Well worth an hour to hear from a key State Commissioner. Click anywhere on the photo below to be taken to the signup page. The RSVP link does not work in the image.
Filed under: education, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Events, fisheries, Government, Olympic Peninsula, wolves | Tagged: Commissioner, discussion, fish, politics, wildlife | 2 Comments »
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Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland that the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge lease for industrial aquaculture must be rescinded.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: aquaculture, Dungeness Bay | Comments Off on ACTION item: Stopping the industrialization of the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge
The Peninsula Daily News mentions that the Kiwana’s of Port Angeles invited fishing guide, columnist and long time “salmon restoration industry” critic Pat Neal to speak at their recent meeting. We have long documented Neal’s rants against any and all efforts to restore the rivers he claims to love.
Neal blames virtually all parties, the Federal government, State government, and Local Governments for spending millions of dollars and having nothing (in his mind) to show for it. The article says that he ended by saying the Tribes should be running fish restoration, as if they haven’t been for decades. He clearly has been out of touch with what has been happening all around him.
Having done volunteer environmental work on the Peninsula for 20 years, along with producing films for the Jamestown S’Klallam and my film “Voices of the Strait” in 2010 for the Puget Sound Partnership, which was a documentary on the “old timers” that grew up fishing and hunting here, I can state that what Neal conveniently leaves out, is as important as what he says.
First off, Neal does not seem to understand that the efforts of restoration will take far longer and far more than the little we have already done. Why? Because we are dealing with 150 years of rampant exploitation of the Peninsula and it’s environment by a variety of people and companies operating with a worldview of “unlimited resources.” They were people of a very different time, legal framework and perspective.
Logging companies commercially cut over 95% of the old growth timber here. While doing that, they destroyed the 12,000 year old forest floors right down to the streambeds. A recovery from this destruction will take over another 100 years, if ever. This ecosystem was where the salmon (and numerous other unique species) thrived. They couldn’t and can’t live without it. There is no “blame” here, these people did not have a scientific understanding of how the ecosystem worked. They simply thought there was so much abundance, it could never end. The last “one log” truck went out on this peninsula as late as the early 1970s, while the Congress allowed raw logs to go out to Japan without using our sawmills. I watched as the ships were loaded with giant cedar and fir. Who profited from those decisions? Yet many still want to blame the Spotted Owl or the Boldt Decision for the end of the logging era and the almost simultaneous collapse of the salmon runs. The Spotted Owl fiasco was an outcome, not a cause. The Boldt Decision simply recognized that our neighbors indeed had “Treaty Rights” and they were going to be asked to help manage a fishery they had historically successfully managed for centuries.
Additionally, well meaning farmers gutted the rivers for irrigation, especially in the Sequim/Dungeness basin. One long time fisherman named Vince Cameron I interviewed for “Voices of the Strait”, told me that as a young boy, growing up on the Dungeness, he witnessed a tractor come into the river and cut a channel to create an irrigation ditch, during the middle of a salmon run, stranding thousands of fish as they moved upstream to spawn. He also discussed that channelizing the river, to end the flooding of the valley, created a high pressure hose effect, essentially scouring the banks where the salmon spawned.
The reversal of this entire mess has taken hundreds of millions of dollars, decades of the efforts of the Jamestown S’Klallam and the collaborative work of the Dungeness River Management Team, which included the Tribes, fishermen, hunters and farmers. It has been a successful effort. But it will likely take many more decades before we see significant numbers of salmon, especially the runs of Chinook. Neal would apparently rather sit on the sidelines and complain than take part in these efforts.
Another old timer told me that once the Hood Canal Floating Bridge came in, he noticed that the fishing in Hood Canal seemed to collapse. Since that comment to me, we have scientifically found out he was right, that the bridge is contributing to deaths of millions of fry on their way out to sea. Efforts to understand how we can keep the bridge and yet make it safe for salmon fry are ongoing.
