Olympic Peninsula Environmental News

Please let Representative Kevin Van de Wege , Rep Tharinger and Senator Hargrove hear from you on two critical environmental issues which, if lost, will set this State back some years in its environmental protections.  Please contact Kevin today (Friday) morning, either by email    kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov   or  by phone 360-786-7916

We are at the home stretch in the state legislature and we need your help on the following two bad environmental rollback bills: SSB6406 and HB 2801. Please take a moment to call Rep. Kevin Van deWege, and Rep Steve Tharinger, along with  Senator Hargrove immediately and leave a voice message and urge him to oppose SSB 6406 and Section 104 of HB 2801?
 

HB 2801: House Bill 2801 is a bill that would weaken rules to protect Washington waters. Section 104  would  allow more pollution to seep into Puget Sound and our waterways by gutting Department of Ecology’s new stormwater permit language to address polluted runoff, even before the permit has been adopted, by making aspects (low impact development standards) of the permit"voluntary." This approach is inconsistent with the federal Clean Water Act and a major step backwards on clean water safeguards. Status: House Ways and Means Committee

SSB 6406: Substitute Senate Bill 6406 is made up of several bad proposals rolled into one very large threat to the environment. It would rollback portions of the Growth Management Act (the law that protects our state from sprawl), and make several major policy changes to the State Environmental Policy Act. This bill is also another attack on clean water, potentially delaying implementation of stormwater permits that would prevent polluted runoff from entering Puget Sound and waterways across the state.

Status: Passed through Senator Ways and Means Committee andis on the Senate floor for imminent vote.

Rep. Van de Wege: 360-786-7916  or kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

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Forecasts for Puget Sound salmon runs call for lower returns this year compared to last year, but officials with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are emphasizing “promising” chinook fishing off Washington’s coast and Columbia River. Christopher Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun goes deep in his ‘Watching Our Water Ways’ blog to explain what the forecasts mean. http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2012/02/29/salmon-managers-will-try-to-eke-out-fishing-options/

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If you eat shellfish, you might not be aware that there is a debate going on between some commercial growers and some folks who are trying to stop the widespread spraying of the herbicide Imazamox to Japanese eelgrass in Willapa Bay and Puget Sound.

Comments are being taken until March 6 by Kathy.Hamel@ecy.wa.gov at the Department of Ecology.  Until January of last year Japanese eelgrass was considered to be a Priority Habitat Species by WDFW who – among many others – oppose this proposal for its use in Puget Sound and opposed its classification as a noxious weed last year. 

The most ironic part of this is the problem the shellfish industry is having in Willapa Bay can, in large part, be traced directly to their use of Carbaryl spraying to eliminate Ghost Shrimp whose churning of the sediments kept Japanese eelgrass out of the commercial farms.  This function being lost has now created a habitat in these commercial farms which has resulted in their press to allow for Imazamox.

If you are interested in asking DOE to find alternative ways of stopping Japanese Eelgrass and not spraying these chemicals on our food supply, read on. I am republishing this on behalf of the Anderson Island Tidelands Group so you can make an informed decision.

___________________________________________________________

Dear All–

Our Department of Ecology (DOE) has a permit application pending that would allow spraying of the chemical imazamox to be used to kill Japanese eelgrass (zostera japonica) on commercial shellfish beds in Washington State marine waters.

This link http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/pesticides/eelgrass.html takes you to the DOE page.

This email requests that you make a comment to Kathy Hamel (at link above) stating your opposition to this spray program. The herbicide, imazamox, will kill any zostera japonica that is in the area but will also destroy or maim our native eelgrass zostera marina. Your comments can be as simple as "Don’t spray imazamox" or "Don’t approve this permit application."

You can read about zostera japonica here http://www.wsg.washington.edu/mas/pdfs/Machetal2010ZJWkshopRep.pdf Pages 3 and 4 list some of the laws and regulations already existing that protect japonica. Japonica provides sediment stabilization, nursery and spawning habitat, biodiversity, and is a carbon sink (takes in CO2 and gives off oxygen).
It is also a valuable food source here

http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/103/m103p119.pdf

It provides millions of use days for our migratory birds. Page 125 is notable.

It notes that the invertebrate production provides important foods for fish and waterbirds. Also, on page 125 it states that japonica may be an unusual example of an introduced species that is generally beneficial to major components of an ecosystem.

The shellfish industry is pushing for this spraying–please comment now and say "no spray." Kindly ask your colleagues and contacts to do the same. Contact me with suggestions/comments/questions if you desire.

Thanks!
Regards

Jerry Johannes

Chairman: Anderson Island Tidelands Group

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Who’s next? While I understand the sentiment, I can’t believe that this is legal, even if the legislators pass it. Expect a challenge in court, as any project will be able to avoid environmental regs. This is shameful legislation from the body that passed the original Shoreline Management Act back in the 70s to protect our shores.

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The state House passed HB 2814 to prevent a possible work stoppage on the 520 floating bridge project over environmental concerns. The measure would exempt the project from the state’s Shoreline Management Act, which requires a work stoppage until any lawsuit appealing the granting of an environmental permit is resolved. The bill goes to the state Senate. 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/01/2047537/bill-would-prevent-520-work-stoppage.html

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Puget Sound geoducks can live to be 150 years old. A pound of geoduck now sells for around $150 for export to China. Organized crime, poaching and illegal exporting of geoducks have increased. Ashley Ahearn and Katie Campbell report in EarthFix:

The Case Of The Stolen Geoducks

 http://earthfix.kcts9.org/water/article/the-case-of-the-stolen-geoduck-millions-of-dollars/

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Ah yes, citizen input is such a messy thing.

