Trump works to kill solar industry in US

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Al Bergstein

In what might be the final blow to the solar industry of the United States, Trump and the Republicans are planning to essentially kill it and hand all the production to China.

How this makes America great again is beyond me, except for the fact that this country seems to have had a coup d’etat pulled off by the oil industry. That is usually what happens when the fossil fuel industry is the main industry in a country. Look at any country around the world, perhaps other than Sweden that hasn’t had a political takeover by pro fossil fuel politicians.

This won’t cure the move to solar and wind, because the economics of it is already overtaken fossil fuels. It simply destroys the manufacturing capacity of the United States to be a leader here.

This is going to put people out of business,” said Mike Carr, the executive director of Solar Energy Manufacturers for America, which represents more than 15 companies and 6,100 manufacturing workers. “This is going to devastate the industry.”

The utter stupidity of these politicians is truly beyond comprehension, other than the fact that they keep lining their pockets with the money from the petroleum industry.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/business/energy-environment/trump-bill-solar-panels-china.html

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

“Fish War” is now available online

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Al Bergstein

There is so little real documentation of what happened in the 1960s and 1970’s known as the “fish wars” in the Pacific Northwest. Now a new documentary is out that I highly recommend. The Boldt Decision was perhaps one of the most important legal decisions of the 20th century. It re-established Treaty Rights in a totally new way that impacted tribes across the country and influenced indigenous leaders around the world.

The award-winning documentary FISH WAR, tells the story of tribes’ fight to secure their fishing rights — and the monumental Boldt decision that reaffirmed those rights — is available to buy. You can find the feature-length film on Amazon, Vimeo, Google Play, Apple TV+ and Fandango at Home here. 

Filed under: Environmental Law, First Nations, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Where was US Rep Emily Randall?

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Last week I received info from a friend that U.S. Representative Emily Randall did not vote during the key vote to “claw back” monies already allocated to a variety of important causes, including U.S. food and health aid to many foreign countries, along with the funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which includes funding for PBS, StoryCore, NPR and funding for many stations around the U.S.

It was hard to believe that Rep. Randall would miss such a key vote.

What did this vote affect? From Congress.gov:

This bill rescinds $9.4 billion in unobligated funds that were provided to the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), various independent and related agencies, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

The rescissions were proposed by the President under procedures included in the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Under current law, the President may propose rescissions to Congress using specified procedures, and the rescissions must be enacted into law to take effect. 

Specifically, the bill rescinds funds that were provided to the State Department or the President for

  • Contributions to International Organizations;
  • Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities;
  • Global Health Programs;
  • Migration and Refugee Assistance;
  • the Complex Crises Fund;
  • the Democracy Fund;
  • the Economic Support Fund;
  • Contributions to the Clean Technology Fund;
  • International Organization and Programs;
  • Development Assistance;
  • Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia;
  • International Disaster Assistance; and
  • Transition Initiatives.

The bill also rescinds funds that were provided for 

  • USAID Operating Expenses,
  • the Inter-American Foundation,
  • the U.S. African Development Foundation,
  • the U.S. Institute of Peace, and
  • the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • CPB also includes StoryCorp, and others.

The vote came down to a simple majority needed. As you can see, it passed by only 2 votes.

Four Democrats did not vote. One was Emily Randall. With her vote and only one other, the bill would have failed.

Why did she not vote on this key piece of legislation that all the other Democrats voted on as a party? Where was Emily that night and what caused her to miss this? I have reached out to her office, identifying as a member of the press and asked for someone to get back to us and give us an answer. No one has returned our calls. I’ve been in touch with other members of the Democratic party in this county/district and they too have gotten no feedback. In addition to this bill, Randall has not voted on 11 bills in total in June! Of course, some bills are very low priority. But her record is becoming a question.

Another question is “Where was Democratic Whip Katherine Clark? “ She is supposed to be in charge of getting out the parties votes? Why did she not get Randall there?

This is an unacceptable situation . Randall ran as the darling of the left, with huge support from unions and the LGBTQ wing of the Dems. This support helped many of us, who were unfamiliar with her background support her, as she did not represent this district in her prior roles in government.

We have waited 13 days to get an answer to our questions. It’s time her staff and her went public about this. We will not drop this issue until an explanation is forthcoming. There is a Jefferson County Democratic fundraiser in July and if answers are not here by then, it is going to cause some problems for the fundraiser. How many are willing to give money when the results are a person that does not vote for key legislation?

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 2 Comments »

Trump White House Plan Calls for NOAA Research Programs to Be Dismantled

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Al Bergstein

A Trump administration budget proposal would essentially eliminate one of the world’s foremost Earth sciences research operations the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research office at NOAA.

The insanity of this move is breathtaking.

“This Administration’s hostility toward research and rejection of climate science will have the consequence of eviscerating the weather forecasting capabilities that this plan claims to preserve,” Representative Zoe Lofgren, the senior Democrat on the House Sciences Committee, said in an emailed statement.

As stated some months ago, we are witnessing the death of the environmental movement, and our scientific supremacy. There have only been a few times in human history of a similar dismantling of the key scientific expertise: The fall of Rome along with the sacking of the Library at Alexandria (done by Christians against the ‘Pagan” religion of the Roman elite class); the execution by guillotine during the French Revolution of the country’s key scientists; and Nazi Germany’s purge of all scientists who were not willing to tow the party lines. The current administration most closely resembles Nazi Germany’s purge.

