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Swinomish approve changes to constitution (Skagit Valley Herald)
Members of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community have approved amendments to their constitution, including a section on jurisdiction that has proven controversial with some residents, businesses and governments.... The amendment that caused the most concern among some outside the tribe deals with jurisdiction. The amendment eliminates from the constitution references to an 1873 executive order that, according to the tribe, illegally shrunk its reservation.
To read more >>
Puget Sound tribe’s proposal alarms farmers (Capital
Press)
The Puget Sound tribe that led What’s Upstream proposes
to broaden its jurisdiction in the fertile Skagit Valley, alarming farmers wary
of the tribe’s goals. ...The tribe proposes that its jurisdiction
extend beyond its 7,000-acre reservation to the “tribe’s usual and accustomed
fishing grounds and stations and all open and unclaimed lands.” The Bureau of
Indian Affairs approved the wording of the constitutional change, which still
must be approved by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Skagit County Commissioners,
who say the tribe is apparently trying to extend political control over much of
the county, have pledged to challenge the tribe all the way to the U.S. Supreme
Court if necessary.
To read more >>
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State sued over timber sale near Wallace Falls State Park
(Everett Herald)
Environmental groups are suing to stop a company from
logging a forest next to Wallace Falls State Park, following a state timber
auction Wednesday. The conflict involves the Singletary sale. ....
Logging the Singletary tract would require building roads and bridges — an
expense the lawsuit estimates at $1 million. That infrastructure could open up
future logging on another 1,500 acres of trust land near Wallace Falls.
To read more >>
Ecology protects Skagit River fish. Residents, farms
struggle without water access (Bellingham Herald)
Nearly four years after a state Supreme Court decision
affected water rights in rural Skagit County, some farmers and many property
owners remain without a reliable source of water. In an effort to address the
issue, the state Department of Ecology is considering a variety of options to
improve access to water throughout Skagit County, including piping water,
trucking water or storing water. Ecology is responsible for ensuring there is
enough water in the Skagit River for fish, as required under the Skagit River
instream flow rule. The rule states that when the Skagit River’s flow drops to
a certain level, the state can deny access to water in an effort to protect
fish.
To read more >>
Disabled tug towed into Port Angeles Harbor, then taken
to Seattle (Peninsula Daily News)
A disabled tug and its 320-foot barge that were towed
into Port Angeles Harbor on Wednesday night had gone on to Seattle on Thursday
morning. The Coast Guard coordinated assistance for the tug Mauna Loa, which
suffered engine failure and began to drift toward the Washington coast
Tuesday.... The Lauren Foss is the current emergency rescue towing vessel
(ERTV) based at Neah Bay. The ERTV is a state-mandated program funded by fees
levied on vessels calling on Puget Sound. The program was developed to provide
a resource to ensure that vessels that became disabled offshore could be
intercepted before they endangered the region’s ecologically sensitive shores.
To read more >>
Citizens need government to regulate corporations (The
Olympian | Column)
... Without robust governmental regulation, corporations
have no incentive to do things right – it adds to costs and thereby diminishes
profits, and they usually fight against such regulations. This dynamic has been
playing out in recent years right here. The Department of Ecology, as part of
the effort to clean up Puget Sound, has sought to adopt stricter water quality
rules. The initial strict rule proposals met much corporate opposition, led by
Boeing. And, at each step, the draft rules were weakened to create a better
“balance” between what was best for the environment and what was best for
corporations.
To read more >>
Gig Harbor Comp Plan receives certification (Kitsap Sun)
On April 27, the City of Gig Harbor received full
approval of its Comprehensive Plan from the Puget Sound Regional Council, a
regional planning agency with responsibilities under federal and state law for
transportation planning, economic development and growth management.... As part
of the plan, the City of Gig Harbor is required to identify 14 planning goals
which are intended to serve as guides to the development and adoption of
comprehensive plans. These goals address urban growth, sprawl reduction,
transportation, housing, economic development, property rights, permits,
natural resource industries, open space and recreation, environment, citizen
participation, public facilities and services and historic preservation.
