NW Indian Canoe Journey

Indian Country Today reports on the American Indian Canoe Journey celebrating northwest native culture in the Pacific Northwest.

While the Canoe Journey [this was the 21st annual] initially involved canoe cultures from the Salish Sea, its sphere of influence continues to grow. Joining Northwest Coast canoe families were Ainu from Japan, Inuit from Alaska and Greenland, and Maori from New Zealand.

The Canoe Journey is also a major tourism draw in the host nations and surrounding communities. Elwha Klallam, the second to last stop on the Peninsula before Makah, served 4,000 people – canoe pullers, families and visitors – at breakfast and dinner for two days. It was quite a feat of coordination.

Read the full story: Canoe Journey builds bridges between cultures

Photo by Molly Neely-Walker

10 Gulf oil spill animals could go extinct

Mother Nature Network has a slide show of 10 animals they say are "at risk for extinction" from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

For a handful of species, however, the spill may be the final nail in the coffin. The situation is so dire that one major online gambling site has begun allowing bets on which Gulf animals are most likely to be declared extinct first.

Among the list are:

- Great Lakes Piping Plover (picture): their foraging areas are coastlines that washed up oil now covers.

- Smalltooth and Largetooth Sawfish: while the largetooth "may already be extinct in the region," the smalltooth nursery areas are in the oil spill's path.

- Manatees: the oil is spilling into these endangered animals' summer habitat off Florida which could prompt a "massive" rescue and removal effort.

Read the full story: 10 animals at risk of extinction from Gulf oil spill

Photo from Steven Senne / AP

Swim with whale sharks in Baja, Mexico

MSNBC reports on the adventure of swimming with whale sharks, "the world's largest fish," in the Mexico's Sea of Cortez.

Whale sharks grow up to 40 feet but have very small teeth and aren't predatory. That means they won't try to eat you. Gentle giants, they gather each fall at Bahia de Los Angeles — almost halfway down the Baja Peninsula on the Sea of Cortez — to filter-feed on microscopic organisms called plankton.

The Mexican government also seems concerned about whale sharks, marking off with buoys the part of Bahia de los Angeles where whale sharks congregate and enforcing rules for interacting with the animals. Chasing or herding sharks isn't allowed. No more than three people per boat may be in the water at any time. Touching sharks is prohibited.

Read the full story: Swim with the world's largest fish in Mexico

Photo from Baja Airventures Inc.

Gulf hotels offer oil-free or your money back

USA Today reports that several Gulf Coast hotels are now offering oil-free beaches guarantees.

This is in the wake of the BP oil spill which is still currently spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico and affecting some beaches bordering the area.

"It's frustrating to get the word out that the beaches are fine," says Park Brady, CEO of ResortQuest International, one of the largest operators of vacation rental companies on the coast.

ResortQuest, which typically charges a 15% deposit and full payment shortly before arrival, is issuing full refunds if customers can't use the beach. "It eased a lot of fears," Brady says.

Read the full story: Gulf Coast hotels roll out oil-free beach guarantees

Photo by Michael Spooneybarger / AP

Explore underwater paradise with the whole family

The Star-Telegram reports on five global snorkeling spots where exploring the beauty of underwater paradise is a family-friendly affair.

Along with three places in the Caribbean, Alaska and Florida are also mentioned.

Ketchikan, Alaska. Zip on your head-to-toe wet suit and explore the colorful and diverse marine life in the chilly waters of southeastern Alaska. Local water temperatures reach 65 degrees in midsummer. Participants must weigh at least 90 pounds. Waters are calm; some tidal pools are shallow. Later, join a half-day boat tour from Ketchikan Outdoors and cruise to a remote island for a picnic among wildlife.

Read the full story: Seaside getaways

Photo from Getty Images / Thinkstock

Oil-affected sea turtles won't be "incinerated alive"; BP, enviro groups, US Coast Guard

Reuters reports that an agreement between BP, environmental groups and the U.S. Coast Guard to burn off oil in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill won't burn sea turtles caught up in the oil.

Under the accord reached in talks on Thursday evening and Friday morning, the parties agreed to a plan allowing biologists or other trained wildlife observers to accompany oil-incineration vessels at sea to remove as many turtles as possible from designated areas before burning starts.

Private boat captains chartered for wildlife rescue missions in the Gulf said in affidavits filed with the lawsuit that young sea turtles tend to congregate among oil blobs floating in the water, apparently unable to distinguish between the oil and mats of seaweed that provide natural shelter on the surface of the Gulf.

The turtles are then presumably swept up and unable to escape when shrimp boats contracted for cleanup operations are used to drag fire-resistant booms to encircle the floating oil before it is set ablaze.

Read the full story: Deal struck to save turtles from Gulf oil burns

Photo from Tour de Turtles

Oil spill exhibit at Iowa aquarium

USA Today reports on the Iowa aquarium exhibiting Gulf of Mexico oil spill consequences.

The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa was set to display Gulf of Mexico highlights, but decided to change the exhibit after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster; which continues to affect the area.

The main tank — the size of a school bus — will contain water and artificial coral, its sides adorned with window stickers that look like oil.

"It will look like the oil is sinking down and about to cover the coral, which will kill the coral," said Jerry Enzler, the museum's executive director.

Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons of oil have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and blew out a well 5,000 feet underwater. BP PLC was leasing the rig from owner Transocean Ltd.

[The exhibit] will be a powerful message, said Steve Feldman, a spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a nonprofit accrediting group based in Silver Springs, Md.

"The upclose connection to animals is very powerful. It's part of how we teach our children about nature and in this case, man's impact on nature," Feldman said.

Read the full story: Iowa aquarium exhibit highlights oil spill

Photo from National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium via AP

Endangered coastal spots to see

Coastal Living via CNN reports on nine environmentally-sensitive coastal tourist spots that could disappear in the near future. Among the sites are:

INSIDE PASSAGE, British Columbia: Much of the storied Inside Passage route between Washington and Alaska looks as it has for centuries. Unfortunately, visiting cruise ships trail a hazardous mess in their wake. On a typical week long journey, passengers produce sewage, gray water, and many tons of trash.

EVERGLADES, Florida (picture above): The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, with 1.5 million acres of marshes, estuaries, and prairies, and shady stretches of pine, cypress, and mahogany. Decades ago, the Everglades' freshwater flow was altered to accommodate agriculture, growing cities, and safety concerns. The dams and diversions starved and polluted the delicate ecosystems and the species that relied on them.

ROATAN, Honduras: Divers and snorkelers rave about the majesty of Roatán's biodiverse waters and coral reef system. [Warming oceans], Coastal development, illegal fishing, and reckless divers have taken a toll [on the delicate reefs].

Read the full story: 9 coastal wonders to see now

Photo from National Parks Service

Coral smuggler to be sentenced

The Christian Science Monitor reports on German businessman who plead guilty in a federal court in Portland, Oregon this week for smuggling 40 tons of coral from the Philippines.

Gunther Wenzek, [a German businessman from Essen], runs a company called CoraPet, which sells sand, pebbles, sponges, and shells for aquariums, terrariums, and ponds.

According to documents filed in the case, Mr. Wenzek illegally smuggled two 20-foot shipping containers of coral into the US [from the Philippines to Miami and Portland in 2008]. The containers were falsely labeled as holding “rock” or “gravel.”

Read the full story: German businessman smuggled coral into US from Philippines

Photo by Scott Keeler / Newscom