Alexandra Morton in Canada scientifically proved that net pens were contributing to sea lice that were killing and weakening salmon as they passed by on their way to the sea. I witnessed the PR people employed by major aquaculture companies we all love here in Puget Sound, denounce her and her work over and over again. She was finally, after decades of work, successful in getting the Canadian Government to remove these farms. The runs this year, the first year that returns came back having not passed the farms, were spectacular. The people who denounced her have continued to be members of influential committees here on the Peninsula and continue to denounce efforts to reign in their ongoing takeover of our beaches.
We also have witnessed extensive construction of homes and businesses along the banks of salmon streams, destroying the natural habitat for a mixture of concrete and lawns. The reversal of that is taking decades as homes are bought out, removed and flood plains put back in place. Flood plains are the “lungs” of the river, and our destruction of them was incredibly bad news for salmon. Now we are on a path to restoration with best available science helping guide decisions being made by large groups of representatives from our cities, counties and environmental organizations.
I interviewed men who ran sports fishing boats out of Sekiu and other places. Herb Balch told me how he and other sports fishing fleet owners begged the Department of Fisheries to put limits on the salmon fishing during the 50s and 60s because they felt it was wasting the resource. He mentioned to me he would take out a boat of Boeing executives who would want to fish the “limit” and would come back with a boat of 30 to 50 fish. The customers might take one or two leaving him needing to gut and give away the rest. He could never find high school kids to be ready to do the work and in disgust, would dump the remaining fish over the side. This went on, day in and day out during fishing season.
Dick Goin, the late long time fisherman who was the spark for removing the Elwha dam, also documented the dramatic decline in salmon from the 1930s, when he arrived, to when he ended his fishing career. I have a copy of his legendary document, “Roll Call of the Lost” if anyone would like to see it.
Ray Hunter, who grew up in Dungeness Bay, recalled the day that the boats came in and swept across the bay, dragging nets that destroyed the bottom and brought an end to many of the fisheries that he experienced growing up in the 40s and 50s.
Peter Becker told me of being on fishing boats in the late 70s with the latest fish finders and him and the crews wondering who would catch “the last salmon”.
None of these men were environmental radical activists. They were simple fishermen, paper mill workers, truck drivers and businessmen that were appalled by the destruction they watched. They watched the ‘baseline’ as it’s called in science, move, and understood what was happening. From a baseline of virgin forests to a pillaged clear cut, from dozens of dead salmon floating away in the Strait, it was clear to them what was happening. Dick worked hard to reverse it, and the removal of the Elwha Dam and the return of the chinook and other fish to the upper reaches is now being seen. It’s not yet to a place where river guides can make a living, but we are headed that way. Unfortunately, it is not likely to be done in Pat Neal’s lifetime. It just isn’t that simple.
You can watch my film, “Voices of the Strait” on YouTube. Unfortunately, I was requested at the time to keep the running time short, and had to cut many interviews. I’m hoping to return to the film someday and make the running time long enough to include much of what was left “on the cutting room floor”.
You can watch my film, “Working for the River” about the Dungeness recovery efforts, on Vimeo.
Filed under: Clallam County, environmental education, Environmental Protection, fisheries, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula, Salmon | 5 Comments »
According to Tom Hartmann..https://substack.com/@thomhartmann— “The world is subsidizing the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to destroy our planet at a rate of $13 million per minute.
A new report from the International Monetary Fund (which has funded fossil fuel projects in the past, so they’re not likely exaggerating), the total amount of subsidies given to fossil fuel billionaires and their companies last year was around $7 trillion, or about 7 percent of global GDP.
The biggest culprits are, in descending order, China, the US, Russia, the EU, and India. Here in America we give around $600 billion in subsidies every year to the fossil fuel industry, and that doesn’t even begin to count the costs we pay for cleaning up the industry’s messes, from abandoned wells and coal mines to rebuilding cities destroyed by climate-change-caused violent weather and fires.
This is insane, and must stop immediately. The IMF calculates that if the world’s subsidies were to end this year, next year would see a 34% decrease in the use of fossil fuels because they’d become so much more expensive. While we can’t control the rest of the world, we can set an example by cutting off American fossil fuel companies and their billionaires from our absurd taxpayer-funded subsidies: call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and let them know you support ending fossil fuel subsidies.”