It’s up to all of us to stand up to this outrageous behavior, before the sun sets on the American era. It could not have been better done if the Russians themselves had invaded. Maybe they have and we just don’t know it yet.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/climate/noaa-research-budget-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 2 Comments »

Words of William O. Douglas

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Al Bergstein

As members of our current Supreme Court validate kidnapping by anonymous masked men and shipping of their prisoners to foreign countries that they never originally came from, dropping them into hellholes around the world with no visible means of support, or knowledge of the language spoken, I’m reminded of the words of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 5 Comments »

ICE panics Seattle immigrants

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Al Bergstein

This is happening in our state. ICE appears to be employing tactics to require immigrants to suddenly have to come in to the office or face deportation. Little time is given to comply.

“Svendsen arrived first at 7:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. Her client, an El Salvadoran woman who asked to be identified only by her first name, Veronica, walked up to her in tears and gave her attorney a long hug.

In Veronica’s hands were the medical records of her 8-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen who has autism. “She needs me all the time,” Veronica said. Her daughter doesn’t speak and cannot eat or use the bathroom by herself.

Since receiving the summons two days before, Veronica had worried she might be detained and separated from her family, which also includes a 17-year-old daughter. Her daughters were upset too, the crying of the oldest prompting her sister to do the same.”

How is this helping make America great again?

As pushback grows to WA immigration court arrests, ICE changes tactics

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/as-pushback-grows-to-wa-immigration-court-arrests-ice-changes-tactics/

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 2 Comments »

Your backcountry for sale

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Al Bergstein

The Trump administration said that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century. Read more: https://nyti.ms/4k6iKKa

“President Trump has called on cabinet secretaries to bypass endangered species laws and other environmental protections in order to boost the domestic supply of timber.”

Maybe you should do something about it?

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 1 Comment »

A win for saving Dungeness Spit

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Al Bergstein

                                                                                                    

The battle over keeping industrial aquaculture out of our National Wildlife Refuges, is still being played out in the courts. Recently three environmental organizations have successfully sued to get the US Fish & Wildlife Service to complete a “compatibility determination (CD)” for the industrial operation. The court has ruled that a CD must be performed. It is not clear whether the company must now stop any work in the refuge.

Here is the press release from the plaintiffs. Please consider donating to any of them to help offset the costs of the lawsuit. It’s *our* wildlife refuge at stake.

In 2023, Protect the Peninsula’s Future, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, and Beyond Pesticides sued the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for its failure to conduct a compatibility determination (CD) for a proposed industrial shellfish operation at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR). The case is being reviewed by the U.S. Federal District Court in Tacoma. 

USFWS regulations state that for any project on or near one of its refuges, a CD must be written.  These cases are not unusual, and the Dungeness case is especially important because if the case is lost, industrial shellfish operations might be free to open at other Refuges. 

Last year the Court ruled the case should proceed because it is clear the USFWS must write a CD.  

The industrial shellfish operator – the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (JST) – sought to moot the plaintiffs’ case due to potential financial impact to the JST.  The JST received various agency permits to plant 80,000 non-native oyster spat (larvae) in large plastic bags to be anchored to the substrate in the refuge area on 34 acres. The then manager of the DNWR had determined the shellfish operation was incompatible with the mission of the refuge, but higher ups in the agency overruled her and refused to write a CD. In the meantime, the JST started planting oyster spat. 

The federal court allowed the JST to present arguments against the plaintiffs’ suit.   

On 15 May 2025, the court responded in our favor.  The case will not be mooted; the USFWS must follow its regulations.   

From the Court documents:

“Compliance with the statutory procedures in the Refuge Act is undoubtably a  public right that safeguards environmental protection. 

Only the public right to administrative compliance with the Refuge Act procedural requirement to complete a compatibility determination and/or require a special permit are ripe for adjudication. 

Drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of plaintiffs, Jamestown appears to have planted seeds after it was aware that it was probable the Service would conduct a compatibility determination. 

Therefore, it is hereby ORDERED that Jamestown’s motion to dismiss, Dkt  44, is DENIED. “

The plaintiffs now wait for the Court’s final ruling against the USFWS, ordering it to write a CD. 

Filed under: Aquaculture, Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Olympic Peninsula, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Al Bergstein

This just in from the Puget Sound Partnership’s Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network (ERN). Want to create a rain garden? Or other neighborhood storm water program? Get together with your town or county peeps and apply!

The RFP for the Neighborhood Stormwater Education and Assistance grants will open on May 7th and there are informational webinars on the horizon. These funds can support projects including:

  • Developing tools, resources, or programs to educate landowners and influencers (real estate agents, Homeowners Associations (HOAs), land use consultants, contractors, and others) about stormwater practices; 
  • Providing technical assistance such as pre-application and compliance support and incentives for landowners, developers, and residents to implement and maintain green stormwater infrastructure; 
  • Community outreach events, such as restoration plantings or Low Impact Design (LID)/Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) educational seminars and trainings; 
  • Developing long-term plans, agreements, and funding mechanisms for developing and maintaining stormwater infrastructure within local individual catchments (including systems owned by HOAs); or 
  • GSI training and/or certification programs aligned with community affordable housing, workforce development, and environmental justice goals
Neighborhood Stormwater RFP Opening Soon

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Update from the Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Al Bergstein

From the Strait ERN newsletter.

Hello friends!

I hope you are all enjoying our beautiful spring weather and finding reasons to be outside as often as possible. My native plant garden – planted a little under two years ago – is thriving, with Oregon grape, huckleberries, red-flowering currants, twinberry, and tiny bleeding hearts all in bloom, with more on the way. I’ll confess here my great love for the non-native daffodil, which I keep in the front yard. Those cheery blooms are almost done for the year, but my neighbors have stopped by to say how happy they are to see them. Whatever your plant preferences are, this is a great time of year!

