Any more reports of whether it's expected to flood? Talked to some troopers earlier who said they expected a little water to come into downtown.

09/16/08 © Sabrina C. Thompson

Innovative Artography

I took some pictures of the FLOD today from Heritage Park (while I was there for Arlington NW.) Here they are:

Capitol Lake with Dead Salmon Amid Thick Weeds

Fetid Lake of Doom bad for fish and other living things, says state department of Fish and Wildlife:

Management (of Capitol Lake) that includes some estuarine restoration (Estuary and Dual Basin Options) are anticipated to: 1) increase the area, and enhance functions and processes associated with an ecosystem type at higher risk in the Puget Sound Ecoregion (i.e. estuarine wetlands) than the lake options (Status Quo and Managed Lake); 2) favor more special designation species than the lake options; and 3) support fewer exotic species than the lake options.

The researchers released their report yesterday morning at a meeting of the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan group, which is available here in pdf and here on scribd.

Basically speaking, estuary restoration would be good for fish and animals that depend on estuaries, would restore a rare habitat in Puget Sound and would minimize the exotic species that depend on the shallow, artificle lake.

There's also an interesting discussion on sea-level rise, but I would suggest reading or skimming the entire report:

Our best guess is that cyclic discharge of lake water through the 5th-Avenue Dam will likely occur at lower level of the ebb tide than currently occurs. At some point, the current mechanical controls at the 5th-Avenue Dam will no longer be effective at preventing saltwater intrusion into the lake. Again we do not anticipate large changes in species utilization triggered by sea level rise, rather a broadening of marine species distribution as saltwater intrusion into the lake occurs.

"They will find another place to feed"

Comments on the discussion at FLOD-milfoil

Unfortunately the milfoil doesn't show up very well in the following image, but if you go there, it's plain to see.

What with fuel prices reaching higher altitudes, Boeing has become a fan of the Algal Biomass Organization. Hmmm, where could someone get thier hands on a seemingly endless supply of algae...

Photo Credit: 'earball's' Olympia photo set on Flickr.

Capitol Lake, Olympia, WA

Hosted by Saint Martin's University in cooperation with Washington Dragon Boat Association.

Dragon boat racing dates back to fourth-century China to commemorate a famed poet, Qu Yuan, who threw himself in the Milo River to protest the political turmoil and suffering of the people at that time. Nowadays, dragon boat racing is primarily for fun and is festive in nature.

This will be the third dragon boat race at the Capitol Lake in Olympia. The event is expected to draw up to 1,000 spectators. Saint Martin's University is proud to be hosting the event with the cooperation of the Washington Dragon Boat Association.

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