Charlotte Hincke - 100 Years Young

Charlotte Hincke

Flowers and presents and music at the Mullis Senior Center for 100 year old Charlotte Hincke. Charlotte and her daughter Pat Ball are both very active at the center, and participate in the Center's annual Craft Sale. At 100 years young her eyes are still strong enough to crochet, embroidery, and collect the money at the Craft Sale. Charlotte was the middle of five children, all girls, and is the only surviving of the five. Besides her daughter Pat, who lives on San Juan, she has two other children, seven Grandchildren and three Great Grandchildren. She was married once, and daughter Pat said Charlotte says "once was enough".
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A GUEST EDITORIAL By WILLIAM J. WEISSINGER

Click Link Above to Read Bill's Column.

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Land Bank's Cady Mountain Management Plan Up For Comment

Location Map Of Cady Mountain Land Bank Property

The draft Stewardship and Management Plan for the Land Bank's Cady Mountain Preserve is now available for public review and comment.

The San Juan County Land Bank's 80 acre Cady Mountain Preserve was acquired in January 2003 to protect important scenic and ecological resources and provide opportunities for low-intensity public recreation. This Stewardship and Management Plan is intended to guide management of the preserve in furthering these purposes.

The draft plan can be found on the Land Bank website:
www.co.san-juan.wa.us/land_bank/stew.html

Copies are also available from the Land Bank office, 378-4402. A community meeting to discuss the draft plan will be held on April 7th, 5 p.m. at The Grange, Friday Harbor. All are welcome. Comments are being accepted through April 21, 2005.

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BREAKING NEWS Quick Reponses By Island Air Staff And Pilot Helps Rescue Survivor Of Plane Crash

Tom Schramm of Island Air


A plane crash off of Orcas island could have been even worse than it was were it not for the actions of one of the men in the water and the quick response and eyes of Tom Schramm, a pilot for Island Air. He was the first to the scene where the plane went down, and saw someone in the water flapping his arms. He circled the area waiting for help to arrive and when it did he directed the rescuers to the scene. Members of the Coast Guard, the Navy, SJC Sheriffs boat, and the FH Fire Dept, Boat were all at the crash location to render help in the rescue and recovery.

Tom would like everyone know what an important role the flapping of the arms by a person in the water had in Tom being able to pick out the person alone in the water.

He was on the way to Orcas to pick up a passenger, when he got a call from Jackie Hamilton -owner of Island Air- informing him that a plane had gone down off of Point Lawrence by Orcas, and would he please go check it out. He was circling the area, not seeing anyone [or a downed plane either] when his attention was attracted by splashing in the water. As he pointed out, from 700 feet up, people are real small, and he might not have seen the figure but for the rhythmic slapping. He continued to circle while contacting emergency personnel and then directing them to the scene.

The figure which had been doing the splashing became quiet after a period. Conserving energy or - unconscious? One of the people pulled from the water is now at hospital in Bellingham where he is being treated for hypothermia. The second victim did not survive the crash. At this time the names of the victims are being withheld.




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A Ban On Hand Held Cell phones While Driving Moves Forward

A bill to outlaw hand held cell phones is moving forward in the legislator. Current law prohibits actions that may contribute to negligent driving, and the Washington State Patrol may cite a driver for second-degree negligent driving if they observe dangerous driving -no matter the reason for it. The passage of a law specifically addressing cell phone usage while driving, will make it clearer to both the public -and the police- what constitutes a violation. The current Senate Bill passed in the Senate by 28 to 18, and has now moved on to the House Transportation Committee.

The bill would make :a person operating a moving motor vehicle while holding a wireless communications device to his or her ear guilty of a traffic infraction. However, the bill would not apply to a person operating: (1) An authorized emergency vehicle; (2) A moving motor vehicle using a wireless communications device in hands-free mode; (3) A moving motor vehicle using a hand-held wireless communications device to: (a) Report illegal activity; (b) summon medical or other emergency help; (c) prevent injury to a person or property.

