Enrollment now open for environmental project work for high school to 21 year olds

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Al Bergstein

imageThe Skills Center Natural Resources program gets you outside doing real work in the environment.  We offer project-based classes to high school-aged students (up to 21 years old without a diploma) across the North Olympic Peninsula.  All classes include hands-on field work, offer high school and college credit, and help students transition to the next step of internship, college or career.

Enrollment is open now for second semester, which starts at the end of January.

Classes in Port Angeles include the new ‘Cultural and Natural Resources 1’ class, which meets after lunch daily, and 5 different ‘Natural Resources Options’ that meet after school one day per week.  Sequim and Forks each have three different ‘Natural Resources Options’ that meet after school one day per week.

For more information or to enroll, please contact teacher Dan Lieberman at 360-565-1892, dlieberman@portangelesschools.org, or www.nopsc.org/naturalresources.

 

image

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Job Opening – Feiro Marine Life Center in PA

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Here’s a great way to start the year.  A new job!

Position Open – Education and Volunteer Director 

Feiro Marine Life Center is a public, non-profit marine education facility located on the Port Angeles City Pier. The facility houses a hands-on marine exhibit with local near shore species, a classroom and an equipped laboratory. Feiro Marine Life Center has over 20,000 visitors annually and provides programs for over 3,000 school students. Feiro is growing both in programs and in size and is planning to build a new facility over the next few years.

Visit http://www.feiromarinelifecenter.org to learn more about the organization.

Position Available: Education and Volunteer Director

Description: Feiro Marine Life Center is looking for a full-time Education and Volunteer Director to lead marine science education programs and coordinate the volunteer program at a small, but growing, marine life center. The individual would work with numerous community partners in program development and implementation. The applicant would also work with interns and/or volunteers to assist with teaching and to provide training to enhance programs. Programs are generally focused on marine and ocean life, but may include additional components including underwater remotely operated vehicles, solar and wind or stormwater education.

Required background or experience: Extensive professional experience planning, implementing and delivering educational programs, preferably some of which is in non-traditional settings (i.e. outside of the classroom). A degree in marine biology or demonstrated equivalent experience or expertise and experience building and maintaining partnerships is essential.

Preferred background: Familiarity in state learning standards and relevant national standards. Experience managing volunteers and/or volunteer docents. Experience with web work, social media, and grant writing. Must be outgoing, organized and able to work independently, and as a part of a team.

Salary: $35,000-$40,000 DOE

To Apply: 

Please send resume and cover letter (including two references) to:

Deborah Moriarty

Feiro Marine Life Center

PO Box 625

Port Angeles, WA

98362

Deadline for applications: January 15, 2014

Or electronically to deborahm@feiromarinelifecenter.org

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Earth Economics – A new way of valuing ecosystems

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Al Bergstein

David Batker of Earth Economics

David Batker of Earth Economics presents their analysis of Clallam County ecosystems.

The Quarterly meeting of the Strait Environmental Recovery Network (ERN) met on Friday in Port Angeles. The ERN is chartered by the Puget Sound Partnership to get organizations together to prioritize work on recovery projects along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This month, we had David Batker, chief economist and Executive Director, of Earth Economics report on their work done for Clallam County. EE created a report called “Policy Implications of the Economic Benefits of Feeder Bluffs and 12 other Ecosystems” as part of the SMP. Sound boring? Think again…

EE has formed some new models to help understand the economic benefits of these ecosystems and their recovery. This is really revolutionary analysis. Constantly, opposition to environmental programs  rail about how fixing the environment is “too expensive” and “costs jobs”. This analysis turns that on it’s head. It makes it very hard to argue that it isn’t the *right thing* to fix the environment, from a purely economic perspective.

EE has done work around the world, and this is really ground breaking stuff. You can find more about them at http://www.eartheconomics.org.

The entire talk can be downloaded or listened to at:

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Climate Change Events Scheduled for OCT. 10-11

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Olympic Climate Action is joining with Peninsula College and the Elwha Klallam Heritage Center to offer three free programs on climate change in October.

