Panel: Ocean acidification threatening sea life here – PDN

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Al B.

Acidification of the world’s oceans could have a profound effect on the North Olympic Peninsula, a panel of experts told Clallam County commissioners Monday. Caused by carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, ocean acidification can destroy shells of crabs, clams, oysters and scores of creatures at the bottom of the food chain. The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and outer coast of Washington are particularly vulnerable because acidic water is upwelled off the coast every spring and summer.

Rob Ollikainen reports. Panel: Ocean acidification threatening sea life here at the PDN.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130416/NEWS/304169990/panel-ocean-acidification-threatening-sea-life-here

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Possible new protections for Octopus in Puget Sound – Ashley Ahern at Earthfix

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Al B.

Right now it’s not illegal to hunt octopus in Puget Sound – unless you’re in a marine preserve or conservation area. In fact, if you have a state fishing license you can kill and harvest one every day. But the killing of a giant Pacific octopus off Alki Beach in Seattle last October prompted a public outcry. Hundreds of scuba divers and members of the public submitted petitions to the state of Washington asking for better protection for the giant Pacific octopus in Puget Sound. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has responded, approving four possible management plans for consideration and public comment. Ashley Ahearn reports.

New Protections Proposed For Octopuses in Puget Sound

http://earthfix.opb.org/flora-and-fauna/article/new-protections-proposed-for-octopuses-in-puget-so/

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Tracking the Progress of the Puget Sound Partnership – The Kitsap Sun

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Al B.

The Kitsap Sun’s Christopher Dunagan starts a multipart series in looking at the indicators of the health of the Sound as seen by the Puget Sound Partnership. Check it out. Great work by Chris.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/mar/23/sounds-health-starts-bottom/#axzz2QXkladX8

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“Slime Eels” new fishery on the Peninsula

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Al B.

Hagfish are eels (Myxine glutinosa) They are not the same as the river eels, which are Lampreys, that used to be caught and eaten by the Tribes here in times gone by.

(Family Petromyzontidae
Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus
River lamprey, Lampetra ayresi
Western brook lamprey, Lampetra richardsoni)

While it appears to be a benign fishery, obviously understanding their place in the ecosystem and how many of the eels can be taken without affecting what is eating them and what they eat, is good to know.

A new, relatively untapped fishery is growing on the North Olympic Peninsula, with at least two fish distributors planning to expand hagfish operations to supply Asian markets. Hagfish, also known as “slime eels,” are not eaten in the U.S. but are a popular food in South Korea, Brandt Koo, general manager of Five Ocean Seafoods Inc., told Port of Port Angeles commissioners last week. Arwyn Rice reports. You may go ewww, but slimy hagfish might be Peninsula’s next fishery boon

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130414/NEWS/304149983/you-may-go-ewww-but-slimy-hagfish-might-be-peninsulas-next-fishery

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Razor Clamming In Full Swing on Coastal Beaches

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Al B.

My wife and I ended up in Grayland, at the State Park, on a rainy and windy afternoon on Saturday. The park was almost full, and we asked why. “Razor Clamming!” was the answer. Luckily, being self contained, there was a nice campsite near the first beach dune. (unfortunately overrun by scotchbroom).

By late afternoon the weather had cleared, but was still cold. This morning we woke to a beautiful sunny day, with some puffy clouds. The beach was teaming with clammers and their cars (mainly pickups). But it was still a nice walk.

If you head to the coast, be sure to stop at Westport Winery. The Roberts Family have done a great job of not only producing some wonderful wines, but their restaurant is really wonderful. We had a great time having some of their white wines and watching the surfing movies (The Roberts used to run a dive shop in Lahaina).

On the way down, we went a back way to Aberdeen that I’ve never taken before, via a road to Matlock that came out west of Elma. The feature of the landscape there is that they have cut every available tree in the area. It was a landscape that was devoid of even the rudiments of the “old days” of big trees. I was surprised that  the small towns couldn’t even save a stand of old growth around their little shops and cross roads. I’ll never travel that road again. Just not worth it. They seem to like their clear cuts, and that’s fine by me. They can have them.

But if you do get that way, head up the Satsop into the hills. We didn’t this time, because it was raining like a tropical deluge. But it’s got some great river kayaking higher up.

