Fay Chaffee Announces For County Council

Fay Chaffee has officially announced her candidacy for County Council, District 3, the Town of Friday Harbor.

Fay moved to Friday Harbor from Colorado in 1991 and has spent the past ten years at the Community Development & Planning Department, the last eight as a Permit Coordinator.

The mother of two grown sons, Fay is originally from Portland, Oregon and has lived and worked in California, Colorado, and Hawaii. An entrepreneur at heart, Fay has owned a secretarial service, opened the first cookie store in Aspen, Colorado, and had a challenging career in Hawaii working as assistant to a hotel developer.

With the growth issues facing Friday Harbor and San Juan County, Fay said she believes that her experiences place her in a unique position to help resolve these issues. She plans on talking and listening to residents of both Friday Harbor and San Juan County, and is looking forward to addressing their concerns as a council member.

Fay said she would like to help steer San Juan County’s inevitable growth in positive ways, emphasizing open and honest government, and focusing on issues that affect the residents of the Town of Friday Harbor, and San Juan County.

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Call In Tagged Lincod

“Attention anglers! We need your help with a lingcod tagging study in the San Juan Channel.” Anne Beaudreau is a grad student at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs, and has been researching lingcod in the San Juans for almost 5 years.

Over the summer she tagged more than 300 fish to learn more about their population status and movement patterns. “I’ll be fishing in May to recapture tagged lingcod but it would be great to have the help of local anglers who might catch a tagged ling” she said.

This work is being conducted by researchers at the University of Washington to determine seasonal movement patterns of lingcod. Look for lingcod marked with gray plastic spaghetti tags.


If you catch a tagged lingcod please record as much of the following information as possible:

1) Tag number;
2) Date and time collected;
3) Location – as specific as possible (Latitude-Longitude position, or Descriptive location, such as “east side Turn Island”);
4) Fish length and/or weight.

Please report this information to Anne Beaudreau at the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences by phone (206) 221-5458 or e-mail annebeau@u.washington.edu Contact Anne with any questions or comments about the project.

You may report tag recaptures anonymously. All information reported will be used only to achieve the scientific objectives of the project.


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Helping Others Help Themselves

(Submitted photo)

Dick Kneipp, retiring as CEO/President of Islanders Bank after 27 years, who has also volunteered for several years as Homes For Islanders Treasurer, presents Home$tart Grants of $5000 each to 6 families who are building their own homes for the next several months in the Park Plaza project of Homes For Islanders.

This is the third project for HFI with 8 homes in each project. The grants are given by the Federal Home Loan Bank in Seattle, of which Islanders Bank is a member and the facilitator of the Home$tart program for San Juan County.

Islanders Bank has given out 38 grants since 2004 with this program. The funds are put to escrow at closing for down payment and closing cost assistance. The participants must open a Home$tart Savings account, to be used for closing costs, which is matched 3:1 by FHLB to a maximum grant of $5000. The grant is forgivable after 5 years of ownership in the home.

Anyone wishing to help these families with the construction weekly hours required is invited to call 370-5944 for times available. If there are questions about the Home$tart Program, please call Carrie Brooks at Islanders Bank, 378-1228.



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BC Power Projects Put Salmon At Risk

The Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) is a citizens group out of Nanaimo BC that has been active in protecting the marine environment in the Strait of Georgia, and they are expressing concern over an announcement last week that the Plutonic Power Corporation plans to develop 18 power projects in the Bute Inlet watershed. The presence of these plants on three primary river systems and their tributaries will, they say, only put further pressure on already imperiled fish stocks.

The proposed project is on nearly one million hectares of remote wilderness and the infrastructure needed, including kilometres of penstock and tunneling, two hundred kilometres of roads, the use of hectares of land in powerhouse construction, and 570 kilometres of transmission lines, will make this one of the biggest construction projects in BC.

"This enormous infrastructure development is pushing salmon, already in decline on BC's coast, further to the brink," says Deborah Conner, Executive Director of Georgia Strait Alliance. "We cannot continue to destroy salmon habit and think that we won’t pay a price.”

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Stormwater Loan From Land Bank…Maybe

The County Council plans on borrowing $2.000,000.00 from either the Land Bank (or possibly the road fund) to pay for storm water improvements for Eastsound. They will hold a public hearing on the idea, and the Land Bank will also have to approve the loan

County Administrator Pete Rose once characterized the Land Bank to the County Council as “what we want to be when we grow up.” The context was a discussion on the county budget, and his statement simply acknowledged the Land Bank receives one per cent of the selling price when property is sold in the county, and since it has no expenses save for those that are self imposed, it has a whole lot of money to spend.

It does however have limits on what it spends the money on. It can only “be used exclusively for the acquisition and maintenance of real property interests in conservation.” Last week, County Administrator Pete Rose submitted a draft ordinance to the Council that would authorize a short-term $2,000,000.00 internal loan – either from the County Road Fund or from the Land Bank’s “San Juan County conservation area fund”.

The money in the land bank conservation fund comes from all of the revenues that the land bank commission is authorized to receive, and can only be used to “further the goals and objectives of the land bank.”

The proposal for a interfund loan is a follow up to the recent council vote to take the First Step Toward $2M Commitment For Eastsound Stormwater. The vote was to do it, now how to do it. The idea of the interfund loan is the “how to” part of coming up with the money.; Councilman Rich Peterson said “If we work this right, we may not have to borrow anything.”


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4th of July Parade Theme Announced

To give you time to plan your entry, the 4th of July Parade Committee has announced the theme of the 2008 4th of July Parade, " Island Animals on Parade," a celebration of our diverse island wildlife as well as our special pets.

Once again, Lin and Pam Pearson and their dedicated committee members are taking the lead to bring us a parade that will be fun and memorable for all ages. The parade is sponsored by the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce. Entry forms can be picked up at the Chamber office, Bison Gallery or Petro San Juan after May 1.

In addition the Chamber of Commerce has begun its campaign to raise funds for the traditional 4th of July Fireworks Show on this favorite island holiday. This spectacular show benefits the entire community and is made possible through generous contributions from individuals and businesses alike. The costs this year will be approximately $15,000.

The public can help the chamber keep this tradition alive by sending in your donation today to: SJI Chamber of Commerce, P. O. Box 98, FH WA 98250, or drop it by the office at 135 Spring Street.

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New Equipment On Island Air Ambulance

San Juan Island EMS EMTs will now be able to more effectively monitor the vital signs of patients who are being flown to the mainland. The EMTs will use the recently acquired Propaq LT monitor and sensor-based stethoscope on all Island Air Ambulance flights.

