3/26 Salish Sea News and Weather: Tulips, Sound pilots, ghost ship, Tesoro spill, Kitsap shoreline, lead shot, Saanich sewage, coal trains, Mukilteo midden, Chinook season, K'omoks, Cedar Grove compost, enviros on pipeline, x-treme weather, Miss Universe Canada

In Skagit County, the blossoming of the tulips and subsequent throngs of on-lookers visiting the Tulip Festival designate, for many, the changing of the seasons.  Tulips expected to be right on time  

Good story: Puget Sound pilots are the 52 elite mariners who guide vessels around local waters. Pilots, who each made about $340,000 last year, say they're underpaid; shippers who pay their salaries disagree. Bob Young in the Seattle Times reports. Puget Sound pilots: Job of risk, reward   

After being flushed out to sea by last year’s massive tsunami and earthquake, a Japanese squid-fishing boat has drifted across the Pacific Ocean and was about 120 nautical miles off British Columbia’s north coast Friday evening. The 150-foot ship was found drifting right-side-up about 140 nautical miles (260 km) from Cape Saint James, on the southern tip of Haida Gwaii. Ghost ship lost in Japanese tsunami drifts to B.C. coast

Tesoro Anacortes refinery spilled about 27,000 gallons of gasoline-quality material Saturday morning from an above-ground storage tank into a containment basin. The spill did not reach surface water, according to a release from the state Department of Ecology. Cleanup efforts are under way, the release states. Crews will drain the product and some rainwater from the basin. They will recover most of the product for reprocessing, and the rest will go though the refinery’s industrial wastewater treatment system. Cleanup of spill under way at Tesoro

The first open house dedicated entirely to the proposed Kitsap County Shoreline Management Master Program will be Tuesday at the Kitsap County Administration Building in Port Orchard. The plan is the result of a three-year effort by Kitsap County planners and a shoreline task force consisting of residents representing various interests. Proposed shoreline rules to be discussed at county open house  

"I live with the results of lead shot," said Martha Jordan, a 62-year-old wildlife biologist from Everett. "I live it, I breathe it - and it just sickens me when people continue to use it. ... It's pretty heartwrenching for everybody involved. I don't want to do this. I don't want to spend my time picking up dying swans. We pick them up every year. It's a constant, chronic problem." In a move opposed by many hunters, Jordan, along with 100 organizations in 35 states, wants the Environmental Protection Agency to ban or severely limit the use of toxic lead in hunting ammunition. Judson Lake swan biologist among those pushing for federal ban on lead ammo

About 30,000 litres of sewage leaked out of a pressurized sewage pipe that burst at a Cordova Bay pump station Wednesday. The leak occurred at the southeast corner of Haliburton Road and Lochside Drive and much of the sewage ended up in storm drains, travelling to the beach below, which remains closed. It could take weeks to determine why Saanich sewage pipe burst

EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn talks to Eric de Place, a researcher with Sightline Institute about the supply of coal in the Midwest, the demand for coal from China, and the Northwest being right in the middle.  EarthFix Conversations: Coal Coming Through A Community Near You?  http://earthfix.kcts9.org/energy/article/earthfix-conversations-coal-coming-through-a-commu/

The area proposed for a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo is laced with a shell midden containing Indian artifacts, but state and tribal officials say it won't necessarily pose an obstacle to the project. Indian artifacts found at Mukilteo dock site  

Sports anglers should look at the bigger picture before refusing to accept further restrictions on the summer chinook fishery, conservation groups say. Conservation must come before the interests of any fishing sector, whether recreational, First Nations or commercial, said Aaron Hill of Watershed Watch Salmon Society. "Any harvesting sector who refuses to comply with necessary conservation measures does not deserve any fish at all and violations of conservation-based fishing regulations should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Chinook recovery must trump fisheries, conservationists say

Members of a small first nation in Vancouver Island's picturesque Comox Valley have taken a major step toward securing $17.5-million and more than 2,000 hectares of land under a final treaty. The K'omoks First Nation, which has about 275 members, signed an agreement in principle Saturday with the provincial and federal governments. Of the 60 first nations participating in the treaty process, only two, the Maa-nulth, located on Vancouver Island's west coast, and the Tsawwassen, located south of Vancouver, have signed final treaties, according to the BC Treaty Commission.  B.C. first nation one step closer to $17.5-million treaty  

