4/12 Coal vote, Grays Harbor oil , coal study, dead salmon, salmon season, landslides, Victoria sewage

Rethink Canada (NPR)

New blog: “Check out the editorial voice Peter Jackson and his editorial writers at The Herald are establishing. Over the last three weeks, they've opined on coal exports, the San Juan Island National Monument, food fish safety and coal trains. Earlier this month, the subject was saving Puget Sound and praise for Governor Jay Inslee's proposed natural resources budget...” A Fresh Breeze From The Herald Wafts Over The Partnership

Robert Krulwich wonders: Journalism may not be the right word for this. It's a kind of reporting. What you see here is true, and carefully edited. Is This Science Journalism? Nah. Then What Is It?

Metro Vancouver voted narrowly in favour Thursday of opposing coal shipments along the Fraser River, following a lengthy debate over the economics of coal projects versus the environmental and health risks associated with coal dust. Directors on the region’s environment and parks committee voted 6-5 in favour of a motion to send a “public statement” to Port Metro Vancouver by opposing coal shipments along the Fraser River estuary, other than at the existing Robert’s Bank terminal in Delta. Metro Vancouver comes out in opposition to coal shipments along Fraser River

The Port of Grays Harbor has announced an agreement to lease property for a crude oil unloading and storage facility. The oil would arrive by train and then be loaded on to barges bound for refineries on the West Coast. The port on the southwest Washington coast has been looking for other options since a proposal to build a coal export terminal there fell through last year. Oil seems to be the next hot commodity. There are billions of barrels of petroleum in the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Some of it is already traveling through the Northwest by train to refineries in Anacortes, Tacoma and Cherry Point, north of Bellingham. Ashley Ahearn reports. No Coal For Grays Harbor But Maybe Oil

A House Democratic budget proposal to spend $150,000 to study the larger economic impact of coal-export facilities on Washington state was dying just one day after majority Democrats introduced their proposed $34.5 billion operating budget plan on Wednesday. Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, had asked to include the money in the budget, saying it “recognizes the need for Washington to thoroughly evaluate the economic impacts of coal exports in our state.” But Thursday evening the money was on its way to being removed at Carlyle’s request. Brad Shannon reports. Coal-export impact study loses steam  

Piles of dead year-old chinook salmon, numbering at least in the hundreds, were found along the Elwha River's lower banks and mouth after hatchery smolts were released last week. State Fish and Wildlife Department officials will consider alternatives for future releases of fish, said Mike Gross, Fish and Wildlife fish biologist for Clallam County and West Jefferson County, who called the release “a mistake.” Sediment from the river clogged the gills of most he examined, said Mike McHenry, a fish biologist and habitat manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, who saw the dead fish at the river's mouth and on sandbars Monday and Tuesday. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Dead salmon found along silt-choked Elwha River after hatchery release

Now that we’ve gotten all the obvious salmon fishing seasons finalized lets dissect what kind of summer and fall opportunities there are besides the expected gargantuan 6.2-million plus pink salmon return. Mark Yuasa reports. More details come to light on upcoming salmon fishing seasons  

One of the busiest stretches of railway in Washington State runs along the shores of Puget Sound between Seattle and Everett. It’s also one of the most high-risk corridors for landslides. Every day about 40 trains full of freight or passengers travel these tracks, en route from Seattle and points south toward Canada. Gus Melonas is spokesman for BNSF Railway. He says this has been a bad year for slides. Ashley Ahearn reports. What Climate Change Could Mean for Northwest Landslides  

Capital Regional District directors have approved borrowing up to $100 million toward a sewage-treatment building project. Approval came this week despite the objection of a handful of directors. CRC corporate services general manager Diana Lokken said the bylaw simply provides the authority for borrowing — making available the cash flow as needed for sewage treatment costs that are in the CRD budget for the next year. Bill Cleverley reports. CRD approves borrowing of up to $100 million for sewage treatment

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 12 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 20 TO 30 KT BY MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 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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4/11 Sally Jewell, Sound Action, BC bluebirds, Anne Shaffer, dandelions

(KOMO-TV)

New blog: “Gun safety is public safety and the U.S. Senate begins its deliberations this week. Our state legislature seems to have already tucked its head neatly into the sand on the issue, with state legislators going on a shooting junket last week. Maybe you need to handle a gun to have any cred in talking about gun safety as public safety...” Gimme That Gun! (Or, Lessons Guns Have Taught Me)

