Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Chairman Ron Allen says the tribe will be joining efforts to challenge a decision by the State Department of Natural Resources to end steelhead net pen farming in the state. The Cooke Aquaculture company filed an appeal earlier this week on Wednesday in Thurston County Superior Court to overturn DNR’s decision to end net pen farming on state owned aquatic lands, saying the announcement by state Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz violated the company’s due process and was politically motivated. Allen says the Jamestown tribe will be filing its own challenge – similar to Cooke’s challenge.
He told KSQM shortly after Franz’s announcement last month to shut down the industry her actions were not scientifically sound.
“It’s based on politics and not science. It’s unfortunate that she’s making a decision to terminate an industry that’s been successful for 50 years in Puget Sound.”
He says her decision came even after other agencies concluded net pen farming was safe.
“In our judgment the state has made a decision that it is an acceptable industry and then NOAA, Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology have all said that it is a safe, environmentally industry.”
Allen told the Peninsula Daily News that Franz did not consult with the tribe before announcing her decision. He says “There’s a formal process of consulting with the tribe about a decision that would affect our interest, and she knew what our interest was.” He notes that the tribe entered into a formal agreement with Cooke Aquaculture in 2019 to raise female steelhead trout in a net pen facility in Port Angeles Harbor – a project now with an uncertain future. He says their complaint will be asking for clarification on how the DNR decision impacts their tribal rights.
Dash Air Shuttle, the company preparing to soon start up commercial passenger air service from Port Angeles to SeaTac says it plans to provide an update on a start date in the next few weeks. Dash Air President Clint Ostler told the Peninsula Daily News he plans to make an announcement at the January 11 Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
The start of air service has been put on hold until after the federal Department of Transportation finishes an investigation into complaints filed by Kenmore Air alleging Dash was conducting unfair and deceptive business practices. Dash had originally planned to begin operations in August. Ostler says “We haven’t heard anything from DOT yet, but our attorney thinks this is good news and we need to move forward. We’re just getting everything ready to move as soon as we can,” he says.
Meanwhile, Dash Air posted on Facebook four days ago, “In preparation for takeoff, we’ve been practicing the van operation between the main terminal at Seattle-Tacoma Airport and Signature Flight Support. We’re looking forward to seeing you onboard early next year.”
The Port of Port Angeles has agreed to lease office space to Dash at Fairchild International Airport for $167 a month, a space that would typically cost $525 a month. The port voted to waive the initial cost of the lease as well as the $15 landing fee until August of 2024 to allow Dash to get established, according to the Peninsula Daily News.
Residents across the state of Washington now have an additional way to receive a few seconds of warning before earthquake shaking arrives, giving time to drop, cover and hold. A new earthquake warning app called MyShake has been made available to Washington residents.
It was originally launched in 2019 to send alerts to California and Oregon residents.
The MyShake app was created by seismologist and engineers in California and funded by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The Washington State Emergency Management Division has been working with California’s Emergency Services to ensure the MyShake app has additional protective action information for tsunamis before it was rolled out in Washington state.
MyShake can be downloaded for free through the Apple or Google Play app stores.
The recent arrival of rainfall on the peninsula has prompted Olympic National Park officials to reopen most of the rivers, creeks and streams in the park to recreational fishing effective today. An emergency closure of the park’s river systems was implemented October 6 following near drought conditions during the summer resulting in severe low water flow and threatening spawning grounds for the fish. The recent rainfall has restored sufficient water levels that salmon and other fish now have greater access to spawning areas. However, two rivers – the Queets and Salmon Rivers – will remain closed to recreational fishing until further notice due to higher than expected in-river harvest levels. An Olympic National Park news release says those continued closures will provide added protection to Chinook salmon making their way to spawning areas in the national park.
Virtually all rivers and streams in the Olympic National Park have been closed to recreational fishing effective immediately. The emergency closure that went into effect today was ordered in efforts to protect several fish populations because of ongoing severe low-flow water conditions. An ONP park news release says this year’s severe drought conditions have reduced river flows to at or near historic low levels. Water conditions are low enough they could impede upstream spawning migrations and increase the vulnerability of salmon to angling as fish concentrate in smaller and smaller pools. The broad application of the closures are necessary to better protect Pacific salmon, steelhead trout and federally threatened bull trout in the park’s rivers and creeks, according to the news release. A list of the rivers and streams closed to recreational fishing in Olympic National Park – virtually all of them – is available on the ONP park website.
