7/12 Big berg, BC LNG, net pens, Columbia R., Pebble Mine, Canuck the Crow, plant power, KOMO talk

Odhner's dorid [Steve Lonhart]

Odhner's dorid Doris odhneri
Doris odhneri can be found from Kenai Peninsula, Alaska to Point Loma, California; it is the largest nudibranch on the California coast, measuring up to 20 cm. It is completely white in color with no markings, however anomalies with a yellowish hue have been described in the Puget Sound region. A conspicuous characteristic of this nudibranch is its gill. It is also often referred to as Odhner's dorid to honor Nils Hjalmar Odhner, the scientist it is named after. (Wikipedia)

Giant iceberg splits from Antarctic
One of the biggest icebergs ever recorded has just broken away from Antarctica. The giant block is estimated to cover an area of roughly 6,000 sq km; that's about a quarter the size of Wales. An US satellite observed the berg on Wednesday while passing over a region known as the Larsen C Ice Shelf. Jonathan Amos reports. (BBC)

Proposed LNG project would emit 360 million metric tonnes of CO2, expert warns
An environmental protection group fighting to overturn federal approval of a $36-billion LNG project in B.C. says it will hurt Canada's chance of hitting climate change targets far more than forecast, with a 360 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Earlier this year, a group of international climate change experts spoke out against the Prince Rupert B.C., project, warning it would become one of Canada's top greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters if built, making it impossible for B.C. to meet GHG emissions targets.  Yvette Brend reports. (CBC)

Net Pen Application & Public Hearing scheduled for Clallam County
Al Bergstein writes: "So here we go folks. Your waters, your voice. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to save and restore wild salmon, now we are expected to trade off the known downsides of net pens for our wild salmon. Net pens are disease vectors, they pollute the waters with feces of millions of fish, and the antibiotics and other drugs that are needed to protect the herded fish from disease. They are a breeding ground for sea lice which then attach themselves to migrating fish from the entire Sound that will passing by the pens. This is an incredibly bad idea that will only profit a small shareholder class and the tiny number of workers employed by them. Is this really what we want? This is your chance to speak out. It’s not happening, “somewhere else.”  This is here in our waters right offshore." Read the legal notice details. (Olympic Peninsula Environmental News)

More natural Columbia River flow would aid Northwest, tribal study says
Allowing the Columbia to flow more like a natural river would help the region financially, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits to local communities, Northwest tribes say. In a 150-page study, the tribes make a financial case for modernizing dam operations in the Columbia Basin and releasing more water during dry years to aid struggling salmon runs. Even modest changes could add up to $19 billion annually in economic benefits for the region, the study said. Becky Kramer reports. (Spokesman Review)

EPA taking comments on lifting proposed mine restrictions 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first step toward reversing its proposed restrictions on large-scale mining near the headwaters of a major salmon fishery in southwest Alaska. As part of a legal settlement reached in May with the Pebble Limited Partnership, the EPA pledged to initiate a process for withdrawing the proposed restrictions. EPA announced Tuesday that it would hold a 90-day comment period on the intended withdrawal. Becky Bohrer reports. (Associated Press) See also: The Deep Industry Ties of Trump’s Deregulation Teams  Danielle Ivory and Robert Faturechi report. (NY Times)

Caws for celebration: Canuck the Crow lands a paying gig at PNE
IT specialists probably think they’ve heard it all, but Loredana Udovicic has a new one for them: The crow stole my keyboard. Well, not the entire keyboard, but the manager of food and beverage at the Pacific National Exhibition has had to repeatedly ask her IT department for a replacement keyboard after Canuck the Crow flew through an open window into her office and made off with one of the keys…. Canuck has been visiting the PNE ever since he learned to fly a couple of years ago. Staff began treating him like an honorary employee. This year, the Exhibition decided to make him a full-time employee, fitting since tens of thousands of youngsters got their first paying job at the PNE over its 107-year history, according to the fair. Gordon McIntyre reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Plants Turn Caterpillars into Cannibals
It is not unusual for insect pests to feast on each other as well as on their staple veg, but it's now been shown that tomato plants can team up to directly push caterpillars into cannibalism….. Herbivorous pests often turn on each other when their food is of poor quality or it runs out. And some plants are known to affect the behaviour of their pests by making them more predatory towards other species. But until now it was unclear whether plants could directly cause caterpillar cannibalism.  Laura Castells reports. (Scientific American/Nature America)