To read more >>
Developer looks to bring 103 homes to Sequim subdivision
(Peninsula Daily News)
Plans are expected to come before Sequim officials for a
103 single-family residential homes subdivision called Bell Hill Estates, along
East Brownfield Road. Property owner Bill Barnett of Barnett NW Enterprises LLC
of Tenino plans to build in three phases on 25.66 acres between Miller Road and
U.S. Highway 101.... A Wetland &Wildlife Critical Areas report by Loggy
Soil and Wetland Consulting of Port Angeles says the subdivision would remove
20.8 acres of grasses and 4.8 acres of open habitat/shelter for local animals
such as the Roosevelt elk, “but the development by itself is not likely to
adversely affect the elk habitat.”
To read more >>
Explosive growth encircles once-idyllic Lake Stevens
(Everett Herald)
.... Since 2000, Lake Stevens has quadrupled in size and nearly
quintupled in population. The city gobbled up land with annexations, and the
population has climbed steadily. It went from the 13th largest city in
Snohomish County, by population, to the fifth, overtaking Snohomish, Monroe,
Arlington, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Bothell and Brier. There
were 6,361 people living in Lake Stevens in 2000. By 2016, there were 30,900.
Between 2015 and 2016 alone, the city added 1,000 people.
To read more >>
Seattle once again nation’s fastest-growing big city;
population exceeds 700,000 (Seattle Times)
Seattle is back on top. For the second time this decade,
we’re the fastest-growing big city in the country, according to my analysis of
population data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. If you’re among the
thousands of folks who moved here this past year, give yourself a pat on the
back — you’re part of the team effort that got us there. From July 1, 2015, to
July 1, 2016, Seattle had a net gain of nearly 21,000 people — 57 a day, on
average. That pencils out to a 3.1 percent population increase for the one-year
period. Among the 50 most populous cities in the nation, that’s easily the
fastest rate of growth. Previously, Seattle had ranked fourth among big cities.
To read more >>
Government moves to protect sea floor mountain and
thermal vents off B.C.'s coast (Times Colonist)
The federal government is taking the first step in
protecting an area that contains rare, chimney-like hydrothermal vents off
British Columbia's coast. The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans announced
Wednesday the Marine Protected Area would cover an area twice the size of New
Brunswick, or about 140,000 square kilometres, west of Vancouver Island to the
edge of Canadian waters, 200 nautical miles off the coast. The vents, which
were only discovered in 1982, release minerals from the Earth's crust and are
home to a variety of unique sea life and plants that have adapted to the harsh
conditions created by the warm or saline water.
To read more >>
Port shows off cleanup at Blaine Marina (Bellingham
Herald)
After 60 years of operation, fuel sales ended at Blaine
Marina in 2015 – but the tanks and pipes remained, leaking oil and diesel fuel
into the water. Residents got a closeup look at the cleanup operations
Wednesday during a public tour led by the Port of Bellingham and the Washington
State Department of Ecology. Part of the project was an ongoing restoration of
more than 14 acres of eelgrass, which provides valuable habitat and is
considered critical to the salmon recovery efforts, said Brian Gouran, environmental
director for the port, which operates the marina.
To read more >>
Skagit County, Blanchard residents agree on quiet zone
proposal (Skagit Valley Herald)
Blanchard residents reached an agreement Monday with
Skagit County to proceed with establishing a railroad quiet zone. Quiet zones
remove the requirement for train engineers to blow their whistles at each
crossing, instead leaving it to their discretion. To establish a quiet zone,
the average safety rating of a group of crossings must be better than the
national average. This often requires construction of supplemental safety
measures.
To read more >>
Editorial: No avoiding duty to restore salmon habitat
(Everett Herald | Opinion)
It’s not the news state officials wanted to hear: The
state is indeed on the hook for about $2 billion in salmon habitat restoration
— specifically replacement of culverts that have blocked salmon from reaching
upstream spawning grounds — work that must be completed by 2030.... In arguing
for a reconsideration, the state said the decision would force it to spend
billions on projects that won’t significantly improve fish habitat because
other culverts — those under county, city and private roads upstream and
downstream from state roads — would remain and would continue to block salmon.