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Sally Jewell as the new secretary of the Interior Wednesday, sending the REI chief executive to the helm of sprawling agency grappling with major decisions ranging from Arctic oil exploration to protection for the lesser prairie chicken. The 87-11 vote came three weeks after Jewell’s nomination passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by a 19-3 vote and two months after President Obama made her the first woman picked for his second-term cabinet. Jewell, 57, is expected to be sworn in at the White House as early as Thursday and immediately replace Ken Salazar, who resigned to return to his ranch in Colorado. Kyung Song reports. Senate confirms Sally Jewell as Interior secretary

A new environmental group, called Sound Action, will serve as a “watchdog” to protect shoreline habitats throughout Puget Sound, according to Amy Carey, the group’s first executive director. Carey, who headed the group Preserve Our Islands, said the new group includes some of the same board members but has added new members to give the group a regional focus. Preserve Our Islands became known for its successful effort to stop a major gravel operation on Maury Island until the land could be purchased for protection. “We found out through our fight how broken the regulatory system is,” Carey said. “Agencies were rubber-stamping projects, and we found that DFW (the state Department of Fish and Wildlife), for whatever reason, was not applying fish windows. We had to take legal action against them.” Chris Dunagan reports. New Puget Sound 'watchdog' group formed

There will be bluebirds over the meadows of the Cowichan Valley this week and hopes are high that others will be flying in shortly. It’s the first sign bluebirds are returning to Vancouver Island. Three pairs of Western bluebirds flew into the sunset Monday evening after being released from aviaries in the Somenos-Quamichan Lake area. The Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team is asking for help spotting the brightly coloured birds. Judith Lavoie reports.  Eyes turn to the sky for bluebirds’ return to Vancouver Island

A Port-Angeles-based marine biologist and one of the armada of scientists studying the ongoing Elwha River restoration project has been honored for her conservation efforts. Anne Shaffer, executive director of the Coastal Watershed Institute, has been named the 2013 Conservationist of the Year by the Society for Ecological Restoration's Northwest chapter, based in Seattle. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Port Angeles woman honored for conservation efforts


If you like to watch: Paul Wheaton says, "New video with Sepp Holzer, Toby Hemenway, Owen Hablutzel, Alexia Allen, Jacqueline Freeman, Eden Gal, Michael Pilarski and many more.  20 people total.  I think Norris Thomlinson said it best that it starts off as a weed, then it's a nutrient accumulator so you don't pull it anymore, then it turns out also be a food crop, then it turns out to be a major food crop and one of the most important things to grow in any garden." Dandelions in Permaculture

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU APR 11 2013
TODAY
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A
 CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"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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4/10 Sound Action, Anacortes growth area, Duwamish cleanup, dirty dirt

SoundAction.Org

Organizers who defeated an international company’s efforts to mine and ship gravel from Maury Island yesterday announced the launch of Sound Action, a new environmental group dedicated to using science, activism and law to protect Puget Sound’s natural nearshore habitats. “The Puget Sound nearshore is the nursery of the Sound,” said Sound Action’s Executive Director Amy Carey. “But Puget Sound today is documented as a critically imperiled waterway in part because regulatory agencies are failing in their mandated role as environmental protectors.” According to Sound Action, regulatory agencies regularly ignore existing laws prohibiting environmentally damaging nearshore developments during permit review and approval and fail to condition how work done should protect species and habitat productivity. Watchdog Group Audit Finds Serious Flaws in Protection of Puget Sound Nearshore Habitats  

Skagit County commissioners decided not to move forward for review a proposal by the City of Anacortes to expand its long-term growth area and make way for a massive bottling plant, after hearing concerns during a public hearing Tuesday night about the legality of the process and proposal. Commissioners want to wait until the public comment period for reviewing the proposal closes and have attorneys review legal and procedural concerns before making a decision, Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt said in an interview after the meeting. When commissioners decide whether to review the proposal, they will determine only whether Anacortes’ petition to change its urban growth area will undergo further review. Mark Stayton reports. Commissioners wait to review Anacortes growth area proposal

Ever since Seattle’s only river was declared a Superfund site, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition has advocated on behalf of the communities who live near it. In a new report, the Coalition and Just Health Action say the EPA, who is legally responsible for cleaning up the river also have an obligation to the communities whose lives have been impacted. Martha Baskin reports. A River for All? Environmental Justice and the Duwamish River Valley  

Dan McShane writes in Reading the Washington Landscape about his work as a geologist investigating contaminated soil. Exploring Dirty Dirt

