Mason County PUD No. 3 released its annual report on its sources of electricity. For another year, customers can be pleased about PUD 3’s mix of energy sources.

According to the report, which is based on the Washington State Department of Commerce’s “Utility Fuel Mix Report for 2011,” 77 percent of the wholesale electricity purchased by the PUD comes from renewable sources, such as hydroelectricity, and qualifying energy sources under the Washington State Energy Independence Act (Initiative 937). Nearly 12 percent of the electricity comes from the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in south-central Washington. read more »

WSU Extension and the Puget Sound Partnership announced that the Draft 2012 Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound (Draft LID Manual) is available for broader stakeholder review until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

The Draft LID Manual is an update to the existing 2005 LID Technical Guidance read more »

InTheWorks, Inc. (ITW) announces that Ted Treanor joined its management team. InTheWorks is a Kitsap County-based clean technology company with plans to expand operations within the county.

Scott Reynvaan, ITW’s CEO and co-founder, said, “Ted has shown great value as a trusted advisor over the years. He will join us in strategically positioning the company into its global leadership role. Our next generation catalytic converter will transform the catalytic industry for the combustion engine. read more »

Great Peninsula Conservancy purchased 10 acres of salmon habitat on Hood Canal’s Big Beef Creek in late November. The parcel joins 900 acres of surrounding conserved lands, known as the Big Beef Creek Salmon Sanctuary, owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources, and University of Washington.

Big Beef Creek is one of the Kitsap Peninsula’s most pristine riparian corridors and productive salmon streams. Federally listed (threatened) summer chum, once extirpated from Big Beef Creek, were successfully re-established in the stream beginning in 1996. The newly-acquired parcel contains high-quality spawning and rearing habitat for summer and fall chum, coho, and steelhead. read more »

Bloedel Reserve has joined the Sentinel Plant Network (SPN), a partnership of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) and the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The SPN is focused on engaging public garden professionals, volunteers, and visitors in the early detection of high-consequence plant pests and pathogens.

The SPN recently hosted a series of workshops to train public garden staffs about regional plant pests and diseases, to demonstrate best practices of scouting and reporting, and to showcase SPN educational outreach materials. read more »

The City of Gig Harbor Parks Commission will host a public open house regarding Wilkinson Farm Park at the beginning of the next Parks Commission meeting on Feb. 1, from 5 - 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Gig Harbor Civic Center, located at 3510 Grandview Street.

The Parks Commission is accepting public comment on the conceptual trail plan for Wilkinson Farm Park. Elements of the plan include additional new trails, viewing platforms, footbridges and potential wetland restoration areas. read more »

Public comment is being sought on a federal grant application sponsored by Mason County to the State of Washington Department of Commerce through U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The proposal is for a project on behalf of Faith in Action West Sound for a Center for Seniors Facility in the town of Belfair in the amount of $1 million. Under the guidelines of this grant, Mason County is the only eligible applicant. read more »

The Washington Supreme Court upheld a challenge to state water law, affirming the state’s position that groundwater used for stock-watering purposes is exempt from the requirement to apply for a water permit.

The case stemmed from a dispute over whether Easterday Ranches in Franklin County was required to obtain a permit to withdraw water from a well to operate a cattle feedlot serving roughly 30,000 head of cattle.

Mary Sue Wilson, ecology division chief for the Attorney General’s office, argued on behalf of the state that state law clearly exempts this type of activity from water right permitting requirements. In its 6-3 decision, the state Supreme Court agreed, “Under the plain language of the statute, withdrawals of groundwater for stock-watering purposes are not limited to any particular quantity.” read more »

Everyone wants to help the environment, but blindly following trendy environmental fads can often do more harm than good. Eco-fads squander precious resources and waste the opportunity to adopt more beneficial strategies.

One of the most common errors made by environmental activists is to believe that only radical revolutions make an environmental difference. In fact, environmental improvement comes incrementally as we find ways to do more with less. read more »