Jefferson County Commissioners Debate & Kill Draft of Wildlife Land Swap Letter

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Jefferson County Commissioners today published a draft of a new version of the letter about their level of support for the proposal to transfer the two National Wildlife Refuges into the sovereign nation of the Jamestown S’Kallam tribe. The final letter would have been sent to U.S. Representative Emily Randall, the politician who has bought into this proposal on behalf of the Tribe, and who has done zero public engagement on this issue. The Commissioners debated the issue and ultimately, after debate, the Commissioners decided not to send the letter and simply pass along the written comments to Representative Randall. This is a positive step, allowing Randall to go get the public input she should have done all along. Randall’s junior status as a Representative has been on display during this entire process, and we are hoping she has learned something from this.

The draft letter significantly tempered their support, clarifying a few key points. For sake of the public understanding the debate, here’s points from the draft letter:

Public Input:

“One central piece of input we’ ve gotten from residents of Jefferson County is a desire for more public engagement about this proposal.” – That is perhaps an understatement.

Importance of the lands in question:

“These sites are not only central to the Tribe’ s heritage but are also integral to the ecological health and quality of life for our entire region.”

Is title transfer necessary?

“…there is concern about losing protections provided with oversight by the USFWS.” Finally the Commissioners are recognizing the very real concerns that moving these lands into sovereign nation status would possibly create.

Hope instead of concrete assurances from the Tribe:

“It is our sense (emphasis mine) that if the island were transferred into trust, the Tribe would continue to manage it to a standard that would meet or exceed federal requirements.” There is absolutely no guarantee that is being given nor could one be enforced if promised once the lands are transferred. It is all based on faith that nothing would ever change. The very fact that this transfer is being considered now is proof enough that some future tribal council would decide on a very different use of Protection Island and Dungeness Spit.

Admission of commercial concerns:

“However, we’ve also heard concerns from several constituents that the Tribe may take a more business- forward approach in managing Protection Island and, in neighboring Clallam County, Dungeness Spit Refuge lands.” Never heard the use of “Business-forward” to describe actual conversion of tide lands into an aquaculture farm before. Also they heard from constituents as if this is a secret project of the Tribe. The Tribe has been very open about this and it has been known publicly for many years. Are the Commissioners that out of touch? Or are they wanting to blame the opposition to the transfer for somehow bringing the Commissioners new information? The answer is “yes” they are trying to blame opponents of the transfer. They did so in the next paragraph:

The Opposition:

“…we have observed a recurring argument among some opponents who use the phrase “public land in public hands” to justify federal retention. Within the context of our region’ s history, there is a certain irony and arrogance in this framing. It overlooks the historical reality of colonization and the systemic dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands. To claim these areas are only ” public” when under federal control ignores the thousands of years of stewardship practiced by Tribes prior to European arrival.”

The opposition doesn’t claim that the lands are “public lands”, they are public by definition. The legal national definition of “public lands” which the Commissioners themselves should be aware of is this Statutory definition: Under 43 U.S.C. § 1702, “any land and interest in land owned by the United States within the several States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management… except... Outer Continental Shelf; and lands held for the benefit of Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos.”, as stated in the U.S. Code. General federal usage: Commonly refers to all real property owned collectively by the American people and managed by various federal stewardship branches.

The opposition doesn’t appear to be ignoring the historical reality, and anyway, what does that have to do with the proposed transfer of these lands to the Tribe? Does the historical reality dictate that we give back the Wildlife Refuges we fought so hard to create by keeping them from “business forward” real estate development? If there is any irony to be found at all in this it is that the Tribe, who claims to have the protection of these wildlife refuges as their reason for doing it, are already engaged in putting a commercial oyster farm of up to 80000 bags of oysters against the very shores of the Dungeness Spit, burying the bottom where many of the birds we are protecting feed.

Who are these two refuges supposed to be for? They were established to recognize that before the Europeans arrived, and actually before the tribes arrived, this island and Spit were “owned” by the wildlife on them. The birds. The American public are currently protecting the habitat of these animals for all of humanity, not just for a “business-forward” entity, no matter who they are or however many generations they have been here.

Given the definition of the Commissioners in this ill worded paragraph, then *all* lands in the U.S. are not public or somehow deserve to be given back to all tribes because we took them all.