Along with the abundance of new life springing up, there is an abundance of news and information to share. Much of it is time-sensitive, so we’re not waiting a month in between newsletters. In this newsletter, you’ll find:

  • Funding opportunities
  • Volunteer events
  • Community/education events and training
  • News and information
  • Jobs and board openings

Funding Opportunities

Department of Ecology 6PPD Funding WA Department of Ecology is excited to announce a funding opportunity to support stormwater research projects that help to better understand how to manage 6-PPDQ in stormwater and prevent salmonid deaths. Ecology can fund projects with public organizations through Interagency Agreements (IAAs) and are prioritizing projects that partner with Tribal Nations and/or benefit overburdened communities. There is $2.9 million of funding available which can fund 5-15 contracts, and the duration of the projects will be from July 2025 – June 2027. There is no application or deadline for this funding. 
Please contact madison.bristol@ecy.wa.gov to learn more and apply.
Catalyst Fund RFP for 2025 Funding Round | Network for Landscape Conservation

The Catalyst Fund strives to accelerate the pace and practice of collaborative landscape conservation and stewardship across the United States by investing in Landscape Partnerships. The Fund couples financial support (through a competitive grant program) with capacity-building support (through in-depth Peer Learning) to catalyze Partnership efforts to achieve long-term conservation and stewardship goals. A portion of the Fund is reserved specifically to advance Tribal-led Partnerships. Grants are for one or two years, up to $25,000. Learn more here.
Date: Proposals due Friday, May 16thRCO Outdoor Learning Grant This is a collaborative program between RCO and the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction that supports federally recognized Tribes and outdoor education providers who partner with Washington public schools to create outdoor learning experiences for students. Find more details here. 

Date: Application period is April 9 through June 3NOTE: This program is temporarily on hold pending finalization of the state budget.
Stormwater SIL RFP to be Released May 7

Neighborhood Stormwater Assistance and Education Projects – $1 million available. The Stormwater SIL is looking for projects that support neighborhood-scale stormwater improvements, including:* Developing tools, resources, or programs to educate landowners and influencers (real estate agents, Homeowners Associations (HOAs), land use consultants, contractors, and others) about stormwater practices  
* Providing technical assistance such as pre-application and compliance support and incentives to implement and maintain green stormwater infrastructure  
* Community outreach events, such as restoration plantings or Low Impact Design (LID)/Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) educational seminars and trainings
* Developing long-term plans, agreements, and funding mechanisms for developing and maintaining stormwater infrastructure within local individual catchments; or  
* GSI training and/or certification programs aligned with community affordable housing, workforce development, and environmental justice goals.  

If you are considering an application under one or more of these opportunities, please submit this short Interest in Applying form as soon as possible to help the team connect you with resources to develop a strong application!

Date: RFP to be released May 7th with proposal deadline of July 9thVolunteer Events

Potting Up Plants with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition

Join us as we pot up plants for future riparian restoration projects. We will be stocking up our nursery with trees and shrubs that will eventually become future forests along our local creeks and rivers. Our nursery is located in Chimacum at the Finnriver Farm & Cidery. Gloves and tools will be provided, but if you have your own bring ’em.

Date: April 29th 

Time: 10am-2pm

Place: Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum

RSVP here!DNR Stewardship Planning for Kelp & Eelgrass Elwha Unit Priority Area Volunteer your time and knowledge at this in-person workshop about how to best leverage and prioritize key implementation actions to protect and conserve kelp and eelgrass habitat in the Elwha Unit. Contact Cynthia Harbison for more information.

Date: June 3rd

Place: Port Angeles

Community/Education Events and TrainingRCO City Nature Challenge 2025City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual international event to collaboratively record as many wildlife observations as possible during a four-day challenge. People from all over the world explore nature in their neighborhoods and cities to find and document wildlife. Every year, they record how many observations of nature are gathered, how many different species are documented, and how many people help this global scientific community better understand nature all over the world. With this data we can better protect urban nature globally. This year, three near-by cities are participating, but there’s already information about adding your city for next year on their 

website.

Date: Friday, April 25th to Monday, April 28

Time: 24/7

Place: Olympia, Seattle, Victoria BC – next year in your town/city?!

10th Annual Puget Sound Day on the Hill 2025 Puget Sound Day on the Hill is an annual event organized by the Puget Sound Partnership and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission that supports effective policy and continued federal investment in Puget Sound restoration and salmon recovery efforts. Representatives from tribes, state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and businesses, along with concerned residents, lend their voices in support of action to restore Puget Sound and uphold tribal treaty rights. Register here!

Date: Week of April 28th

Time: Various

Place: Washington, DC

Birding by Ear with the Jefferson Land TrustHave you ever heard a bird in the forest but couldn’t see it and wondered what it was? Join ornithologist Dr. Jackie Canterbury as she leads tours through Quimper West Preserve in the protected Quimper Wildlife Corridor, and shows how, by training your ear, you can identify birds through their unique songs. There is no cost to attend, but space is limited to 15 people each session, and you must register in advance. 
Date: May 1st
Time: 8:30 – 10amPlace: Register to receive location

Spring Bloom Walk at Kah Tai Prairie PreserveThe Olympic Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society is leading a walk to see/identify spring blooms at Kah Tai Prairie Preserve. The walk will start at the prairie kiosk and include a longer route to visit other emerging prairie sites and Hastings Pond riparian habitat. For more information send email. 
Date: May 4th
Time: 2pmPlace: Kah Tai Prairie Preserve, Port Townsend

May Chumsortium Meeting

Come join the conversation about all things salmon in eastern Jefferson County. This virtual meeting will take place via Zoom.

