Lummi, S’Klallam Nations In Court Over 30-year-long Dispute Over Fishing Territory – Indian Country Today

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Al Bergstein

People who don’t have any experience with Tribes often think of the world of Native Americans as some kind of monolithic organization. I hear them say, “Oh the Indians take all the fish” or words to that affect. The story that is closer to the truth is illustrated quite well with this article. The Tribes are more like a coalition of peoples, and they have their own disputes, such as this one, over what constitutes the usual and accustomed locations that their ancestors fished. It’s not academic. There is real economic and cultural issues at stake, And to be clear, the Boldt Decision, which is the center of all this, gave the Tribes, all of them, 50% of the catch per season. Not every Tribe gets 50%, most get far less, but it’s up to the State, and representatives of all the Tribes to hash that out. Non Tribal sportsfishermen and commerical fishermen get to work with the State to determine how much we get of that remaining 50%.

The Lummi and S’Klallams were among the Indigenous Peoples who fished a vast inland sea off northwest Washington, bounded by Haro Strait to the west, Rosario Strait to the east, Georgia Strait to the north, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound to the south. In the middle are the San Juan Islands, which the Lummi believe is their place of origin. To the south is the Olympic Peninsula, the place of origin of the Elwha, Jamestown and Port Gamble S’Klallam peoples…. Both sides are in U.S. District Court, in their third decade of legal battles to determine who has the treaty right to fish those waters. District and appellate court decisions have seesawed in favor of the S’Klallams and the Lummi Nation. Richard Walker reports. (Indian Country Today)

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/07/31/lummi-sklallam-nations-court-over-30-year-long-dispute-over-fishing-territory-161247

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Willapa Bay plan cuts Chinook production by one-third – Longview Daily News

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The scientific debate over whether hatchery fish are outcompeting natives and subsequent lawsuits, have had an effect. This is good news for wild fish and wild fish advocates. The hatchery fish have been proven to lead to disasterous results in wild fish recovery. The study on wild vs. hatchery fish in the Rogue River basin is what has prompted this. The Rogue, a river that has never had a hatchery, has seen increases in native fish, while the similar river in Washington, from an environmental POV, the Skagit, which includes hatcheries, has seen their wild fish decimated. The key event that has been shown to be the differentiator is the introduction of hatchery fish into the Skagit. Now WDFW is acting on these lawsuits.

The production of hatchery Chinook in Willapa Bay will decrease by more than one-third as a result of a policy adopted recently by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. The policy, adopted in June, also is likely to decrease the number of fish commercial fishermen can catch if the commission’s action survives a legal challenge. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have said that they needed to adopt the new policy to avoid having the Chinook listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. (Longview Daily News)

http://tdn.com/lifestyles/willapa-bay-plan-cuts-chinook-production-by-one-third/article_a6887538-8afd-5432-bb91-829ee5c58c0d.html

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As salmon vanish in the dry Pacific Northwest, so does Native heritage – Washington Post

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Al Bergstein

A good overview of the issues for the general public. Most of us are aware of salmon, their life cycles and the tribes that rely on them. But if you know someone that lives elsewhere and is unaware of the issues, this is a good starting point. Done by a well known environmental writer from the East Coast.

As a drought tightens its grip on the Pacific Northwest, burning away mountain snow and warming rivers, state officials and Native American tribes are becoming increasingly worried that one of the region’s most precious resources — wild salmon — might disappear. Native Americans, who for centuries have relied on salmon for food and ceremonial rituals, say the area’s five species of salmon have been declining for years, but the current threat is worse than anything they have seen. Darrly Fears reports. (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-salmon-vanish-in-the-dry-pacific-northwest-so-does-native-heritage/2015/07/30/2ae9f7a6-2f14-11e5-8f36-18d1d501920d_story.html

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Questions being raised about Navy’s possible implication in mass whale deaths in Alaska – KTUU TV

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Al Bergstein

5 more dead whales found in Alaska waters since June; total 14 dead.

