1/17 Salazar, Idle No More, Navy sonar, BC oil spills, clean water, toxic algae, bird killers

New blog: “I’m heartened that President Obama has maintained the urgency of dealing with the public health issue of gun violence...” Thank you, Mr. President. Now, Dear Congress:

Ken Salazar, the blunt-spoken lawyer and rancher who took over the scandal-ridden Interior Department at the outset of the Obama administration, said Wednesday that he would step down in March to return to his home in Colorado. Mr. Salazar’s exit, along with the announced resignation of Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the anticipated departure of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will leave vacant the critical cabinet posts dealing with climate change and energy, which are among the most pressing challenges facing the nation. John Broder reports. Interior Secretary to Step Down in March  See also: Departing Interior Secretary Leaves Big Northwest Footprint

Traffic ground to a standstill for about an hour Wednesday morning as more than 300 Idle No More protesters, many beating drums and waving placards, streamed onto the Patricia Bay Highway. About 2,000 vehicles were diverted but two dozen were caught in the middle of the blockade. Although Central Saanich police fielded calls from upset drivers, there were no serious confrontations. Judith Lavoie reports. Blockade on Pat Bay: Beating drums replace the whir of highway traffic  

Canadian environmental groups have received legal standing in a U.S. suit that seeks to halt Navy sonar exercises that would threaten at-risk whales on the West Coast. Margot Venton, a lawyer with Ecojustice, said Wednesday it is important for the U.S. courts to appreciate that ocean noise is an emerging issue in Canada, including for endangered southern resident killer whales in the shared waters of the Salish Sea. Concerns over underwater noise are broad, she noted, and include not just sonar but continued expansion of Port Metro Vancouver and increased shipping through critical habitat of the killer whales. Larry Pynn reports. Navy sonar: Canadian environmental groups get legal standing in U.S. court case

A marine consultant involved in B.C. oil-spill issues for a quarter century says the risks of a tanker oil spill associated with Enbridge Northern Gateway are simply too great for the project to proceed. Gerald Graham of Victoria-based Worldocean Consulting Ltd. said that calculations based on Enbridge’s own research show there is a 8.7-to-14.1-per-cent chance of at least one tanker spill greater than 31,500 barrels over a 50-year period, depending on whether the pipeline has a 525,000 or 850,000 barrel per day capacity. Tankers too risky on B.C.’s north coast, oil-spill consultant says

As the federal government considers a law to impose standards for drinking water and sewage treatment on first nations across Canada, Metro-area bands — including one that’s been on a boil-water advisory for more than seven years — are taking matters into their own hands. The Semiahmoo reserve has been on a permanent boil-water advisory since 2005 and on-again, off-again advisories since 1996, said band councillor Joanne Charles. That was the year the federal government identified that the water main supplying the reserve, installed in the early 1970s, needed to be replaced, she said. The boil-water advisory remains in place because the aging pipe threatens water quality on the reserve. Tara Carman reports. Warnings prompt Metro Vancouver-area bands to improve water quality on First Nations reserves  

While it's not exactly swimming weather, Clallam County environmental health officials are cautioning West End residents to keep themselves and their pets out of Lake Pleasant until tests can be done on what is thought to be blue-green algae. The county sent a sample of scummy water that was provided by an area resident to the state Department of Ecology for analysis at a King County lab. Blue-green algae can sometimes produce potentially lethal toxins that often result in summertime closures of Anderson Lake — and occasional warnings in other lakes — in East Jefferson County. Rob Ollikainen reports.  Toxins feared in Lake Pleasant; blue-green scum tested  

The sad fact is that fuel-guzzling nature lovers — not just birders but divers rushing to see the great reefs before they bleach and mountaineers scrambling to beat the melting glaciers — are the new buffalo hunters and cod catchers. In the act of pursuing the natural treasures we cherish, we contribute to their destruction. Eric Scigliano laments. Birding in the time of climate change

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 857 AM PST THU JAN 17 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. AREAS OF FREEZING FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. AREAS OF FREEZING FOG.

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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.