October 10
Jon Riedel (speaker) “Vanishing Ice: What Happens to the Olympic Peninsula Water Supply as Glaciers Retreat?”
12:30pm to 1:30pm, Peninsula College Little Theater (Studium Generale series)

Check out these and more at the blog:
http://olyclimate.org/events/

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Mystery solved: Kelp off Elwha River mouth a rare spring variety found in late summer – Peninsula Daily News

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Al Bergstein

A mystery kelp found during a survey of Clallam County offshore sea life has been positively identified as a regionally native but rare growth known as Laminaria ephemera…. Read the rest of the story at the PDN link below.
Arwyn Rice reports.
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130923/news/309239979/mystery-solved-kelp-off-elwha-river-mouth-a-rare-spring-variety

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EVENT: Sept 21st in PA – Peabody Creek Restoration

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Al Bergstein

EVENT: Sept 21st in PA - Peabody Creek Restoration

Want a chance to get outside and do some good for your ‘hood? Here you go.

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Clallam County hires attorney for embattled county official Sheila Roark Miller – PDN

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Clallam County Community Development Director Sheila Roark Miller could face a variety of charges stemming from a complaint about her allegedly altering records. The original complaint appears to have been for forcing unpaid overtime, but now is expanded to include what is believed to be a possible charge of back-dating a development permit to ensure the developer would not have to comply with rigorous new water conservation rules that went into effect in Jan of this year, according to my sources. If accurate, that charge apparently could be one of the felony charges mentioned.  Ms. Miller, in her role as DCD head and a landowner/river water user with her farm in the Sequim Valley, has been  a member of the Dungeness River Management Team, and originally ran against an environmentally supportive (and supported by the environmental community)  head of DCD. DCD has also been overseeing the Clallam County Shoreline Master Program update.  Likely Ms. Miller will  take a prolonged leave of absence, and probably resignation would follow while she awaits the pending charges. It would (and likely already has) put a serious cloud over the SMP update. We hope that these charges are unfounded, as it would bring into question much of the work done by her office since she took the reins.

Why does this matter to Jefferson County? Because the movement to create a “Charter County” would make the DCD position an elected position, and lead to inevitable politicization of the position. Currently we do not elect our DCD head, it is a typical county position hired by looking at experience and related job backgrounds. In fact, the PDN has mentioned in the past that this is the *only* elected DCD official in the US. The fact that Clallam County is a charter county allows this position to be made  into a political, rather than professional one.

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130703/NEWS/307039991/clallam-hires-attorney-for-embattled-county-official-sheila-roark

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Stream Survey Volunteers Needed – Morse Creek near PA

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Al Bergstein

From our friend Jac at NOSC. A person who never seems to be without a smile. You’ll enjoy the day.  A great way to learn about your local watershed.

***MULTIPLE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED***

WHAT: Stream Surveys with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition
WHERE: Morse Creek, just east of PA
WHEN: Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from Aug 29th to Sept 30th
9am-1pm and/or 1-4pm. Volunteer for a partial day, full day or multiple days
WHY: NOSC will be collecting post-project monitoring data for the 3rd consective year after the Morse Creek Re-meander Project

NOSC will be measuring different stream characteristics and habitat features such as pool and riffle lengths, large woody debris, stream depths and pebble sizes. No experience necessary, training will be provided. Volunteers need to be comfortable working in water for an extended period of time. Visit www.nosc.org for more information. 

RSVP: Email Jac at volunteer@nosc.org or call (360) 379-8051 to get involved and scheduled.
PLEASE BRING: Chest waders and boots (NOSC can provide some). Please bring plenty of water, snacks and warm clothes.
DIRECTIONS: We will meet at 651 Cottonwood Lane, Port Angeles. or click to see map: http://mapq.st/oB2MW7.
DAY OF EVENT CONTACT: Jac at (518) 312-2658.

Volunteers can either join us for a morning shift (9-1pm), afternoon shift (1pm-4pm) or all day (9am-4pm). It those times don’t work, let us know we are flexible.  We need at least 4 volunteers each day.  It is extremely helpful if you are able to volunteer on multiple occasions.  This is one of my favorite events all year – great excuse to spend all day in a beautiful stream!