But the responsibilities of others, public and private, don’t excuse the state
from its duty to restore salmon habitat and honor the treaties that it and the
tribes have lived under for more than 150 years.
To read more >>
Ebey’s Reserve works to keep up with rising popularity
(Whidbey News Times)
The proof is in the guest book. Visitors come to the
Jacob Ebey House from points all over the United States. Some come from
different countries. The majority tend to come from Seattle and surrounding
communities.... Since the Jacob Ebey House opened to the public six years ago,
the number of visitors have continued to climb, doubling from about 3,000
guests in 2013 to roughly 6,000 in 2016, according to reserve manager Kristin
Griffin.... The shoreline and bluff trails at Ebey’s Landing, the mystique of
the historic Ferry House, the Town of Coupeville’s historic waterfront and the
surviving structures at nearby Fort Casey and Fort Ebey state parks have long
been popular draws for tourists.
To read more >>
Useless Bay tidelands to remain under Parks purview
(South Whidbey Record)
Hundreds of acres of Useless Bay tidelands will remain
under the stewardship of Washington State Parks, and jet skis are now
prohibited from landing on beaches in those areas and others. Those are the two
biggest and unexpected changes to a 20-year property use plan the Washington
State Parks and Recreation Commission approved last week at its meeting in
Leavenworth. The plan, which was developed over the past year, outlines the
future of three park properties on the South End: South Whidbey State Park, Possession
Point State Park and 560 acres of tidelands at Useless Bay.
To read more >>
More invaders found: Invasive green crabs on the rise on
Peninsula (Peninsula Daily News)
The invasive European green crab count continues to rise
on the Dungeness Spit. Researchers said 60 crabs had been caught by crews as of
Thursday after they had quadrupled the number of traps placed in Dungeness’
waters. Lorenz Sollmann, deputy project leader at the Washington Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge, said staff and volunteers put out 108 traps multiple
times last week. ... Crews at the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge first found a few green
crabs April 13, which is the first sighting of the crustacean along the North
Olympic Peninsula.
To read more >>
See also:
More invasive green crabs found near Sequim (Capital
Press | Associated Press)
Volunteers sought for Olympia oyster monitoring in
Quilcene Bay (Peninsula Daily News)
The Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee is
seeking volunteers to monitor Olympia oyster populations as part of a nearshore
restoration project. The committee is in need of volunteers Friday to collect
data on test plots set out last year and to collect baseline data on this
year’s seed clutch in the state Department of Fish and Wildlife tidelands in
Quilcene Bay, said Cheryl Lowe, marine resources committee (MRC) member, in a
news release. This is part of an almost 10-year project to restore Olympia
oyster populations in Quilcene and Discovery bays.
To read more >>
Is it really OK to eat steelhead? (Crosscut)
What does “good” mean? If you’re trying to be
environmentally responsible while picking out a steelhead fillet to grill or
saute or maybe steam with green onions and soy sauce, that’s less obvious than
it may seem. Recently, Seafood Watch, a respected program of consumer
recommendations for sustainable seafood issued by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium,
listed steelhead from the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault rivers on the western
Olympic Peninsula as a “good alternative” choice. Some conservation and sport
fishing groups objected. How could those fish be a “good” choice, they asked,
when the populations have been declining for decades?
To read more >>
Saving Idaho’s salmon: Nature again turns against
returning fish that already face long odds (Idaho Statesman)
Idaho’s salmon run this year is beginning to look bleak.
Oregon and Washington officials shut down fishing season on the lower Columbia
River earlier this month because so few spring chinook heading for spawning
grounds in Idaho and other Snake River tributaries had shown up at the
Bonneville Dam near Portland. .... We’re beginning a five-month project, in conjunction with our McClatchy
colleagues, to examine the challenges that face our salmon, our economy and our
culture. We want to answer the question: Can the salmon be saved?
