What’s better: Electric Cars or Combustion Cars?

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Al Bergstein

Interesting podcast by Living Planet out of Germany. An in-depth look at the environmental costs of both kinds of autos, and the answers might surprise you.

On the road to a carbon-free future, a lot of drivers are facing a tough dilemma: Is it worth switching to an electric car if the gas-powered car I have can still run a few more years? Is the environmental footprint of an EV really that much better? We spoke to several experts about the upside and downside of e-mobility from range anxiety to charging infrastructure and more. Click here to listen.

The URL is

https://www.dw.com/en/whats-better-electric-cars-vs-combustion-cars/audio-69160469

Filed under: Alternative energy., Environmental Science | 2 Comments »

Bird flu is decimating seal colonies. Scientists don’t know how to stop it. (AP)

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Al Bergstein

First we had mass bird and sealife dieoffs due to warm water off the Pacific Coast in the last decade. Followed by ocean acidification. Then Starfish Wasting Disease. Now this. “You know somethings happening but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?” (Bob Dylan)

Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus. Patrick Whittle reports. (Associated Press)

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Science, Global Warming | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Bird flu is decimating seal colonies. Scientists don’t know how to stop it. (AP)

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 »

Ocean Warming: Losing the battle

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Al Bergstein

While the global “leaders” flew their private Lear jets into Davos and other locations around the world (remember these jaunts are tax deductible in most countries!) they have done nothing to move the needle as we spiral out of control towards a much different planet (see Dune 2 for ideas on where we are headed). This chart was brought to you by my subscription to Chartr. They do amazing work with new ways of seeing data every week.

Filed under: Climate Change, education, environmental education, Environmental Science, Global Warming | Tagged: | Comments Off on Ocean Warming: Losing the battle

Job opening @ PT Marine Science Center

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is seeking a curious, hard-working and enthusiastic team member to join our Aquarium Services department on a full-time, hourly basis. Qualified applicants will be passionate about animal care and conservation, excel in serving a diverse public in an educational setting, and be organized and efficient.

Primary duties for the role involve providing animal care and husbandry for our aquarium collection, providing support and training for aquarium volunteers and docents, and educating the public on marine conservation and ocean species through programs in the aquarium.

Qualified applicants should have experience with animal care and show a demonstrated passion for conservation. Previous education in aquarium or life sciences is strongly preferred, and experience in a customer-driven environment is a plus. This is a 40+ hour full-time position, which includes weekend rotations and some holidays. Occasional overtime may be needed, paid at the rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly rate.

This is an hourly position, paid at a rate of $18.00 to $20.00 per hour based on qualifications and professional experiences. Benefits include generous paid time off, including Paid Sick Leave at the rate of 1 hour sick leave for every 10 hours worked, health and dental insurance, and optional participation in our 403b retirement plan.

At PTMSC we value collaboration generated by a positive, friendly environment. A good sense of humor is a must! In addition to departmental responsibilities, team members have opportunities to participate in special projects, represent the science center at events, and advance their professional development.

How to Apply:

Find the full description for the Aquarium Specialist position on our website PTMSC Work for Us.

This position is open until filled.  Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email a copy of your resume and cover letter to jobs@ptmsc.org, with the subject “Aquarium Specialist Position.” Please address your cover letter to Ali Redman, Aquarium Curator.

PTMSC will provide equal opportunity to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, military status, marital status, order of protection status, genetic information, sexual orientation, transgender status, or any other category protected by law, in accordance with all applicable law.

Filed under: education, Environmental Science, Jobs | Comments Off on Job opening @ PT Marine Science Center

Water reserves low in Olympics – Sequim Gazette

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Al Bergstein

Our snow pack is not in great shape to provide us fresh water this year.

Water reserves low in Olympics

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Sequim Gazette.

Washington SNOTEL Snow/Precipitation Update Report (usda.gov)

Filed under: Clallam County, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend | Comments Off on Water reserves low in Olympics – Sequim Gazette

The Chehalis Watershed In Peril

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Al Bergstein
A Tale of Floods, Droughts, Forest Practices, and Climate Change
Environmental Speaker Series
Thursday, November 30, 2023  |  4:30-5:20pm PT
In-Person at WWU: Academic Instructional Center West, Room 204
and Online on Zoom
The Chehalis Watershed In Peril : Western Washington University (wwu.edu)

The Chehalis watershed has been in crisis for decades. Additionally, misguided farmers along the river have taken it on their own to “address” the problems, causing even more destruction. This should be an interesting discussion. I talked to Senator Van De Wege years ago about bills to open up gravel mining on the river, thankfully stopped by the Tribes.

