CC Reduces Speed Limit On SJI Road

(County Council reviews Public Works road map)

Citing concerns about safety, the CC (County Council) supported a request by neighbors and PW (Public Works) to reduce the speed limit on a portion of a main road entering Friday Harbor, from 45 to 35 miles per hour. A Public Works report to the CC pointed out that the Beaverton Valley road is the only major road entering Friday Harbor that does not have a decreasing speed limit as it approaches the more populated area of town limits.

Neighbors testified to the Council that the location of the historical driveway exits to the road have blind spots, and limited sightlines, that pose a potential for accidents. Public Works in turn reminded the Council that a new business park will soon be open for business, and that an affordable housing development has recently been completed, both of which will result in more traffic entering the road, and increasing the need for a reduced speed limit.

What was not noted was the same area also has an entry drive to acres owned by Public Works that was originally purchased for a new PW yard, and construction of a new Transfer Station and re-cycling center. If this development goes in -which is an open question- the increase in traffic by cars and large trucks will certainly be an impact on traffic flows, and will increase the need for safe speed limits.

The Council agreed with PW and those who came to testify, and voted to reduce the speed limit. Councilman Bob Myhr has been a proponent of reduced limits, partly as a way of increasing the use of electric cars in the county, and in making his vote stated he will always be in favor of reducing speed limits in San Juan County


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What Is Killing Off ORCA?

The recent appearance of a new born ORCA made the evening news; followed by news that it had disappeared. This, and an awareness that three adult ORCA are missing, and now assumed to be dead, has fueled a continuing debate on the cause of the decline of the Orca, which reached an alarming loss of possibly as many as seven whales in 2005.

The DF&W (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) believe that of the three problem areas identified by researchers and those who run the many organizations that work to protect and understand the killer whales, there are three possible sources of danger to the long term ability of the whales to increase their population levels.

One those sources of concern is the loss of food. Dr, Birgit Kriete of "ORCA" (Orca Relief Citizens Alliance) notes that of the ORCA that have died. "two of the animals had been showing signs of starvation"; and while studies of salmon populations indicate there has been an increase of stocks in the Puget Sound, Kriete believes the lack of food may be attributed to something other than loss of salmon, and more to a combination of other factors, including the second area of concern on the DF&W list: Whale watching from boats too close, and too persistent.

A F&W report stated that "southern resident whales are now followed by significant numbers of commercial and private vessels during much or all of the day". Kriete explained that "essentially, the noise and activities of whale watch boats cause the whales to swim farther, increasing their metabolism, and also makes it harder for the orcas to find dwindling salmon -- their primary food source." And adds that "This deadly combination makes it extremely difficult for orcas to find sufficient food. Consequently, the whales draw down their body fat, where toxins are stored, and, as a result, die – either of starvation or toxin".

It is the high level of toxins that is being found in the whales that is the third area of concern on the state list. Ongoing studies have found large amounts of toxics, with PCBs being one of those that can be most deadly to the whales.

There may very well be other potential causes to the ORCA decline, but whatever the final number, Kriete and others believe that while changes in cleaning up the ocean waters will take years, there are some steps we can take now, and one of the obvious ones is "We can eliminate the impact of whale watch boats TODAY - if we so choose. If we care about the orcas, we must protect them from these paparazzi on the water immediately. Let's watch orcas from shore".

DF&W agrees that the "public interest in killer whales has fueled tremendous growth in whale watching in and around the San Juan Islands during the past two decades". If Kriete and others are right that noise may be a contributing factor to a loss of food for the whales, there is some irony that an increase in public interest in the whales may be part of the -at least local- problem for the very wellbeing of the whales.

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SJ Historical Museum's Autumn Auction

Autumn Auction for The San Juan Historical Museum will be on Saturday, October 21, at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor.

This harvest-themed evening will be MC'd by Boo Boo Keane, featuring a Wine & Hors d'oeuvre Buffet catered by Leslie Byron, Silent and Live Auctions, and an exhibition of historical photographs from the Museum's Friday Harbor, Then and Now collection.