Better yet, today is the annual Jefferson County Democratic fundraiser. Perhaps it’s worth reminding our elected officials.
And here’s a song to sing to these people who just can’t seem to stop killing the planet for their own greed.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, Global Warming, Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on We are subsidizing our own demise.
Shuswap B.C., Gunn lake B.C., 19,000 evacuated in Yellow Knife alone. And hundreds more across Canada. Over 400 fires in Louisiana. 110 degree temps across the Midwest. With the loss of more of paradise to the onslaught of climate change, we have to ask ourselves when we are going to be ready to get serious about doing the big things to slow this crisis.
As the latest new heatwave finally washed against our shores in the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky that it was not the 20 degree variation other places are seeing. Lytton, before it burned, saw temperatures that much higher than previous highs. If we saw highs 20 degrees hotter, we would also be at 120 or higher, as the Midwest is currently seeing. Being in typical (or atypical summer drought season) surrounded by tree farms of our own making, and with westerlies being predominate, it is just a matter of time before we see a major fire storm sweep across the Olympic Peninsula. Perhaps it will take out one city rather than dozens, but my guess is that Port Townsend clearly has the forest cover to ignite.
Additionally, across the country, we have seen insurance companies, the real arbiters of climate change, abandon homeowners in risky areas. I’m sure Hawaii will be become the next target.
Homeowners struggle to get protection from climate disasters as big insurance companies scale back
If you have noticed a slowdown in my posts lately, it’s due to the fact that the headlines are validating what this blog along with all the major scientists on the planet, have warned about for decades. Why have we done so little to prepare? Because we are essentially just another country dictated by oil companies, not politicians. Until we are willing to challenge their hegemony, we are trapped in a cycle of destruction. Why? Well, we are not cutting our oil consumption.
If there is any good news on the horizon, it’s that the oil industry is pricing itself out of existence. Which will come first, our society destruction as the wealthy create the enclaves they think will allow them to survive? Or will the cost of solar and wind energy that already is vastly cheaper than even natural gas, allow us to simply turn off the taps? Unfortunately, as you look at the supporters of politicians like Trump, they are not rooted in reality anymore. They are like the Romans who believed the Empire would save them as the Visigoths appeared at the gates. However, a recent New York Times article documented the progress in Oklahoma, of all places, at moving towards an oil free future. There are glimmers of hope.
The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think
Other signs of hope. The new “Children’s Crusade” continues to push against the status quo.
Judge Rules in Favor of Montana Youths in a Landmark Climate Case (subscribe to the New York Times if you can’t read this article or go to your library and look it up).
We are now deep into the next epoch of the earth, one of our own stupid making: The Anthropocene. No amount of ‘restoration’ is going to be of much good if we simply continue to pour out more and more CO2.
Anthropocene: Scientists say they’ve found a site that marks a new chapter in Earth’s history | CNN
Demand our politicians actually do something and not simply ignore it as many of our Democrats appear to be doing. As was so wonderfully illustrated in Veep. “I feel like provoking someone, Mike… I really do.”
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Lahaina, Paradise (lost), Lytton B.C. – Who’s next?
If there was one thing that I learned in lobbying for environmental causes in Olympia, it’s that my legislators often talked about the impact of the oil industry lobby. Here’s an interesting and from my perspective accurate discussion on the latest efforts to derail moves away from fossil fuels.
“…Since February of last year, the oil industry has spent over $1.5 million dollars operating a front group, “Affordable Fuel Washington”, which is running ads claiming that climate policies are to blame for high gas prices. So, don’t be surprised if/when a paid canvasser asks you to sign their petition.”
