Fireworks That Are Legal in SJC

As the Fourth of July approaches, we all look forward to the celebrations. As you prepare for your own festivities, please keep in mind that Fireworks are often the source of injuries or fires. San Juan County has a long history of fires from fireworks. Unlike the past few years, this Independence Day is shaping up to be drier than normal.

Fireworks are restricted in San Juan County. Fireworks are legal only on the Fourth of July from 9:00am to Midnight. Please follow these rules, and ensure that any guests or visitors you may be entertaining know and follow the rules as well:
• Only "Common" Fireworks are legal. That includes:
o Sparklers
o Cones
o Fountains
o Ground spinners
o Helicopters
o Wheels
o Small roman candles (no more than 20 grams of pyrotechnic composition)
o Mine shells (no more than 40 grams of powder)
o Smoke devices (WAC 212-17)
• The following fireworks are prohibited in Washington State:
o Firecrackers
o Rockets
o Chasers
o Aerial bombs
o M-80s and other explosives

• Fireworks may not be discharged in wooded areas, fields, forest lands or other areas where wildfires may start.

For more information, contact your local fire department; Friday Harbor 378-4183, San Juan Island 378-5334, Lopez Island 468-2991, Orcas Island 376-2331 or Shaw Island 468-4560.

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Fireworks & Ferries: You May Be Checked

As the Fourth of July approaches, many residents in San Juan County are planning their celebration, and many of these celebrations will include fireworks.

The employees at Washington State Ferries, the Washington State Patrol and the explosive-sniffing dogs of the canine units want to remind customers that illegal fireworks are just that, "illegal."

"Customers purchasing illegal fireworks at a reservation and then boarding a ferry should expect that a canine will detect explosives in their vehicle and, if found, illegal fireworks will be confiscated," reminds Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations. Illegal fireworks include bottle rockets, missile-type rockets, firecrackers and chasers as well as M80s, M100s and larger.

Customers transporting fireworks onboard a ferry should be aware that an important part of the ferry system's overall security plan is the use of explosive detection canine teams to screen vehicles. The dogs are trained to sniff out explosives, which includes fireworks. This means that vehicles carrying fireworks should anticipate and allow for screening time. WSF also suggest that fireworks be placed somewhere in the vehicle that is readily accessible during the screening. "Your cooperation and timely response to making your fireworks available for inspection by our canine teams will assist us in keeping our printed schedule," says Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Marine Operations.

Route Specific Information
Every year the fireworks display on Lopez Island attracts a large crowd. This year, Washington State Ferries has developed a creative schedule to assist customers to get to and from the islands before and after the event. On Wednesday, July 5 and Thursday, July 6, the Kaleetan will make an extra 3 p.m. sailing from Friday Harbor and a 3:35 p.m. from Lopez to Anacortes to pick up extra traffic that made it a long holiday weekend.

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Dramatic Rescue in the Grand Canyon

(Captain Bob Grusy with and the rescue chopper at the bottom of the Grand Canyon -Gordy Petersen photo)

By Gordy Petersen

Friday Harbor resident Debbie Sutliff fell off a rock while hiking in the Grand Canyon last week, and was rescued by helicopter in dramatic style. Debbie landed on a narrow shelf and was prevented from falling further down the canyon when another hiker, Dan Gavora, quickly stepped in and grabbed her. The guides for the trip and Friday Harbor veterinarian Jim Lehocky, who was part of the San Juan Island group on the trip, helped her down the trail to the camp. "I knew immediately that she would not be able to walk out of the canyon by herself. The way she landed on her knees just looked so painful. I met one of the boatmen on the way down the trail and told him we may need to fly her out."

Everyone in the party helped to give her comfort that night. She refused to take any painkillers except aspirin. Instead she spent hours sitting with her leg in the cold Colorado River. Her knee swelled to about twice the normal size by morning. She was airlifted to a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona where she was stabilized.


(Jan Champlin, Jim Lehocky, and park medical personnel help Debbie Sutliff into a rescue helicopter-Gordy Petersen photo)

She underwent surgery Tuesday 6/27 at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, and her daughter Stacie reports that "Debbie's surgery lasted three hours yesterday (June 28th). They say it is far better than they expected.. They expect to release her as early as tomorrow and don't want to see her for two weeks! It seems their only concern is pain medication since Debbie's body doesn't tolerate most oral medications well. They may keep her an extra day since she is still in such pain and they can help that with the morphine" Stacie will care for her until she is able to return to the island early next week.

The hike was part of a white-water rafting trip. A group of about 17 hikers left camp and wandered up a boulder-strewn rattlesnake infested side canyon in 115-degree heat. Several hikers turned back before the accident. Debbie kept going even though the trail turned into a hand-over-hand scramble up rock faces and talus slopes.

A full recovery is expected to take several months.



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Stickers With Helmets

(Maureen Hansen fits a new bike helmet for Taylor Morrison)

Bike and AlSport Helmets are available for $6 and $8 the Eastsound Fire Station. Each helmet is properly fit to the rider. Stop in to get your helmet checked or purchase a new one and receive a free sticker! For more information call 376-2331 or stop in Monday through Friday 9 to 4:30.
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CC Discusses County Space Needs

With the pending purchase of the Carlson Building across from the Court House, the Council is working on future floor plan options for both the Court House and the Carlson Building. The Council has retained the architecture & urban design team of Tonkin/Hoyne/Lokan to come up with some possible options for both buildings, which were presented to the Council, elected officials and county staff members on Tuesday.

The presentation included two options, both of which would remodel the interior of the two buildings, and both required some moving of office occupants from one space to another, and from one building to another. Both options would be temporary solutions, that would only help to solve space problems for the next five years.

Option one at $422,250.00 was favored by the Council, and Option two at a cost of $812,555.00 was clearly preferred by a large number of the members of the law and justice departments, who had concerns about safety if the related functions of law enforcement and law administration and service providers were split-up. The concern was the lack of efficiency and issues of safety if prisoners and others in custody had to be transferred back and forth from one building to another.

Councilman Myhr said if a way could be found to address the expressed concerns, he favored Option one, and the Council agreed that further work should be done toward that end, to determine if there was a possible solution.