Dan Chasan at Crosscut writes about Senate Bill 6406, a bill "streamlining" some regulatory requirements– and denying citizens — or citizens’ groups — standing to challenge growth management decisions, and maybe even delaying or eliminating current requirements to deal with stormwater.

 http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20807/Environmentalists-on-alert-over–streamlining–measure-in-Legislature/

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The House Democratic budget proposes eliminating the Washington State Conservation Commission effective July 1. All state funding to conservation districts for FY 2013 will be amended and cancelled.

http://www.islandssounder.com/news/140510133.html

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The House Democratic budget proposal reduces the agency’s budget by 31 percent, or $1.7 million, which would jeopardize federal funding of more than $5 million. The proposed House Republican budget does away with the Partnership. The Olympian editorializes:

Cutting partnership gambles with future of Puget Sound http://www.theolympian.com/2012/02/26/2005863/cutting-partnership-gambles-with.html

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Connie Gallant in Quilcene asks if you would sign an online petition to the City of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, county and state government:

A moratorium on construction/operations of biomass incinerators/boilers 

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-port-angeles-port-townsend-county-and-state-government-a-moratorium-on-constructionoperations-of-biomass-incineratorsboilers

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound | 3 Comments »

The 685-foot U.S. Military Sealift Command-contracted ship, SS Cape Island, lost propulsion early Sunday while heading westbound into the Pacific off Cape Flattery.  The Department of Ecology and Coast Guard said the ship posed the risk of an oil spill, and dispatched the Delta Lindsey, an industry-funded emergency-response tug stationed at Neah Bay. The ship returned to Port Angeles safely.

Thanks to all of you who helped get this tug funded, and Kevin Van de Wege for pushing it over the goal to success in the legislature. This is why we do this work. Protection is far better than cure.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120220/news/302209996/military-cargo-vessel-safe-after-being-adrift

Support your local newspaper: subscribe to the PDN.

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Sad news: It was L112, a female born in 2009, that died and washed up at Long Beach, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Center for Whale Research.

 http://today.seattletimes.com/2012/02/young-orca-from-puget-sound-pod-found-dead-on-coast/

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Chris Dunagan at the Kitsap Sun reports on how the Port Gamble Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is now moving its juvenile coho salmon from shore to its net pens through pipes rather than from trucks loaded on a barge and floated to the pens. Less stress on both fish and crews.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/13/tribe-adopts-piping-system-to-transfer-coho/

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Come out and support a film maker!

Cities throughout the state, including Port Townsend, are considering a ban on plastic grocery bags with handles. These bags harm wildlife by ingestion and entanglement. To get people interested in the subject, “Bag It,” a movie about plastics, is shown for free Sunday, Feb12 at the Rose Theater, 235 Taylor St., with a panel discussion to follow. Doors open at 12:20pm and the film begins at 1pm. The event is co-sponsored by the Food Coop, Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Environment Washington.

Discussion runs from 2:15 – 3pm wit City Council member Michelle Sandoval, PTMSC executive director Anne Murphy, Food Coop general manager Kenna Eaton and Environment Washinton program associate Robb Krehbiel.

Whole Foods Bag On Belize Beach

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Here’s an excellent article by Arwyn Rice, Peninsula Daily News.

Thank you to the PDN and Arwyn, for this sound coverage.

See: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120205/NEWS/302059998/surfs-up-group-keeps-lookout-for-tsunami-debris-on-area-beaches

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Nice short piece featuring John’s work. Enjoy!

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Filmmaker-captures-destruction-of-Elwha-River-dam-138743049.html?tab=video&c=y

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The new national planning rule governing individual national forest plans include changes in how wildlife would be protected. Some scientists and environmental advocates say the plan’s change, scheduled to go into effect in early March, would be bad for wildlife.

The 1982 rule required the Forest Service to manage fish and wildlife habitat so that healthy populations of animals are "well-distributed" throughout each forest.

The new plan drops that language. Instead, it requires forest managers to maintain habitats. It leaves it up to the official in charge of a region’s forests to decide whether any individual species needs extra protection to ensure that it will continue to exist over the long term with "sufficient distribution.""

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/02/02/2377463/new-forest-management-plan-weakens.html

Support your local press. Subscribe to the Bellingham Herald

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At the Port Townsend Yacht Club. The public is invited, but non members are asked to pay $7.

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A community meeting will be held at the Crescent Grange, Hwy 112, Joyce Washington on February 21, 2012 at 4:00 – 6:30 pm. Focus will be on the Twins nearshore riparian restoration plan.

The Coastal Watershed Institute with partners North Olympic Land Trust, Lafarge North America Inc., Olympic Peninsula Surfrider Foundation, WA State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will be hosting the kick-off community meeting.  We will provide an overview of the riparian planning project, including links to the overall restoration project, proposed timeline, and seek input from the community on the planning process.  We look forward to your participation in this long overdue collaborative restoration project.

This work is sponsored in part by the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity (NOPLE). Details on the project can be found at the Habitat Work Schedule site: http://hwsconnect.ekosystem.us/Project/180/12716.

Contact Anne Shaffer, Coastal Watershed Institute, 360.461.0799, or anne.shaffer@coastalwatershedinstitute.org, for more information.

Please join us!

Anne Shaffer

Coastal Watershed Institute

P.O.Box 2263

Port Angeles, Washington 98362

anne.shaffer@coastalwatershedinstitute.org

360.461.0799

www.coastalwatershedinstitute.org

"It’s life.For heaven’s sake-lean forward"

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