Watching Our Water Ways

Flood control is no longer a primary objective of federal restoration work on the Skokomish River — but improving the ecosystem is likely to reduce flood problems for people who live in the valley.

The Skokomish Watershed Action Team (SWAT) surveys an area where the Skokomish River has wiped out all vegetation and left a massive gravel bar.
Photo by Steve Zugschwerdt

We don’t need to be reminded that the Skokomish is the most frequently flooded river in the state. Although I’m not sure how soon another river might take over that dubious distinction, it’s easy to see that a lot of time and money is being spent to get the river back to a more natural condition.

The Army Corps of Engineers, known for massive projects such as dikes, dams and dredging, won’t be adopting those sorts of projects for the Skokomish River.

Jessie Winkler, Skokomish project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers, explained it this way:

“Clearly, flooding is a problem in the basin. But because of limited residential and commercial activity, it would be very difficult to justify a flood-control project. In order to be justified as a federal project, the economic benefits must be greater than the cost.”

For further explanation, check out my story in Monday’s Kitsap Sun.

The good news is that the Corps has not turned its back on the Skokomish. In fact, the river is considered so important to the Hood Canal region that the agency is considering some large-scale projects focused on environmental restoration — including possibly relocating Skokomish Valley Road.

Other interesting ideas include creating sediment traps to capture gravel in selective locations, relocating existing dikes to create a wider river channel, forming new side channels to relieve flow on the main river and even aeration pumps to boost oxygen levels in Hood Canal.

Many of the projects designed for ecological improvement will also reduce the flooding problems.

A report, scheduled to be released in late spring or early summer, summarizes all information collected so far in the $4.7 million study of the Skokomish River watershed. The report will cover current ecological conditions, future ecological conditions without restoration and a list of potential restoration projects — including preliminary design, estimated costs and ecological benefits, Winkler told me.

Potential projects are only conceptual at this point, though experts have begun to look at locations along the river where different types of efforts may be fruitful. Further study will narrow the list of to a plan to be submitted to Congress for funding.

The upcoming report will begin to explore which of the following actions are most likely to succeed in specific locations:

• Remove or breach levees/dikes
• Construct setback levees/dikes
• Create salmon spawning habitat
• Reconnect wetlands, side channels, backwater areas, and tributaries
• Substrate modification
• Install aeration or oxygenation system in Annas Bay
• Reconnect dendritic channels in estuary
• Large woody debris
• Engineered Log Jams
• Fish passable weir
• Channel stabilization
• Riverbed and wetland vehicle exclusion
• Enhance vegetation – riparian & estuarine
• Control invasive species
• Channel rehabilitation or new channel creation
• Selective gravel removal on gravel bars
• Spot-dredge
• Sediment trap
• Culverts: a) add; b) remove; c) replace; d) upgrade
• Road modifications
• Rehabilitate bank lines
• Cool water diversion to Annas Bay

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Whether you love or hate the snow, a bit of humor always comes in handy during the recent weather we’ve been having.

The following are some quotes, jokes and a couple videos I gleaned from the Internet. Each item lists a source with more funny stuff. If you have a favorite winter joke, please add it in the comments section below.

“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.” — Kin Hubbard (Quote Garden)

“There’s one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbor’s.” — Clyde Moore (Quote Garden)

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” — Carl Reiner (Quote Garden)

“The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.” — Patrick Young (Quote Garden)

Of winter’s lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer’s secret
Deep down within its heart.
~Charles G. Stater (Quote Garden)

“Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.” — Earl Wilson (Quote Garden)

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” — Jeff Valdez (The Quotations Page)

“Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.’” — Robert Byrne (Quote Garden)

Some definitions:

Winter: The age of shivery and shovelry.

Antarctic: Snowman’s land.

Flaky Person: A man who loves to be outside when it snows.

Skiing: A winter sport learned in the fall.

(Source: Daffynitions)

It was so cold …

It was so cold … 
hitchhikers were holding up pictures of thumbs!

It was so cold … 
Starbucks was serving coffee on a stick!

