Event: Salmon Advocates to Rally in Sequim

Posted on October 21, 2026 by OlyOpen

On Thursday, October 22, the Let Our Salmon Come Home campaign will hold a rally and press conference, followed by a procession of voices for change ahead of the public comment period during the Pacific Salmon Commission’s 2026 Fall Meeting.

The Pacific Salmon Treaty, a harvest agreement between the United States and Canada, is currently being renegotiated, and decisions made now will determine the fate of our salmon, Southern Resident killer whales, and coastal communities for the next decade or more. The public has its most consequential opportunity in a generation to call on decision-makers to reform unsustainable ocean fisheries and Let Our Salmon Come Home to the rivers, ecosystems, and coastal communities that depend on them.

SCHEDULE
11:30 AM | Rally | Gardiner Community Center (view map)
The day of action kicks off with a morning rally where salmon advocates from across the region will gather for music, food, and solidarity.

1:00 PM | Press Conference | Gardiner Community Center (view map)
The press and members of the public are invited to hear speakers from across the coast share what’s at stake for our salmon, Southern Resident killer whales, and coastal communities. Speakers include Adrian Tuohy, Let Our Salmon Come Home campaign; Riley Starks, commercial fisher; Dylan Tomine, Washington recreational fisher; Paul Engelmeyer, Oregon conservationist; and others to be announced.

2:00 PM | Procession and Demonstration | 7 Cedars Casino (view map)
Participants will walk from the parking lot to a site adjacent to the casino, where the Pacific Salmon Commission meeting is being held, to raise their voices and amplify the coastwide call to Let Our Salmon Come Home. Backbone Campaign is producing a large-scale visual display, providing strong photo and video opportunities.

3:30–5:00 PM | Public Comment Period | 7 Cedars Casino (view map)
Per the Pacific Salmon Commission’s guidelines, media may attend open sessions under the same registration and conduct rules as the public, but recording, photography, and livestreaming of proceedings are not permitted. Learn more on the Pacific Salmon Commission’s website.

Let Our Salmon Come Home is an international grassroots movement and advocacy campaign led by individuals, organizations, and businesses from California to Alaska, united by a shared commitment to reform unsustainable ocean fisheries and bring our salmon home. Learn more at www.letoursalmoncomehome.org.

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, legislation, Salmon | 2 Comments »

Ecology cites PT mill for its 2025 discharges 

Posted on October 20, 2026 by OlyOpen

By Christy Carley -Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — The state Department of Ecology has issued a notice of violation to the Port Townsend Paper Company for two unauthorized wastewater discharges in November 2025.

The paper mill has 30 days to respond to the notice, which was issued on Oct. 14.

One of these appears to be a second leak caused by diesel pumps, not becoming activated during a maintenance outage. -Olyopen

The rest of the story at the Peninsula Daily News. Support local journalism subscribe to the PDN.

https://peninsuladailynews-wa.newsmemory.com/?publink=4d6032c5b_13522c0

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Audubon Holds State Meeting in Bellingham

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Time to read

4–6 minutes

I just returned from Bellingham where I participated in the state Audubon society that held their annual meeting with chapter leaders and other interested members.

The agenda was to review the successes that Audubon had achieved in 2026 and the policy goals for 2027. Aububon is a powerhouse environmental organization, both nationally and in the state. Given that one of Washington Audubon’s major achievements in the late 1970s and early 1980s was the work to create the Protection Island National Wildlfe Refuge, I was wondering whether there would be any mention of the brewing controversy over the request by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to transfer the refuge to the Tribe. But there was no mention made of it at all.

The primary goal of Audubon nationally is working to reverse the destructive downward trend of wild bird populations . Audubon themselves, though working as best they could, has seen a decline of an estimated 3 Billion birds lost since 1970. Their goal is to reverse this as quickly as possible.

Programs for 2027

Audubon has two main focuses for the state in 2027.