Recent state testing on emissions at one of Cedar Grove Composting's plants showed the presence of some toxic substances such as benzene and formaldehyde, but officials say it doesn't mean the business poses a hazard to human health.  The testing was done by the state Department of Ecology last June only to gather information about composting operations in general and not to investigate any operation in particular. Cedar Grove Composting plant emissions test shows low-level toxins

An email discussion by key members of the conservation movement in British Columbia focused on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project and revealed some broad disagreements over the biggest environmental issue facing the province. Among the many contributors were Carmen Purdy, former president of the BC Wildlife Federation, Ray Demarchi, the retired chief of wildlife conservation for the province, and Dave Narver, former director of the B.C. Fisheries Branch. Environmentalists differ sharply on pipeline proposal

The past decade has been one of unprecedented weather extremes. Scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany argue that the high incidence of extremes is not merely accidental. From the many single events a pattern emerges. At least for extreme rainfall and heat waves the link with human-caused global warming is clear, the scientists show in a new analysis of scientific evidence in the journal Nature Climate Change. Less clear is the link between warming and storms, despite the observed increase in the intensity of hurricanes. Extreme Weather of Last Decade Part of Larger Pattern Linked to Global Warming  

Oh, No, Canada! Vancouver's Jenna Talackova did not meet pageant 'requirements' Miss Universe Canada disqualifies transgender contestantl

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT MON MAR 26 2012
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 4 TO 6 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"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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3/23 BLM lands, Seattle drains, ocean policies, naval sonar, BP CP, plane fuel, bag ban, Waldron lands

Varied Thrush (PHOTO: Dave Green)

Tomorrow, March 24, is the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker disaster in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Where were you on March 24, 1989?

Cliff Mass writes: "It is hard to remember such an extended period in March where snow was falling somewhere over the lowlands of western Washington and Oregon.... But I have good news...I think snow is over for the lowlands...and probably for the rest of the spring." It's a Miracle: Normal Weather Returns

Look and listen. We agree with Dave Green at Lake Padden News, who writes: “Seems we’re having a late spring.  The Indian Plum by the dog park is just now putting out its first tentative blooms.  (should have happened in February)” OK It’s Spring on the Calendar

New blog: Two Cultures of Capitalism

A bill to establish a National Conservation Area that would give permanent protection to 1,000 acres of unique landscapes in the San Juan Islands is wending its way through Congress. A key committee took up the legislation Thursday and Senator Maria Cantwell told a panel that the bill would stave off the threat of future development. Cantwell says there is widespread local support for preservation of the land. Senate holds hearing on protection for San Juans' public lands  

Steve Suhy said he was stunned by what he saw almost daily walking to his bus in the heart of downtown Seattle. “These guys fill up these large cafeteria size trash bins of cleanser or something like that and just dump it right down this alley all the way through here,” Suhy said. KING5 investigates: 'Only rain down the drain' not always the case in Seattle

From Surfrider: Communities on the Pacific Coast have been calling for stronger representation in decision-making that impacts the health of coastal marine resources. Now, after a year-long, locally-driven planning process, coastal communities have a stronger voice with a new coastal ocean policy body that will advise state and tribal managers on issues pertaining to coastal beaches, estuaries and marine waters. Their first meeting is today in Aberdeen. Read about it here.

Environmental groups on both sides of the Canadian border say they are worried that their own militaries could be injuring or even killing endangered orcas. In separate letters, representatives from 18 U.S. conservation groups and six Canadian groups are calling on their navies to prohibit the use of sonar in the inland waters on both sides of the border, including Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Use of sonar questioned on both sides of border

Refining operations at the BP Cherry Point refinery have not gotten back to normal since a Feb. 17 fire in the crude vacuum unit sent smoke and flames billowing.  Asked if refinery operators have a target date for resumption of refining operations, company spokesman Bill Kidd said they do. But he added that he was not at liberty to share that information. BP refinery operations have yet to resume  