Councilman Ranker stated that he was leaning to Option two, since he did not want to spend a large amount of money on the Carlson Building (Option two), since he believed the County needed to come up with a plan to build a new building that would serve the administrative needs of the County in the long term, and that he hoped that could be done in three or five years, at which point the Carlson Building would be torn down.

Chairman Lichter said that it was the sense of the Council to move forward with Option one, as it is less expensive. Ranker then said he would agree with going with Option one only if the Council could address the safety concerns that had been expressed.

In the end the Council decide to continue the work session discussion on July 17th at 1:30. The work session is open to the public, but will not be a public hearing.

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CC Buys Gravel Pit, Gives It To SJI Rec

With little discussion, and less public comment, the County Council went forward on Tuesday with the purchase of the LaFarge gravel pit and shoreline, then after a short executive session, "gave" the gravel pit portion to San Juan Island Park and Recreation District, a junior taxing district on San Juan Island. What the park district will do with the property was not discussed, but in any case it will now be the responsibility of the district, and not the County Council or Public Works, and that means any costs that may be involved in ownership, or development, will be up to the District to fund.

When the possible ownership of the land by the district was first discussed over five years ago, it included plans to build a park there, and when the public was told the plan included a number of ball fields that would required passage of a new tax levy, it created a great deal of controversy, and the levy was soundly defeated by the voters.

The beach portion of the LaFarge property (which in reality is fill from the gravel pit operation that had portions replaced after each winter storm) will be retained by the County, and it too has generated intense controversy and legal action against the County; action that may very well escalate now that the Council has moved on the purchase.

The Original proposal for the property from the former Board of County Commissioners was to develop the land into a County owned and operated commercial barge landing and gravel storage area for Public Works that would also be open to private commercial use. That proposal raised concerns, not the least of which is the waterfront property is not designated ("zoned") as commercial property, which was intended to protect it from future development. Since the County wants to use the property, they have proposed to simply change the land use designation to Industrial, or Commercial, which would allow use of it.

All of the above has generate the controversy, and prior to the discussion by the Council last Tuesday to move forward with the purchase, Lee Sturdivant, local resident, and a member of the affordable housing group that had put forward their own levy that was also soundly rejected by the voters, addressed the Council and suggested that some portion of the LaFarge property could be used for the construction of affordable housing. It was not clear if there was a relationship between the Sturdivant proposal and the executive session, but after the Council came out of the session the public was told they discussed what the implications might be if the Council did not transfer the gavel pit to SJI Park & Recreation.



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Tulalip Lopez Development: Just A Dream?

(Tulalip Tribes Land on Barlow Bay, Lopez Island)

It has been reported that the Tulalip Tribes Chairman would like to develop property the Tribes own on Lopez, as a satellite to the Tulalip Casino in Marysville. According to a news report by Krista J. Kapralos, in the Herald Writer newspaper, tribal Chairman Stan Jones Sr. is quoted as having a "dream" to turn Barlow Bay waterfront land into a compound of cabins to be used by "High-rolling casino patrons" that will be flow to the property to fish and relax.

According to the story, the concept Mr., Jones has in mind is to run a daily commute by helicopter or seaplanes to Lopez, where the Casino clients can do a little R&R, then be flown back to the Casino hotel in Marysville. Needless to say, this is not going down well with some of the locals who own property on Lopez, and while one may assume that the Tulalip proposal for the land will be rejected by the County due to conflicts with local land use laws, the Tribes may be able to jump over that local barrier due to the classification of the land as "reservation land", and as a result, any development would only be subject to the Tribes control and regulations, since it would be exempt from local land use controls.

Former Planning Director Laura Arnold recalls that at one point an agreement was made by the County and the Tribes that in the event that land was placed in reservation trust, at least one of the parcels owned by the Tribes would have land use regulations placed on it by the Tribes, and that the regulations would "parallel those of the County". County regulations restrict commercial development of the land, and the use of planes or helicopters to ferry in commercial passengers is not allowed for that area of Lopez. If there is in no recorded agreement, and the Island Guardian has not found any, then the "dream" may be able to become a reality if the Tribes decide to move forward with such a development.

The background story to all this is interesting, convoluted, and not without some irony.

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Home Construction Course Offered

Skagit Valley College San Juan Center announces the availability this summer of a vocational course for home construction. Carpentry by Code is a six week seminar that presents participants with detailed introduction to the basic knowledge and the necessary skills required in building a house from concrete foundations to conventional wood framing. Additional attention is given to a consideration of codes governing different phases of housing construction and plan reading. No previous experience is necessary.
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Four Days Left To Burn

Fire Danger in the San Juan County is now listed as moderate, but the time to burn is coming to an end. According to a press release by the SJI Fire Department, the spring rains may have made the San Juan's spring greener than usual, but with warm and dry weather forecast the last bits of green will quickly turn brown. The wet spring has meant heavier plant growth, and that means more potential fuel for fires, according to San Juan Island Fire Department Chief Bill McLaughlin. He warns there's potential for a worse than average fire season this year and people should be cautious.

Residents are reminded that open burning season ends at midnight, June 30 for all of San Juan County. Four-foot clean-up burns and larger land-clearing burns are prohibited during the summer. Recreational fires, which may be up to 2-feet across, are still allowed until fire danger reaches "high". No permit is required for recreational fires. The fire departments recommend that you have a hose or buckets handy, and a shovel or rake to extinguish any fires that might escape.

Fire danger is now moderate. The San Juan Island Fire Department responded to two wildfires over the weekend, including one fire that grew to just over one acre before being contained. The department has responded to 6 fires already this year, compared to 11 for all of 2005.

With the forecast calling for increasingly dry conditions, fire danger may reach high by early July.
For more information, contact your local fire department: Friday Harbor 378-4183, San Juan Island 378-5334, Lopez Island 468-2991, Orcas Island 376-2331 or Shaw Island 468-4560.

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Chad Kimple Receives FF-EMT Scholarship

Orcas islander Chad Kimple joined the fire department when he was a high school Sophomore, and now the Firefighter EMT Association has selected him as their Scholarship winner for 2006. Chad, age 20, is a graduate of the Orcas Christian School, and a four year veteran of the Orcas Island Fire Department. Chad will attend South Puget Sound Community College this fall. He will major in Fire Science, and be a resident firefighter at the Griffin Fire Department in Thurston County.