Thanks – Hope to see at Morse Creek
Jac

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Cargo Ship Loses Steering just west of Port Angeles. Towed safely to PA for repairs.

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Another reason all our work on getting rescue tugs and others involved in the protection of the Strait was a good idea. This time the rescue tug was not needed, but another tug from PA came to the rescue. I’ll update this story if there is reason to.

A cargo ship lost steering off Port Angeles just after midnight Wednesday and was towed into the Port Angeles Harbor for repair. The state Department of Ecology received a report from the state Emergency Management Division that the Grand Quest lost steering 6 nautical miles northwest of Port Angeles in the Strait of Juan de Fuca just after 12:15 a.m. The Grand Quest is a 587-foot Panama-flagged auto carrier that left Astoria, Ore., at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, and was on its way to Tacoma, according to the ship’s GPS locator beacon. The Brian S., a Port Angeles-based tug, towed the ship to anchor in Port Angeles at about 3 a.m., said Petty Officer Katelyn Tyson, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Cargo ship loses steering, towed to Port Angeles for repairs  http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130704/NEWS/307049991/cargo-ship-loses-steering-towed-to-port-angeles-for-repairs

Filed under: Oil Spills, Port Angeles | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Washington State Legislature Approves Ultrafine Particle Study for Jefferson and Clallam Counties

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Al Bergstein

This is extremely good news to a start on finding out what kinds of pollution we are breathing and if the new biomass plants are actually doing something that needs cleaning up. That is, if they are built, which seems not a sure thing at this point in time, due to economics, not environmental concerns, unfortunately.

___________________________________________

The Olympic Clean Air Agency and the University of Washington propose to jointly study air quality in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. This project will evaluate possible air quality changes associated with new biomass co-generation facilities in Port Townsend and Port Angeles and changes in ultra-fine particle concentrations associated with both facilities. The project will support state of the art measurements of ultra-fine particles and will respond directly to concerns of the two communities around health effects and industrial development.

Background

Concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions and climate change have encouraged the development of biomass fueled power stations, i.e. biomass cogeneration plants. The biomass fuel varies for each region and can include sugar-cane stalk, corn and rice straw, and palm and woody debris to name a few. This form of power generation is controversial within the “green” community. Proponents claim that burning biomass contributes a net zero addition to atmospheric carbon dioxide compared to fossil fuel combustion [Taylor, 2010]. The carbon released during biomass combustion will be re-used in plant material for the next cycle of energy generation, while fossil fuels represent carbon that has been stored for millennia. Since new co-generation plants are required to use Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to prevent degradation of air quality, supporters further argue that burning biomatter in the plant is cleaner than slash burning outdoors and actually helps improve air quality. Furthermore, industry has been burning biomass waste for years without converting it to usable power, and therefore claim a net gain in power produced vs. carbon released [Taylor, 2010]. The US Department of Energy recognizes biomass co-generation plants as a renewable energy source and has awarded grants to finance their design and operation. (http://www.srs.gov/general/news/releases/nr12_doe-biomass-startup.pdf)

Opponents of biomass fueled co-generation are primarily concerned about subsequent environmental damage and the cleanliness of the technology. They claim that burning biomass will endanger forest land by increasing logging operations and argue that slash should be left to decompose on the forest floor. The primary concern regarding biomass fueled power centers on the release of harmful toxins and fine particulate that can negatively impact the health of residents living near the co-generation plants. Specifically, activists are concerned about ultrafine particles –diameters less than 100 nm – that are not detected by standard air monitoring instruments [Keywooda et al., 1999] and to which recent research ascribes significant health impacts [Keywooda et al., 1999; Morawska et al., 2004].