Date: May 7th

Time: 10:00 to 11:30

Ready, Set, Grant! Getting Your Organization Grant Ready

Join Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) for this 5-session virtual grant-writing and fund preparedness training targeted to small, rural nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest. See the website for session descriptions and registration information.

Date: May 8 through June 5 (one day per week)

Time: 10 am to 12 noon

Place: Virtual 

Cost: $75.00Forest Shomer Presentation: Olympic Peninsula PrairiesThe Kul Kah Han Native Plant Garden is excited to present a bi-monthly speaker series focusing on the importance of planting native plants in your garden. The speaker for this installment is Forest Shomer, owner of Inside Passage Seeds. All talks will be in the Salmon Shelter – some seating available, but feel free to bring a lawn chair! Rain or shine!

Date: May 10thTime: 1 – 2pmPlace: Salmon Shelter, Kul Kah Han Native Plant Demonstration Garden, H.J. Carroll Park , Chimacum

Salish Sea Science Roundtable: Transboundary Threats: European Green Crab in the Salish Sea (via Zoom)

Drs. P. Sean McDonald (University of Washington) and Thomas Therriault (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) bring nearly 50 years of combined expertise in the science and management of invasive European green crab (EGC). Their presentation will delve into the challenges posed by EGC in the transboundary waters of the Salish Sea, highlighting ongoing science into the species’ detrimental effects on native species and habitats, as well as threats to cultured and wild shellfish resources.

Date: May 13th

Time: 10:30

Place: Via Zoom – learn more and register here!News and Information

Puget Sound Legislative Wrap-up: What Was and Was Not Funded in Olympia

The 2025 Session of the Washington State Legislature has adjourned Sine Die on April 27. A robust budget deficit and debates about state spending and revenue dictated the session’s flow and outcomes, especially in the final weeks. Due to concerns about implementation costs, many bills aligned with Puget Sound recovery failed to pass and many more were trimmed back to reduce the associated workload. And the final budget included a series of budget cuts that will slow the work of Puget Sound recovery. At the same time, several new policies and budget items survived the legislative process and will provide benefits to Puget Sound recovery. Read the full review of the budget session as it affects funding for Puget Sound recovery efforts. 

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Poster Released!During the National Marine Sanctuary System’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2022, a commemorative poster series was launched to capture the beauty and diversity of each site in the system.  On April 17, 2025, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announced the release of the 12th poster featuring iconic species and features of this west coast sanctuary. The poster can be downloaded (and admired)  at Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Poster | Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. OOCNMS thanks all of the artists and partners who contributed to this effort!Jobs and Board Openings

Clallam MRC Seeks New Members and Alternates

The Clallam Marine Resources Committee has several openings to fill, including a Community at Large member and a representative for Conservation and Environmental Interests. You can find the full list at the bottom of this page.If you’re interested in any of these roles, please apply via the Clallam County website or contact MRC Coordinator Cathy Lear for more information. 

Call for Applications – Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) Science Panel

PSP’s Leadership Council is seeking applications to join the Science Panel. Call for applications here. For questions, please contact Amber Raney, Boards Program Coordinator at Amber.Raney@psp.wa.gov.

Date: Application materials are due June 20th

Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network

See what’s happening – Strait Eco Events Calendar!

Email: coordinator@straitern.org

Website: www.straitern.org

Filed under: education, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: | Comments Off on Update from the Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network

Clallam County MRC Letter re: 3 Crabs road flooding

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Al Bergstein

The Clallam County MRC has sent this letter to the Clallam County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) and the Clallam County Department of Community Development (DCD).RE: Shoreline management at Three Crabs Road.

At its recent monthly meeting, the MRC agreed to invoke its advisory responsibitity to the BOCC and communicate our concern about shoreline armoring (permitted and unpermitted) on Three Crabs Road, which recently came to our attention.

What we are seeing

Despite Comprehensive Plan policies for protecting marine shorelines and no-net-loss goats of the Shoreline Management Program, bulkheads have been and continue to be permitted – most often under emergency provisions following erosion from extreme storm surges, which are almost becoming an annual occurrence. ln addition, NASA has recently concluded that the pace of sea leveI rise is faster than previously thought, due to the thermal expansion of the ocean’s mass.

Summary of concerns

The MRC is concerned that intensifying weather conditions wit[ continue to cause erosion and that emergency bulkheads will continue to be requested and built, one property at a time, resulting insignificant impacts on shoretine functions and ecology. We urge the BOCC and DCD to develop a strategy that comprehensively addresses property and shoreline protection on Three Crabs Road.

The strategy shoutd include continued education and outreach to planners, contractors, property owners and county residents overall, and should also:

> clarify that avoidance of ecologicaI impacts is the top priority (but if avoidance is impossibte then

Ecology’s sequence of mitigation actions for shorelines should be followed and

> consider adjacent impacts and cumutative effects of any action; and

> identify mitigative approaches if avoidance is impossibte; and

> provide how no net loss witt be achieved through compensatory mitigation.

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Environmental Science, Olympic Peninsula, Straits of Juan de Fuca | 3 Comments »

Local Environmental Volunteer Opportunities

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Trees are blooming or budding out. Frogs are calling to each other. Lots of green is emerging from the ground. Spring is here and, with it, lots of opportunities for volunteering and connecting, both locally and regionally. Amy and I will do our best to wrangle the overflowing inbox into organized information-sharing!

With Earth Day coming up, please send us your Earth Day events information so we can share it out on our calendar and newsletter! We have been updating our calendar, so please remember to check it out in between newsletters and to send us your events to add.