The Commissioners should strike that paragraph. It serves no purpose other than add fuel to the idea that somehow anyone opposing this is anti-tribe or racist. The opposition simply wants this co-management to continue.

Finally

“For these reasons, Jefferson County urges the delegation to carefully consider these complexities before advancing the Act.” As usual, when confronted with public opposition, the politicians decided to simply ask for more information and public input by Representative Randall.

To the public and Commissioners, let me simply state that I know the opposition people quite well. Virtually all of them have worked for and possibly even donated to your campaigns. Most of them own homes and businesses in Jefferson County. They pay taxes to this county. They appreciate that you listen to them as well as you listen to the Tribe, a sovereign nation demanding something that no one but them has asked to be given away.

Here is the DRAFT letter

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, Jefferson County, legislation, Protection Island, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Washington State | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Looking back over 200 years of the salmon killing tire chemical 6PPD

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Fascinating story. Untangling chemical names and looking back over 200 years of 6PPD history.

The tire chemical 6PPD is known worldwide for its deadly effect on salmon, but it also has a complex history. We look at how this history connects to important breakthroughs in modern transportation and medicine and how the unique chemical structure of 6PPD makes it an environmental hazard.

https://www.eopugetsound.org/article/history-and-chemical-structure-tire-chemical-6ppd-q

And for a more comprehensive look at the issue we face with tires killing salmon, read any of the stories at the following link.

https://www.eopugetsound.org/seeking-alternatives-to-6PPD

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, environmental education, Environmental Science | Comments Off on Looking back over 200 years of the salmon killing tire chemical 6PPD

New Orca calf seen

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Al Bergstein

More good news:

Center for Whale Research confirms new southern resident orca calf in L Pod
The Center for Whale Research has confirmed the sighting of a new calf, designated L130, among the endangered southern resident killer whales of L Pod.

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Orcas, Puget Sound, Salish Sea | Tagged: , | Comments Off on New Orca calf seen

Meeting held to discuss Protection Island

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Al Bergstein

A large crowd of people gathered at Cape George on Sunday to hear Lorna and Darrell Smith discuss both the history of Protection Island and why they are concerned about the proposed Jamestown S’Klallam Land Transfer that the tribe recently has made public.

In the 1970s and early 1980s Lorna Smith was a key person in the work done to make Protection Island a national wildlife refuge. She acted as the liaison between the Seattle Audubon Society and the two women from Jefferson County that led the battle to get the island designated as a refuge, Zella Schultz and Eleanor Stopps, The thousands of letters of support from both native and non native Americans convinced even normally reticent politicians such as Senator Slade Gorton to help push the legislation through Congress and convince President Ronald Reagan to sign it. It was supported by all members of the Washington delegation and the Republican governor, John Spellman.

Also in attendance on Sunday were two granddaughters of Eleanor Stopps who share Lorna’s concerns. This reporter, who also worked with Audubon photographing the spit in the late 70s, also was in attendance.

The Smiths spent the first hour discussing the rich bird heritage of the island and the Spit, before pivoting to the proposed land transfer and the many questions that need to be answered about this proposal.

The Tribe currently is paid approximately $800,000 a year by the federal government to co-manage the Spit and the island. A month ago the Federal Government authorized over $76 million to support the refuges of the country. Money is there. There is no imminent threat of the government cutting off funds. That would have to be authorized by Congress.

The tribe has already begun requesting the ability to lay 80,000 bags of oysters on the bottom of Dungeness Spit’s inner bay, much to the dismay of bird supporters, who worry that this may cause continued loss of fish and other animals the birds feed upon. Currently, there is a lawsuit moving through the courts to stop this from happening.

In March, tribal Vice Chair Loni Greninger testified in Congress that the co-management has been very successful from both the point of view of the Tribe and the government. So if the working arrangement for co-management is successful, why should the Tribe give up $800k and why should Americans give up one of their 570 national wildlife refuges to the Tribe to become owned by them? How much is the Spit and the island worth to the Tribe and why? The answer might be found in the tribe’s lucrative aquaculture industry, wholly owned by them. While the tribe in their proposal denies having any plans for anything other than the vague term, “conservation” the actual answer to this question might have come from Vice Chair Greninger’s comment to the Port Townsend Leader on April 22nd edition. In it she stated:

“If we’re able to have that fuller ownership instead of co-management, then I don’t have to rely on any other government and their rules and regulations,” she said.

