Patricia Becomes Strongest Hurricane Ever Recorded; Catastrophic Landfall Expected in Mexico Friday – Weather Channell

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Al Bergstein

I know that many of us travel to Mexico frequently, and many that go, go to the west coast. What is about to happen there today is very terrifying, and if you have friends down there, be ready to help in any way you can. This storm is bringing winds greater than Katrina or Sandy. Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Manzanillo (type in Manzanillo into Google Search and look at the photos of this beautiful little town that is about to be hit directly by this storm).  Upwards of 290,000 people may be affected by it (http://www.directrelief.org/2015/10/emergency-hurricane-patricia-mexico1022/). This is  another example what the scientists have told us of of global warming outcome, caused by our inability to wean our advanced society from fossil fuels. Stronger storms more frequently. CNN is reporting that, “Among other effects, El Niño has contributed to ocean waters off Mexico being 2 to 3 degrees warmer than usual”.

Of course, the west coast of Mexico is a place with many people who have never contributed to the problem of global warming, and are being made to suffer because of it.

The link to us is that we are also expecting El Nino to affect our waters here this winter, and likely some of our winter storms will be more intense because of it. Those living on the beach should be taking extra precautions this year. Storm surge and winds are likely to be much higher than normal.

A donation of whatever you can afford to the Red Cross or Direct Relief today might be appropriate.

http://www.redcross.org

http://www.directrelief.org

http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-patricia-mexico-coast?_escaped_fragment_

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Gear, not geoducks, impacts ecosystem if farming increases – UW Today

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Worth noting. The controversy over the conversion of natural shoreline to industrial aquaculture because of the current high prices being commanded in the Far East, is given new ammunition by a study done by the UW. This study should be read with the earlier 7 year study by Washington Sea Grant, that showed that impacts to the nearshore were reversible. That does not mean that they were non-existant. The biggest concern many people have is that entire bays are being converted to what amounts to a commercial farm, with near shore habitats being converted from natural to endless seas of tens of thousands of plastic pipe, which is used to protect the immature geoducks from predators. Harvests are done at low tide, meaning that in the winter, a homeowner may find themselves being kept awake by the compressors that are used to blow air to get to the ducks. With the value of the near shore properties and a lack of transparency by many real estate agents, it often comes as a very unpleasant surprise to new home owners. Once converted to aquaculture, the shorelines will never be allowed to return to a natural state, unless the market collapses permanently. And the state of Washington bureaucrats are really not interested in stopping this growth, being very much supportive of commercial aquaculture over natural shores. They believe that the carrying capacity of the Sound is able to handle it, but they have made these decisions with little science to back it in the past. With all these new studies, it’s now up to citizens in the various locales to raise these issues as policy decisions rather than trying to stop the new farms based on environmental concerns alone. Balancing this is the fact that the Tribes are entitled do aquaculture based on historical treaty rights, and aquaculture is one of the core protected activities of our state constitution, because the founding fathers recognized food production over all other concerns. As usual, there is no simple answer here.

The equipment used to farm geoducks, including PVC pipes and nets, might have a greater impact on the Puget Sound food web than the addition of the clams themselves. That’s one of the findings of the first major scientific study to examine the broad, long-term ecosystem effects of geoduck aquaculture in Puget Sound, published last week in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Journal of Marine Science. Michelle Ma reports. (UW Today)

Though these results show that Puget Sound can generally support more geoduck aquaculture, if effectively managed, the model can’t drill down to specific inlets or bays and predict how organisms would react at a finer scale to increased farming, researchers said. Further studies are needed to determine the potential impact of more aquaculture activities on specific areas of the Sound, they added.

http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/10/21/gear-not-geoducks-impacts-ecosystem-if-farming-increases/

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Port Townsend Election thoughts

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Ballots arrived yesterday. Some thoughts for those of you needing them.

Advisory Votes: Maintain all of them.

We pay our legislators to do the work to pass laws (or not). I am not willing to second guess any of the ballot measures. They all look like the kind of thing that we expect our legislators to do. I am not in favor of having 2/3rds of the legislature have to approve taxes. A simple majority is fine with me. And to expect the voters to approve all tax bills directly is patiently an absurd idea.