It was so cold … 
we pulled everything out of the freezer and huddled inside it to warm up!

It was so cold … 
Richard Simmons started wearing pants!

It was so cold … 
a flasher rushed up to poor Mrs. Flannigan – and described himself!

It was so cold … we had to chop up the piano for firewood – but we only got two chords.

Source: Jokes 4 Us

It was so cold … that even the kids at the mall were pulling their pants up. (Snow and Mud)

Winter Story

My husband and I purchased an old home in Northern New York State from two elderly sisters. Winter was fast approaching and I was concerned about the house’s lack of insulation. “If they could live here all those years, so can we!” my husband confidently declared.

One November night the temperature plunged to below zero, and we woke up to find interior walls covered with frost. My husband called the sisters to ask how they had kept the house warm.

After a rather brief conversation, he hung up. “For the past 30 years,” he muttered, “they’ve gone to Florida for the winter.”

— Sandee (Comedy Plus)

Bumper Cars

The Slush Man Cometh

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Photographers at Woodland Park Zoo caught some great images of animals that don’t seem to mind the snow. The zoo was closed Wednesday and Thursday because of the snow but reopened today.

Rebecca Whitham notes on the zoo’s blog:

“Some animals retreat indoors or look for a warm spot to tuck themselves into to get out of the snow, while others — like our residents of the Northern Trail exhibit — are in their element.”

Beyond the photos on this page, check out Snow Day at the Zoo and Snow Day, Part 2 on the zoo’s website.

Four sister wolves — Doba, Shila, Aponi and Kaya — romp in the snow.
Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo

A grizzly bear shakes off snow in the Northern Trail exhibit.
Photo by Kristen Pisto, Woodland Park Zoo

Unlike most penguins, Homboldt penguins enjoy a warmer climate along rocky shores of South America. These guys don’t seem to mind the change, however, and zoo staffers are making sure none of the animals get too cold.
Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo

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A touch of snow back in November caused me to post an entry about “snow dogs,” so whatever snow we get this week deserves a sequel about “snow cats.”

The two cats in the video player at right seem to catch the spirit of fresh, clean, cold snow. They paw at the fluff, run about aimlessly and attack each other. The music seems appropriate somehow. Just think how thrilling these two would be if they could use their little paws to form big snowballs. For an example of that, check out the cartoon linked below as Simon’s Cat.

At the other extreme is a young cat that seems to have no clue what to do with the snow. Must be a first-time snow cat.

A cat named Doughnut seems to have no fear of the snow, but frustration takes over when he is unable to make it up a steep roof and into a bedroom window, as he has done routinely so many times before.

A few more videos:

Cat tunnels in snow. Oh, my!

Simon’s Cat in “Snow Business”

Just before Christmas, someone compiled a bunch of snow cat videos, mixing them with Christmas cat videos. See “Christmas Cats Playing in the Snow.”

Finally, this last animal is not a cat, but he could teach other animals about living the snow. Fox snow dive — Yellowstone.

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Capt. Jim Maya of Maya’s Westside Charters on San Juan Island sent me his favorite photos of 2011.

“Though perhaps not technically my best,” he wrote. “they are my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy them and have a great 2012.”

Jim sent the photos on Jan. 1, so the delay in getting them online is all mine. The captions below each picture are Jim’s comments about the events and circumstances of the moment. Click on each photo for a better view.

Nov. 19. Ts with Sucia Island and Mt. Baker. We first found them at Speiden Island thanks to Kim and Karl Bruder, who run Lonesome Cove. Evening light. / Capt. Jim Maya

Aug. 26. Spectacular speed swimming! We call it porpoising for some reason. Strait of Georgia headed toward the Frazer River. Wish the lighting had been better, but you get the idea. / Capt. Jim Maya

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
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Just before Christmas, my wife Sue bought a wall clock with a face that appears to be a water-color print of a nice cottage in a meadow. There’s a stream in the foreground and trees in the background. Sue said she wanted to have a clock in the bathroom to keep her on time as she gets dressed and ready to leave the house.

