What’s up on San Juan Island….

Let’s take a look around San Juan Island:

• Did you hear about the apparently albino killer whale in Russian waters? Here’s more:

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 • Here’s more from the Trails Committee for this month’s “Know Your Island Walk”:

On Saturday, April 28, from 1-4:00pm, come meet Doug McCutchen, Land Steward for the San Juan County Land Bank and Boyd Pratt, local historian and author.  “They clear-cut all the forests to feed the lime kilns…or did they?”

Learn history, mystery, and myths about the limestone mining and lime production on San Juan Island, and how our unique natural history played an important role in its success. Meet and park at Lime Kiln State Park.  Length is 1.5 mi. round trip. Terrain is wooded trail. Rating is easy-to-moderate. Dogs on leashes welcome.

PLEASE NOTE: A Discover Pass or a $10 day pass purchased on site will be necessary.  Ted Schlund, SJ Marine Area Manager will greet us.  Discover Passes will be available for purchase at a savings from in-town prices.

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• Come dance tonight at The Rumor Mill:

Join Cynthia of XYZ movement arts at Rumor Mill today from 5:30 to 6:30pm… Come and Dance with Cynthia as she teaches some fun Zumba moves. We will warm up the dance floor for the fabulous Henry James Band which follows right after at 7pm. Come and dance or just cheer us along! Bring your dancing shoes (good old tennis shoes will do)!

Free Zumba Class Cards will be handed out! For more info – call Cynthia – 317-7178

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• Elaine Kitchen and Sharon Link tell me that our friend Bryan Posenjak has leukemia & could use a hand – the family has an account at Islands you can donate to, and there is also a fund set up at Whidbey Island Bank.

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• It’s that time of year! Here’s more from FHES’ Marty Robinson:

Kindergarten Registration
Friday Harbor Elementary School welcomes the Kindergarten class of 2012-2013! 

Registration for next year’s Kindergarten class will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 1st and 2nd  in the school office.  Parents who wish to enroll their children for the 2012-2013 Kindergarten session should call the school to set an appointment. To be eligible, students must be five years of age by August 31, 2012.  Please call the elementary school at 378-5209 ext. 1 to make an appointment.

Please bring your child’s birth certificate and immunization records.  If needed, birth certificates may be obtained at the San Juan County Health Department.  Their number is 378-4474.

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• That gray whale who washed up dead on the west side of Camano Island is being prepared for necropsy…researchers are unsure of the cause of death, and are puzzled, since most gray whales who are recovered are usually in poor health – this one wasn’t. Here’s more.

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• Hey, she’s running again! The committee to re-elect Lovel Pratt wants you to know:

San Juan County Councilmember Lovel Pratt will run for re-election. Lovel Pratt is in her fourth year on the Council. “It is an honor to serve on the Council representing District 1,” said Councilmember Pratt.  “I ask voters in San Juan South to give me the opportunity to continue my work on behalf of San Juan County.  I have received a lot of encouragement to run for re-election.  My constituents appreciate my dedication and accessibility, my responsiveness to their concerns and my hard work on behalf of San Juan County at the local, regional, and state level.”

Lovel Pratt said she is running for a second term because she wants to follow through on several important issues.  “I want to make sure that San Juan County is on firm footing for the future,” she said.  “There is continued work needed to identify and implement a long-term, sustainable budget; resolve solid waste issues and in particular self-haul options on San Juan Island; and ensure that the Council has a transparent and publically accessible decision-making process.  Regarding the Council’s legislative priorities there is considerable work still needed, particularly on oil spill issues and the Cattle Point Road realignment project.”

Councilmember Pratt travels regularly to Olympia while the Legislature is in session to advocate for SJC legislative priorities, including improved oil spill prevention, readiness, and response; ferry transportation issues; and maintaining state funding for essential county programs and services.  Councilmember Pratt represents the SJC Council on the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Legislative Steering Committee, and was appointed by WSAC to represent counties on the Cross-Partnership Oil Spill Work Group and the Oil Spill Rule Advisory Committee.

Lovel Pratt says that she will continue to practice her own version of campaign finance reform by accepting a maximum contribution of $50 per person, including herself.  Campaign contributions can be sent to:

Committee to Re-Elect Lovel Pratt
Kathy Cope, Treasurer
2551 Cattle Point Road
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

For more information: [email protected]

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• I loved the cake that Felicity made for the Field of Dreams Fundraiser last Saturday – wow! And…she has a Mother’s Day special I wanted to tell you about, because San Juan Update readers always plan ahead AND love their mothers:

Mothers Day special from Cakes by Felicitations: Indulge your mother with breakfast in bed with a unique breakfast tray delivered to her door. This unique tray will include a plate of assorted fresh baked pastries and jam, a cup of fresh fruit salad, a fragrant flower, a her favorite magazine, a decorated cookie saying “I love you” – all presented on a wooden legged tray which is hers to keep.