Port of Port Townsend – Either candidate, Diana Talley or Steve Tucker.

This may seem like a copout ,but the Port race pits two excellent candidates. The issue before voters appears to me to be about policy issues rather than environmental ones. As stated in this morning’s Port Townsend Leader, and a good review point, the Commissioners are elected to set rates and Port Policies, along with hiring (and firing) the executive director (currently Larry Crockett) to implement those policies.  Both candidates have very different  views in terms of their approaches to Port policies. As far as environmental issues are concerned however, they are very similar. I have worked with Steve Tucker on the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee, and found him very effective and concerned about helping implement environmentally sensitive issues of concern for the Committee (it’s members include a wide variety of interests, from aquaculture, tribes, environmental organizations, sports fishers and others). Diana Talley is a well liked long time resident and owner of a highly regarded business that is located in the Port. Her support of environmental issues has been demonstrated over many decades, and is not at question. There is very vocal opposition to many Port policies implemented during Steve’s time on the Port, and decisions that have been made regarding fees, boat ramp construction choices, and other issues.  Diana is running in opposition to some of those policies and says that she will be more critical of choices decided by the Port moving forward. If you are a boater or other user of the Port facilities, and are concerned about the Port policies then you should do more digging to understand the contentious nature of this race. But no matter which candidate wins, support of environmental protections will continue.

Public Hospital  – Kees Kolff and Paul Stafford.

People won’t care much about the environment if they are sick and without health care. The current two incumbents are far too supportive of the current administration of the hospital, which seems to be building a legacy of huge construction projects for a tiny rural hospital. Are these needed? Could other choices that put us less at risk for debt repayment be made?  Was there any real debate about Mr. Glenn’s choices of expansion? No. This hospital charges far more than other hospitals, I know because I priced minor treatments for myself and ended up going to Seattle to get them done. The cost here was almost double that of Seattle. And it was not easy to get a price to begin with. Because of that, I’m very much in favor of shaking up this cozy group, and putting some people who will seriously challenge the status quo of the hospital management. Kees is a perfect person to put in that role, and I believe that Paul will support that kind of change as well.

City Council of Port Townsend

I’m not familiar with any of these candidates and their debate on the radio left me with a feeling that no one  really understood what was needed on the City Council. So many bad financial decisions were made in the last decade that put the city in a difficult position to get out of financially, then and now. I wish whoever wins good luck.But I’m not willing to endorse any of them. They seem very inexperienced and their answers left more questions than answers in my mind. For example, the notion of supporting expansion of tiny houses inside the City limits raises far more questions about density, noise, taxes, etc. To simply say we need to do this without putting forward explanations as to what are the pros and cons is not something I support. I love tiny houses, but expanding density expands traffic, and infrastructure needs. This seems like needing a great deal more thought before deciding to implement.

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Navy Final EIS contains numerous flaws-West Coast Action Alliance

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Al Bergstein

In my email today. There are steps you can take to continue the opposition to this unnecessary and likely illegal expansion of Navy training over our quiet corner of the country. Illegal because the Navy itself, in a joint memorandum with the Forest Service back in the 70s, established that they cannot use FS land if there is an alternative available. The FS and Navy continues to ignore this fundamental legally binding document and allow the expansion of the use of Navy planes over the edge of the Olympic National Park and it’s ecology of quiet. The upshot is that it is likely to cause the Navy and FS substantial taxpayer funded monies to fight this expansion against the taxpayers funding it! You can do something. Read on.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We would like to bring your attention to the publication of a new Navy document: the Final EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for Northwest Training and Testing (http://nwtteis.com).  While impacts from the Growler jets, the Electronic Warfare Range, and the Northwest Training and Testing are all functionally connected, they have been separated into multiple documents covering an area from Northern California to Alaska.

