Friday photo — this one from the San Juan Islands:

(click for larger image)

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago of hundreds of islands near Seattle. It’s a gorgeous area, and full of wildlife — “the land of orcas and eagles”. Ferries ply the waters, and are the most common method of inter-island travel. This ferry is arriving at Orcas Island, the largest island of the chain.

Orcas is also home to Mt. Constitution, a “must-climb”. You climb to the top (OK, some people drive instead!), and catch the view out over the top of all the other islands. Simply spectacular! Guess that’s another photo I’ll have to publish…

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We do a San Juan Islands tour for women each summer, and have two lined up this August. It’s a peaceful place, with a slower pace, and I quite adore it. August is a wonderful time of year there (as well as an ideal time to escape from Phoenix!)

In the latest development in the battle of good vs. evil whales vs. the government, a judge has overruled President Bush: the Navy cannot be exempted from a sonar ban.

Environmentalists have fought the use of sonar in court, saying it harms whales and other marine mammals. They won an injunction that created a no-sonar zone, but President George Bush signed a waiver in January exempting the Navy and its anti-submarine warfare exercises.

In reinstating the ban, the judge wrote that she had “significant concerns about the constitutionality of the President’s exemption”. White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said. “We believe the orders are legal and appropriate.”

One round for the whales.

National Geographic News: Navy Not Exempt From Sonar Restrictions, Judge Rules

Previous installments:

1 - Killer whales and Navy sonar
2 - Bush trumps courts, Navy trumps whales

We visit the territory of the resident killer whales on our women’s trips to the San Juan Islands each year. These orca whales face many threats, but hopefully navy sonar will no longer be one of them.

Powerful navy sonar is known to disturb marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, and the military itself has admitted that the sonar could permanently injure them.

Earlier this month, a US District Judge issued an injunction limiting the navy’s use of certain sonar during training sessions along the coast because of such issues. President Bush then issued a memorandum exempting the navy from the applicable environmental laws, saying the training was “in the paramount interest of the United States” and “essential to national security”.

A spokesman for the National Resources Defense Council stated “If the administration can just wave a magic wand and do away with the will of Congress and do away with the will of the courts, that raises a very serious question about how our democracy is functioning.”

Sonar has been an issue around the San Juan Islands since 2003, when it was first observed causing problems for whales and porpoises here. The orca whales here are listed as endangered. The local navy commander at the time vowed that his personnel would not use mid-frequency sonar in the future if they knew that orcas were present.

Seattle PI: Bush allows Navy sonar use despite fears for whales

We run our San Juan Islands trip for women every summer, and spend time exploring this gorgeous area by land and sea. A highlight of the trip is an opportunity to see the orca whales — magnificent animals. Whenever I find relevant items, I post in our San Juan Islands category.

The resident orcas (also known as killer whales) of the Puget Sound area near Seattle are endangered. Biologist Ken Balcomb has been studying them for years, investigating a trend where mature, healthy orcas disappeared for unknown reasons.

While listening to the whales with underwater microphones, he found a clue to the puzzle.

See the video at:
National Geographic: Killer Whales Blasted by U.S. Navy Sonar

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We go whale watching in search of the orcas every year on our San Juan Islands tours for women. I’m always looking for related items of interest, and post them in our San Juan Islands category.

The area near Seattle and Vancouver Island has been found to have mysterious earth tremors, that are not earthquakes. The tremors are mild, and appear to be intensified at high tide. This seems to indicate that the gravitational pull of the moon, which creates the high tide, also can influence these geological tremors.

Researchers have long tried to prove a link between the state of the tide / moon and the likelihood of earthquakes, but without success.

National Geographic: Mysterious Tremors’ Strength Ebbs With Tides

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We do a beautiful San Juan Islands tour near Seattle every year, but haven’t felt any tremors yet! I’m always watching for related items of interest, and post them in the San Juan Islands category.