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1/16 Red-flanked bluetail, WA lege, coal ships, monkfish, gray whale, Kitsap shores, coal comments, Dyes Inlet

Red-flanked bluetail (Justyn Stahl/Associated Press)

Birders from as far away from Seattle are expected to pack in Queens Park in New Westminster today in the hopes of spotting the red-flanked bluetail. The bird somehow made its way to the Lower Mainland from southern Asia and has been spotted in the park over the last few days — the first Canadian sighting of the bird. Rare bird spotted in New Westminster

Washington lawmakers convene for the start of the 2013 session. They face a $2B budget problem, an unusual political dynamic in the state senate and hot button issues like gun control. It’s like Downton Abbey. A new season of the legislature begins with plenty of intrigue and tensions between powerful personalities. There are familiar faces and new ones. Chief among them Governor-elect Jay Inslee. Austin Jenkins reports. New political dynamics, budget challenges face state lawmakers

The paradise of Cowichan Bay has been turned into a freighter parking lot, forcing residents to deal with the clatter of dropping anchor chains, rumbling generators and the glare of floodlights that illuminate the vessels at night. Many of the vessels are in the queue to load coal at Westshore Terminals, near Tsawwassen, which cut back operations after a Dec. 7 incident when a freighter rammed into a trestle leading to one of the two deep-sea berths. There were 10 vessels waiting to load coal at the time of the crash. Sandra McCulloch reports. Coal-ship backlog clutters Cowichan Bay

If you like to watch: What happened after the fishmongers at The Fish Company at Pike Place Market found out that the monkfish they tossed around are harvested off the floor of the Atlantic by bottom trawlers, a practice considered reckless and inefficient by ocean protection groups like the Seattle Aquarium? Gary Chittim reports. Market fish mongers turn to mock monkfish for new mascot

A gray whale that seems to be making the rounds of Puget Sound visited Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway early Tuesday afternoon, far from where experts say it should be this time of year. “It’s a very unusual situation,” Susan Berta, co-founder of whale education group Orca Network, said about the sighting. “To me, that signals that it’s either very hungry and sick or just a curious juvenile. It’s possible it’s just a friendly one that’s checking people out.” Gray whales are usually in their breeding grounds off the coast of the Baja Peninsula this time of year, and generally struggle to find food if they get lost in Puget Sound on the way, according to Orca Network. Alexis Krell reports. Gray whale in Tacoma: Hungry, sick or friendly?

Kitsap County commissioners have completed their deliberations on the county's proposed Shoreline Master Program and are expected to adopt the planning document Jan. 28. The shorelines plan spells out development regulations to protect the shoreline ecosystem. Final approval rests with the Washington Department of Ecology. Among the remaining sticking points discussed this week was how the county should address aquaculture, including potential geoduck clam farming along Kitsap's shorelines. Christopher Dunagan reports. Kitsap shorelines plan ready for approval  

A group that supports the proposal to build a coal and bulk cargo terminal at Cherry Point phished the email address used to accept comments on the scope of the environmental review for the terminal, according to a Washington state Department of Ecology spokesman. The group, believed to be based in Montana, used the email address to contact people and solicit comments on the Gateway Pacific Terminal, Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said. CH2M Hill, the company that operates the comment website for the regulatory agencies overseeing the project, last week contacted the agencies about the phishing, temporarily shut down the email address, and told the group responsible to stop. The email address was reactivated Tuesday, Jan. 15. More than 14,000 comments have been submitted about the project during the scoping period, and more than 9,000 people participated at scoping meetings in November and December. More than 5,000 or 6,000 of those comments are from a dozen organized comment campaigns, Altose added. The deadline to submit comments for this phase has been moved one day to Jan. 22 because the original deadline of Jan. 21 fell on a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Day. Kie Relyea reports. Cherry Point coal terminal comment deadline extended to Jan. 22

Kitsap County health officials will begin a new investigation of pollution problems in southern Dyes Inlet, where the waters of Phinney and Ostrich Bay creeks remain a public health concern. In years past, efforts to clean up Dyes Inlet resulted in the opening of 3 miles of shellfish beaches on the west side of Dyes Inlet and more than a mile of beaches on Erlands Point near Bremerton. But pollution in Phinney and Ostrich Bay creeks remains a persistent problem, and it is time to track down the sources, said Kimberly Jones of the Kitsap Public Health District. Christopher Dunagan reports. Dyes Inlet investigation to begin

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 16 2013
TODAY
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 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.