Coming soon to KOMO: More editorials from ex-Trump official
Seattle, meet Boris Epshteyn. You’re about to see a lot more of him. Epshteyn is many things: a banker, a communications flack for Republican campaigns, a surrogate for President Donald Trump’s campaign and, briefly, a member of his administration. In recent months, he’s become something else: The Senior Political Analyst for Sinclair Broadcast Group — the media giant that owns 170 local news stations nationwide and functions with a widely accepted hard-right lilt. Among those stations is Seattle’s KOMO news. David Kroman reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  304 AM PDT Wed Jul 12 2017  
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft  at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3  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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7/11 Leque Is,, xylene, race pollution, orca hormones, ocean acid, news boom, fast ferry

Hardhack [Fourth Corner Nurseries]

Hardhack Spiraea douglasii
Spiraea douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the rose family native to western North America. Common names include hardhack, hardhack steeplebush, Douglas' spirea, douglasspirea, steeplebush, and rose spirea. (Wikipedia) Native deciduous shrub grows to 6-12′ tall with showy pink flowers. Prefers wet habitats, spreading vigorously by rhizomes. Competes favorably with reed canary grass. Tolerates salt spray in shoreline plantings. (Fourth Corner Nurseries)

Project on Leque Island in Stanwood all for salmon, wildlife
Several hundred flood-prone acres that were used as farmland for more than a century are being transformed into a saltwater marsh. Work is set to start this month on a project that, over the next few years, is meant to carve out tidal channels, build earth mounds and remove levees around Leque Island, located between Stanwood and Camano Island. Leque is closing to the public starting July 17 for the first phase of the roughly $6 million project. The closure is expected to last until the middle of October. Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

Final study released for Tesoro refinery xylene project
Skagit County reached no new conclusions in the final environmental impact statement it released Monday for a project proposed at the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery at March Point. Skagit County Planning and Development Services has determined the project would have no significant environmental impacts that would require mitigation. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

How is pollution connected to race and inequality?
The Trump administration has proposed cutting the EPA's budget by 30 percent. What does that mean for polluted communities in the U.S.? The effects of pollution and climate change don’t affect us all equally. Those hit hardest often belong to communities of color and are cash poor — what Majora Carter describes as “low status” communities. She’s an urban revitalization strategist who has focused on environmental justice throughout her career. Carter was raised in the South Bronx, a hub of urban blight. Ashley Ahearn and Ashley Cleek report. (terrestrial)

Orca hormones linking pregnancies to prey will go into medical files
Hormones found in the feces of killer whales are providing unique insights about the health of Southern Resident orcas — including pregnancy status and stress levels. Fortunately, such information can be gathered with little disturbance to the animals. The latest information about hormones will soon be incorporated into a new health-status database with individual medical reports being compiled for each whale in the Southern Resident population. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Climate change turns Puget Sound acidic and region’s signature oysters struggle to survive
Bill Taylor’s first memory is of falling out of a boat at about age 3. Taylor’s father was working the family shellfish farm in the chill waters of Puget Sound, Washington’s scenic inland sea, with his young son in tow. It all happened pretty fast, but fortunately Taylor’s dad plucked him out of danger’s way. Nearly 60 years later, Bill Taylor is trying to figure out how to rescue his family’s fifth-generation shellfish-farming operation from an ocean that’s turning more acidic due to global climate change. This save is going to be a lot harder. It’s a calamity that threatens Washington state’s $270-million-a-year shellfish industry. And it has the Taylors — after a century-plus producing shellfish in the Evergreen State — exploring every potential angle to steel their mollusks against the corrosive effects of ocean acidification. Lisa Stiffler reports. (Investigate West)

Trump era boosts shares for major newspapers, while local papers face famine
Trump’s famous #failingnytimes hashtag has driven more traffic to the news site than halted it. Furthermore, major newspapers directly criticizing Trump are soaring in share prices, leaving local newspapers with a fight to stay afloat. Gerry Smith reports. (Bloomberg News)

New fast ferry debuts, cutting Seattle-Bremerton commute in half
A new ferry service is now carrying passengers between Bremerton and downtown Seattle. Kitsap Transit launched the passenger-only Bremerton Fast Ferry with early sailings Monday morning. The ferry can carry about 118 passengers. The crossing time is about 28 minutes. The ferry runs on weekdays and Saturdays. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  306 AM PDT Tue Jul 11 2017  
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 9 seconds.