The State Patrol testified "that studies have shown the use of cellular phones while driving increase the likelihood of accidents and impair the driver".

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John Evans On Medevac Bill Sponsored By Spanel & Quall

Guest Editorial By John Evans

There is some significant progress to report in the ongoing effort to get legislation passed in the State legislature that would allow airlift medical flight subscription "insurance" to once again be available to the families of San Juan County. Senator Harriet Spanel's Senate Bill #2005 has passed in the Senate. While the modified bill is not exactly what had been hoped for…at authorizes a study with a report back to the legislature by the end of the year…it is forward progress.

The next step is a hearing on the House side companion bill #1996. This hearing takes place at 8:00 am this Tuesday. Representative Dave Quall is the sponsor of the House bill in close cooperation with Senator Spanel on the Senate side.
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Looking Good At The Mullis Community Senior Center

Landscaping and a whole lot of water for plants

By Jack Cory

The long awaited earthmoving and landscaping of the Mullis Center is under way. Work is expected to be completed in time for spring planting. Geneva Topping has been working on landscaping plans for sometime, and with the "stand-back-and-get-out-of-the-way" driving force of Mr. Don Galt, the earth is being moved. The engine of the Senior Center is -and always has been- volunteers and donations, and with the help of the usual suspects, and a few new ones, we can soon expect to see a new showplace of gardens and plantings for all to enjoy.

A new well has been drilled and is pumping thirty gallons a minute. This will supply the landscape with the water needed to keep the plantings healthy and happy. The Pelindaba Lavender Farm is supplying some plants to the Center at cost, and with the help of a retired Professor of Botany, Richard Norris and his wife Fiona (both of whom have designed public gardens), Gene Wilkinson, and Norm Schwinge, these plants will soon be incorporated into Geneva's plans. The Master Gardeners of San Juan County will also be an on-going part of the process, and will be creating and maintaining a demonstration garden.

The Center invites the public to stop by take a look at the progress, and a great time to do so will be on Sunday, the 3 of April, when, coincidently, you can have a great breakfast, and the $5.00 you spend will help the many volunteers continue their fine work. In fact, on every first Sunday of the month you can have a great breakfast at the Senior Center. See you there!

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Tom Cowan Objects To Permit Center Sign

Tom Cowan and Planner Lee Mcenery

Tom Cowan, former County Commissioner from Lopez, came before the Planning Commission with an application for an open space application on 18 acres of a 40 acres parcel that was purchased in 2000. Mr. Cowan hoped to have the recommendation by the Permit Center to approve the application be accepted by the commission which would, in the words of Lee Mcenery, Senior Planner, result in "a tax shift of about a $1000.00" in favor of the Cowans'.

While Mr.Cowan stated that he "Praised the department, and agreed with their recommendations" he did however volunteer that it bothered him that "I was required to post a sign at the entrance to our property, the title is Proposed Development" He stated that "the whole reason we got into the open space plan is because we do not want to develop out property…we want to do proper stewardship with the timber open space". He again stated "I did not like posting that sign of Proposed Development." He then suggest that the sign be changed to read Notice of Public Hearing".

After the Commissioners approved by unanimous vote to place the 18 acres into open space, a motion was made to change the signs. This was followed by discussion on what then should be stated on the sign. The discussion came down to Public Process vs. Proposed Development, with some of the members suggesting there should be two signs, one for Development projects and one for non-development projects.

Francine Shaw, Deputy Director pointed out that there is state law regulations that say what the signs must say and how they must be worded. She will provide the Commission with a memo that explains what the law says, and then the commission can use that as a starting point in their review of the signage.

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Press Release From The WA State Ferries

(SEATTLE) The Washington State Transportation Commission hosted a public hearing in Seattle (Wednesday, March 23) and determined the Washington State Ferries should amend their tariff proposal and open public comment for 30 more days. Another Transportation Commission public hearing is slated for Tuesday, April 26, 2005 from 10 to noon in the PSRC Board Room, 5th floor, at 1011 Western Avenue in Seattle.