Lights Out Washington Program

A success in 2026 was the adoption of the Lights Out Washington resolution. This program is a state wide effort to educate the public on the issue of mitigating the effects of lights in the night on migratory birds. Huge amounts of light pollution lighten the night sky, whether from cities, harbors, street lights and other general light sources. Anyone walking outside in the middle of the night can likely see stray light sources lighting up the sky. The long term goal is to convince both homeowners, businesses and municipalities to take actions to reduce or eliminate light sources that are not needed. One example discussed was terminal port activities that keep a huge amount of light on all night regardless of whether it is needed or not.

The organization trained the audience to help them prepare for Audubon Lobby Day 2027 to promote additional bills of support for Lights Out Washington and other environmental bills.

Migratory Bird Day

The celebration of World Migratory Bird Day educates the public on challenges of bird migration. Audubon has been promoting an online tool called, “The Migratory Bird Explorer” an amazing compilation of data from scientists and amateur birders across the continent and hemisphere.

Migratory Bird Explorer

Helen Engle Volunteer of the Year presentation

Helen Engle was the president of Seattle Audubon and also Washington State Audubon in the seminal growth period of 1970- 1980s. From Wikipedia: She co-founded various environmental organisations, including the Tahoma Audubon Society, the Washington Environmental council, Washington Wilderness Coalition, The Arboretum Foundation, Nisqually Land Trust, and Citizens for a Healthy Bay in Tacoma. She was a board member of National Audubon Society. The award honors her legacy of environmental activism, a trait sorely missing in so many environmental groups today. I had the honor to meet and travel with Helen to a state convention around 1980. She was a formidable environmental leader.

The Helen Engle Award was given to Alan McCoy from Spokane Audubon. As chapter president he has headed an incredible team of volunteers to expand the chapter and it’s protections for birds in the Spokane area.

Protection Island & Dungeness Spit Land Transfer

I spent a few minutes talking to Csenka Favorini-Csorba, who is the policy director for Washington State Audubon. I asked her about the issue of Protection Island and at first she stated that there is no bill for them to take issue with or support yet so she was not going to comment on it. However as we talked further about the issue, she said that other land transfers, in her opinion, had been very successful. She saw no reason to worry about whether or not the land transfer would be beneficial or not for the birds and the tribes were good stewards of the lands that have been transferred . I reminded her that Jamestown has a significant aquaculture business and that they have already been proposing putting 80,000 bags of oysters on the bottom of Dungeness Bay, right next to the refuge, where diving birds fed .She did not seem to be aware of that or the lawsuit by another environmental organization against the tribe that had stopped this proposal for the time being. Her point of view seemed to be very supportive of tribal land transfers in general saying that the land had been “stolen” (her words) from them long ago and it would be appropriate in some cases to be giving it back to them. (historically it would be more accurate to state that the 1855 treaty that the Jamestown signed along with other tribes ceded land in exchange for the right to hunt and fish in perpetuity. That Treaty and that specific language was the reason for the successful outcome of the Boldt decision in the 1970s for the northwest tribes). I asked her if Audubon Washington might support simply keep things as they were with the tribe co-managing the property so all Americans including the tribe could be able to weigh in on issues of management through the United States Fish and Wildlife. She said that it would be better to wait until the bill came out. It would appear from our conversation that Audubon Washington has little interest in either getting involved in the land transfer when it happens or opposing it in any way shape or form. In her defense, Audubon has to work with many other tribes in the state in order to achieve their goals, and I can understand why they would not be willing to make any statements pro or con until the bill is actually out. I left wondering whether or not Audubon members throughout the state would feel the same way about giving away a refuge that former Audubon leaders including Helen Engle, Hazel Wolf, Lorna Smith (nee Campion in the 1970s), the Nature Conservancy along with thousands of members and the public had spent a huge amount of time putting in the federal reserve system in the first place. That obviously will be a question to be answered next year.

Filed under: Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula, Protection Island | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

PT Mill: Leak was far worse than originally reported

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times reported yesterday that the supposed minor leak at the Port Townsend Paper mill was far worse than originally reported. A mill worker became a whistle blower with photos to prove it. He was fired for his efforts. The Times story should shock the complacent in this town.