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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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7/10 BC fire, orcas & salmon, hummingbirds, WA budgets, Andeavor, knotweed, bag ban, corals

Elwha nearshore 7/5/17 [Tom Roorda/CWI]

More evacuations in B.C. Interior as winds whip up flames
Residents in the town of 100 Mile House were ordered to leave their homes Sunday evening as winds picked up and fanned the flames of the many wildfires in the tinder-dry B.C. Interior. Authorities are urging evacuees to head north to Prince George — not to go south to Kamloops, which is already struggling to meet the needs of evacuees from other parts of the province. (CBC)

Fate of Pacific Northwest orcas tied to having enough Columbia River salmon
Just one of the three pods of endangered southern resident killer whales has shown up this year in the Salish Sea near the San Juan Islands northwest of Seattle, their summer home as long as researchers have followed them since 1976. Deborah Giles, research director of the Center for Whale Research, said she isn’t concerned yet for the other two pods of fish-eating orcas. But she worries about what the next decade holds for the beloved sea mammals that share the Puget Sound with millions of people, thousands of boats and just a fraction of the salmon that historically were the orcas’ main food source. Rocky Barker and Brittany Peterson report. (Idaho Statesman) See also: Northwest salmon are the stuff of legends. Despite millions, the species struggles to survive. Can we save them — and at what price?  Rocky Barker reports. (Idaho Statesman)

Legal Battle Drives Dam Managers To Extraordinary Salmon Research
…. By stretching a net across the river below Bonneville Dam, researchers are intercepting the fish swimming toward the ocean to see what they’ve been eating. What they really want to know is whether the fish are eating bugs that came from marshes restored for their benefit. That’s key to proving habitat restoration is helping the fish grow and survive. Federal agencies have spent millions of dollars restoring salmon habitat on the lower Columbia River as part of a massive effort to save salmon from the impacts of hydroelectric dams. In the Columbia Basin, 13 species of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead are navigating a river system loaded with 14 dams. The federal plan to help them has been challenged and rejected in court five times in more than 20 years. In that plan, the agencies told the court that restoring marshes in the estuary will help save threatened and endangered fish. The court’s response has been along the lines of: Oh yeah? Prove it. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

Insecticide found in same B.C. hummingbirds that are in decline
Some species of North American hummingbirds are in severe decline and a British Columbia research scientist says one possible cause might be the same insecticide affecting honey bees. Christine Bishop with Environment and Climate Change Canada said researchers started looking at a variety of factors that may be responsible, ranging from habitat loss to changes when plants bloom. To try and find some answers, researchers began collecting urine and feces from the birds for testing…. Bishop said the concentration found in the urine is relatively high at three parts per billion.  Terri Theodore reports. (Canadian Press)

Inslee Vetoes Plan To Give All Manufacturers The Boeing Tax Rate
In a move certain to anger Republicans, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday vetoed a tax break for manufacturers that lawmakers passed last week as part of a budget deal to avoid a July 1 government shutdown…. The preferential tax measure would have given all manufacturing businesses in Washington the same low business and occupation tax rate that Boeing pays—0.2904 percent down from 0.484 percent. Austin Jenkins reports. (NW News Network)

Water ruling debate holds up state capital budget
All might seem quiet now that the state Legislature has passed and Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a two-year operating budget. While the operating budget might be in place, $4 billion in construction projects — including projects in Clallam and Jefferson counties — are waiting on the approval of the state’s capital budget…. Senate Republicans said they won’t pass the capital budget without approval of legislation to overturn a recent state Supreme Court ruling known as the Hirst decision. The ruling limits the use of new domestic water wells in some rural areas when it harms “senior” water rights — water rights already established. Nark Swanson reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Tesoro changing its name
The oil and natural gas company that operates the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery at March Point is changing its name, according to a June 1 news release. On Aug. 1, Tesoro Corp. will become Andeavor, and Tesoro Logistics LP will become Andeavor Logistics LP. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Navy, Kitsap County at war against noxious weeds
The Navy has joined with Kitsap County to expel aggressive invaders from local bases. Their target Thursday towered 10 feet high and was dug in along the Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport shoreline. Knotweed. The tall, bamboo-like plants arrived from Asia as early as 1890, and were sold in Sears catalogs as a naturally growing fence, said Dana Coggon, the county's noxious weed control coordinator. Like many of the 168 plants on the state's noxious weed list, they escaped the garden and are now going wild. Ed Friedrich reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Tacoma's plastic bag hoarders readying for city's ban
Matt Driscoll writes: "Most were quick to admit it. “I’m a bag hoarder,” Leslie Ann Rose told me bluntly. The admission came in response to a search I undertook — initially via Facebook — looking for anyone who might be dreading the July 12 implementation of Tacoma’s Bring Your Own Bag ordinance. (Tacoma News Tribune)