The new aspects of the proposal call for a 6% general ferry fare increase while maintaining a 90 days expiration date on multi-ride fare cards, with a 20% discount. The original proposal called for a 5% general fare increase but included more restrictive expiration dates on the multi-ride cards and significant revisions to the discount policies. Also, the original proposal was amended to allow the passenger multi-ride fare media to be used for all passengers traveling together so a family would not have to have a multi-ride card for each family member.


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Community Water Systems Safe? State Says Yes; But Could Be Safer

Trout Lake - Water Source For Friday Harbor Water System

Trihalomethanes (THM) are byproducts resulting from the chlorination of water that contains organic material, such as would be found in exposed surface water. Lakes and impounded surface waters are the source of drinking water for a number of water systems in San Juan county. THM has been linked as a possible source of increased percentage levels in certain health concerns, most notably as a possible carcinogenic.

Highest on the lists of persons most susceptible to potential negative impacts are pregnant women. Pregnant women should discuss this issue with their physicians, and may decide to use an alternative source of water for personal use.

The County's water supplies are tested on a regular bases as required by the State. The tests has shown that some of our water supplies from surface waters has exceeded the recommend levels of (THM) by a small percentage. The state standards are round numbers (80 ug/L = micrograms per liter -same as parts per billion), and the levels of some of our local water supplies have exceeded those numbers at certain times over the year. The Town of Friday Harbor has, for example, had an average level of 82.70 ug/L, with a high of 112.7 and a low of 54.3.

It has been suggested that homeowners can install filters to remove the THMs, but before you install an activated carbon filter, you may want to consider the potential effectiveness of removal of contaminates. Research has indicated that activated carbon is an ideal medium for growing bacteria. If there is no bacteria in the source water, there is little reason for concern, but if the source water does contain bacteria, then the filter can become a home for new bacteria growth that will in time close off the openings in the filter, causing it to be less efficient in filtering. It is still unclear whether the bacteria growing on the carbon poses a health threat, or whether they are harmless.

There is also the problem of the effective life of any filter -even if blockage by bacterial is not a problem. Bear in mind that the gallons of water used per day by two people is, at the high end, 120 gallons a day. Faucet-attached and countertop styles have a filter life of only 100 to 3,000 gals. An under counter type has only 3 to 4 thousand gallons, and the in-line types only 100 to 200 gallons

And last but not least, even the most effective filters will not remove all of the THM. The percent of removal range is from 33 to 62 percent, and as noted above, these numbers quickly drop with the use of the filter, and a lack of replacement and maintenance of the filter will quickly negate even the minimum treatment that a new filter can provide.

In short, the use of individual home filters is considered by health officials to be a temporary solution, both in terms of the effectiveness of the filters, and the long range health goals of government.

If one is concerned enough to take some action, it seems the best solution is to limit the intake of water from the effected water systems and use an alternate source of water for drinking. But bear in mind that the exceeded levels of THM in our drinking water are not high, and for some of the systems have been at low levels 50 percent of the time.

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Food On The Ferries By May - Agreement Ratified By Worker's Union

A preliminary agreement has been reached between the Inland Boatman's Union (IBU) and Cascade Concessions, the company selected to provide food service on Anacortes-San Juan Islands-Sidney, B.C. routes.

As reported by The Island Guardian last week, Washington State Ferries' Director Mike Anderson had set a deadline for Cascade Concessions and the IBU both of whom worked to reach an agreement at a meeting held at the WSF offices. On Saturday the 19 TH the agreement was ratified by the Inlandboatmen's union.
Based on the agreements of the meeting it is now anticipated that service will be restored by May -if a number of issues can still be worked out.

"We'll continue to work closely with both parties to reach a final agreement," said WSF Executive Director Mike Anderson. "Our goal is to have food service back on our busiest routes in time for summer season".