This blog has reported for over a dozen years of the lack of real oversight by the Washington Department of Ecology, which seems to take an approach that it is in coordination with the mill. Some years ago, an effort promoted by local concerned citizens to do random air sampling to determine whether we were being exposed to toxic chemicals from the smell we all smell at times, found the WDOE sharing that they were going to monitor the mill air during a certain week, and surprise! the mill shut down for maintenance that week. Since the Longview mill tank rupture there has been virtual silence on whether the same tank(s) here may be at risk. A recent sighting of a large crane near one of the tanks led some to wonder if work was being done on it. All this is enough to convince many of us there is little use in expecting the DOE to take our side in an issue. And then there is the Port Townsend Leader, which seems unlikely to report anything seriously criticizing one of the largest employers in the area and the advertising revenue it may represent. The story mentions that U.S. Representative Emily Randall is “looking into it”, and of course that makes us wonder how much money the company may have contributed to her reelection campaign. It’s all of a piece. We who live here are left feeling like victims of a corrupt system, and you can read those thoughts on social media week by week. We wonder whether eating crab from the Bay was safe over the last months. Could Ecology even properly test crab for those chemicals? Doubtful.

The following story is behind a paywall. You can either subscribe to the Times (I hope you do, we need this local reporting) or go the the library to read the whole story for free.

WA paper mill reported minor spill; fired worker warns it was far worse
A company report, accepted by state regulators, said that in late November a hole opened within the bowels of a pulp and paper mill and, briefly, poured a small stream of untreated wastewater into the city’s bay….Washington’s Department of Ecology didn’t investigate. That is, until months later, when John Tippins, a veteran millwright, gave inspectors at Ecology dozens of his own photos and videos from the November spill. He described the episode as “catastrophic,” the worst he had seen. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

Filed under: Admiralty Inlet, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Gray whale safe haven in Puget Sound takes on new significance amid population decline

Posted on October 7, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea have become something of a safe haven for gray whales. Why they are dying is still somewhat of a mystery, with starvation being one of a number of causes due to changes in the ocean, some brought on by our use of fossil fuels, aka Climate Change.

Almost 200 gray whales have washed up dead along the West Coast in 2026. A small group of gray whales who feed in Puget Sound is surprisingly central to understanding the crisis. Sarah DeWeerdt reports. (Salish Sea Currents Magazine)

Graphic by NOAA (UMEs are Unusual Mortality Events)

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Global Warming, Salish Sea | Comments Off on Gray whale safe haven in Puget Sound takes on new significance amid population decline

Pump the Brakes on the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Washington Says

Posted on September 30, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Tyee is reporting that there is a letter that was written by the director of the state’s Department of Ecology to the government of Canada, urging them not to fast track the West Coast pipeline. This is just another example of the outcome of Trump‘s insanity, he has given the Canadian government the ammunition to be able to push even more oil through to the West Coast and threaten everyone’s waters here. I want to remind you that an election is coming up and we need to do everything we can to make sure that Democrats take control of at least one of the houses of power in Washington.

The state of Washington is urging the Mark Carney government not to fast-track the new West Coast oil pipeline, saying shared waters are “too valuable” to expedite a project that could lead to a catastrophic oil spill and harm ecosystems and the maritime economy.

In a Sept. 18 letter to the government, Casey Sixkiller, director of the state’s Department of Ecology, wrote that the proposed pipeline would double the volume of crude oil exported through the Salish Sea.

“Not only would this increase the risk of an oil spill exponentially, but the spill response resources available on both sides of the border are not sized for the risks” posed by larger oil tankers travelling more frequently, Sixkiller wrote in the letter to Dominic LeBlanc, minister for Canada-U.S. trade, intergovernmental affairs, internal trade and One Canadian Economy.

Read the whole story at the Tyee. Support local journalism, subscribe..