Enjoy the vibrant greens of the season,

Angela of the Strait ERN

____________________________

Local Volunteer Opportunities

North Olympic Salmon Coalition is seeking volunteers. Sign up here.

As part of our Salmon in the Schools program, students have spent the last couple months raising coho salmon from eggs and now will get a chance to release them into a local waterway. They will also participate in several other activities such as macroinvertebrate studies, salmon life cycle games, art, and habitat tours. Volunteers help NOSC staff lead activities, set-up and take-down supplies, and ensure students rotate through activity stations safely. 

Dates: April 15th, 17th, 25th & May 1st, 8th, 9th Tentative timing is from 8:30am-1:30pm

Location: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe House of Salmon Hatchery on the Elwha River

Dates: April 10th and 22nd Tentative timing is from 10am-2pm

Location: HJ Carrol Park on Chimacum Creek



Earth Day Beach Cleanup – Sun, Apr 19th
The PTMSC annual Earth Day beach cleanup brings volunteers together from far and wide to clean the beaches and roadways in our area. For more information, visit the event listing or contact Mandi Johnson at 360-385-5582 ext115.
Time: 9am-1pm Location: Meet at Fort Worden State Park or Chimacum Corner FarmstandEarth Day:  Make a Direct Impact – Sat, Apr 26thThis Earth Day weekend, dedicate your time to meaningful, hands-on activities that directly benefit the environment at Fort Flagler State Park. Participate in two impactful volunteering opportunities: Invasive Species Pull: Join a community effort to remove invasive plants that threaten our ecosystems. Beach Clean-Up: Take part in a shoreline cleanup to remove trash and plastic debris from our beautiful beaches. Specific locations will be provided via email after registration on Eventbrite.
Time: 10am-2pmLocation: Fort Flagler Historical State Park, 10541 Flagler Road NordlandLocal Events (Educational and Fun)

Olympic BirdFest: April 10-13

Four days of birding education, field trips, and more, centered at the Dungeness River Nature Center. Learn more and register here.

Celebrating Cougars! – Sun, Apr 13th Join Cedar Root School for a family-friendly afternoon celebrating local cougars. Learn about ecology and natural history from biologists, enjoy speed talks on cougars and conservation projects, and enjoy an excerpt from the upcoming film “Heart of a Lion,” which highlights work conducted by the Olympic Cougar Project.

Time: 3pm-8pmLocation: Finnriver Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA 98325
Class: Soil Care and Water-Wise Routines – Thu, Apr 10th or Sun, Apr 20th
What is soil? How can I care for it? How does it affect my plants? This class will explore basic soil science, how healthy soil grows healthy plants, and soil’s connection to water-wise habits. You’ll leave this class with answers to the above questions and a basic plan for how you can care for your own soil throughout the entire year. Registration is required. Send email for more information.
Time: Apr 10th, 4-6pm or Apr 20th, 10am-12pmLocation: The Hedgerow by Cruising Climate, 3059 7th Street, Port Townsend
Ancient Tribal Stewardship, Contemporary Relations to the Land – Thu, Apr 10th 
The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation presents this timely topic sponsored by the JCMGF and WSU Master Gardener Program. Loni Greninger, vice chair of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Council, will speak about the relationship between S’Klallam people and the land and how land stewardship has changed over time.  Learn examples of land stewardship tools, traditional foods, tribal values, and how those values inspire contemporary land management practices. It is free and open to the public. For more information, go to the JCMGF website.
Time: 3 – 4pmLocation: WSU Extension classroom, Kivley Center, 97 Oak Bay Road, Port Hadlock
Jefferson WSU Extension Beach Naturalists Training – Apr 15th through May 15th

The Beach Naturalists training provides Jefferson and Clallam County residents with the opportunity to turn environmental knowledge into action! Through this multi-day training, participants will learn about Salish Sea habitats and species, conservation efforts, and ways to get involved in local marine stewardship. This training is taught by regional experts and includes Zoom classroom sessions and in-person guided beach explorations.
This year’s training includes 6 live Zoom classes and 5 optional field trip days, held Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 15 through May 15, 2025. For exact dates, registration, and further information, please visit our Eventbrite page. Contact Katie by email with any questions.
Friends of the East Jefferson Trails Connections Public Meeting – Thur, Apr 10th Linda Berry-Maraist, President of the North Kitsap Trails Connection (NKTA), will describe the land acquisitions now amounting to 5,000 acres, including the Sound to Olympics (STO) Trail route. This is an opportunity to get better acquainted with our neighbors as we coordinate efforts to build the trail connecting the STO with the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) between Hood Canal and Discovery Bay.
Time: 9 amLocation: Finnriver Farm and Cidery, 124 Center Road, ChimacumAround the Sound

PSP Action Plan Update: You’ve been seeing and will see lots of invitations to workshops for various parts of the PSP’s Action Plans. We’re in the middle of reviewing and updating Action Plans for 2026-2030. You can see the timeline and learn more about the overall process here. I try to share upcoming workshop info (see below, for example), but please let me know if you want information about additional opportunities for comments, review, etc, and I will create a separate email list that goes out more frequently.

PSP Science Panel Meeting: The agenda and meeting materials for the April 10 Science Panel meeting are now available. This meeting will be held in-person at the Center for Urban Waters, Commencement Bay Room, 326 E D St., Tacoma, WA 98421. The meeting will also be livestreamed (view only) through TVW. The link can be found on the agenda. You can also use the TVW link to view a recording of the meeting later.