About the Event

The Chehalis watershed is the second largest watershed in Washington State. From its headwaters in the Willapa Hills, it runs about 130 miles in a circuitous path to the Chehalis River estuary. It is a rain-fed watershed that has been heavily logged since the 1850s. Tree plantations, both privately and publicly owned, dominate the watershed. Only 14,000 acres of older, structurally complex forests remain in the watershed, where there are no National Parks or other protected areas.

In the summer of 2023, the Chehalis River experienced the lowest water levels in 94 years – since recordkeeping began. Clear-cut logging of old forests has a huge impact on stream and river hydrology, with flows reduced by as much as 50% in summer as water is sucked up by young plantation trees. Clear-cut logging also has a clear connection to the devastating floods that dominate the watershed in the last 30 years.

In this talk, Lee will give a general overview of environmental issues in the Chehalis watershed, as well as highlight the connection between forest practices and water quality. She will highlight the importance of preserving the last of the older, structurally complex and diverse forests that remain in the watershed.

The Environmental Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30pm in Academic Instructional Center West, room 204. Join us at WWU or online on Zoom!
Brought to you by:
College of the Environment
The Foundation for Western Washington University & Alumni
 

Event Speaker

Lee First

Twin Harbors Waterkeeper
Lee First has a BS in Environmental Studies (Western Washington University) and a Professional Certificate in Wetland Science and Management (University of Washington). She has worked in the Waterkeeper movement for almost 20 years. As the Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, she works to advocate for, protect, and prevent pollution in the Chehalis, Willapa watersheds, as well as watersheds on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Her past job experience includes managing environmental controls at a Superfund Cleanup Site, collecting water quality data for cities and counties, delineating wetlands and developing mitigation plans for Tribal governments, and controlling aquatic invasive species. Her passion for canoeing and kayaking (especially exploring new waterways) has led her to completing 17 sea kayak expeditions on the Inside Passage.

Filed under: Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Events, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on The Chehalis Watershed In Peril

Why 10 billion snow crabs starved to death in the Bering Sea – Phys.org

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Global warming of our seas is now destroying one of the main commercial aquaculture crops of Alaska and Bering Sea. By 2021, more than 90% of snow crab vanished. This year the fishery was closed. Scientists now know why.

If we don’t get a handle on this our food from the oceans is in deep trouble. But of course, many politicians still refuse to even acknowledge there is a problem, since their oil industry funded campaigns demand they do and misguided climate deniers like Cliff Mass continue to wait for enough data before they change their minds. I guess someone needs to be the last one off the sinking ship. Hope they have a life raft. Unfortuately they will help take all of us down with them.

“A team of marine biologists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fishery Science Center has solved the mystery of why approximately 10 billion snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea back in 2018/2019—the water there was too warm for them.”

and this:
“Second snow crab season canceled as researchers pinpoint cause of decline” Anchorage Daily News October 30, 2023.

and

In the aftermath of the Bering Sea Snow Crab collapse, a cultural, social and economic emergency.

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Science, fishing | Comments Off on Why 10 billion snow crabs starved to death in the Bering Sea – Phys.org

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

ACTION item: Stopping the industrialization of the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Time after time, citizens have had to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for failing to protect the animals and their habitat as required by law, in areas that the nation has recognized as critical to preserve as habitat and for public recreation. Now USFWS is willing to allow, for private profit, the industrialization of refuge lands for shellfish operations. 

 

>>Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland that the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge lease for industrial aquaculture must be rescinded.

 

In spite of demonstrated harm to birds, salmon, forage fish, and shellfish, and a recommendation by the National Marine Fisheries Service that “an alternative site be identified in a location that results in less potential impacts to wildlife that is more appropriate for aquaculture and meets the goals of the tribe,” USFWS approved a lease for an industrial oyster farm inside the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. This decision, which is in violation of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, must be reversed. 

 

In the words written of an October 2022 USFWS internal memorandum, “Forgoing a compatibility determination in order to facilitate incompatible commercial activities by any entity would be a subversion of the fundamental requirements in the [USFWS] Improvement Act.” 

 

We are targeting the most recent case of the USFWS’s permissiveness in one of the country’s most pristine nature lands, the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in the small rural town of Sequim Washington, just below the Olympic National Park. In this case, the shellfish corporation raises shellfish on other sites. They do not need to operate in a national refuge and deny wildlife their feeding and breeding grounds. 