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/09/29/Pump-Brakes-West-Coast-Oil-Pipeline/

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Protection, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: | Comments Off on Pump the Brakes on the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Washington Says

WA public lands commissioner scales back order protecting older forests

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times reported on the 24th about the change in rules for older forests, due to the extreme budget problems Olympia is facing. The head of DNR is caught between the legal requirements of his job as currently legislated and the demands of environmental activists wanting to protect remaining older growth forests. The money from this logging helps cities like Port Angeles meet their budgets for critical local services. It will be up to the legislature to fix this problem starting in January. If you care about this, you should write your state Senator and Representatives now.

“Without the (legislative) tools Upthegrove is pursuing, the roughly 55,000 acres could be included in timber sales after 2030. Staff estimates based on similar forests suggest that with no change to state policies, managing these 55,000 acres in ways other than traditional harvest would result in tens of millions of dollars lost.“

Read the whole story in the Seattle Times. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Times.

WA-Public-Lands-Commissioner-Story

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on WA public lands commissioner scales back order protecting older forests

Protection Island: 1st Public Meeting with Randall’s staff.

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Read the whole article on my new Substack site: https://olyopen.substack.com

Citizens showed up to be treated to a Zoom rather than a real person in attendance. Photo courtesy of Darrell Smith.

On Wednesday, Sept 23rd, the opponents of the land transfer proposal that U.S. Representative Emily Randall is getting ready to introduce into Congress, finally got an opportunity to talk directly to her staff about their points of view. It did not go well.

Staff members had originally said they would have one person there, so people came expecting to hear them and instead were only allowed a “Zoom” call, and Representative Randall decided not to attend at all. (Congress is currently out so she was in the area). If the staff would have simply started by saying they would not be in attendance, perhaps a larger audience would have attended online.

Her staff gave a short overview of the “process” that the draft bill is going through at the moment, stating that:

  1. It was a process started in 2025. (it was not made public until spring 2026).
  2. It was already going through the backchannels of Congress to prepare for Randall to present it to Congress.
  3. “There is a long way to go”. One staffer said.
  4. Finally, “It’s only the start of the process and you still have an opportunity to put your feedback into it.”

The last sentence received a roomful of boos from the 30 or so people in attendance.

I think that the staff member did not fully understand that a bill that was being discussed behind closed doors for over a year by Ron Allen of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the Representative of hundreds of thousands of constituents who have not had a chance to comment on it , was not at a point anyone would call, “the start of the process”. The bill is very far along the “process” and Representative Randall still has not held a public meeting with her present to discuss it at all. Once proposed into Congress, the public will have little opportunity to realistically kill this proposal as the meetings are likely to be held in Washington D.C. and Randall is making no promises yet to hold meetings throughout her district.

There is also the small fact that Chairman Allen has donated over $1000 for the last two years, along with the Jamestown S’Klallam donating over $9000 to her campaign. This makes the whole sordid issue seem like a back room deal done for money and votes. No one other than the Tribe has asked for this transfer to happen. Other S’Klallam Tribes apparently were not consulted nor have weighed in as to why they are getting nothing out of this, odd because it is part of the “usual and accustomed” land from the 1855 Treaty that all of them share.

Ron Allen himself has said that other tribes like the Makah and Lummi have been looking at this to decide whether to ask for other National Wildlife Refuges. When asked whether Representative Randall was in talks with them as well, since the Makah, Quinault, Hoh and Quileute are in her district, her staff did not reply.

The meeting was hosted by Lorna and Darrell Smith. Lorna was one of the original people who worked with Eleanor Stopps to create the wildlife refuge in the 1980s. Without their work, the Tribe would have no opportunity to ask for it back, as it would have become a white man’s subdivision.

Many people got up to ask questions of Randall’s staff. Very few questions were answered. No one asking them was in support of the transfer. One surprise guest was Marcia Kelbon, who is the independent running for the State House position given up by Steve Tharinger. Mrs. Kelbon stated she was opposed to the land transfer. It was gratifying to see a person running for state Congress come out and state a position on the issue.