Among the items up for bid will be a Getaway for Two to the Chrysalis Inn & Spa in Bellingham, including round-trip airfare provided by Island Air; Museum-quality antiques and tools; architectural services from Prentiss Architects; a stay for two at Roche Harbor's McMillin Suites with dinner at McMillin's; a ½-day Scuba Trip from Island Dive; a session of kids' pottery lessons at Club Mud; kennel services from Animal Inn; plus books, home décor, pet gifts, a load of gravel, baskets of goodies, numerous gift certificates for shopping and personal care, and much more.

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Court to Review County's Dual Methods to Determine Parcel Size

A lawsuit by long time property owners Richard Durhack, Virginia Norgaard and Neva Durhack .has been filed against San Juan County. The suit results from the County Council's decision to retain a method of calculating the size of property by two different methods: one method for land use decisions, and another method for property tax decisions. ( Read background reporting on the " Aliquot System")

Durhack and Norgaard had appeared before the Council to ask that they instruct CD&PD (Community Development & Planning Department) to continue to use the same system to determine the size of their property that had been used when the property was originally divided. The problem facing the Durhacks', and others in the county, was finding out that property that had been labeled as being such-and-such a size, and accepted as such by the County for land use purposes, was in some cases now found by modern surveying methods and equipment that used GIS (Geographic Information Systems) satellites, to be less (or more) than had been assumed by all parties when land use designations and regulations had been applied to the properties.

For those financially impacted by the new information, it seemed unfair for the County to say they will use the old method (e.g., it is okay to be less for Open Space tax relief) when it benefits the County, but use the new method to prevent further division of property. But even in the face of the fact that county planning had assumed and anticipated that the properties in question could be divided, and that eventuality had been factored in by the County's Comprehensive long range planning, Myhr and Lichter did not appear to be impressed by the "fairness" question raised by staff, and by Assessor Paul Dossett.


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Guest Editorial

Council Approves Hiring Help For Prosecutor

The County Council has approved a request from the Prosecutor's office for a onetime "Emergency Appropriation" of $20,000.00 to hire a temporary replacement for Cameron Carter, who recently resigned to take a position on the mainland. (Previous Stories)

Gaylord told the Council he has been unable to hire a fulltime replacement in time to meet the upcoming deadlines of the ongoing ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) appeals, but was able to locate someone "qualified and familiar with San Juan County and the ADU issues" that was willing to step in and take over the filings due by December 6th, and to represent the County in the appeals scheduled for January in Eastsound.

Chairman Alan Lichter asked Ranker if he was interested in reviewing the qualifications of the person selected by Gaylord, and while Ranker seemed to be taken a bit off guard by the question, he resonded that he would not mind reviewing them. Lichter then turned to Myhr for his input, Myhr said that he was "happy to defer to the Prosecuting Attorney to make the proper decision". Gaylord told Lichter that while it would not be appropriate for them to make their approval of the request contingent upon their review of the attorney's qualifications, but that he would be happy to introduce the attorney to the Council.

Gaylord said he would set up an informal meeting between the parties, and this put an end to the discussion.

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"Dog Ordinance" Nearly Ready For Pubic Hearing

(Council work session on problem of dogs running at large)

It has been a long time coming, and if Bob Myhr had his way, it would have happened months ago, but in any case an update of the "Dog Ordinance" is now showing up on the Council agenda, and a final draft may be ready for Council review next week. Once the Council approves the draft now being put together by the Prosecutor's office, a public hearing will be held to take input from the public at large.

Up to this point the discussions have been informal work sessions between the Council, staff members, and interested members of the public -most notably farmers and other members of the agricultural community, who have been pushing the Council to act in the face of ongoing attacks on live stock by dogs at large.

From these discussions a draft revision to the existing ordinance has been put together (Previous Story and key points of draft) , and on Tuesday the Council invited members of the animal shelters from Orcas and San Juan to join a discussion at another work session.