While Corals Die Along The Great Barrier Reef, Humans Struggle To Adjust
Nearly a hundred miles off the shore of Port Douglas, Australia, tourists jump into the water of the outer reef. On their dive, they see giant clams, sea turtles and a rainbow of tropical fish, all swimming above brightly colored coral…. It turns out a reef filled with neon coral is not normal. Healthy coral is usually earth-toned. The bright pinks, blues and yellows these tourists saw in their dive along the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef are the first signs that coral is dying. And then, says marine biologist John Edmondson, “You see it going white.” That’s the second sign of dying coral, says Edmondson, who runs Wavelength Reef Cruises, a tour operator on the reef. “That’s when it’s most dramatic looking,” he says, pointing to a bleached brain coral that is hundreds of years old. “But you don’t know if it’s going to die or it’s going to recover. … And when you start to see the coral actually dying, getting covered with algae and looking horrible, that is when it really hits home.” Rob Schmitz reports. (NPR)



Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  307 AM PDT Mon Jul 10 2017  
TODAY  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 8 seconds. Patchy drizzle in the morning.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. NW swell 4  ft at 8 seconds.

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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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7/7 WA green budget, Fed interior budget, Beach Bill, Phillips acid leak, Puffin Cruises

Opossum

Virginia opossum Didelphis verginianus
Prior to European settlement of North America, the Virginia opossum was found only in Central America and the southeastern United States. During the 1900s, its range expanded northward and westward. Virginia opossums, also known as “possums,” first arrived in Washington in the early 1900s as pets and novelties. Some of these animals, or their offspring, later escaped from captivity or were intentionally released. With few natural predators, the absence of hunting, and an abundance of food and shelter, opossums have adapted well to living close to people in urban and suburban environments. Except for higher elevations, opossums now occupy most human-occupied habitats in western Washington. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Wash. Budget Has Pros And Cons For Environmental Policies
Washingtonians are parsing the state budget passed last week by a divided legislature. It adds $1.8 billion for basic education over the next two years.  A big chunk of that comes from the closure of a so-called “extractive fuel” loophole, which is one of several new policies that many environmentally progressive groups like. Eric de Place, an energy and climate policy analyst at the Seattle-based Sightline Institute, says from his perspective, the new state budget is mostly good news. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Trump admin wants to cut spending on lands, tribes. Critics say it will backfire
The agency that manages Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic national parks will see big budget cuts, if the Trump administration has its way. The U.S. Department of the Interior is the nation’s largest manager of public lands, overseeing about a fifth of America. Here in Washington state, it manages 24 national wildlife refuges and two national monuments in addition to the three major national parks. It also handles federal relations with Native Americans and regulates energy production on land and at sea. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Oregon Celebrates As Beach Bill Turns 50 
Imagine resorts carved into the coastline, fences blocking access to the beaches, and “no trespassing” signs posted on trails to the ocean. We’ve never had to in Oregon because we have free unrestricted public access to all the state’s beaches. Landmark legislation passed in 1967, known as the Beach Bill, guarantees us access that only Hawaii can match. Our 362-mile coastline is a recreational playground, with hiking, camping, fishing and biking, surfing and beachcombing opportunities galore. It is one big viewing platform, with enchanting beaches, seductive headlands and glorious vistas at every single turn. Capi Lynn reports. (Statesman Journal)

