Male Anna's Hummingbird

One of the most knowledgeable bird experts on San Juan Island is Susan Vernon, and she just checked in with a thought about one of our smaller friends:

Hi Ian,

I thought I would jot you a note regarding the overwintering Anna’s Hummingbirds on the island now.  I suspect some folks don’t know we have hummingbirds here in the winter and when we get ice and snow it can be a challenging time for the beautiful little birds.  Some island gardens has winter-blooming jasmine, mahonia, honeysuckle and other plants that are good nectar sources for them, but feeders can be very helpful to Anna when it snows or the temperatures take a dive.

Female Anna's Hummingbird

I have had a pair at my place all winter and they are staying close by my feeder  now.  I know several other islanders who have hummingbirds at their feeders, too.  Perhaps a little extra support would be a good thing for the next few days – or anytime this winter when the temperatures plummet.

Islanders who have feeders they put out for the Rufous Hummingbirds in the spring and summer might want to put them out now for Anna.   Thanks, Ian.

- Susan Vernon

The snow is coming...

Brendan at the County’s Department of Emergency Management has issued a heads up on the week ahead (you can “like” his Facebook page here; you can sign up for e-mails from him here):

Monday morning: Too soon to know for sure, but the Weather Service is forecasting a major snowstorm for Wednesday. Computer models are varying from 4-8″ to much more than that.

Very hard to predict exactly how this will shape up, but worth keeping an eye on the forecast and picking up some extra groceries in town Monday or Tuesday just in case. Here’s the forecast.

The canoes of the Salish tribes are coming....!

This annual event is a super reminder of both our roots in the area, and the chances for a positive future, as First Nations folks come to visit…here’s more from Stephanie Buffum from the Friends of the San Juans:

This Thursday-Sunday over 200 coast Salish tribes will be paddling through the San Juans from Vancouver Island on their way to their final destination, the Swinomish Indian Tribe in La Conner on July 25 for the 2011 Inter-tribal Canoe Journey.

Canoes will arrive on Waldron on Thursday July 21, and at the Port of Friday Harbor on July 22 around 2 pm at the Port of Friday Harbor Breakwater A. The public is invited to attend the welcoming of the canoe at the Port of Friday Harbor at Breakwater A around 2 pm (updates will be posted at the Port of Friday Harbor); and to bring a dessert to the fairgrounds at 7:30 pm to share.

On Saturday, July 23, approximately 12 sea going canoes will depart from the Port of Friday Harbor around 10 am and travel to Odlin County Park on Lopez. Arrivial at Odlin County Park is approximately 2-3 pm. A community potluck is scheduled on Lopez beginning at 5:30 pm.

The Inter-Tribal Canoe Journey is a cultural rejuvenation for the Coast Salish peoples. For the past 20 years, tribal canoes have departed from their homeland to a common destination within Coast Salish territory each summer. The Journey is a drug and alcohol free event and embraces the rich cultural heritage of the coast Salish people. Each canoe represents about 25 people (10 paddlers, 2 support boat members, and 13 ground crew).

Since 2003, FRIENDS of the San Juans has coordinated five Tribal Canoe Journey stop-overs through the islands. FRIENDS of the San Juans coordinates with businesses, service groups, and volunteers to assist with travel, food, and escort boats.

Traveling in traditional vessels....

Supporters include: Friends of the San Juans, Lopez Community Land Trust, Waldron Community, Roche Harbor, San Juan County Fair, Soroptimists, San Juan Islands Scenic Byway, Tif & Gif Creative, Port of Friday Harbor, San Juan County Parks, San Juan Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Rising Tide Graphics, San Juan Transit, Arctic Raven, Griffin Bay Bookstore, San Juan Coffee Roasting Company, Spring Street International School, San Juan Prevention Coalition, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, Otak, Outdoor Odysseys, Blossom Grocery, Washington State Ferries, Cask and Schooner Public House & Restaurant, Spike Africa, Lion’s Club and support boat captains: Jamie Stephens, Lark Dalton, Gunnar Wickman, Rocco and Linda Cappeto, Jeff Iverson, Jeff and Diane Dyer, and many volunteers!

To volunteer or make a donation to this event, please contact Stephanie Buffum at Friends of the San Juans (360) 378-2319. Help underwrite camping, travel and food costs related to this event. Mail donations to: Friends of the San Juans POB 1344 Friday Harbor, WA 98250

You gotta pass up picking up the pup....but be sure & report it!

Just got this note from Amy Traxler with the Marine Stranding Network:

Once again, harbor seal pupping season in San Juan County is fast approaching. Pups in the San Juans are born on off-shore rocks and reefs and depend on their mother’s milk for the first 3-4 weeks of their life.  At that point, the mother will abruptly wean it, forcing the pup to survive on its own.