This specially designed and improved equipment provides accurate measurements, even when there is noise and vibration in the aircraft.

The equipment was purchased using generous donations from several San Juan Islanders provided through the San Juan Island Community Foundation and from the Foundation’s general endowment fund.
Island Air Ambulance is a healthcare partnership of San Juan Island EMS and Island Air Inc.

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Rick Larson Raises Questions about Border Patrol

(County and Town of FH hold a joint-meeting on Tuesday)

Border Patrol stops were a topic at the recent joint County-Town of Friday Harbor meeting this week, and now Council Chair Howie Rosenfeld and Council Member Kevin Ranker have gone to the airwaves to voice their views on the Anacortes spot checks.

Rosenfeld was interviewed by National Public Radio reporter Martin Kaste this week and Ranker was on KUOW Seattle’s Public Radio call-in Show “Weekday”, where he said stronger action by the federal representatives were needed to raise questions about Border Patrol Ferry Terminal stops.

2nd District Congressman Rick Larsen has now responded to questions he has been asked, by sending a list of questions to U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar. Larsen wants to know how effective the stops are, and what the negative impacts of the ferry spot checks may have on the economy.

Ranker said he was “Pleased to see Congressman Larsen taking an aggressive interest in this issue,” and Council Chair Howie Rosenfeld agreed, “It's really gratifying to get strong action on this issue from our Congressman so quickly after our contact with him.”

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Time To Go Lake Fishing

Great trout fishing for anglers throughout Washington gets under way April 26, when several lakes in San Juan County open for a four-to five-month-long season.

Traditionally the annual opening day of the state’s lowland-lake trout fishing season draws more than 300,000 anglers of all ages – the largest turnout of any fishing season opener in Washington.

“With travel costs up this year, lowland lake fishing is a great recreational opportunity for people looking to stay close to home,” said Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Jeff Koenings, and added: “Anglers of all ages should find good fishing at any of the lakes stocked with trout."

Where and how listed below:

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‘Thank You’ for Spring Cleaning our Beaches!

(Members of 4-H Bits-n-Spurs Club picked up 260 pounds off the beach)

51 volunteers joined the National Parks and Friends of the San Juans sponsors and cleaned South Beach on San Juan Island on Earth Day.

They picked up 660 pounds of garbage including 9 tire floats, a 10 foot length of large hawser roop, a sand filled TV set, 4 large Styrofoam chunks and bags full of myriads of little pieces of plastic and Styrofoam, food wrappers, cigarette butts and lighters, clothes, bits of rope, netting, shotgun shells, etc.

While the majority of the volunteers stuck to the main beach area, 21 members of the Bits-n-Spurs 4-H club (photo above) ventured into the more difficult to access Granny’s and Redoubt coves to the west where cleanups rarely happen. In addition to individuals around the county adopting their favorite beaches, the Soroptimists cleaned Jackson’s Beach – a service they do every three months, the Shaw Is. School cleaned South Beach, Shaw Island, and Nick Teaque of BLM assembled volunteers for several south Lopez Island beach areas.



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WSU Beach Watchers Graduates Class Of 2008

The third class of San Juan County/WSU Beach Watchers
graduated April 24th after attending nearly 100 hours of classroom training and field experience about the San Juan County marine and watershed environment.

The new class of Beach Watchers included 10 members from Orcas Island, 2 from Lopez and 9 from San Juan Island. Extension Director Tom Schultz and Program Coordinator Shann Weston addressed the graduating class and handed out Graduation Certificates to the new WSU Beach Watcher Volunteers.

Says Weston, "I have been honored to coordinate Beach Watchers' Training for these special volunteers. Many instructors have contributed to make this experience informative and valuable. The Beach Watchers now have an opportunity to give back to their community with service hours."

The new 2008 WSU Beach Watcher Volunteers are:

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$525K To Home Trust

San Juan Community Home Trust has been notified that it will receive $525,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for its proposed project on the Buck Property in Friday Harbor. The grant will be used to help fund infrastructure costs into the upper 5.1 acres of the Buck property, off of Grover Street and closest to the elementary school.

The award comes from the State’s CDBG Housing Enhancement Program, and is a companion grant to the $600,000 Housing Trust Fund award announced last month. The new award replaces, in the same amount as requested, the CDBG General Purpose fund that was selected by the San Juan County Council as the top priority for San Juan County this year for CDBG funding.


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Planning A Ferry Trip This Saturday?

Washington State Ferries expect as many as 500 additional ferry riders on Saturday will be headed to the Tour de Lopez

On Saturday the Tour de Lopez bicycle event will draw up to 500 bicyclists to Lopez Island, and it is expecte the 8:45am departure from Anacortes will be highly impacted by this event, as the majority of cyclists head to Odlin Park on Lopez Island for a 9:30am check-in.

Customers are encouraged to travel earlier at 5:35am, or take the 12:05pm departure due to reduced capacity on the 8:45am sailing; and as is so often the case when one ferry is impacted, there can be waves from the event that put other sailings off schedule.
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Private Dumps Not Legal

(Reader submitted photo)

Pierrette Guimond was surprised to learn that it is not only legal to bury garbage (solid waste) in San Juan County, it is specifically stated in county ordinance (SJC Ord, 812,010) as being legal. However, Environmental Health Manger MarkTompkins said on Thursday that SJCC 8.14.030, f,1. states that "Unpermitted burial and final disposal of any solid wastes, by any person, is prohibited."

Guimond had appeared before the County Council during Citizen Access time to express her concern, and read from a San Juan County Ordinace that “nothing herein shall prohibit a person from dumping or depositing solid waste resulting from his or her own activities onto or under the surface of ground owned or leased by him or her..”

Guimond said “In other words it is illegal to burn trash in the County but it is not illegal to bury it." She said she had discussed the matter with County officials, and although they did investigate a dumping site on private property, she said they “cannot do anything until it is actually buried.”

The problem becomes one of enforcement, since if the garbage is in a hole or a ditch, it has not been buried, but once it is covered up, it is no longer visible, so the County would have to dig it up to prove it was in fact buried.

“I want the Council to be aware that this is happening.” She told the Council “I have done some research. and in King County this is illegal.” Tompkins said it is illegal here too. The confusion comes from the fact that the language in the ordinance is not the same language that is in the Code.

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$820K SJI School Funding Shortfall

The San Juan Island School District is facing a challenging budget development process for the 2008-09 school year. The District has set up two community meetings for public participation.

The first meeting was on April 23rd, andl reviewed state education funding issues and how they impact the school district for the 2008-09 school year.

A second meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 1st, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. and it will consider what specific program reductions may be required.