 

The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was created by Executive Order in 1915 by Woodrow Wilson, directing the area to be set aside as a “refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds and prohibits any disturbance of the birds within the reserve.” The front page of the Refuge website states: “Pets, bicycles, kite flying, Frisbees, ball-playing, camping, and fires are not permitted on the Refuge as they are a disturbance for the many migrating birds and other wildlife taking solitude on the Refuge.” With this level of concern, it is counterintuitive to allow destructive industrial aquaculture.  

 

Industrial shellfish aquaculture is known to reduce or eliminate eelgrass with the use of pesticides. Shellfish aquaculture also involves large-scale use of plastics—PVC tubes and plastic netting—that are hazardous to marine organisms and can trap and entangle wildlife. Commercial shellfish aquaculture is a major industry in Washington state that has significant impacts on the nearshore marine environments, which provide essential habitat for many species, including invertebrates, fish (including herring and salmon), and birds (migratory and shorebirds). 

 

Among the negative impacts of this project are: 50% reduction in bird primary feeding grounds; plastic oyster bags that exclude the probing shorebird flocks from feeding deeply into the substrate, entrap fish and birds, add macro- and micro-plastic bits to the sediment throughout the refuge, and shift the benthic community composition; diminishing of the ecological benefits provided by eelgrass to threatened fish and birds, such as nourishment and cover from predators; and increased algal blooms that will leave a graveyard of dead oysters. These detrimental effects to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge are NOT minimal. Decisionmakers should not place financial benefits to the corporation above the long-term and cumulative impacts to the refuge. Half of the world’s 10,000-odd bird species are in decline. One in eight faces the threat of extinction. 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost from the United States and Canada in only 50 years. 

 

Let’s raise our national voice and try and stop this refuge destruction with public persuasion. This is a public space we pay to protect. For more information, check out the Daily News post from last August, “Groups Sue U.S. Interior Department to Protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge from Industrial Aquaculture.” 

 

This action follows a lawsuit filed by three environmental organizations against the U.S. Department of Interior for failing to protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge from industrial aquaculture. The groups, including Protect the Peninsula’s Future, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, and Beyond Pesticides, filed their complaint in the U.S. Western District Court of Washington State. The complaint states that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Department of Interior, must “take action that is required by the Refuge Improvement Act and conduct a compatibility determination and require a special use permit for a proposed industrial aquaculture use” that will abut and impact the Refuge. The plaintiffs are represented by the Seattle, WA law firm of Bricklin and Newman LLP. 

 

>>Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland that the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge lease for industrial aquaculture must be rescinded.

 

We are focusing this Action against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Secretary of State.  

 

Thank you for your active participation and engagement!

 

Please take this ACTION and circulate it to your family, friends and colleagues.

https://secure.everyaction.com/WMJxQmNjDUqarx4FmLzUrA2

also, to support the lawsuit, you can send checks to:

Send a check to: PPF, POBox 421, Sequim WA 98382 or through PayPal: https://www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org/donate/

        PPF is a federal recognized 501c3 non-profit.

Filed under: Aquaculture, Clallam County, Endangered Species, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula, Sea Life, Shellfish, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: , | Comments Off on ACTION item: Stopping the industrialization of the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge

Stormwater Toxics Research Grants Announced

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Al Bergstein

The Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead is excited to announce the initial funding list for Toxics In Fish projects on Research into Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) and Implementing Chemical Action Plans (CAP).

$3.5 million has been awarded to projects to research and reduce the impact of toxic chemicals in waters around Puget Sound. These projects will support important research on pollutants and their effect on salmon and other fish, as well as efforts to reduce toxic products and test new treatment methods to prevent harmful chemicals from reaching our waters. Read the funding list here.

Chemical Action Plan Implementation Funding Opportunity – Reopened through August 15

In addition, $2 million remains available for projects under the CAP Implementation funding opportunity, which is accepting a second round of applications through August 15, 2023. The CAP Request for Proposals targets projects to reduce PFAS, PCBs, and PBDEs in Puget Sound waterways. Projects may involve environmental monitoring, replacing products with safer alternatives, treating contaminated stormwater, or other actions recommended in Chemical Action Plans. Projects that address tribal treaty rights or include an environmental justice component to support historically underserved communities or vulnerable populations are especially encouraged to apply. More information on this RFP is available on our blog.