Webinar: Planners’ Briefing For Puget Sound Parcel-Scale Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment

Learn more and register here: https://www.coastalplanners.org/upcoming-webinars

Time: Friday, April 18, 2025, 10-11am New Marine Vegetation Strategy Workshops, Virtual, April 23-24The Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL) is developing the Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy. The Implementation Strategy will build off a foundation established through two regional plans, the Puget Sound Eelgrass Recovery Strategy and the Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Restoration Plan and coalesce the priorities and needs from both plans into a comprehensive strategy. The Marine Vegetation Implementation Strategy will describe priority strategies and approaches to protect and recover marine vegetation in Puget Sound. The Strategy will also help guide Puget Sound investments and align recovery opportunities across agencies and programs. 

Learn more and register here.

Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Hub: The Puget Sound Partnership is launching a new Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Hub, an innovative, interactive online platform designed to centralize and share vital information about Chinook salmon recovery efforts in the Puget Sound Region.Other News and Events

Local Prairies, North Olympic Land Trust: Learn about the North Olympic Land Trust’s work with native prairies in this short video.Recording: The Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL) Subrecipient Summit brings together HSIL-funded project leads, HSIL staff, Habitat Strategic Initiative Advisory Team, and partners to enhance connections across the diverse and critical work to implement the Habitat Implementation Strategies. Summit recording includes welcome remarks from WDFW and DNR leadership, 3 deep dive presentations and 22 4 minute lightning talks from HSIL grant recipients. Summit recording
The Quileute Tribe is hiring a Fish Passage Biologist. See job description for more information about the position and how to apply.Coastal Hazards Resilience Network Annual Meeting, June 9, Lacey, WA

Join coastal decision-makers, planners, resource managers, researchers, and other practitioners for a day of knowledge sharing and partnership-building around the exciting and important work that is currently happening in Washington’s coastal resilience space. This event is targeted towards coastal hazards and climate resiliency practitioners from local, state, and federal government agencies, tribes, academic institutions, consulting firms, and nonprofit organizations, and other relevant organizations.
Learn more and register at: CHRN Meeting Registration

Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network

See what’s happening – Strait Eco Events Calendar!

Email: coordinator@straitern.org

Website: www.straitern.org

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Head of largest insurance company “Climate Crisis on track to Destroy Capitalism

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Hardly a left wing nut, the head of Allianz AZ has said we must change now.

“These extreme weather phenomena drive direct physical risks to all categories of human-owned assets—land, houses, roads, power lines, railways, ports, and factories. Heat and water destroy capital. Flooded homes lose value. Overheated cities become uninhabitable. Entire asset classes are degrading in real time, which translates to loss of value, business interruption, and market devaluation on a systemic level.

The insurance industry has historically managed these risks. But we are fast approaching temperature levels—1.5°C, 2°C, 3°C—where insurers will no longer be able to offer coverage for many of these risks. The math breaks down: the premiums required exceed what people or companies can pay. This is already happening. Entire regions are becoming uninsurable. (See: State Farm and Allstate exiting California’s home insurance market due to wildfire risk, 2023)….

At that (3 degrees above pre-industrial times) point, risk cannot be transferred (no insurance), risk cannot be absorbed (no public capacity), and risk cannot be adapted to (physical limits exceeded). That means no more mortgages, no new real estate development, no long-term investment, no financial stability. The financial sector as we know it ceases to function. And with it, capitalism as we know it ceases to be viable.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/03/climate-crisis-on-track-to-destroy-capitalism-warns-allianz-insurer

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 1 Comment »

‘Absolute self-destruction’: David Suzuki has bad news about the environment

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Al Bergstein

From the Seattle Times today. As I stated when I declared that there was no reason to continue this blog because “Environmentalism is dead” a new interview with David Suzuki, the leading environmentalist in Canada for over 50 years, has also declared it over, once again. Suzuki pronounced the environmental movement dead about 10 years ago in an interview in McClean’s Magazine, which I covered in this blog at the time. This time around he does not mince words.

“Suzuki says the environmental movement, once so promising in the early days of Greenpeace, has fundamentally failed because of its microfocus on saving endangered species instead of promoting a radical overhaul of economic systems. At no time does he whitewash his culpability.”

Read the whole story in the Seattle Times. Support local journalism. We are about to lose it.

‘Absolute self-destruction’: David Suzuki has bad news about the environment

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/march-23-david-suzuki-feature/

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 4 Comments »

Gutting of Federal Environmental Programs Accelerates

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo Wednesday that rescinded previous environmental justice programs within the Justice Department to “ensure that the Department engages in the even-handed administration of justice.”

For a comprehensive overview, see: Trump administration environmental justice removals cut across agencies – Government Executive

Also: EPA places more than 160 environmental justice employees on paid leave.

EPA places more than 160 environmental justice employees on paid leave | CNN Politics

The end of environmentalism is upon us. A full blown coup of the American Government is underway by a President only elected by 49% of the electorate in an election that witnessed the Presidential candidate saying publicly that some kind of fraud of the voting machines was in the works by Elon Musk, and over 50 mainly Democratic voting places in key swing states were hit by “bomb threats” that evacuated buildings as the votes were being counted.

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How to Find Climate Data and Science the Trump Administration Doesn’t Want You to See

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Eric Nost, University of Guelph, and Alejandro Paz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Information on the internet might seem like it’s there forever, but it’s only as permanent as people choose to make it. This is clear as the second Trump administration has taken steps to dismantle science agencies and remove data and websites they use to communicate with the public, especially regarding climate science.

We are researchers in a network called the Public Environmental Data Partners, a coalition of nonprofits, archivists, and researchers working to ensure that data remains available to the public.

In the first few weeks of Trump’s second term, at least a dozen climate and environmental justice tools were removed. Government websites also scrubbed terms like “climate change” and “resilience.”