The latest EIS is unlawful and fatally flawed for a number of significant reasons, listed briefly below. These are explained in detail in a Joint Memorandum by the West Coast Action Alliance and the Olympic Forest Coalition. It was sent to senior Navy officials in Washington DC and the Pacific Northwest, selected federal and state legislators and County Commissions in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, plus city councils on the north Olympic Peninsula, and a variety of other organizations and individuals. Supporting materials can be found on the WCAA web site at: http://westcoastactionalliance.org

Reasonable concerns by the public have long been ignored, and this controversy intensifies by the day. For example, Congressman Derek Kilmer requested several months ago that the Navy undertake a “neutral” sound study on the effects of jet noise over Olympic National Park, under the auspices of the Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise (FICAN). But the Navy ignored his request and reconstituted an old study using data that applied to Prowler jets, which are no longer being flown and are less powerful and less noisy than Growlers. They inserted that old study in the new EIS and claimed “no significant impacts” on the soundscapes of Olympic National Park.

The reasons we believe the latest EIS is unlawful and fatally flawed are:

  • Failure to provide reasonable notice to the public
  • Failure to provide adequate comment process 
  • Failure to address functionally connected activities and their cumulative impacts
  • Failure to adequately consider impacts to Olympic National Park’s World Heritage designation 
  • Failure to wait until completion of Final EIS and Record of Decision before initiating actions 

We believe that the government should follow federal law and policy, and that it is neither unpatriotic nor unreasonable for citizens to ask them to do so.

What can you do?

  1. Read the joint memorandum and its attached letter from UNESCO on the WCAA web site;
  2. Write letters to your elected representatives; a list is here: http://westcoastactionalliance.org/location
  3. Write letters to the editors of local papers;
  4. Finally, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Olympic Peninsula Protection Fund. Monies will be used for advocacy, outreach, and legal defense. You can use PayPal here (http://olympicforest.org/?page_id=121) or write a check to: Olympic Forest Coalition, PO Box 461, Quilcene, WA 98376.

The West Coast Action Alliance invites you to respond to this email or submit comments. However, on the advice of counsel, we cannot commit to preparing responses or answering questions in this forum.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

The West Coast Action Alliance and the Olympic Forest Coalition

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Trudeau victory means uncertain future for pipeline projects  – CBC

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The first of many good news articles for the north coast of British Columbia, but with concerns still alive about tanker traffic increases in the Straits and Salish Sea, especially around the San Juans. This battle is not over yet, but at least a favorable government to ending it is now coming to power.

The Liberal victory in yesterday’s federal election appears to be the nail in the coffin for one West Coast pipeline project, but the future of another remains unclear. Incoming-prime minister Justin Trudeau is on record saying he would kill the Northern Gateway Pipeline proposal, which would carry crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to a tanker terminal on the North Coast of B.C. near Prince Rupert…. That leaves the proposed expansion of the existing Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline, which runs from Alberta to Port Metro Vancouver on the South Coast of B.C. While Trudeau has promised to formalize the non-binding moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s North Coast passed by MP’s in 2010 — that ban applies specifically to the North Coast. And that leaves leave the door open for Kinder Morgan, which is seeking approval from the NEB to twin the 50-year-old pipeline, tripling its capacity, and increasing the tanker traffic in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet on the South Coast. Mike Laanela reports. (CBC)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/trudeau-pipelines-northern-gateway-kinder-morgan-1.3280444

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Harper concedes defeat. A horrible era comes to an end

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Canadians have decisively ousted the most environmentally destructive Prime Minister and Parliament Canada has known in the modern era. A man and a party that was morally bankrupt has finally been turned out by Canadian voters. How long it will take to reverse the incredible damage that Stephen Harper and his band of ignorant thugs have done,is another matter.

Thank you Canadian voters. Now the real work begins.

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

Humpback whales resurging in Salish Sea – KING

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Al Bergstein

More good news…

After traveling north for the summer, humpback whales have migrated back to the Salish Sea. The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) said they’ve resurfaced in record numbers. “We’ve seen more humpbacks this year than ever, and they’re popping up now everywhere, in the San Juan Islands, Georgia Strait, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, Saanich Inlet – repopulating the areas where they were once abundant pre-whaling,” said Captain Mark Malleson, veteran whale watch captain for Prince of Whales Whale Watching. ” Very exciting time out there now.” Kate Clark reports. (KING)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/2015/10/15/humpback-whales-resurging-salish-sea/74020024/

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Sewage release closes waters of Port Ludlow Bay to recreation until Saturday – PDN

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Al Bergstein

With no backup plan in place, the Bay is now closed. Just a heads up for those wanting to kayak or harvest shellfish, which I believe is closed in that bay anyway. Would be great to see a strong rain garden approach in Ludlow to slow the water runoff into the bay.