Access the CAP Request for Proposals (RFP) and apply via the Stormwater SIL RFP webpage.

  • Applications will be accepted between June 1 and August 15, 2023 (closing at 4:00pm).
  • $2 million of FFY2022 and 2023 EPA Puget Sound Geographic funds to award.
  • Proposals up to $1 million will be reviewed.
  • Investment Priority is Toxics in Fish (priority C: Chemical Action Plan Implementation).

Eligible applicants include tribes, local governments, school districts, fire departments, Local Integrating Organizations, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and others.

Resources for applicants

If you have questions about project eligibility or the RFP application, please contact the RFP Coordinator Libby Gier. For technical questions (for example, whether a proposed project is within scope for this RFP), please contact Dustin Bilhimer. A recording of an informational pre-application webinar is available, along with the presentation slides. In addition, the Stormwater SIL team will hold two online office hours to answer applicant questions in July:

Please visit our Stormwater SIL RFP page and blog post for more details on this solicitation, and share widely with your networks.

Sincerely,

Stormwater Strategic Initiative

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Science | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Stormwater Toxics Research Grants Announced

How Tree Diversity Can Help Fight Climate Change

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Al Bergstein

While we continue to plunge headlong into creating a monoculture treefarm on the Olympic Peninsula, aided and abetted by DNR, this is a good reminder that the science does not necessarily support this direction.

Ensuring the preservation of forest diversity guarantees their productivity and holds the potential to enhance the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. This, in turn, helps maintain soil fertility and combat global climate change.

That’s the main takeaway from a new study that analyzed data from hundreds of plots in Canada’s National Forest Inventory to investigate the relationship between tree diversity and changes in soil carbon and nitrogen in natural forests.

https://scitechdaily.com/how-tree-diversity-can-help-fight-climate-change/

Filed under: Environmental Science, Forestry, Global Warming, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Watch Live: NOAA Expedition to Explore Deep Ocean off U.S. West Coast

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Al Bergstein

Amazing live feeds from the research vessel.

NOAA Ocean Exploration Livestream: Camera 1

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Science | Tagged: , | Comments Off on Watch Live: NOAA Expedition to Explore Deep Ocean off U.S. West Coast

New research paper out on nearshore water temps during heatwave

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Al Bergstein

A new research paper out from northwest scientists.

Large and transient positive (not good! positive means increased here) temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave.

Abstract:

The northern portion of Washington’s outer coast—known locally as the Olympic coast—is a dynamic region characterized by seasonal upwelling that predominates during summer interrupted by occasional periods of downwelling. We examined spring-to-fall water temperature records collected along this coast from 2001–2015 from April to October at four nearshore locations (Cape Elizabeth to Makah Bay) that span one degree of latitude and are located within 15 km of the shore. When compared against a long-term climatology created for 2001–2013, seven-day smoothed temperature anomalies of up to 4.5°C at 40 m depth during 2014 and 2015 show short-term warm events lasting 10–20 days. These periods of warming occurred within the well documented marine heatwave in the Northeast Pacific and were about twice the seasonal temperature range in the climatology at that depth. These warm events were strongly correlated with periods of northward long-shore winds and upper ocean currents, consistent with what is expected for the response to downwelling-favorable winds. While our focus a priori was on 2014 and 2015, we also found large positive temperature events in 2013, which were potentially related to the early stage of the marine heatwave, and in 2011, which did not have a documented marine heatwave. This indicates that near-shore short-term warm events occur during periods of large-scale offshore marine heatwave events, but also can occur in the absence of a large-scale marine heatwave event when downwelling-favorable winds occur during the summer/early fall.

Large and transient positive temperature anomalies in Washington’s coastal nearshore waters during the 2013–2015 northeast Pacific marine heatwave | PLOS ONE

Filed under: Environmental Science, Global Warming, Straits of Juan de Fuca | 3 Comments »

The battle of sea lice and salmon goes on

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Al Bergstein

An update on the battle to remove fish farms from Canada. The industry denies it’s a problem here, 100 miles south…

  • Increased sea lice infestations, scientists say are caused by salmon farms, threaten the already-vulnerable wild Pacific salmon populations in western Canada, worrying conservationists and First Nations.
  • Three First Nations in the region are now deciding on the future of open net pen Atlantic salmon farms dotting the channels and waterways in and around their territories. They hope their decisions will pave the way to protect wild salmon, a culturally important species.
  • So far, ten farms have been closed and the future of seven farms are to be decided this year, in 2023.
  • The impact of the closure of the farms on sea lice and wild salmon populations is still unclear, say scientists, and more time to monitor the data is needed.