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: legislature | Comments Off on Fossil fuel industry invests in deceiving Washingtonians -Sierra Club
Friends of Fort Flagler
Wednesday, Sept. 6th @ 9:00am 10:30am
Program: River Otter Beach Walk/Talk
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/616275967007Location: East Beach past Wansboro BatteryJoin us to learn about these cute and curious creatures that live throughout the Puget Sound. We’ll be taking a beach walk on East Beach past the Wansboro Battery and discussing the river otter’s life cycle, behavior and where you might find them. If we’re lucky, we may even see one! Bring comfortable shoes, warm clothes and a rain jacket. Presenter: Jennifer Riker has a deep passion and love for the Pacific NW and all the beauty and wildlife that can be found here. She is a social worker that has also volunteered as a mountain steward with the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest and volunteered at the zoo in Seattle Jennifer loves learning everything she can about her beautiful home and all the wildlife that she is fortunate to co-exist with and continues her education taking many classes at North Cascade Institute on plants, birds, dragonflies and is a naturalist for the Mountaineers.
Saturday, Sept. 16th @ 9:00am – 1:00pm
Program: International Beach Clean Up – Beach Grass Removal
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/691931254007Location: Lower Campground, upper part of spit next to playground.Join us to help restore our beach to a natural state. Protecting our beaches includes removing invasive species that are choking out our natural grasses. Friends of Fort Flagler is organizing an invasive beach grass removal on September 16th from 9am and 1pm. The Park will be giving free day passes to any volunteer who does not have state park passes. Please bring garden or work gloves and come ready to pull grass. If you have garden hand forks and shovel, please bring as well.Naturalist Lead: Lynn Schwarz For more information about future events, volunteering, members or donations visit: //friendsoffortflagler.org/
Filed under: Admiralty Inlet, environmental education, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on September 2023 Events at Fort Flagler
Bad news for the Caspian Terns on Rat Island
Friends of Fort Flagler has been sponsoring trained docents to help protect the Caspian Tern population that is currently nesting on Rat Island. Recently a number of dead birds have been sighted and test results provided to Fish and Wildlife have confirmed that the birds are carrying Avian flu.
Here is the press release from Friends of Fort Flagler
Avian Flu in Jefferson County
Keep your dogs on leash and away from the shoreline! We are experiencing an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is closing public access to Rat Island near Fort Flagler State Park. Dozens of Caspian terns have died in the area and there are more that appear sick. Samples from bird carcasses were collected and have tested positive.
The HPAI virus occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect poultry and other bird and animal species. The virus is contagious among birds through saliva, nasal secretions, feces, and contaminated surfaces.
WDFW is asking the public to avoid contact with sick or dead birds and/or seals as a preventative measure. Also do not attempt to transport them to a veterinarian or a private property for treatment. Moving sick animals can spread the virus to areas where it did not exist before. Please keep pets away from bird carcasses or sick birds to avoid exposure to HPAI.
Public access to Rat Island had recently been discouraged to reduce disturbance to the tern colony and harbor seal pups present there, and shellfish harvest is closed around the island, but extreme low tides have led to more foot traffic to the island from Fort Flagler State Park. Staff are posting “closed” signs and information on HPAI around the island, the campground, and the boat launch. Keeping humans out of the area is a preventative measure and helps prevent the spread of the virus.
Please help spread the word about this closure and not touching sick or dead wildlife.
Friends of Fort Flagler
Filed under: Admiralty Inlet, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: Avian Flu, Caspian Terns, Fort Flagler, Marristone island, Rat Island, washington state | 1 Comment »
This immediate issue needs people’s awareness. Stay away from Rat Island for the next month, please!
From Steve Hampton, Conservation Chair for Admiralty Audubon. It was published as an op ed piece in the Port Townsend Leader this week. Given the urgency of this issue, I’m reprinting it most of it here at his request.
Once again, a large colony of Caspian Terns is preparing to nest at Rat Island, the small sandbar between the Fort Flagler beach campground and Indian Island. Over 700 birds were present in early May, cavorting and passing fish to each other.
Among seabirds, terns are the sports car version of a gull. Sleek, agile, with racing caps and bright red bills, they dive headfirst into the sea to catch fish. In the tern family, Caspian Terns are the largest. They can be heard from nearly a mile away by their raucous calls, sounding like a pterodactyl, if we knew what pterodactyls sounded like.
