Posted May 29, 2020 at 5:36 pm by Tim Dustrude
All permits issued for burning commercial or residential burns are expiring as the burn season has come to a close. Campfires, burning charcoal or firewood, remain allowed in contained campfire bowls, stoves, or rings remain allowed in sizes up to 3 foot in diameter.
Please check burning rules frequently for burn risk notifications and burn ban status as the summer months have hotter drier conditions.
Posted May 29, 2020 at 5:33 pm by Tim Dustrude
Tailgater Session June 10th – Come Chat
OPALCO will soon be undertaking a a project on Turtleback Mountain to remove Douglas fir along the powerline corridor and replace power poles. This project, in collaboration with the San Juan County Land Bank, will serve two purposes: securing the safety and reliability of the power supply to Deer Harbor, Spring Point and Massacre Bay areas; and supporting the health of the traditional Garry Oak habitat.
“This is really a win-win project,” said Terry Turner, Project Manager for OPALCO. “We will improve a section of our power line that is currently almost inaccessible and has aging equipment in need of replacement; and will help the Land Bank in its efforts to protect and preserve the native habitat.”
This part of Turtleback had for centuries been an open meadow wildflower savanna dominated by an upper story of Garry Oak. Over the last 100 years, these open meadows have been slowly but surely overgrown by increasing numbers of conifers, mostly Douglas fir. The pole line in this location was originally installed in the 1950’s, and even at the time the number of large conifers encroaching on the powerline corridor was far less than has occurred recently. Continue Reading
Posted May 29, 2020 at 5:12 pm by Tim Dustrude
Graduation – Friday Harbor High School Class of 2020 on June 6, 2020
The faculty and staff of Friday Harbor High School would like to invite you to join us in celebrating our graduating class of 2020 during our virtual commencement ceremony.
According to FHHS Principal Fred Woods, “The class of 2020 is an amazing class. We could say that about all our graduating classes but what these young men and women have experienced is significant. They entered the world during the 9/11 crisis. They now step into adulthood in the middle of a global pandemic. They have had to adapt, change, and be creative. And there is no doubt that through all of this they will rise to any challenge and make major contributions to our world.”
“To honor these graduates, a virtual graduation ceremony has been produced that will go live this Saturday, June 6 at 5:00pm. Although it is unfortunate we cannot celebrate their achievements with an in-person ceremony, we are excited to recognize all of them in this manner. I encourage you all to join us from the safety of your homes as we honor 77 students.”
The ceremony will go live online on our Friday Harbor High School homepage:
https://www.sjisd.wednet.edu/Domain/284
Saturday, June 6th, 2020 at 5:00 pm
Please join this virtual celebration of all of the success and accomplishments of our graduating seniors. Congratulations Class of 2020!
Posted May 29, 2020 at 5:07 pm by Tim Dustrude
For those who have court-ordered fines and fees, San Juan County District Court and Superior Court are offering a new, easier way to ask the courts to reduce or forgive your debts – and many people qualify for relief.
Over the past few years, the Washington Supreme Court and our state legislature have greatly changed the way court fines and fees (known as “legal financial obligations”) are imposed.
The overall fines and fees being imposed now have been reduced, and new statutes also allow outstanding fines and fees to be reconsidered and reduced, depending on the individual’s financial status. Many former defendants are now eligible to have a significant portion of their legal financial obligations reduced or forgiven.
“The Washington Supreme Court has been really clear that judges need to consider the defendant’s financial situation before ordering them to pay fines,” said District Court Judge Carolyn Jewett. “We have to tailor it to the individual, and think about what they can realistically pay.”
Court debts that go unpaid can impact credit, which can impact the person’s ability to keep their housing, job, or driver’s license. Because of this significant impact, many fines that were required by statute are now eligible to be reduced if the person cannot afford to pay, and interest that has accrued can be forgiven.
In order to get this relief, however, the individual has to apply to the court and ask the judge to reduce their fines. Continue Reading
Posted May 29, 2020 at 1:47 pm by Tim Dustrude
After taking a week off, “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with another set of videos highlighting specific efforts from organizations and people in our community that provide key services and crucial leadership around the county.
You can find our entire collection of videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. This week we have two new videos:
Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey, Executive Artistic Director, San Juan Community Theater:
In 2019, Nathan worked with staff, public, and volunteers to help produce more than 150 events. Their mission is to “enrich community through the performing arts,” a mission that has been challenged by the COVID-19 crisis.