Now, your thank-goodness-for-tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 445 AM PDT WED APR 10 2013
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING
 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM PDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
S WIND 25 TO 35 KT EARLY...BECOMING W 20 TO 30 KT BY LATE THIS MORNING. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 15
 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 FT AT 14 SECONDS. RAIN THIS MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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4/9 Fed fisheries, soggy hills, Kalaloch whales, growth area, culverts, coal export, BC beavers

BirdNote Gull (Mike Mercer)

BirdNote: Seabirds have no problem drinking sea water. The salt they take in is absorbed and moves through their blood stream into a pair of salt glands above their eyes. The densely salty fluid is excreted from the nostrils and runs down grooves in the bill. As the drop gets larger, the bird shakes its head to send the salt back to the ocean. A seabird's skull has a pair of grooves for the salt glands right over the eyes. Seabirds Drink Salt Water

Federal fisheries managers for the West Coast are poised for a major change in the way they make sure that plenty of fish remain in the sea. The Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting in Portland this week. On Tuesday, it's expected to adopt a new ecosystem management approach to managing the catch off Oregon, Washington and California. That means that when making decisions on sport and commercial fishing seasons, quotas and fishing methods, the council will take into account factors such as habitat, and the impacts on other marine species that may depend on another species for food or be a source of food for others. Jeff Barnard reports. West Coast fisheries to see ecosystem approach

Soggy hillsides are falling prey to the seemingly never-ending cycle of downpours hitting Puget Sound this week. Since Sunday, landslides have targeted a home, covered a south Seattle street with debris and knocked a train off its tracks. One slide blocked a section of Rainier Avenue South. Tricia Manning-Smith reports. Soggy hillsides falling prey to drenching springtime rains   See also: Landslides follow weekend of wet weather  

Knowing where to look for whales, and how to identify the whales you see, is getting easier at Olympic National Park thanks to The Whale Trail, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and the park staff. On April 11 a "Whale Trail" sign will be dedicated at Kalaloch Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula’s Pacific Ocean shore. On it you'll find information about gray whales, sea otters and endangered orcas that frequent the area. Learning About Whales Getting A Little Easier At Olympic National Park  

The Board of County Commissioners will accept public comment and could decide today whether to review an Anacortes petition to change the city’s long-term growth area and make way for a massive bottling plant. The meeting, which will include a public hearing on the proposed growth area change, will start at 6 p.m. in the Skagit County Commissioners Hearing Room, 1800 Continental Place in Mount Vernon. Written comments will be accepted by the county until 4:30 p.m., Monday, April 15. Mark Stayton reports.  Comments sought for Anacortes growth area expansion 

In 1978, North Creek -- which originates in south Everett and runs south to Lake Washington -- was teeming with chinook, coho and sockeye salmon, along with steelhead and cutthroat trout. "The fish were so thick you could literally walk across their backs during the spawning season," said Tom Murdoch, director of the Adopt A Stream Foundation. The environmental organization is based in McCollum Park, through which North Creek runs. Now, in some years, a few fish return to the creek, Murdoch said. Some years, there are none. The creek runs through a culvert under 128th Street SW. When it rains, the water gushes through the culvert, keeping fish from getting through. This culvert and more than 800 others in Western Washington will have to be replaced or removed to make the streams more fish-friendly, according to a recent federal court ruling. Bill Sheets reports. State facing $1.9 billion bill for new culverts

Beavers are being blamed for considerable flooding of fields and forest at the park named for them, and people who live nearby want the Capital Regional District to rectify the situation. The CRD has asked the province for permission to remove beaver dams that are blocking culverts and causing flooding at Elk/Beaver Lake Park in Saanich. But nothing will be done this early in the spring, because it could put young beavers at risk.  Sandra McCulloch reports. Beaver dams blamed for flooding at Elk/Beaver Lake Park in Saanich

Coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest will be the topic of a lecture hosted by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18. Ashley Ahearn, a science and environmental reporter for KUOW 94.9 FM of Seattle, will present “Coal Export Terminals in the Pacific Northwest: A Look at the Policy, Science and Economics of Selling American Coal to Asia” at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Ave. Marine Science Center hosts talk on coal terminals

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE APR 9 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 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 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT AT 10 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN LIKELY.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 18 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 5 FT AT 17 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN
 LIKELY...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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4/8 Behavior study, B'ham cleanup, refinery safety, Ledgewood, Goldstream land, Quileute whales, Kinder Morgan, Occupy Skagit, prairie ESA, Bainbridge water