A sewage spill into Port Ludlow Bay caused by equipment failure at the wastewater treatment plant is not serious or life-threatening, but the area is now closed to recreation until Saturday. Jefferson County Public Health has issued a “no contact” health advisory that will remain in effect until then. The public is advised to avoid any contact with the water in Port Ludlow Bay, including swimming, kayaking, fishing and harvesting of shellfish and seaweed. (Peninsula Daily News)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20151012/NEWS/310129967/sewage-release-closes-waters-of-port-ludlow-bay-to-recreation-until

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Polar Pioneer oil rig set to make return to Port Angeles Harbor, though arrival date is uncertain – PDN

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The visible symbol of our collective destruction of the arctic ecosystem will be on display in PA harbor soon. Don’t blame the oil rig folks, it’s like saying that the needle is the cause of the addiction. Getting rid of the drill doesn’t change our need for the oil, only your personal choices will do that. And government policies to help you make that choice. Don’t look for those policies in Port Angeles. The County Commissioners would need a significant change of stripe to help them see that they are part of the problem, not the solution.

The Polar Pioneer oil rig will once again loom over the waters of Port Angeles Harbor. The 355-foot-tall rig was in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Monday for a brief stopover with the Noble Discoverer rig after exiting the Alaskan Arctic and before heading farther south, Shell Oil Co. spokeswoman Megan Baldino said Monday. The Noble Discoverer will make its way to the Port of Everett. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20151012/NEWS/310129968/polar-pioneer-oil-rig-set-to-make-return-to-port-angeles-harbor

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UW Study finds stormwater runoff killing salmon and other fish – UW

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Al Bergstein

It seems to me that there has never been a clearer outcome of a study that allows us take simple action to save our salmon runs. Rain gardens anyone?

The long awaited study from the University of Washington on the toxic effects of stormwater runoff from roads is now complete. The study, which has been documented on this web site previously, showed that runoff captured from highway 520 near the Montlake Cut, was lethal enough to kill fish exposed to it.

Untreated highway runoff, collected in nine separate storm events, was universally lethal to coho relative to unexposed controls. Lastly, the mortality syndrome was prevented when highway runoff was pretreated by soil infiltration, a conventional green stormwater infiltration technology.

The study is found here https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2451727-spromberg-et-al-in-press-j-appl-ecol.html

Longer story on it at the Seattle Times.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/whats-killing-coho-study-points-to-urban-road-runoff/?utm_source=Sightline+Institute&utm_medium=web-email&utm_campaign=Sightline+News+Selections

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Your thought of the day…

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Al Bergstein

What are you going to do to pay your rent today?

From "Racing Extinction"

From “Racing Extinction”

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Event: Orca Expert and Author Erich Hoyt Featured – Olympia & Seattle

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Al Bergstein
While not on the Peninsula, some of you may want to attend this.
IN OCTOBER “ORCA TOUR 2015” TALKS IN TACOMA, OLYMPIA
Internationally-renowned author and killer whale expert Erich Hoyt will speak in October along the Whale Trail at locations ranging from British Columbia to South Puget Sound. 
“Orca Tour 2015” celebrates the seasonal return of the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales to central Puget Sound and builds awareness of the whales throughout their range in the Salish Sea and along the Pacific Coast. This transboundary tour is especially timely with the birth of the fifth calf in the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods since December 2014.
“The birth of five new calves in J, K and L pods gives us five more reasons to recover this population. The collaborative nature of the Orca Tour demonstrates our shared commitment to restore salmon, reduce toxins and create quieter seas,” said Donna Sandstrom, founder and director of The Whale Trail.
Organized by The Whale Trail and local sponsoring organizations, Hoyt’s talks are scheduled for:
  • Oct. 10- Olympia WA. “Adventures with Orcas in the North Pacific” hosted by The Whale Trail at the Olympia Friends Meeting Hall;
  • Oct. 11- Tacoma WA. “Adventures with Orcas in the North Pacific” hosted by Citizens for a Healthy Bay at the UW Carwein Hall; and
  • Oct. 13- Seattle WA. “Ants, Orcas and Creatures of the Deep” hosted by The Whale Trail at the Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle.
Tickets for the Washington talks are available through Brown Paper Tickets, http://brownpapertickets.com (search Erich Hoyt).  
 
