Olympic Peninsula Environmental News

While killer whales and salmon dominate the public spotlight, researchers are focusing increasing attention near the bottom of the food web and on the physical processes that support all life in Puget Sound. Herring, sand lance and surf smelt are called "forage fish" for a reason. They make up a critical food supply for a large variety of seabirds and fish — including salmon, which feed killer whales and many other species. Without the forage fish, the food web would collapse along with the abundance of life in Puget Sound. Chris Dunagan reports. 

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jun/17/looking-for-kinks-in-the-food-web/

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Trees, shrubs and other vegetation hugging miles of levees in Puget Sound provide shade and key habitat for many of the Northwest’s struggling salmon. But hundreds of trees have been cut down in recent years to satisfy the Army Corps of Engineers, which says vegetation compromises levees that prevent flooding. Phuong Le reports.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018453992_treesonlevees17.html

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You’d be a fool to shell out big money for a trip to Alaska this summer, when the odds of hooking salmon in our neck of the woods will be equally rewarding

Read the rest of the story in the Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2018446576_outn17.html

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500 people polled seems to be  a statistically valid sample – Editor

Voters in Washington’s 6th Congressional District Overwhelmingly Support Wild Olympics Proposal, Poll Finds

Contact:  Connie Gallant (360) 710-7235

QUILCENE, Wash. (June 15, 2012)—A new poll of likely voters in the 6th Congressional District shows strong support for a proposal to designate approximately 130,000 acres of wilderness and protect nearly 20 rivers and tributaries as “Wild and Scenic.”

Nearly two out of three (64 percent) likely voters expressed approval for the Wild Olympics plan proposed by Rep. Norm Dicks (D), who represents the 6th District, and Sen. Patty Murray (D). A near majority (49 percent) not only supported the proposal but also supported it “strongly.” Twenty percent of the district voters polled said they were undecided. 

“Our poll finds overwhelming support for the Wild Olympics proposal to protect rivers and streams on the Olympic Peninsula,” said Mark Mellman of the Mellman Group, which partnered with Public Opinion Strategies to conduct the poll. “Even after being told of restrictions on commercial activity and motorized vehicles in wilderness areas, support for the proposal was more than four times the mere 15 percent who opposed it. Support for the Wild Olympics proposal is demographically broad-based, including majorities of Democrats and independents, and a large plurality of Republicans. Support also extends to a wide range of those who use these lands for recreational purposes, including majorities of hikers/campers, anglers, and hunters.

More than six in 10 men, women, younger voters (ages 18 to 39), seniors (60 and older), those with a high school education or less, and those with a college degree or more back the proposal. Majorities of Democrats (82 percent), independents (54 percent), and a near-majority (48 percent) of Republicans support the Wild Olympics proposal. In addition, a wide range of recreationists favor the plan—69 percent of hikers and campers (16 percent oppose), 65 percent of anglers (18 percent oppose), and 56 percent of hunters (13 percent oppose).

“Support for the proposal is widespread and reaches across party lines,” said Lori Weigel, partner at Public Opinion Strategies.

“These results come as no surprise,” said Connie Gallant, chair of the Wild Olympics Coalition. “In the three years we have been listening to voices in the community—from all backgrounds and interests—we have found common ground in a desire to move forward to safeguard the peninsula’s most priceless natural treasures: our towering ancient forests, free-flowing rivers, critical fish and wildlife habitat, and our clean water. This new poll confirms that voters in the 6th Congressional District want to see this special place remain as it is for our children and grandchildren.”

The survey of 500 likely voters in the 6th District’s new boundaries was conducted June 7 to 10 by the Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies for the Pew Environment Group, at the request of the Wild Olympics Coalition, of which Pew is a member. Republican and Democratic polling firms were engaged to ensure the most independent and impartial results and to help educate the public about the proposal. The poll’s margin of error was +/-4.4 percent.

Wild Olympics Campaign

P.O. Box 214, Quilcene, WA 98376

www.wildolympics.org

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Oh Dear…where are our Federal protectors when we need them? Does anyone in WA DC even care? Or how about our State Governor or Legislators?