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1/15 Enbridge, climate change, steelhead habitat, Japanese Gulch, culverts, flatfish, Western Flyer

Northern Gateway protest (CBC News)

Thousands of people gathered during a rare Vancouver snowfall to mark the start of community hearings on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. Opponents of the project were bolstered on Monday by the nationwide Idle No More campaign, which brought First Nations from as far as the Haisla Nation on the North Coast, near the would-be tanker port of Kitimat, B.C. At Victory Square, protesters gathered before marching to the site of the hearings in the city's downtown and sending a message to the panel now touring B.C.  Thousands jeer Northern Gateway hearings in Vancouver  

Freezing weather with light snow flurries greeted about 200 climate activists gathered on the steps of the state Capitol noon Monday to demand the state Legislature get serious about climate change. The climate rally unfolded four hours after the highest predicted tide of 2013 in Budd Inlet. Climate activists draw attention to the winter high tides, calling them a precursor of a future shoreline under siege from sea-level rise. The irony of Monday’s cold weather compared to a global climate that is heating due to a carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere was not lost on the crowd, or some of the speakers. John Dodge reports. High tide hits as rally calls attention to climate

Nearly all the Kitsap Peninsula would be among areas designated as "critical habitat" for Puget Sound steelhead under a federal proposal announced Monday. If approved, it would be the first time that East Kitsap has been designated as critical habitat for any fish listed under the Endangered Species Act, said Kathleen Peters, salmon recovery coordinator for the East Kitsap region."This is a big deal," Peters said, noting that the designation could bring increased restoration and research dollars to the eastern, more urbanized side of the peninsula. For the first time, plans to protect and recover salmon and steelhead runs will need to account for streams across the entire Kitsap Peninsula, Peters added. Christopher Dunagan reports. East Kitsap designated as steelhead habitat  

Supporters of preserving forest land in Japanese Gulch suffered a narrow defeat at the ballot box in November, but already they're hitting the trail again for their cause. City Councilwoman Jennifer Gregerson is calling for the council to put a measure on the primary election ballot in August to authorize the City Council to raise taxes toward buying the property. Mayor Joe Marine was scheduled Tuesday to go before Snohomish County officials to ask for $1.5 million in conservation grant funds.  Bill Sheets reports. Another try for Japanese Gulch protection  

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez says he is ready to issue a final order requiring the state to repair and replace culverts that are blocking the path of salmon. In an order issued Friday, Martinez recounted the long history of hearings and negotiations between the state and 21 tribes that filed suit over state-owned culverts. The first issues in the case were raised in 2001, when the parties were encouraged to settle by negotiation, Martinez noted. Martinez ruled five years ago that the state had a duty under the 1850s treaties to "refrain from building or operating culverts under state-maintained roads that hinder fish passage and thereby diminish the number of fish that would otherwise be available for tribal harvest." Christopher Dunagan reports. Final ruling coming in culvert case  

Puget Sound flatfish, generally called flounder or sole, exist in enormous numbers in our local waters. There are said to be 23 different species in Puget Sound, including halibut and starry flounder (which can reach up to three feet long). I caught one flatfish which had to be 10-15 pounds off Point Monroe long ago and released it, thinking it might be a halibut or the last of its species. Never seen one like it since. Every now and then you hear about a few halibut caught in the north Sound, but I've never heard of one in the Central Sound. Small flounder and sole are a different story. Dave Shorett tell fish stories. Flatfish are easy catching, good eating  

The owner of John Steinbeck’s storied fishing boat, the Western Flyer, is leaving Salinas on Wednesday for the Puget Sound to begin the arduous tasking of raising the 70-foot vessel off the bottom of a narrow channel near Anacortes, Wash., after it sank over the weekend. Again. The Flyer went down in about 30 feet of water in October in Swinomish Channel off of Skagit Bay, about 40 miles north of Seattle. Gerry Kehoe, who said he plans to restore the multi-ton boat and bring it back to the Central Coast to be featured in a downtown Salinas restaurant, salvaged the boat after the first sinking. Because of nearly 900 gallons of oil aboard the vessel when it first sank, the salvage operation included a massive environmental cleanup that pushed the cost to “close to six figures,” Kehoe said on Monday. The purse seiner — a class of fishing vessel that deploys a net shaped like a bag to hold the catch — was featured in Steinbeck’s “The Sea of Cortez: A Journal of Travel and Research” and “The Log from the Sea of Cortez.” Dennis Taylor reports. Wayward boat: Steinbeck's 'Western Flyer' sinks again  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 245 AM PST TUE JAN 15 2013
TODAY
E WIND 10 KT BECOMING NW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 13 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 14 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG.
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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.