Nearly 40 years after US gasoline pumps started carrying unleaded fuel, small airplanes continue to burn leaded fuel. The aviation industry says it has tried for more than 20 years to develop a fuel that sends planes, but not lead, into the air. What's taking so long? John Ryan at KUOW reports: Stalling Innovation On Aviation Fuel  

Come into the kitchen, the community kitchen, the smells are irresistible. Community Kitchens NW are part of a growing trend to make ‘scratch’ cooking fun while improving food security in vulnerable communities. Martha Baskin at Green Acre Radio and 6th and 7th grade chefs present:  It’s the “RaVE” at Aki Kurose Middle School: Changing Food Choices with Community Kitchens

Residents crowded Bainbridge Island City Hall during last week’s council meeting to say they’d had enough of disposable, one-use plastic bags. The council is considering a ban of plastic bags that have long been hallmarks of the grocery industry. Most of those who testified said they were happy to see them go. Islanders show support for plastic bag ban  

In Island County’s Dist. 1 commissioner race, competing philosophies about how to pay for water resources programs mandated by state law are among the reasons motivating two Republicans and one independent candidate to challenge incumbent Democratic Commissioner Helen Price Johnson. Disagreement over environmental rules fuels Dist. 1 race 

The Nature Conservancy has transferred title and stewardship responsibilities for two nature preserves on Waldron Island-- the 269-acre Cowlitz Bay Preserve and 208-acre Bitte Baer Preserve -- to the San Juan Preservation Trust, a 33-year-old non-profit land trust that serves the San Juan Islands. SJ Preservation Trust inherits pair of Waldron Island preserves

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 237 AM PDT FRI MAR 23 2012
TODAY
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SE 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL
 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT.

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"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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3/22 'Ghosts,' flood plain insurance, no ivy, nurse log, bacteria ID, Sooke, oil drilling, pipeline, blue trees

Laurie MacBride: Life Among the Ghosts

Laurie MacBride in Eye on the Environment writes about Ocean Falls: “Nestled against the mountains of Cousins Inlet on BC’s Central Coast, it’s a town that lives up to its name: with 172 inches/year of rain, it’s no wonder the 50 hardy year-round residents of Ocean Falls and adjacent Martin Valley call themselves The Rain People.”  Life Among the Ghosts

A Seattle district court judge will hear arguments Tuesday in a suit brought by the National Wildlife Federation against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying the agency has not upheld a requirement to restrict development in flood plains as required by a mandate to protect endangered and threatened species like orca whales and the salmon they feed on. The federation’s request would prevent the federal government from issuing any new flood insurance policies for new construction in flood plains. But 16 Puget Sound cities join FEMA in saying such a restriction would halt development altogether. Seattle court to hear argument to ban issuance of flood insurance to new developments  

Leaders in a new campaign to address Vashon’s ivy problem will kick off the effort this weekend with a workshop show Islanders how to remove the noxious plant from their own property. Ivy-Free Vashon, a campaign headed by Islanders Sarah Driggs and Cindy Young, will host the Saturday workshop at Vashon Park District’s Wingehaven Park, a swath of land on the north end that is overrun by English ivy, a harmful and highly invasive plant. Workshop will kick off a campaign to give Vashon’s ivy the boot

If you walk through a forest in the Pacific Northwest, you may see a row of trees growing in a perfectly straight line. They mark the place where an old tree once fell. In the next part of our series, "More Than A Tree," KUOW's Sarah Waller explores the science and symbolism of the nurse log. Lessons From A Nurse Log

Scientists in B.C. are developing new tools that will cut the time needed for water testing from days to just hours and allow public safety officials to detect contamination in time to head off illness. Researchers at the British Columbia Public Health Laboratories are designing a completely new approach to water testing using metagenomics, a way to detect the genetic signature of dozens of organisms all at the same time within hours of sampling. B.C. scientists engineer water-testing tool kit that IDs bacteria by genetics

A neon-rainbow colored sheen seen by island residents in the Winslow Ravine and nearby waters is not coming from the former Unocal gas station property, according to Kitsap Transit, but is most likely from a marine source. Eagle Harbor, where the ravine empties, is home to a ferry dock as well as other marinas and daily boat traffic. Experts say pollution found near Winslow Ravine not coming from Unocal property