Described as "Strong, bright, willing and able, this young man is a credit to himself, his family and the Orcas Island Fire Department". "We will miss him, his courage and ‘get it done' presence on scene" a senior member of the fire department said. "We wish him well."

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New Director For SJI Library

Patrons of the San Juan Island Library will recognize the name of the newly hired library director. Laura Tretter previously served the library as the Youth Services Librarian and Assistant Director from 2001-2005. She left San Juan Island in April last year to pursue professional baking, and subsequently to take the position of branch manager for Denver Public Library's Hampden branch.
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Musicians Unite to Replenish Music Scholarships

Four island groups will contribute their musical talents to a joint concert on Saturday, June 24, that will benefit the Music Scholarship Fund at San Juan Community Theatre. "Rock-to-Bach" will have one performance at 7:30 p.m.

All proceeds from this event will go to the SJCT Music Scholarship Fund to support private study for local music students. If you can't make the concert, you still can send a donation to the Theatre designated for the Music Scholarship Fund.

This event is sponsored by King's Market. Tickets are $12 for Adults and $6 for Student Reserved, with $5 Student RUSH is available on remaining seats one hour before the performance. The SJCT Box Office is open Saturdays 11-2, and one hour before any performance. Call 360-378-3210, or go to www.SanJuanCommunityTheatre.org.


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Beaches Closed In SJC Due To Marine Biotoxin

PS Beachs Closed for clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates.

the State Department of Health has closed all beachs in San Juan County due to concerns about PSP (Paralytic shellfish poison). The closures include all beachs throughout the Puget Sound area: San Juan County is currently closed for all shellfish species.

The Health Department recommends that all recreational shellfish harvesters always contact the PSP hotline at 1-800-562-5632 before digging/collecting shellfish.

Bear in mind that commercially harvested shellfish are sampled separately, and products on the market should be safe to eat.

The following background information is from the The state Department of Health:
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New Group On SJ Is Talking Trash!

San Juan Island is being overrun with litter, and the San Juan Island Anti-Litter Initiative wants to change that. In the first quarter of 2006, more than 19,500 pounds of litter were picked up on island roads and beaches. This is more than double the 9,440 pounds collected in the first quarter of 2005. These numbers are alarming both in their magnitude and in their trend.
Litter creates an eyesore, harms wildlife and their habitats, and is a potential hazard for motorists, cyclists, and roadside walkers who may be struck by anything blowing out of an unsecured load, a lit cigarette, or an empty bottle. Lit cigarettes are also a fire hazard, as demonstrated by a brush fire in 2004 alongside Cattle Point Road.

You can be fined for littering. The fine for illegal dumping is $1,000-$5,000 plus jail time. Failing to secure a load could cost you $194. The fine for littering a food or beverage container is $95. Tossing out a lit cigarette could cost you $1,025.

No one likes to look at litter. Its presence on our roads and beaches has a potentially negative effect on our tourist industry. Nationally, the Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that 80 percent of land-based litter ends up in our oceans, killing thousands of marine animals who become entangled in debris or consume it, thinking that it is food.

A volunteer effort to reduce litter, the SJI Anti-Litter Initiative has recently been formed to promote community-wide support and involvement in the development and implementation of an integrated package of anti-litter programs on the island, through education, prevention, and clean-up.
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Statewide Monitoring For West Nile Virus

West Nile virus was detected in a horse, a dead bird and two mosquito samples in Washington last summer, yet there still has not been a reported case of human illness acquired in our state. With the warmer months of spring and summer bringing a new mosquito season, the search resumes for West Nile virus exposure in Washington. The state Department of Health is working with local health agencies and other key partners to monitor dead birds and mosquito populations - important ways of tracking the presence of the virus.

"Environmental monitoring detected West Nile in mosquito samples and a dead bird in our state last summer, and we'll be looking intensively for the virus again this season," said Maryanne Guichard, director of the Department of Health's Office of Environmental Health and Safety. "We are testing certain species of dead birds and mosquitoes because they are usually affected by the disease before human cases are detected."
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Report On League of Women Voters Convention

League of Women Voters (LWVUS) Press Release: Friday Harbor was well represented at the 47th biennial National Convention of the League of Women Voters last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by the presence of local league members, Janna Gingras and Liz Illg.

The gathering of more than seven hundred delegates from 49 states voted to immediately call for the abolition of the death penalty nation wide and to call on Congress to maintain internet neutrality. They set the LWVUS program agenda for the next two years, voting to elevate to the highest priority the Democracy Agenda of the LWVUS with emphasis on advocacy and education about the vital importance of the American system of checks and balances and separation of powers. They also voted to study immigration policy with the purpose of arriving at a national consensus position.

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Gaylord Seeks Re-Election As County Prosecutor

(Official photo)
Randall K. Gaylord has announced that he will seek re-election as Prosecuting Attorney for San Juan County. Gaylord, age 49, was elected to the position of Prosecuting Attorney in 1994 and reelected in 1998 and 2002.

"I came into this job with a long-term outlook. A community benefits greatly when they have an attorney who works hard to assure that the decisions are consistent with the law and will withstand the test of time," said Gaylord.

The prosecuting attorney in a small community has many roles: a criminal prosecutor, counsel to elected and appointed officials, county coroner, and leader on legal issues. "Our office takes great pride in providing solid legal advice," said Gaylord

Gaylord is especially proud of the work by the office to assure that victims of crime have the services they deserve. Gaylord has building the Victim Services Center and protecting it from budget cuts.

"It is important that victims of crime know that they have someone in the community to help them through the criminal justice process. Victims have important rights, and we have a great program to help them," said Gaylord.

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CC Wants To Hear All HE Appeals

(Deputy Prosecutor Karen Vedder addresses the Council)

Depending on the view point of the observer, the CC (County Council)on Tuesday was still in serious denial as to what their role is under the Charter, or they are continuing to implement it in a manner consistent with the Charter.

The subject has to do with the role of the CC in hearing examiner appeals. They can hear them if they wish, but only under certain conditions, and within certain limits. The conditions the CC can set, the limits are imposed by the Charter.

The issue before the Council was a draft policy on Hearing Examiner Appeals. The Charter states that "decisions of the hearing examiner are not subject to administrative review" , that is, the County Council cannot second guess the HE (Hearing Examiner) rulings unless the Council has consulted with the Prosecuting Attorney and passed an ordinance that contains procedures that do allow for a review of HE decisions.