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1/14 Climate rally, diving safety, orca tracking, SJ MRC, Skagit flooding, navy wharf, Poulsbo cruise, Columbia gillnets

Idle No More, Seattle (PHOTO: Bettina Hansen, Seattle Times)

If you like to watch: Hundreds participate in 'Idle no more' rally at Victor Steinbrueck Park  

If you like to watch: The Atlantic's Jordan Weissmann writes, "I'm not sure if this video is more heartbreaking or heartwarming, but it pretty well captures what's going on in Europe's economy right now. While the day-to-day drama of the continent's debt crisis has subsided, painful austerity measures have helped leave huge swaths of the population jobless. In Spain, unemployment is at 25 percent.  To cheer up the crowd at a one of the country's very full unemployment offices, Spanish radio program Carne Cruda 2.0 organized a flash mob of musicians to come and play a version a version of the Beatles classic "Here Comes the Sun." Just try not to feel moved.” Flashmob oficina paro (Carne Cruda 2.0)

Activists with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and other groups plan a climate-change rally from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, coinciding with the start of a 105-day legislative session. The goal is to draw attention to rising global temperatures that have been tied to human activities such as burning coal for power. The event also coincides with severe high tides on Puget Sound, which offer a glimpse early in the week of future sea level effects as the effect of global warming continue. Brad Shannon reports. Climate-change activists to rally as lawmakers start session Monday

The state Department of Natural Resources faces a fine of nearly $173,000 after being cited for 15 worker-safety violations following the drowning death of a diver. The citation was issued Friday by the Department of Labor & Industries. David Scheinost of Puyallup was part of a dive team sampling geoduck clams for paralytic shellfish poisoning on July 24. He reportedly surfaced briefly and sank. Among the violations found were numerous occurrences where divers were deployed without carrying a reserve breathing-gas supply, and DNR not having a designated person in charge to supervise. State agency cited, fined in death of geoduck diver

In just two weeks, a group of killer whales from Puget Sound has been tracked by satellite from South Kitsap to an area in the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco Bay. On Dec. 29, a male orca known as K-25 or "Scoter" was darted to attach a satellite transmitter to his dorsal fin as he swam with his pod near Southworth. Since then, the transmitter has provided daily updates on the whale's location. Experts have confirmed that Scoter is still traveling with the 19 or so members of K pod — one of three pods that frequent Puget Sound. Christopher Dunagan reports. Orcas tracked to waters off San Francisco  

The executive committee of the [San Juan] Marine Resources Committee has been asked to meet with three members of the San Juan County Council to discuss the division of responsibilities between the two bodies and the authority of the council to set policy, according to council Vice-Chairman Rich Peterson. Two issues — "no-go zones" for orca protection and the work closure period to protect juvenile salmon in San Juan County — have raised concern on the council that the MRC's "valuable role in protecting and enhancing the marine environment doesn't conflict with the council's policy setting role," said councilman Marc Forlenza, Friday Harbor, who will be attending the meeting along with Peterson and Patty Miller, East Orcas. Steve Wehrly reports. Who's in charge? Council, MRC at odds over 'work window' in marine waters

Skagit County residents could decide as soon as spring which method they prefer to protect the valley from catastrophic flooding. For more than a decade, federal and local leaders have studied the Skagit River through the General Investigation Study, a process outlined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Skagit’s GI has taken more than 10 years and is one of a few such studies in the nation to have been given a second chance. In that time, it has cost about $12 million in local and federal dollars and has been used as an example of government waste. The study was all but scrapped in early 2012, but “reset” by the Army Corps. Now it is expected to be completed in 2015, with $3 million or less in federal and local money. The community could decide among three flood protection methods this spring. Those methods include a plan to direct water out of the Skagit River before it gets to Burlington, called the Joe Leary Slough bypass or sheet flow project; a bypass or directed sheet flow to the Swinomish Channel; or rebuilding the levees farther apart, called a setback, starting at the downstream end of the Skagit River. Kate Martin reports. Lawmakers discuss Skagit flood study

Construction of a second explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor can continue. A U.S. District Court judge denied motions Friday from Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action and the Suquamish Tribe to halt the $715 million project until environmental effects are more fully explained and considered. Construction began Sept. 27. Ed Friedrich reports. Judge won't stop construction of second wharf at Bangor   See also: Judge's order making documents secret complicates Bangor wharf lawsuit  