Aberdeen and Hoquim are as down in the dumps as ever. Jetted through and headed to the coast. Nothing much ever changes down there I’d say. The hills around both are as cut as ever. Nothing is left standing down there that can be turned into cash.  It’s all just a modern wasteland. Cut and run. It’s been that way as long as I can remember. Reminds me what we are working towards. Protection for the north Peninsula and the Park boundaries to save what little is left.  The rest could be covered with billboards to hide the rape of the land. Like those scenes in the movie “Brazil”.

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More details come to light on upcoming salmon fishing seasons – Seattle Times

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Al B.

Good overview of what the fishing season might bring.

Now that we’ve gotten all the obvious salmon fishing seasons finalized lets dissect what kind of summer and fall opportunities there are besides the expected gargantuan 6.2-million plus pink salmon return.

Read the rest of the story at:

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/reeltimenorthwest/2013/04/11/more-details-come-to-light-on-upcoming-salmon-fishing-seasons/

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Dead salmon found along silt-choked Elwha River after hatchery release – PDN

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Al B.

Piles of dead year-old chinook salmon, numbering at least in the hundreds, were found along the Elwha River’s lower banks and mouth after hatchery smolts were released last week. State Fish and Wildlife Department officials will consider alternatives for future releases of fish, said Mike Gross, Fish and Wildlife fish biologist for Clallam County and West Jefferson County, who called the release “a mistake.” Sediment from the river clogged the gills of most he examined, said Mike McHenry, a fish biologist and habitat manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, who saw the dead fish at the river’s mouth and on sandbars Monday and Tuesday. Jeremy Schwartz reports.

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20130412/NEWS/304129979/dead-salmon-found-along-silt-choked-elwha-river-after-hatchery-release

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Monday April 15- Ocean Acidification Forum

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Al B.

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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Representative Tharinger at Port Townsend Town Hall–April 10th–4 to 5 PM

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Al B.

Port Townsend Town Hall

Date:  Wednesday, April 10th

Location:  Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler Street, Port Townsend, WA  98368

Time:  4-5pm

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Talk on the Elwha Dam Removals by Eric Kessler- April 11th – Port Townsend

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Al B.

S'Klallam woman watching dam removalphoto by Eric Kessler

Undamming the Elwha River
April 1, 2013
PORT TOWNSEND— On April 11, photographer and naturalist Eric Kessler will retrace the long, remarkable journey that led to the undamming of the Elwha River. His slide show and talk will offer a broad overview of the ecological, cultural, and political issues surrounding the largest project of its kind to date in the U.S. The program is sponsored by the Natural History Society of the Jefferson Land Trust.
“An amazing collage of circumstances, spanning four presidential administrations and 18 Congressional appropriations bills, came together to allow this landmark event to happen,” Kessler says. “And the restoration is playing out on multiple levels,” he adds. Re-establishing the salmon runs and renewing the flow of nutrients to streams and forests will benefit the Elwha ecosystem. Redressing the treaty obligations between the state and federal governments and about 40 tribes around Puget Sound will benefit the Lower S’Klallam people. And rectifying Washington State’s decades-long neglect of fish passage regulations and environmental protection on the Elwha will restore the trust of citizens. “Each of these threads has a fascinating story, but the big picture—the magnitude of what’s happening on the river and all the levels on which wrongs are being corrected—is even more powerful,” he says. Moreover, the Elwha represents a template for other dam river removals and restoration efforts around the country.
An avid wilderness explorer and traveler, Kessler’s career as a freelance photographer spans 25 years. His natural history photos, shot in dozens of locations around the world, have appeared in a wide range of publications on outdoor recreation, travel, and more. A long-time resident of Washington, he has worked around and photographed the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula for nearly two decades. Recently he has focused on documenting the three-year process of removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams and the restoration of the river. He currently splits his time between San Juan Island with his two children and the Olympic Peninsula with his partner.
The program will take place at 7:00 pm in the Cotton Building, 607 Water Street, Port Townsend. It is free and open to the public, but a $5 donation would be appreciated to help defray the costs.

Publicity contact: Noreen Parks 379-4007 noreen.parks@gmail.com
For interviews and photos, contact Eric Kessler at eric@ekessler.com
###

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Pacific Coast Whale Trail Gets First Whale Trail Sign

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Al B.

With the recent influx of whales into the Salish Sea, mainly around Saratoga Passage, this is a good time to cheer on Donna Sandstrom and her ongoing efforts to publicize the “Whale Trail” which is a series of good spots to try and watch whales.