Coots (KING-TV)

If you like to watch: Swarms of 'coots' flock to Lake Washington

Environmental scientists have known for decades that what’s killing Puget Sound comes from the indiscretions of the millions of people who live around it. Tiny individual doses of spilled gasoline, lawn fertilizers, cleansers and other everyday toxics are poisoning marine life. Now, thanks to a first-ever behavior study of residents in the 12 counties that surround the Sound, social scientists have managed to further personalize the polluters. The study, presented this week to the Puget Sound Partnership, summarizes the demographic characteristics of those most likely to pollute and zeroes in on where they’re most likely to live. Of the 12 counties surveyed, Pierce County received the lowest score on what’s being called the “Sound Behavior Index” scale. San Juan County residents scored best on the survey, followed closely by Whatcom, East Jefferson and King counties. Mason and Skagit counties joined Pierce County at the bottom of the scale. Rob Carson reports. Study: Pierce County residents not so green

State and Port of Bellingham officials say final cleanup of the Cornwall Avenue landfill will make the site safe for public use, but concerns linger about an earlier decision to dump Squalicum Harbor dredge spoils there. The 13-acre port-owned property beyond the south end of Cornwall Avenue is envisioned as part of a new waterfront park that will feature an over-the-water walkway to Boulevard Park. In the past, the site was home to a sawmill. From 1953 to 1965, it was a city dump. Wendy Steffensen, lead scientist at RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, says options for cleanup of the site are now limited because the Washington Department of Ecology already approved the deposit of 47,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the port's Squalicum Harbor on top of trash buried in the old dump. John Stark reports. Doubts linger about Cornwall landfill cleanup on Bellingham waterfront

The Shell Oil Co. refinery in Anacortes, Wash., sprang a leak last week. Shell quickly shut down the equipment that was boiling oil to make gasoline, but the shutdown led to a release of toxic gases. Shell reported seven separate outbursts of the toxic gases hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. Katie Skipper with the Northwest Clean Air Agency said her agency won’t know how much of the sulfurous pollution was released until Shell submits a full report at the end of April. While agency officials said this probably was not a major pollution event, they want to find out why hydrogen sulfide puffed out, apparently in excess of the refinery’s legal limits, when the cracking unit was restarted. John Ryan reports. Safety Problems Old And New At Anacortes Oil Refineries  

The massive landslide in the community of Ledgewood south of Coupeville displaced 5.3 million cubic feet of earth and one house in a matter of moments in the early morning hours of March 27, according to the Washington state Department of Natural Resources. That’s about 40,000 dump truck loads. Geologists from the department visited the scene of the landslide this week to take initial stock of the cause and risks. Joe Dragovich, a geologist with DNR, said experts won’t be able to do in-depth work at the site until the area stabilizes, which could be a matter of weeks or months. Geologists on the scene said they heard a tree crack and fall while they were looking around. The four geologists, however, released a “Quick Report for the Ledgewood-Bonair Landslide” on Thursday. The report states that the landslide ran 1,100 along the shoreline and jutted 300 feet into Puget Sound. The beach was lifted up 30 feet above the shore. Jessie Stensland reports.  Prehistoric landslide complex, fault runs along Ledgewood  

It has been a slow journey, spanning 50 years of bureaucracy, but a parcel of land adjacent to Goldstream Provincial Park was officially returned by the federal and provincial governments to the five Saanich First Nations Friday. The five bands will also receive $877,375 in federal compensation for loss of use of the four-hectare parcel, which was accidentally removed from the Goldstream Reserve through a surveying error in 1962. The money will be divided and each First Nation will decide how its portion is to be spent. Judith Lavoie reports. Goldstream land removed in error returned to Saanich tribes

The Quileute Tribal School on Wednesday will host the sixth annual Welcoming the Whales ceremony at LaPush. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Quileute tribe, honors migrating gray whales and their role in Quileute culture. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at First Beach and move to the A-ka-lat Center for a meal, singing and storytelling at 1 p.m. Rob Olikainen reports. Quileute to welcome whales in LaPush ceremony Wednesday

Nick Irving, Director of Marine Planning with Parks Canada, discusses the proposed National Marine Conservation Area in the Southern Gulf Islands on April 10 at 4 p.m. at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