This is exactly what is feared by those who fought so hard to protect this island and Spit. With the tribe in full ownership, we will have no say as to what happens to it, nor if future tribal leaders decide to utilize these environmental treasures for economic gain. While it is understandable that the Tribe once used to forage for seafood there, the differences between subsistence shellfish harvest and modern mechanized aquaculture, with the ability to liquify the bottom with air compressors to get to geoduck, or spread thousands of bags of oysters across hundreds of acres at a time is a far cry from how it once was done.

There is every reason to continue to have the tribe manage the refuges. There is little incentive for Americans to simply hand them over to satisfy a demand. Why is Representative Emily Randall and Senator Maria Cantwell so hellbent on getting this done?

The birds are currently protected, as is the unique ecosystem they rely upon. Why should Americans relinquish this to a tribe that is engaged in the business of oyster, geoduck, crabbing, fish farming and fishing when they themselves are admitting that they want to set their own rules for the use of Protection Island? If the Tribe does get it, will we be on the outside looking in and have no input into protecting birds that live there? Many of us are waiting for more answers.

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Around the Sound, Clallam County, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, Jefferson County, legislation, Washington State | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Pacific Chorus Frogs Welcome Spring

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Al Bergstein

If you are like me, the first real sign of spring is the vast chorus of the Pacific Chorus Frogs in the evening. We have a pond near our house and early March has been about the time they show up. It’s one of the really spectacular natural events that are easy to enjoy. Just open your window when you go to sleep. Better than yowling coyotes!

Pacific Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla
The Pacific Chorus Frog (also known as the Pacific Treefrog) is perhaps the most abundant amphibian on the west coast of North America. The geographic range of these little frogs extends from British Columbia down to Baja California, and from the Pacific Ocean to Nevada and Montana. Within this huge area, Pacific Chorus Frogs can be found from sea level to over 10,000 feet, in habitats that include deserts and redwood forests. If you live within the range of this frog, you have probably heard them calling, or seen them hopping about. Michael F. Benard writes. (Mr. Toad)

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, environmental education | 3 Comments »

Mystery orcas from afar thrill Seattle-area whale watchers

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Al Bergstein

From KUOW.

Three mystery whales have been surprising whale watchers from Canada to Olympia.

When somebody gets the thrill of seeing an orca in Northwest waters, that whale is almost always well known. Scientists have probably given it a number and documented its family tree, perhaps even its DNA. Whale lovers have probably given it a cutesy name, like Yoda or Kelp.

But on March 6, a trio of orcas showed up in Canada’s busy Vancouver Harbour, later heading south to Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, that were a mystery to scientists.

For decades, researchers have compiled photographic catalogs of essentially all the orcas of the Pacific Northwest, including the endangered southern resident killer whales and the more abundant, mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales, also known as transients.

Read the rest at:

https://www.kuow.org/stories/mystery-orcas-thrill-seattle-area-whale-watchers

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Orcas | Comments Off on Mystery orcas from afar thrill Seattle-area whale watchers

Military accepting public comment on environmental impact statement

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Al Bergstein

here we go again…thank you for the Peninsula Daily News for covering this story. The whole story link is found at the bottom of this article.

While I normally in the past would’ve suggested you send in your comments, it’s been my experience that the Navy takes them says thank you very much and then totally ignores them. The only thing that stops them are court orders, but send your comments in nevertheless. It might be useful in court.

SILVERDALE — The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard are accepting public comment regarding the environmental impact of at-sea military training activities through Jan. 19.

The services are jointly preparing a supplement to the 2015 Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) final environmental impact statement (EIS) and the 2020 NWTT final supplemental EIS to assess the potential environmental effects associated with continuing at-sea military readiness activities, according to a press release from Navy Region Northwest.

At-sea military readiness activities include training, research, development, testing and evaluation activities, and range modernization and sustainment.

Those activities would occur on and beneath the water surface and in the airspace within the study area.

The study area, which does not include any land or overland airspace, consists of areas offshore of the Washington, Oregon and Northern California coasts, inland waters of Washington and the western Behm Canal in Southeast Alaska.

Comments may be submitted via the project website at www.nepa.navy.mil/nwtteis or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Northwest; Attention: NWTT SEIS/OEIS Project Manager; 1101 Tautog Circle, Room 102, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.