Ikkatsu 2012 – Leg 1 Synopsis

The following is intended to be a short synopsis of the first leg of the Ikkatsu Project, the sea kayak-based survey of Olympic beaches, specifically documenting tsunami debris. This leg traveled from Neah Bay to Hobuck Beach, via Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island. Dates were June 10-13.

Two Standing Stock Surveys, using established NOAA protocol, were accomplished: the first on Tatoosh Island on June 11^th and the second on Cape B Beach (2 miles north of Hobuck), on June 12^th. Although there was significant debris on Tatoosh, no hazardous material was located. On Cape B Beach, the debris was larger and more substantial, and several hazardous items (kerosene, acetone) were sampled. More details, including details of each random transect surveyed, will be available as PDFs and will be posted soon.

Notable debris included what we suspect is part of a house – including the bathroom – found on Cape B Beach. We found a large quantity of milled lumber, cut to metric dimensions, which was marked with a Japanese stamp and serial number – 5501128. (Preliminary research has suggested that the source of the lumber was originally the Daiwa Pallet Housou Company of Osaka.) The reason we think this was part of a residential bathroom is that we found items consistent with this hypothesis: cough syrup, iodine, a portion of a child’s potty seat, etc. The individual pieces of lumber were in relatively good condition, suggesting that the house, or portion thereof, washed ashore in one piece and then was shattered on the rocks.

In addition to the two surveys, we also conducted four separate I/C (Inspection and Collection) efforts on smaller, pocket beaches at various locations. We chose small areas where we could do an effective clean up with just the three of us. Debris was bagged and collected to a single location above the high tide line; lat/long of locations to follow. One example, a 25’x35’ beach on the west side of Tatoosh, yielded the following:

-       – 33 plastic liquid containers, mostly water or soda, mostly Asian in origin

-       – 12 fishing floats/buoys (or fragments), including one Type 6 black buoy

-       – 2 metal canisters

-       – 1 food can

-       – 1 foam shoe insole (Japan)

-       – 3 foam webbing fragments

-       – 15 styrofoam fragments > 6” diameter

-       – 44 styrofoam fragments > 3” diameter

Over the course of the surveys, a half-dozen lighters were collected. Radiation testing revealed no hazards.

The second segment of the Ikkatsu Project (Hobuck Beach to La Push), will run from July 2-11. More information will be available following that leg. If there are any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at any time.

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A 1,200-foot stretch of Ediz Hook, a popular beach destination in Port Angeles, is undergoing habitat restoration this summer to benefit wildlife and people.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are restoring the popular “A-frame” site on the spit, a former log dump area that was used until the 1970s. It will be cleared of fill and existing structures during an eight-week construction period starting in June.

“The goal is to improve the shoreline for forage fish spawning including smelt and sand lance, the critters that salmon like to eat,” said Mike McHenry, the tribe’s habitat program manager. “It will also benefit people because it will be much more accessible for recreation. It’s kind of a dangerous place now because of the fill and the junk that’s there.”

Read the whole story at
Ediz Hook Restoration at A-Frame site

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Excellent news. Thanks to The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for their work. This funding will allow a lot of smaller organizations to apply to drive forward their projects to make the Sound cleaner.
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Funding Opportunity – Rose Foundation’s “Puget Sound Stewardship & Mitigation Fund”

The Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund is accepting applications for grant proposals related to protecting the water quality of Puget Sound. This is a new fund, and new grant opportunity. Two types of grants are available. The links below take you directly to the application instructions and submittal deadlines.

Puget Sound Watershed Grants Program
Watershed Grants are geared towards larger groups who are prepared to submit a detailed proposal and administer a larger grant than is available through the Grassroots Fund, and is not recommended for very small organizations or first-time grant seekers. It is anticipated that watershed grants will range from $10,000–$60,000. Watershed LOIs are due July 16, 2012.