Tickets still available for purchase at the door!! 
 
Thanks, Diane
 
Diane Tilstra
mdtilstra@aol.com

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Hurricane Oho threatens Alaska, Canada as it moves away from Hawaii – Star-Advertiser/Cliff Mass

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Looking at rain, probably high winds and big waves this weekend.

Hurricane Oho missed Hawaii and is speeding away from the state tonight. But it could bring rain to Washington state as it passes offshore Thursday and it will likely bring heavy rain and strong winds to Alaska and British Columbia starting Thursday night. Craig Gima reports. (Star-Advertiser) See also: Hurricane Oho is Heading Towards the Northwest

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/331185711.html

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2015/10/hurricane-oho-is-heading-towards.html Cliff Mass reports. (Weather Blog)

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EVENT: Aberdeen hearing for proposed oil by rail terminals 

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Thursday (10/8) – 

Aberdeen, WA – Hundreds of concerned Washington residents will gather at the official DEIS public hearing for two of the proposed crude oil by rail terminals in Grays Harbor, Washington. Local Tribal leaders, elected officials, business owners, faith leaders, and community members will voice concerns about the proposals, particularly on the risks from oil trains and spills from oil tankers.

Who:
Fawn Sharp, President, Quinault Indian Nation
Alan Richrod, Aberdeen City Council Member
Rev. Katherine Gardner, Hoquiam United Methodist Church
Dr. Bruce Amundson, family practice doctor and president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Larry Thevik, WA Dungeness Crab Fisherman Association

With special performances by Quinault Indian Nation Drummers and Dusty Rhodes.

When/Where:
Thursday, October 8th; Press conference and rally at 5 pm
D & R Theater, 205 South I St, Aberdeen
Hearing from 1:30 to 4:30 pm (session 1) and 6 to 9 pm (session 2)

***ATTENTION ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: GREAT VISUALS!***
Large, diverse group wearing red; signs about oil trains and oil spills; musical performance

We will be live tweeting the hearing – follow along at @StandUpToOil, #AberdeenOilHearing and  #oiltrains.

The Aberdeen hearing is the second in a series of two hearings (the first was in Elma on October 1st) on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for two of the three proposed crude oil by rail terminals in Grays Harbor, Washington by the Westway and Imperium companies. There are currently five proposals for oil terminals in Washington, as well as a proposal by Shell Refinery in Anacortes to expand their operation to increase their oil by rail capacity.


###

STAND UP TO OIL is a growing coalition of groups opposed to new oil terminals and an increase in oil transport through the Northwest, while working to improve safety measures for oil currently traveling through the region. Learn more at Standuptooil.org.

Kerry McHugh | Communications Director

Washington Environmental Council
phone 206.631.2605| mobile 206.902.7555
email kerry@wecprotects.org | web www.wecprotects.org
office 1402 Third Avenue | Suite 1400 | Seattle, WA 98101

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Known fish species living in the Salish Sea increases in new report – UW Today

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Al Bergstein
6C-Jordania-zonope-black-750x299

An illustration of the longfin sculpin (Jordania zonope).Joseph R. Tomelleri

Good news that a more precise count on species has been completed. Will be good for future monitoring efforts.

Coho salmon, Pacific halibut and even the dogfish shark are familiar faces to many people in the Salish Sea region. But what about the Pacific viperfish, northern flashlightfish, dwarf wrymouth or the longsnout prickleback?

These colorfully named species and others are compiled in a new, 106-page report that documents all of the fishes that live in the Salish Sea, a roughly 6,500-square-mile region that encompasses Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands.