Read the rest of the story in the Peninsula Daily News today at the following link. please subscribe to the Peninsula Daily News to support local journalism like this .

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/military-accepting-public-comment-on-environmental-impact-statement/

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Olympic Peninsula, Salish Sea, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Washington State | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Thanks as Seattle Times’ Environmental Reporter Lynda Mapes retires.

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Over the decades, we have come to appreciate the reporting of Seattle Times’ environmental reporter Lynda Mapes. In August, she retired. Here’s her last column. Thank you Linda for all your great coverage. You will be missed.

“EARLIER THIS MONTH, I SAID goodbye after nearly three decades as a staff reporter at The Seattle Times, specializing in coverage of the environment, nature and Native American tribes. During this time I have seen so much change. “

Seattle writer Lynda V. Mapes thanks readers for decades of inspiration

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, environmental education | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

The Fraser’s Impressive Sockeye Returns Prompt Fishery Openings

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Al Bergstein

A few years after Alexandra Morton was successful in getting the BC government to end fish farms, which she proved were causing great harm to native runs, there is a massive return of native fish.

A reminder to any new readers, that over the last 15 years, I personally was present as employees of Taylor Shellfish did everything they could to discredit anyone challenging the fish farms. They disrupted a presentation by a leading scientific researcher in Port Angeles, Dr. Larry Dill and they routinely called Alexandra Morton a non scientific fraud in public meetings of the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee. I was chair of the committee during these moments and was routinely needing to stop the outbreaks by a representative of the company who presented falsehoods about her credentials. I never knew whether they represented the management of the company, but since one of them was a manager of a local location of Taylor, it seemed reasonable to assume they did. Perhaps the time has come to have management at Taylor apologize for the behavior of their employees.

I am grateful to see the success of wild salmon returning to areas that just a few years ago were littered with the bodies of fish that died of parvovirus before being able to spawn.

“…Miller detected piscine orthoreovirus, or PRV, a new virus discovered only a few months earlier, as the cause of heart and skeletal muscle inflammation—HSMI—a disease spreading unchecked through the salmon farming industry in Norway. “ From The Georgia Strait newsletter.

From The Tyee, a B.C. newsletter this week.

“But in late July of this year, he said, the number of returning sockeye suddenly spiked.”

“That was incredible,” he said. “That was the most fish that’s ever been caught on that date, since test fishing began.”

While the nation was still waiting to hear on a commercial fishery, Svanvik said that each household was able to get 15 fish to fill their freezers — still a far cry from more than 100 in previous decades.

Svanvik also credits the spike in salmon to the removal of more than 40 fish farms from the salmon’s migration route. 

While Taylor cautioned that “correlation is not causation,” he did say that this year’s positive returns shift responsibility onto government to prove that the aquaculture industry hasn’t been harming wild salmon. 

“You don’t want to go back to those poor returns,” he said. “I think the onus shifts with this, and I think that’s the most important part of it.”

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/08/14/Fraser-Sockeye-Returns-Prompt-Fishery-Openings/

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, fishing, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Plan to expand WA’s tugboat escort requirements for oil tankers stirs pushback

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Al Bergstein

The escorts are meant to help reduce oil spill risks in waters around the San Juan Islands, Bellingham and Anacortes.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s People for Puget Sound pushed for an escort tug to protect the Strait of Juan de Fuca. After enormous lobbying (and resistance from the industry and the Coast Guard) our State Representative at the time, Kevin Van de Wege, got the bill passed through and into law. The tug has assisted dozens of ships in mechanical trouble since then. Now Friends of the San Juans are promoting this new effort, which could significantly improve the chances of spill protection in the event of a mechanical breakdown.

Support this effort.

Originally published in Salish Current.

https://salish-current.org/2025/08/12/effort-to-dial-up-oil-spill-prevention-meets-pushback/

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: , | Comments Off on Plan to expand WA’s tugboat escort requirements for oil tankers stirs pushback

A look inside Puget Sound’s declining bull kelp beds – Seattle Times

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times has a good overview of the collapse of Bull Kelp, a fundamental plant to the health of Puget Sound. The article, found here, (behind the Times paywall) discusses the issues of the falling numbers of acres of Bull Kelp and its meaning to the Sound. Kelp is another indicator species, since kelp beds are nurseries for many fish and crab. We should be extremely concerned about what vanishing kelp beds mean to the entire web of life in Puget Sound. Locally, in the North Sound and Strait, the Marine Resources Committees (MRC) have been actively involved in monitoring the kelp beds. If you want to get involved, contact your county MRC.

