The County shares news about the imminent completion of its 2036 Comprehensive Plan Update.

The San Juan County Council is expected to adopt the 2036 Comprehensive Plan Update by the end of the year. With a County Council public hearing on November 29, the end of the six-year project is in sight.

“This is such an important step for the County,” said Councilmember Jamie Stephens, who has spent half of his 12-year council career working on the Plan.

The culmination of six years of meetings, public hearings, and input, the Plan seeks to implement the County’s Vision, meet the needs of the 2036 population, and guide the Islands into the next decade.

“The Plan has been a major focus for our staff and the Planning Commission,” said David Williams, the County’s Director of Community Development. “It is the byproduct of tremendous community input and truly reflects the views and attitudes of islanders.”

The Planning Commission dedicated 71 meetings to the Comprehensive Plan Update beginning in 2016. Since mid-September, the Council has held seven special meetings to review different elements of the Plan including land use, housing, transportation, historic and archeological preservation, official maps, and more. A public hearing is scheduled for November 29 where the community is invited to share feedback.

“The adoption of this Plan is exciting because it will allow the County to begin to implement updated policies that will help us solve some of the most pressing island issues with regards to housing, land use, transportation, and climate resilience,” said Sophia Cassam, one of the lead planners working on the Plan.

Updating the Comprehensive Plan ensures the County is in compliance with the Growth Management Act and is eligible for future grant opportunities. Changes also improve the usability of the Plan and provide new analyses, assessments, and inventories.

Those interested in reading the current draft and learning more about the Comprehensive Plan Updates can visit the Comprehensive Plan landing page on the County website.

Freezer Burned is an ongoing series for the San Juan Update, written by Steve Ulvi. Read the previous story in this series.

The Alapah Creek Partnership

Nate Cutler felt reinvigorated after the echo-chamber of introspection during so many weeks alone. Sonny’s positive nature and easy adaptation to the challenges of each new day lifted his heart. Unfortunately, at times, especially in the soft light of the kerosene lamp, Sonny’s dark eyes reminded Nate of the love of his life, Angela, who was also Sonny’s aunt. She fled the Kuuk, shattered by the accidental death of their infant son, Jacob, for the embrace of extended kin in Tonasket Crossing. After a few months she abruptly moved on to Anchorage and anonymity. She was still unable to forgive herself and relived the nightmare every day. She had recently suggested a divorce.

Sonny noticed that Nate still had a small memorial in front of the cabin, a simple altar of remembrance for little Jacob. Nate’s frequent visits created an ongoing epitaph of personal tragedy as well as the sweet memories of the energizing love that grew at the wild Alapah.

The swelling had quickly diminished in Nate’s jaw. They teamed up to relocate and improve the trail Sonny had broken out on the Kuuk River walking up from the Ramparts Canyon. Sonny could not have known where Nate’s woodland trails left the river to cut across bends. Nate had been careful to choose access points with downed trees or rough terrain features that blocked spring snowmachine access. For several years, the unwelcome Poker Creek crew had been motoring into the upper Kuuk for a week of nefarious activities during the long sunny days of late winter. Like an alcohol fueled spring break before the placer mining season began. There was ample evidence and rumors of wildlife poaching by plane. Nate had generally avoided them but especially so now that he was a seasonal park ranger. He lived within the boundaries of the new National Park: he would soon know heightened social criticism, even hatred, losing friends, living on the razor’s edge. Continue Reading

Friends of the San Juans share news about their multi-year forage fish research project.

If you have ever seen a seabird with small, silvery and slender fish in its mouth, you have seen forage fish — most likely a Pacific sand lance. Essential players in the Salish Sea marine food web, sand lance are key prey for salmon, rockfish, seabirds, and many marine mammals. Sand lance are especially important in the diet of young salmon as they are often the first fish they can eat.

Friends of the San Juans recently completed a multi-year research project to identify which beaches Pacific sand lance lay their eggs on, or spawn on, in San Juan County. After an incredible effort over the course of four winters, Friends documented 12 new spawning sites, more than doubling the number of previously known sand lance spawning beaches in San Juan County from nine to 21. Additionally, nine new surf smelt spawning sites were documented.

Sand lance spawn in the winter when low tides occur primarily at night and conditions are often too rough for boat-based fieldwork. This has limited the ability of scientists to document, and thus protect, these vitally important spawning beaches. But as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Each winter from 2018 to 2022, Friends staff and volunteers bundled up in their rain gear and boots, gathering sand samples from 175 beaches on 13 local islands. A total of 1,000 sand samples were gathered to later inspect for eggs.

As intertidal beach spawners, sand lance are especially vulnerable to the impacts of human-built structures on shorelines. These newly documented spawning sites will now receive greater local and state protections. Friends’ research will also be used to identify future sites for both protection and restoration actions that will support the marine food web, helping recover Chinook salmon and critically engaged Southern Resident killer whales.

This project was truly a community endeavor. Students from six islands, along with trained community science volunteers, contributed a total of 900 hours. Over 275 students from Orcas Island High School, Spring Street International School, Waldron School, and Decatur School received training and participated in field surveys on their islands.

Other partners include Dan Penttila of Salish Sea Biological, the Samish Indian Nation’s Natural Resources Department, and hundreds of shoreline landowners who provided beach access. The project was conducted in collaboration with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, with funding from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board, WDFW’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account, the Wheeler Foundation, and donors of Friends of the San Juans.

Sea Siren — Contributed photo

SJIMA sends along an update about one of their current exhibitions.