Phillips 66 appeals $37,800 state fine for acid leak at its refinery near Ferndale
Phillips 66 is appealing its $37,800 fine for a February acid leak at its refinery that sent seven workers to the hospital. The company was fined $6,300 each for six violations that the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries deemed as “serious.” Phillips 66 appealed the fine on June 23, as well as L&I’s “serious” designations. A hearings officer will decide the matter by Aug. 28, according to L&I spokeswoman Elaine Fischer. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Puffin cruises to circle Protection Island
The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is bringing back its annual Puffin Cruises beginning Saturday. The cruises will run every Saturday night through Aug. 12. Cruises leave from Point Hudson Marina at 6 p.m. for a three-hour tour around the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is at the mouth of Discovery Bay. Cydney McFarland reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  220 AM PDT Fri Jul 7 2017  
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 7 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell  2 ft at 8 seconds.
SAT  W wind to 10 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft building to 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 10 seconds.
SAT NIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt easing to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 13 seconds.
SUN  Light wind becoming W to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 2 ft at 15  seconds.

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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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7/6 Salish Sea Walk, Wu Lebin, ivy, No Discharge Zone, orca swim, ECHO

Salmonberry

Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
Both sprouts and berries were eaten by the northwest coast peoples…. As with other types of plant foods, salmonberry patches could be owned by families or individuals… Throughout the Northwest Coast, the ripening of salmonberries is associated with the song of Swainson's thrush, called 'salmonberry bird' in many languages. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

Salish Sea Walkers Will Rally All Weekend Long To Protect Shared Ecosystem With Canada
Imagine walking for three days to make a statement about a cause you care for deeply. That’s what people joining the "Walk to Protect & Restore our Salish Sea" will do this weekend. Salish Sea is the name of the marine ecosystem that connects the U.S. and Canada, and includes Puget Sound. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Meet the Chinese businessman behind the $1.8B plan to make methanol in Washington state
Chinese businessman Wu Lebin’s vision of green development includes a $1.8 billion plant in Washington state to make methanol from natural gas. He has run into a buzz saw of opposition from environmentalists trying to steer the region away from greater use of fossil fuels. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also; 'There is no way back': China seeks to move away from coal as leaders embrace the science of climate change  The country’s effort to forge a greener future comes as President Donald Trump makes boosting fossil-fuel production a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Rip the ivy out of your yard right now. Seriously
Ivy is perfectly picturesque when growing in the English countryside or climbing the hallowed walls of Cambridge. But here in the Pacific Northwest, ivy is a bully. A tree-killing, rat-infested, bird-poop-traveling bully. Amy Rolph reports. (KUOW)

Ecology begins rulemaking process to make Puget Sound a No Discharge Zone
The Department of Ecology is proposing a new rule Chapter 173-228 WAC Vessel Sewage No Discharge Zones. This rule will establish a Puget Sound No Discharge Zone, which would prohibit the release of sewage (black water) from vessels, whether treated or not. The Puget Sound No Discharge Zone would cover 2,300 square miles of marine waters of Washington State inward from the line between New Dungeness Lighthouse and the Discovery Island Lighthouse to the Canadian border, and fresh waters of Lake Washington, Lake Union, and connecting waters between and to Puget Sound. (San Juan Islander)

So running with the bulls isn’t your brand of fun; how about swimming with the orcas?
A holiday weekend excursion at Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver, B.C., became a black and white affair, the Vancouver Sun reported, as a couple of swimmers unexpectedly were joined by a pod of orca. David Rasbach reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Port of Vancouver urges ships to go slow in global first to help endangered killer whales
The Port of Vancouver is asking ships this summer to voluntarily slow to 11 knots — up to about a 40-per-cent reduction — when transiting Haro Strait to reduce noise levels for endangered, southern-resident killer whales. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  240 AM PDT Thu Jul 6 2017  
TODAY  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt this afternoon.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 3 ft  at 9 seconds.