Puget Sound Grassroots Grants Program
Grassroots Grants are generally intended for smaller groups who may be mostly volunteer driven, and may not have past experience in applying for foundation grants. Applicants whose annual income/expenses are below $100,000 are strongly encouraged to apply to the Grassroots Fund. Grassroots Grants will range from $1,000–$10,000. After receiving a grant, all Grassroots Fund grantees will also become eligible for supplemental organizational capacity-building assistance, including scholarships to attend trainings related to accounting, fundraising, planning, board development, communications, media, database development and similar topics. Grassroots grant applications are due September 14, 2012.

Goals and Purpose of the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund
The Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund was created by a legal settlement between the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (Soundkeeper) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. The Fund’s goal is to mitigate past pollution runoff into Elliott Bay from the BNSF Balmer Yard facility in Seattle by supporting community-based efforts to protect or improve the water quality of Puget Sound.

The $1.5 million BNSF settlement is one of the largest ever in a citizen enforcement action involving stormwater discharges. According to the Department of Ecology, polluted stormwater runoff is the number-one source of toxic loading in the Sound. Heavy metals, especially copper, are particularly dangerous to the survival of salmon species, which are highly valued culturally and economically by the people of the Puget Sound Region.

Industrial stormwater is a serious threat to Puget Sound and other water bodies because it can contain toxic levels of heavy metals, such as copper, zinc, and lead, as well as oils and suspended solids. Elliott Bay is identified by state and federal agencies as providing critical habitat for threatened Chinook salmon, and is home or a migration route to other species including coho salmon, sixgill shark, octopus, lingcod, marbled murrelet, harbor seals, harbor porpoise and orca whales.

Soundkeeper sued BNSF as part of its Clean Water Act enforcement program, which enforces federal water quality laws against serious violators. In bringing pollution-related lawsuits, Soundkeeper’s goal is to achieve negotiated settlements that bring polluters into compliance with the law and the permitting system. Settlement funds are then donated to local environmental groups to help them repair damage done to the Sound. Soundkeeper receives no money from these settlements; however, the lawyers on the cases receive repayment of attorneys’ fees and expenses, which are paid separately from the mitigation fund. Due to the size of the BNSF settlement, Soundkeeper asked the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment to set up and administer a grant program to award the funds back to the community as grants to protect Elliot Bay and Puget Sound.

The Rose Foundation is a grantmaking public charity that specializes in handling restitution payments and class-action settlement awards. Over the past 15 years, Rose has received approximately 300 settlements, enabling more than $15 million in community grants in California, Washington and other states. To ensure that the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund is grounded in the values and knowledge of the local community, the fund is guided by a Puget Sound-based funding advisory board.

For more information about the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, please visit http://www.rosefdn.org, email us at rose@rosefdn.org, or call 510-658-0702.

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PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council has approved the concept of a ban on single-use plastic bags.

The council unanimously adopted a plastic-bag ban on a first reading Monday night.

Before final approval — expected when the council votes after a second reading of the new law this month or next month — changes will be made to the draft bag ban.

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120606/NEWS/306069994/0/SEARCH

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This is the latest in a series of articles discussing the 5th anniversary of the founding of the Puget Sound Partnership. This from the head of People For Puget Sound, arguably one of the most effective non governmental organizations for Sound wide cleanup, given their 20+ years working on the problem.

Tom Bankcroft came from the East coast a year ago and was the replacement for leading People For Puget Sound after the retirement of founder Kathy Fletcher. Tom has no real background in the 30 years of struggle to do something concrete for the Salish Sea. He *is* engaged in the struggle daily, is not employed by the State of Washington in any way, so his thoughts are worth a glance.

http://pugetsound.org/blog/your-tax-dollars-saving-puget-sound

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Billy Frank Jr. speaks for the salmon. He always has and he always will. The message delivered by one of the most famous Indians in Washington history rings loud and clear through a new biography released this week entitled “Where the Salmon Run, The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.” The book authored by Trova Heffernan is the 13th in a series of oral histories and biographies by the Legacy Project housed in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Voice for salmon heard again http://www.theolympian.com/2012/06/07/v-print/2131997/voice-for-salmon-heard-again.html

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