Speculation is growing over what caused the death of a young resident killer whale and conservation organizations want the Royal Canadian Navy to stop holding military training exercises in the whales' critical habitat. David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, Greenpeace, Living Oceans, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club B.C., Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the World Wildlife Fund want an end to military exercises in the area and a release of all information about activities in the area that might have contributed to Sooke's death. Killer whale death leads to call for ban on navy exercises  

It's the political cure-all for high gas prices: Drill here, drill now. But more U.S. drilling has not changed how deeply the gas pump drills into your wallet, math and history show. A statistical analysis of 36 years of monthly, inflation-adjusted gasoline prices and U.S. domestic oil production by The Associated Press shows no statistical correlation between how much oil comes out of U.S. wells and the price at the pump. FACT CHECK: More US drilling didn't drop gas price  So: Unhappy public not sure who to blame for high gas

Nevertheless: President Barack Obama is fending off criticism of his energy policies and directing federal agencies Thursday to expedite a 485-mile line from Oklahoma to refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast that would remove a critical bottleneck in the country's oil transportation system. The directive would also apply to other pipelines that alleviate choke points. Obama putting Oklahoma pipeline on fast track

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that property owners have a right to prompt review by a judge of an important tool used by the Environmental Protection Agency to address water pollution. The court sided with an Idaho couple who object to an EPA order that blocked construction of their new home near a scenic lake and threatened fines of more than $30,000 a day. The agency said part of the property was a wetlands that could not disturbed without a permit. Court sides with property owners over EPA

Go figure: A King County arts organization says 56 trees in Seattle and Kenmore will be painted blue starting April 2 in a temporary art project meant to make people aware of global deforestation. 4Culture says volunteers will paint 16 trees at Seattle's Westlake Park and 40 trees along the Burke-Gillman bike trail. The group calls "The Blue Trees" a "socially driven art action." Seattle trees to be painted blue in enviro campaign

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PDT THU MAR 22 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING
TODAY
W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 9 FT AT 10 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"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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3/21 GPT coal, Samish fecals, Lummi oil, BP Gulf oil, wolves, Elwha Love, bag monster, killing sea lions

Nutria (WDFW)

Cliff Mass asks— then answers: “Does it warm up faster or slower here compared to the rest of the country?  What states warm up the most?” A New View of Seasonal Changes

If you like to watch: Drew Christie on Washington’s ‘invasive’ nutria. ‘Hi! I’m a Nutria’

About 800 people packed the Bellingham High School theater Tuesday, March 20, to learn how they can make their voices heard during the lengthy environmental review process for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal coal and bulk cargo pier proposed for Cherry Point. Meeting on Gateway Pacific coal terminal process draws 800 people   See also: Controversy continues over proposed coal export terminals  See also: Environmental Review Process Kicks Off For Gateway Pacific Terminal In Bellingham

SSA Marine has provided Whatcom County with more details on its plans for the Gateway Pacific Terminal coal and bulk cargo pier the firm hopes to build at Cherry Point. The documentation submitted March 19 to the Whatcom County Planning Department contains few, if any, surprises. The basic outline of the project is the same as the one that has been a focal point for public debate since it was announced. SSA adds details to Gateway Pacific Terminal proposal for Cherry Point    See also: Coal port advocates narrow the range of environmental impacts  Download the permit application (14.49 MB PDF) here. 

“We’re not getting the big high hits we used to. It’s not to say we won’t have them again, but this is encouraging,” Rick Haley, water quality analyst with Skagit County, said of data showing decreasing fecal coliform levels taken recently from the Skagit River. Skagit Conservation District invited cattle farmers and horse owners to discuss solutions to pollution in Samish Bay Monday night in what may become a series of future discussions among those involved in the Clean Samish Initiative. Concerns, solutions explored at Clean Samish meeting

No signs of oil have been observed since state inspectors noticed a spill last week near two sunken barges in a cove off the Lummi Island quarry. One barge has been removed. The second barge, 120 feet long, had heavy oil trapped in sediment in the bottom of the hull and in foam pads used to plug holes in the side of the barge.  No oil visible as crews remove source of Lummi Island spill  