Audubon singing bird clock / Click on image to visit DutchGuard.com and hear the birds

The day after she put up the clock, as I was getting out of the shower, the bathroom suddenly became immersed in the sound of singing birds. Sue had purchased a clock that somehow forced a large number of birds to sing on cue at the top of every hour.

I’ve gotten used to the clock, but I was wondering if people really enjoy time pieces that make animal noises. Judging by what I found on the Internet, I guess they do. The Audubon clock, at right, features the sounds of real birds, unlike the mixture of birds calls that come from out bathroom.

The folks at DutchGuard.com are serious about their bird clocks:

“Don’t be fooled by imitations. Our original bird clocks sing longer and sound like real birds… Most people buy our bird clocks because of the wonderful songs, but we would be remiss if we did not mention the attention to detail which went into the pictures. In consultation with experts every effort was made to accurately depict in true colors each of the twelve birds. Our insistence on getting the images and sounds ‘just right’ took the better part of a year.”

Other clocks are more amusing. I’ve posted some some of the ones I have found. Click on the little MP3 player to hear the sound, or click on the image for the website where you can order any of these clocks. You may find other websites featuring the same clocks but without the sound samples.

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Because of the holidays, I did not get an immediate response from several climate experts I contacted following Nels Sultan’s comments about sea level rise in a blog post regarding “king tides.”

Earth at the winter solstice, Dec. 22, 2011 / NOAA photo

If you recall, Nels was making the point that the sea level in Seattle has been rising at a steady rate of .68 feet, or about 8 inches, per century since 1898, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

His post included this statement:

“There is no real basis for the claims that sea levels will rise by 2.6 feet or 7 feet, or more. Globally, sea level rise has NOT accelerated. As found and reported by many researchers who specialize in this, including the eminent professor Bob Dean and other coastal experts.”

As a reporter, I’m not inclined to shoot back a response. I’d rather discuss the issue with experts in the field. That is what I did, and I think I have a better handle on the issue.

What I’m hearing is that the original estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — a rise of between 7 inches and 2 feet by the end of the century — remain reasonable, but conservative given that they did not account for increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet. See this explanation by Stefan Rahmstorf soon after the release of the 2007 IPCC report. By the way, the range above accounts for the minimum and maximum across six climate-change scenarios.

Ever since, researchers have been trying to find ways to account for the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, but the uncertainties remain high. A widely cited paper by W.T. Pfeffer, J.T. Harper and S. O’Neel suggests that “most likely” starting point for further refinement is .8 meter, or 31 inches, of sea level rise by 2100.

In some ways, the authors of the Pfeffer paper were trying to limit some of the extremes being reported by others, so they concluded that sea level rise could not be more than 6 feet by 2100. Some folks have reported 6 feet as the top of the range, as unlikely as that extreme may be. Check out this explanation posed by Real Climate and this response by Pfeffer and his collaborators.

As for the Houston-Dean paper that Nels Sultan mentioned, those authors created “various problems” in their assumptions, according to Eric Steig, professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. One major problem was the starting date of 1930, as explained by Stefan Rahmstorf in Real Climate:

“Other start dates either before or after this minimum show positive acceleration. Picking 1930 for this analysis is thus a classic cherry-pick, and according to the authors that is no accident. They write in the paper: ‘Since the worldwide data of Church and White (2006)…appear to have a linear rise since around 1930, we analyzed the period 1930 to 2010.’ The interval was thus hand-picked to show a linear rise rather than acceleration.

“Houston & Dean use their result to question the future acceleration of sea level rise predicted by Vermeer & Rahmstorf (2009) for the 21st Century as a consequence of global warming. They argue that the 1930s acceleration minimum calls into question the semi-empirical link between global temperature and global sea level proposed by us in that paper. However, it is clear they never bothered to check this, because quite the opposite is the case: our semi-empirical formula predicts this acceleration minimum, as the graph above shows. As it turns out, this is an expected outcome of the mid-20th-Century plateau in global temperature.”