All well and good, but the Freeholders had included a few "procedures" of their own that limited the extent to which the Council could accept appeals. The Freeholders included language so that "an appellant may choose to bypass review" by the County Council: that is, for those who preferred to have the appeal heard by the Superior Court without first having to appear before the County Council, are allowed under the Charter to do so.

But as the Council reviewed their options, they asked the question: "What happens when there are more than one person involved in an appeal?" , and "Does a decision to bypass the Council mean that everyone must go to Court" ? Yes, said Deputy Prosecutor Karen Vedder. But a late arriving email to Councilman Ranker raised a question of what the implications might be for abuse of the system if "one" can force "all" to bypass the Council and go directly to court.

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Additional Time Granted In ADU Hearing

A small victory was won by those who had asked the Court of Appeals to allow them to participate in the compliance hearing before the GMHB (Growth Management Hearings Board), when the Presiding Officer of the Board set a schedule that allows objections to the County Ordinance, and any additional motions, to be filed by July 5. It is still a tight schedule, but it was feared by those who wished to participate in the compliance hearing on the new ADU ordinance that they would not be allowed to do so.

A normal schedule would have provided up to 60 days from the date of publication for members of the public to challenge the ordinance to the GMHB, but the Council is in a hurry to have the ordinance reviewed and approved by the GMHB prior to the deadline running out on the case in the Court of Appeals. But those opposed to the ordinance what to hear what the Court may have to say about the what the County may or may not allow in an ordinance that controls and limits ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units).

It was also unexpected that the GMHB would not only adopt the accelerated schedule, but that input would be by telephone. The express fear by many opposed to the Ordinance was that the hearing would be restricted to only the County Council and the Friends of the San Juan members that had made the original appeal that has resulted in the County being found to noncompliant with respect to "guest houses".

The hearing by telephone was described by some who participated to be quite unacceptable, since all of the parties involved were on the phone at one time, and confusion as to who was talking, and what was said, and a spokesman for the Friends questioned why others then the County representatives and those who had filed the appeal were allowed to be a part of the discussion.
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County Granted Time To Pursue Options On DNR Land

The possibility of State land on Lopez and San Juan being sold and developed has both public and private groups scrambling to come up with a solution that will allow it to remain under public control. The land in question is acreage owned by the Wa State DNR (Department of Natural Resources). The possibility of the transfer of ownership by sale to the private sector of 400+ acres of Lopez Hill, and 300+ acres of Mitchell Hill on San Juan Island has resulted in discussion between the County and the state as to how DNR land can remain in public ownership. Obviously the basic problem is one of money. DNR is charged with managing it's holdings to produce money for the state, and the land that it controls is not producing revenue, so the best thing for the state to do is sell it.

The intention of DNR to sell Mitchell Hill and Lopez Hill became a major concern when it was rumored that a controversial land developer may have an interest in purchase and development of the properties. (Past story) The threat of a possible sale resulted in a meeting on Friday, June 16, between State Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland and staff from the Department of Natural Resources with representatives from the County Council and the Land Bank to discuss methods by which the DNR lands may be able to remain under public control, and at the same time generate the revenue for the state that is required by law.

There are currently only five properties in the county that could be sold, and the meeting explored different options for these properties that would protect them from development.

According to a press release issued after the meeting, "it was agreed that pursuing federal options regarding Mitchell Hill and state options for Lopez Hill seemed to be the best route". The good news is that Commissioner Sutherland is willing to give the County three or four years to attempt to pursue "federal options regarding Mitchell Hill and state options for Lopez Hill" to keep the properties in public ownership; or to come up with a local solution that would protect the properties.

Commissioner Doug Sutherland was quoted as saying that "I'm delighted with the working relationship we've developed with San Juan County and look forward to continuing to work together while addressing this issue," Representing the County Council at the meeting, Kevin Ranker is quoted as stating "It is obvious to me that Commissioner Sutherland is committed to helping our communities preserve these beautiful areas for the public."

What the various options may be that will allow the protection of the land has not been stated, but it is expected that the County Council will soon have the subject as a topic of discussion for possible action.

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Shared Strategy Offer Considered By CC

The County Council has reached consensus to continue to move forward on an agreement with Shared Strategy for Puget Sound (SSPS) to assist the County in updating the County Critical Area Ordinance. Jim Kramer, the Executive Director of SSPS, made a presentation to the County Council in January of this year outlining the history and purpose of the organization and it's willingness to aid San Juan County in updating its Critical Areas Ordinance: Past Story
Mr. Kramer told the Council that SSPS could help to provide funding to assist SSPS and the County to work together toward drafting a Critical Areas Ordinance that would meet the requirements of the Growth Management Act, and further, that the work product and the form of the relationship between SSPS and the County could become a model for other counties in the state.

Last Tuesday Mr. Kramer returned with a "San Juan County and Shared Strategy Memorandum of Agreement" . According to the Memorandum, the County and SSPS will "support the development of an ecosystem-based management program". While the memo does not go into specifics as to what this means, or as to exactly what is in the program to be managed, what is clear is that SSPS has a goal of protecting and increasing salmon runs in Washington. Toward that end, the group is interested in working with local governments to further their goals; and would like their relationship with San Juan County to be a pilot program for other such relationships in the state.

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SWAC Wants Citizen Input on Solid Waste

Some options for dealing with solid waste were presented at the last SWAC (Solid Waste Advisory Committee) meeting, and the desirability of the options will be discussed at 12 pm on June 19th at the Mullis Street Fire Station, 1101 Mullis Street in Friday Harbor. At this meeting the public is invited to look at options with the Advisory Committee and help develop recommendations for the county council.


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Local View On Gates Stepping Down

By Mark Anderson

Bill Gates has announced his future retirement as an operating officer, set for 2008. Even with this transition, the plan appears to be to step down immediately from the position of Chief Software Architect, which job CTO (and SNSer) Ray Ozzie will assume immediately.

At the same time, Executive VP and CTO (and SNSer) Craig Mundie will retain his policy portfolio, while adding Research and Strategy. Steve Ballmer remains in the CEO seat. Billg plans to remain as Chairman for the foreseeable future, and Ballmer plans to use his friend for advice on an ongoing basis.