Since the explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, scientists have been working to understand the impact that this disaster has had on the environment. For months, crude oil gushed into the water at a rate of approximately 53,000 barrels per day before the well was capped on July 15, 2010. A new study confirms that oil from the Macondo well made it into the ocean's food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton.  Oil from Deepwater Horizon Disaster Entered Food Chain in the Gulf of Mexico  

Residents and tourists in Tofino and Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island, are being warned to keep a close eye on their children and pets after two dogs were killed during the night, possibly by wolves. Vancouver Island wolf attacks prompt warnings for pets, children

Elwha Love: After more than a decade, Elwha Dam is gone and Glines Canyon Dam is mostly gone, reopening a river that once was home to all five species of Pacific salmon. Rush of freedom for Elwha as dam comes down

An effort to ban plastic shopping bags in Port Townsend received a monster-sized boost earlier this week with a presentation to the City Council dramatizing the effect of the ubiquitous receptacles on the local ecology. Port Townsend resident Jude Rubin arrived at Monday's council meeting dressed up as a “Bag Monster,” wearing a suit made of plastic shopping bags that made her look like a cross between a Yeti and a landfill.  ‘Bag Monster' invades Port Townsend City Hall in support of plastic bag ban

Plans to resume killing California sea lions that eat endangered salmon at Bonneville Dam are on hold again.  The states of Oregon and Washington had been set Tuesday to resume trapping and lethally injecting sea lions that eat salmon at the dam, but they agreed to hold off pending a federal court hearing Thursday in Washington, D.C. Plans to kill salmon-eating sea lions held again

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 240 AM PDT WED MAR 21 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING
TODAY
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT EARLY EASING TO S 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 21 FT AT 15 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 17 FT AT 14 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 12 TO 14 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 10 TO 12 FT AT 12 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SE 5 TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. RAIN LIKELY.

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"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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3/20 Coal scoping, Swinomish shores, Fisheries Act, cruise ships, sea rise, ginkos, sonar, fishing quiz

MUTTS by Patrick McDonnell

Ah, Spring...

A public meeting regarding the environmental review of the Gateway Pacific Terminal will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the Bellingham High School theater at 2020 Cornwall Ave. Whatcom County staffers, the Washington Department of Ecology and a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers will outline key points and approximate dates for the project’s upcoming environmental review, and answer questions from the public. Coal terminal meeting Tuesday night

Non-tribal residents on the Swinomish reservation are protesting the tribe’s efforts to buckle down on restricted activities on tribal tidelands. While the tribe says it wants to protect sensitive habitat on land trusted to them by the federal government, homeowners say the tribe has no right to govern land that was deeded to them by the state, highlighting a legal quandary that hasn’t been resolved between the state and Swinomish tribe. Swinomish tribe reasserts authority over tidelands

Scientists are calling on the Harper government to scrap plans to weaken the federal Fisheries Act, saying it will "severely impair" Canada's ability to protect biodiversity and species at risk. They also want Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield to come clean about what scientists inside his own department think of the proposed changes. Scientists speak out against proposed Fisheries Act changes

Last season, about 200 calls brought nearly 900,000 passengers and their wallets though the city. Projections for this season are about the same. Each call equates to about $1.9 million in local spending. But that economic benefit comes with ecological risk. Now the state’s Department of Ecology is backing a proposed ban on cruise ship discharges while the vessels are in Washington waters.  Bellamy Pailthorp at KPLU reports: Ban on cruise ship discharges proposed for Washington waters

Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends, future generations will have to deal with sea levels 12 to 22 meters (40 to 70 feet) higher than at present, according to research published in the journal Geology.  Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations   

Seventeen and a half thousand Oregon and Washington homes could be inundated by rising seas caused by global warming over the next century, according to a study by the research non-profit Climate Central and the University of Arizona. 17,500 Northwest Homes In Harm’s Way From Rising Seas

Sarah Waller at KUOW tells a story about male and female ginko trees. Oo-lala. Birds And The Bees

Ashley Ahearn at EarthFix reports on the wrap up of the Navy's series of public meetings before seeking permits to expand the areas off the Northwest coast where it uses sonar, despite objections from environmentalists that this is harmful to whales and other marine mammals. Navy Looks To Renew Permits For Sonar Testing In Northwest

