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

Legislative Roundup

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Al Bergstein

2025 Session Recap

From the Puget Sound Partnership: 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, including:

  • Ongoing funding to various state natural resource agencies to support interagency cooperation on environmental permitting of habitat restoration projects.
  • A new round of capital investments in habitat restoration and clean water infrastructure through programs like Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration, Floodplains by Design, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program, Stormwater Financial Assistance, Centennial Clean Water, and Remedial Action Grants.
  • Closure of a loophole in the Growth Management Act (GMA) to ensure local government plans are consistent with recent amendments to the GMA.
  • New investments in state capacity to monitor toxic chemicals from stormwater and implement measures to reduce those toxics.
  • Extension of the riparian task force and investments in voluntary riparian restoration efforts.

This online newsletter contains subpages for each of the Action Agenda topic areas listed at the top of the page. Each page includes a narrative description of themes and an interactive bill watchlist. The final budget page also includes a full breakdown of budget details.

Read the whole thing at

https://legislativenewsletter-wa-psp.hub.arcgis.com

A point of view from the Washington Policy Center (a conservative group), but worth noting for it’s summary, which seems pretty balanced in it’s analysis…(would welcome a critique of their POV)

Climate and Environmental Spending: Ambitious but Costly

The budget allocates $1 billion in spending to climate and environmental programs, and does not change significantly from the previous budget. The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which imposes a tax on CO2 emissions, is projected to generate approximately $1.6 billion in revenue according to the department of Ecology. The additional tax is passed onto consumers through higher fuel and energy prices.

Washington Policy Center’s research estimates that the tax on CO2 emissions adds 40 cents per gallon to gasoline prices, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income households. While the budget funds rebates for low-income families, these are insufficient to offset the regressive nature of the tax. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these investments in reducing emissions is poor, according to the Department of Ecology’s own research. Policymakers should prioritize effectiveness and consider redirecting funds to more immediate priorities, such as infrastructure or tax relief.

Fiscal Sustainability and Taxpayer Impact

The budget’s 6.5% spending increase outpaces the state’s economic growth rate (projected at 4.5% annually). This trajectory risks depleting overall reserves, projected to drop from $3.2 billion to $2.2 billion by 2027, but does add money to the state’s rainy-day fund. The four-year budget outlook shows a potential multi-billion shortfall unless revenues grow unexpectedly, or spending is curtailed. This raises the specter of future tax increases, particularly given Washington’s already high sales, property, and business taxes.

The budget’s reliance on one-time revenues, such as federal grants and the revenue from CCA auctions, masks structural imbalances. When these funds dry up, taxpayers may face pressure to backfill programs rather than cancel them. Washington Policy Center recommends adopting a sustainable growth model, such as tying spending increases to inflation plus population growth, which would cap biennial increases at 5-6%. This approach would preserve reserves and reduce the need for future tax hikes.

Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity for Reform

The 2025-27 conference budget reflects prioritizes spending over fiscal discipline. While investments in education, health care, and climate programs address pressing issues, their scale and structure raise concerns about affordability, efficiency, and long-term consequences. Taxpayers, already grappling with high costs of living, deserve a budget that maximizes value through competition, innovation, and accountability.

Despite record revenues, the budget proposal offers little in the way of tax relief for Washington families and businesses. The state’s tax burden has risen steadily in recent years, driven by increases in property taxes, sales taxes, and a controversial new capital gains tax. With billions in increased in spending over the next four years, lawmakers could easily afford to return some of that money to taxpayers-or at least pause new tax hikes.

Read their analysis of the whole budget items (more categories they analyze) at

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/the-washington-state-2025-27-budget-proposal-is-out-and-legislators-are-still-spending-money-the-state-doesnt-have

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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

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: | Comments Off on Local Environmental Volunteer Opportunities

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 »

Ralph Munro walks on

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Al Bergstein

The master of bi-partisan politics and perhaps the greatest politician this state ever had the honor to call one of its own, Ralph Munro, passed yesterday at the age of 81.

I had the good fortune to interview Ralph and spend a few hours with him a decade ago. He was a gentle, always upbeat and positive person. But his accomplishments are one of the greatest list of public service achievements we have ever seen.

Ralph was Secretary of State for five terms. During that time, he instituted vote by mail and voter registration (Motor Voter) when getting a drivers license or renewal.

But Ralph was also the person that Governor Dan Evans called on to go down to California and see about the Vietnamese refugees after Democratic governor Jerry Brown did not want them relocated there. Munro helped to bring them here to resettle in Washington State.

He was a champion of developmentally disabled children and helped get the first law in the country passed to support their needs, called the “Education for All” act. He befriended a 7 year old with developmental disabilities, eventually becoming his legal guardian.

He was a champion of environmental causes. He personally was responsible for ending the Orca hunt and capture in Puget Sound.

He was well respected by Puget Sound tribes. He allowed the tribes to do archeological digs on his property and was honored by them.

