Friday, March 27, 2009

The Salish Sea


Today’s Crossuct http://crosscut.com/2009/03/27/mossback/18927/ is worth reading. Knute Berger writes an interesting article about naming the northwest waters that connect Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia the “Salish Sea”. At issue in the article is the concern that a new name might undermine work to educate Washingtonians about the urgent need to protect and restore Puget Sound. It is unfortunate that an effort to mark the greater ecosystem and to link us to our northern neighbors and our rich cultural history with the traditional name is being clouded by the plight of Puget Sound. However, the real sad story is that despite all the resources, especially knowledge, at our disposal in this region, Puget Sound is still so polluted that our resident killer whales are among the most toxic in the world. Research tells us that about 52 million pounds of untreated toxic chemicals including oil and petroleum products, PCBs and phthalates flow into up Puget Sound every year. That’s over 140 thousand pounds per day. Let's work to tackle this daunting number. Come to the next chapter meeting, answer our next action alert, make changes at home, and engage your friends and neighbors.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Success on the Neah Bay Tug

In Washington, it is hard to imagine a better way to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill than by winning the long fought campaign for a year-round rescue tug at Neah Bay. Huge thanks to Surfrider Foundation's own, Kevin Ranker, now a freshman senator in the Washington State Legislature, for adopting this initiative and making it happen. He worked with a great team including People for Puget Sound, the Makah Tribe, Fred Felleman, Surfrider Foundation and others.

Check out the story in today's Seattle PI