Mark Yuasa in the Seattle Times has this week's Reel Time Trivia:  “This bay in Puget Sound used to house rows and rows of boathouses back in the 1930s-40s of salmon fishing's hey days. All one had to do was row or if you could afford it motor out in front of the boathouses between two major waterways that flowed from hillsides of the Cascade mountains, and catch a big king salmon. There is one of the oldest derbies that still holds it contest in this bay that lies in front of a major city, but chinook runs have now dwindled to the point where there is no fishing during the peak summer months. On odd years this bay is now flooded with millions of pink salmon that have found a new home in the river above it. Coho net pens still fuel some fishing during the summer in the outer portions of the bay.” Where am I fishing? It's Reel Time Trivia so put on your fishing thinking cap  

And thanks to Josh for sharing an incredible photo by Doug Perrine taken along the sandy shores on Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives at night. Check out Sea of Stars

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT TUE MAR 20 2012
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT. COMBINED SEAS 9 TO 11 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 10 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 13 TO 15 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 12 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 22 FT AT 14 SECONDS.  SHOWERS.

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"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

3/19 Oil spills, pot good, Laura James, Varvara, Elwha Love, B'ham events, Gasworks Superfund, sports chinook, Snow geese, Powell River mill, Harper pier, Oly forest plan, phthalates

Invader and drydock (US Coast Guard)

The Invader, a 140-foot tug containing 50,000 to 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel capsized and sank at the Vigor Marine Shipyard in Everett on Saturday along with a 200-foot section of dry dock. Tug sinks in Everett, creating threat of fuel leak

No oil was visible in the water or the nearby beach Friday, one day after a spill was discovered at the foot of the Lummi Rock quarry. The oil had come from the hull of one of two barges submerged just off a dock at the quarry, operated by Aggregates West. Booms and absorbent pads are in place to remove the oil that has already leaked into the small cove and onto the beach; the main thrust of the cleanup will be removal of the polluted barge. Sunken barge will be dismantled to clean up Lummi Island oil spill

Proposed oil pipelines proved more contentious than pot for Victoria councillors this week as they went on record opposing the former and supporting the latter. A motion supporting the taxation and regulation of cannabis passed without debate. Victoria will write to other municipalities across the country and to federal and provincial justice ministers informing them of council’s position. Victoria council deems pot good, pipelines bad

Laura James loves Puget Sound. She's an avid diver but was disgusted by what she saw beneath the surface. James took it upon herself to become a one woman clean-up crew.  "I've been able to remove about 1,100 pounds of lead from the Sound," she says proudly. Half a ton of junk removed from Elliott Bay by West Seattle diver  Check out Laura’s project at Beneath the Looking Glass Project  

Varvara, a rare western gray whale, is speeding up the west coast, probably on her way home to Russia's Sakhalin Island. The nine-year-old female was near the Washington-B.C. border Friday, travelling north at a speed of about 160 kilometres a day, which should get her to Tofino in time for the Pacific Rim Whale Festival, which runs until March 25. Rare whale passing near Island festival  

Elwha Love: At 7:30 Friday morning, contractors started shifting the Elwha River back into its natural channel. Within four to five days, the river will be fully back in its native channel -- for the first time in a century. Within four to five weeks, the final draw down of Lake Aldwell, the reservoir behind Elwha Dam, will also be complete -- and the dam, and its reservoir, will be history. Elwha River back in its natural channel; first time in a century

Coming Thursday in The City of Subdued Excitement: Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association hosts its annual celebration, recognizing the past year's accomplishments and the community's help, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Majestic, 1027 N. Forest St. Salmon group to hold annual celebration in Bellingham   "Sound and Vision," a documentary about cleanup efforts in Puget Sound, will show at 6:30 p.m. at Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay St. Documentary on Puget Sound to show in Bellingham

The Bremerton Gasworks site in West Bremerton, heavily contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals, is likely to become a federal Superfund site by the end of April, officials say. If listed as proposed, the Bremerton Gasworks site will be the first in Washington state to be added to the Superfund list since 2007. That's when the 27-acre Lockheed-West Seattle site was designated for federal oversight by the EPA. Bremerton Gasworks remains under review