WhaleTrail Kalaloch final copy

NEWS RELEASE

April 2, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE USE

CONTACT: Donna Sandstrom, The Whale Trail, (206) 919-5397
Kathy Steichen, Olympic National Park (360) 912-2770
Jacqueline Laverdure, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (360) 457-6622 x21
PACIFIC COAST GETS FIRST WHALE TRAIL SIGN
AT OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK’S KALALOCH LODGE
Visitors to Kalaloch Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula’s Pacific Ocean shore will learn about gray whales, sea otters and endangered orcas that frequent the area, thanks to a partnership between The Whale Trail, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and Olympic National Park.

The first Whale Trail sign to be installed on the Washington outer coast will be dedicated at Kalaloch Lodge on April 11 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The ceremony will feature a keynote address by Jefferson County Commissioner Phil Johnson, and representatives from Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park and The Whale Trail. The event is free and open to the public.

The program will also feature Hoh tribal storyteller Viola Riebe, Director of Cultural Resources. Viola was featured in the film Run to High Ground!, a Native American story about tsunamis and earthquakes, and co-author of the chapter on the Hoh Tribe in the book, Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are.

“Whale Trail signs are simple but powerful reminders that orcas and other marine mammals live in our waters,” said Donna Sandstrom, executive director of The Whale Trail. “The Kalaloch sign encourages visitors to look at this spectacular seascape with a deeper understanding of the diversity of life it supports, and our role in protecting it.”

Twenty-nine species of marine mammals live in or pass through the waters of the sanctuary. At vantage points in the Olympic National Park, visitors might spot migratory gray whales, sea lions, harbor porpoise, harbor seals, sea otters and orcas.

“I was a commercial fisherman for 12 years,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Phil Johnson. “I had the opportunity on many occasions to observe these amazing creatures up close and spotting a pod of whales was always the high point of a trip.”

“No one walks away from an encounter with an orca or grey whale without being awestruck and hopefully eager to learn more,” said Carol Bernthal, Superintendant of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. “The health of the ocean is challenged right now by big issues like climate change and ocean acidification and it will take the political will and actions at the local and international level to make the necessary changes in policy to better protect our ocean. It starts with awareness of the need to protect these places and animals.”

“We are happy to have provided the funding and staff support for producing signs at Kalaloch, Snow Creek, and Port Angeles in partnership with The Whale Trail and Olympic National Park,” said Bernthal.

The Whale Trail sign at Kalaloch is the first sign placed within the Olympic National Park.

“We are pleased to host this stop on the Whale Trail and grateful for the strong partnerships that have made this possible,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.

The Whale Trail has also identified whale-viewing sites at La Push (Quileute Nation) and Cape Flattery (Makah Nation) and dozens of other sites on the Olympic Peninsula and in Puget Sound, http://thewhaletrail.org/sites. Through its current signs alone, including two on every Washington State ferry, The Whale Trail reaches more than 22 million people each year.

For more information on the Whale Trail, go to http://thewhaletrail.org/

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Talk on GMO fish at Quimper Grange in PT April 1st.

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Al B.

Though it will be held April 1st, this is no joke. A talk by one of the leading people educating the public on the issues of fish farming and protecting wild salmon stocks.

AnneMosness

“TAMPERING WITH NATURE AND OUR RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT WE ARE EATING”, about GMO Salmon
Risks of genetic engineering of salmon will be the main topic of Anne Mosness’ program at Quimper Grange on Monday, April 1st. Anne has spent many years as captain of salmon fishing boats and comes from a commercial fishing family. She is a long time advocate for wild fish, healthy coastal ecosystems and economies. Her background includes representing wild fisheries at the UN Forum for Food Sovereignty, Slow Fish, Slow Food and organizing Blue Festival educational events.

When the genes of unrelated species of fish are combined it is possible to them to grow bigger and faster however there has not been adequate research on human health risks, the environment, or impacts on traditional food producers and businesses. If a GE salmon patent is granted it will open the floodgates for patenting other species of transgenic fish. Several laws and regulations currently being considered are very important and will be discussed at the Grange program.

Anne will talk about the potential for pollution of the gene pool and how open cages have proven incapable of confining farmed fish which could have dire consequences in the in the marine environment.

In 2006 Quimper Grange authored a resolution in support of labeling genetically engineered organisms that was adopted as Washington State Grange’s policy position. Now, in light of impending legislation Quimper Grange reiterates its support of labeling genetically engineered foods and presents the public with an opportunity to learn about current and urgent genetic engineering issues. Quimper Grange, 1219 Corona Street (at the N. end of Sheridan). Doors open at 7:00 for socializing (potluck finger foods encouraged). Program starts at 7:30 for more information call Marla Streator at 385-6924.