Kelp has vanished from about 80% of the shorelines around which it once grew in Puget Sound, according to a 2023 report from Washington’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance. South of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the bull kelp beds are down some 90%. Around Bainbridge Island, they’ve all but disappeared entirely.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/a-look-inside-puget-sounds-declining-bull-kelp-beds

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Sea Life | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Rosario Strait Tidal Energy Project

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Hyrdo News has reported that “Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) has submitted a preliminary permit application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Rosario Strait Tidal Energy Project (P-15368)”. The application is proposing the project just east of Blakely Island.

Rosario Strait courtesy of Bing Maps

The preliminary permit is looking to study and possibly implement a tidal turbine that could generate as much as 5.7 GWh of electricity, approx. 5% of the current capacity needs. “The proposed project would serve as a pilot project to test the capacity of Rosario Strait for tidal turbine technology that supports OPALCO’s microgrid. The Orbital O2 device proposed for use in this location is a floating tidal turbine with a 245-ft-long hull and twin rotors suspended underneath. The device is 165 ft wide including the span of the blades underwater. When operating, the Orbital O2 sits about 90 ft deep in the water column and floats about 5 ft above the waterline and 7.5 ft below the waterline.” – Hydro News

OPALCO was selected by the Department of Energy for Phase 1 grant funding to explore the development of a tidal generation project in San Juan County. The funding is to explore the feasibility of this pilot project. An upcoming workshop will go over the various aspects of this project including the technical and logistical considerations involved.  This will be on August 27th via Zoom if you are interested to learn more and ask questions. 

Here is the link to the upcoming public Zoom meeting: https://opalco.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pdO-urD8pGtCqSdkfRoIz-P_Grbv7x6sp#/registration

Orca researchers have expressed concerns about putting a turbine in the location where endangered Orca’s routinely travel. At this point apparently none have been consulted.

These are the issues we face as we have to make very difficult choices away from the clear and present danger of the use of fossil fuels to the unclear choices of renewable resources from wind to tidal energy. We have no time left to make hard decisions that are going to become even more harder or draconian as the next few years bring larger wildfires and melting ice caps that soon will accelerate the loss of shorelines across the globe. According to virtually all global climate scientists we are passing the point of no return now taking us into a future that may bring the end to democracies like ours if not human civilization as we know it. As the election of Trump a few years ago and his near tie in the current election, as people grow concerned, they often throw complex solutions out of the window and turn to fascism or a ruler who promises that he is the “answer” to their concerns. We should not forget that this country, like Saudi Arabia is captured by our ever-growing need for more oil and gas, and our politicians find themselves having millions of dollars of campaign contributions by the oil and gas industry as they continue to do everything they can to stop a move to renewables (though they claim natural gas is also renewables and even the Democrats parrot this). This is not a time to move slowly! But across the U.S. we are seeing locals work to stop or slow renewable projects. We also see corporations and their allies in various oil and gas industry NGO’s use words like “so called Climate Crisis”. Are they not watching thousands of homes destroyed every year in California, Canada and Colorado, to name just a few of the more forest fire active locations as the planet warms and hits new record high temperatures every year?

I would ask the opponents of this project who are from the green side of this debate to bring forward a list of suitable sites to locate a project like this if they don’t like the existing site. In 2013 the Orca Conservancy brought out a petition to oppose the Admiralty inlet site, saying the site was “unsuitable” but they never proposed an alternative site. Since it seems every site proposed by either wind or tidal projects is “unsuitable” it’s up to the green alliance to tell the corporations where they would like to see these sited so we can move more quickly. As an environmental activist I am frankly very frustrated with opposition without clarity of alternatives. As stated above, there is no time to waste!

I hope that the project planning for this will bring aboard at least one Orca research scientist to represent what may be a show stopping concern for this project. A similar project off Whidbey Island some years ago also ended up in failure for some of the same reasons.

The full article in Hydro News is here.