The prospect of 400 bitumen-laden supertankers a year travelling through the Gulf Islands and Strait of Juan de Fuca should alarm Victoria residents, says Sierra Club B.C.’s interim executive director. The group is hosting a town hall meeting Thursday at the Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas St., on the proposed doubling of the Kinder Morgan pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby. Speakers will include Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin, Esquimalt First Nation Chief Andy Thomas, Sierra Club coastal campaigner and author Caitlyn Vernon and, via Skype, climate-change activist Bill McKibben, co-founder of the climate campaign 350.org. The town hall meeting will start at 7 p.m. Judith Lavoie reports. Sierra Club holds town hall meeting on Kinder Morgan pipeline

Curt Kraemer first fished the Skagit River for steelhead 50 years ago. Fishing the Skagit is on every steelheader’s bucket list, he says. And now he wants to recapture what steelhead fishers had back before the river was closed to wild steelhead catch-and-release about three years ago due to its federal status as a threatened species. Kraemer, of Marysville, joined about 80 steelhead enthusiasts known as “Occupy Skagit” Saturday at Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport for a “wade-in” protest. There, the fishermen waded out into the Skagit River for hookless fishing in support of reopening the Skagit and Sauk rivers to steelhead catch-and-release. Lynsi Burton reports. Catch and release  

Three species and the prairies they call home could be added to the federal endangered species list, leaving an unknown future for Thurston County landowners and training operations at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Evidence suggests that four of nine Mazama pocket gopher subspecies are threatened with extinction. The Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly is believed to be in danger of extinction and the streaked-horned lark is threatened, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. All three are found on South Sound prairies, which under the proposal would be considered critical habitat for the pocket gopher. Only 10 percent of the area’s original prairies still exist, with a fraction of that considered high-quality habitat. That species and habitat designation could have adverse affects on property values, limit property uses and affect training grounds at JBLM. Chelsea Krotzer reports. Who’s more threatened: Animals or local interests?

Bainbridge Island has been designated as a “sole source aquifer” by the Environmental Protection Agency, which will now review all federally funded projects that could contaminate the island’s water supply. The federal designation, which resulted from a petition filed in 2009, recognizes that the island cannot rely on water supplies outside the area. Extra caution must be exercised to avoid contamination of the six aquifers that supply drinking water on the island. Bainbridge EPA designation means extra caution for aquifers

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON APR 8 2013
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NW IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 11 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF
 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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4/5 Fraser R. chinook, tsunami fish, state parks, Edaleen Dairy, BC humpback

Tsunami fish (WDFW/Seattle Times)

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs is calling on First Nations to suspend all fishing for Fraser River early chinook salmon, and it's demanding the federal government halt all non-aboriginal fisheries for the same run. This is the third consecutive year the group has called for a complete ban on fishing of the early salmon run to allow for its continued recovery. Aboriginal leaders urge total ban on Fraser River early chinook fishery

The latest debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami to come ashore on the state’s southern coast is likely the most surprising so far. A small, 18-foot blue fiberglass skiff bearing the name Saisho-Maru was found March 22 just north of Sid Snyder Beach near Long Beach. “There was five fish total we found in the boat’s compartment, and this is the first time we’ve seen vertebrates come ashore in tsunami debris,” said Bruce Kauffman, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist in Montesano. The fish are commonly referred to as a “knifejaw or striped beak fish” that are native to waters off Japan, Korea and China. Mark Yuasa reports. Strange fish found alive in beached skiff possibly from 2011 tsunami

Washington State Parks officials can declare victory in one sense: They have convinced budget writers that parks can’t survive on user fees alone. But those same budget writers are looking to give a smaller subsidy for the next two years than the parks system is currently getting, and the parks commission says those reduced levels are unlikely to allow all 117 state parks to survive. The Senate budget unveiled Wednesday would provide $16.4 million for parks in the 2013-15 biennium – more than 20 percent below the current state infusion and more than 80 percent below the peak of general-fund help for parks in 2007-2009. Jordan Schrader reports. Lawmakers warned of possible state park closures

Edaleen Dairy was hit with a $17,000 fine for two violations of the state's Water Pollution Control Act. The dairy was cited for improperly applying digested cow manure to a field in the rain in November 2012 and for having a leaking valve in a wastewater system, according to a release from the Washington Department of Agriculture. Dave Gallagher reports. Lynden's Edaleen Dairy fined $17,000 for water violations

A massive skeleton of a young humpback whale found dead at a Tofino-area fish farm last week has been retrieved on behalf of the Royal B.C. Museum. Nine metres worth of whale bone and seven to nine tonnes of flesh were trucked and ferried to Saltspring Island overnight and will be buried today in horse manure. That’s the first and major step in cleansing the bones of the oil that makes up 40 per cent of their weight. Katherine Dedyna reports.  Massive skeleton of young humpback whale destined for Royal B.C. Museum