The two animal shelters (Lopez does not have a shelter) have a contract with the County to receive and house domestic animals, and they informed the Council that they would not require as much money to house, feed and -hopefully- return animals to their owners, as had been earmarked in the draft. The Council decided the ordinance would not address exact amounts, and would simply allow the shelters to set the impoundment fee, but Ranker asked that a limit be placed on how much they could charge. The Council set $20 as the upper limit.

One of the more emotional issue is what to do about dangerous dogs, including those that attack livestock. It had been suggested by one farmer that any dog attacking livestock should be killed, but Councilman Ranker -a vocal supporter of the ordinance- had concerns that this was a bit harsh, or at least had the potential of some unwanted consequences, presenting an example of some child's little pet dog running briefly running around in a field that contained livestock, and perhaps in the process chases a sheep -are we going to have the dog put down, he asked? The possibility of Ranker's hypothetical seemed to rein in any movement toward automatic elimination with extreme prejudice of any dogs "attacking" livestock.

At one time there were signs posted on the major roads informing that dogs attacking livestock could be shot, and it was decided the signs needed to be replaced, as they were important in educating the public of the possible consequence of not keeping their dogs under their control.

Once the draft ordinance is approved for a public hearing, we will publish it for review.

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Save Turtleback Mt Deadline Is Near & Dear

When it was first announced this summer (Previous Story) that it may be possible to "save" Turtleback Mountain on Orcas island from development, there was a great deal of enthusiasm from many in the community toward that goal, and also a great deal of skepticism that it would be possible for a combination of private and public funded groups to be able to pull off raising the 18.5 million needed to finalize the purchase.

For many the skepticism turned to downright disbelief when it was learned that the deadline for the purchase was November 15th. Less than six months to beat the bushes for 18.5 million? No way!
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San Juan Island's New "Personal Historian"

Vikky Dauciunas – that's pronounced "da-Q-ness" -- likes people, and she believes that each of us has an interesting story to tell. That's why she's a "personal historian" who makes video recordings that focus on the lives and key events of "ordinary" people who want a video for their families, friends – and descendents.

She is currently working with the San Juan Historical Museum to update its library of Oral Histories. This includes "digitizing" the library to CD and to a format that can be loaded to digital media players – such as iPods and MP3 players. "The stories have taught me so much about the wonderful place we live in. Listening to the voices brings alive how it was many years ago, here on the island."
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State Wide, Recycling & Garbage Are Increasing

Recycling in the state rose to 44 percent in 2005, up from 42 percent the year before; and while we are recycling more than ever, we're told by the State that we are also generating more waste than ever before.

According to new numbers compiled by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology). Almost 4-million tons of material has been recycled, and that is close to achieving a statewide recycling goal of 50 percent.

According to a recent press release, Washington sent 1.8-million dump trucks of un-recycled waste to landfills last year. What explains the increasing numbers? From 2004 to 2005, Washington's population grew an estimated 1.4 percent, according to population forecasters with the Office of Financial Management. However, the amount of garbage produced by each person in the state increased by 5.3 percent in 2005.

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Self-Haul On SJ To Remain? New Transfer Station To Be Built?

(SWAC, Consultants, PW, and the public meet again)

Final Recommendations on solid waste disposal on San Juan Island are ready to be presented to the County Council. The Findings and Recommendations from SWAC (San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee) to the Council are laid out in five pages, and the recommendation includes "Self-hauling of both solid waste and recyclable materials".

When members of the public showed up for the fifth SWAC meeting on Monday, Oct 16th, that according to the agenda, was being held to finalize a set of "findings and recommendations" to the County Council "concerning solid waste management services on San Juan Island", some were surprised to find that a draft "Report to the San Juan County Council" had been previously made available to the committee, but not to the public.

After the start of the meeting, things did not improve for public participation. The public was informed early on that no public questions or comments were to be taken until the end of the meeting -that is to say, no input would be allowed on the draft, until all of the topics on the agenda had been covered by the committee. The surprise of learning the public process seemed to be over, turned to frustration and some subdued anger, when the committee reviewed the draft and then voted to accept it, without input from the public on the content of the draft.