To read more >>
Wildflowers flourish following Hope Island fire (Skagit
Valley Herald)
In the wake of an August fire on Deception Pass State
Park’s Hope Island, park staff and volunteers weren’t sure if spring would
bring an abundance of wildflowers or the return of invasive scotch broom. “It
will be a revelation,” volunteer Rick Machin said Friday while hiking to the
island’s meadow. “I’m predicting an explosion of color.” They found just that —
a hillside bright with a variety of pink, yellow and white flowers buzzing with
bees. “It’s just an outstanding transition. This was all overgrown with scotch
broom before,” Deception Pass State Park Manager Jack Hartt said. “This is just
a wildflower garden of species we haven’t seen in a while.”
To read more >>
High toxin level prompts Anderson Lake closure (Peninsula
Daily News)
Anderson Lake has been closed after water tests found
high levels of a potent nerve toxin produced by blue-green algae nearly five
weeks after the trout-fishing lake was opened for the lowland fishing season
April 22. Anatoxin-a, which is sometimes produced by blue-green algae, has
forced the lake’s closure every summer since 2006. Routine testing of the lake
commenced in 2007.
To read more >>
Why you still can’t swim in — or even touch — this
Thurston County lake (The Olympian)
New tests show that toxin levels in Thurston County’s
Summit Lake still are more than 100 times higher than acceptable levels. As a
result, residents are being told to continue avoiding any contact with lake
water, according to county officials. That includes no drinking, bathing in,
swimming in, cooking with, doing laundry with or watering pets with lake water.
Filtering, boiling and other water treatment methods don’t remove the toxins.
To read more >>
See also:
Toxic algae + sick dogs + dead deer = a quiet Memorial
Day weekend on Summit Lake (The Olympian)
Water is getting much, much more expensive in these 30
cities (Vox)
Water utility prices in the US continue to march upward,
and now as many as a third of Americans may be unable to pay their monthly
water bill. In the past seven years, water rates in the US have climbed more
than 50 percent on average, according to a new survey of water rates in 30
large US cities. ... Another compounding factor is that
federal funding for water infrastructure — which is how much of America’s water
systems were built — has essentially dried up. Federal funding for water
infrastructure now hovers at just 9 percent, when it once accounted for more
than 60 percent in the late 1970s.
To read more >>
Advocates: Federal role crucial for iconic waterway cleanups (The News and Observer | Associated Press)
The Trump administration makes a straightforward case for slashing $427 million in federal spending to heal ailing regional water bodies such as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound: State and local governments should do the work and foot the bill.... Sahandy and other officials pointed out that many of the federal grants awarded under the water restoration programs require at least partial matching funds from other participants. State and local governments, Native American tribes, environmental groups and others already chip in substantial sums. But they look to EPA and other federal agencies to provide financial and administrative leadership.
To read more >>
See also:
Environmental advocates make case for federal involvement in cleaning waterways (Christian Science Monitor | Associated Press)
Environmental efforts, including Puget Sound, hanging in the balance (Kitsap Sun | Watching Our Water Ways blog)
EPA remains top target with Trump administration
proposing 31 percent budget cut (Washington Post)
Candidate Donald Trump vowed to get rid of the
Environmental Protection Agency “in almost every form,” leaving only “little
tidbits” intact. President Trump is making good on his promise to take a
sledgehammer to the agency. Under the White House’s latest budget proposal,
released Tuesday, the EPA would fare worse than any other federal agency. The
proposal would reduce the agency’s current funding by more than 31 percent, to
$5.65 billion. The plan would eliminate several major regional programs,
including ones aimed at restoring the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and Puget
Sound, as well as EPA’s lead risk-reduction program.
To read more >>
See also:
Trump budget slashes money of clean air and water
programs (Capital Press | Associated Press)
Despite Trump rollbacks, Washington state moves ahead on
pollution limits (Seattle Times | Associated Press)
Even as the Trump administration seeks to roll back
Obama-era rules to curb greenhouse-gas emissions at coal-fired power plants,
Washington state is forging ahead with its own rules to cap carbon pollution
from big industrial facilities. But the state faces legal challenges as it
begins requiring large polluters to gradually reduce carbon emissions over time
to combat climate change. Four natural-gas utilities and eight industry groups
are seeking to invalidate Washington’s so-called clean-air rule, which took
effect in January and affects such facilities as power plants, fuel and
natural-gas distributors, oil refineries and manufacturers.