What is Randall thinking? Neither Clallam nor Jefferson County commissioners have come out in support of this, mainly due to the extremely negative public feedback on this proposal. And Senator Murray and Cantwell have yet to weigh in.

This entire exercise is a P.R. disaster for the young, naive Representative Randall. While she has been anointed the Representative of the 24th district, she is a shadow of the former representative, Derek Kilmer. Kilmer had better political instinct than to take on an issue like this without getting significant public input first. Unfortunately, no one was willing to run against Randall, so the Democrats gave us no choice but to not vote or support her.

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, Jefferson County, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

A word from Eleanor Stopps’ Granddaughter about Protection Island

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Al Bergstein
Eleanor Stopps. Named Citizen of the 20th Century in Jefferson County and creator of the Protection Island Wildlife Refuge

Donna Armstrong, Eleanor Stopps granddaughter sent this to me for publication.

Protection Island is more than a place on a map. It is an island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca that provides nesting habitat for tufted puffins, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, and many other species. After failed farming and development attempts, parcels were purchased for the purpose of creating a public wildlife refuge. In 1974, Eleanor Stopps (my grandmother) and Fayette Krause of The Nature Conservancy helped create the 48-acre Zella Schultz Washington Seabird Sanctuary.

Over the next decade, Eleanor, Lorna Smith, and many individuals and organizations volunteered to acquire private lots. One example was the “Adopt a Seabird” campaign, which raised $50,000 to purchase 23 lots. I was eight years old when I adopted a seabird.

Now, U.S House of Representative Emily Randall will be sponsoring the Jamestown S’Klallam Land Transfer Act of 2026, which proposes transferring ownership of Protection Island and Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuges into trust through the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.

Eleanor, Lorna, and many others worked tirelessly for years with elected officials and public agencies. In 1982, Congress established Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, with conservation purposes that included protecting wildlife, scientific research, education, and interpretation.

Since then, Protection Island has been stewarded through collaboration among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, conservation organizations, scientists, and the public. In August 2024, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe joined this framework through a co-stewardship agreement, creating opportunities to include Tribal knowledge and perspectives. When environmental challenges arise, this model brings Tribal partners, public agencies, scientists, and managers together for solutions.

Representative Randall’s proposal would repeal the 1982 law and remove Protection Island from national refuge status and the protection that provides. I am firmly against taking this action and I am sure my granddmother would have been also. Protection Island exists today because Eleanor, Fayette, Lorna, and many others gave their time, resources, and determination to establish it from private land. That history is part of public trust, future generations can believe in a democracy that can still work for them.

To learn more, visit the protect refuges website https://protectrefuges.org and People for Protection Island & Dungeness NWR on Facebook People For Protection Island & Dungeness NWR | Facebook

Editor’s Note: Eleanor Stopps was named Citizen of the Century by Jefferson County for her efforts.

Zella Schultz & Eleanor Stopps

Filed under: Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Protection Island, Straits of Juan de Fuca | 1 Comment »

Judge allows transfer of land in wildlife refuge to SpaceX, for now – NY Times

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Al Bergstein

As we see across the nation, the Trump administration is dumping National Wildlife Refuges to private entities like SpaceX. This Trump nominated judge is going along with it. The plaintiffs will be appealing up the court system. It raises the question of why is U.S. Representative Emily Randall running the playbook of Project 2025 and attempting to dump our local national wildlife refuges to the privately held Jamestown Tribe? Especially since we are so close to an election that we are hoping will turn the tide in Congress?