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Where We Are: The Weed Board

The volunteer members of the San Juan County Noxious Weed Board (WB for short) wanted to give county residents a brief overview of our successes from the last four years. Our WB coordinator, Rich Lee and assistant coordinator, Judy Jackson has been working diligently year-round to accomplish some great milestones. They average seventy citizen contacts per month, year round and have helped many land owners with their skills and knowledge.
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Prosecutor To Ask For Help

SJC Prosecutor Randy Gaylord will ask the County Council on Tuesday for an Emergency Appropriation Consideration for Outside Council for ADU Litigation. With the recent departure of Deputy Prosecutor Cameron Carter , Gaylord has been running a tad short on staff to handle the increasingly large work load coming out of the Council chambers.

It is speculated by some court house observers that in addition to the current lack of staff, Gaylord may also simply want to get the ADU litigation out of his office, and the resignation of Carter may provide a means to that end.

If the Council decides to appropriate additional funding for the ADU legal expenses, they may also attempt to influence who will be retained. The County Council and Gaylord have been at odds over how to handle the guest house legal issues, and the Council has made no secret that they are as frustrated with Gaylord, as he with them, and there has been more than one instant when individual Council members have made it clear that they have received outside legal advise on County issues, and have put it up as counter argument to Gaylord's advice to them.

The Request to the Council is expected to occur shortly after the Council convenes on Tuesday (10-17-06) at 10 a.m. The Council will not be able to put this request off for long, since the clock is running on the appeals, and some responses are due within the next two weeks.

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Report Released On Restoring The Sound

The Puget Sound Partnership has released a Draft Recommendation report on a "comprehensive restoration effort for Puget Sound". The report is the work product of a new committee -comprised of committees- that Gov. Chris Gregoire created when the Puget Sound Partnership was formed. The goal is to "develop aggressive actions to help solve Puget Sound's most vexing problems by 2020". The Partnership includes a group of regional leaders, and has 17 members and four legislative liaisons.

One of the project managers is Jim Kramer of Shared Strategy, and if that name rings a bell, it is because as previously reported in the Island Guardian, the SJ County Council and Shared Strategy have signed a contract to use San Juan County as a future model for the development of programs in other counties in the state, that will serve to advance the goals of the Partnership.


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At Long Last: Firearm Restrictions Apply in County

Local hunters have noticed a new restriction has shown up on the licensing information when applying for a hunting licenses. After years of attempting to restrict the use of modern, high-powered rifles for hunting in the county, the State acted , and they are no longer allowed for hunting in San Juan County. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has adopted a firearm restriction for all of San Juan County. Use of modern rimfire and centerfire rifles for hunting is prohibited. Revolver pistols, shotguns that use slugs or buckshot, bow and arrows and muzzleloader rifles are still allowed during the hunting season.

This is the first year the firearm restriction has been in place. "The new regulation will require education of all hunters," said Prosecutor Randall K. Gaylord. Hunters receive a hunting pamphlet with their license that explains the firearm restrictions on pages 57 and 58.

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Victims Services Center Awarded $30,000 Grant

The San Juan County Prosecutor's Office has been awarded $30,000 for its participation in a regional network of funding for victims of general crimes.

Prosecuting Attorney Randall K. Gaylord, said that the award is $10,000 less than last year, but he hopes that the County Council or other sources will make up the difference so that services to victims of crime will not be reduced.

"We need to be able to serve crime victims right here in San Juan County. The Victim Services Center assures that victims of crimes have someone looking out for their interest throughout the criminal justice process. In addition, if charges are not brought for any reason, the victim advocate will make the appropriate referrals to other agencies to see that the needs of the victim are met.

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Lynne Rogers

Lynne Rogers has left us. She had been fighting cancer for sometime, and early this morning she passed away.

Lynne was a long time resident of the San Juans, and like many that moved here, she came here by way of California. Lynne grew up in the Bay area, graduated from UC Berkeley, with a degree in history. When her father accepted a job in Viet-Nam, Lynne went along and taught school there. In 1974 Lynne and husband Winston moved to San Juan Island with their three daughters.