Recently two new biomass cogeneration plants were approved for installation on the Olympic Peninsula, one at Nippon Paper Industries in Port Angeles and the other at Port Townsend Paper Company in Port Townsend. Both mills have been burning woody biomass as waste for several decades. Construction of these co-generation plants requires installation of emission control technology predicted to decrease the total PM2.5 emitted, despite increasing the mass of fuel burned by a factor of three. PM2.5 is the mass concentration of atmospheric particles with diameters less than 2.5 microns. Other gaseous emissions such as Volatile Organic Compounds and NOx will roughly increase by 35 and 18 tons per year respectively. Despite these pollution controls, and maybe because of them, there is concern that although PM2.5 will decrease, the number of ultrafine particles, which may be more hazardous to respiratory and cardio health, will increase. Research has shown that when PM2.5 decreases, co-emitted gases like SO2 and NOx have less surface area on which to condense and are thus more likely to homogeneously nucleate ultrafine particles downwind of the emission site [Weber et al., 1997]. Despite these concerns, there is very little data that show the impact of biomass cogeneration plants on local and regional air quality, including PM2.5 and ultrafine particulate.

Proposed Study

Port Angeles and Port Townsend are ideal locations to conduct a study focusing on the impacts of biomass fueled cogeneration facilities on air quality downwind of the cogeneration plants. Both towns have similar meteorology and environmental conditions. There are no other large industrial sources or major freeways to obscure ultrafine and fine particulate emissions from the biomass cogeneration plants, although emissions from residential burning in the winter constitute a large fraction of the observed PM2.5 in bothcities. Currently the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) maintains a permanent air monitoring site for PM2.5 in both Port Angeles and Port Townsend. Data on background concentrations of PM2.5, SO2, NOx, CO, and ozone are also available from Cheeka Peak, an NCore site located west of Port Angeles on the northwestern tip of the peninsula and measuring some of the cleanest air in the country. In addition to the permanent monitors, ORCAA will also install four optical particle counters (OPC) that provide data on the number concentration of particles larger than 0.3 microns at three locations in Port Angeles and at one location in Sequim. The OPCs will operate between January 2013 and December 2013. These monitors will move to Port Townsend in 2014. In both Port Angeles and Port Townsend, one of the OPCs will be collocated with the permanent air monitor, a nephelometer. ORCAA also has two aethalometers that measure black carbon concentration and can be used to differentiate between wood combustion and diesel combustion. One aethalometer will be installed at the permanent monitoring location and the other will be installed along with an OPC at one of the other temporary sites. The existence of these monitoring locations creates an infrastructure that will facilitate a study of ultrafine particles and source types of air pollution in the region.

In addition to ambient monitoring that already occurs in Clallam and Jefferson Counties the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, in collaboration with the University of Washington, proposes to conduct an additional study to examine the concentration, sources, and lifetimes of ultrafine particulate in Port Angeles and Port Townsend.

The scientific questions to be addressed are:

1) 2) 3)

4) 5) 6) 7)

Experiment

For this project we will establish two master research sites on the Olympic Peninsula. One will be located near residential areas of Port Townsend and the Port Townsend Paper Corp. The second site will be in Port Angeles near to the Nippon Paper Industries facility. At each site we will ideally conduct a series of pre/post-expansion intensive measurements that can complement the existing measurements using nephelometers, optical particle counters, and aethalometers. The Nippon co-generation plant, located in Port Angeles, expects to begin operating in September or October, 2013 and therefore baseline, winter measurements of ultrafine particles before operations commence may not be possible. To work around this issue, meteorology and plume dispersion modeling will allow data to be segregated to times when emissions from Nippon could affect measurements at the site and those times when they would not.

How will air quality respond to the change in emissions from the facility?

What is the distribution of PM2.5 in residential areas of both communities?

Is there evidence of an increase in ultrafine particulate matter from the expanded facilities?

What is the cause of the odors in the Port Townsend area and what can be done about these?

What are the source contributions to fine and ultrafine particulate in these two areas?

How does this change between winter and summer?

Which neighborhoods are most impacted by these facilities? Are the concentrations

reasonably modeled by a Gaussian plume distribution?

How do ultrafine particulate emissions from the facilities change in the winter relative to the summer?

Measurements of PM2.5, number concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles (diameter < 100 nanometers), particle chemical speciation, and carbon monoxide will be made at both the Port Angeles and the Port Townsend sites. Continuous stack emission measurements at the facilities will complement the ambient measurements to determine their potential influence on the ambient air quality.