SpaceX’s operations have caused significant damage to the fragile bird habitat surrounding the launch site, according to a New York Times investigation. A rocket launch in 2024 sent debris flying into the refuge, crushing birds’ nests and igniting a small fire, the investigation found.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/judge-allows-transfer-of-land-in-wildlife-refuge-to-spacex-for-now

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Government, legislation | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

Trump administration moves to gut a core endangered species protection 

Posted on September 18, 2026 by Al Bergstein

We knew that this would be coming. And here it is.
In what would be a seismic shift, the Trump administration is quietly moving to strip a core protection of the Endangered Species Act. At the center of the change is what it means to “take” an endangered animal, something that has long been prohibited under the act. Under a new interpretation of the law’s language outlined in the memo, the accidental killing or injury of an animal would no longer be considered illegal; only actions specifically intending to target an animal would. The change would be transformative because, in the United States, the killing of endangered animals almost always happens incidentally, in the course of economic activity. Catrin Einhorn reports. (NY Times) 

Filed under: Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection | Comments Off on Trump administration moves to gut a core endangered species protection 

State of Washington DOE fines Port Townsend Mill record fine

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Al Bergstein
PTPC Aerator Ponds (courtesy of Google Earth)

The Seattle Times is covering the story of the Washington State Dept. of Ecology (DOE) issuing the largest fine ever to the Port Townsend Paper Company (PTPC) for it’s Glen Cove paper mill. The violations that occurred related to the aeration ponds malfunctioning and the actual removal of some of the aeration equipment comes in the wake of the disasterous rupture of a badly maintained tank at a Longview mill that killed 11 and injured more.

This could be the reason for the increasing reports of excessive mill odor reported on Next Door for many months by local residents around the Port Townsend neighborhoods.

After decades of local complaints to DOE it appears that the cozy relationship with the mill owners may be over. As usual that took a disaster with deaths and serious injuries. The Mill<>DOE relationship led to one event in which the mill was given advanced notice of State air quality monitoring, which not surprisingly allowed it to shut down for “maintainence” the week of the monitoring . While Mill shutdowns are scheduled long in advance, the timing of this by both parties was suspect.

The inspections that led to the fines happened almost a year ago, which makes one wonder how long a pollution violation may go before DOE actually does something about it.

The Times quotes DOE as saying, “Other portions of the aeration system were malfunctioning or had been removed.”

These aeration systems are critical to reducing the smell that permeates the area. During periods of calm winds the smell can move into large areas of Port Townsend, causing many people to report headaches and other unusual ailments that were not present prior to the air pollution cloud moving uptown. The pollution is also highly variable to the prevailing winds, which usually blow the smell out to the Bay. When the winds shift from the South or simply stop altogether the reports of the smell increase.

The mill is important to the town and county due to the hundreds of jobs at stake. Paper mills have been shutting down for decades, leaving a legacy of highly toxic soils. Many are Superfund sites. In Port Angeles, the Federal government has simply been up fences and cleanup is just in the discussion phase as it has been for over a decade.

The full article can be found on the Seattle Times web site. Please support the Times with your subscriptions as it remains one of the only local independent newspapers in the Pacific Northwest.

WA fines Port Townsend paper mill for chemical spill, poor maintenance

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/wa-fines-port-townsend-paper-mill-for-chemical-spill-poor-maintenance/

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Port Townsend | 1 Comment »

Trout Unlimited & the Hoh Tribe restore Owl Creek

Posted on September 2, 2026 by OlyOpen

Some good news for all of us. Restoration is one wing of the environmental movement (activism is the other). This is good restoration work. From the Trout Unlimited web site.

On the Olympic Peninsula, Owl Creek, a tributary of the iconic coastal Hoh River, lost its natural logjams after immense flooding over two decades ago.

This past year, Trout Unlimited and the Hoh Tribe brought them back. Twenty-two engineered logjams, over a mile of stream, were built by helicopter to restore stream habitat and function. These logjams slow the water, capture sediment, sort spawning gravel and carve out the pools young salmon and steelhead need to thrive.

Almost immediately, Hoh Tribe and TU staff found Chinook and coho salmon taking advantage of the new habitat soon after the first autumn rains

“Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á yika xa’bil-ts” means “restoring Owl Creek” in Quileute, a Chimakuan language traditionally spoken in coastal indigenous communities. The translation was provided by the Hoh Tribe. The Hoh watershed—including Owl Creek—is part of the Hoh Tribe’s Treaty-reserved Usual and Accustomed area. The Tribe has been fishing for salmon and steelhead, and stewarding these lands, since time immemorial.