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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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7/5 Elwha love, Snake dams, methane rules, Superfund, Ballard Locks, new pest, crabbing, BC orcas, BC ferries

Tony's ravens

Tony Angell on the Raven
Tony Angell reflects: "It's a cloudless summer day as I listen to ravens behind me in the woods. There's an endless repertoire of croaks, krawks, barks, yelps, and yodels. Other ravens across the bay respond in kind, and I imagine that this is a day of poetry and perhaps a few jokes shared between clans of these birds." There's more to learn at TonyAngell.net. (BirdNote)

At Elwha River, forests, fish and flowers where there were dams and lakes
With easy road access to trails open for the first time in years, and the river valley in full summer splendor, the Elwha beckons as never before. Where once there was a dam, today tourists are enjoying the newest interpretive attraction at Olympic National Park, about the world’s biggest-ever dam-removal experiment. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

New Federal Effort Tries To 'Save Our Dams' Along Snake River
A new bill in Congress would make sure Washington’s four lower Snake River dams stay standing. It’s push back against a recent court order to find “a new approach” to protect threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. That approach could include removing or altering the dams. That’s not something Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, thinks would be good for the Northwest. Newhouse introduced the legislation, along with four other Northwest representatives. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Radio/EarthFix)

Appeals Court Says EPA Can't Keep Delaying Obama-Era Methane Rules
An appeals court in Washington, D.C., has blocked an attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency to delay Obama-era methane regulations, rejecting claims by the EPA that the oil and gas industry wasn’t allowed to comment on the rules. The agency could choose to rewrite the rules, but it overstepped in trying to delay them for years, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decided. The regulations in question are designed to prevent leaks at oil and gas facilities. Methane, which is released in natural gas leaks, is a potent greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming; other leaked substances are harmful for human health. Camila Domonoske reports. (NPR)

Trump’s EPA wants to focus on Superfund cleanups, including Seattle’s Duwamish. Will plans take climate change into account?
…. Experts say that Superfund sites across the country — including Portland Harbor in Oregon, naval bases in Virginia and landfills in the Midwest — are at risk from the increasingly extreme weather and rising sea levels associated with climate change, and that longstanding methods for cleaning them may need to be rethought. Under President Barack Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency began doing just that, proposing technical guidelines in 2015 to make Superfund cleanups more resilient to climate change. Yet, how the Trump administration will address the dual threat of past and future is unclear. Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, has said cleaning up Superfund sites is at the top of his “back to basics” approach for the agency. He has promised to streamline the Superfund process, including getting directly involved with large projects. William Yardley reports. (LA Times)

Creation Of Ballard Locks Left One Tribe High And Dry
The creation of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Ballard Locks had a profound impact on the future of the region environmentally, economically and geographically. But that impact was immediately felt by one Native American tribe in particular. "When they lowered the lake, the Black River disappeared, which had been an outlet for Lake Washington," historian John Caldbick said. "There were a lot of Duwamish living on the Black River. It was very important for them. It was a big fishery for them ... and the river just disappeared." Ariel Van Cleave reports. (KNKX)

Agriculture pest captured in Skagit County for first time 
A brown marmorated stink bug, an agriculture pest that has devastated crops for a decade on the East Coast, has for the first time been captured in Skagit County. The insect feasts on a variety of crops, including vegetables, fruits and berries. Among its favorites are apples, corn and tomatoes. It was found Wednesday in a Washington State University Skagit County Extension trap in south Mount Vernon, Director Don McMoran said. Aaron Weinberg reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Illegal crabbing keeps WDFW busy on holiday
The Fourth of July holiday was a busy day for wildlife police patrolling Puget Sound for illegal crabbing. Crabbing on the Sound has been closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a couple years, but this year, one of the most popular fishing holidays happened to fall on a Tuesday. Within in a few hours, officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife made contact with seven boats breaking the rules, many of them with multiple violations. The majority were caught with Dungeness crabs. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

Drone footage captures killer whales in motion near Horseshoe Bay
New drone footage shot over the long weekend near Horseshoe Bay captures an afternoon in the life of five killer whales…. As drones become more popular with recreational users and photographers, the Canadian government has been grappling with drafting regulations to protect wildlife from harassment. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is still gathering expert advice on the interaction between marine mammals and drones, keeping a close eye on regulations in the U.S. Bethany Lindsay reports. (CBC)

B.C. Ferries plans to add a ship a year for next dozen years, president says
B.C. Ferries is looking to add about one new ship a year for the next 12 years, at an average cost of $70 million apiece, says president and CEO Mark Collins. Collins was commenting on B.C. Ferries’ year-end report for the 2017 fiscal year, and on efforts to ensure future needs will be met. He said the corporation is in a sound financial position. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PDT Wed Jul 5 2017  
TODAY  Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 9 seconds.   
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 8 seconds.