Sculpture artist M.J. Anderson will tell you that she sculpts because someone needed to portray the female form differently. See for yourself in Antidote, an exhibition of her work on display now through Dec. 5 at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art.

“Everyone finds a way to give voice to how they’re feeling,” says Anderson, whose marble torsos redefine historical norms of how the female form is viewed. “For me, the stone is my voice.”

For centuries male artists have created sculptures that present women as objects of desire in poses designed to titillate. “Women have a different perspective,” Anderson explains. “And since traditionally there have been so few women who worked with marble, my work expresses a woman’s body in her own right, with a message that says, “I am enough.’”

Anderson often finds ideas in discarded chunks of marble that carry imperfections, fault lines that she transforms into art that celebrates the strength of survival and the power of certainty.

Anderson has been carving marble and travertine and onyx from Carrara, Italy for over 30 years. When cooler weather moves into her studio in Oregon, she travels to the coastal community known for its translucent and pristine stone. There she gets dusty slicing and carving some of the most beautiful marble in the world. When it’s time to move back, she ships her works in progress to Oregon where she sands and polishes each piece, bringing light and purpose to each one.

The stone sculptor describes herself as an artist dealing with personal, social and political themes who carves stone because she feels it is the least artificial of art forms and the most enduring to our humanity. Continue Reading

Joe Juntila and Josh Jensen — Contributed photo

Island Air Ambulance shares news about two of their San Juan Island-based team members.

Last month, Friday Harbor-based Island Air Ambulance was invited to compete in the Simulation Cup Competition at the 2022 Air Medical Transportation Conference in Tampa, Florida.

Island Air’s Josh Jensen, Certified Flight Paramedic, and Joe Juntila, Certified Flight Nurse, competed together against teams from across North America in a series of high-stress scenarios designed to test the limits of their clinical acumen and multi-tasking skills. The teams performed on stage in a simulated aircraft or a critical access hospital, treating multiple patients at once in simulated situations using high-fidelity mannequins and live actors under the scrutiny of a team of judges. After two days of competition, Josh and Joe were awarded third place for their outstanding performance.

“Their competitive performance and achievement are evidence of their clinical knowledge and talent and also a testament to their rigorous ongoing training and dedication to excellence,” said Dr. Jason Heiner, Medical Program Director for Island Air. “This recognition is well deserved and we are so proud of them.”

The Film Festival shares good news about the winning films from their on-demand event.

Friday Harbor Film Festival’s on-demand festival winners, as well as the student film award winners and runners-up, are available to stream free on the FHFF website now through Wednesday, Nov. 30:

• Corky is the story of the world’s longest-held captive orca, the changing sentiment about orcas in captivity, and the rise of sea sanctuaries — Best Feature, director Christine Caruso.
• Contrasts presents a strong argument for freedom from captivity for all marine species, revealing the horrors of animals’ lives in confinement — Best Short Film, director Vanessa Prigollini.
• Bird Lady explores the mystery surrounding a statue that has become known as the “Bird Lady” and has become a beloved part of neighborhood folklore — Best Student Film Ages 13-17, director Carter Rostron.
• Below the Rise follows the filmmaker’s journeys to Costa Rica to uncover the severity of the sea level rise, which is significantly worse than originally presumed — Runner-up Student Film Ages 13-17, director Massimo Soto.
• O’o: The Last Voice of Kauai is an environmental film about human-caused extinction featuring a bird known as the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, which was once endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i — Best Student Film Ages 18-26, director Hanah Cincotta.
• An Urban Herd explores Street Goat, a farming cooperative which raises goats on disused city land. Aspiring farmer Fern must learn to milk the goats entirely by herself, discovering it isn’t easy to become an urban goat farmer — Runner-up Student Film Ages 18-26, director Lizzie Coney.

FHFF’s Best of the Fest will begin in January, offering free monthly screenings of many Audience Choice Award winners and runners-up from the 2022 in-theatre festival.

APS-FH shares some kind words about their volunteers of the month.

The Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor is pleased to announce Katlyn and Paxson as the APS-FH Volunteers of the Month for November. Katlyn and Paxson came to volunteer for APS-FH in June of this year.

We chose this mom and son duo as volunteers of the month because of their dedication to the shelter cats. Unable to have a cat of their own, they have done the next best thing – volunteering to spend time with shelter cats. Each week, they come to the shelter ready to give their love and attention to the resident felines of the shelter.

When asked which is his favorite cat in the shelter, Paxson did not hesitate. “I love Goose,” he replied. Goose is a young kitten found as a stray on San Juan Island that has since been adopted. It can be bittersweet when your favorite shelter animal gets adopted, but we are always happy when the animals find their forever homes. As for Paxson, we are pretty sure he will soon find another fortunate favorite cat to shower with affection.

Thank you, Katlyn and Paxson, for volunteering to spend time with shelter cats so they can have the love and attention they need and deserve until they too get to go home.

APS-FH has numerous volunteering opportunities. If you are interested in helping, visit our website to learn more about our volunteer program.

With several significant elections and propositions on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, San Juan County voters made sure to have their voices heard. 77.6 percent of eligible voters returned their ballots by last Tuesday’s deadline, according to statistics provided by the Washington Secretary of State.

San Juan County’s voter turnout rate was second in the state only to Garfield County, where 78.7 percent of eligible voters took part in the election. San Juan has more than eight times as many registered voters (14,635) as Garfield (1,687).

The San Juan County Elections Office estimates that only 50 ballots are left to count for the Nov. 8 election. The County Canvassing Board will review the election results on Monday, Nov. 28 and will certify the results on Tuesday, Nov. 29.