For the video only:

https://youtu.be/lwvEiLY_Gns?is=_WBCcnjF1MliUwUp

Here’s the blog on from Trout Unlimited.

Restoring Owl Creek |  Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á yika xa’bil-ts

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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 »

Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Al Bergstein

From the Washington State Standard.

“A new lawsuit challenging a logging project in Oregon threatens to unravel the management plans governing hundreds of millions of acres of federal public land….“They’ve opened Pandora’s Box here,” said Susan Jane Brown, the attorney who filed the lawsuit and serves as principal at Silvix Resources, a nonprofit environmental law firm.”

If there ever was an environmental reason to make sure Democrats take back Congress this fall, this is it. You likely have never heard of this issue before now, but it’s been used to undue numerous environmental protections across the country.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/26/repub/oregon-lawsuit-could-upend-federal-management-of-public-lands/

Filed under: Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, legislation, Politics | Tagged: | Comments Off on Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands

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 »

Are Wildlife Refuges in trouble?

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Al Bergstein

An argument that has been used recently to support the notion of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe taking ownership of our two wildlife refuges is that the current administration is not funding support for refuges. This press release seems to show that’s not quite true.



NWRA_PressRelease_NAWCA_051926.pdfDownload

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Government, legislation, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: | Comments Off on Are Wildlife Refuges in trouble?

Port Townsend Paper Mill – Thoughts on Safety

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Al Bergstein

In the wake of the terrible tank explosion and deaths in Longview, I have read the call from David Ginsberg for a variety of recommendations on the local mill safety and pollution. Additionally, I have read the letter from the mill management, which, according to the Port Townsend Leader was published by the mill on June 1st but is not on the mill’s web site despite a newer post, unrelated to the explosion, is there.

I worked at the mill during COVID in their IT department, helping get remote access available for everyone to work from “home” and also I was in charge of upgrading hundreds of their computers. In my job, I met a lot of the workers, as I had to go to their workstations, both in the offices and the dozens of production environments to remove and install new computers. I often ate lunch with them, and a number of them became friends. Many drive long distances to work here, because our housing situation is not good for the middle class workers that would likely love to live closer to the mill. Some of them would have agreed with David’s call for actions, and some would likely not. It’s a mixed bag of people and perspectives, just like the U.S. today.

The mill is inherently a dangerous place to work. Mill management does take safety seriously from what I encountered. I had to take training, wear steel toed boots, eye and ear protection when I went into the main plant. There are extremely high speed paper making machines that sometimes break down. When they do, it can be a roll of the dice if anyone happens to be near the break down, and it could be deadly if someone was in the vicinity. The mill has been very lucky up to now. But other non-lethal injuries are fairly common and the mill closely tracks them. There are also forklifts roaming around, moving huge rolls of paper. The mill is a very old industrial site, but it has continued to be upgraded for various technical improvements over the decades. Nevertheless, anyone walking around there needs to be very vigilant.

Chemical tanks at Port Townsend Paper Mill. Unclear which of these may be holding the same kind of chemicals that exploded at Longview. Parking lot in upper center. Walkway to work passes by the top circled tanks. Image courtesy of Google Earth.

Every day when I came to work, I am pretty sure that I and the other workers, walked right by three large tanks, that seem to be the same tanks that were involved in the Longview explosion. The tanks are nondescript large tanks that had no discernible markings or safety warnings on them (that may have changed). I assume this because of the photos I’ve seen of the tank that exploded. The pulp “cookers” here at the mill are next to the tanks. None of us likely understood the risk, because I know that if I would be working there today, I would walk the long way around from the parking lot to get to work. However, that way is not the “safe” way, protecting people from the constant truck and forklift traffic. The walkway from the parking lot to the main offices and mill itself goes right by these tanks. Is it really the best idea to have workers constantly walking past them? Could a simple mistake cause a catastrophic explosion? Or are these not the tanks in question?