Rat Island is a small curve of sand topped with dune grass, located not far from Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With most other colony sites no longer available for many reasons, it is becoming an important refuge. Observations of banded birds at the Flagler spit suggest that the Caspian Terns there have relocated from former colonies in Bellingham and the Columbia River.
Caspian Terns will forage up to 35 miles from their nesting colony, so finding food is not usually a problem. Finding a safe nesting spot is. First and foremost, they need protection from predators like raccoons and coyotes. Eagles are a menace, but the feisty terns have ways of fending them off. The real problem, at least at Rat Island, has been humans.
During minus tides, campers from Flagler can actually walk to Rat Island, which is owned by the Department of Natural Resources. Boaters and kayakers can access it too. In addition to the nesting terns, there are nesting gulls, Black Oystercatchers, and a Harbor Seal haul-out. All of these are protected from disturbance by law. Unfortunately, most of the disturbance seems to come from naïve people, in awe at nature, flushing the birds off their eggs and chicks, which are hidden in a small valley in the center of the island. While beach walkers film the terns overhead with their phones, gulls rush in, taking eggs and chicks. Last year the colony of 500 birds, in two nesting attempts a month apart, successfully fledged fewer than 20 chicks.
This year they are back to try again. The Friends of Fort Flagler, in concert with Admiralty Audubon, Fort Flagler State Park, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has created a team of volunteer docents to educate the public and reduce disturbance to this colony, especially during low tides in June and July. Sometime in August, the birds will complete nesting and move on. They will be entirely gone by the fall.
You can enjoy them from the Flagler spit, watching them fly in from all directions, circle over the colony, and disappear into the cacophony of white wings and raucous calls. If you value our wildlife, please, go no further. Rat Island is an important sanctuary for birds to nest and harbor seals to rest. There are fewer and fewer such places in the Salish Sea.
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Terns nesting: Please stay off Rat Island
In an incredible move that drives the economic impact of climate change home, State Farm insurance has decided to end new homeowners insurance in California due to wildfires and the cost of rebuilding. This won’t be the last time this happens. But this has been a long time coming, and we all know that the insurance industry is the real driver behind climate change policy in this country. State Farm is the second large insurer to end coverage in California. AIG ended coverage last year.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/27/state-farm-home-insurance-california-wildfires
Filed under: Climate Change, Olympic Peninsula | 1 Comment »
Recently, I was made aware of a new method of text annotation called bionic reading. It is used for those with reading impairments, such as ADHD. You can look it up on the Internet if you’re wanting to understand the underpinnings behind it. I find it very interesting and very fast reading to read text that has been annotated with bionic reading. What follows is a recent post that has been processed by the technology of bionic reading.
This blog predicted years ago that Hilary was going to do this. We cannot support a run for governor by her. Why? Her track record of allowing the destruction of beaches by rampant geoduck aquacul across the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound; her feigned lack of knowledge of her office’s involvement in supporting tribal interests to take over the waters of the Dungeness Spit Wildlife Refuge for commercial aquaculture purposes, against the wishes of the scientists of the refuge.(Hilary had signed the agreement). And many more. We will be supporting her competitor, Bob Ferguson who has demonstrated over and over again the ability to do the right thing for the state. We hope you will too.
https://bionic-reading.com/br-method/
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Bionic Reading
This blog predicted years ago that Hilary was going to do this. We cannot support a run for governor by her. Why? Her track record of allowing the destruction of beaches by rampant geoduck aquaculture across the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound; her feigned lack of knowledge of her office’s involvement in supporting tribal interests to take over the waters of the Dungeness Spit Wildlife Refuge for commercial aquaculture purposes, against the wishes of the scientists of the refuge.(Hilary had signed the agreement). And many more. We will be supporting her competitor, Bob Ferguson who has demonstrated over and over again the ability to do the right thing for the state. We hope you will too.
Filed under: Government, Olympic Peninsula | 2 Comments »
The new part of this story is that Eric has looked at the fact that the Coast Guard is likely to be destroyed by any major earthquake here, and we would be relying on them to be ‘first responders’.