The highly unusual mass death of whales in Alaskan waters, happened during the time frame that Navy was conducting bombing training that they said, in their documents that they filed with their ESA, that would involve killing of sea mammals.

New concerns were raised for Alaskan whales as the Navy conducted a training exercise in the Gulf of Alaska for two weeks June. Researchers are monitoring for dead whale sightings after the exercise. Sonobuoys were used as part of the exercise – a technology that affects deep diving whale species like beaked whales and sperm whales most, researchers say.

Interestingly, once the Navy started monitoring the situation the whale deaths stopped.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/5-more-dead-whales-found-in-alaska-waters-since-june-total-14-dead/34101154

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Inslee: I’ll use my authority to impose cap on emissions  – Seattle Times

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Al Bergstein

This is what is needed in the face of our drought, and the unprecedented warming of the seas that sustain us here in the Pacific NW. Leadership is needed. We voted for him to be a leader and that’s what we are getting. Thanks to Governor Inslee for not waiting for Republicans to come meet him halfway, because they have said repeatedly that they won’t. Given that a huge number of them represent some of the hardest hit areas of the state by this years drought, I suppose that means their constituents will suffer the worst. Maybe it will get them off the dime.

Frustrated by legislative inaction on climate, Gov. Jay Inslee plans to wield his administration’s executive authority to impose a binding cap on carbon emissions in Washington state. Inslee on Tuesday directed the state Department of Ecology to step up enforcement of state pollution laws and develop the emissions cap — aimed at enforcing greenhouse-gas-reduction targets that have been in state law since 2008. Jim Brunner and Hal Bernton report. (Seattle Times)

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/inslee-acts-to-cap-carbon-emissions/

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Puget Sound waters reach record warm temperatures  – Skagit Valley Herald

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Al Bergstein

So, here’s another outcome of our global inability to do anything meaningful for global warming. Thanks though to Governor Inslee who also announced yesterday he would take unilateral action to impose cap and trade. Folks, there is no time to lose. With this years lack of unprecedented lack of snow pack, catastrophic salmon die off, we have to see leadership come to the table and get things done now.

Puget Sound has reached the highest temperatures on record based on 25 years of data, the state Department of Ecology announced Tuesday. Scientists are seeing unusual conditions in the sound as a result of the statewide drought and the pool of unusually warm water in the northern Pacific Ocean some are calling “the blob.” (Skagit Valley Herald)

http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/puget-sound-waters-reach-record-warm-temperatures/article_44fe292f-ed45-562f-815b-9c2c9596a07a.html

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Kuterra aquaculture by ‘Namgis First Nation raises hope for wild salmon— and some hackles – National Observer

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Al Bergstein

An update on the attempt to create a financially viable closed-containment aquaculture in BC. Ramifications for the Olympic Peninsula because of the push to bring open water net pens to the Straits and expand use in the Sound continues.

The ’Namgis First Nation, with advice and support from a large number of groups, including Tides Canada, conservation groups, and funding agencies, has launched Kuterra, a land-based, “closed-containment” aquaculture project that keeps their Atlantic salmon out of contact with the larger marine ecosystem.

http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/07/23/news/kuterra-aquaculture-%E2%80%98namgis-first-nation-raises-hope-wild-salmon%E2%80%94-and-some-hackles

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Little seabird’s advocates hope protection plan is near – Seattle Times

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The Marbled Murrelet has been at the center of one of the most contentious environmental controversy’s in this country’s history, along with the spotted owl. The battle to save this small bird, has focused on it’s habitat, the shrinking world of old growth timber. There likely are other causes, from dwindling food sources in our warming oceans, pollution at sea and other issues, but the old growth battle has been intense. It went to court last year in an unsuccessful attempt to set aside larger tracts of timber. Here’s an update from the Seattle Times.