To read more >>
Some islanders don't dig federal plan to dig in San Juan
Islands monument (KUOW)
The Trump administration has given an initial thumbs-up
to a plan to dig holes throughout a meadow of rare wildflowers inside the San
Juan Islands National Monument. It’s not part of any effort to eliminate the
monument: It’s part of local tribes’ efforts to improve their diets and revive
old traditions…The plan has some
islanders crying foul.
To read more >>
Trump's budget cuts West Coast quake warning system
funding (The Olympian | Associated Press)
President Donald Trump's budget proposal would cut
federal funding for an earthquake early warning system for California, Oregon
and Washington state, a development that seismology experts and some local
leaders say would be the end of the project. The system being developed in
conjunction with various universities is intended at providing critical seconds
of warning when an earthquake has started and potentially dangerous shaking is
imminent. The system would allow time for people to take cover and to slow or
halt such things as critical industrial processes and transportation systems.
To read more >>
The Cherry on Cherry Point (Cascadia Weekly)
Another long, long evening session last week, filled with
diverse and thoughtful (and respectful) comments representing a broad swath of
opinion, and Whatcom County Council at last—after more than a year of
work—approved a series of amendments to govern future planning policy for the
Cherry Point industrial zone. The amendments include provisions relating to
future fossil fuel export projects; but more comprehensively, they re-weight
and give improved standing to considerations of ecological function,
environmental protection, historical use, stewardship and recognition of
indigenous treaty rights alongside imperatives of economic development and
industrial use in future planning for Cherry Point.
To read more >>
What Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline will mean
for B.C.'s coast (Globe and Mail)
As British Columbians await final results from the May 9
vote, the future of the Trans Mountain pipeline hangs in the balance. The
expansion project could bring billions in new revenue, but it would also mean
an increase in coast-to-port tanker traffic, and with that, an increased risk
of oil spills. We follow a tanker as it threads the needle from Burnaby to the
open ocean.
To read more >>
LNG ‘Giants of the Sea’ Headed for BC Waters (Sightline)
British Columbia’s Pacific Coast is home to prolific
salmon runs, pristine shorelines, and a rich archaeological history. Yet amid
these natural wonders, the fossil fuel industry has sited proposals for
nineteen liquefied natural gas (LNG) developments that would greatly increase
tanker traffic navigating remote island channels with strong currents and
tides.
To read more >>
American Cruise Lines to call on Olympia, port says (The
Olympian)
About a year from now, a ship will sail into Olympia’s
Budd Inlet. It won’t be here to pick up a load of logs or deliver a shipment of
corn. Instead, it will dock and more than 100 people will disembark to tour the
area. That’s because the Port of Olympia announced Wednesday that American
Cruise Lines, a company known for its cruises on the Columbia and Mississippi
rivers, will make Olympia a port of call for the American Constellation, a new
175-passenger ship.
To read more >>
See also:
Coming to a dock near you? A cruise ship in
Tacoma (Tacoma News Tribune)
Dakota Creek seeks help from Congress on $75 million ship
(Skagit Valley Herald)
Dakota Creek Industries needs help from Congress to keep
its $75 million fishing vessel project afloat. About a month ago, the company
discovered it had used too many foreign-fabricated materials in the ship’s
hull. The error disqualifies the ship from U.S. Coast Guard certification to
fish in the Bering Sea. The only way to fix the problem is for Congress to
amend its Coast Guard bill to allow certification of the ship, said Dakota
Creek Vice President Mike Nelson.... America’s Finest is a state-of-the-art
fishing vessel, having the smallest carbon footprint per ton of fish of any
fishing vessel in the Bering Sea, according to Fishermen’s Finest.
To read more >>
Breakwater repair completed; Port of Port Townsend
commissioners discuss other projects (Peninsula Daily News)
Port of Port Townsend commissioners have certified the completion
of emergency breakwater repair, while several major capital projects remain in
the planning phase. Commissioners approved the completion of the commercial
basin breakwater repair project Wednesday and sent out notices to state
agencies to confirm that the project has been completed. In January,
commissioners approved a $206,016 emergency repair to a section of the
breakwater near the entrance of the Boat Haven Marina. .... On Wednesday, Executive Director Sam Gibboney updated
the commissioners on another Boat Haven project: a stormwater project upgrade.
