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PENINSULA DAILY NEWS April 18, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Protections for fisher are denied
Star of the show
Endangered Species Act will not apply to animal “We knew the species was in trouble and we acted to improve its conservation status before it got listed and this contributed to Some say it’s a success story in keeping it off the list.” the making while others call it a capitulation to timber interests. Criticism levelled The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week it has The Center for Biological dropped consideration of giving the Diversity, based in Tucson, Ariz., West Coast fisher — a small, wea- took the announcement as a blow. sel-like mammal predator whose The Center, which has urged population had nearly disappeared federal protection for fishers since across the West Coast for decades 1994, criticized the federal agency, — federal protections under the saying it succumbed to “pressure Endangered Species Act. from the timber industry,” and Reintroduction of fishers in said it might challenge ThursOlympic National Park, Oregon day’s decision in court. and California is one factor that “The politically driven reversal led to the species being removed of proposed protection for the from consideration as an endan- fisher is the latest example of the gered or threatened species, Fish and Wildlife Service kowtowaccording to the park’s wildlife ing to the wishes of industry,” chief, biologist Patti Happe. Tanya Sanerib, an attorney for “All the conservation work the group, said in a statement. paid off,” Happe said. “Proactive TURN TO FISHER/A4 conservation pays off. BY LEAH LEACH
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
A Port Townsend Marine Science Center AmeriCorps volunteer examines a sea star living in one of the aquariums in the museum’s marine exhibit. Hours for the exhibit on the pier and the orca and natural history exhibit on the shore at Fort Worden are from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays for the spring season.
Tribe, commissioners to talk today on resort The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. in commissioners’ chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend. “We don’t want to get in the way of the project,” said Jeromy Sullivan, the tribe’s chairman. BY CHARLIE BERMANT “We want to make sure cerPENINSULA DAILY NEWS tain aspects are preserved and PORT TOWNSEND — The that our voices will be heard.” Jefferson County commissioners will meet with the Port Gamble Master planned resort S’Klallam tribal council today to Statesman Group of Calgary, discuss the tribe’s environmental Alberta, Canada proposed the concerns regarding a proposed idea of constructing a 252-acre resort in Brinnon. master planned resort in the
Port Gamble S’Klallam eye Brinnon plan
Pleasant Harbor/Black Point area of Brinnon in 2006 and has sought a zoning change to allow its construction since that time. The proposed Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort would include 191 guest suites, an exercise center, a variety store, a convention center, a wedding chapel, a water slide, an amphitheater and zip lines, and other amenities. During the process, the company has scaled down the original 18-hole golf course to nine holes. TURN
TO
RESORT/A4
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
A granddaughter of one of the original fishers released into Olympic National Park looks over a hair snare near Lake Ozette last fall. DNA from her fur identified her and a camera trained on the trap snapped her photo.
Peninsula’s snowpack promising for rivers Concerns over rate of melt persist BY ARWYN RICE
Service short- and long-range forecasts predicted a continued warmer-than-usual spring and a The spring snowpack in the drying trend. Olympic Mountains is 102 percent of average, a snowy water- Worries remain savings bank that could provide “There is still concern that the rivers with water needed for the summer — if it doesn’t melt too existing snowpack is further advanced than normal and could soon. The U.S. Natural Resource begin to melt more rapidly than Conservation Service (NRCS) hoped for,” said Scott Pattee, released a statewide water supply NRCS water supply specialist. “As the weather warms and forecast earlier this week that showed plenty of snow, but said the snow begins to melt in earnest that early warm temperatures be aware that streams and rivers will still be very cold and swift,” are melting the snow quickly. The latest National Weather Pattee said. PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Your Peninsula
Four Snotel (snow telemetry) weather stations in the Olympic Mountains measure snowpack and rainfall in river watersheds. Snotel is a system of snow telemetry and related climate sensors operated by the NRCS in the western states. The Buckinghorse Snotel site, which measures snowpack at 4,620 feet elevation in the southern Elwha River watershed, had 121 inches of snow, or 77 percent of average, on Sunday. The Waterhole Snotel site, on a ridge between the Morse Creek and Elwha River watersheds east of Hurricane Ridge, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, had 80 inches of snow, or 108 percent of average.
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“There is still concern that the existing snowpack is further advanced than normal and could begin to melt more rapidly than hoped for.” SCOTT PATTEE Water supply specialist, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service In Jefferson County, the Mount Dungeness Snotel site in the Dungeness River watershed, had Craig Snotel site, in the Dosewalno snow. The 30-year average is lips River watershed at 4,200 feet 6.3 inches. elevation, had 67 inches of snow, or 103 percent of average. Near average All of the sites have passed their average peak dates, meaning Snotel data showed the lowerthe snow has ceased accumulating elevation site, at 4,010 feet elevafor the winter, and is expected to tion, had a near-average snowpack begin to melt to produce spring and until unusually warm spring temsummer runoff. peratures in lower elevations melted the snow in late March. TURN TO SNOW/A4
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