What does this mean to Microsoft?
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Leave Young Wildlife Alone

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and SJ County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SJCMMSN) urge that " Newborn wildlife found in the wild should be left alone, for both the health and safety of the animal and the people who find them"..

Dr. Rich Osborne, coordinator for the SJCMMSN, sent out a statement that: "Once again it's harbor seal pupping season in the islands – and a sensitive time for harbor seal moms and their pups. From now until mid-August, offshore rocks will be home to these moms and their pups… and any disturbance could result in harm or death to these animals, especially the pups.

The advice from the State is the same, where staff are said to be fielding calls regularly now across the state about young "abandoned" animals that need "rescuing." Deer fawns, seal pups, baby birds and other young wildlife are visible now and too often become the victims of well-intentioned but uninformed people. Deer fawns are most commonly discovered alone, assumed orphaned or abandoned, and picked up.

"Deer often leave their fawns for hours at a time to avoid drawing predators by their own adult body scent," said Dave Brittell, assistant director of the WDFW wildlife program. "They're usually nearby and may even helplessly watch their fawns be removed from the area.".

Brittell said that most people have no idea how to care for a wild animal with "fight or flight" instincts. "Even with the best intentions, people who remove animals from the wild reduce their chance of survival and put human handlers at risk," he said. It also violates state law that prohibits taking wildlife out of the wild, only allowing licensed wildlife rehabilitators to hold wildlife in captivity.

The SJCMMSN provides the following helpful information:

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Auditions Coming Up For Playwrights Festival

Open auditions will be held at 7:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, June 26 and 27, at San Juan Community Theatre for several works selected for the 17th annual Islands Playwrights Festival. There are many roles for two men and six women, as well as one younger girl, in two one-act plays and two monologues.

The works selected for main stage production this year are: The Music Box, a monologue by Gray (San Juan), wherein a dying patient is visited by her closest friend; The Appraisal a one-act play by Greg Sutherland (San Juan), where three generations of island women are forced examine the value of their land, their home and their hearts when the county tax appraiser shows up unannounced; Being Mother Teresa, a one-act play by Cinda Pierce (San Juan); and You Better Slow Down, a monologue by Susea McGearhart (San Juan) about a woman driving the Baja Hwy 1 with her husband in a camper.

"We are excited to have three new playwrights in this year's Festival," said Festival Coordinator Lynne Mercer. "Each brings a fresh perspective to the process, and shows that the Festival is very much an important step in bringing new works to the stage."

The Playwrights Festival is an excellent opportunity for newcomers to the stage, as the works are short and the rehearsal period is less demanding than a full-length play. Stage experience is helpful, but not required. Performance dates are September 8-23. Scripts may be reviewed at the SJCT Box Office any Tuesday-Friday, 11-4, Saturdays 11-2, and one hour before any performance. For more information, please call festival coordinator Lynn Mercer at 378-3211, extension 21.


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Turtleback Mountain May Be Saved From Development

(Map of Turtleback property on Orcas Island)

A conservation partnership consisting of the non-profit San Juan Preservation Trust, the tax supported San Juan County Land Bank, and the private Medina Foundation has resulted in an agreement that will protect in perpetuity 1,587 acres on Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island; one of the largest privately owned properties in San Juan County.

The sale by the Foundation to the partnership is scheduled to close later this year. In addition to the purchase price of $17 million, there is also $1.5 million the partnership will need to raise in order to establish a stewardship fund that will be used to maintain and manage the property. Approximately $12.5 million from both the public and the private sector has been earmarked for the project. The remaining $6.0 million will need to be raised by November of this year.

Under this newly formed conservation partnership, the San Juan Preservation Trust, the national Trust for Public Land, and the San Juan County Land Bank will raise funds needed to complete the purchase and support the long-term management of the site.

"The Medina Foundation is happy about a conservation solution that simultaneously advances our mission of funding social services, said McKay. "We simply could not have arrived at a better win-win."

Information about the partnership members:
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Fire Code Fees Adopted

(Only Chiefs show up for public hearing)

The County Council held a public hearing Tuesday to accept testimony on a proposed ordinance for fire code fees and permits for fires. There was no testimony, and the Council passed the ordinance with only a couple changes to the draft ordinance (Past Story) that had been proposed.

The one major change was to change the proposed charge of 1.1% of value for a construction permit for residential and Commercial, to the more easily understood and administered flat fee of $350 for residential and $500 for commercial. plus $10.00 per sprinkler head.

Outdoor or Open Burning Permit will cost $10.00 for fires less than 10 feet in diameter/height, and if over 10 feet the fee goes up to $150.00. There will continue to be an exception for recreational fires, for which there will be no charge
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Summer Solstice Orca Symposium

On Saturday June 17th from 10 AM to 4 PM The Whale Museum will host a mini-symposium on orcas. The "Summer Solstice Orca Symposium" is being offered in association with the "Orca Sing"celebration at Lime Kiln Point State Park that evening.

The morning session from 10 am to noon will offer 30 minute presentations by Southern Resident orca researchers Dr. Bob Otis, Dr. David Bain, and other regional investigators who have been studying the local whales.

The afternoon session from 2 PM until 4:30 will be devoted to tracing the life of Luna (L-98), the Southern Resident orca calf who became separated from his family on the outer coast of Vancouver Island in 2002. Luna spent four years in Nootka Sound until he was tragically killed last March in an accident with a tug boat. Astrid van Ginneken from the Center for Whale Research will share her observations of Luna's birth and his short time in local waters before he became separated from his pod. Then, Soundwatch director, Kari Koski will share her experiences working with the Luna Stewardship Program in Nootka Sound, and finally videographers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit will share their documentation of Luna's life in Nootka Sound up to the day of his tragic accident.

There will be a special requiem to Luna at the Orca Sing at Lime Kiln Point State Park from 7 PM to dusk.

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SJ Islands Ambassadors Class of '06

(L-R back row: William King, Casey Lehman, Josh Crossen, Christina Tisinger, Ashleigh Barnes, Hana Dubail, Christine Olshefsky. L-R front row: Joyce King, Kyle Gutierrez, Kate Hunter, Alex Freeman, Tristan Wood. Not pictured Catlyn Keys -M. Kalbert photo)

By Mary Kalbert

The selections have been made and the training program has started for the class of '06 San Juan Islands Ambassadors.