And on a personal note, he was the only Republican that I have ever voted for.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends. We will miss him. I doubt, given the current political system that we will ever see anyone like him again in Washington politics.

https://www.kuow.org/stories/remembering-ralph-munro-5-term-washington-secretary-of-state-and-statesman

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Protection, Government, Politics | 1 Comment »

Governor Ferguson throws environmentalists under the bus

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Governor Ferguson has had his first major controversy, over a relatively little known agency called the Fish and Wildlife Commission. While this commission is small and not well known, it is crucial in setting the direction for the department of Fish and Wildlife. As their web site states: The Commission establishes policies to preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities compatible with healthy and diverse fish and wildlife populations. The Commission consists of nine governor-appointed members that serve six-year terms, hold meetings and hearings around the state and offer opportunities for the public to weigh in on fish and wildlife issues.

What just happened? The issue revolves around a surprising decision by Governor Ferguson to remove Dr. Timothy Ragen from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission without justification after he was reappointed by outgoing Governor Inslee. Dr. Ragen is respected around the world for his expertise in marine mammals and marine science and served as the former Executive Director of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. Most recently, he has been serving as a pivotal expert on Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission that oversees decision making on numerous statewide fish and wildlife policies, including Washington’s approach to killer whale recovery. Despite his expertise and strong backing from the public, no public explanation has been provided for his removal. 

The question this raises of course is who wanted Dr. Ragen off the commission and why? Perhaps we need to look no further than Dr. Ragens’ support for science that calls into question the benefit of hatchery salmon and how they impact native species. Or perhaps even just “follow the money”. This issue has been at the forefront of the debate over hatcheries for over a decade. This blog has reported on it for many years. Simply search on “hatchery salmon” and look through the search results.

In a letter from the Wild Fish Conversancy to the Governor, they stated: “To date, there has been no public rationale provided for why Tim Ragen was removed from the Commission. Given the strong support for his nomination, we believe it is important for the Governor’s office to offer clarity on this decision and the requests for Tim’s reappointment. A public response would help ensure transparency and provide those who signed the letter with a clear understanding of how decisions are being made.“

The two groups who could want his removal are the sports fishermen and the Tribes. Both have fought to have the state ignore the mounting science that shows that hatchery salmon are detrimental to the native stocks.

In defense of Dr. Ragen, an open letter, signed by 74 noted scientists, addressed to Governor Ferguson, stated the following:


So in one of his first acts, Governor Ferguson has chosen to side with anti-science forces rather than support wild salmon recovery based on science.

We’ll see if the letter changes anything. As the song goes, “Same as it ever was.”

Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Government | 2 Comments »

Thoughts on Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Last week an editorial in the Port Townsend Leader by a prominent south county Democrat was in support of the county moving as fast as possible to let the developer of the Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort (MPR) allow the project to go forward. The author also chastised the county for slowing the process because of perceived incompetence. I asked Barbara Moore-Lewis, who has been leading a non-profit called The Brinnon Group who are people in opposition to the MPR to comment on the editorial. The Brinnon Group have been active since the early 2000s, when this MPR first surfaced. Here’s what she had to say:

All Jefferson County residents are expected to obey the state and county zoning rules.  But some seem more equal than others. A good example of some that seem to be more equal than others may be to look at the proposed Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort.

The state’s Growth Management Act tries to keep large developments out of rural areas, to keep them rural.  The one exception is a Master Planned Resort:

A master planned resort (MPR) is a self-contained and fully integrated planned unit development of urban density in a non-urban area, in a setting of significant natural amenities, with primary focus on destination resort facilities consisting of short-term visitor accommodations associated with a range of developed on-site indoor or outdoor recreational facilities. An MPR may include only those residential uses within its boundaries that are integrated into and support the on-site recreational nature of the resort. RCW 36.70A.360. A good functional example is the development at Port Ludlow.

The first development agreement for the Pleasant Harbor MPR was signed by the county and developer Statesman in 2018. 

The Brinnon Group appealed the agreement to the Kitsap Superior Court.  The court directed the county to rewrite the agreement to conform with RCW 36 requirements.  The original agreement allowed the construction of residential units, which would be a revenue stream for the developer.  The developer had 45 years to complete other recreational and infrastructure elements, which would be money out of pocket.  The revised agreement required millions of dollars in recreational amenities and infrastructure to be built before the revenue-generating residential units.  This included steps such as changes to highway 101, which might cost $3M.  

The developer gave  the county a development proposal in 2016 that included the company receiving about $36M from state taxes and $2M from the county.  It included plans for a 9 hole golf course that did not appear to have been designed by a professional. In 2018 the MPR’s water rights expired.  The water rights had been issued with the provision that the MPR would be completed in 2018.  It was unclear whether the developer had the funding to proceed.  

Between 2019 and today the developer has made intermittent attempts to make progress on the development.  There has been extensive logging, possibly for income.

One recent proposal is for a facility to manufacture modular construction parts.  The area is not zoned for manufacturing. It appears that these modular parts will be sold for non MPR construction, as a separate corporation has been set up for the manufacturing.