The mill management is different from the mill ownership. Management is local. Ownership is by Atlas Holdings, from Greenwich Connecticut, apparently some kind of holding company that invests in paper mills. This blog published a short overview when they took over the mill. Profit margins on paper mills are slim, according to CSIMarket https://csimarket.com/Industry/industry_Profitability_Ratios.php?ind=111 Their industry profit margins appear to be 3 to 4%. About as much as Safeway or QFC likely makes. Can Atlas guarantee that they have done everything that could be done for worker safety?

The mill operates under a variety of safety and EPA laws, many federal, some state created, but I don’t know if any are locally created. A variety of environmental laws have been relaxed or eliminated under the two Trump administrations. I’m unclear if any specifically were related to mill safety, but I have read that there is no state nor federal inspection requirements for the tanks that hold these dangerous chemicals. I would love to understand what laws are applicable. If there are none, there should be.

The mill memo mentions that they have carried out inspections and are working on “scheduling further non-destructive testing to reassess tank conditions in 2026.” The county emergency management department also said they are working with the mill and preparing for a July meeting. Given all that has happened, the mill should be very open and forthcoming with their plans and the results. Unfortunately, there is no apparent legal requirement for them to do so. Additionally, all of us should be demanding the State take a much more active role in tank inspections.

In Mr. Ginsberg’s letter, there was a laundry list of other issues dating back a long time. While I agree with his general assessment that there are other issues that need addressing, now is the best time to focus on tank safety. It is in the public eye, and the state will likely be working on improving this one issue in the months ahead. Let’s focus on this and not try to “boil the ocean” of other issues that Ginsberg raises.

It’s a great time for anyone concerned about safety, whether the mill workers themselves or the community at large, to come forward and make your voice heard. Write emails, letters or go to city or county council meetings. The way the news cycle works, the State and Atlas Holdings will be counting on this to fade as an issue quickly. This chance may not come back again until another disaster strikes. We are all hoping it doesn’t happen here.

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

KPTZ Interview with Al Bergstein re:Protection Island

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Al Bergstein

Here is the interview I did with Phil Andrus last week. While I didn’t get every point across I wanted I got the jist of it for you. We discuss the proposed land transfer of Dungeness Spit and Protection Island to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. Is this good or not for the bird sanctuary? Do we give away a National Wildlife Refuge with no guarantees of what might happen to it in the future? You decide. The devil as usual is in the details of the proposal.

260517 cats-al bergstein.mp3Download

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The end of the Black Point Resort?

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Al Bergstein

The twenty year saga of the Pleasant Harbor Marina and Golf Resort may have finally been dealted a death blow in court this last week. The County Hearings Examiner has ruled against the developer and county.  See attached.

The developer must build infrastructure and recreational features before he can sell lots to raise money. This was always an underlying requirement that for years the developer attempted to modify with legal challenges to the county.

Building roads, sewer and water systems, reworking the intersection with Highway 101 and building out the golf course are expensive enough, but the conference center + 208 hotel rooms would seem to make the whole venture financially infeasible.  Hard to think of a bank or traditional lending source that would touch this proposal.

The project has cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in time, labor costs and legal challenges by the developer to not pay what they considered costs that they said they shouldn’t pay. The county finally settled out of court to avoid even more costs.

This county’s commissioners made a massive costly mistake in approving this project in the late 2000s. There was a significant vocal opposition to it, posing the very issues that have brought us to this sad end. Other than outright killing the proposal, the county expected that the developer would build out the infrastructure before he sold lots. That didn’t happen. There has been logging on the site, but little else that would qualify in the mind of the hearing examiner.

The Olympic Peninsula Environmental News has covered this sad situation since the beginning. You can search the site for background stories if you wish.

We are very grateful for the continued work of the Brinnon Group, who has spent thousands of hours and funds fighting this. You can help offset their costs by donating what you can.

https://www.brinnongroup.org/take-action

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Land Development | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

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