This year 13 students, ranging in age from 13 to 17, represent San Juan, Lopez and Orcas Islands. They are a cross-section of the youth of our communities, representing Friday Harbor, Spring Street International School, Griffin Bay, and Lopez and Orcas school systems.

Armed with knowledge, maps and a desire to provide assistance, they will follow in the footsteps of last year's inaugural group of ambassadors who earned rave reviews from visitors as far away as Israel, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey and Japan.

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SJ Waters Proposed As Critical Habitat For Orca

Public Hearing to be held in Friday Harbor in July.

Portions of Haro Strait and waters surrounding the San Juan Islands were designated on June 9th as potential critical habitat. The proposal is intended to protect and increase the killer whale population. A total of 2,500 square miles has been proposed, and this includes all of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The proposal is a direct result of the listing last year of the whales on the endangered list. The pods known as the Southern Resident killer whale population peaked in the 1990's at 97 animals then declined to 79 in 2001. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (HOAA) there are now 90 whales, some with calves that were recently born .
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Interview With Local Publicist

(Alice Acheson -M. Kalbert photo)

By Mary Kalbert

Alice Acheson and her husband Ed (Greub) have lived on San Juan Island since 1996. The re-location here, for Alice, was after 30 years in New York City and eight years in San Francisco.

"I spent the first 18 years of my life in a town with a smaller population than Friday Harbor. I was attracted by the scenery here that resembled Maine, where I spent a majority of my summers. Ed and I hope to never move again."

The following is an interview on Alice's life as a publicist.

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Pete Rose Top Pick For County Administrator

The current City Administrator of Woodinville, Wa., Pete Rose, will be offered the job of County Administrator of San Juan County. After a day of deliberations in Executive session with Waldron & Company, the County Council came out at 3:00 p.m. and entered into open discussion as to whom they felt were the best choices for the position. It quickly became clear that the top two choices were Mark Weinberg, (retired City administrator of Inglewood Ca), and Pete Rose. After a short discussion, the Council reached consensus, and instructed Waldron & Company to offer the position to Mr. Rose.

The Island Guardian has been told -but unable to confirm- that the Citizens Panel had rated Rose and Weinberg almost equal, followed by Lloyd Halverson; although panel members Lynn Bahrych and Larry Hendel (both Myhr appointees) were supporting Dick Grout as their choice.

While the Councilmen had strong praise for Weinberg, one of the reasons all three Councilmen gave for choosing Rose, was the evidence that he had conducted a thorough background study and analysis of San Juan county. Chair Lichter stated that of all of the candidates, it was Rose who had the "strongest grasp of what is going on, and what is needed in the county".

Both Myhr and Lichter also referenced his quiet demeanor, and Lichter noted that he believed that while he was a gentle man, he could be tough when it was needed. Ranker praised his communication skills, and found him to be "inventive" in his responses to questions.

Now that the Council has made their choice, it will be up to Mr. Rose to make his. Once he receives the call from Waldron & Company, the negotiations will begin, and Councilman Ranker noted that Mr. Rose is currently receiving a higher salary in his job as the City Administrator of Woodinville, than what the Council had set as their top pay scale for the position.

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EDITORIAL - Who Will They Choose?

(The Management Team panel prepares to start a day of interviews)

After a full day of interviews by two panels, one made-up of elected officials and the other comprised of citizens hand-picked by the Council, the recommendations of the two panels have been made, and now the Council will once again go into executive session to receive and review the rankings from the panels, and to continue the "evaluation of the qualifications of candidates for employment", and hopefully to make a decision on which of the four will be the County Administrator.

We spent the day observing the interviews, and went away impressed by the overall quality of the candidates. All four of them were obviously intelligent, seemingly open and candid in their responses to the questions posed to them, and all displayed a sense of humor, be it intellectual or dry. And all four seemed to have done their homework. While Richard Grout (Director of the Bellingham Field Office Department of Ecology, and a former Planning Director of SJ County) had no need to do research on San Juan County, he did tell the panel members that he had called department heads -including County Administrator pro tem David Goldsmith, to sound them out on various issues. The other three candidates showed a knowledge and familiarly with current issues in the County that, had one not know better, would have indicated they must have spent some quality time here.

The process the panels followed were to ask all the candidates the same questions, and then with follow-up questions attempt to clarify and draw out additional information. For the most part the questions and responses were pat, and what one would expect. There were questions about "what is your style of leadership?; "What would be your priorities?", and some questions specific to a current county problem, of how to recruit and retain employees.

After the end of the requisite Q & A, things opened up a bit as the candidates would volunteer information and opinions. A comment made by Mr. Grout to both panels seemed to be unexpected, and resulted in additional conversation, when Grout informed them that he had told Waldron & Company that he had no interest in being a budget "wonk", and that he "did not want to managing a budget all the time.. having a Budget Manger position would allow the County Administrator time to create a County Vision". In further discussion of the topic, Grout said that some restructuring of departments may be in order, but there are turf issues, so the departments must be involved in the process.

As for the other three candidates, working with a budget seemed to be of little concern to them, and was not a subject much discussed. In some ways they struck us as being very similar, but as the interviews went on, some personality differences became obvious to us.

Lloyd Halverson (Camas, WA) was very soft spoken, and very thoughtful in his responses. Toward the end of the interview with the Citizen Panel, the topic of "civility" came up, and Mr. Halverson paused, and then softly said "Civility is very important to me….".

Pete Rose seemed to have done the most research on the County, and one could tell that he was hitting the right chord with the Citizen Panel when he showed an interest and expertise in providing affordable housing, telling them that he was a board member of a housing group, and that in his current position at Woodinville he had worked to create an affordable housing complex of 2,500 units. Rose also seemed to be the more politically attuned than the others; which may or may not be a good thing.

From our limited view point, the most purely professional candidate was Mark Weinberg, who recently retired as the City Administrator of Inglewood, CA, and had that crisp quick intellect and energy that is not uncommon to people in charge; and we also noted a dry humor that both he and Grout shared.

The Council has their work cutout for them on this one, and we are fortunate to have a good slate for them to choose from.


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Commencement SJC Skagit Valley College

Commencement begins at 3:30 PM, Thurs., June 8 Along with SVC graduates they will also be graduating WSU graduates (through a partnership with WSU Extended Degree Program).