By 1986 Lynne decided to have a go in real estate sales, which she continued to be active in until the very last. One testimony to the quality of a person is their friends, and Lynne was one of the most admired and respected members of the community at large, and was honored in her chosen profession by numerous awards, but most importantly, many of her clients became friends as well.

A few of the organizations she has been involved in, are the Inter-Island Medical Center, where she served on the Board of Trustees; was a founding president of "CATS" (Community Arts and Theatre Society); served as a Commissioner for the San Juan County Land Bank; and was a past president of the San Juan Historical Society. In 2002 she was named the "Community Service Realtor of the Year" by the San Juan County Realtors Association.

We will post additional information as it becomes available

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Off And Running!

(Greg Hertel -seated- and Milene Henley speak to Chamber members)
In what one participant called a "warm-up for the major debates coming up", the two candidates to replace Auditor Si Stephens, who has decided to retire, presented their reasons as to why they should be Si's replacement.

The occasion was the second in a series of opportunities by the SJC Chamber of Commerce for candidates to present their views to the Chamber membership.

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Update On 1897 Hanging

In response to Randy Gaylord's request for information on an 1897 Hanging in San Juan County, William Patterson writes that "I was told the story while on Blakely Island: The last man hanged in San Juan County was a teacher on Blakely Island who shot the school superintendent. At the hanging the only person who knew how to tie a hangman's nose was the teacher, so as the story went – the last lesson the teacher taught was how to tie a hangman's noose… I have no idea if the story is true, but there it is."

If anyone else has any information, be it a rumor or fact, send it in to help Mr. Straub's descendents obtain as much information as possible on the incident.

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CC Slowly Trots Toward New Dog Ord

The County Council continues to move toward revising and updating animal control laws, and specifically those sections that address the problem of dogs attacking people and animals. For sometime now the County has been reviewing the existing laws and regulations, and under pressure by Counciman Bob Myhr, and by the call of local farmers for increased fines and restitutions payments for livestock killed or injured by dogs, the Prosecutor's office has presented a working draft document for Council review. On Tuesday the Council discussed the draft, and also took some informal public comment on observers in the audience.

County Prosecutor Gaylord told the Council that his review of the input from Council and members and the public has led him to classify the information as falling into four major areas of concern:

1. Dogs at large. Gaylord said there is no specific language in the existing ordinance that gives proper authority, or guidance to the Sheriff's office, on how to handle complains about dogs that are at large.

Gaylord suggest that including new language would help to solve the problem, and suggested that requiring that dogs be under the control of the owner, by voice commands for example, may solve the problem, without requiring that all dogs either be fenced or on a leash.

2. Dogs that attack livestock. The draft kept the current regulations, but added some clarification and expansion of definitions, and includes the chasing and/or attacking of deer.

3. Penalties. There has been a call for increased, and new fines and penalties for violations of the regulations; including the amount of money that would be paid to farmers that lost livestock to dog attacks.

4. Animal Control Officer. Some have suggested that a new county position be created that would have the responsibility and authority to manage animal controls and enforcement.

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Court Upholds Access Site Enforcement On Henry Island

A recent decision from the Court of Appeals in Seattle confirms the County's approach to enforcing the shoreline laws for private access to Henry Island. There is no publicly-owned barge landing site, and no road system that serves the entire island. The case involves a dispute between neighbors over the County permit requirements limiting the use of an access cut on the property of Paul and Cheryl Walton that was used to bring in materials to build a house.

The Waltons had demonstrated that the access cut existed before the Shoreline Management Act, and when they applied for a building permit for their residence they were allowed to make minor repairs to the cut.

In 2001 the Waltons began to build a residence, but the access cut was cleared excessively. The County's Director of Community Development and Planning responded by issuing a stop work order on the residence and giving the Waltons a choice of restoring the site or applying for the necessary shoreline permits for the cut.


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Have Any Info On A Hanging in 1897?

County Prosecutor is seeking information about the last person hanged in San Juan County. In April 23, 1897, Mr. Richard H. Straub was hanged in San Juan County, apparently for a murder that occurred on Blakely Island.