The SJI School District is not alone in facing a funding problem. Estimates by the Washington Association of School Administrators are that school districts in the State of Washington face a $100 million shortfall this year. The problem, they say, is “due to under-funded salary increases by the legislature and other program reductions passed during the 2008 session.”


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Safe Cargo: The Right Way To Secure Your Load

The goal is “Making Washington Roads Safer And Cleaner”, and the State and the County are serious about it. The fine for driving with an unsecured load is $216. The penalty can go up to $5,000 and include jail-time if the item causes property damage or injury.

Many accidents and injuries could be prevented simply by securing vehicle loads more effectively, but each year, poorly-secured or un-secured loads contribute to more than 400 vehicle accidents in Washington.

To help people learn the right way to secure a load, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the Washington State Patrol held a demonstration this morning at a Kennewick-area home. The demonstration featured various tools available to help motorists secure a load: ratchet straps, nets, cargo bars, and tarps.
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Else Ranker & A Proud Parent

(Kevin Ranker presents photo (doctored a bit to make if clear) of Else Ranker to the County Council)

County Council Member Kevin Ranker announced the arrival of a new daughter, Else (pronounced ELSE-uh) at the opening of Council Meeting today, and displayed her picture on the video projector.

The Council Members often kid Ranker about how much and how long he speaks, and so when they offered their congratulations, Council Member Rich Peterson asked if Kevin had been talking, since it appeared Else had covered her ears.

Kevin reported that Else arrived at 5:27 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, 2008 and she weighed in at 8.2 pounds. He said his wife, Tina Torri, the baby and he are all doing well, though he said that none of them are sleeping through the night yet. This is their first child.


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Planning An Event? You Need A Permit

In 2006 San Juan County adopted an ordinance that requires certain activities to obtain a Special Event Permit. Special Events are not a type of an event, so much as a potential for impacts on: public property, public facilities, sidewalks, medians, or street areas.

Some examples of special events includes, but is not limited to, fairs, festivals, parades, carnivals, foot runs, bicycle runs, activities at which booths, stalls, concessions, or food sales are allowed. Any planned event which would significantly impact the need to provide emergency services such as police, fire or medical aid, requires a permit.

Special event permits are $100. The permit fee pays for a pre-event inspection and possible inspections during the event. Contact the San Juan County Fire Marshal at 378-FIRE (-378-3473) to apply for a permit

The Fire Marshal has the discretion to extend the permit to cover multiple events if: The layout remains unchanged; Temporary structures and facilities remain in place throughout the permit’s time period, and: All events covered by the permit are identical, meaning that the size, configuration, sponsor and relative fire hazard are unchanged from event to event.

The Fire Marshal also has the authority to waive the fee for an event that is a not-for-profit fundraiser for a local cause.

Why are Special Event Permits needed?
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Rosenfeld Concerned About Partisan Press

(File photo)
County Council Chair Howard Rosenfeld asked the Council and staff on Tuesday “what do we do for the press”?. This captured everyone’s attention, since under County Administrator Pete Rose and the new County Council and their staff, an excellent working relationship with the press has been established, so the few people in attendance were curious why Town of Friday Harbor Council representative Rosenfeld would ask the question.

Rosenfeld then said “We have no definition of what constitutes a legitimate news organization here;” and with that the staff and members of the Council either had broad similes, or joined in the laugher with that the two members of the press who were in attendance.


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Ecology's Earth Day 2008 Website Portal To Special Events Statewide

Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day, and the Washington Department of Ecology has created an Earth Day 2008 website as an easy point of access to Earth Day (Earth Week) events statewide. At http://www.ecy.wa.gov/earthday/ , you'll find an Earth Day '08 message from Ecology Director Jay Manning, as well as links to special events around Washington.

For other information about "living green" in Washington, see Ecology's Internet homepage http://www.ecy.wa.gov/


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Why Gas Is So Expensive

Why Gas Is So Expensive

Attorney General releases final gas price investigation report:

While many vehicle owners have been wondering aloud about gas pricing conspiracies, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna has released a report that found no evidence of wrongdoing by those involved in fuel production and sales.

McKenna’s year-long investigation into gas prices, which included an in-depth analysis of factors influencing prices at the pump, found two causes for the increases. local competition at the gas pump was one, and ironically the root cause for the second one was found to be related to the cost of obtaining and transporting fuel to stations. In other words, the cost of fuel, to transport fuel, raises the cost of fuel to the consumer.

Increasing worldwide demand for oil and an inability for regional refineries to meet local supply demands are the primary contributors to erratically climbing prices, not illegal price manipulation.


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Co-op Members Can Use Their Power to Take Charge of the Future

The landscape of power in the United States–and in the world–is changing. Federal and state legislation is looking to require more renewable generation of electricity and to make carbon users pay towards the environmental costs of non-renewable generation.

Washington State House Bill 2815, known as the “Climate Bill,” was signed into law by Governor Gregoire on March 13, 2008. This bill directs the Department of Ecology to implement a greenhouse gas reporting program for large emitters and design a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program in coordination with the regional plan being developed by the Western Governors Association’s Western Climate Initiative.

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Sign-up & Pick-up Roadside Litter

The public is being asked this year to celebrate Earth Day (April 22) with a renewed commitment to keeping San Juan island litter-free!

In 2007, over 100 islanders signed up for our Imagine No Litter! campaign, agreeing to regularly clean many of our roadsides and beaches. Most of these individuals and groups have said they will continue their efforts in the upcoming year.

But there are still sections of the island that need help, and we would like to encourage anyone not yet participating to sign up to adopt one (or part) of the following roads or beaches: :

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Chuck Rust Running For County Council

Chuck Rust has announced his candidacy for San Juan County Council, San Juan South. Rust relocated to San Juan Island in 2003 after a thirty-five year career in local government.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cal State Fullerton. Rust retired as the Director of Recreation & Parks for the City of Santa Rosa, California, where he was instrumental in the development of a regional sports complex and a public art program.

His concerns for the future of San Juan County include a comprehensive growth management plan and a resolution to both the storm water issue and solid waste disposal. In addition, he is a strong supporter of the council/manager form of government.

Rust is a lifelong sailor, currently serving as Staff Commodore of the Friday Harbor Sailing Club. He is a volunteer firefighter for the Town of Friday Harbor, is actively involved with the WSU Beachwater’s program and serves on the board of United Way of San Juan County. Chuck lives with his wife Bonnie in Hannah Heights.


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Sealth Replaces Elwha Until 4-27

Beginning Sunday, April 20, WSDOT Ferries Division downsized the San Juan Islands route for a week to complete an annual U.S. Coast Guard required inspection on the 144-car Elwha.