The project is in its planning phase. A revised report on the current stormwater
system is expected by the end of this month.
To read more >>
More flocking to boats as prices soar onshore (Kitsap
Sun)
... Whether seeking serenity like Knickerbocker or
escaping rising costs onshore, more Puget Sound residents are lining up for the
opportunity to live afloat. Waiting lists for liveaboard slips at public
marinas in Bremerton and Port Orchard have soared over the last 18 months,
manager Kathy Garcia said.... On the Seattle side of the Sound, requests for
liveaboard spots at Shilshole Bay Marina doubled in the past five years,
according to the Port of Seattle. Nearly 130 households are in line for
openings among Shilshole's 350 liveaboard slips — home to the largest
liveaboard community on the West Coast. Garcia said there are waiting lists at
nearly every Puget Sound marina, and the calls keep coming.
To read more >>
Port Townsend, Chimacum students to tell of maritime
discoveries in innovative program (Peninsula Daily News)
Students will lead celebrations in Chimacum and Port
Townsend that mark eight years of the 7th Grade Maritime Discovery Program. The
program, which began this month and extends through June, involves nearly 150
students from Port Townsend and Chimacum. It is a partnership between the
Northwest Maritime Center and the Chimacum and Port Townsend school
districts.... Maritime center staff members and teachers from the middle
schools develop maritime-themed curriculum in every subject area to expose
students to diverse skills involved in traveling safely on the water.
To read more >>
How Rising Seas and Coastal Storms Drowned the U.S. Flood
Insurance Program (Yale Environment 360)
... Today, the NFIP [National Flood Insurance Program] is
effectively bankrupt. It owes the U.S. Treasury nearly $25 billion – money it
borrowed from federal taxpayers to cover its obligations in Sandy, Katrina
(2005), and Hurricane Ike (2008). No one expects that money to be repaid. Some
coastal state lawmakers are even calling for Congress to write off the massive
debt, contending it is the only way the troubled insurance program, which is up
for reauthorization this year, can regain its financial footing. Wiping away
the debt will help. But it is only a matter of time until the next big storm
drains the coffers again.
To read more >>
Environmental organizations still have a diversity
problem (Grist)
A report on the employment practices of green groups
finds that the sector, despite its socially progressive reputation, is still
overwhelmingly the bastion of white men. According to the study, released by
Green 2.0, roughly 3 out of 10 people at environmental organizations are people
of color, but at the senior staff level, the figure drops closer to 1 out of
10. And at all levels, from full-time employees to board members, men make up
three-quarters or more of NGO staffs.
To read more >>
Ericksen is out of the EPA. He says the work done there
will benefit his constituents (Bellingham Herald)
State Sen. Doug Ericksen’s temporary job with the
Environmental Protection Agency has ended and, at least for now, so has his
employment with the federal government. In January, the Ferndale Republican
accepted the appointment from President Donald Trump to serve as communications
director for the EPA transition team. The 120-day post ended May 20…. “It was
an honor to be selected by the president to serve on the EPA transition team.
Working on this transition was a great experience. The people of the 42nd
Legislative District and the people of Washington state will benefit from the
work that was done,” Ericksen said in a statement to The Bellingham Herald.
To read more >>
UVic researcher sees powerful future in waves (Times
Colonist)
B.C. has some of the best wave-energy potential anywhere
in the world and with better government support and jurisdictional clarity,
this province could be a global leader in developing the industry. Those are
some of the findings in a recent report out of the University of Victoria-led
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. There’s a lot going for wave power, as
Bryson Robertson, the report’s lead author, explained in an interview this
week.
To read more >>
How is the Puget Sound ecosystem doing?
The 2015 State of the Sound reports on the current state of the ecosystem and the status of regional recovery actions. Learn more at www.psp.wa.gov/sos.
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