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Clammers Rejoice! Christmas Present from Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

By William May
Published: 12/16/15 Topics: Fishing Comments: 0

Pardon the triteness, but, a Christmas miracle is in the works! Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife may allow Razor Clamming on Copalis beach during the Christmas holiday.

The announcement came last Friday after Copalis passed two successive rounds of marine toxin testing. A final test late this week will finalize the decision. If the go-ahead comes, clamming will be allowed during the evening tide on December 24th, 25th, and 26th.

Recently, naturally accruing algae has produced marine toxins which make the consumption of Razor Clams unsafe. These toxins are still present in other ocean beaches, which resultantly, will not be open for clamming.

The recent Razor Clamming restriction is yet another chapter in this years continuing story of unsafe algae toxin levels. The 2015 algae bloom is the largest in over a decade, and has produced incredibly high levels of domoic acid. Shellfish can accumulate high concentrations of this acid during filter feeding. If ingested by humans, this neurotoxin can result in brain damage, and even death.

While that sounds bad, levels have been trending down lately, and so clammers are anxious to get back to the beaches and make up lost ground. Last year was a bumper season with almost 400,000 digger trips, and the harvest of almost 5.5 million clams according to the Department of Fish & Wildlife

If you’re crossing your fingers for some Razor Clam stocking suffers, make sure you know the main rules: each clammer may only take the first 15 clams their dig, and clammers older than 15 must have a 2015-2016 fishing license.

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Author: William May – Reporter, OceanShores.com
Blog #: 0465 – 12/16/15

Sponsor: OceanShores.com – The center of Ocean Shores & the North Beaches of Washington State. Activites, Restaurants, Shops, Hotels & Vacation Rentals. Put your ad here to build your business. – OceanShores.com

El Nino Looms; Don't Fret Too Much

By Taylor May
Published: 12/01/15 Topics: Comments: 0

December 2015 brought us some great snow here in the Pacific North West. Just a few weeks ago there were amazing morning runs to be had at Stevens, Crystal, Snoqualmie, and others.

However, as much as we don't want to admit it, El Nino is on its way. What does that mean for us Northwest Skiers? Better than last year, but less snow than the average. Typically, El Nino hits the West Coast after New Years. This year looks to be no different, with Alaska experiencing warming temperatures, and California getting some much needed rain. The Northwest is right in the cross hairs for the rest of the winter.

El Nino is a complicated event relating to cyclical temperature changes in the southern Pacific Ocean and atmosphere. These cycles are made up of warm (El Nino) and cool (La Nina) phases, which phases lasting a few months, to a few years. 2016 is set to be a strong El Nino, which means the Polar Jet Stream and Pacific Jet Stream will split and create an area of low pressure off the West Coast, bringing rainstorms to California and parts of Alaska. Don't fret too much about the word “strong” though, as there isn't always a direct correlation between high temperatures and a strong or weak El Nino; sometimes weak El Nino's produce the hottest, driest winters.

A strong El Nino doesn't mean NO snow, but we should expect warmer than average temperatures for the rest of the winter. These conditions should persist from eastern Oregon all the way up to skiing grounds in British Colombia. Given our season last year, even a decrease from the average would still be an improvement!

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Author: Taylor May – Contributor, Northwest Skiers Magazine
Blog #: 0479 – 12/01/15

Sponsor: Northwest Skier – A magazine For skiers, snowboarders and everything snow started in 1964 now an online source of with news, comments, articles, photos and videos. If you slide, visit our Website and join the email list to get instant mountain info year round. – NorthwestSkiers.com

Special Insurance for My Condo or Vacation Home?

By April Klazema
Published: 07/01/15 Topics: Insurance, Lodging Management, Vacation Rentals Comments: 0

If you own a condo in Florida or Hawaii, or a vacation home in some other exotic locale, you are likely curious about what kind of insurance you need to get to cover the property.

Will a general homeowner's policy do? Or will you have to acquire a different kind of insurance to cover the vacation home?

Determining the purpose of your home

To answer this question, we'll ask you a question of our own: for what purpose is the vacation home being used?

If the purpose of the vacation home is for personal use only, then a homeowner's insurance policy will be sufficient to cover the property. Perhaps you and your family take frequent trips to the West Coast and always stay at the vacation property when you do.

Or maybe you spend your summers in one part of the country and live out your winters somewhere else. In these and other similar scenarios, your insurance company will usually be more than happy to provide you with a second homeowner's policy to cover your vacation home.

The bottom line in these scenarios is that your vacation property is still being used as a residence. As a result, the insurance rules for the property are the same as for your full-time home.

Using your home as a rental

On the other hand, if you rent out your property to vacationers or other tenants when you are not using it, then it cannot be protected under a homeowner's policy.