During the week, the San Juan Islands route will be downsized by 45 vehicles from its normal capacity.

The 90-car Sealth will operate on the route while the Elwha goes to WSDOT's Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for its annual inspection. The Elwha is scheduled to return to the San Juan Islands on Sunday, April 27th.


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Currently in San Juan County the immunization rates are well below the state average of 71% and National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 19th to 26th, 2008, is a reminder to parents, health professionals, and the public that children deserve a healthy start to life by immunizing them against 14 vaccine preventable diseases. For more information please call Susan Leff, PHN, MS, San Juan County Health and Community Services at 378-4474

Infants are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases; that is why it is so important to discuss with your health care provider the risks and benefits of vaccinating so each individual can make an informed decision.
For more information please call Susan Leff, PHN, MS, San Juan County Health and Community Services at 378-4474

Below is a letter from

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Arbor Day Bare-Root Seedling Give-Away

(File photo of Pauli Gavora pointing to helpers Alex Gavora & not-doing-too-much Gordy for the 2007 event)

Free Trees were given out on on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan on Friday. This was the 12th year (& 12,000 trees later) that Pauli Gavora has organized giving away free trees as a part of national Arbor Day. The seedling this year was the Deodara Cedar.

In 1872 Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska State legislature that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. A holiday for that purpose, Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than one millions trees in Nebraska.

One hundred and thirty-six years later the merits of this act are not diminished. Conserving topsoil was a major factor behind the reforestation project in Nebraska, but trees are of value for a myriad of reasons. Trees help mitigate the erosion of topsoil, they also remove carbon dioxide from the air, they help to purify the water, and they provide habitat for wildlife. They also beautify our communities and serve to pace our existence in a way very special.

The trees are donated each year by Evans Nursery (376-4961), the Republican Party, and Kings Typesetting & Printing. If you would like to be a part of this annual free give-away of trees next year, call Pauli at 378-4348

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Reminder: Not All Signs Are Legal

One goes up, and then another, and another, but all were to be removed after the County Council responded to complaints from citizens.

And many were removed when SJ Community Development and Planning Code Compliance Officer Jeff Wasnick began enforcing a County Ordinance which prohibits -with some exceptions- off-site advertising signs.

Wasnick began “tagging” signs with a notice that unauthorized signs will be removed by the County. Last Summer he tagged 40 signs on Orcas on one day, and 20 on Lopez the next.

Wasnick said that “Last month I only tagged two signs on Orcas and two on Lopez.”
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Orcas Village Hearing Set For Friday

A draft “Plan” for the Orcas Village is ready for prime time comment at 10:30 a.m. on Friday (04-18-08) at the Eastsound Fire Hall, and for those members of the public who can get off work, they may present their views on the Plan at that time to the Planning Commission, or they can mail in their comments, or -best of all- state their views and also turn in written comments.

The proposed Orcas Village Plan, along with the draft Development Regulations; the public input, and the county Staff Report, will form the basis for the Planning Commission members deliberations; deliberations that are expected to follow the close of the public input session, but the hearing may be continued to April 30th (at the same location), if the PC cannot compete their deliberations on Friday.
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CC To MRC: Discontinue Any Effort on Aquatic Reserve

(Kit Rawson, Jim Slocomb and Mary Knackstedt address the Council)

What a strange meeting. In an unexpected move, the County Council voted on Tuesday (4-15-08) to kill any effort to place San Juan County into an Aquatic Reserve (SJAR.

On Tuesday a crowd had already started to form in front of the Council Chambers awaiting access to find out if they would be allowed to speak on the Reserve proposal, and if so, when?

The County Council agenda item always has a spot reserved at 10:00 a.m. for citizen access, which allows any citizen to give voice to any concern they may have. The Tuesday agenda stated the Council was to receive an update from the MRC (Marine Resources Committee) Coordinator Mary Knackstedt, on the Aquatic Reserve, at 11:10 a.m., but said nothing about allowing citizen comment.

A large number of citizens showed up to comment at 10:00 o’clock on the Reserve proposal, but Rosenfeld informed them they would not be allowed to speak on an agenda item, but should time allow, he would allow comment during the 11:10 report from Knackstedt, even though it had not been advertised that public comment would be allowed. That was the first strange thing, since the Council rules do not restrict free speech on any subject during Citizen Access time. Something to do with the US Constitution.

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EDITORIAL

Aquatic Reserve Plan? So Many Questions, So Few Answers
The County Council will discuss the Aquatic Reserve Plan today (11:10 A.M.) with members of the MRC (Marine Resources Committee), and the seat may get a little warm for the MRC speakers. In the classic “The more answers to questions you get, the more questions you have” scenario, the public and the council members are starting to wonder who did what, and when, and with whom.

It is still too early to sort in all out, and it may soon become academic if the Council decides to back away from the Reserve idea, but in the meantime there is mounting evidence that the Council has been pushed off into the aquatic reserve proposal without a full understanding of what it means, and what it can mean; best expressed in the words of Councilman Gene Knapp when he early on in the process stated his “concern over hidden problems” that may rise to the surface later.

One problem -depending on one’s viewpoint- that is starting to bob on the surface is the question of who really is in charge, and are the council members receiving all of the information on what the impacts may be if the DNR puts the County into a 90 year program; a program that they may not be able to get out of.


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Took Some Time, But We Have A Year-Round Tug

(Tug escorts ship past west side of San Juan Island -G. Petersen photo)

A state-funded emergency response tug will be stationed at Neah Bay, ready to prevent oil spills 365 days a year under a contract extension agreement signed today between the Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Crowley Maritime Corporation (Crowley).

The extension agreement marks the first time that a response tug will be stationed at Neah Bay for a full year of service. (Related Story)

During the 2008 legislative session, Gov. Chris Gregoire and lawmakers provided $3.7 million for emergency response tug service. Under the contract, Crowley will station a high-horsepower, ocean-going tug at Neah Bay from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.

"Every year, thousands of vessels carrying billions of gallons of oil make transits through the Strait of Juan de Fuca," said Gov. Gregoire. "If we had a major oil spill in the strait, the costs to our environment, our economy and our quality of life could be astronomical. We must do all we can to protect our pristine shorelines. Keeping a response tug at Neah Bay year-round helps fulfill that mission."


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Global Warming & Elections: 2008

"Global Warming and Elections 2008: What are the Candidates Telling Us and What Do We Need to Know?" will be the topic of a special public meeting sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Economist and international educator, Dr. Edwin Dolan, a resident of Lopez Island, will be the featured speaker.