It is clear that our government has known of the risk here for decades and has done little to protect us from it. Some Tsunami sirens is pretty much it. Is there a master plan for this disaster? What would happen if Ediz Hook, and all the ports and Hood Canal Bridge were destroyed? Also remember that it’s probable that the Hood Canal Floating Bridge would be gone, and with it, our fibre optic lines that provide any communication. The Fibre Loop goes around to Gray’s Harbor, but that likely would be gone too.
www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/07/coast-guard-tsunami-00058594
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: earthquake, tsunami | 7 Comments »
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/hurricane-ridge-day-lodge-burns-to-the-ground/
It was unlikely anything like arson, because the road has been closed to hurricane Ridge for sometime now while they’re doing repairs to that building. The ironic thing is that part of the repairs were going to include updating the fire system. It must’ve somehow been construction related.
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge burns to the ground
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: canada, climate change, research, soil carbon | 3 Comments »
An amazing achievement!
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 1 Comment »
In case you have not signed up for their weekly updates.
Filed under: Environmental Law, legislature, Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Puget Sound Partnership Legislative Update
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT – Please post and distribute
April 7, 2023
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council seeks members
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC). The council ensures public participation in sanctuary management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent. The SAC holds meetings every two months within the regions of the Olympic Peninsula and occasionally Puget Sound.
Sanctuary staff are currently accepting applications for the Fishing: alternate, Research: alternate, and Citizen-at-Large: primary and alternate seats. Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen should expect to serve a three-year term. Primary seats represent a certain agency, tribe, user, or stakeholder group. Alternate seats fill a particular seat in the absence of the primary seat.
Applications will be accepted through Monday, May 22, 2023.
Advisory Council Seat Application Form (pdf 402 kb)
For more information or to obtain a copy of the application package, contact Chris Butler-Minor 360-406-2079, Chris.ButlerMinor@noaa.gov.
On the Web:
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: http://olympiccoast@noaa.gov
Sanctuary Advisory Council: https://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/
# # #
Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Government, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: volunteer | Comments Off on Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Seeks Members
Birding in the Park – Fort Flagler
4/22/23 @ 8:30am
5/27/23 @ 8:30am
6/24/23 @ 8:30am
Birding and nature tours are now being held on the 4th Saturday of each month. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for changeable weather. bring binoculars and your own water.
Registration: Please send Bev an email, subject: Birdwatching Walk to Bevybirds53@gmail.com and she will plan directly with you.
Please note this program is dependent on good weather.
Presenter: Beverly McNeil, Admiralty Audubon trip leader and photographer, has been conducting bird walks at Fort Flagler. Beverly’s photographs are displayed at the Port Townsend Gallery: http://porttownsendgallery.com/artists/beverly-mcneil/.
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, visit https://friendsoffortflagler.org/.
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Birding in the Park – Fort Flagler
For those wanting to closely track what’s happening in Olympia regarding environmental bills.
 March 10, 2023 Puget Sound Legislative Update Call Greetings friends of Puget Sound! The Puget Sound Partnership hopes you’ll be able to join us for our weekly Legislative Update Conference Call. Please note that we will not be sending out a recurring calendar hold, but the call-in information below will remain the same throughout session if you plan to add a recurring hold to your calendar. Here are the details: Legislative Update Conference Call Every Friday, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. From January 6 – April 28, 2023 Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 272 753 869 740 Passcode: gZYMPB Download Teams | Join on the web Or call in (audio only) +1 253-372-2181,,65255071# Phone Conference ID: 652 550 71# We will record the teleconference. Assuming the technology works as it should (and sometimes it doesn’t) the recording will be available on the Partnership’s website following the meeting. AGENDA Welcome Bill watch list What happened in week 9 Upcoming hearings and work sessions in week 10 Questions, comments, and announcements by partners (bills you are following, events scheduled) Adjourn If you have questions or concerns about the legislative priorities for the Puget Sound Partnership, please contact: Don Gourlie, Legislative Policy Director, 360.688.3253. |
Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on Puget Sound Partnership Bill Tracker Phone call