More on Anne Mosness at http://www.foodandcommunityfellows.org/fellow/anne-mosness

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Federal judge orders Washington to fix culverts so salmon can pass – AP

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Al B.

The Associated Press

A federal judge on Friday ordered the state of Washington to fix culverts that block salmon from reaching their habitat, setting a timeline and pressuring officials to find the money needed to do the job.

U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez’s ruling was the result of a decades-old legal battle tied to treaties dating back to the mid-1800s. Tribes have said the state has blocked salmon passage and contributed to the decline of fish harvests.

Under the ruling, the state must first fix culverts on recreational lands by fall 2016. The state would have 17 years to provide fish passage through Transportation Department culverts.

Martinez said in his decision that the tribes have been harmed economically, socially, educationally and culturally because of reduced salmon harvests caused by state barriers that prevent fish passage.

“This injury is ongoing, as efforts by the State to correct the barrier culverts have been insufficient,” Martinez wrote in his ruling. “Despite past state action, a great many barrier culverts still exist, large stretches of potential salmon habitat remain empty of fish, and harvests are still diminished.”

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/03/federal-judge-orders-washington-to-fix-culverts-so-salmon-can-pass/

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Americans oppose paying for storm-ravaged beaches – Seattle Times

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Al B.

Well, it’s about time…

More than 4 out of 5 Americans want to prepare now for rising seas and stronger storms from climate change, a new national survey says. But most are unwilling to keep spending money to restore and protect stricken beaches. The poll by Stanford University released Thursday found that only 1 in 3 people favored the government spending millions to construct big sea walls, replenish beaches or pay people to leave the coast.

Seth Borenstein reports.

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020663252_apussciclimatepoll.html?syndication=rss

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Seattle Times

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Taylor Shellfish Tour in Quilcene on Saturday – noon to 2PM.

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Al B.

I was given a tour of the facility as part of an interview done for the Jefferson County Marine Resource Committee. If you have any interest in finding out how shellfish are raised here in the Salish Sea, this is a good place to start. It would be a great short day for either pre-teens or teens to see. And it’s a beautiful beach. The drive down is pretty good also.

You can see a bit of the facility on the first interview on the video I did for the MRC>
https://vimeo.com/53916496

Shellfish farm tours

QUILCENE — Public tours of Taylor Shellfish Farms’ hatchery, 701 Broad Spit Road, will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. today, with a beach tour from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Attendees should arrive between 10 to 15 minutes early.

Taylor Shellfish Farm spawn clams, mussels, oysters and geoduck, with larvae planted at beaches around Hood Canal and Puget Sound.

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Whidbey landslide: ‘Where I had been standing was no longer there’ – Seattle Times and various

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Al B.

UPDATE: Deparment of Natural Resources Blog describes the slide, both in scientific and layman’s terms. Good read:
http://washingtondnr.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/whidbey-island-coupeville-landslide/

Thanks to Joe Breskin for forwarding me the link.

During the last ten years, many people here in Jefferson and Clallam County have struggled to craft an updated set of rules to help protect homeowners, ourselves and the environment around us. Part of that job was to set limits on development, which included buffers around dangerous places or those that we want to protect from exploitation. Some of those included buffers from development along shorelines. These teams of people decided, after long debate, to expand those buffers, because of newer science. As the public found out about them, the meetings where these new rules were brought for debate, were filled with angry people. Many shouted that who were these people to decide if they could or couldn’t build in a certain place.

Yesterday, nature gave a lesson to all of us on bluff ecology. And perhaps now we can silence the critics that say that we should not put large buffers around shorelines. For many on Whidbey, their lives will never be same, as apparently there is no insurance for this kind of thing happening to your home. Luckily for some, it was their vacation home. For others, it likely represented the bulk of their wealth, perhaps money they were hoping would help them in their old age. Many of the homes did not look like mansions but smaller places like in a subdivision of the 70s.

The positive part of this, is that bluff erosion is a pretty well known science now, and it explains shoreline buildup along certain places, such as the beaches at the Port Townsend Fort Worden lighthouse. The sluffing bluffs replenish sand and dirt into the Sound. By doing a little Google Search (Or Bing if you are so inclined) you can find out more.