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7/3 WA budget, maple leaf, Ballard Locks, EPA, Tacoma fuel, sewers, ozone, plankton, Papahanaumokuuakea

Merlin [Barb Deihl]

Merlins
Neighborhood Merlin Liaison Barb Deihl writes: "Right now, at the end of June and into July, the young Merlins are getting bigger and bigger and almost ready to head out of their reused crow nests, mostly in 100-foot firs or pines.  Fledging has started for some of the broods…." (read more and check out the photos)

Inslee signs ‘a truly historic budget’ to stop government shutdown, put money into schools
Washington lawmakers pushed a new $43.7 billion budget through the Legislature in less than a day on Friday, working to avoid a partial shutdown of state government that was scheduled to occur at midnight. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the new two-year budget into law at 11:15 p.m., less than an hour before the deadline to avoid the closure of many state agencies and temporary layoffs of thousands of state employees. The Democratic governor said he was proud to sign “a truly historic budget” he praised for finally addressing a court order to fix how the state pays for schools. Melissa Santos and Walker Orenstein report. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Tree expert taps into the truth behind use of iconic maple leaf
The maple leaf is an iconic Canadian symbol, but according to one tree expert, the leaf that appears on the flag is not the same image printed on Canadian currency. David Tracey, author of the Vancouver Tree Book, took a walk with CBC's North by Northwest host, Sheryl MacKay, and explained the differences between the leaf on the flag and the one on Canada's five-dollar bill. (CBC) See also: Canada Day: Time-lapse captures 'largest living maple leaf'   Thousands of people have gathered at an intersection in the Canadian city of Winnipeg to create the country's "largest living maple leaf". (BBC)

Water's natural rhythms nourished our area's native culture. Then came the Ballard Locks.
A century ago, the construction of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks reworked the land and water of Seattle and its environs for development, displacing the indigenous cultures and the natural abundance of the landscape. Lynda Mapes reports. (Settle Times)

Counseled by Industry, Not Staff, E.P.A. Chief Is Off to a Blazing Start 
In the four months since he took office as the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Scott Pruitt has moved to undo, delay or otherwise block more than 30 environmental rules, a regulatory rollback larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history, according to experts in environmental law. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Regulations for fossil-fuel development in Tacoma needed now
We’re No. 2, Tacoma! But that’s not a good thing. Last month, the Sightline Institute — a nonprofit progressive think tank that largely concerns itself with environmental health and social justice — released a report ranking Pacific Northwest communities most threatened by coal, oil and natural-gas development. Matt Driscoll reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Crews finishing Carlsborg sewer project; residents can connect to system starting Wednesday
After more than a year under construction, the Carlsborg Sewer Project is wrapping up, Clallam County staff report. Matthew Nash reports. (Peninsula News Group) See also:  Plan for sewage treatment plant prompts Stanwood to update rules  Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

Canadian scientists discover how forests reduce ozone pollution
Canadian scientists have discovered how forests reduce the amount of surface ozone pollution by up to half, creating a new way for much more accurate air quality forecasts worldwide. The shaded and relatively stagnant air of the forest ecosystem modifies the chemistry of air pollution, resulting in much less ozone formation than had been previously believed to take place, according to a study recently published in Nature Communications by scientists at the federal department of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Levon Sevunts reports. (Radio Canada International)

Why The Fishing Industry Wants More Say On Papahanaumokuakea
Federal officials are still reviewing whether changes should be made to more than two dozen national monuments that were established to preserve fragile ecosystems, culturally sensitive areas and historic sites throughout the Pacific Ocean and U.S. mainland — including Pahanaumokuakea in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. More than 442,000 comments have been submitted since the Interior Department asked for the public’s input in May following an executive order by President Donald Trump, whose administration is considering opening some protected places to mining, ranching, fishing and other commercial activities. The comments overwhelmingly support leaving the monuments alone. But not everyone feels each voice should carry the same weight — especially those supportive of Hawaii’s commercial fishing industry. Nathan Eagle reports. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

Photographer Ryo Minemizu finds the secret world of plankton
Japanese underwater photographer Ryo Minemizu has photographed the plentiful but often ignored residents of the ocean. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  856 PM PDT Sun Jul 2 2017  
MON  W wind to 10 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.
MON NIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.
TUE  Light wind becoming W to 10 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.

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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