In addition to the happy graduates (both SVC and WSU) and their family and friends . . . the President of SVC , Vice-Presidents, the SVC Board of Trustees and the Director and faculty of the San Juan Center will be present. Following the graduation there is reception. Graduation at the San Juan Center is always a good time

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Free Business Tax Workshop on June 9

The Washington State Department of Revenue is hosting a free Business Outreach workshop to help new and small business owners understand their tax reporting responsibilities. The workshop will take place on Friday, June 9, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the San Juan County Courthouse, 350 Court Street, Friday Harbor.

Revenue staff members will demonstrate the Department's electronic filing system, explain Washington excise taxes, reporting classifications, deductions, and sales tax collection and record-keeping requirements. Participants can ask questions about how taxes specifically apply to their businesses, and will receive a workbook with answers to most commonly asked questions and copies of Department rules and regulations.

To register, or for more information on this and all future workshops statewide, visit the Department of Revenue web site at www.dor.wa.gov or call (360) 676-2114. A short version of the workshop is also available as streaming video from the web site.

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Against Legal Advice, CC Approves ADU Ord

(Myhr & Lichter with buttons passed out at Public Hearing on ADUs)

Adding restrictions that had been removed from the proposed Ordinance on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)/Guest Houses, The County Council has now approved an Ordinance that will, in the words of the Council, "Not make anyone happy". Of those who spoke at the public hearing on Tuesday, it was clear that the majority of the public who testified were opposed to most of the components of the ordinance, and only a handful spoke in favor, the majority of which, is not all of, were members -or officers- of the Friends of the San Juans.

As was the case at the last hearing, the hearing room was packed, and many members of the public who were opposed to the proposed ordinance could be easily identified by the large yellow buttons they wore, (Previous Story) that stated: "73.5% REPRESENT US!"

The main objection to the ordinance from the public was that it included new regulations not required by the Growth Management Board. The second main objection was that it added new restrictions not required for the County to be found incompliance with the Growth Management Board. Former Planning Commissioner Jim Nelson read off a list of items included in the ordinance that were not required to be there. There were also concerns expressed by a number of speakers that there would be unintended consequences resulting from some of the new restrictions, and some of those requirements would end up doing more harm than good, and paradoxically would go counter to the reasons the Council had included them in the first place. Other speakers pointed out that some of the language the Council had included would be in conflict, or at least confusing, with existing language in the Uniform Development Code.

In the most dramatic moment of the hearing, Randy Gaylord told the Council the because the ordinance still allowed some "free standing" guest houses, which is the only thing that the GMB had ordered the County not to do, it would continue to keep the County non-compliant, and therefore would be rejected by the GMB.

Chair Alan Lichter, as he did in last hearing, wanted to foreclose comments from Prosecutor Gaylord as to his legal opinion on the Council's actions. As Gaylord was speaking Lichter attempted to stop him by stating "I said the Council is going into deliberations now!", but this time the public instantaneously responded to Lichter's attempt with what can only be described as a roar of protest that clearly shocked the Council. Kevin Ranker started to protest the response of the crowd, but quickly fell silent. Lichter then allowed Gaylord to continue to speak.

The unwillingness of the Council to receive, let alone accept, counsel from the Prosecuting Attorney's office in the past hearing had been noted by members of the public when giving testimony, most notably from former County Commissioner John Evans, who said he wanted to know what the legal opinion was from the Prosecutor's office, and asked the Council to request it prior to the end of the hearing. There was no comment from the Council on the request. And the Council closed the public comment portion of the hearing at 3:00 pm, and started their discussion on the proposed ordinance.

It is during discussion time that the Council asks questions of staff, and on rare occasions from one of the members of the public, and Councilman Bob Myhr got into a back-and-forth with Prosecutor Randy Gaylord on the issue raised by some members of the public on the legality of the Ordinance. Gaylord responded in a carefully worded opinion that he believed the ordinance was not in compliance with the GMB order, and not in compliance with the order of the Superior Court case, so that to that extent, one could say it was not legal. Myhr seemed troubled by the answer and pressed Gaylord on the question by asking if the Council was doing something illegal, to which Gaylord re-stated his opinion that the inclusion of freestanding ADUs would not be acceptable to the GMA.. When Ranker told Gaylord that "Illegal seems a little harsh…" Gaylord said "There is nothing illegal in adopting and ordinance that will not be found to be compliant". That satisfied Myhr.

Shortly after 5:00 pm the Council voted to approve the presented ordinance, with minor changes, and then will meet to pass the corrected version on Thursday, June 8th.

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Gregoire's Work Group Forum in FH

Governor Chris Gregoire's Ocean Policy Work Group is conducting a series of public forums designed to identify the ways in which state government can work more closely with coastal communities to address marine environment issues.

The Ocean Policy Work Group was formed in August 2005 in response to a legislative request to describe the conditions of the state's ocean resources and their contribution to Washington's character. The group will recommend measures to protect oceanic and coastal resources and improve ocean policy and resource management.

The sixth meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the University of Washington's Labs in Friday Harbor.

Log onto http://courses.washington.edu/oceangov/OPWG.html for more information on the Ocean Policy Working Group and the full Public Outreach Program Schedule.

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Host Family Volunteers Needed

Spring Street International School (SSIS) is delighted to announce that they will be hosting an AFS student for the year 2006-07, and are looking for one or two families in the local community who would like to volunteer for the memorable and exciting experience of hosting our incoming student. His name is Xi Wen, and he is from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. He will be sixteen years old next week and would therefore most likely be placed in a tenth grade class, although he may take classes with students in other grade levels as well. In his Chinese school, he is in the graduating class of 2008.
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Council Braces For ADU Public Hearing

The County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed ordinance dealing with guest houses, and they may see some of the buttons (seen in the photo above) at the hearing. The buttons are being worn by some of the 73.5% of the citizens who voted to allow guest houses, and have since been repeatedly told by the Council, and some members of the Planning Commission, that they did not understand what they were voting for.

If the last hearing is any forecast of what is to come, then the Council can expect a standing room only gathering of voters on Tuesday, June 6, when they hold a public hearing in the Council room at 1:30 pm. The Council will ostensibly be holding the hearing to take final public input on the Accessory Dwelling ordinance, but even their own attorney has said it will not pass a review by the Growth Management Board, however the Council has decided to proceed with the new ordinance anyway, and state law requires that they take public input on it.