Thanks to aerial survey counts conducted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, we know that the harbor seal population in the San Juan Islands is believed to be at carrying capacity for the system.  This means that populations are stable and likely not growing due to limitations of the ecosystem like food availability. In San Juan County alone we have about 4,000 seals.  Assuming half the population is female and only half of those females are reproductively active, we can expect 1,000+ seal pups to be born in San Juan County this year!

So it is not surprising that every summer the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SJCMMSN) receives dozens of calls from shoreline residents and visitors who find pups on local beaches.  It can be very difficult to leave a beached pup alone but, if the mother is somewhere nearby, she won’t come back to her pup if there’s activity around it. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that out of the 1,000+ seals born, many will not survive for various reasons.  Amy Traxler, Coordinator for the SJCMMSN, states: “I know it’s extremely difficult and heartbreaking to leave a pup on the beach and let nature take its course but, like it or not, this is one way nature controls population numbers.  As with most wildlife, not all of the pups born are meant to survive.”

Human disturbance can also play a potential factor in pup strandings.  “Mother harbor seals tend to be more skittish during the pupping season.  If you’re out in a boat or a kayak, please give all the seal haulout areas a wide berth for the next couple of months.  If you get too close and the seals get nervous, sometimes the moms and pups become separated when they rush to the water.  With our strong tides and currents, in no time these little pups can get swept away and end up on somebody’s beach where they’ll eventually starve to death.”

That doesn’t mean that the Stranding Network doesn’t pick up any of these pups. A limited number are brought to Wolf Hollow Rehab Center every summer, but only when they meet the strict regulations authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – the federal agency that permits the Stranding Network to operate.

As the vast majority of these births occur in July and early August, things can get pretty hectic for the SJCMMSN.  “Shoreline residents need to realize that if they have a pup on their beach in July, there could be ten other residents in SJC dealing with the same thing on the same day,” says Traxler.  “But we do respond to all calls and try to do as many on-site visits as we can with our volunteer staff.”

It’s also very important to remember that all marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and people who have picked up seal pups in the past without authorization have been fined by NOAA Fisheries.

If you find a stranded marine mammal please call the Stranding Network’s hotline number at 800-562-8832 and leave a message that includes the species of animal and exact stranding location.  Next try to keep dogs and people away.  If possible, try to determine if the animal is dead or alive, estimate how long it is and note any distinguishing marks, obvious wounds or injuries.

The most important thing to remember is that all stranded marine mammals, whether live or dead, provide a unique opportunity to learn about their populations. Tracking stranded animals allows us to monitor diseases, contaminant levels, and the impact of humans on these populations.   The SJCMMSN relies on private citizens to help by reporting stranded animals.

If you’d like more information or would be interested in volunteering, call Amy at The Whale Museum – 378-4710 x27 or email her at amy@whalemuseum.org.

Most of my family graduated from the University in Tuscaloosa, so my brother sent me this incredible vid of a helicopter flyover of destruction that seems to never end of a tornado that touched down & was eating up the town in a wide & terrible swath.

Remember the good people of Alabama. It hurts right now.

Time to get out on the water....

Well, the sun’s out & the sky is blue, so it’s time for paddling, too! Here’s more from Martha, as they get underway this week:

You don’t have to go to Hawaii to paddle a Hawaiian-style outrigger canoe!  The San Juan Canoe and Kayak Club has a Youth Paddling Team. From April 28th to June 16th kids ages 5 to 17 will be coached in the six-man outrigger canoe. The older or more advanced paddlers will have the opportunity to try the high-performance single and double outriggers and get coaching from former Olympic Kayaker and World Masters Canoe Champion David Halpern.  The team will meet at 4pm on Thursdays at Jackson Beach.  For more information, contact Martha Isbister at 472 0063 or mjisbister (at) yahoo.com

Thanks, Girl Scouts!

I love it that there are people like Stephanie (she works at Harrison House/Tucker House) who think up ideas like The Great Island Cleanup & then make them happen – it’s people like her who make this a great place to live! Thank you, Stephanie!

She filed this report about how it all turned out:

Hi Ian,

As I am finishing up the final documentation on the Great Island Clean-up, it occurred to me that you might like to hear some of the “trash tidbits” that didn’t get released.