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 5 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 20 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 18 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT
SW WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 17 SECONDS...
 BUILDING TO SW 12 FT AT 10 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF TSTMS.
SAT NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 14 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
E WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NE TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 12 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

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

4/4 Coal export, rockfish birth, BC LNG, GOP budget, Seattle runoff, sediment study

Skagit Tulip Time (Abhinaba Basu, Wikimedia Commons)

New blog: “We have a problem here: scientists and doctors tell us that eating seafood high in omega-3 fatty acids can extend our lives— while reporter Robert McClure tells us the state of Washington is failing to deal with toxic chemicals in seafood which can shorten our lives...” Eat More Fish— Live Longer or Die Sooner

Growing environmental objections to exporting coal from Washington state and Oregon have begun to endanger the coal industry’s hope to restore its flagging fortunes by shipping much more of the embattled fossil fuel to China and India. Port officials this week dropped plans for a terminal in Coos Bay, Ore., just days after the governors of Oregon and Washington urged the White House to scrutinize the global impact of greenhouse gas emissions in Asia before approving exports from Northwest ports. The Coos Bay cancellation follows last year’s abandonment of a proposed coal storage and export facility in Grays Harbor, Wash. And the Sierra Club announced plans this week to sue over alleged water contamination from trains spilling coal dust and fragments. That could further complicate matters for advocates of shipping coal by rail to U.S. Northwest ports for export to the Far East. Sean Cockerham reports. Politics, environmental worries threaten new coal ports in the Northwest

Any day now, two pregnant Copper rockfish are expected to give birth at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lab in Mukilteo. NOAA scientists at the Mukilteo Field Station wait like expectant fathers for the time the females will release anywhere between 16,000 and 640,000 live young each. It’s not easy raising rockfish, as there is no exact science to it – yet. There isn’t a lot of funding for it either. As such, Mukilteo’s is the only one of Northwest Fisheries Science Center’s five labs raising rockfish right now. Sara Bruestle reports. Raising rockfish: Trials in a NOAA lab

A $4-billion plan for a pipeline and liquefied natural gas export terminal by Shell Canada Ltd. for Kitimat, B.C., has been submitted to federal and provincial environmental regulatory agencies. Shell's proposal, which is now among at least a half-dozen LNG developments in the province, includes building a natural gas pipeline from northeastern B.C. to the northern coast where the liquefied gas will be loaded on tankers and shipped to Asia. $4B Kitimat LNG project submitted for environmental review  

The mostly Republican majority in the Washington state Senate has unveiled its budget proposal. It would put $1 billion more into basic education without raising taxes. The spending blueprint released Wednesday contrasts sharply with what Gov. Jay Inslee proposed last week. Like the governor, the Senate proposes to make a significant down payment on the Washington Supreme Court’s finding that the state isn’t adequately funding K-12 education. Some of the money would go to high poverty schools and to fund an expansion of all-day Kindergarten. The budget also proposes to give colleges and universities a $300 million boost in exchange for a 3 percent tuition break. Unlike the governor, the Senate budget does not propose to extend expiring tax hikes or close tax exemptions. Austin Jenkins reports. Senate budget: More money for education, no 'loophole' closures

Recently, the city of Seattle announced a goal to dramatically increase the amount of water treated by rain gardens, green roofs, green streets, permeable pavement and other alternatives that seek to treat stormwater more naturally instead of carry it away in pipes. Right now, the city estimates it’s managing somewhere north of 100 million gallons of polluted runoff with “green stormwater infrastructure,” which helps control flash flooding and helps filter out pollution that might otherwise wind up in Puget Sound. Mayor Mike McGinn and some city council members want to ramp that number up to 700 million gallons by 2025. Jennifer Langston reports. Seattle’s Green Stormwater Goals

The city has taken the next step toward developing a plan for sampling contaminated sediment at the bottom of the western portion of Port Angeles Harbor. City Council members Tuesday night gave their OK to two agreements that describe how the city will work with the Port of Port Angeles and three private companies to study how contaminants, such as toxic heavy metals and other substances associated with industrial wood processing, are affecting the harbor’s plants and animals. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Port Angeles City Council OKs sediment study plan  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU APR 4 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 20 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN
 LIKELY THIS MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN.

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