Why government websites and data matter

The internet and access to data are crucial for innovation, research, and daily life. Climate scientists use NASA satellite data and NOAA weather records to understand changes in the Earth system and how to protect economies reliant on specific climates. Other researchers use census data alongside climate data to identify who is most affected by climate change. Every day, people visit government websites to understand how to protect themselves from hazards and to learn about climate change policies.

When data and tools are removed, the work of scientists, civil society organizations, and government officials can grind to a halt. Data generated by government scientists is vital, especially for state governments that rely on federal data to run environmental protection programs.

Removing data from websites also makes it harder for the public to participate in key democratic processes, such as commenting on regulatory changes. It also breeds mistrust in the government and science. Federal agencies have been providing climate data to the public for years, and removing this data deprives everyone of essential information.

Bye-bye data?

The first Trump administration removed discussions of climate change and climate policies from government websites. However, in research with the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, we didn’t find evidence that datasets were permanently deleted. The second Trump administration seems more aggressive, with more rapid removal of information.

In response, Public Environmental Data Partners have been archiving climate datasets, uploading copies to public repositories, and cataloging them to ensure they’re accessible if removed from government websites.

Maintaining tools for understanding climate change

The administration has targeted tools like dashboards that help visualize the social dimensions of climate change. For example, the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which mapped marginalized communities expected to experience severe climate impacts, was taken offline after Trump’s first executive orders. The original data behind the tool is still available, but it’s harder to find and access. Because the tool was an open-source project, it’s being recreated by archivists.

Preserving websites for the future

Some webpages have gone offline, such as the 25-year-old Climate Change Center at the Department of Transportation. Other pages, like those on the EPA website, have had their “climate change” links removed, making it harder to find relevant information.

Thankfully, the End of Term Web Archive has captured snapshots of government websites, making them accessible through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. This initiative has been ongoing since 2008, capturing millions of government webpages for preservation.

If you’re concerned about missing climate change discussions on government websites, you can use the Wayback Machine to check past versions of pages.

What you can do

You can find archived climate and environmental justice datasets and tools on the Public Environmental Data Partners website. Other groups are archiving datasets linked to Data.gov and making them accessible in other locations.

Researchers are also uploading datasets to searchable repositories like OSF (Center for Open Science). If you’re worried that certain data might disappear, the MIT Libraries’ checklist provides steps on how you can help safeguard federal data.

Narrowing the knowledge sphere

It’s unclear how far the administration will push to remove or hide climate data, but it’s already clear that such actions are narrowing the public’s understanding of climate change, leaving communities and economies vulnerable. While data archiving can help preserve some of this information, there is no replacement for government research infrastructures that produce and share climate data.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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New Global Warming Research

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Rising temperatures are fueled, in part, by declining cloud cover — which could be a potential climate feedback loop. From Washington Post

Latest NASA data prior to Trump takeover.

“Two new studies offer a potential explanation: fewer clouds. And the decline in cloud cover, researchers say, could signal the start of a feedback loop that leads to more warming.”

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Escaped farmed salmon in Norway

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Al Bergstein

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/seafood-firm-bounty-escaped-salmon-norway

27,000 farm salmon have escaped from a netpen in Norway, and the company that owned it is paying a bounty for catching any and all of them. It’s interesting. They describe it as an ecological disaster. They never said that when they escaped here.

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | 2 Comments »

No Turning Back Now

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Al Bergstein

“To get people to act, my hypothesis is, you need to reach them not just by convincing them to be good citizens and saying it’s good for the world to keep below 1.5 degrees, but showing how they individually will be impacted,” says Eltahir, who specializes on the study of regional climates, focusing on how climate change impacts the water cycle and frequency of extreme weather such as heat waves.

Los Angeles, Lahaina, Paradise and & Northern California, Southern Oregon fires, Northern British Columbia and Alberta fires, Asheville NC and the floods of last winter’s massive hurricane, Europe’s fires across Spain, Portugal & Greece. All of this happened since we passed 1 Degree C. None of this is “normal” or something we have seen before. We are now over the “tipping point” and in uncharted lands. All we can do is do our best to prepare for what’s coming and help those impacted. Because we may be next. The same kind of wet winter that Southern California had last winter, is what is anticipated for us this winter. Meaning far more underbrush and fuel to burn if the summer is drier than usual. Let’s hope not. It’s time to wake up to the threat. Now.

Filed under: Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

The End of Environmentalism

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Al Bergstein

“Some of them were dreamers, some of them were fools, and for some of them it was only the moment that mattered. 

Some of them were angry 
At the way the earth was abused 
By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power 
And they struggled to protect her from them 
Only to be confused 
By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour.” 

Jackson Brown – Before The Deluge

In 2013, Canadian environmental leader David Suzuki wrote, “Environmentalism has failed”. I chastised him in a post at that time. But now, finally, I agree. 

“Many of the battles that we fought 30 or 35 years ago, that we celebrated as enormous successes . . . Thirty-five years later, the same damn battles have started again. That’s where I think we failed,” Suzuki says. “We fundamentally failed to use those battles to get that awareness, to shift the paradigm. And that’s been the failure of environmentalism.” 

The loss of this Presidential election and the fall of the Senate and the Supreme Court means a group of far right wing Christian Nationalist politicians are about to enact the playbook of Project 2025. It will kill any chance of reaching international goals for slowing global warming. They plan to pack the courts with right wing ideologues. They are putting anti-science people in charge of our scientific crown jewels. They are planning on defunding or dismantling our federal agencies that protect our water, air and soil. We are heading into uncharted territory with a madman as captain of the ship, icebergs ahead and a crew that is pouring it on while stuffing their pockets with their profits, as we all speed towards disaster. Some are even building spaceships on the side to take them away permanently and leave us to perish here on our own.