In total, 253 fish species have been recorded in the Salish Sea, and that’s about 14 percent more than in the last count, said Ted Pietsch, co-author of the new report and a University of Washington emeritus professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.washington.edu/news/2015/09/30/known-fish-species-living-in-the-salish-sea-increases-in-new-report/

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Quinault Indian Nation: Standing Up to Big Oil – Youtube

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The position of the Quinault Indian Nation regarding the proposed oil ports in Gray’s County.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJpSNHb7aJA&feature=youtu.be&list=PLEHOoTuNKiWJrmEAFajZ-zcKEdWgtQfmw

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EVENT:Info on Free & Low-Cost Septic System repair Oct 26

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein

A ways off but mark your calendars if interested.

Jefferson County Public Health is having an event at the end of October for Chimacum and Ludlow Residents.

Chimacum and Ludlow Residents Open House: Info on Free & Low-Cost Programs to repair home on-site septic systems and updates on water quality in the Chimacum and Ludlow Creek Basins. Monday, October 26th 2015 at the Tri-Areas Community Center (corner of Highway 20 & West Valley Road in Chimacum). 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm (Short presentations begin at 6 pm). For more details: contact Anna at (360) 379-4482. Open house hosted by Jefferson County Public Health and the Jefferson County Conservation District.

Anna S. Bachmann

Environmental Health Specialist

Jefferson County Public Health

Environmental Health Dept.

(360) 379-4482

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Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections: A 43 Percent Increase – Friends of the San Juans

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The battle is on to stop the expansion of shipping oil through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Salish Sea. Our gems, the San Juan Islands, lie directly in the path of a huge increase in vessel traffic, much of it carrying very destructive processed oil. Here are facts, based on the filings of the companies themselves.


If all the new and expanding terminal and refinery projects in the Salish Sea are permitted and developed, including projects that became operational in 2014, there would be a 43 percent increase in large, commercial marine vessel traffic. Friends of the San Juans and San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping have released the Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections featuring 18 new or expanded proposed or recently completed projects, which cumulatively would add an additional 5,300 annual vessel transits to and from ports in British Columbia and Washington State…. The Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections flyer and source information are available at Safe Shipping in the Salish Sea http://www.sanjuans.org/safeshipping/. (9/23/15 News Release from Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping)

Provided by Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping

Provided by Friends of the San Juans/San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping

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Steelhead snorkel study biologist wants hatchery compromise – KING NEWS

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The good news here is that science is now allowing us to better understand the various issues people like John McMillan can move from solutions that are massive and widespread in scale, to more micromanaged ones, that rely more on the specific knowledge of a watershed and it’s species. Wild Fish Conservancy should seriously look at this proposal.

Rivers in Washington may soon be divided into territory for either wild steelhead or hatchery steelhead. The hatchery steelhead are stuck in legal gridlock right now, after a lawsuit filed by the Wild Fish Conservancy argued they’re bad for wild steelhead. One biologist wants a compromise, and he’s advocating for it underwater. John McMillan works for Trout Unlimited. He’s studied steelhead by snorkeling for more than 20 years across 1,500 miles of river, taking video of their behavior changes over time…. McMillan agrees with the state’s plan to map rivers, potentially separating hatchery and wild steelhead. He thinks hatchery fish serve a purpose for fishermen – but need their own territory. Alison Morrow reports. (KING)

http://www.king5.com/story/tech/science/environment/2015/09/24/steelhead-hatchery-wild-fish-lawsuit-trout-unlimited/72775250/

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Port Gamble Bay Cleanup About to Begin – WSDOE

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein
Photo WA St. DOE

Photo WA St. DOE

A long-awaited cleanup of Port Gamble Bay is just about ready to launch. Work is scheduled to start Monday, with the removal of old pilings treated with toxic creosote.

A number of other piers, docks and other structures also will be removed as the project progresses, and contaminated sediments and other muck will be dug out of the bay or capped with clean material.

The project is expected to continue into early 2017 and really provide a boost for the bay’s health — and for the Puget Sound environment in general.

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