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Is This All We'll Leave to Future Generations? Photo by Peter Guerrero
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CO2 Levels in the Atmosphere
July 2021: 415.63 ppm
This time last year: 413.55 ppm
10 years ago: 392.21 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350
Atmospheric CO2 reading from Mauna Loa, Hawaii (parts per million). Source: NOAA-ESRL
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Ecology Declares Drought Emergency, Protection Island Burns
A historically dry spring and summer, followed by a record-breaking heat wave, have affected water supplies across Washington, prompting the Washington Department of Ecology to issue a drought emergency. The only areas excluded from the emergency declaration are Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett.
Averaged statewide, March through June precipitation ties with 1926 as the second driest such period since 1895. A heat dome in late June brought triple-digit temperatures and smashed all-time records across the state, rapidly worsening drought conditions and cooking millions of marine organisms in their shells.
Farmers and ranchers are being forced to cut back on irrigation, and wildfires are burning throughout the state. There is little hope for relief before fall.
“Farmers’ crops are failing and ranchers are losing livestock because of these dry conditions, extreme heat, and lack of water,” Governor Inslee said. “We’re experiencing more droughts in our state as the climate warms. These dry conditions, combined with scorching heat, are putting our way of life at risk."
Meanwhile, this week Protection Island burned, likely caused by a trespasser. Home to 70% of Puget Sound's nesting seabirds and 50% of the last remaining tufted puffins in Puget Sound, the fire also occurred smack in the middle of pupping season for up to 1,000 harbor seals.
Need to find out how you can feel less helpless and do something about climate change? We're always looking for volunteers. Empower yourself. Join us.
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And, for a bit of good news: For several years running, the North Olympic Group has supported summer scholarships to allow students to attend environmental and nature camps on the Peninsula. This year we awarded three scholarships, one each to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, the Feiro Marine Life Center, and the Northwest Watershed Institute. Getting kids out in nature is the best way to create the next generation of environmental champions.
Peter Guerrero, Editor |
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August Meeting: Sno-Isle Group Presents Electric Vehicles - Will They Meet Your Needs?
Thursday August 19, 6PM
Electric Vehicles are increasing exponentially. Learn about this transition to clean energy transportation.
EV owners will talk about:
• Dealer, state, and federal incentives
• Costs to acquire, operate and maintain
• Charging considerations
• Range anxiety
• Battery concerns (spoiler: very, very low failure rate with a small annual power loss)
We’ll provide helpful links to resources such as AAA, Consumer's Reports, SnoPUD and others.
We hope to see you!
Doors Open at 5:45PM for welcoming and informal chat. RSVP Required.
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Help Complete the Olympic Discovery Trail!
Support Peninsula Trails Coalition's plans to extend the Larry Scott Trail to meet the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) at Discovery Bay, enabling riders, runners, and walkers to go all the way to the Pacific Coast at La Push. The Peninsula Trails Coalition has qualified for the "A Community Thrives Campaign" sponsored by USAToday and MightyCause. Public support and campaign donations made through August 13 will unlock grant opportunities so the all-volunteer nonprofit can take the ODT from 85 to 135+ miles of trail. These new connections will bring recreational, environmental, and economic benefits to both our counties. You can help the Peninsula Trails Coalition qualify for the funding needed to fulfill a decades-long vision. Visit the Coalition's page on the "A Community Thrives” website below.
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Port Townsend Students for Sustainability--What I Did On My Summer Vacation
During the summer, Students for Sustainability has been working on our ongoing projects. Despite the cessation of weekly meetings and work parties during these months, our members are continuing to check on our native plant garden at the high school and gather support for our proposal to enact an idling ban in Port Townsend. We would greatly appreciate as many signatures as possible from community members on our petition to accomplish this goal.
As a side project, a few of our members participated in a recycling audit at the Jefferson County Transfer Station. This was the second audit that SFS members participated in, the first being in December. The goal of these audits was to observe the level of contamination in the recycling from different areas of our county and see how those numbers changed over time.
Sorting through the recycling was an incredibly interesting experience. It was truly shocking to see what items people seemed to think or wish were recyclable. For example, we saw several plastic garbage bags (which cannot go into the recycling) full of fairly contaminated recycling. It was also fascinating to see how little attention many people seem to pay to sorting their recycling into the correct bins. The results of these audits showed that Port Townsend improved, Port Ludlow’s contamination levels stayed about the same, and Quilcene’s contamination became worse.
On another note, we would like to express our gratitude for all of the recent support we have received from Jefferson Land Trust including a grant of $1,000. We can’t wait to put this generous gift to good use in our future projects!
We are looking forward to meeting again as a club in the fall. If all goes according to plan, we will finally get to have our regular meetings in person—something that we all sorely missed during the 2020-21 school year.
Thanks to Hailey Galliger for this update.
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Reprieve for Spotted Owl
The Biden administration recently proposed restoring habitat protections across more than 3 million acres of Pacific Northwest forests that are home to the dwindling population of northern spotted owls — a bird that has been a symbol of the fight between environmentalists and loggers for decades.
The proposed rule change would reverse a decision made in the waning days of the Trump administration that stripped critical habitat protections from swaths of federal lands across 45 counties in Washington, Oregon and California — more than a third of the bird’s total protected habitat.
As reported in the Washington Post.
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North Olympic Book Group
Sky Time In Gray's River
by Robert Michael Pyle
September 12, 7PM Zoom
RSVP Required
Sky Time in Gray's River is an elegant meditation on life in the rural Northwest. Through his loving portrait of one riverside village, Pyle illustrates how a special place can transform anyone lucky enough to find it. He shows that you don't have to travel far to see something new every day.
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The North Olympic Group's website is updated to reflect current environmental issues and club events. Members are encouraged to periodically check it out.
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