Filed under: Alternative energy., Around the Salish Sea | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Local border waters are on the cusp of a major rise in oil tanker traffic – Tom Banse

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Al Bergstein

From five tankers a month to 30 or more. Whatever could go wrong? Everything. The only positive aspect to this nightmare story is that the Canadians will be utilizing escort tugs, as we do. I don’t want to hear anyone talk about how environmentally aware Canadians are anymore. That notion is a joke. This pipeline was supported by Trudeau, a liberal. His enviromental policy is so much greenwash.

Are we ready? Completion of a Canadian pipeline expansion means more crude-carrying vessels passing through the Salish Sea en route to the Pacific, amplifying spill concerns.

A significant increase in oil tanker traffic is in store for the Salish Sea with the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in British Columbia. 

The project triples the volume of Alberta crude the pipeline can carry to an export terminal in Burnaby near Vancouver, British Columbia. The facility now sends out an average of five loaded tankers per month. The expansion aims to raise the pace to one vessel per day. The oil-filled ships pass by the San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula as they head out to sea. 

Read the rest of the story in the Salish Current.

Local border waters are on the cusp of a major rise in oil tanker traffic

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Culvert Replacement projects: Good Seattle Times overview

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times today has a good article on the ongoing work of culvert replacement. Titled “Removing WA salmon barriers surges to $1M a day, but results are murky” it investigates the results of the hundreds of millions being spent. (Be aware it’s behind a paywall). You likely have been impacted by the work to replace these culverts to save the remaining salmon stocks as you drive 101 from here to Port Angeles.

The Times article focuses on whether the enormous expenditure of almost $7.8 billion over a decade is going to actually help the salmon returning to spawn and save our greatest natural resource. As someone who has watched and studied this project since before the Tribes were successful in federal court, getting the mandate to force the state to spend the money, I have to say that I too, find myself concerned about the efficacy of this project overall.

As the Times points out, many streams are only going to recovered at the point where the streams cross state and federal highways. The projects often don’t seem to make sense, recovering a stream at one point but not upstream of the blockage, essentially simply moving the point that the salmon are blocked.

We have seen successful recovery efforts over streams such as Jimmy Come Lately creek on the land owned by the Jamestown S’Kallam. I have seen many fish there, as a fish ladder is used by the Tribe to count the fish going upstream. It appears to be a very successful recovery effort and the bridge over the creek is a small thing but wide enough to provide the necessary water and slope to help the fish on the journey.

The Times reports “A Seattle Times analysis of available project design reports found that for every barrier WSDOT fixes, nine others upstream and two downstream partially or fully block fish migration. The state or other owners may fix some of them, but most are not scheduled for removal.” This is not a recipe for success.

It’s clear that to the Tribes, this is all part of the “seven generations” approach that has been so successful in reversing many environmental issues on the Peninsula, including recovery of the Dungeness River flood plain, Jimmy Come Lately Creek, Sequim Bay shellfish, and many other projects that the Tribe has provided grant management, project management and leadership to complete. Unfortunately, Washington tax payers do not think in terms of seven generations. They often think about today’s paycheck. It is clear that with our underfunding of schools, hospitals, mental health, child care, foster care and other critical services, there are many who would just rather fund those immediate needs and let the chips fall where they may for salmon. The unfortunate situation we find ourselves in is that for the majority of Washington residents, they no longer have a memory of the enormous salmon runs that our predecessors took for granted. We once had an almost unimaginable source of high quality free food in the salmon runs, all for the cost of a fishing rod, a fishing license and maybe a small boat. It sustained many people on the verge of starvation as late as the 1950s in this state. I’ve interviewed them in my video, “Voices of the Strait” in 2010. Now, almost everyone who eats salmon pays a high price and it comes primarily from Alaska, where they have done a better job of managing the stocks, and their rivers and habitats have been less destroyed. As the article states, the WSDOT knew as early as 1949 that the culverts were a problem, and yet did nothing to change the practices.

Another frustrating truth that the article points out is “The state doesn’t really know if fish are even getting through its new stream crossings, nor is it required to by the court order. It could try, by studying salmon returning to those streams, but it rarely even counts them.”

Governor Inslee recognizes the problem of the federal government forcing this on the State: “There is a federal judicial decision … which has ordered the state ..to do this work on a designated number of culverts,” Inslee said in an interview. “If you want to criticize the prioritization of these investments, you need to focus your criticism on the federal judicial system — not the state.”