You probably heard that we had over 200 volunteers who picked up over 5,000 pounds of litter on the island.  What people may not know is some of the interesting details on this litter.  For example,

• the litter that was collected on Beaverton Valley Road alone took over two and a half full, standard-bed pick-up loads
• there were 44 bags of trash collected in the Town of Friday Harbor alone
• some of the volunteers kept track of the alcohol cans and bottles they collected; these comprised most of the litter picked up on the county roads.  On San Juan Valley Road alone, over 475 beer bottles and cans were picked up
• the most ironic find was a bag of Organic Kelp Meal wrapped up in a ball of kelp on one of the beaches
• the largest find was a range hood on Bailer Hill Road
• the most unusual find was a military smoke marker, unexploded and shaped just like a bullet, on Grandma’s Cove
• some of the interesting finds were a pair of motorcycle chaps, a coconut shell, scissors, toothbrushes, a wooden baseball bat, an antique wine bottle, a bed pillow, welcome mats, a cabinet door, many car parts, and a nest of garter snakes (though of course they wouldn’t quality as litter, though they sure would startle you!)
• some of the clever volunteers from The Cutthroats had saved large dog food bags to use for collecting litter in place of large plastic garbage bags

All in all, we were heartened by the tremendous response by volunteers, and are pleased at how “light” the island looks without all the cans, bottles, papers, and plastics rolling around on the roads and beaches.  Now that we’ve gotten the island looking pristine again, we encourage ALL islanders to pick up litter when they see it.  It’s so much easier to just stop and pick up a can or two here and there, rather than trying to clear away mountains of litter.

Many of the volunteers have expressed an interest in making the Great Island Clean-Up a twice-a-year event, and some of the organizing committee is backs this idea as well.  If any of your readers are interested in participating in the organizational aspect of another clean-up, please contact me (Stephanie (at) tuckerhouse.com) and I’ll put you in touch with the rest of the group.  I personally will not be able to head a Great Island Clean-Up for Fall, because we’re heading into our busy season at the inns, and I will not have time to devote to a project of this magnitude.  However, I would love to see another volunteer pick up the banner and run with it, and I will give all the support and direction I can.

Lastly, Ian, I would like to once again thank all the volunteers and businesses who supported this project.  What a magnificent effort!

Sweet Eats and Savory Thymes,

Stephanie Prima-Sarantopulos
Great Island Clean-Up Instigator

Ross (left), Lincoln & Rik found a lot to pick up at Third Lagoon! Thanks, you guys!

for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes

years ago, when I went to university
there was this poem, scribbled & sketched & written on a scrap of paper
on the wall
in the first room i ever stayed in away from home
i remembered it so i could read it my eyes closed, and my heart open
here it is, as words for your eyes, and words for your ears, read by e e cummings in 1953:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of allnothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

There may be room for us all, but there isn't enough food, water, and the things that sustain us. We have to look at our numbers.

Time to plan the birthday cake. Then plan how many mouths can we feed. Really.

As the sun rises on our beautiful island, I hope you have good & meaningful things planned for this day celebrating the planet that holds us, that sustains us, that offers us the wonder of the colors of changing seasons, constant re-birth after long winters, and such a good place to write & create & sing our dreams & hopes & plans to make things better.

To me (and this is my offering, this day), the central piece of making a good world to hand off to our kids & grandkids &  great grandkids is paying attention to the numbers of our species.

You wouldn’t plan a birthday cake for ten, and invite twenty people over.

You wouldn’t step onto a ship to Mars with food, water & air for seven, and invite another seven friends.

You wouldn’t hire two people, when you have only money for one.

The way we’re doing things now may take care of us today, but doesn’t set up a hopeful future at all for the grandkids. I’m not sure why people & governments & policies & our manners all leave us quiet about population, but I can’t be.

Here’s a short but clear little essay by John Seager that says this better than I can. See what you think, and let this elbow its way into your activism to leave some for the kids.

I love the bit in Harold & Maude where Harold says, “Maude, you sure love people,” and she says, “Well, yes…they’re my species!”

That’s the way I feel about the nearly 7 billion of us. Let’s take care of each other.

Happy Earth Day!

Clint Borgen, working the halls of Congress....

On Thursday night, islander Peter Corning made a presentation at Griffin Bay Bookstore in support of his new, internationally distributed & acclaimed book, The Fair Society, in which he talks about his sense that people, at bottom, DO try to share & work together to make things more equitable in the world. A major point, however, is that in the US, some 20% of folks control 84% of the wealth, and the remaining 80% get to scrabble over the 16% that’s left. Similar figures – often more imbalanced – measure the distribution of resources in the world, leading to widespread poverty.