Says Kessler-Jeffrey, “SJCT is currently in a period of going dark. There is a lot for our staff to do as we prepare for the moment when we can safely reopen. We’ve marked out our seats for social distancing, we’re looking at outdoor performances, I’m working on guidelines for our virtual playwright’s festival, and we’ve started a $193,000 fundraising campaign to replace lost revenue from canceled events.”
Check in with Nathan to learn more about how the San Juan Community Theater is adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges they face.
Merry-Ann Keane, Chief Administrative Officer, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center:
Speaking of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keane states, “Our whole world here on San Juan Island changed. And how we had to practice medicine, and care for one another, also changed.”
Everyone entering the medical center is expected to wear a mask, if you do not have one, one will be provided. If patients do have COVID-like symptoms, Keane asks that patients call first. There is drive-through testing for patients who need it.
“I’m really proud of our community, and how seriously our community has taken social distancing and mask wearing… we have fared very well in the San Juan Islands because everyone has taken this seriously.”
In this video, Keane discusses numerous issues involving testing, inpatient care, at-risk patients, how to get care for non-COVID issues, and more – so take a few minutes to check in with Merry-Ann.
Posted May 28, 2020 at 4:46 pm by Tim Dustrude
COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders
San Juan County Health & Community Services wants to share three simple but incredibly important pieces of information about healthcare in our community.
If You’re Experiencing Covid Symptoms, Talk to Your Medical Provider About Getting Tested
Medical providers in the islands are able to test anyone with symptoms, regardless of age. If you have a fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, sort throat, or diarrhea, please call a local medical provider and talk about being tested.
Being proactive about getting tested is a critical part of ensuring the health of the islands. And please remember, if you are feeling sick, stay home.
Vaccinate Your Children
Many people have steered clear of medical provider offices out of fear of COVID exposure. Safety precautions are in place. The risk of transmission at a provider office is extremely low, but the risk of not vaccinating your children is high. The best and easiest option is to contact your medical provider about scheduling an appointment, or contact San Juan County Health & Community Services at 360-378-4474 if you are unable to schedule with your provider.
Don’t Put Off Medical Care of Any Kind
Medical providers are starting to increase visits as they gradually move to resume normal business. Safety precautions are in place so please don’t postpone important healthcare including follow-up care or being seen for emergent conditions that have caught your attention or have you worried.
We are starting to see major impacts to overall health due to a reluctance to seek out care. Please know that our providers are ready to see you, and are actively taking steps to ensure your safety when they do.
Thank You
Keeping our eyes on overall community health is an important part of moving forward. Please don’t hesitate to seek the care you need.
Posted May 28, 2020 at 2:22 pm by Tim Dustrude
Island Rec is continuing to carry classes with Jacquelyn Reiff and Katerina Wen through the end of July via Zoom.
All classes will be accessed through a live Zoom video link that is sent to you each morning of class. Sign up for the whole month, or a drop-in option is also available.
To register, please visit our website, www.islandrec.org
Here is what is being offered: Continue Reading
Posted May 28, 2020 at 1:50 pm by Tim Dustrude
2020 has brought a lot of changes and the SJCT Playwrights Festival is changing with it. The challenges of quarantine, social distancing, and maintaining a safe and healthy community have inspired us to re-think our format, and hopefully provide audiences and authors with new opportunities.
So for all of us on San Juan Island who have a passion to write and possibly more time at home than normal, the 2020 SJCT Playwrights Festival provides an opportunity to put your creative muscles to work.
“This year’s Playwrights Festival provides us with unique opportunities for experimentation, recording, and performance,” SJCT’s Executive Artistic Director, Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey, says. “I’m excited just thinking about all the possibilities, and I hope you are too!”
All submitted scripts must be written by San Juan Island residents and must be 10-12 minutes in length for 1-3 actors. The plays will be produced as readings, September 3-6, 2020. Readings will be performed in front of audiences of up to 50, if San Juan County has moved to Phase 3 of re-opening, and depending on guidelines from Public Health Officials. All of the readings will be recorded and posted online, as a ‘second weekend’ of performances. Continue Reading
Posted May 28, 2020 at 1:44 pm by Tim Dustrude
Thursday, June 11, 2020 – Drivers and pedestrians are urged to exercise patience and safety.
San Juan County Public Works (SJCPW) will chip seal Second Street in the Town of Friday Harbor starting the week of June 8th. The exact date for resurfacing depends on the County’s ability to complete other sections of roadway on San Juan Island that week. Currently, the target date for resurfacing is Thursday, June 11, 2020.