With its protected bay, snapshot views of the Olympic Mountains and its quaint, Norwegian-themed downtown, Poulsbo is the quintessential stop for cruise ship voyagers looking to experience the individuality of Puget Sound. American Cruise Lines plans to navigate its 100-passenger cruise liner, American Spirit, in to Liberty Bay at least 15 times this year to introduce its passengers to the inland waterways of the area. The 200-foot vessel will make its first stop in April as a part of an eight-day cruise around Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. Other stops include Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Anacortes and Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The cruise starts and ends in Seattle. Brynn Grimley reports. Inland cruise line adding Poulsbo stop  

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission [was] scheduled to vote Saturday on phasing out the use of commercial gill nets on the lower Columbia River, except in a few bays and side channels. The plan would offer sports anglers more time to fish for the prized Columbia River salmon and also would give commercial fishermen new opportunities on the main channel to use more selective seine gear to catch hatchery-raised salmon. But many commercial fishermen are hostile. Hal Bernton reports. New salmon plan would restrict gill-net fishing on lower Columbia     See: Commission approves policy to revamp Columbia River fisheries

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON JAN 14 2013
TODAY
S WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SPRINKLES.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 12 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.

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1/11 Kinder Morgan, Duwamish dredge, old bldgs, plastics, Suquamish Casino, Kitsap eggs

Cliff Mass writes: "If you lost your summer sunglasses, you better find them.  But if you are driving, some caution is advised, since the downside of clear, cold conditions is roadway icing...The models are building a huge ridge (high pressure) over the eastern Pacific and we will generally be dry and cold into the middle of next week..." Sunglasses and Caution

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is increasing the scope of its Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in Western Canada. Subsidiary Kinder Morgan Canada said Thursday that increased long-term commitments from shippers have convinced it to ramp up the proposed expansion capacity to 890,000 barrels per day from a previously planned 750,000. The expansion represents a capital investment of $5.4 billion and will complete the twinning of the existing pipeline from Strathcona County, Alta., to Burnaby, B.C.  Kinder Morgan hikes scale of Trans Mountain expansion

A major part of the cleanup of Seattle's Duwamish Waterway is underway. The Boeing Co. says it has started dredging the lower Duwamish near the site of its former World War II-era airplane factory, known as Plant 2. The factory turned out B-17 bombers and was home to "Rosie the Riveter," the women who built thousands of planes during the war. The Environmental Protection Agency named the lower five miles of the river a Superfund site more than a decade ago. Dredging of Seattle's Duwamish Waterway begins

Close to half of the garbage generated in America doesn’t come from individual homes or businesses. It comes from construction sites. John Ryan reports. Construction Debris: Where Seattle's Old Buildings Go To Die

From miracle prosthetics to mountains of electronic trash, the Burke's new "Unwrapped Plastics" exhibit explores the wonders and horrors of our plastic age. Dan Chasen writes. Plastics: Can't live with 'em, can't do without

Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort is about to embark on an ambitious five-year expansion that will make it the biggest convention center in West Sound, as well as a major Northwest gaming and hotel destination. The plan includes large conference space that will eclipse, by far, anything in West Sound including the Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside and the Silverdale Beach Hotel. It also includes an expansive new hotel wing, an enormous parking garage and a remodeled casino. Construction starts in June and ends in 2017. Rachel Pritchett reports. Suquamish Clearwater Casino plans huge expansion

Now this is news. Wes Morrow reports: Kitsap County chicken lays two eggs in one l

Here’s your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 11 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PST EARLY THIS MORNING
TODAY
E WIND 10 KT...BECOMING SE TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL SUBSIDING TO 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND VERY LIGHT SNOW.
SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 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.

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1/10 Kimberly-Clark, orca harasser, BC CG, Victoria sewage, bag ban, Navy jets, eating seafood

Solo (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Over the holidays I read a very good book by Amanda Lang, The Power of Why. It’s about the importance of curiosity, and how we can unleash and use its power to bring more creativity, innovation and positive change to our lives. It turns out that asking the right questions can result in a greater sense of fulfillment and happiness, whether it’s in our workplaces, organizations, homes or relationships. Solo, our year and a half-old resident black-tailed deer, clearly doesn’t need to read the book: he already has a firm grasp on the power of why..." Solo and the Power of Why