The meeting will be held at the Friday Harbor Middle School Commons on Saturday, April 26, from 1 to 3 pm. The event is free and the public is invited to attend and to join in the discussion following the talk.

Dr. Dolan taught classes on The Economics of Global Warming at Skagit Valley College on Lopez and San Juan Islands in 2007 and 2008. His long-standing concern for the environment led to his first book, Tanstaafl*: The Economic Strategy for Environmental Crisis, while he was a professor at Dartmouth College in 1971.
*There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

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Fisherman Oppose Aquatic Reserve

(Andy Holman watches as Robert Wilson presents a letter of opposition to Council Staff member Maureen See)

The San Juan Island Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers hand delivered a letter to the SJC Commission last week, stating the Anglers’ association “strongly opposes the proposal submitted by the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee to establish an Aquatic Reserve in the San Juan Islands”

Representatives from the group plan to attend a scheduled County Council 11:10 agenda item on Tuesday, labeled an “Aquatic Reserve Update” from Mary Knackstedt, the coordinator for the MRC.

The MRC had listed the “Development, with both local citizens and a marine managers technical group, of an Aquatic Reserve Proposal for submittal to DNR Aquatic Reserve Program” in a presentation to the County Council back in February of 2008 as one part of their 2008 Work Plan.

The Council was asked by the MRC to send a letter to the DNR in support of the Reserve, and in a split vote in August of 2007, the Council did approve the MRC to send a letter of intent to DNR “ to apply for the Aquatic Reserve program”.

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Who Should Be Allowed To Use Turtleback Mountain?

The Land Bank Commission held their regular monthly meeting in Eastsound on April 11th.and the first hour of the meeting was for public comment regarding the Management Plan (Draft Stewardship and Management Plan) for Turtleback Mountain.

There were about 40 members of the community present, included citizens from Lopez Island; San Juan Island; Center Island, and Orcas Island. Many of the speakers were passionate in their testimony, with a majority speaking in favor of multi-use trails on Turtleback.
There were speakers against any public use, and a few who spoke in favor of restricting access to hikers only. The current restrictions include: No camping; No fires; No hunting; No firearms; No vehicles; No bicycles; No horses, and No commercial use.
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Ranker Will Run For State Senate

Kevin Ranker has said he will not run again for the County Council, but has now officially announce he is running for Spanel’s State Senate seat.

Multiple sources had told The Island Guardian that after Spanel informed the Whatcom County Democrats on the 15th of March she will not be running for reelection in November, Ranker told key Democrats he would kick-off a campaign for her seat within the next week or so, and that is exactly what happened on Friday.

If history is any guide to the future, Ranker will have a tough upstream swim in a race with candidates who live on the mainland. No one in recent memory has won that race.

If Ranker expected to receive an early blessing from the state Democratic party for the seat, he may have been disappointed to learn that Spanel, Representative Dave Quall, Representative Jeff Morris, and the 40th Legislative District Democrat Chair Tom Pasma, have jointly sent out a press release inviting anyone interested in running for Senator Spanel's State Senate seat as a Democrat, to a series of meetings to meet interested citizens of the 40th Legislative District.

The meetings will be open to the public, and are scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm at the Burlington Library , (corner of Holly and Washington); one on Wednesday, April 16, 7 pm: Anacortes PACE Union Hall, (5th Street and Q), and the last one on Thursday, April 17, 7 pm: Bellingham Brigid Collins House (corner of Holly & Garden).

Spanel has served four years in the House, and 16 in the Senate. As the caucus chair she was the number two ranking member among the Senate Democrats. Spanel's decision means both Democrats, Republicans -and perhaps others- will be stepping forward to run for her 40th Legislative District seat in the state Senate.

The 40th District covers parts of Whatcom and Skagit County, and San Juan County.
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Guest Editorial

The Aquatic Reserve By Janice Peterson

The following nine points represent, in my opinion, important questions, reservations, and criticisms of the Department of Natural Resources document requesting proposals for an aquatic reserve and the Marine Resources Committee’s ill-advised (and unauthorized) activity to support it.

1. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) request for aquatic reserve proposals is so ponderously written that much of it is impossible to understand. It appears to have been written by scientists for an audience of scientists even though the vast majority of those who will be affected if a San Juan County reserve materializes are non-scientists.

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Crime Victims’ Rights Week

April 13 through the 19th is “National Crime Victims’ week in San Juan County. On Tuesday the San Juan County Council read a proclamation, and presented the document to representatives of the local Crime Victims Services program (photo above)

Prosecutor Randall Gaylord presented a video describing the history of efforts to grant crime victims the right to participate in the criminal justice system; a “right” afforded those who commit crimes, but until recently there was little to no attention paid to the victims and the families of victims.



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Council Takes First Step Toward $2M Commitment For Eastsound Stormwater

A Council agenda item on Tuesday was for a “Discussion: Stormwater Subcommittee Report,” but in a surprise move the County Council did more than just discuss when they voted to approve a motion by Councilman Rich Peterson, and seconded by Howard Rosenfeld, to “direct the County Administrator to prepare the documents necessary to authorize inter-fund borrowing of up to two million dollars for Eastsound stormwater capital facilities.”

Peterson is the chairman of the Council Subcommittee on Stormwater, with Rosenfeld and Councilman Gene Knapp as members.

In his introductive remarks, Peterson explained to the other council members that the subcommittee had decided to divide the problem of strormwater funding into two parts, one part to meet the GMA deadline of April 15 requiring them to show a six year funding plan for Eastsound stormwater projects. Peterson said the County is required to “have a plan in place to pay for these projects”.

The second part will come later, and will address a listing of projects the County gave to the Growth Management Board for a twenty year period. Peterson said the subcommittee will present an “overall county wide plan” by July of 2008.
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Council Not Pleased With MRC Actions

The MRC (Marine Resources Committee) has come under fire for their actions in representing and presenting the Aquatic Reserve proposal at recent public meetings.

At a Council work session on Monday, Councilman Rich Peterson raised the issue and asked the question of “how we got from this council giving them (the MRC) the authority to send a letter expressing an interest in becoming an applicant to an Aquatic Reserve to becoming the lead agency, and the sole decision making entity, that will get this county into a ninety year commitment”.

Peterson said he did not know how that happened, and wanted them to explain “how they arrived at that conclusion.”

Council Chair Howard Rosenfeld said he had attended the meeting in Friday Harbor , and “it was a very ugly meeting”. Rosenfeld said he had talked to MRC Chairman Kit Rawson, and to a DNR representative, and then followed up with an email to MRC Coordinator Mary Knackstedt.