There is no proof that the MPR will make money for the county.  Washington state published an analysis of MPRs that stated that only 1 out of 10 is profitable.  An Oregon study concluded the infrastructure cost was higher than the income to government in similar resorts.  Jefferson County residents have asked the county to institute bonds for the developer to protect county taxpayers.  The county has ignored these requests.  The county has never done an independent analysis of the costs and benefits of the MPR.

Costs of a failed MPR will not only be borne in Brinnon, but by all Jefferson County taxpayers.  The current possibility of bankruptcy in Cle Elem shows the effects of a development agreement that goes sideways.

Will Jefferson County withstand pressure from the developer and follow the law?  Will the county allow development that does not conform to the court order?  Will the county allow manufacturing that is not allowed by the zoning? Will the county put taxpayers at risk for infrastructure costs? Or are some of us more equal than others?:

Find out more about the Brinnon Group at:

https://www.brinnongroup.org

Filed under: Government, Jefferson County, Projects | 4 Comments »

PT Marine Science Center Job Opening

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Al Bergstein

Volunteer Program Coordinator Job Opening

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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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ExxonMobile Lobbyist Caught Hacking Climate Activists

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Al Bergstein

As reported in Bruce Schneier’s Crypto-gram

[2025.01.29] The Department of Justice is investigating a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil for hacking the phones of climate activists:

The hacking was allegedly commissioned by a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, according to a lawyer representing the U.S. government. The firm, in turn, was allegedly working on behalf of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, based in Texas, that wanted to discredit groups and individuals involved in climate litigation, according to the lawyer for the U.S. government. In court documents, the Justice Department does not name either company.

As part of its probe, the U.S. is trying to extradite an Israeli private investigator named Amit Forlit from the United Kingdom for allegedly orchestrating the hacking campaign. A lawyer for Forlit claimed in a court filing that the hacking operation her client is accused of leading “is alleged to have been commissioned by DCI Group, a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.”

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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 »

Political Suppression of Science: Lessons from Canada – Hakai Magazine

Posted on November 8, 2024 by Al Bergstein

Eight years ago I published this piece. Now unfortunately, I’m republishing it for the exact same reasons. Did Trump’s administration destroy data? Yes. That article will come next.

Not sure how bad it could get for science under Trump? You only have to look north of the border. For 10 years Canadians scientists were literally combing dumpsters to save their priceless history of climate science in Canada. No kidding. I was reporting on this as it happened back then here in this blog. This is well worth reading. From Hakai. Erica Gies reports.

During the 10-year term of Canadian Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, some government scientists were unable to publish their research or talk to the public without minders; research was defunded or blocked; and invaluable data archives dating back a century were destroyed in acts dubbed “libricide.” Reports were literally tossed into dumpsters.

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/political-suppression-science-lessons-canada/

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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 »

Event: PT Paper (PTPC) Draft NPDES Renewal Permit & Meeting

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Washington Department of Ecology (WSDOE) is reviewing for renewal the PT Paper Mill’s (PTPC) Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Wastewater discharges from the mill, which have been going on for over 100 years, are regulated by the WDOE. Ecology is proposing a draft NPDES permit renewal for PTPC.

PTPC produces pulp by both chemical kraft process and from the repulping of old corrugated cardboard. All of the cardboard recycled in Jefferson County and other areas goes to the mill for repulping. The pulp is sold or used to make paper products, such as liner board for cardboard boxes.

The mill is seeking to discharge about 7% more effluent and 2% greater suspended solids. The permit includes new water-quality based limits for benzo(a)anthracene, chlordane and pentachlorophenol.

The permit includes some new studies of pollutants in Port Townsend Bay, requirements to minimize spills of certain chemicals to the wastewater treatment plant, an odor minimization study and other items.

You can send written comments to the Dept of Ecology HQ in Lacey (see document below for more specific info) and a public meeting and hearing will take place on December 4th, at 5:30 PM at the USO building (Bldg 326) Fort Worden. Interpretation services are available.

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A look inside Puget Sound’s declining bull kelp beds – Seattle Times

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Al Bergstein

The Seattle Times has a good overview of the collapse of Bull Kelp, a fundamental plant to the health of Puget Sound. The article, found here, (behind the Times paywall) discusses the issues of the falling numbers of acres of Bull Kelp and its meaning to the Sound. Kelp is another indicator species, since kelp beds are nurseries for many fish and crab. We should be extremely concerned about what vanishing kelp beds mean to the entire web of life in Puget Sound. Locally, in the North Sound and Strait, the Marine Resources Committees (MRC) have been actively involved in monitoring the kelp beds. If you want to get involved, contact your county MRC.

Kelp has vanished from about 80% of the shorelines around which it once grew in Puget Sound, according to a 2023 report from Washington’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Alliance. South of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the bull kelp beds are down some 90%. Around Bainbridge Island, they’ve all but disappeared entirely.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/a-look-inside-puget-sounds-declining-bull-kelp-beds

Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Sea Life | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

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