Cliff Mass writes: "We are now about to enter the most sustained period of colder air of the winter so far.  Temperatures aloft have progressively cooled today, with  freezing levels at around 1600 ft and thus snow levels around 600 ft.  But in heavy precipitation, melting and evaporation can cool the atmosphere further, driving the snow level to the surface...” Convergence Zone Snow and Colder Air Ahead    And from Chris Dunagan at Watching Our Water Ways: Washington is unique for 2012 weather conditions

The area around the former Kimberly-Clark mill will be zoned for water-dependent industrial development, the City Council decided Wednesday night. The 6-1 vote was cheered loudly by packed audience, many of whom had testified in favor of preserving Everett's working waterfront.  Noah Haglund reports. Everett council sets aside mill site for industrial uses

A Campbell River man convicted of harassing killer whales near Quadra Island in 2010 has been handed an unusual sentence. Carl Eric Peterson has been fined $7,500 dollars — but he's also been ordered to write an article for the local newspaper warning others not to harass whales. Crown lawyer Larry Reynolds says it's the first time the Species at Risk Act was used to prosecute a case involving marine mammals. Whale harasser fined, ordered to write newspaper article

The federal government has renewed its commitment to close the Coast Guard rescue station in Kitsilano, promising the creation of a new inshore rescue-boat station, but failing to quell the furor over the move that has caused rare unity across the political spectrum in British Columbia. Parliamentary fisheries secretary Randy Kamp, acting for Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, on Wednesday said a seven-metre rigid-hull inflatable boat will be posted at the Royal Canadian Navy Facility HMCS Discovery – a naval reserve station – on Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver. Ian Bailey reports. Ottawa plan to proceed with closing of Kitsilano rescue station raises furor

A slim majority of local politicians voted Wednesday to back down in their fight with the B.C. government over control of the sewage treatment megaproject. The Capital Regional District sewage committee voted eight to seven to agree to provincial demands that it not have approval power over certain documents developed by a new independent commission of experts. Community Development Minister Bill Bennett had sent a letter to the CRD, demanding that experts be in charge of the project, rather than politicians. Rob Shaw reports.  Greater Victoria politicians yield to province on control of sewage project

Did you use a reusable grocery bag this week? The Anacortes Bring Your Own Bag Coalition hopes your answer is yes. And to encourage more people to do so, the group is proposing a city ordinance that would prohibit plastic grocery bags and impose a 5-cent fee on each paper bag. Produce, meat and bulk food plastic bags would still be available. Kimberly Jacobson reports. Support grows for ban on plastic bags

Elizabeth Brown blogs on Carl Safina's page: "When you buy seafood, do you actually get what you order?  This is the question scientists from the conservation group, Oceana, have been asking. Over the past couple of years they have been investigating seafood fraud – or the mislabeling of seafood species – in major cities around the US. They have found that a high percentage (up to 55 percent) of seafood in Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles, is often sold as something it is not..." Fish for Dinner – What’s Really On Your Plate?

The U.S. Navy has started flight operations at the Outlying Field in Coupeville on Tuesday, January 8 for aircraft squadrons stationed at NAS Whidbey Island. Field carrier landing operations are scheduled to occur in the afternoon to early evening hours Tuesday through Thursday, and during the afternoon on Friday. Flight operations are subject to change due to weather, operational and/or training requirements. Although some Central Whidbey neighbors complain about the noise, the Navy describes its Outlying Field as “a critical national security asset that provides essential training for Navy pilots based at NAS Whidbey Island to conduct safe and effective aircraft carrier flight operations.”  Contested Navy flights resume around Central Whidbey

How hip: Sound Publishing, which buys up all the nice “community papers” in and around Puget Sound has purchased the Seattle Weekly, which this week featured Date Girl’s advice column dealing with Baby Boner-Killer  . Said Sound Publishing President Gloria Fletcher, "The Weekly fits quite well into Sound Publishing's culture." You betcha.  Poulsbo-based publishing company buys Seattle Weekly

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST THU JAN 10 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
N WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.