In 1992, a small, speedy seabird called the marbled murrelet was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Its home — the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest — had dwindled, leaving it few places to nest. Twenty-three years later, the population of the bird has continued to decline. By some counts, its numbers are 50 percent lower than they were a decade ago. … The Murrelet Survival Project, which started last August, is pressuring the state and federal governments to come up with a long-term conservation plan, aimed at increasing the murrelet’s nesting habitat. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Read the whole story and subscribe to the Times. Keep journalism local.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/little-seabirds-advocates-hope-protection-plan-near/

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A few random thoughts about reporting and environmental science – Chris Dunagan

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Chris shares his thoughts on 35 years of environmental reporting. I know that he has been an inspiration to my work on this blog since I started it in 2007.

Christopher Dunagan, who retired from daily reporting at the Kitsap Sun and now blogs, wrote of his 35 years of reporting: … “I grew up believing that science was a particular set of facts that explained the workings of nature. For the longest time, I failed to see that the most important thing about science was formulating the right questions about things we don’t know….While there is much work to do, we’re at a point where we can expect Puget Sound residents to limit their damage to the ecosystem and become part of the restoration effort.” (Watching Our Water Ways)

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2015/07/25/a-few-random-thoughts-about-reporting-and-environmental-science/

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Overview of Achievements by Olympic Peninsula Legislators – PDN

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Al Bergstein

A good starting place to see what our elected officials actually accomplished, and what they didn’t.  You can go to the state website and find the details of all these bills, by looking at the links to the left on the page.

Peninsula legislators savor wins, swallow losses; 24th District delegation satisfied with 2015 session

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150727/NEWS/307279970/peninsula-legislators-savor-wins-swallow-losses-24th-district

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Sounds of War: Navy Warplanes Producing Deadly Noise Around US Bases – Truthout

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Local writer Dar Jamail has followed up his first controversial article on the Navy’s plans for the training of pilots over the Olympic Peninsula last fall, with a new article. In it he  documents concerns with noise levels citizens of Whidbey Island are experiencing, along with the thoughts of medical professionals who work in field of hearing loss, occupational and environmental medicine, among others. A good read.

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/32045-sounds-of-war-navy-warplanes-producing-deadly-noise-around-us-bases

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Free oil spill kits can help curb Puget Sound boating pollution – The Olympian

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Al Bergstein

The interesting thing in this story is the stat that 75% of the oil spilled in Puget Sound in the last 10 years is said to be from recreational boaters and commercial fishing vessels. Do your part, get a kit from the Coast Guard and avoid spills, or clean them up as fast as possible.

In an effort to curb pollution from recreational boats, a partnership of agencies will be giving away oil spill kits in Western Washington. The free kits will be handed out by U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotillas during free vessel examinations. During the last 10 years, more than 19,000 gallons of pollution has been spilled into Puget Sound. Of that, 75 percent came from recreational boaters and commercial fishing vessels, according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. (The Olympian)

http://www.theolympian.com/outdoors/article28450963.html

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Off Topic – 12 best natural swimming pools – Trip Advisor

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Ok. So this isn’t about the Olympic Peninsula. Had to share with you wonderful readers. Eye candy for any of us that love to get out into Mother Nature. I’d have to add the Slick Rock slides to the north of Sedona on the road to Flagstaff to this list, since they included Sliding Rock in N.C. I have swam in the Natural Pool in Aruba. And I wonder if they closed the hot springs on the north side of Yellowstone, (the Boiling River?) since it’s not on this list and is very accessible to almost anyone?

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Protecting The Olympic National Park From Noise Pollution- Outside Magazine

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Welcome to the Quietest Square Inch in the U.S.

And meet the man who’s made it his mission to keep it that way

Outside Magazine profiles Gordon Hempton, the acoustic ecologist who is documenting the “quietest place in the US”. His work has identified the Hoh River Valley as the quietest place in the US, and by doing so, he has put himself squarely into the controversy over the Navy’s plan to expand the use of the airspace over it for what the Navy themselves claim could be around the clock training sorties.

A must read for any of us concerned about protecting the silence that we cherish in our environment out here on the Peninsula.

http://www.outsideonline.com/2000721/americas-quietest-square-inch-and-preserving-natural-sounds

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Partnership announced to protect Chimacum Ridge.