A proposed schedule for this work is as follows:
Summer 2013: 6-week experiment prior to facility modifications and expansion
Winter 2013: 6-week experiment prior to facility modifications and expansion (Port Townsend) Summer 2014: 6-week experiment after facility modifications and expansion
Winter 2014: 6-week experiment after facility modifications and expansion

Instruments and measurements that will be made in addition to those already made by ORCAA:

Instrument

What it measures

Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), TSI 3936

Ultrafine particle size distribution

Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS)

Aerosol chemical composition

Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS)

Aerosol chemical composition

TECO 48CTL

Carbon Monoxide

Dusttrak DRX 8543

Particulate matter

Filed under: Government, Jefferson County, legislation, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Projects | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Feiro Marine Life Center’s founders feted with new monument–PDN

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Nice to see the honoring of these local legends. If you haven’t visited the Feiro you certainly should.

Two of the builders are long gone — yet they’re not.  Standing beneath a 13-foot Western red cedar tree adorned with copper sea life, friends and family shared memories of Will Wirt and Art Feiro. The occasion for this gathering Friday afternoon was “Kindred Spirits,” the cedar monument freshly installed at the Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center on City Pier. Diane Urbani de la Paz reports.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130526/NEWS/305269994/feiro-marine-life-centers-founders-feted-with-new-monument

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Port Angeles City Council puts stamp of approval on harbor cleanup plans – PDN

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Al Bergstein

The ongoing cleanup of the Rayonier plant superfund site continues. Background: The bill to the citizens of the State and Federal Government (meaning all of us) continues to rise for decades of allowing unregulated dumping of chemicals into the Bay. We look forward to a future without these toxic, cancer causing pollutants affecting our fish and waters.

The (Port Angeles) City Council has put its stamp of approval on two documents necessary for the cleanup of the western portion of Port Angeles Harbor. The agreed order and work plan for the cleanup process, approved Tuesday night by a 5-1 vote, with Councilman Max Mania opposed and Councilwoman Sissi Bruch recusing herself, formalizes how the city will work with four partners to develop a plan for studying and cleaning up industrial toxins from the bottom of the harbor’s west portion, City Attorney Bill Bloor said. The state Department of Ecology has named the city, the Port of Port Angeles, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Nippon Paper Industries USA and forest services company Merrill & Ring as at least partially responsible for cleaning up such contaminants as heavy metals that were found in the harbor during a 2008 Ecology study. Jeremy Schwartz reports.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130523/news/305239997/port-angeles-city-council-puts-stamp-of-approval-on-harbor-cleanup

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EVENT: 28 May–7PM–PA Harbor Cleanup Update

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Dr. Peter deFur, of Environmental Stewardship Concepts LLC, will tie together and update the public on the Rayonier and the Port Angeles Harbor cleanup efforts at a forum on Tuesday, 28 May at 7 PM in the Port Angeles Landing Mall 2nd floor meeting room.    The Landing Mall is on the east side of the Pt Angeles-Victoria B.C. ferry dock.

The Department of Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program is working to investigate and clean up contamination around Port Angeles from Harbor sources of pollution. Cleanup sites and investigations include the Rayonier Mill, the Harbor Sediments Investigation, the Rayonier Mill Off-Property Soil Dioxin Study, (dioxins in Port Angeles area soils), the North Olympic Peninsula Regional Background study, Western Port Angeles Harbor (Nippon and areas of Ediz Hook), KPly, and the Marine Trades Area (central portion of the Harbor). Dr. deFur will present a summary of the status of these efforts and provide comments on the various reports and activities.

Dr. deFur is Technical Advisor  for the Olympic Environmental Council Coalition for technical document reviews and public outreach and education.

Rayonier Mill: The Rayonier Mill was closed and demolished in 1997.  At present, the Department of Ecology is reviewing Rayonier’s report about sediment contamination in the immediate area of the former mill site.

