More education is a key to protecting Oakland Bay
SHELTON – People living along Oakland Bay don’t think they have anything to do with a significant increase in pollution in the bay, according to a survey by the Sa-Heh-Wa-mish…
Series about Puget Sound continues
The Olympian continued its coverage on the health of Puget Sound, with the focus this week on how septic systems and housing has affected Hood Canal and how the Skokomish…
The Olympian: Mason septic systems on notice
John Dodge in the Olympian: Faced with conclusive evidence that human sewage is entering Oakland Bay at two locations, the Mason County commissioners said Tuesday that they would take enforcement…
Being Frank: Life Without The Orca?
OLYMPIA (June 12, 2006) -- Life just wouldn’t be the same without the orca. For thousands of years, these magnificent mammals have splashed through the ocean waves and skipped playfully through the serene waters of Puget Sound. Tribal culture has been greatly inspired by these awesome black and white giants who have always been a wondrous sign of purity and vitality in the Northwest. Now our brother orca is listed as an endangered species, a fact almost too tragic to perceive. Orcas will disappear from our waters unless we all work together to make sure we have an environment that will sustain them. As it is, we don’t. Our waters are riddled with toxic filth and it is slowly killing them.
Rivers End Homes Removed To Help Restore Estuary
DUNGENESS (Dec. 27, 2004) – In the 1800s, the lower reach of the Dungeness River flowed through a 100-acre floodplain before emptying into Dungeness Bay. The river was connected to a large estuary that provided essential spawning and rearing habitat for salmon.
Nowadays, the floodplain is the site of several homes and agricultural land. Dikes – built in the 1960s – on both sides of the river restrict the river’s course, protecting development and eliminating critical salmon habitat. The west-bank dike, known as the Rivers End levee, is privately maintained and hasn’t always worked, causing flooding problems for property owners and the environment.