I also discussed this issue of sea level rise with Lara Whitely Binder, outreach specialist for the UW’s Climate Impacts Group. While sea level rise means one thing on the world scale, she told me, the local impacts can be quite different.

If you live in Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula, for example, you are not likely to see any sea level rise until at least 2080. That’s because the entire land mass is uplifting as a result of movement along the tectonic plates, and the uplift is predicted to be faster than sea level rise until late in the century.

On the other hand, Central and South Puget Sound may not be uplifting at all and could be sinking, which would intensify the effects of sea level rise. Areas built on fill, including portions of Olympia, also could be sinking as the fill settles, Lara said.

In addition to global rise in sea level and local tectonic shifts, factors affecting regional sea level rise include thermal expansion of ocean waters and changes in onshore and offshore wind patterns.

During El Niño events, sea level can rise as much as 12 inches for several months at a time. The Climate Impacts Group analyzed more than 30 scenarios from global climate models and concluded that the change in wind patterns as a result of climate change could decrease sea level by as much as 1 inch or possibly increase it by as much as 6 inches. Review the white paper “Sea Level Rise in the Coastal Waters of Washington State” (PDF 2.4 mb) for more details.

How much an individual property is affected by sea level rise depends on the slope of the beach. Given the same rate of rise, water will affect a house sooner when it is built on a gradually sloping beach as opposed to a steep slope. In any case, tides and weather will always play a major role in water levels.

Lara told me that a group of West Coast researchers is working on a new report about sea level for publication later this year by the National Academy of Sciences. I’ll try to review that paper when it comes out.

I wish to thank Eric Steig, Lara Whitely Binder, Cliff Mass, David Montgomery and Nate Mantua for responding to my inquiry.

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“National Wildlife,” the magazine of the National Wildlife Federation, consistently presents some of the best nature photography around. I count on the magazine’s annual photography contest for some amusing and touching pictures with a water theme.

The picture of the waterfall, at right, shows a human figure doing a cartwheel in front of a waterfall at the end of a rainbow. The photo won first place in the amateur category “Connecting People and Nature.”

I was amused by the human jubilation juxtaposed against hard and soft landscape elements.

The photographer, Justin Black of McKinney, Texas, found the rainbow at the Skógafoss Waterfall in Iceland during a visit with his college classmates from Switzerland. When one person was inspired to do a cartwheel, Black grabbed the shot, adding the important human element to the scene.

Another amusing photo shows a frog in the middle of a jump, below. It was taken by Rolf Nussbaumer of New Braunfels, Texas, and won first place in the category “Other Wildlife, Professional.”

Nussbaumer explained that the photo was taken after a dry period in Texas, when rainfall triggered a burst of yellow wildflowers and an abundance of toads and frogs. One cane frog in a field near Loredo was jumping unusually high, and Nussbaumer was able to freeze the motion. The photo editors noted that the cane toad is an invasive species in some parts of the country, but not in southern Texas, where it is native.

For more amazing images from 2011, go to the contest page, where 17 pictures are laid out on a page with notes from the photographers. Better yet, view more than 30 photographs from winners at all levels in a slideshow on the website.

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Work is progressing rapidly around the edges of the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project — an effort to protect a 7,000-acre mosaic of lowland forest, shorelines and wetlands in North Kitsap.

Pope Resources lands for sale Click to enlarge

The ecological values of the undeveloped landscape is becoming known among government officials and the public. So far, nobody has jumped in with millions of dollars to buy the land for conservation. But, as the year comes to a close, there are plenty of reasons for optimism among supporters.

When I consider what it will take to make this project happen, I keep thinking of a jigsaw puzzle. I realize the puzzle metaphor is overworked, but let’s stay with it. A good way to begin picture puzzles is by first lining up all the edges and later filling in the middle. To me, that is what is happening with the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project.

First, Forterra — formerly Cascade Land Conservancy — has embraced the project, bringing to the table extensive experience in acquiring lands for conservation purposes. When an option to buy the land from Pope Resources was announced, Forterra president Gene Duvernoy stated, “This is probably the most important project we can accomplish to save Puget Sound.” See Kitsap Sun, Oct. 17.