Looking at the aerial shots, it’s clear that the people living on these bluffs chose to plant grass, rather than native plants. Also you can see black pipes used to drain water off the slope. These are the kind of things that add weight and water to the slope, and can actually help cause the very thing that people are trying to avoid.

There is no “blame” in this situation. The Counties are usually doing a much better job of buffer setting these days, and most of these kinds of houses are grandfathered. The hope is that the bank won’t sluff. However it was clear that these homeowners might have benefited from better education on the issue, as it is easy to see the grass lawns that extend out to the bluff edge. This is not a recommended idea, and can actually make the situation worse as grass retains water, needs more water (that can overload the bluff) and also often gets lawn poisons put on it that end up in the water below, killing fish. These days, the recommendation is to plant native plants that live on bluff edges, and that need less water.

Here in Jefferson County, if you live on a bluff, and want to find out what the *right* way to plant to avoid this kind of debacle (and even then, you might not, as an earthquake triggered sluff of the bank could be greater than any prevention), you can go to the newly installed County Watershed Stewardship Resource Center, and get educational information on issues such as this. Check out their website.
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/commdevelopment/WSRC.htm

—————————————-

It is a part of the Puget Sound geology, a legacy of the glacier that formed this area: Massive chunks of shoreline hillsides just slide off. Early Wednesday morning, just such a 1000-foot-wide swath fell off in the Ledgewood Beach development on the west side of this island. The slide was so powerful, it pushed one home at the bottom of the cliff some 200 feet out into the water, said Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue Chief Ed Hartin, and it took out 300 to 400 feet of Driftwood Way, the road that led to the shoreline. Erik Lacitis reports.

Whidbey landslide: ‘Where I had been standing was no longer there’

http://www.king5.com/news/local/35-homes-evacuated-near-Whidbey-Island-landslide-200419841.html

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020655560_whidbeylandslidexmlxml.html

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Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Elder Adeline Smith Passes Away – NWIFC

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Al B.

We pay our respects to the passing of a small legend in our area. Adeline had seen an amazing amount of change in her life, likely more than any of us will ever see. Not much of it was good, but in the end she helped swing the pendulum back around for her tribe, helping save their language, and aiding in the process that led to the restoration of the Elwha River. Her importance to her tribe cannot be measured, only honored.

Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe elder Adeline Smith died March 19, 2013. She was 95. She was known for helping preserve the Tse-whit-zen village site and the Klallam Language, and played a part in the removal of the Elwha River dams.

http://nwifc.org/2013/03/lower-elwha-klallam-tribe-elder-adeline-smith-passes-away/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nwifc+%28NWIFC+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

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Whales all over the Salish Sea

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Al B.

The Orca Network Whale Siting daily bulletin reports lots of sightings of various whales, mainly in Saratoga Passage, on the east side of Whidbey Island. If you got the time, they got the whales.

We met a lot of nice folks sharing the fun of watching a gray whale parade all over Penn Cove today. Gray whales were seen up and down Saratoga Passage, from Langley to deep inside Penn Cove, on this sparkling sunny day. Bigg’s whales (Transients) were were in Saanich Inlet today, and NOAA Fisheries reports K25 and probably the rest of K pod (and possibly much of L pod) were shuffling around in northern Oregon and southern Washington. And a humpback was off Clover Point in Victoria.

To join the Orca Network, go sign up at the following link.
http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001kGlTg99yfXXkSoHlfwFnWg%3D%3D

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Washington State Passes Legislation To Tackle Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Earthfix

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Al B.

Well, I’m a fan of Senator Kevin Ranker, and I’m glad they got something accomplished down in Olympia, but passing a bill on climate change that apparently simply allows creation of a strategy by authorizing the governor to hire a consultant to look into climate change seems, underwhelming…Hope there’s more to this than meets the eye, and that they expect results from this consultant sooner than later. They’ve already created a ‘blue ribbon panel’ on climate change. I know that’s how things get done, but given the magnitude of the problem, it seems pretty weak.

The Washington state legislature has just passed a bill that will develop a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Bill 5802 was introduced at the request of Governor Jay Inslee and has now passed with bipartisan support in the house and senate.

http://earthfix.kcts9.org/energy/article/washington-state-passes-legislation-to-tackle-gree/

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Timber Group Challenges Spotted Owl Plan

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Al B.

Not much news on this yet.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A timber industry group has filed a lawsuit challenging the latest habitat protections for the northern spotted owl, a threatened species.

http://earthfix.kcts9.org/flora-and-fauna/article/timber-group-challenges-spotted-owl-plan/

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