The article also points out that the remaining need for $4 Billion dollars would be the equivalent of buying an entirely new electric ferry fleet. As a citizen of a peninsula needing ferries for our basic commerce, and having seen the cancelations that impact that commerce, this seems like an incredibly problematic decision and one that would likely not be approved if put to a vote of the people.

Reading this incredibly detailed article by the Times investigative team, it is clear that huge errors in judgement and project choice have been made with virtually no payback in terms of salmon recovery in any rational timeframe. It seems that seeking a lawsuit to force the judge and Tribes to extend the period of culvert replacement and focus on projects that have the highest possibility of successful salmon recovery and creating a lower priority for those that won’t, would help actually recover salmon, and show some solid results to the taxpayers funding this.

We all want to see salmon recovery, but we want it done in a way that does not waste it on low chances of success.

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Around the Sound, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , | 8 Comments »

Major Shakeup in Washington State and Hawaii Journalism

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Al Bergstein

This could be very bad news for local reporting…


The financially-stressed Black Publishing, owners of 35 news outlets in Washington state (including the Everett Herald) and major newspapers in Hawaii, is selling its 144 news organizations. Our local news diet is in doubt. Chuck Taylor and Jim Simon report. (Post Alley)

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2 cases of ‘zombie deer disease’ have been confirmed in B.C. – CBC

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Al Bergstein

Bad news for our local over population of deer. While only a few hours north, this has been spreading quite quickly it appears.

The B.C. government says chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in two deer, a first for the province. Nicknamed zombie deer disease, CWD is a fatal and incurable illness that affects cervid, or deer family members, such as moose, caribou and elk, and has been spreading rapidly through western Canada. (CBC)

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Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead – KUOW

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Al Bergstein

Unfortunately, it appears that J60 may have died.

The baby orca known as J60 is missing and presumed dead, according to the Center for Whale Research.

The month-old male was the youngest member of the Northwest’s endangered population of salmon-eating killer whales, which often die before their first birthday due to toxic pollution and a lack of food.

KUOW

KUOW – Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Orcas | 1 Comment »

Neah Bay Dredging will improve Strait of Juan de Fuca, Salish Sea oil spill response

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Some of the most significant oil spills in Washington State’s history happened in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Salish Sea. Rescue tugs were stationed around 1999 during winter only months to protect the Strait. During the late 2000s, environmental activists led by People For Puget Sound pushed for a permanent rescue tug to be stationed at Neah Bay (and also at the East end of the Strait). With the support of then Representative Keven Van de Wege the State finally approved the tug at Neah Bay. The East end of the Strait still remains extremely vulnerable.

 Neah Bay Emergency Response Towing Vessel – Photo: Saltchuk Marine Shared Services

The Port of Neah Bay plays a pivotal role as a harbor for Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERCivTVs) responding to distressed or disabled vessels, and as a designated harbor of refuge. The heavily trafficked Strait of Juan de Fuca sees various types of vessels passing through: cargo, passenger cruise, oil tankers, vehicle, fishing, and privately owned.

Neah Bay Marina

From 1999 to 2016, the stationed Neah Bay rescue tugs responded to 57 disabled vessels or those with reduced maneuvering ability. These incidents could have resulted in accidents or groundings leading to oil spills. The rescue tug is important to preventing spills, which would be extremely damaging to the area’s environment, economy and cultural resources, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.

This (ERTV) stands ready 24/7 on the northwestern Olympic Peninsula point in the Port of Neah Bay to quickly respond. However, challenging tides affect its readiness and the ability of this deep-draft vessel to navigate the channel.

Map courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

That’s about to change with a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to make navigation improvements by deepening the harbor entrance channel. A hydraulic pipeline dredge will deepen the 4,500-foot entrance channel to -21 feet from its current depth, allowing unrestricted access for ocean-going tugs, barges, and larger ships transiting Neah Bay during low tide.

The Corps of Engineers is expected to remove up to 30,000 cubic yards of never-before-dredged sediment material from the channel that’s expected to take two months to complete, pending weather conditions.

“This project will help to ensure that the rescue tug based at Neah Bay is ready to respond to marine emergencies on Washington’s coast,” said Rich Doenges, Southwest Region director for the Washington Department of Ecology. “We think the channel deepening represents a necessary step to prevent impacts to our state’s sensitive coastal environment and preserve our Pacific shorelines.”