Randall K. Gaylord, San Juan County Prosecutor, said that he has been contacted by the great grandchildren of Mr. Straub, and that they are planning a trip to Friday Harbor soon in an effort to learn more about him.

Gaylord said, "I thought someone in the community may have an old shoebox with photographs, letters, or papers that mention Mr. Straub, the trial, the execution or the burial. If not, then perhaps there are other details that have been passed on from one generation to the next."

Gaylord said that he understands that after the hanging, the body was not claimed and it was buried at Pt. Caution, at what was then a military reservation and now is the University of Washington Labs. "If someone knows the location of the gravesite, the family would be most interested in visiting it," added Gaylord.

"I invite anyone with details on the life and death of Mr. Richard H. Straub to call me, send me an e-mail, or drop by my office at the courthouse," said Gaylord.

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Oil Spill Response Trailers Granted To SJC

The County Council will sign a contract with the Department of Ecology today (October 10th) to accept four fully equipped trailers designed to aid in the containment of oil spills.

$1.45 million was allocated this year by the Legislature to the Department of Ecology to provide "oil spill response equipment caching" equipment that would be made available to local jurisdictions. The idea was to pre-position (pre-stage) response equipment trailers throughout the state, and San Juan County has now been awarded four trailers -in addition to a trailer recently awarded by WA State Department of Ecology to the Port of Friday Harbor. According to Emergency Management Director Brendan Cowan, the trailers will be located at Rosario Resort and Deer Harbor on Orcas Island, and Shoal Bay and Fisherman's Bay on Lopez Island.

Director Cowan said "These trailers are a welcome addition to our local spill response resources, and represent a cooperative effort between the Department of Ecology, the county, private business, and the Islands' Oil Spill Association (IOSA)," and added that the trailers will become the property of SJ County.

The fully loaded and equipped trailers will be available for use by trained staff from both IOSA and the local marinas and resorts, which are participating in the effort. The Department of Ecology will provide training on the use of the equipment. The County is expected to take possession of the trailers sometime this fall.

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Guest Editorial

Hyak Replaced By Smaller Sealth For 4 Months

The 90-car MV Sealth has replaced the 144-car MV Hyak on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route. The Hyak will replace the 144-Yakima, which will go into the yard for much needed maintenance as the vessel has been operating on half power due to a generator problem. The Sealth returns to this route after a four month, $4 million preservation project done by the Everett Shipyard.

To help alleviate possible overloads on the 8:25 p.m. sailing from Anacortes, the last sailing of the night, Washington State Ferries is changing the Anacortes/San Juan Island/Inter-island schedule slightly from Sunday, October 8-Thursday, October 12.

The 6:35 p.m. inter-island sailing from Shaw will terminate at Lopez Island and the 7:05 p.m. inter-island sailing from Lopez Island to Friday Harbor will be cancelled so that the 59-car MV Illahee can sail to Anacortes to provide an 8 p.m. sailing from Anacortes direct to Friday Harbor, arriving at approximately 9:30 p.m.

"We will monitor the overloads to see if we need to provide this service beyond this week," says Tim Saffle, Operations Center Port Captain. "We are trying to ensure that our customers can get home during this vessel transition."
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October 10: SJI Intermodal Transportation Committee

The San Juan Island Intermodal Transportation Committee will meet Tuesday, October 10, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Friday Harbor Town Council Chambers. The agenda includes a discussion on "What did we learn" from the public comments at the last WSF open house. The comments at the Open House were related to possible changes to Friday Harbor traffic patterns, flows, and "bump-outs" at some corners, in an attempt to shorten the time it takes to unload and load cars from the ferry when it is docked in Friday Harbor.

The public is welcome to speak at a Public Comment Period at 4:45 p.m., and also may send written comments to the State at: WSFF-HMasterPlan@wsdot.wa.gov

The Intermodal Transportation Committee was formed to allow local government to give input to a Master Plan that is being drafted by the State. The ommittee is comprised of representatives from the Town of Friday Harbor, San Juan County. and the Port of Friday Harbor

Some of the topics that may be discussed are:

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Guest Editorial

Sheriff Bill Has Operation For Aneurysm

(SJCS photo)
SJC Sheriff Bill Cumming showed the value of normal routine medical examinations, when during a recent examination an abdominal aneurysm in his abdominal aorta (a large blood vessel supplying blood to the abdomen, pelvis and legs) was detected. He was sent off island for surgery and is now doing well, and expected to make a full recovery.