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Lecture: "Immigrants: Due Process Under the Law"

The San Juan Island Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is pleased to sponsor a public presentation by Mr Matt Adams, the Legal Director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, titled "Immigrants: Due Process Under the Law".

The presentation will be followed by a town hall discussion. This free educational forum is to be held at the Skagit Valley College-San Juan Center on April 13, 2008, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

The presentation by Mr. Adams will address the lack of due process afforded to persons in removal proceedings, in particular the lack of legal representation, the exponential growth in the numbers of persons who are detained, and the rights of individuals who are approached or stopped by immigration authorities. The event is cosponsored by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

Please contact Roger DeRoos at 378-6323 for additional information.
notice is submitted by the San Jan Island Chapter of the ACLU of Washington

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Teen Paintball Trip

Nothing to do during spring break? Get off island for a day and come play paintball with Island Rec.

On April 10th Island Rec will be traveling to Everett for a day of Indoor Paintball at Doodlebug Sportz Arena. Come have some exciting, fast paced fun regardless of the weather. This trip is for middle and high school students.

Registration deadline is March 10th so sign up now! Check out our website or call Island Rec for more information at 378-4953.


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Aquatic Reserve Meeting Off To Bad Start

(Public meeting in Friday Harbor on the Aquatic Reserve proposal)

When the County Council agreed to send a letter of intent supporting the nomination of San Juan County into a SJAR (San Juan Aquatic Reserve), there was concern expressed, and the question asked "Will SJC Lose Control To DNR?" if the nomination is accepted and the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) designates parts, or all of. SJC as a SJAR; and what would it mean for the citizens who live and work here?

Last week the San Juan Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and (DNR) invited the public to three open houses, one on each of the main islands, that were billed as an opportunity to learn about a just released Draft Plan that sets out the boundaries of a proposed Aquatic Reserve (file is large).

The first meeting was held in Friday Harbor, and things did not go very well. Kit Rawson works for the Tulalip Tribes, and as current chairman of the MRC, started off the meeting with a history of how the draft came to be.

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Land Bank & Island Trail Riding Club Meet

(Checking the map of Turtleback Mountain Preserve are left to right; Rik Karon, Land Bank Staff Eliza Habegger, Land Bank Commisioner Mary Blackstone, Wanda Evans, Catherine Ascher, and Ruthie Thompson-Klein -photo by Tess Simendinger )

A Land Bank staff member met with members of the Island Trail Riding Club on the Inter-Island ferry on their way to hike on the Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island.

The two groups are working together to communicate about concerns regarding multi-use of trails in the now public-owned Turtleback Mountain Preserve.

The Preserve was recently obtained by the Land Bank and San Juan Preservation Trust with the help of a huge public out-pouring of letters and donations. A one percent tax automatically added to all real estate sales in San Juan County goes to the Land Bank to purchase land to be held in Open Space for public benefit.

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Honoring Bob Boyce

(Peter DeLorenzi photo)

Shannon PLummer, Post 163 Service Officer, presents the flag to Bob Boyce's daughters Donna Burton & Diane Buganski. Mr. Boyce's full obituary
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More Bluebirds Released In San Juan County

(Pair Of Bluebirds In Transport To San Juan Island)

In March of 2007 four pairs of bluebirds were released on San Juan Island as part of a program to reintroduce Bluebirds to San Juan County. Three months later three baby Blue Birds were born, and while there were sporadic sightings, all sightings came to an end after the annual migration season started. So far they have not returned, or if they have. they have yet to be spotted.

On Friday and Saturday, additional pairs of the birds were released from small aviaries on San Juan Island as part of the ongoing program.

Please let SJ Audubon know if you see any groups of bluebirds in San Juan or adjacent counties. Call San Juan Islands Audubon, Barbara Jensen, 360-378-308 or San Juan Preservation Trust, Kathleen Foley, 360-378-2461.

This five year project is sponsored by: San Juan Islands Audubon, San Juan Preservation Trust, American Bird Conservancy and EcoStudies Institute. Call if you would like to donate to or participate in this project.

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Disaster Drill at Friday Harbor on Sunday

The emergency services organizations serving San Juan Island, in conjunction with the Port of Friday Harbor, will hold a mass casualty disaster DRILL on Sunday morning, April 6.

“This event is an important opportunity for the participants to practice decision making and communication on a scale not frequently experienced in San Juan County. The commitment of time and effort by all the participants is an important sign to Islanders that we are paying attention to preparedness for all the scales of incident that might happen here,” said Brendan Cowan, Director of the San Juan County and Town of Friday Harbor Department of Emergency Management.

Access to areas around the Port will be limited. There may be some congestion along Spring Street and Front Street, as emergency service vehicles move between the scene, the InterIsland Medical Center, and the Friday Harbor Airport. Traffic to and from the ferry will not be restricted.

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2008 Wildlife Benefit Concert On Saturday

Wolf Hollow WRC “KEEP THE WILD ALIVE”
Wildlife benefit concert and silent auction featuring Isle be Jamming Performers, including Gretchen Gubleman & Katy Holman – Jim Nolman & Bill Cooper – Jonathan & Vail Hu – Peter McCarthy & Steve Dyer – Sam Ibold & Kirk Fuhrmeister – Joy Van Camp & Jim Moe – Chin Mayo & Susan Grout – Teddy Deane & Cecil Demeerleer.

Gretchen , Katy Nollman, Jim Nollman, Johnathan And Vail Hu, Sam Ibold, Kirk Fuhrmeister, And Cecil Demeerleer

Saturday – April 5th: San Juan Island Grange, 7:30pm-10:00 p.m. Admission Donation: $15 Adults, $5 Children under 12 years. (Hors d’oeuvres provided by Vinny's Restaurant included in admission price - No-Host Bar) For more information and advance ticket purchase please visit their website at Wolf Hollow WRC or call Linda at 317-7108

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Dave Zeretzke Day

The “Whereas” clauses of the proclamation were lengthy, as befits the jobs David Zeretzke tackled during his 28-years as a County employee: Risk management, coordinating the enhanced-911 program, supervising construction and remodeling projects--including the acquisition and renovation of the new County Legislative Building--handling public records requests, managing contracts, training staff, helping to develop the County’s computer network and establishing what is now the Information Technology Department. And almost every employee now on the County’s staff, sat through Zeretske’s mandatory safety training.

The proclamation, read by County Council Chair Howie Rosenfeld, suggested that, with his retirement, Zeretzke was going to “abandon his post,” and deprive the county of “his decades of accumulated wisdom.”