As sea lice feast away on dwindling salmon, First Nations decide the fate of salmon farms (mongabay.com)

Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, First Nations, fisheries, Government | Comments Off on The battle of sea lice and salmon goes on

Event: Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program on January 25th@7pm

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northern-elephant-seals-in-the-pacific-northwest-tickets-483953085707

Please join the Friends of Fort Flagler to learn more about Northern elephant seal natural history and distribution. We will also discuss common causes of stranding in Northern elephant seals, field assessments and our recent hospital cases.

Presenters:

Casey Mclean has over 12 years’ experience working with marine animals, and is the Executive Director of SR3, Washington’s first dedicated marine animal hospital.  SR3 is a nonprofit organization that focuses on response, rehabilitation and research of local marine wildlife. The hospital opened the summer of 2021 and immediately started helping harbor seals. is fall they will be opening a marine animal hospital in the Des Moines marina, just south of Seattle. To learn more about SR3, visit https://www.sealifer3.org/

Michelle Rivard is the veterinarian for SR3.  Dr. Michelle Rivard is an aquatic animal veterinarian focused on clinical medicine, pathology, and health of free-ranging marine mammals. In her role at SR³, Michelle provides medical management and care of stranded aquatic wildlife, performs postmortem examinations, and participates in ongoing research projects.  Michelle attended veterinary school at Michigan State University. 

Friends of Fort Flagler is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoring, preserving and protecting the natural and historic resources of Fort Flagler State Park. Please support our state park by becoming a member, volunteering or donating to our organization. To learn more, visithttps://friendsoffortflagler.org/.

Filed under: environmental education, Environmental Science, Events, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend | Comments Off on Event: Northern Elephant Seals in the Pacific Northwest virtual program

How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current

Posted on December 12, 2022 by OlyOpen

Interesting new study out..

A fully sequenced SRKW genome might also give scientists a look at the genetic variations and immune system genes that are important for the whales’ survival, and offer a better understanding of the population’s history and size prior to European colonization, Ford added. The information could also verify current pedigrees and aid scientists in comparing Southern Residents with Northern Residents and other similar populations that are thriving, to determine what factors are setting them apart.

How much of orca decline is in their DNA? – Salish Current (salish-current.org)

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

Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates

Posted on December 9, 2022 by OlyOpen

This ongoing issue of the environmental community asking for stronger controls over pollution may be reaching the limits of the public’s ability to spend for it. For example, this is very much a cost that will be incurred by both Port Townsend and Port Angeles. That this is being discussed in a journal for bond buyers speaks volumes to the issue alone. This article is behind a paywall but the jist is clear.


An effort to protect Puget Sound’s marine life has ignited a debate over a new environmental mandate that wastewater treatment plants say will cost billions and lacks clear science to back it up. The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a permit, effective in January 2022, that requires municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the Sound — there are 58 of them — to reduce the amount of certain nutrients in their discharge.  Caitlin Devitt reports.

Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates | Bond Buyer




Filed under: Around the Sound, Environmental Science | Comments Off on Puget Sound wastewater plants may need billions to meet state mandates

How we tested Columbia River salmon for contaminants – OPB & ProPublica

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Sobering story today on the issue of pollution in Columbia River salmon. OPB and ProPublica collected 50 salmon caught by tribal fishermen and followed standard methods for fish tissue testing.

Ultimately, this led to the finding that, based on the levels of dioxins in our samples, anything above four 8-ounce servings of these tested fish each month would create an excess cancer risk beyond the EPA’s benchmark of 1 in 100,000. That means of 100,000 people exposed to these levels of contaminants, one of them would develop cancer as a result of the exposure.

How we tested Columbia River salmon for contaminants – OPB

Filed under: Environmental Science, First Nations, fisheries | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change – Seattle Times

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Al Bergstein

Climate change wreaking havoc on our native crab populations. Scientists are racing to see if there is anything that can be done.

Not too far down the coast, piles of dead Dungeness crab washed ashore on Kalaloch Beach this summer. Meanwhile, fishers have shared stories about hoisting up dead or suffocating crabs in their pots, said Jenny Waddell, research ecologist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change | The Seattle Times

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Science, Global Warming | Comments Off on Dungeness crab dying amid low oxygen levels linked to climate change – Seattle Times

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