This Tuesday, we get a chance to continue that conversation with a visit to the island of Anacortes native Clint Borgen, who heads an international organization called the Borgen Project, which is working the political end of things to begin the process of shifting those percentages as a key part of fighting world poverty. His presentation is set for Tuesday, March 29th at 7:00pm in the Meeting Room at the Library.

This was set up by FHHS grad (’07) and UW student & Project intern Brock McNairy. When I spoke with Clint about coming to the island, he said it’s a great chance to connect with folks on the other side of Anacortes – he’s usually headed east. The Project has grown in leaps & bounds since it was begun in ’03, and currently is supporting legislation in Congress to increase poverty-focused aid, protect children from trafficking & exploitation, and work to ensure (and often, begin) protections for women from human rights violations.

Tall order? I was struck while visiting with Clint that he’s bringing intelligence & passion to a job that can be done, with the right leverage applied. This is a presentation you won’t want to miss.

Based in Seattle and founded in 2003, the Borgen Project works to reduce global poverty through education, advocacy, and mobilization. Find out how one man with a laptop created a national, web-based campaign fight global poverty. To learn more about global poverty and what the Borgen Project is doing to help, visit www.borgenproject.org. A question and answer session will follow Clint’s presentation.

Supporters for the Project cover a wide range of ages....

Marine Naturalist Training Program Spring 2011

Stellar sea lions....photo by Jim Maya. Take the class & you'll be able to tell folks how they got their name....

The Marine Naturalist Training Program, presented by The Whale Museum, is now accepting registrations for the spring class.  The program dates are Saturdays, April 30, May 7, 14, 21, and 28, and Sunday May 29.
The object of this program is to provide a learning experience that assists adult graduates in becoming qualified regionally as professional or volunteer naturalists.

The main focus of the training is the ecology, current status and conservation of Southern Resident killer whales and other local marine species as well as discussions about the environments in which they live. The course includes presentations on cetaceans, pinnipeds, otters, intertidal invertebrates, marine birds, and a variety of other topics such as geology, marine conservation, and current research projects.  Faculty includes Whale Museum staff, professional naturalists, marine scientists, and environmental educators active in the region. Students will also participate in a variety of field trips relating to the topics of study including the opportunity to practice their naturalist skills onboard a tour boat.  Tuition is $375 and includes an orca adoption and a Whale Museum membership.

There are no prerequisites other than high school graduation and a sincere interest to learn.  For more information or to register for the Marine Naturalist Training Program please contact Cindy Hansen, Education Curator, by email at cindy@whalemuseum.org.  Registration material can be downloaded from the Whale Museum website at www.whalemuseum.org.

In the light of last week’s tsunami & the disaster in Japan, the County’s Department of Emergency Management director Brenden Cowan offers these thoughts:

Quakes, Tsunamis, and the Islands
A practical take on disaster preparedness

Last week’s earthquake in Japan has grabbed headlines across the world for obvious reasons. The scale of the destruction is hard to fathom and difficult to digest. This is especially true for those of us in the Pacific Northwest, a place with an underlying geology and risk of disaster that is similar to Japan. It’s hard not to wonder if it could happen here.

That concern, coupled with the Japanese quake spawning a tsunami that caused damage in the U.S., makes it a good time to address some common questions I’ve heard over the last couple of days. I’ll try to keep it simple and provide links to more info for those who want to dig deeper. Here are a few critical points we should all be aware of:

• Getting info to the public in a crisis is critical. Each islander is strongly encouraged to go to www.sanjuandem.net/alert to learn more and sign up for our new Islands Emergency Alert System.

• We live in earthquake country and we will experience a major quake someday. Everyone needs to take some basic preparedness steps. Go to www.sanjuandem.net/prepare for info on where to begin, or call us at 370-7612.

There are a couple of situations that could result in a tsunami affecting the islands. In both cases we will feel the earthquake first. If you feel a major quake, head to high ground. It’s never hard to get 30 feet above the water in the islands. There was some confusion about this after the Japan quake – but best science still says that the islands don’t need to worry about a tsunami from a distant earthquake.

Want to learn more? View our much more in-depth Frequently Asked Questions about Quakes & Tsunamis (www.sanjuandem.net/quakefaq) or call or email us to talk things over.

Want to help the survivors in Japan? Here is a page with links to organizations working to assist in the response and recovery.

The main message of course is this: every islander has a responsibility to themselves, their family, and their community to be prepared to be on their own for a week or more. Let us know if you need help.

Going after the salmon...photo by Jim Maya (thanks, Jim!)

Jim Maya caught some incredible pictures of foraging yesterday as J pod trundled through the strait, but says he did not sight J1 (Ruffles) in the pod…killer whale fans & researchers have not seen the father & grandfather of many in the three resident pods since November.