“Therefore,” it concluded, “be it proclaimed that the San Juan County Council extends its gratitude to DAVID L. ZERETZKE for his 28 years of service to San Juan County and expresses its best wishes for an adventure-filled retirement - undertaken, of course, with his deep understanding of safety and risk management.”

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Wa State Poet Laureate At FH Library Friday

Washington State’s first poet laureate, Sam Green, will give a reading at the San Juan Island Library April 4 at 6:30 p.m. Green is the is the author of ten poetry collections. His latest book is "The Grace of Necessity," published in 2008 by Carnegie Mellon University Press. The collection explores themes of death, paying attention to detail, and love and work in the world.

Green uses the technique of “postcard” poems—short epistles written to friends—to compose drafts of his work. He composes with pen and paper, but he allows the revision process to include the use of word processing on a computer. “I need to feel with my body,” he says of the writing process.
Green studied poetry at Highline Community College, Western Washington University and the University of Washington, and has been writing and teaching poetry for more than 30 years. He teaches at workshops and in college settings, and is currently teaching at Seattle University.

Green’s books are available at Griffin Bay Book Store, and the Griffin Bay Book Store will also be selling books for the poet to sign at the library reading on April 4.

Sam Green and his wife Sally have lived on Waldron Island for twenty-five years, where they run Brooding Heron Press, a letterpress printing company that focuses on printing poetry. Green is an expert bookbinder.

The poetry reading is open to the public, free of charge.

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Water Flowing at Courthouse Again

Water service was restored to the San Juan County Courthouse at 4:05 p.m. Thursday, according to Building and Grounds Manager Bud Sears. A plumber from Bellingham plumbing contractor Northwest Plumbing started work to repair a leak in a newly laid pipe in the ceiling over the office of Sheriff Bill Cumming shortly after Noon.

The pipe had been re-routed into the ceiling earlier in the week to replace a leaking two inch pipe that was the conduit for all water used in restrooms and drinking fountains in the Courthouse. The first leaking pipe, located under the concrete building slab, was practically unreachable. Today’s leak was easily accessible, although water in the courthouse system had to be drained and repressurized several times before the repair to the leak held.

Sears said that his maintenance crew would leave the ceiling pipes exposed and the portable toilets in place for a few more days to make sure that there are no further problems,
The latest leak was discovered by Sheriff Cumming this morning. Water caused considerable damage the walls and ceilings in his office, but there does not appear to be serious damage elsewhere. Water to the courthouse was shut off shortly after 9 a.m. this morning.

County employees have had to use bottled water and portable toilets, or walk across to the County Legislative Building to use restrooms most of the day.

The previous leak, in pipes laid more than 10 years ago when the Sheriff’s office was added onto the Courthouse, forced water to be shut down for more than a week.

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Courthouse Springs A New Leak!

Water leaking from a joint in a newly installed pipe at the San Juan County Courthouse forced Clerk of the Court Joan White to "take matters into her own hands and set up a "Bucket-A-Potty" (photo left) outside the side steps to the courthouse.

Maintenance employees were required to shut off the water and close off restrooms and drinking fountains in the building again,less than 24 hours after water service had been restored "two days ahead of schedule."

A County maintenance worker said that, unlike the leak that forced the water shutdown last week, the area that requires work is accessible; however because of where the leak occurred, all of the water in the building will have to be drained before the repair can be made.

The leaky joint is not far from the Sheriff’s emergency dispatch center, however it does not appear that water reached any electronic equipment or documents before the leak was discovered. The leak did soak the drywall in the Sheriff’s office and created a sizable water balloon under the latex paint high on the wall near Sheriff Bill Cumming’s desk.

What to do? Well, quick, go out and grab Joan's bucket to catch the leak until they were able to shut off the water.

There is currently no estimate of how long the repair will take, but the contractor that installed the pipe, Northwest Plumbing of Bellingham has promised to have a plumber at the courthouse to work on the problem at noon today. .

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Man In Hospital, Dog Killed In Acident

A car traveling at a high rate of speed south bound on Cattle Point Road from Friday Harbor drove off the road sometime around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.

The car crossed the intersection of Cattle Point and Golf Course Road, and appears to have gone air born over the top of OPACO power transformers, and then crashed into a field, injuring the driver. While the driver was airlifted to Bellingham for medical treatment, a dog in the car was killed.

A neighbor said that he not only heard the crash, but felt the house shake as a result of the impact. He said it was so loud that he assumed it was not related to a possible car accident, but had no idea what it may have been.

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Courthouse Leak Fixed

The plumbing leak problem at the courthouse has been solved, and water is once again flowing from the water fountains at the San Juan County Courthouse and employees and visitors are once again enjoying the pleasures of indoor plumbing.

“We still have a lot of clean-up and finish work to do,” said Building and Grounds Manager Bud Sears, “but we have water in the building.”

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How To Get Rid Of Mercury In Those Lamps

SJ County hazardous waste collections schedules a compact fluorescent lamps (cfl’s) and fluorescent light tubes dump off times on:

Saturday, April 5th, 11 am to 2 pm, at the ORCAS ISLAND solid waste facility, and
Saturday, April 12th, 10 am to 2 pm, at the SAN JUAN ISLAND solid waste facility.]

Compact Fluorescent Lamps, known as CFLs, use 2/3 less energy than standard light bulbs and they last 10 times longer. That’s why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends them as an “Energy Smart” solution to resource and energy conservation.

But CFLs and fluorescent light tubes contain toxic mercury gas and are to be handled with care in storage, installation, and disposal. Residents have the opportunity to have the mercury in these products safely recycled at this spring’s hazardous waste collections.

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Ferry Lottery For Trucks Hauling Garbage

Cimarron Enterprises failed to “win the Lottery” for some much needed spaces on the ferry, and will now have to wait in line for the first sailing from Anacortes on Tuesday and Thursday. Cimarron’s trucks haul solid waste for Public Works, and the lack of priority loading means trucks, and the garbage they haul may start to back up on Orcas.

Commercial haulers, including Cimarron, must compete for a limited number of reserved boarding slots by trying to get their application through to Washington State Ferries on a limited number of fax lines.

Department of Transportation Records show that Cimarron was one of the first to get through in 2006, finished comfortably in the middle in 2007, but on March 4 - though the company claims that it started trying to fax promptly at 9 a.m., its fax was among the last to get through; its requests being among the last 25 of 150 total requests for slots.


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Bob Boyce

December 17 1923 – April 1. 2008
Bob was born in Bayview, WA on December 17, 1923. He graduated from Friday Harbor High School in 1942. After graduation he enlisted in the US Navy. He served in the South Pacific during WWII and was in the Aleutian Islands when his ship, The Abner Reed, was torpedoed and sank. He had been working in the engine room and as a result became covered in oil during the explosion. The oil kept him afloat and insulated against the frigid water.