Fishermen in Greater Victoria are reeling after being told the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is looking at "draconian" restrictions on the summer chinook salmon fishery in Juan de Fuca Strait. Members of the Victoria-South Island Sport Fishing Advisory Board and industry representatives say plans to further restrict or even close the chinook fishery in the peak season of June, July and August could cause the collapse of the southern Vancouver Island sports fishing industry. 'Draconian' chinook cuts loom for anglers

Vasiliy Baranyuk has been researching Snow geese on Siberia’s remote Wrangel Island for 30 years. Working with Fir Island farmer and bird enthusiast Maynard Axelson, Baranyuk has caught birds here that he banded in Russia over a decade ago, giving valuable information to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Where the snow geese go  

B.C. Jobs Minister Pat Bell says he is trying to get a project back on the rails that would see the city of Powell River fix its deficient sewage-treatment system while helping to keep its major industrial taxpayer, financially troubled Catalyst Paper, afloat. The city and the mill’s owners reached a deal billed as “win-win” last year. The city, which is failing to comply with provincial environmental standards for its sewage outfall, would hook up to the paper mill’s treatment system. It would provide a low-cost solution for the city, and a steady income to the mill’s owners. B.C. tries to revive ‘win win’ project with Powell River and mill

Port of Bremerton commissioners told nearly 60 Harper fishing pier supporters they want to keep the South Kitsap landmark as badly as anybody. The port has put $250,000 into repairs since 2000, but more fixes won't extend its life for long, said Steve Slaton, the port's director of marine facilities. It must be replaced entirely for about $1.5 million, progressively rebuilt as needed, or torn down. Leaders back saving Harper pier

A set-aside plan to take 21 percent of Olympic National Forest out of potential timber production and designate it as wilderness would simply feed into a trend away from logging and into a growing service economy that focuses more on recreation and tourism, according to a study by Headwaters Economics Associate Director Ben Alexander. The study was commissioned and paid for by the Quilcene-based Wild Olympics Campaign, which has put forward a similar, though less sweeping, proposal. “The proposal could provide significant economic benefits by building on the Peninsula’s current competitive strengths centered around its spectacular public lands,” said Quilcene resident Connie Gallant, chairwoman of the Wild Olympics Campaign. Impact of wilderness plan on timber industry reignites jobs vs. trees debate   

Many environmental and public health officials are concerned about the potential health effects of phthalates, which are common chemicals used to make plastics softer and more pliable. In the first study to examine what effect in utero doses of phthalates have on the reproductive system of mice, Brown University toxicologists found that extremely high doses were associated with significant changes, such as a shortened reproductive lifespan and abnormal cell growth in mammary glands. Highly Exposed to Phthalates as Fetuses, Female Mice Have Altered Reproductive Lives

Now, your tug weather--

WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 237 AM PDT MON MAR 19 2012
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S 25 TO 35 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. COMBINED SEAS 6 TO 8 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF
 11 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 TO 13 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 11 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN.

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"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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3/16 Fukushima, Vancouver, state budget, Lummi spill, Way Out Kids, forage fish, kill sea lions, bluebirds, San Juan shores, Poulsbo shores, Kirkland stormwater, coal exports, Point Ruston

Botanical Beach, Vancouver Is (K.Kennell)

Cliff Mass blogs on The Revenge of La Nina.

New blog: “Laws are sand, customs are rock.”

As the world remembers Fukushima, Nobel Prize winner Dr. Helen Caldicott, in Seattle this week for the event, “Lessons from Fukushima for the Northwest”, reminds the nation that nuclear fall out isn’t only for a year. Radiation is a silent killer, says Caldicott, the repercussions last for hundreds of years. Lessons from Fukushima: Dr. Helen Caldicott and Local Filmmaker Speak Out

Vancouver is growing way too fast. The construction is phenomenal and accelerating. There is no law, human or natural, that says this has to happen. We can be masters of our own destiny. Naysayers claim you cannot slow growth. Of course you can. You cut down the number of building permits. Down considerably. Give developers points for imagination and amenity, not density. Gordon Gibson opines in Time to put brakes on Vancouver's growth