In a related issue, the Growth Management Board (GMB) has decided to sidestep a public hearing on the ADU Ord by instituting an accelerated schedule that will be conducted by telephone. According to Peg manning, an attorney, and one of those opposed to the proposed ordinance, "This will mean that no property holder challenges to the ordinance (not due under law until 60 days from publication of a new ordinance) will be considered with the compliance hearing. The Board usually waits and hears both sets together".

What is confusing to many who have followed the evolution of the current proposed ordinance -and in some cases been a part of the process- is why the Council is going forward with a proposal that the County attorney says will not be accepted by the GMB. One of these observers has expressed concern that the end result may be that when the GMB rejects some of the components of the ordinance, then at the compliance hearing the Friends and the Council may simply remove the objectionable parts of the ordinance to reach compliance. And this may be done without public review, comment or knowledge. Given the fast track the Council and the GMB are now running on, we will not have to wait long to find out if these concerns are valid or not.

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Tukang Project Strikes Oil

(Engineering Geologist Dan Sorenson inspects site where oil was found)
Excavation of a former tank farm below Vinny's Restaurant, and across the street from Downriggers waterfront Restaurant, ran into an old pipe filled with what appears to be diesel fuel. The discovery of the pipe by an excavator led to a small spill of material, and started a search for the source of the pipe, and concerns that where there is some, there may be more. And sure enough, just when the Town thought they had stopped the flow, Bob Freeauf, Maintenance Manager for the Port of Friday Harbor saw an oil sheen on the water in the harbor.

Tukang Enterprises, L.L.C. purchased the property and has proposed to construct a number of buildings on the property that will be a combination of residential condos and retail stores, and in anticipation of making formal application for a building permit, they have begun blasting and the excavation of the site. While the site is well known to have been used as a petroleum tank farm, apparently the project developer failed to conduct a thorough investigation of the property to determine if a site clean-up was required. The recent spill has now impacted not only the subject project, but also Town right of way and Port property.

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The Friends of The San Juans New Attorney

(Friends of the San Juans staff. Amy Trainer (front). Back row (l-r) Stephanie Buffum Field, Shannon Davis, Tina Whitman, and Jana Marks. -photo by Kelley Balcomb-Bartok).

Amy Trainer will be sworn in at the San Juan County Courthouse, on Monday, June 5, in a ceremony accepting her into the Washington State Bar

Stephanie Buffum Field, Executive Director of Friends stated in a press release that "Amy Trainer is the first staff attorney to serve as the Legal Director for Friends of the San Juans. We spent over a year conducting a nationwide search for this position. Amy's experience in public and private sector planning coupled with her dedication to public interest issues is an assist to our community,"
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Local Resident Discount At Pelindaba Downtown

Following an old island tradition of offering "Islander Discounts" to their loyal customers, Pelindaba Lavender, committed to continuing and increasing its value to the local community, has announced the initiation of a local resident discount program for its Downtown Café menu items in conjunction with the seasonal change to its summer menu.

Effective immediately, local residents can request a card that will provide them with a 10 percent discount on all plated meal items in the Café. This discount will also apply to these meal items when ordered as "take-out". The non-transferable cards are good all year round and are available to residents of any part of San Juan County, not just Pelindaba's home base of San Juan Island.

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Want To Coach Basketball?

Island Rec Needs Volunteer Coaches for the Boys Basketball League

Do you enjoy working with youth? Would you like to make a difference in a child's life? If so, Island Rec is in need of volunteers for some of our Rec X programs. We are looking for assistance with our summer programs including archery, orienteering, Geocaching, silk screening, candle making, paper making, camping and biking. If you feel like you would like to offer your assistance with any of our summer programs please contact Corelia Peacock at 378-4953 or come by our office at 580 Guard Street from 1:00-5:00 pm Monday - Friday.

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SUMMER KICK-OFF Week-end is here

What's Happening!, follows below:
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FH PC Recommends Approval Of 68 Homes

(Standing room only at joint FH Town Council & Planning Commission Hearing)
In a double header hearing Thursday night, the Friday Harbor Planning Commission recommended approval of two land use applications intended to provide new housing in Friday Harbor. Both applicants told the combined Town Council and the Planning Commission members hearing the applications that their proposals would provide affordable housing in the -projected- 300 to 400 thousand dollar price range. The first application was proposing a traditional residential subdivision called Country Village, and according to the developer, Bobby Ross, there will be very restrictive and tight controls on the type, and style, of homes that can be constructed. The second proposal was for a planned residential development of clustered housing near the beginning of the FH Labs property north of Friday Harbor.


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Salary Commission Cuts Council Pay

(File photo of Salary Commission)

The San Juan County Salary Commission (SC) has determined that the County Council members should be paid less now that they have a County Administrator responsible for all of their former administrative duties.

The County Council members are currently receiving $68,067.39, but in the future that will be reduced to $31,938.00 for the incoming Council members. Bob Myhr is coming up for election, and if he runs and is elected, he will receive the reduced salary, along with all future members of the Council. In addition to their base pay, they will continue to receive benefits; and of course their staff and administrative needs and costs will continue to be provided by the County.

The SC interviewed all of the elected officials to hear from them what their duties were, and then reviewed the pay scales from other jurisdictions in the state to determine a range of pay for the various positions and duties of each office. They then used this data as a starting point for their discussion.

When SJC Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord had his turn before the SC, he was the only one that started off the interview by stating his office was underpaid, and the monthly salary should be increased to bring it in line with other such positions in the state. The SC has increased his pay from $97,822.85, to $105,159.60

As was expected, the SC found that the other elected officials would receive basically the same amount as they now do, with a modestly adjusted increase from the current $65,801.55, to $67,428.00. However the one exception was the Sheriff, who has been in the odd position of receiving somewhat less than the Under-Sheriff, because the salary of the Under-Sheriff is set by union negotiations with the County, and as a result he makes more than the Sheriff. The Salary Commission determined that the Sheriff will receive 2% more than the Under Sheriff -at least for 2007

The process is not over, for the SC still has to draft their full report and set the "cost of living" per cent increases, but the salaries are now set, and can only be changed by the Salary Commission. The SC is a standing body with staggered four year terms, and while independent of the County Council, they are appointed to their position by the Council.


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