After the war he began a career as a commercial fisherman. It was during this time that he met his wife, Julie. They met in Friday Harbor at a dance. They were married 6 weeks later on October 10, 1947 and were married 54 years. Bob may be the only person known who hitchhiked across Puget Sound via fishing boats to make it to his wedding on time!
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Fireworks Ban Under Consideration

(Chief Marler, Under Sheriff Zerby, EMS Chief Cole & Fire Marshall Low appear before Council)

"If Fireworks Are Outlawed, only Outlaws will have Sparklers" Citing safety and fire concerns, the County Council once again took up the topic of fireworks, and the possibility of a ban on all fireworks in San Juan County; with the one exception of professionally licensed displays.

There are currently two categories of fireworks in Washington state, those that are allowed, the so-called “safe and sane” (such as “sparklers”), and those that are illegal for private use (such as firecrackers).

At the Tuesday Council meeting Under Sheriff Zerby said an outright ban would make their job easer with respect to knowing that all fireworks are illegal, so that when they responded to a call they would be able to quickly resolve it, and not have to spend time determining which were allowed and which were not.

A San Juan and Orcas Fire Chief, an EMS Chief, and the County Fire Marshall, all urged the Council to enact a total ban on all fireworks in San Juan County, except those handled by professionals in permitted public pyrotechnic displays.

In May of 2007 Sheriff Bill Cumming had informed the Council that the time period for legal fireworks is only one day. He reported that it is becoming more difficult to determine the difference between “safe and sane” fireworks and illegal fireworks, but anything used other than on the 4th is illegal in the county.

Sheriff Cumming had concluded his remarks in 2007 by stating that although he did not condone the use of illegal fireworks, he understands that some consider the use of legal fireworks as a tradition, and, given the history of incidents, he would not suggest changing the current regulations.

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Meetings On Proposed SJ Aquatic Reserve

One of the questions asked by the County Council when they agreed to sent a letter of intent to support the nomination of SJC into an Aquatic Reserve, was "Will SJC Lose Control To DNR?" .
The question is bound to come up again at a series of public meetings with the San Juan Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to three open houses to discuss the proposed San Juan Aquatic Reserve on state aquatic lands that surround the San Juan Islands. The meeting schedule starts on Friday, (4-4-08):

April 4 - 6:00 to 7: 30 p.m. San Juan Island Grange Friday Harbor
April 5 - 11:00 a.m. 12: 30 p.m. Lopez Community Center
April 5 - 3:30 5: 00 p.m. Eastsound Fire Station

“I’m very pleased by the response of the scientific and environmental communities in developing proposals for new aquatic reserves,” said Doug Sutherland, Commissioner of Public Lands. “We knew that once we put together a solid Aquatic Reserve Program we could count on these communities to identify ecologically important additions to be considered for the state’s reserve system.”

Public comments made at past Council meetings when the proposal was discussed indicate some in the community are more concerned with the possibility of losing more local control, then they are with helping “to identify ecologically important additions” to be included in an Aquatic Reserve Program.

Sutherland said “I appreciate the work that San Juan Marine Resources Committee has put into this proposal and look forward to public input.”

The Draft Plan can be downloaded by clicking here: AquaticReservefinaldraft-1.pdf (6015k file), (the file large with many charts, so it takes some time to download)
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Local Foods for Local Folks

By Ann Monin

On March 12th the Local Farms Healthy Kids bill passed by providing $1.49 million dollars for local schools, farm to market nutrition programs, farm to food bank, and farm market technology. Such a bill allows locally grown foods and producers to market their fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats to public schools, food banks, and nutrition programs for seniors, women, infant, and children.
The legislature states,

“The legislature finds there is a direct correlation between adequate nutrition and a child’s development and school performance. Children who are hungry or malnourished are at risk of lower achievement in school. The legislature further finds that adequate nutrition is also necessary for the physical health of adults, and that some communities have limited access to healthy fruits and vegetables and quality meat and dairy products, a lack of which may lead to high rates of diet-related diseases.

The legislature intends that the local farms-healthy kids act strengthen the connections between the state’s agricultural industry and the state’s food procurement in order to expand local agricultural markets, improves the nutrition of children and other at-risk consumers, and has a positive impact on the environment.”


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April 1 Joke?, No, Solid Waste Fees Up Again

In a report to the County Council, Public Works Utility Manager Ed Hale informed them recycling services are 100% subsidized by garbage, and if more people recycle, the garbage rate has to increase. In 2006, the cost of recycling was $276,000.00.

For this, and other reasons, solid waste (i.e. garbage) disposal fees will increase by approximately 7 percent on April 1, 2008. The new fee schedule increases the cost of self hauled trash per can by 50 cents to $7.50. Customers with larger loads will pay $278 per ton, an increase of $18.

The county’s transfer stations will continue to accept recyclable materials, -excluding steel- without charge.

The last fee increase took effect in April of 2007, and resulting in a 9% increase in fees to unload trash at the Public Works solid waste facilities.

The new rate schedule, shown in full below, was recommended by County staff and approved by the San Juan County Council in December in response to rising prices in service contracts, rising ferry fees, equipment replacement and development of new transfer facilities on San Juan Island.



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SJC GOP Holds Convention In Friday Harbor

The San Juan County Republican Party Convention was held Saturday afternoon at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor. 58 delegates, selected from the earlier caucuses on Orcas Island, Lopez Island and Friday Harbor met to discuss and pass the County platform and select delegates to attend the State Republican Convention in Spokane this summer.

Cindy Carter, County Chairwomen from Orcas Island, called the convention to order at 1:15 pm and served as convention chair. The bulk of the convention time was spent on the platform discussions and votes. Former County Commissioner Tom Starr chaired that part of the convention and successfully kept the discussions moving.

Issues effecting San Juan County kept everyone’s attention. Three “planks” were added to the platform to express the growing concern of delegates about anticipated new regulations stemming from the County’s GMA required redraft of the San Juan County Critical Areas Ordinances.

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Whale Museum Docent Training Program

Friday Harbor, Wash. –Join the Whale Museum team! This opportunity is perfect for people who want to learn about the marine environment and their relationship to it.

Meet people from around the world, learn new information and skills, and enhance the visitor experience by sharing this knowledge as museum Exhibit Hall Docent. Training includes classroom natural history of local marine mammals, human impacts on our marine ecosystem, as well as successful strategies for working with the public.

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