Aneurysms normally develop slowly over many years and it is not uncommon for there to be no symptoms until it develops into a potential life threaten stage. If an aneurysm does rapidly expand, and as a result tears or ruptures, or leaks blood along the wall of a vessel, symptoms may develop suddenly, and become an emergency.

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Orcas Elementary School gets READY FOR ANYTHING

Luis Avevalo (Orcas FD photo-left) and fellow students at Orcas Elementary learned the four basic elements needed to survive a disaster by assembling emergency kits in their classrooms. The Get READY FOR ANYTHING project is an effort to be more prepared in the event of a disaster, like an unexpected over-night stay at school.

The Orcas Island Fire Department provided glow-in-the-dark boxes, water, space blankets and a light stick for every student and teacher in grades 1 through 5. Each participant was asked to provide the snack and an emergency information plan.

At the end of the school year, the snacks and info card go home with the student, but the rest of the supplies remain in the classroom for the incoming students.

For more information on this program or how you can The Get READY FOR ANYTHING contact Max Jones at maxj@orcasfire.org or 360-376-2331 extension 322. -- Max Jones Public Safety & Education Division Orcas Island Fire Dept. maxj@orcasfire.org (360) 376-2331 x 322

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Pacific Coast Governors Announce Partnership

The Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington today announced an historic partnership and action plan for ocean and coastal resource protection along the Pacific Coast. Read story in the Environment Section
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Have Dinner & Support SJ Nature Institute

Saturday October 7th: Farhad Ghatan has announced a dinner will be held to celebrate the San Juan Nature Institute, and "it's likely partnership with the UW and the Friday Harbor Labs".

According to Farhad, the SJ Nature Institute has been "approached by the UW and have now a signed memorandum of agreement between our two organizations regarding the future of the best public science education in San Juan County for San Juan County", this comes as a result of "twelve successful years in providing classes and science education to kindergarteners through "ninety-somethings" islanders", and Farhad believes it is not possible that "We are likely to have a home on the campus here in Friday Harbor after a few years of fund raising for the new building by the UW itself. Our duty will be to remain a viable organization through that time period, continuing with our various programs, classes and partnerships".

The elegant dinner will feature champagne, fine wines, and a tapas style service of delectable treats from Persia, Thailand and the Queen Charlotte Islands. Numerous seafood selections, land based foods and vegetarian dishes will precede desserts. Live music will grace our senses and Dr. Ken Sebens, Director of FHL will speak in brief regarding their plans.

Tickets are $50, fully tax deductible and available through the Institute's office 378-3646, or by contacting Farhad at 378-7140. Most of the supplies and all of the services for the evening have been donated, so the Nature Institute will benefit for those who attend. If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a supporting contribution, checks can be mailed to SJNI at Box 3110 Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

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Citizen Questions CC On Advisory Ballot Policies

(Jacqueline Hansson addresses County Council on Advisory Ballot Measures)

On Tuesday Mornings any citizen may address the County Council on almost any topic (click here for CC Guidelines for Access Time ) they choose. The allotted time for a presentation is only five minutes, and the Council is not supposed to respond, but depending on who is talking, and what the subject is, this is one guideline that appears to be somewhat flexible. Last Tuesday, Jacqueline Hansson appeared before the Council to question the "advisability and the legality" of the Council's policy on advisory ballots.

Hansson told the Council that "I am not here to speak either for or against the war in Iraq but rather the process that was used in the adoption of this advisory ballot measure" . Unlike many who have addressed the Council, Hansson had prepared remarks, and had obviously attempted to obtain answers to her questions prior to coming before the Council. Hansson said that questions were raised for her by the inclusion of a ballot measure on the Iraq war, and that "When I received my ballot around September 1, I was surprised to see this as a ballot measure.