The people who voted for him want simple solutions to simple problems they face, the cost of food, gas, electricity and housing. Germans and Italians did too when they voted in Mussolini in the 20s and accepted the Nazi takeover of Germany in ’32. Twenty years later Mussolini was hanging upside down with his throat cut and Hitler committed suicide in the ruins of his capital with tens of millions dead. What fate awaits us and our insane leaders is about to be played out in real time. It’s no time for trying to restore a river, just so the logging industry can clearcut all the forests around it. Restoration work has been an ongoing palliative for those unwilling to continue to fight for protection. Now we will see the price we pay for not getting to the core of the issues facing us.

The hope of fighting for environmental protection is over and by the time we have another opportunity to fix it, only lifeboats will be available.

This blog has attempted to document the local efforts to protect our Peninsula from the greed that drives those who would pillage it for profit. But it’s time to admit defeat, with the national narrative now driven by Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and the Heritage Foundation. Then there is the local narrative of the businesses this blog has called out for their greenwashing while they destroy our habitat. They filled our local environmental entities while the members sat by and did nothing. They now will be given carte blanche to plunder our shores. It’s clear we need a different set of strategies, tactics and leaders. Our west coast “Blue Wall” will not hold against a sea change in national laws and the packing of our court systems like every dictator does around the world. Make no mistake, the Republicans intend to continue to do just that. We will have nowhere to turn to sue for protection. 

I don’t blame the ill informed voters who voted for Trump. The rise of AirBnB and the notion of turning our homes into investments for quick profit has left an entire generation of people unable to afford housing, from Port Townsend to Barcelona. This was allowed by both Democrats and Republicans, socialists and nationalists everywhere and we have sat back and witnessed this happening. Our schools have been gutted by not teaching democracy since the 1970s, a tactic outlined first by Justice Rehnquist when he was working for Nixon. The current fad of attacking any teacher who attempts to teach anything the right or the left find offensive has silenced many. The insanity of the mobs is always about righteousness. What we witnessed in colleges this year with the Gaza protests was more of this insanity. All of this behavior was allowed by Democrats, Republicans and school administrators with no real consequences for anyone.

Our political leaders of both parties raced to offshore industries in the 1990s to the lowest cost country possible, cheered on by the MBA schools. What happened to the people all over this country that watched their jobs vanish? This year, the Democratic leadership and their political consultants failed to convince those voters of the turnaround to the economy that they created since they took office during a pandemic fiasco made worse by Trump’s ignorance. “It is the economy, stupid”, as James Carville & Bill Clinton famously stated. And then there is the raw, unsettling fact that many Americans are racist and or misogynistic at their core.

Add to that vile mix, Biden’s inability to see his own failings after promising to be a one term President, like many elderly men in power, created a fire drill at the last moment, rather than an orderly attempt to find the candidate whom the people wanted. Maybe it would have been Kamala. Maybe not. Kamala did her best, but look towards those political consultants who told her to avoid discussions of the issues like the border and directly confronting the pocketbook issues of the lower middle classes, instead of some future “pie in the sky by and by” dream of tax breaks or home loans. As stated by numerous “man in the street” interviews this year, people are living paycheck to paycheck in most of the places that shifted from Trump to Biden and back to Trump. They are looking for help. They will abandon any politician who doesn’t give it to them. 

We now head into a world where there will be no protection or FEMA for the vulnerable from the increasingly powerful weather patterns that have created hurricanes like we have witnessed in the Southeast US, the massive fires in the west, or the heat waves that grow stronger every year. They will be kept in ignorance of the science until it literally falls on their heads. With America’s leadership and legal system gone, and China, Russia and India plunging ahead with no guardrails towards unprecedented global warming, I just don’t see a way forward that makes sense. 

An example is fossil fuels. While so many of us have called for the move to get us off of fossil fuels to save the planet, the ugly reality is that under Biden, we have continued to ramp up fossil fuel drilling and use. The right wing media said Harris would end fracking, especially in Pennsylvania. But she and Biden had accelerated it. Trump plans to open the drilling even further and transfer our public lands to the plunderers. 

My job here is done. The news is bad, going to get worse and I don’t want to simply be another news outlet reporting on the vultures picking over the corpse of the planet. I think the time has come to fight for saving whatever it is we are going to save of this Democracy, if it is even possible to save it. I sincerely hope it is, but I think the next four years will be the moment of truth. If I find anything of a positive nature, I’ll post here for you, but I don’t expect to be doing much of that going forward. I’ll leave the blog up for historical purposes. Something to remind future generations, that we did really try, but failed. 

The thing to remember is the planet really doesn’t care about us. It was functioning fine for billions of years before we showed up, and will continue long after we have gone and our legacy of destruction is just a vein of rock wedged between two other layers. Our job was simply to understand the environment and work with it to protect ourselves from the worst of its power. We have failed. In the meantime, gather the tools needed to survive what’s ahead, take care of your friends and loved ones, and resist the fascists who are about to take over, or leave the country. I really can’t blame one for abandoning this very unUnited States to its fate. Hopefully we will avoid ending like Rome, thrown into a dark age of religious fanaticism. But the Barbarians are at the gates and they are our own people. Unfortunately, this time, there is no place on the planet left to hide. To those who are about to undertake the final destruction of our environment to benefit “the economy”, let me remind you, “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. No environment, no economy.”

Lastly, as Douglas Adams so eloquently said, “Thanks for the fish.” 

Over and out.

Filed under: Climate Change, Global Warming, Olympic Peninsula | 15 Comments »

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