Another major step came recently when the Puget Sound Partnership released a draft of its Puget Sound Action Agenda. The Action Agenda is designed to recognize the most important preservation and restoration actions that can be taken in the next two years. Although the actions have not yet been lined up in priority, the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project was called out as a high-priority action. Read the story with links in Kitsap Sun, Dec. 21.

Something similar happened in the first Action Agenda in 2008, when the Partnership called for the acquisition and restoration of lands in the Nisqually River delta. The value was so highly considered that some action areas agreed to delay their own projects to move Nisqually to fruition. Perhaps something like that will happen for the North Kitsap lands. Check out the video “The Nisqually Estuary Returns.”

KUOW reporter Ashley Ahearn visited the North Kitsap property and produced a radio piece that outlines the value of the 7,000 acres and discusses the potential acquisition. She did a nice job, as you can see on Earthfix.

Michelle Connor, executive vice president of Forterra, said Ashley’s story will help spread the word about the project throughout the state and beyond.

“This is something that the Kitsap community has known for a long time,” Michelle told me. “Now other people are catching up with us. There is nothing comparable in the Puget Sound region.”

Further bolstering the project is an upcoming study that will examine the ecological values of the 7,000 acres, including nearly two miles of undeveloped shoreline.

A grant of $270,000 will be used to characterize ecosystem values across the landscape and determine which areas are best suited for preservation, forestry and possibly development. A portion of the grant will be used to decide whether revenues can be generated from timber harvest without upsetting the ecological integrity of the region.

The $270,000 study was part of some $6.3 million provided by the EPA’s National Estuary Program for 23 grants earmarked for protecting and restoring Puget Sound watersheds. See Kitsap Sun, Dec. 23.

Acquisition funding for the Kitsap Forest & Bay Project will depend on a variety of public grants and private donations, each with their own requirements. At the same time, the 7,000 acres under discussion contains a variety of small ecosystems that could qualify for one or more restoration and preservation grants.

The 7,000-acre jigsaw puzzle is rather formidable and almost overwhelming, but Michelle Connor is undaunted. Her optimism is infectious. Few people know as much about public conservation grants and philanthropic efforts, and Michelle has an army of people behind her.

The clear strategy moving forward is to assemble this massive puzzle — with all its shapes and colors — one piece at a time.

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The Washington King Tide Initiative is entering its third year, and state officials would like people to shoot photographs of flooded roads, yards and buildings — if such events occur.

In 2010, the high tide at the mouth of Gorst Creek comes close to reaching Toys Topless at the head of Sinclair Inlet in Gorst.
Photo by Meegan M. Reid, Kitsap Sun

High tides are expected to continue for the next few days and return to high levels again in mid-January. Whether flooding occurs at any one place depends on rainfall, winds and atmospheric pressure, as well as tidal levels dictated by the position of the moon and sun. (See NOAA Ocean Service Education.)

Not much flooding occurred during king tides last year, but plenty of photographs were collected in early 2010. That’s when the picture on this page was taken in Gorst between Bremerton and Port Orchard. For additional photos, check out the Flickr page or the video slide show put together by the Washington Department of Ecology.

Taking note of these high tides is one way to gauge how climate change may affect shoreline areas. Over the next 100 years, sea level is expected to rise by at least 2.6 feet, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, although previous estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were in the range of 7 inches to 2 feet.

The King Tide Initiative started in Australia in 2009, according to Ecology’s website on King Tides, but it soon became a project for the West Coast of North America, with Washington and British Columbia joining in 2010 and Oregon and California joining in 2011.

Visit Flickr pages for British Columbia, Oregon and California, which includes regional pages for San Francisco Bay, Santa Monica and San Diego.

For a list of high tides, go to Ecology’s King Tide Schedule page and click on the map. More precise information can be found on NOAA’s page of tide predictions, where you can zoom in to your area of interest.

For past King Tide events, check out my Water Ways entries for Jan. 21, 2011 and Feb. 1, 2010.

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