BITE-SIZED BITS OF NEWS FROM AROUND PUGET SOUND

A DNA analysis has determined that hair samples taken in May from a barbed-wire fence east of Chesaw were left by a grizzly, a scientist says. Scott Fitkin, a biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said Wildlife Genetics International in Nelson, British Columbia, confirmed the creature seen by a landowner was a grizzly. It may be the first verified grizzly sighting in the Okanogan Highlands since one was shot in the 1950s. Fitkin said the DNA results confirm his earlier opinion that it was a grizzly based on paw prints he saw at the site. (09/04/03), Longview Daily News. From Tidepool.org.

Go ahead and laugh, fish biologists say. Sure, the net buoys are World War II vintage, and the Baker Lake fish trap looks like something out of Swiss Family Robinson. The fish taxi is no stretch limo, and the spawning beaches are man-made. But Baker Lake’s sockeye salmon, feared on the brink of extinction 20 years ago, have returned to spawn in the lake at all-time high numbers this year—20,188 and still counting. Salmon recovery experts stop short of saying they’ve outwitted a species known for its complex instincts and migratory odysseys. But the top run has boosted the hopes of fish biologists who believe human interventions, no matter how low-tech or non-flashy, are working. (09/08/03), Seattle P-I. From Tidepool.org.

As a new study shows rental-housing costs in King and Snohomish counties getting farther out of reach for the very poor, advocates for low-income people say a recent building boom in subsidized apartments is helping avert an affordable-housing crisis. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual “Out of Reach” report, released yesterday, shows costs associated with renting a home are rising as incomes are falling. (09/09/03), Seattle Times. From Tidepool.org.

The kind of mercury found in fish has been determined for the first time— three scientists report in a paper that has implications for future research into the mechanisms of mercury poisoning. Mercury is a contaminant that has led national and international agencies to issue warnings about seafood consumption. But the new paper, published in the journal Science, raises the possibility, though cautiously, that the form of mercury the researchers found is less toxic than other kinds. (08/29/03) San Francisco Chronicle. From Tidepool.org. (See sidebar on page 13.)

The state’s public forests are getting another crack at an environmental seal of approval for logging. Thanks in part to donations from a private building supplier, two groups that provide certification of “green” timber harvests are evaluating the management of Washington’s forests. “Certification can help rebuild the public’s trust in the state’s forestry program,” said Becky Kelley of the Washington Environmental Council. This includes concerns about clear-cutting and protection of salmon, she said. The hope of certification supporters is that consumers will increasingly request wood products that come from certified forests where environmentally sensitive logging is followed. The state hasn’t committed to certification, but is willing to consider it. (08/27/03), Seattle P-I. From Tidepool.org.

Boise Cascade Corp. made peace with its harshest environmental critic, and forestry experts said the truce may have far-reaching effects on forests around the world. The Boise company unveiled a new environmental policy that reconfirms its commitment made 18 months ago to phase out old-growth harvesting in the United States. And in what observers said was a first for any large forest products company, Boise Cascade agreed to adopt additional standards that environmental groups had long sought. The new policy transformed Boise Cascade from a company criticized by environmentalists as an industry dinosaur to one praised as a model of how corporate forestry should be done. (09/04/03), Idaho Statesman. From Tidepool.org.

Untold numbers of ship operators are lying, cheating or simply misunderstanding state rules designed to keep them from introducing invasive snails, crabs and other foreign species into Washington waters, according to a recent survey. State rules adopted to prevent ships from accidentally transporting millions of nonnative species are so toothless that regulators plan to ask state lawmakers in January for the power to board and inspect ships to verify they’re being followed. Invasive species cause more than $137 billion a year in damage in the United States. Aquatic invaders can destroy water pipes or power systems and wreak havoc on the natural environment. More than 40 percent of plants and animals listed under the Endangered Species Act are at risk because of nonnative species. Scientists, for example, recently discovered more than 20 percent of the organisms that call the lower Columbia River home don’t belong there. (09/08/03), Seattle Times. From Tidepool.org.

Today, 310 turbine-driving windmills are whirling in Washington and plans are being made to plug in hundreds more. Environmental groups have thrown their support behind the projects. Utilities catering to pollution-conscious customers and spooked over costly spikes in natural-gas prices are increasingly seeking out “green energy.” And farmers are cashing in—leasing chunks of arid, windswept fields to power producers. But the state’s wind farms are still whipping up controversy. (09/22/03), Seattle P-I. From Tidepool.org.

Salmon are swarming past Bonneville Dam in such massive numbers that frenzied stampeding up a narrow fish ladder may have killed some slowpokes. A record-setting 45,884 fall Chinook salmon surged past the dam Sept. 11—quadruple the typical number of years past. Each of the following three days also beat the previous one-day record of 39,376 set Sept. 12, 1987. “It’s just an immense, unexpected, unprecedented return of salmon,” said Steve King, fishery program leader with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Including steelhead and coho salmon, more than 59,000 fish a day were fighting past Bonneville Dam at the height of the latest scramble. (09/19/03), Oregonian. From Tidepool.org.

A mysterious marine toxin previously found only at trace levels in Washington’s inland waters has been discovered at a concentration high enough to force closure of shellfish beds. The appearance of domoic acid in mussels near Port Townsend alarmed shellfish growers who tend the state’s $75 million-a-year shellfish harvest and sent scientists scurrying to investigate. It’s the same toxin that has shut down razor-clam digging on the Pacific Coast three times since the early 1990s. The find near Port Townsend is significant because it’s a first for Washington’s inland waters, although state officials emphasized that shellfish sold in stores have been thoroughly checked and are safe. (09/19/03), Seattle P-I. From Tidepool.org.

No sweating, panicked, last minute phone calls this time. Like a long-distance runner crossing the finish line at an easy jog, the effort to save one of Puget Sound’s largest great blue heron nesting colonies finished a week early. Whidbey Camano Land Trust and Friends of Camano Island Parks have been trying all summer to raise $510,000 to purchase 31 acres of forested land near Davis Slough at the north end of Camano Island. (09/25/03), Everett Herald. From Tidepool.org. §