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County Looks To Hire Project Manager For "Ecosystem-Based Initiative"

(The County Council has sent out the following press release -Ed) The San Juan County Council and Shared Strategy for Puget Sound are still seeking an experienced and talented professional to lead their ecosystem-based Initiative.
(Previous Guardian story on CC & SS agreement)

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior level project manager to shape and execute an innovative approach to working with policy-makers, scientists, community members and key stakeholders on one of the most important and difficult issues of our time: conservation and stewardship of our ecosystems.

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'06' ADU Quota May Be Filled

28 applications were called in on Monday for one of the 15 available permits for an ADU permit, before the end of the deadline at 12 p.m.; but according to CD&P Director Ron Henrickson, it is almost a certainty that a number of them will be found to not meet the minimum requirements necessary to be processed. This means that some of those next in line will be reviewed to see if they qualify. The Monday process was by phone only, and on a first-come-first-served basis.

Additional applications may now be submitted in writing only (no more over the phone applications), but only a total of 15 will be issued for this year, and of those 15, they must submit a permit application by December 1. None of the assigned numbers will be allowed to carry over into 2007 (Click here for previous story on how to apply for a permit).
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New Group Want To Hear From The Community

Liza Michaelson recently returned to San Juan Island from a trip to South America, and found she enjoyed the experience of hitch hiking, and the knowledge that one less car on the road had to be a good thing. Why not encourage that in San Juan County? "It was easy and delightful," she said, "and got me wondering how to encourage other islanders to give it a try." What if there was a way to share rides in some sort of program that would allow confidence that the car, and the driver, were safe, and that the "hitch-hiker" was also "safe"?

As is often the case with good ideas, other people had similar ideas, and with a little research, Liza found that a excellent model existed in San Geronimo Valley California, where 4000 people live 25 miles north of San Francisco.

Liza and others have now organized a group called SJ Ride Share to test out community reaction to the idea, and have cited the California example as to what could be done in SJ county to encourage ride sharing. If it is possible to have a safe program of ride sharing in Californian for over a decade, San Juan County should be a snap.

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County Employee In Hospital

Jane Redfern, a Permit Coordinator for the County's Community Development and Planning department, reportedly suffered a brain aneurism on Friday afternoon, and was taken to St. Joseph's in Bellingham, then to Harborview in Seattle, where she was placed in the Intensive Care Unit

She has been under heavy sedation, but when awake is able to open her eyes, move her toes and seems to be responding to those around her. Her doctors have caution that at this point they do not know to what extent there may have been damage as a result of the ‘event', which they believe took part in the center of her brain, but do believe they have stopped internal bleeding by use of non-invasive procedures.

We will post contact information, and updates, once it is made available

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Holy Smoke!

(Gordy Petersen photo)

By Gordy Petersen

Right outside my office door there is a sign warning smokers of a $20,500 fine for cigarette butt littering. If they toss their butts they can get their butts tossed in jail!

The sign is right next to a pile of cigarette butts and a cleverly disguised trashcan. The trashcan is one of the town's high security garbage containers complete with bars and padlocks. (You would think there is something worth stealing in there, but no, I checked it out.) Why do smokers toss their butts on the ground when there is a warning sign and a secure bulletproof container in plain sight? - Click to read the full Gordy Column

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SJI Community Foundation "Breakfast of Champions" A Success

(SJICF Board Chair Carla Wright Addresses the group)

The San Juan Island Community Foundation held its 6th annual "Breakfast of Champions". The early morning even is a celebration to recognize the many nonprofit organizations whose services make the county a better place in which to live, and is the formal presentation of the foundation's annual grant awards. This year twenty nonprofits received grants totaling $29,000.

The arts, youth & education, human services, health & rehabilitation, as well as environment & conservation were represented among the recipients. Phil Anthropy, the foundation's mascot (that would be the pink "pig") was on hand to present the awards. Additional out-of-cycle awards' will also be given by the foundation throughout the year through Donor Advised funds, which significantly increases the foundation's impact in the community.

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