Sediments Investigation and the Western Harbor Site: Through the Puget Sound Initiative, the Department of Ecology did a large-scale sediment sampling study in Port Angeles Harbor. The study found the highest contamination in the western harbor and near the former Rayonier Mill in the eastern harbor. Ecology identified the Western Port Angeles Harbor cleanup site based on the Harbor investigation findings. The responsible parties plan to do sampling for the Western Harbor investigation this summer.

Regional Background: This spring and summer, Ecology will sample sediments in bays east of the Harbor in an effort to determine background sediment conditions for the North Olympic Peninsula region. The Department of Ecology previously conducted a similar sampling effort in the Port Gardner (Everett) region.

Dr. deFur also serves as Technical Advisor to the non-profit citizen based Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, in addition to several other major hazardous waste cleanup sites throughout the nation.

Dr. Peter deFur is Olympic Environmental Council’s Technical Advisor for the Port Angeles projects through a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology.  Ecology reviewed this announcement for technical accuracy.  Olympic Environmental Council positions are not those of Ecology’s.

For additional information, contact Darlene Schanfald, <darlenes@olympus.net>

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Monday April 15- Ocean Acidification Forum

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Clallam MRC will sponsor a community forum on Ocean Acidification (OA) April 15 from 6-8 pm at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 7th Street in Port Angeles. Members of Washington State’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification will highlight effects of and local solutions to an acidifying ocean.

Ocean acidification can have a profound effect on the state economy and quality of life: effects of OA were apparent to shellfish growers between 2007 and 2009, when oyster larvae succumbed to the more corrosive water. Details may be found in the press release.

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION COMMUNITY FORUM SET FOR PORT ANGELES
PORT ANGELES — Ocean acidification, its effects and local solutions will be
highlighted at a community forum featuring speakers from the Washington State Blue
Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. North Olympic Peninsula residents and others are
invited to attend the community forum, April 15 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Port Angeles
Senior Center, 328 East 7th Street, Port Angeles. Clallam County Commissioner Mike
Doherty will welcome the panel and attendees.

Between 2007 and 2009, up to 80 percent of the oyster larvae in some Washington
state hatcheries were killed by ocean acidification. As the nation’s leading supplier of
farmed shellfish, and with 42,000 jobs dependent on seafood, Washington has much to
lose from the effects of an acidifying ocean.

Ocean Acidification, also known as OA, results primarily from CO2 emissions being
absorbed from the atmosphere into seawater. The new mixture forms carbonic acid,
which alters ocean chemistry, reduces the chemical building blocks needed by many
marine species and endangers sea life.

The community forum, hosted by the Clallam County Marine Resources Committee
(MRC), will feature three speakers. Eric Swenson, Communications and Outreach
Director for the Global Ocean Health Program, will explain “The Science of Ocean
Acidification;” Betsy Peabody, founder of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund, will
describe “Local Impacts, Local Solutions” and Brad Warren, Director for the Global
Ocean Health Program, will summarize the panel’s work and present
“Recommendations, Partnerships and Actions.” Peabody and Warren served as
members of Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. Swenson was
an alternate member.

Clallam County MRC member Ed Bowlby, who also coordinates research for the
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary said, “We have to build consensus to reduce
the global emissions of CO2. When possible, we also need to act locally to mitigate,
remediate, or adapt to acidification. We can start by minimizing land-based contributions
within the watershed. Stormwater runoff, for instance, can contribute to ocean
acidification at the local scale.”

To address the threat of increasingly corrosive marine waters, former Governor
Christine Gregoire appointed the 28-member Panel on Ocean Acidification in February
2012. Co-chaired by Bill Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, and Jay Manning, former director of the Washington Department of
Ecology, the panel presented its findings and 42 recommendations November 27 in
Seattle. (Learn more at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/water/marine/oceanacidification.html.)
In addition to the Clallam County MRC, the event is sponsored by the Northwest Straits
Commission, Puget Sound Partnership, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, National
Fisheries Conservation Center and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.

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‘Band-Aid’ seawall likely to stay below failing landfill bluff in Port Angeles – PDN

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Al Bergstein

It would seem that the answer to this problem would be to remove the soil and cliffs from the shoreline, tiering them back away from the bluff. Maybe not feasible, maybe not practical,but I can’t foresee any other realistic way to stop this and protect the Straits from the leakage of pollution from the old PA landfill.