If you are accepting money to allow someone to stay at your vacation home, that qualifies as commercial use, and your vacation home qualifies as a business. Businesses can never be insured under homeowner's policies, and you will need to set up a different kind of insurance policy as a result.

If you are renting out your vacation home for profit, the insurance you are looking for is vacation rental insurance.

A policy of this type will provide you with commercial liability insurance—meaning that if a customer sues for your injury sustained on your property, you will not be liable. It should also include provisions that reimburse you in case your guest damages the property, steals your belongings, or skips out without paying rent.

Don’t fall victim to insurance confusion when it comes to your condo or vacation home! If you are only using the property for personal residential use, a homeowner's policy will cover it.

If you are using the condo or house as a rental, then vacation rental insurance is pivotal to keep you, your building, your belongings, and your finances safe!

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Author: April Klazema – Author, Vacation Rental Association
Blog #: 0406 – 07/01/15

State Gives Razor Clams the Boot

By William May
Published: 05/18/15 Topics: Fishing, Government, Ocean Shores WA Comments: 0

And just like that it was over.

This has been one of the best razor clam digging seasons in years. But Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife giveth and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife taketh away.

Today state shellfish managers announced, "Digging will remain closed on ocean beaches for the remainder of the razor clam season because of elevated toxin levels."

The result in cancellation of the two openings that were tentatively scheduled to start May 15 and May 22.

The culprit is domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae. This is bad stuff which can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. The Clams absorb the acid in their fat cells and can retain it even after the ocean is free of the stuff.

So if you dug any clams and froze, bottled or canned them it is now time to toss those critters in the trash and write it off to bad luck.

But there is good news. The phenomenon of domoic acid is nothing unusual. Clams have been going through this cycle forever. The waters will clear and razor clamming will resume again this autumn.

Until then we'll just have it switch over to greasy hamburgers and deep fried fish. Is it no wonder we all love Razors?

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Author: William May – Razor Clammer, OceanShores.com
Blog #: 0396 – 05/18/15

Velella Velella Attack Ocean Shores

By William May
Published: 04/15/15 Topics: Ocean Shores WA Comments: 0

With the unseasonably warm weather, people are not the only creatures trekking to Ocean Shores Washington.

The aptly named Velella Velella jelly fish have been washing up by the millions on West Coast Beaches.

"They do look messy," said Jackie Martin, a property manager at By the Sea Vacation Rentals, "The last time we saw these was six years ago and they washed away fairly closely."

The warmer temperatures causes the creatures to migrate closer to the land and in the millions. When the wind blows in a certain direction, the jelly fish are blown off course and up onto the beach.

As small cnidarians, Velella Velella are members of a an ocean surface community that includes the better-known cnidarian siphonophore, the Portuguese man o' war. Each individual is about 7 cm long, usually deep blue in color with a small stiff sail that catches the wind and propels them on the surface of the sea.

Velella Velella are carnivorous little guys, catching plankton in their tentacles that hand down in the water They are not poisonous, and they do not have a sting.

Says Martin, "They can be handled with out any problem, but people should wash their hands after touching them."

The wind and high tides may wash them right off the beach, or they could be in evidence for months all the way into summer.

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Author: William May, Plumbob Publishing
Blog #: 0393 – 04/15/15

Welcome to the New OceanShores.com

By William May
Published: 04/01/15 Topics: Ocean Shores WA, Vacation, Vacation Rentals Comments: 0

Since 1996, OceanShores.com has been the center of everything about the city of Ocean Shores and the North Beaches of Washington State. Now it is getting bigger better, and faster.

Operated by Plumbob Publishing this new revamped website pledges to find and publish everything that every visitor and resident wants to know about the area. Lodging, restaurants, activities, shopping and more.

From the tip of Damon point in south Ocean shores to the cute Quinault tribal village of Taholah, every corner is covered including Ocean City, Copalis Beach, Seabrook, Pacific Beach and Moclips. Even relevant news from Hoquiam, Aberdeen, Montesano and even Westport, Grayland and Tokeland will make its way here.

Businesses can publish full descriptions, photos, videos, special offers and news.

Visitors can search for places to stay, where to eat and shop and how to have a splendid time at one of the countries most scenic and enjoyable getaway locations..

For extra help, guests can call our toll free number open 9am to 8pm everyday of the year. They can get help about most any subject about ocean shores.

Residents too can find what they need for services, government information and more. There are even free classifieds for non-commercial use. Sell household items, give away a pet, or post your news.

The staff are quickly available to consult with advertisers, businesses and visitors to help them get the maximum benefit out of having OceanShores.com as the perfect place to find what they need.

If you have suggestions, comments or even complaints feel free to complete the inquiry form. Getting better is what OceanShores.com is all about.

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Author: William May, OceanShores.com
Blog #: 0391 – 04/01/15