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Controversy Over Report On Sonar Testing

USS SHOUP - The Navy Ship Used To Test Sonar In 2003

The report issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service Office is already under fire from the academic world and environmentalists. The report makes statements as to the extent, if any, that sonar testing has had on sea life. The USS SHOUP (shown above) tested sonar in the our waters in 2003. The levels of the sound generated by the sonar have been estimated to be 500 times louder than the normal levels found in the waters, and there were reports by our local experts, Dr. Osborne and Mr. Balcomb, of unusual behavior by some of the whales. This is in contrast to the Navy experts, while not present at the time of the testing, did review tapes of the whale behavior and found the behavior to be "within the species normal range".

With respect to the impact on the whales, the report concludes that "The long-term biological significance of auditory masking resulting from sonar exposure was likely minimal, considering the relatively brief duration (just over three hours) of exposure". The report is silent on the possibility of what damage might result to land based mammals (e.g. homo sapiens) exposed to music for three hours that is 500 times louder than normal, nor does it quantify the possible importance of what the psychological impact would be in the absence of an understandable reason for the sudden occurrence of "noise" at such levels and duration.

The final conclusion of the report states:

"Whether behavioral reaction to the 5 May 2003 sonar transmissions was responsible for strandings of harbor porpoise in the area over the following days is unknown". If it is known to the whales or not, is also unknown at this time.

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100 Million Gallons Of Water From Rosario To Eastsound

The Eastsound Water Users Association and Rosario Utilities announced today that they have reached an agreement in principal to cooperatively develop additional water system capacity to serve the future needs of Eastsound and the Rosario area.

Rosario Utilities has agreed to provide 100 million gallons of water per year to the Eastsound Water Users Association utilizing Rosario's existing, established water rights that are not currently associated with its domestic water system. An independent engineering and hydrology study has determined that there are sufficient water resources in the Cascade Lake basin to meet the planned future needs of the Rosario service area as well as provide the additional supply to meet the needs of Eastsound. The study takes into account the need to maintain historic lake levels for park and recreational purposes. The water rights for this supply have been used for hydropower generation for Rosario and date back to the 19th century. Rosario's drinking water rights are not affected by the agreement with Eastsound.

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Frontier Building Supply Still In Business

Bob Phillips of Orcas Island Checking Out Material in F. H. Contractors Store

Frontier Building Supply has sent out a letter to their customers expressing their disappointment in the recent story in the San Juan Journal that Frontier felt "ran a somewhat confusing story about our Friday Harbor location". In an attempt to clear up the current status of their business operation in San Juan County, Frontier stressed that they are still "OPEN FOR BUSINESS", and will continue to supply local contractors with the same on-site delivery and sales support "We have offered to contractors since 1975".
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Public Is Heard By WSF - So Far Anyway

After reviewing the public input, the Ferry Tariff Advisory Committee altered their proposal to meet many of the demands and concerns expressed in the public meetings. Some of the proposals that have been altered or allowed to remain as they were with minor changes are the following:

The continuing use of multi-ride cards by others than the purchaser of the cards. However it is not clear how this will work with car-and-driver cards, since they have to be inserted into a card reader.

A way for groups to have discount tickets is to be explored, although the administration costs of such a program may be too great to allow this to be viable.

The expiration dates on the tickets may be expanded.

One recommendation that is going to remain in the proposal is the need to increase the price of tickets. The changes will be accompanied by a new proposed increase of -at least- an additional one percent from the original increase of five percent, to a new increase of six percent.

The new proposal will be subject to additional hearings when it is presented to the Transportation Commission on March 23, 2005. The hearing will be held in Seattle.

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NEW CAMPGROUND ON SAN JUAN ISLAND?

Site Is Southwest Of Lakedale Campground


"Durhack's Wonderful Campground", A new private campground for tents and self contained RVs has been proposed for 33 acres on San Juan Island next to the existing Lakedale Campground. Richard Durhack has made application for up to fifty campsites with trails leading to the existing lake. In the permit application description of the proposed use, the following statement was made: "Camping and anything else that is legal" on the site.
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New Evans Column And A Guest Editorial