Immediate efforts to deal with a failing bluff abutting Port Angeles’ landfill will not include the removal of a seawall at its base, though the structure’s years may be numbered. Several members of the City Council and the public made clear during discussions about the city’s landfill bluff-stabilization project at Tuesday’s council meeting that they thought the 7-year-old concrete structure eventually should be torn out. Jeremy Schwartz reports.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130307/news/303079997/-8216-band-aid-8217-seawall-likely-to-stay-below-failing-landfill

Support local journalism, subscribe to the Peninsula Daily News.

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Port amends cleanup agreement with Ecology – PDN

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Formation of a draft cleanup plan is the next step for industrial property off Marine Drive that is contaminated by an underground petrochemical plume. Port of Port Angeles commissioners Monday unanimously approved a cleanup-related amendment to an agreed order with the state Department of Ecology that focuses on the site west of downtown Port Angeles.

Paul Gottlieb reports.
http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130226/NEWS/302269999/port-amends-cleanup-agreement-with-ecology

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Little Fish, Big Problems: Paying attention to “the most important fish in the sea”–At Feiro 11.30.2012

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Feiro Marine Life Center and  Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Present:

Friday, November 30    6:30-8:30 pm 2nd floor Landing Mall

Conservation and human interest is often focused on large, visible animals such as whales, seals, and sea birds.  Yet, many of these species depend critically on the availability of small, schooling fish such as herrings, anchovies and sardines.  The protection of the “little fish” may hold the answer to reaching broad conservation goals.   Gain a greater understanding of the biology, ecology and threats to these fish, with a particular emphasis on species that reside on the Washington Coast.
Join us in welcoming Dr. Tim Essington, a marine ecologist with broad interests in marine ecology, food webs, and ecosystem-based fisheries management.  Dr. Essington, an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, serves on the boards of the Ecosystem Science and Management working group of the NOAA Science Advisory Board, the NCEAS Science Advisory Board, and the Marine Stewardship Council’s Technical Advisory Board.  In 2011 he was selected to be a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation.

Please call Feiro at 417-6254 for more information.

Suggested Donation: $5.00

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Marine research campus envisioned as part of Port Angeles waterfront project – PDN

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The Feiro Marine Life Center may be joining up with other agencies and creating a new waterfront maritime research center. We would welcome that move.

Plans for a new marine research and public outreach center on the Port Angeles waterfront are hinging on the results of a predesign study that will be available in draft form in December, city business leaders learned earlier this week.

Rob Ollikainen reports.
http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20121031/NEWS/310319998/marine-research-campus-envisioned-as-part-of-port-angeles-waterfront

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Port of Port Angeles to get millions to lift cleanup burden – PDN

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Al Bergstein

Nice to see that our state taxes are being spread around to help defray the burden on Port Angeles residents for cleaning up this toxic site. This is a good example of why cleaning up toxic sites shouldn’t be just left up to the local economy.

The Port of Port Angeles will not have to go it alone on an estimated $4.4 million-$6.4 million environmental cleanup of the former Peninsula Plywood mill site. A $2 million state grant is available to help soften the financial blow, a state Department of Ecology official said Monday. Paul Gottleib reports. Port of Port Angeles to get millions to lift cleanup burden.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20121023/news/310239995/port-of-port-angeles-to-get-millions-to-lift-cleanup-burden

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In the Bowels of the City, Blocking Wastewater Overflows – NY Times

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Al Bergstein

The New York Times today reports of a new method of slowing combined sewer overflow. Given the expensive and earthquake prone methods that Port Angeles is currently proposing, this seems like an interesting alternative.

It happens dozens of times a year, undermining water quality, closing beaches and endangering aquatic life: Hit by major rainfall, New York’s sewers release raw sewage and polluted storm water into New York Harbor. These “overflow events” account for an estimated 27 billion gallons of pollutants annually in the city’s waters.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/nyregion/in-bowels-of-new-york-city-inflatable-dams-help-block-wastewater-overflow.html

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