Public Utility District's plan to try out two tidal power turbines, some don't agree with the conclusion. Three Indian tribes, a cable company and a cable trade group all sent letters last week to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opposing the Admiralty Inlet project as it's proposed. The tribes, including the Tulalips, say the turbines could interfere with fishing. The cable interests believe the project could damage trans-Pacific cables that run through the inlet. Bill Sheets reports. Tribes, cable groups protest plan for tidal-power project

The federal government has announced a $500-million project to replace two aging docks at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Monday the existing wooden jetties will be replaced with steel docks that can accommodate four frigates, two patrol ships, one supply ship and two submarines. The minister said the contract should sustain up to 1,400 jobs over the life of the project. $500M docks to be built in Esquimalt

A new pilot program with a catchy title, “Where Cows Meet Clams” is taking off with funding from the EPA’s National Estuary Program. The idea is to link big picture concepts – the health of Puget Sound water, soil and habitat - with the health of working farms and forests in river basins. Oxbow Farm in the fertile Snoqualmie Valley is giving the program a jump start. Martha Baskin reports. “Where Cows Meet Clams”: A Farm and Forest Sustainability Program Gets a Test Run at Oxbow Farm in the Snoqualmie Valley

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST TUE FEB 19 2013
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NE. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 8 SECONDS...BECOMING NW AT 7 SECONDS.

--
"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

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2/7 Everett Herald, Budd Inlet, Peter Ross, pipelines, Great Bear Rainforest, rockfish, marine sanctuary, weather, solar

Sound and Vision (Eric Becker/Laura James)

If you like to watch: Eric Becker's film, Sound and Vision: A Film About the Salish Sea and the People that Protect It, is shown this Thursday at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Avenue, Port Townsend. Admission free, donations welcome. Call 360-344-4112.

Buy ‘em, Dano: The Everett Daily Herald is being sold to Canada's Black Press, which operates as Sound Publishing Inc. in Washington. The Washington Post Co., which has owned the newspaper for 35 years, made the announcement Wednesday. Gloria Fletcher, president of Sound Publishing, told Herald employees the transaction is expected to close in early March. Julie Muhlstein and Eric Stevick report. Daily Herald Co. being sold to Sound Publishing    See also:  Washington Post sells The Herald of Everett   And also: NW media mogul buys Everett paper and enters coastal oil debate 

A vestige of West Bay’s working waterfront began to disappear this week, one creosote-soaked piling at a time. By mid-March some 400 derelict pilings and 7,000 square-feet of abandoned docks and piers that represented the last reminders of a lower Budd Inlet shoreline once lined with lumber and plywood mills will be removed and shipped to the Roosevelt Landfill in Klickitat County. It marks the latest step in a slow but steady transformation of West Bay Drive in Olympia from an industrial corridor to a collection of parks, office buildings and shoreline property undergoing hazardous waste cleanup and redevelopment. John Dodge reports. Budd Inlet relieved of creosote pilings  

If you like to watch: Presentations from Orca Network’s Way of Whales workshop feature Dr. Peter Ross on "Of whales and men: Ocean pollution in the 21st Century" - Dr. Peter Ross, Part 1,  and Part 2.  Links to other presentations are found at Orca Network Ways of Whales Workshop presentations – 2013

Read ‘em, Dano: The battle over a big coal export terminal, proposed for Cherry Point north of Bellingham, has become a burning issue across Washington. Agencies drawing up an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal disclosed Wednesday that they have received a total of 124,000 comments from citizens on what the scope of that environmental study should be. “Everyone says they want citizens to be engaged, but when 124,000 citizens speak out loudly, the political subculture gets nervous,” said State Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, who leads a group of legislators who want environmental, economic and transportation impacts across the state to be assessed. Joel Connelly reports. A very big deal: 124,000 comments on coal port  

Oil and gas pipelines could be made safer if pipeline operators had clear guidelines for how quickly they must respond to accidents, but federal regulators don't have the data they need to establish those rules, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, an independent arm of Congress. The first few minutes and hours after a pipeline accident are considered crucial for effective cleanup and damage prevention. But the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates the nation's 400,000-mile network of large volume transmission pipelines, requires only that operators respond in a "prompt and effective” manner.  Lisa Song reports. Safety compromised by missing rules on oil and gas pipelines, GAO says

An environmental coalition will Thursday attempt to push protection of the Great Bear Rainforest onto the already crowded election agenda, issuing open letters to B.C.’s main political leaders, calling for more immediate action. “The people of British Columbia want the Great Bear Rainforest agreements completed,” said letters sent by the coalition to Premier Christy Clark and New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix. Jonathan Fowlie reports. Environmentalists look to insert Great Bear Rainforest into B.C. election agenda  

Real Fish, Rock Fish: In 2011, SeaDoc, NOAA, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hosted a joint Workshop to highlight what we know about rockfish recovery in the Salish Sea and identify where more science could help us improve our efforts. The proceedings from this workshop are now available. It's 124 pages of state-of-the-art science on the status, history and future of rockfish in the Salish Sea. From SeaDoc Society: US / Canadian Rockfish Symposium Proceedings  

Works in warm waters: A new NOAA research report finds that both fish populations and commercial and recreational anglers have benefited from "no-take" protections in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The report, "An Integrated Biogeographic Assessment of Reef Fish Populations and Fisheries in Dry Tortugas: Effects of No-take Reserves," is the first to evaluate how the 151-square nautical mile Tortugas Ecological Reserve affects the living marine resources of the region and the people whose livelihoods are connected to them. Tortugas Marine Reserve Yields More, Larger Fish

If you like to talk about it: FEBRUARY IN Seattle: It's dank. It's dark. It's windy. You're unhappy. Two words: Boo and hoo. Take a number, Sparky. Line starts over there, next to the Dri-Z-Air dehumidifier products at McClendon Hardware. Ron Judd talks. Washington weather is wacky, diverse

If you like to listen: One of the grayest corners of mainland USA, is slowly going solar, one community at a time. Solarize Washington, a program of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED), couples non-profit know how with grassroots energy. First a community finds interested homeowners, then Solarize Washington hosts a workshop complete with group discounts and know-how from solar installers. Martha Baskin reports. Solar Comes to Washington With Grassroots and Non-Profit Efforts  

President Obama on Wednesday nominated Sally Jewell, the chief executive of Recreational Equipment Inc., to lead the Interior Department, with a vow that she will balance the agency’s sometimes conflicting mandates to promote resource development and preserve the nation’s natural heritage. If confirmed, Ms. Jewell, a former oil company engineer and longtime advocate for conservation and outdoor recreation, will take over a department that has been embroiled in controversy over the regulation of oil and gas on public lands and in the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Ocean. She also will be the steward of hundreds of millions of acres of public lands, from the Everglades of Florida to the Cascades of Washington State. Ms. Jewell, 56, who also had a 19-year career as a commercial banker, took over as chief executive of REI in 2005. John Broder reports. Obama’s Choice to Lead Interior Dept. Has Oil Sector and Conservation Credentials  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 612 AM PST THU FEB 7 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT...EASING TO S 10 TO 20 KT. COMBINED SEAS 9 TO 12 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS IN
 THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
--
"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