TONIGHT
N WIND 5 TO 15 KT BECOMING E. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 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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1/9 Floodplains, Burns Bog, Shell drill, Victoria sewer, BC LNG, warming record, rating Congress

Hamilton WA, Oct 2003 (Shore Woods Weather)

New blog: "It’s been a bit of a strange few days since the end of the old year and the beginning of the new-- being homebound because of an illness, watching our government turn itself inside out over a fiscal crisis, considering the usual constellation of resolutions to make myself a better person in the year to come.  A reflective period, as it were..." Bowl Alone, Die Alone

See mud on tree, build higher. This was the advice that Native Americans reportedly offered the pioneers that settled along a flood-prone stretch of the Skagit River in the present-day town of Hamilton. The immigrants were of hearty stock, but they weren’t good listeners. In the late 1890s, the two riverside settlements that neighbored Hamilton essentially floated away in the Skagit’s floodwaters. But the residents of Hamilton held on. Lisa Stiffler reports. How Salmon Could Save Us from Flood Damage

One of the world’s largest urban protected areas — Burns Bog — is getting 20 per cent bigger. And that is renewing calls for limited public access almost nine years after all levels of government paid $73 million to create the 2,042-hectare Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area in March 2004. Larry Pynn reports. Conservation society calls for public access to enlarged Burns Bog


The Obama Administration announced a sweeping inquiry into Shell Oil’s Arctic drilling program yesterday. The 60-day probe will look at the company’s mishaps in Alaska and here in Puget Sound. The announcement from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar comes a week after a Shell oil rig ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year’s Eve. In a press release announcing the inquiry, Salazar said the Administration is fully committed to exploring for energy in the Arctic. But he also said the challenges posed by the Arctic environment demand a high level of scrutiny. John Ryan reports. Interior Dept. To Probe Shell’s Arctic Drilling Mishaps

A showdown between regional politicians and the B.C. government over authority to plan the new sewage treatment project will come to a head at a meeting Tuesday. Capital Regional District politicians have been fighting the government for months over language in a bylaw that would create a new commission of independent experts to manage the project.  Sewage project reaches another critical point

If you like to watch: Right near Skipjack Island (just north of Waldron) runs a gouge in the seafloor that marks an earthquake fault called, conveniently, the Skipjack Island fault. SeaDoc Society and Gary Greene examine examine the fault lines, upthrust sedimentary rocks, and evidence of drag along the fault-- and great rockfish habitat-- all revealed through high-resolution multi-beam bathymetry. Earthquakes and Rockfish Habitat -- What's the Connection?

If you like to watch: Beavers are destroying trees at a popular Seattle park, but not everyone agrees on how best to deal with the animals. Regulars at Ballard's Golden Gardens Park say beavers are taking down far too many trees and spoiling the park's natural beauty. Beavers wreaking havoc at Seattle park

Progress Energy has awarded a $5-billion natural gas infrastructure project across northern British Columbia to TransCanada Corp., the Calgary-based pipeline company. TransCanada will design, build, own and operate the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project for Progress. It will also extend an existing transmission line to connect with the Prince Rupert line to serve Progress and other gas suppliers. The Prince Rupert transmission line will carry gas from the North Montney region in northeastern British Columbia to a proposed export facility near Prince Rupert, B.C. Progress Energy picks TransCanada for $5B pipeline expansion  

The Port of Bremerton commissioners late Tuesday evening unanimously rejected both proposals from private entities to run the Bremerton Marina. Commissioners also closed the privatization process, for now. The marina is losing close to $400,000 a year. Port of Bremerton commissioners reject proposals to privatize marina

Facing low approval ratings after a historically unproductive 112th session and  a series of last-minute showdowns over fiscal matters, Congress is now less popular than root canals, NFL replacement referees, head lice, the rock band Nickelback, colonoscopies, carnies, traffic jams, cockroaches, Donald Trump, France, Genghis Khan, used-car salesmen and Brussel sprouts.  Congress less popular than cockroaches, traffic jams

According to NOAA scientists, 2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year.  2012 Was Warmest and Second Most Extreme Year On Record for the Contiguous U.S.

Los Angeles County got a reprieve in an ongoing dispute over who is responsible for pollution from storm water when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling won by environmentalists. However, the court's 9-0 decision Tuesday did not deal with the larger question of how to regulate storm water and urban runoff flowing into the region's waterways. Last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the county was liable for pollution in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, and referred to the water flowing from the "concrete channels" into the natural part of the lower river as discharges of pollutants. The Supreme Court said the 9th Circuit's opinion rested on a mistaken premise and reversed it. The water flowing from one "concrete" section of the river to another section cannot be deemed a "discharge" of pollutants, the court said. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said "no pollutants are 'added' to a water body when water is merely transferred between different portions of that body." Abby Sewell and David Savage report. U.S. Supreme Court hands L.A. County a victory in water lawsuit  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST WED JAN 9 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 12
 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
 SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF SPRINKLES.
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