The adventures of accessibility advocate Ian Mackay and his motorized wheelchair are drawing more national media attention. Ian’s efforts to set a new Guinness World Record by traveling the greatest distance in 24 hours by a motorized wheelchair are featured in a Sports Illustrated Daily Cover story.
The article, “How One Bike Rider Turned Personal Tragedy into a World Record” describes the Port Angeles quadriplegic’s passion about advocating on behalf of mobility challenged people and encouraging them to get outside.
The www.iansride.com website describes his work as a mission of promoting outdoor accessibility, further the availability of technology and encourage support services for those with mobility impairment. Ian says he’s both humbled and elated with publication of today’s Sports Illustrated Daily Cover story.
“I never thought when I was miserable after my injury and I went out on the Olympic Discovery trail and found a little spark of happiness and that would lead to having long distance wheelchair rides actually be a thing. And here we are demonstrating just that. And yeah, it’s been an honor and I’m still a little flabbergasted and overwhelmed by it all. I’ve been receiving a lot of nice messages all day long.
The heart is full.”
The story can be accessed online by googling Sports Illustrated Daily Cover. https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/2022/09/14/ian-mackay-wheelchair-daily-cover. Ian says it’s his understanding that the story will be included in the Sports Illustrated magazine issue appearing on newsstands across the country today.
Ian has completed numerous long distance wheelchair rides. The most recent was June 21st during the summer solstice when he smashed the world record by traveling 184.4 miles in less than 24 hours during a ride on Sauvie Island along the Columbia River near Portland. Next week he will be starting another odyssey traveling on an east coast leg of the Great American Rail Trail, He’ll be starting in Washington, DC and traveling 475 miles over twelve days to Columbus, Ohio.
IAN MACKAY TACKLES GREAT AMERICAN RAIL TRAIL
The North Olympic Peninsula’s most prominent accessibility advocate Ian Mackay will be taking on yet another marathon long distance ride on his motorized wheelchair next week. This time he and his support team will be attempting a 475 mile 12 day trek from Washington, DC to Columbus, Ohio, the first leg of a journey along the Great American Rail Trail.
“We’ll be doing the Great American Rail Trail, which is not fully complete yet but when it is it will unite the coasts. The east coast and west coast will be connected via this trail. The Olympic Discovery Trail is the westernmost end of the trail that I’ll be going on.”
He’ll be flying to DC Monday. The ride will kick off Wednesday.
“On Wednesday we’ll be at the Capitol and right on the National Mall. We’ve got a permit and there’ll be some speakers and some media and possibly some policy makers that’ll come across the street and speak with us. I’ll also be encouraging a lot of ride-alongs so other wheelchairs and other cyclists will be joining along whenever they can. We’ll be doing about 40 miles per day.”
This ride is supported by two large non-profit organizations, the Rails to Trails Conservancy ...
“The Rails to Trails really can benefit from demonstrating to user groups to utilize their trails such as the disabled community.”
… and United Spinal.
“And they’re excited to highlight outdoor recreation for people of all abilities.”
Ian’s long distance rides in the past have been on hard surfaces. This ride will be different – almost entirely on dirt trails
”And so it’s going to be a little rougher and weather could end up creating a bigger challenge with mud and you know just kind of soft areas.”
Blogs with updates about his progress will be posted daily on www.iansride.com
They’re no longer going to be called “Murder Hornets” – or even “Asian Giant Hornets.” The world’s largest species of hornet, which has been found in three nest sites in Whatcom County in the Blaine area near the Canadian Border in the last two years has officially been renamed by the Entomological Society of America.
“Northern Giant Hornet” will be name of the species otherwise known as Vespa Mandarinia in the society’s Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms list. The new official name is intended to comply with ESA’s insect common names guidelines, which include avoiding naming insects using geographic regions. So for now, they shall be forever be known as “northern giant hornets.” And the search continues for more nests – primarily in Whatcom County – as officials seek to eradicate them.
See Video below for some real BAD hornets!
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