Republicans and Democrats have agreed to not cut education funding, but otherwise remain far apart on how to close a roughly $1 billion shortfall in the state budget. Gov. Chris Gregoire is threatening to veto bills if lawmakers don't compromise and deliver a budget soon. Lawmakers still in deadlock on budget; Gregoire threatens vetoes

An oil spill from two sunken barges on the south end of Lummi Island has been contained as of Thursday afternoon. Divers from Ballard Diving and Salvage of Seattle were cutting one of two submerged barges into pieces for removal on Thursday when a sheen of oil, 100 feet long and 6 feet wide, appeared and moved toward shore in strong winds. Oil spill off Lummi Island contained; cleanup planned for Friday

Way Out Kids uses music and multimedia to educate young people. The organization’s furry hip-hop mascot, Rodney Raccoon, makes frequent appearances in the Tacoma area. Way Out Kids is looking for five to 20 children, ages 8-12, to act in a 30- to 45-minute video, “Rodney Goes Green,” which will focus on environmental issues, mostly notably on polluted run-off. Auditions will be Saturday and March 24. Kids sought for environmental video

As ocean scientists probe what ails some of the largest creatures in the sea, a wave of new research is urging them to look at the little things — specifically the tiny schooling fish like herring, smelt, sardines and squid that are the food of choice for many of the ocean's top predators. But there is increasing pressure globally to harvest marine "forage fish" for everything from hog feed and fertilizer to fishmeal in tuna pens or as bait for recreational or commercial fishing. Craig Welch at the Seattle Times reports: Increasing pressure to harvest small fish worries scientists

Kill ‘em, Dano: NOAA Fisheries Service said Thursday that Oregon, Washington and Idaho can trap and kill up to 92 sea lions annually for the next four years. Feds OK killing of sea lions that eat endangered salmon in Columbia River

It costs about $30,000 to bring Western bluebirds back to live on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. There's travel, paperwork and permits at the U.S. border, temporary aviaries to be used before the birds move to well-equipped nesting boxes, naturalists and biologists to help with the transition and an ongoing supply of mealworms. But worth it, according to Shyanne Smith, executive director for the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team. "They are wonderful birds to work with and really easy to reintroduce," she said. Group cheered by prospect of bluebirds' return

Friends of the San Juans has received competitive funding through the National Estuary Program to study threats to shoreline habitat, private property, and public infrastructure from rising sea levels and the cumulative impacts of shoreline modifications in San Juan County. The results of the study, which will include new erosion rates and sea level rise models and maps, as well as ways to reduce risk, will be applicable throughout Puget Sound.  Friends of the San Juans receives notable shoreline protection grant

Port of Poulsbo commissioners are calling for the city to extend its approval deadline for the update to its Shoreline Master Program, saying they would like more time to work with the city to make sure the plan doesn't hinder their ability to operate in the future. Port commissioners ask Poulsbo to slow approval of shoreline plan

Kirkland residents are invited to provide comments by March 26 on the 2012 Stormwater Management Program, which identifies the city’s strategies to engage and educate the public about stormwater management, spill prevention, and dumping into the stormwater system, and requirements for development projects to control and treat runoff. Public invited to comment on Kirkland’s Stormwater Management Program

Right now, several major coal companies are proposing to develop Northwest ports to export coal from the Powder River Basin to Asia; including ports at Cherry Point, WA; Longview, WA; Grays Harbor, WA; Coos Bay, OR; St. Helens, OR; and Port of Morrow, OR. Mary Anne Hitt from Sierra Club blogs on New Plans For Coal Exports Are Bad Business  

After several years of marching in place, developers of a huge housing, retail and office complex along Tacoma’s Ruston Way are moving forward with construction. The first fruits of that renewed activity at Point Ruston, on the site of a former Asarco copper mill near Point Defiance Park, will open to the public late this spring. Point Ruston springs to life with developments

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 815 AM PDT FRI MAR 16 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W SWELL 11 FT AT 10 SECONDS. S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 11 SECONDS. NE WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THEN CHANCE OF RAIN.
SAT
N WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING NW 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. RAIN...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT.
SUN
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 9 FT.
SUN NIGHT
E WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 9 FT.

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"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