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Just in from Caroline Robertson..Saving Chimacum Ridge from overlogging is a good idea. There has been a lot of cutting up there over the years, and this will allow more selective cutting to better protect the drainage below that affects both sides of the Valley.

Hi, I wanted to share this news: A partnership between Jefferson Land Trust, Rayonier, Ecotrust Forest Management, and The Trust for Public Land has successfully completed the first phase of a long-term project to preserve Chimacum Ridge.This provides the land trust a 5-year window to secure funding for this central and defining feature of the Chimacum landscape–850 acres of forested ridgeline that begins just south of the Chimacum crossroads and extends for approximately two and a quarter miles between Center and Beaver Valleys. Now, the Land Trust has up to five years to raise funds, most likely through a combination of grants and community support, and determine the final ownership structure for the property, with a goal of turning the Ridgeinto a publicly-accessible community forest managed for timber production through sustainable harvest techniques that maintains a mature standing forest, providing wildlife habitat, recreational trails, and benefits our water and air quality as well as producing timber.

PDN coverage today:http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150723/news/307239988/land-trust-others-acquire-ridge-top-chimacum-forest-to-avoid-clearcut More info:http://www.saveland.org/News/News_Detail.aspx?processID=190

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Resident Orca count at 81. Good news – Seattle Times and others

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Official orca census: 81 whales, including 4 babies. Up from 78 .

Researchers tracking the southern resident killer whales have photo confirmation of each whale, said Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research.

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Port Gamble to pump reclaimed sewage into groundwater, not Hood Canal

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Al Bergstein

This is great news. For years, some environmentalists have been saying that it’s time to stop using the Salish Sea as a toilet. That has faced skepticism by many in government roles of actually implementing it. Now, facing a lack of snowfall and rain, new systems like Port Gamble’s are looking at reuse rather that pumping out into the Sound. While this is a small system, it points to a much better way of approaching the future, one that actually might recover the Sound rather than just pollute it less. This is where we need to go, along with zero water toilets, composting toilets and other methods that are not mandated, or even approved for use yet.

Port Gamble sewage plant to protect shellfish, recharge groundwater

The historic town of Port Gamble is about to get a new-fangled sewage-treatment plant, one that will allow highly treated effluent to recharge the groundwater in North Kitsap. The old treatment plant discharges its effluent into Hood Canal, causing the closure of about 90 acres of shellfish beds. After the new plant is in operation, those shellfish beds are likely to be reopened, officials say. The new facility will be built and operated by Kitsap Public Utility District, which owns and manages small water systems throughout the county. The Port Gamble plant will be the first wastewater operation to be managed by the KPUD, which views the project as a step toward reclaiming more of Kitsap County’s wastewater by putting it to beneficial use, said manager Bob Hunter. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2015/07/22/port-gamble-sewage-plant-to-protect-shellfish-recharge-groundwater/

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Upcoming Climate Action Events

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Want to actually do something to help move the needle on climate change? Here’s one thing you can get involved with.

Olympic Climate Action and Carbon Washington are sponsoring three local events in support of Initiative 732, for a Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax, featuring the Initiative’s principal author, Yoram Bauman

Carbon Washington is a grassroots campaign seeking to put Initiative 732 on the 2016 ballot. I-732 would institute a revenue-neutral carbon tax in Washington State, using revenue from a tax on fossil fuels to reduce existing taxes. There would be a full percentage point reduction in the sales tax, a fully-funded Working Families Tax Rebate, and an effective elimination of the B&O tax for manufacturers. If passed, this policy would be the strongest carbon price in the nation and would be the most significant improvement in the fairness of Washington’s tax code since the 1977 sales tax exemption on groceries.

Carbon Washington is working primarily through volunteers to collect 315,000 signatures from April-December of 2015. They have endorsements from organizations and individuals such as Citizens Climate Lobby, Seattle Business Magazine, former King County Executive Ron Sims, former County Commissioner Mike Doherty, and Port Commissioner Jim Hallett.