Advance orders required by May 4th. Call 317-5961 for more information.  She’ll love you for it!

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• The Island Stage Left show “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” completes its run this week, and here are when the shows are (including an added Saturday performance):

Thursday 26th at 7:30
Friday 27th at 7:30
Saturday 28th at 4:00 and 7:30
Sunday 29th at 4:00

I know you’ll love it. I know you’ll be moved by it. Take it in, and cherish & savor an awesome performance.

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• It’s amazing to think one our neighbors is getting the OBE (Order of the British Empire), but islander David France is….he’ll be traveling to London to receive the honor from the Queen on the fourth next month.

Dr. France is sometimes called Dr. Everton (that’s a soccer team in the UK) because of his work in helping with both football/soccer promotion & dealing with sports injuries…here’s more from the Everton fans’ website.

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• Sandy Strehlou wanted to share this neat event – here’s more:

Dear Island Friends, Gardeners and other cool folk:

I am writing to invite you to a local event this Friday. In honor of National Arbor Day and National Grange Month, the local Grange is having an open house with informational talks and displays on a broad range of agricultural and home-garden topics. Check out the program below.

This event is an example of the types of programs and activities that the “new” Grange is planning. Come see for yourself. Lots of your friends will be there.

Cheers, Sandy

Here’s the agenda for April 27th, 2:30 – 5:30 pm (refreshments will be available):
Native plants/edible vegetation: learn about harvesting landscaping
Master Gardener: ask your particular questions
Composting: how to get it going once and for all
Arborist: proper tree care practices
Garry Oak Project: update on this amazing replanting project
Community Garden on Blair St.: interface of the harvest with the high school
Grains: local grain growing successes
Poultry: focus on production, health, and coops
Goats: milking and possibly shearing
History: island farming, the Grange, and the Grange building

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• Jenny Lee works with Mark Anderson’s Orca Relief organization, and they have a presentation tomorrow night, as a fundraiser for their organization – here’s Jenny’s press release:

 Emmy-Nominated Premiere: “Orcas: Are We Loving Them to Death?”
Sea Shepherd Gallery, April 26, 7pm

Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance is proud to host the film premiere of the Emmy-nominated investigative TV series, “Orcas: Are We Loving Them to Death?” After several major population crashes in the local killer whale population, the Q13 FOX (KCPQ-TV) News team reviewed the science and then went undercover on local whale watch expeditions to uncover the causes behind increased Orca deaths.  The result is “The best TV series made to date on the daily experiences of our local whales,” according to Orca Relief Chair Mark Anderson.

Please note: this event was originally scheduled for Friday Harbor House, which canceled after receiving threatening phone calls.  The event location has been moved to the Sea Shepherd Gallery.

This event will now be held at 7:00pm on Thursday, April 26 at the Sea Shepherd Gallery, 155 Nichols St., in Friday Harbor.  Seating is limited, and tickets are available in advance.

“We want to specifically thank our friends at Sea Shepherd for making their space available for this event, for their ongoing concern for the world’s marine mammals, and for their courage in the face of threats by those making money from whale exploitation, worldwide,” said Mark Anderson, Orca Relief Chair.

Q13 FOX SVP and General Manager, Pam Pearson, will present this Q13 FOX Special Report.  Attendees will appreciate the first opportunity to meet the people who broke this Emmy-nominated story about what is killing our whales today.  See the TV series in its first public showing since it debuted on Q13 FOX in November of 2010, and learn what can be done to improve the situation.

Following the film and discussion, there will be a reception for premium ticket holders with Pearson and Orca Relief staff.  Tickets may be obtained by contacting Jennifer Lee at 378.8628, or by emailing [email protected].  Ticket prices are $15 for the movie and discussion, and $50 these and the later premium reception.

All proceeds of the event will go to the Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance, the only non-profit organization chartered with reducing Orca death rates.

Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Orca Relief was the first organization to predict the decline in the Southern Resident Whale population, and the first to conduct scientific research its causes. The organization’s charter is to discover and reduce death rates among the local killer whales of Puget Sound.  For more information on Orca Relief, go to www.orcarelief.org.

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Categories: Around Here