The project falls under the Corps of Engineer’s civil works mission’s Continuing Authority Program (CAP) Section 107. It authorizes the Corps of Engineers to make navigation improvements for the non-federal sponsor, in this case the Makah Tribe. The $3.3 million project is mostly federally funded due to a cost-share waiver for Native American Tribes.

Seattle District Project Manager and biologist Juliana Houghton emphasized how the dredged material is perfect for reuse and will help fortify a nearby beach.

“We’ll place the beneficial use dredged material in an area along the shoreline that needs rehabilitation because of a lack of naturally occurring stream sediment,” she said. “The goal is to restore intertidal habitat by depositing the dredged material as beach nourishment.”

A Duwamish Services, LLC dredging crew connects a dredge pipe in Neah Bay, Dec. 8, 2023.
(Photo courtesy of Duwamish Services, LLC)

Deepening the Neah Bay entrance channel will reduce the emergency response tugs operating costs by minimizing the need for vessels to remain outside the bay in deeper waters during low tide. This will save an estimated $81,000 annually in fuel by reducing transit time during tidal changes.

The project first gained traction in the early 2010’s when the non-federal sponsor Makah Tribe contacted the Corps of Engineers Seattle District requesting a study to determine if navigation improvements for the Port of Neah Bay entrance channel were feasible.

“This project has been a long collaborative partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and we’re thrilled to see these improvements enhance the protection of the valuable Neah Bay ecosystem and improve safety for larger commercial and fishing vessels entering the port,” said Makah Tribe Chairman Timothy Greene, Sr.

Throughout the planning process Corps of Engineers officials coordinated, consulted and worked with federal, tribal and state agencies, including Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Services, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Makah Tribe, Washington’s State Department of Ecology, State Historic Preservation Office and Clallam County.

For more information about the US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District, visit the district’s website at https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/ and follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USACENWS/ and on X (previously Twitter) at https://twitter.com/SeattleDistrict.

Thanks to Louis.R.Velasco@usace.army.mil for the Press Release on this topic. Feel free to reach out to him for additional information as needed.

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Protection, Government, Olympic Peninsula, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

EVENT: WWU Lecture on Fossil Fuel Pollution in Puget Sound

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, education, environmental education, Environmental Science, Sea Life, Shellfish | Comments Off on EVENT: WWU Lecture on Fossil Fuel Pollution in Puget Sound

An Alaska fishery has been pitted against orcas. Can both survive? – Seattle Times

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times has an excellent story of the people employed in long line fishing (fishing with hooks not nets) here in Port Townsend, as they find themselves caught between the court battle between NOAA and the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC). The WFC has sued to stop NOAA’s supposed “safe catch” limits for harvesting Chinook salmon. The numbers, as the story mentions, are depressing, with chinook down 60% over the last decades. NOAA continues to act as if almost nothing is wrong, and yet the WFC found significant flaws in their arguments, which one judge agreed with, and other judges did not. While the battle goes on in court, the folks who take chinook are usually small boat owners, as documented by the Times. I know some of these people and they are struggling to maintain the catch in an environmentally positive way, while supplying the restaurants you eat at with salmon. As the catch declines, it’s a lose-lose-lose for all of us.

While this story is behind the Times paywall, you might get a free article before being shut out. But I highly recommend you subscribe to the Times, even if the online version. Do I like their politics? Nope. But they are the last major news outlet actually sending dozens of reporters into the field for pay. That’s worth supporting.

By Isabella Breda  – Seattle Times staff reporter

PORT TOWNSEND — With her legs tucked to her chest in the wood-paneled wheelhouse of the F/V Nerka, steaming mug of coffee in hand, Tele Aadsen reminisced on the fishery that led her to meet her life and fishing partner, Joel, and helped her connect with the sea.

It has been an up-and-down year for Aadsen and other fishers who pilot their boats out of this port each June and head to the waters of Sitka, Alaska, to catch Chinook, or king salmon.

They’ve been embroiled in a court battle over the future of a fishery worth about $85 million a year, whose fleet trolls with hook and line instead of large nets, to catch salmon sold to restaurants and grocers all over the West and beyond.

Read the whole story with great photos of our local fisherpeople here>An Alaska fishery has been pitted against orcas. Can both survive? | The Seattle Times

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