Yoram Bauman, Carbon Washington founder and executive committee member and

I-732’s principal author, is the world’s only stand-up Ph.D. economist.  He knows how to tackle heavy subjects in a light-hearted way and is coming to Port Angeles at the invitation of Olympic Climate Action.

Thursday, July 30, 1:05 PM:  KONP’s Todd Ortloff interviews Yoram Bauman.  AM 1450 and FM 101.7

  • Yoram will explain the rationale for I-732 and preview his Aug. 2 evening performance and Aug. 3 Chamber of Commerce appearance.

Sunday, August 2, 6:30 – 8:30 PM:  “Climate Change–It’s No Joke:  An Evening of Fun, Fossil-Fuel Fungibility, and Fundraising with Yoram Bauman.” Elwha Klallam Heritage Center, 401 E. First St. in Port Angeles.  All are invited at no charge, though the event is intended as a fundraiser.

  • Yoram will explain in a light-hearted way why economics is so basically funny and why I-732 is so important to our future and our community. Q&A, signature-gatherer signups, and fundraising are also on the agenda.  Light refreshments and socializing at 6:30, and then Yoram will try to knock carbon pollution out of the park at 7.

Monday, August 3, 12 – 1 PM:  “Why a Carbon Tax Would Be Good for Our Local Community—Let Us Count the Ways.” Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Meeting, Red Lion Hotel banquet room, 221 N. Lincoln in Port Angeles.

  • Those wanting to learn more about climate policy options in Washington state, and how those options can impact our local community, can attend this talk by Yoram. Chamber lunch rules apply; attendees must buy lunch for $15 or drinks-only for $3.

Olympic Climate Action

Contact:  Bob Sextro, (360) 683-7643, robert.sextro@noblis.org

Carbon Washington

Contact:  Yoram Bauman, (206) 351-5719, yoram@carbonwa.org

 

 

###

Who we are:  Olympic Climate Action is a group of local concerned citizens working for a safe, prosperous, sustainable future for residents of the Olympic Peninsula by addressing the threat of climate change. By sharing the best available science, OCA hopes to raise awareness of the challenges “climate chaos” poses for our community, as well as options for mitigation and action. Join us at olyclimate.org.

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Sobering news from one of the world’s top climate scientist – Washington Post

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Al Bergstein

One of the interesting recent revelations I’ve read is from Ray Kurzweil, who has shown that many if not most of human activity ends up generating exponential growth curves. In this major new scientific paper that has significant impacts for us along this coast, we see that ice loss due to global warming and the subsequent sea level rise may be showing this curve as well, instead of the ‘well behaved’ linear curve, so many scientists are hoping for.

This is must reading for anyone involved in planning low lying residential or commercial buildings on the Peninsula. The new estimates place sea level rise that we are starting to experience to be as much as ‘several meters” rather than the more conservative “1 meter” that his colleagues have been estimating. The notion of even seeing a 1 meter rise here in the next few decades will have significant impacts on many  ecosystems, and also low lying infrastructure such as the Port Townsend water treatment plant.

In the new study, Hansen and his colleagues suggest that the “doubling time” for ice loss from West Antarctica — the time period over which the amount of loss could double — could be as short as 10 years. In other words, a non-linear process could be at work, triggering major sea level rise in a time frame of 50 to 200 years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/20/the-worlds-most-famous-climate-scientist-just-outlined-an-alarming-scenario-for-our-planets-future/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_2_na

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Sport fishing ban in place over parts of South Coast due to drought – CBC

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Bringing global warming home to B.C…

The province is suspending sport fishing in streams and rivers throughout most of the South Coast of B.C. due to warming water temperatures and low river and stream levels. The move follows a similar ban on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands where recreational angling was suspended earlier this month. The ban on South Coast fishing takes effect July 22 to September 30. Fishing is banned in most rivers and streams in regions south of Toba Inlet in the north to the U.S. border in the south. (CBC)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sport-fishing-ban-in-place-over-parts-of-south-coast-due-to-drought-1.3160846

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