Work is estimated to last one day. Second Street will then be re-striped with fresh paint and crosswalk markings as soon as practical. Questions and comments can be forwarded to Town Public Works at (360) 378-2154 or (360) 378-2810.
What to Expect: Continue Reading
Posted May 28, 2020 at 7:06 am by Tim Dustrude
The Economic Development Council, an islands non-profit, is starting a new series of talks about entering the skilled trades to help people jump into career development quickly as training opportunities re-open.
Trades professionals remain in high demand by local businesses and residents, and skilled trades provide above average wages. They are critical for diversifying our county’s economy for a resilient and sustainable future.
Join the EDC Tuesdays at 9AM, starting June 2nd, 2020, to speak with professionals about what it is like to work in their fields, how to get training, and other key things know about entering a career in trades. Presenters will address these questions and illustrate their craft with a virtual tour of a workplace, a walk-through of some representative task or problem, or an introduction to a tool of the trade. Presentations will be followed by Q and A. We invite workers over 18 years old who are considering entering a new career.
The first event will be June 2nd at 9AM with Bryan Johnson, the co-founder of Island Craft Builders, LLC. Bryan is a cheerleader for the building trades and believes they offer a tremendous opportunity for financial and personal growth.
More information can be found on the EDC’s website: Continue Reading
Posted May 27, 2020 at 2:16 pm by Tim Dustrude
With so many unknowns happening for all of us it is easy to stray from the positive events happening every day that make our world better. Often, those events are acts of kindness that deserve celebration. Sometimes those events are as simple as helping others plant a garden.
Last spring, the WSU Master Gardener program, Family Resource Center and San Juan County Health and Community services worked together to provide a five week, hands-on gardening program titled “Grow Your Own Food” using the WSU Master Gardener demonstration garden. The program served ten families and was successful in providing participants with skills and resources to garden at home.
Due to the COVID outbreak, the organizations knew that while they wanted to continue to support families growing their own food, they would have to do it differently – encouraging families to venture into growing food, based on the Victory Gardens of the early twentieth century, and the concept that we ensure sustainability for our community when we contribute to the food supply. After all, growing food is life-changing. It connects us to the natural world, to our own nourishment, and to each other. It is one of the most resilient acts we can make. Continue Reading
Posted May 26, 2020 at 12:20 pm by Tim Dustrude
Superintendent Kari McVeigh – Contributed photo
May 2020
Dear Wonderful Community Members,
The 2019-2020 school year is winding to a close, and what a year it has been! We started last summer with our Aerospace Design team under the guidance of teacher Dan Garner, becoming international champions and we end this school year with our First/Second grade Science Team under the guidance of teacher Sue Kareken and Para educator Dena Royal, becoming national champions. That these two honors bookended our year is a great reminder of our purpose and of how amazing our students and staff are!
Last summer we welcomed two new administrators, Elementary School Principal, Caspar Van Haalen and Special Student Services Director, Becky Bell. Both of these administrators have become integral members of our leadership team and vital community members.
As we end the school year, we will welcome new High School Principal, Martin Yablonovsky and new Superintendent, Fred Woods. With our uncertain pandemic future, this leadership team will be exactly what our District needs to lead us through these trying times. Continue Reading
Posted May 26, 2020 at 8:14 am by Tim Dustrude
Know Your Islanders: Thane Pratt, Kokoda Sketches: A Birding Trek across Papua New Guinea
Lace up your (virtual) hiking boots and join wildlife biologist Thane Pratt and artist Szabolcs Kokay on a trek across the mountain ranges of Papua New Guinea. We’ll relive some of the adventures and experience the biological wonders of this, the world’s largest tropical island. Authors of the field guide Birds of New Guinea, Thane and Szabi were there to search for and paint the remarkable birdlife of this remote corner of the planet. Co-sponsored by the San Juan Island Trails Committee.
San Juan Island Library is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Know Your Islanders Thane Pratt Kokoda Sketches
Time: Jun 1, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: Continue Reading
Posted May 26, 2020 at 8:14 am by Tim Dustrude
FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a new regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi…
After gritting through another sub-arctic winter, there was celebratory pleasure in first plying the roiling, wood-strewn waters of the Yukon River in spring. The boat season followed seven to ten days of heavy running ice. The big show was over. Skimming the wide water was an indescribable feeling of freedom.
Of course, there was preparation: uncovering the old outboard, hauling river water to fill a rusty drum, chamois filtering stored gas, greasing the lower unit, checking this and that, then with some necessary cussing getting it to run smoothly. Then to wrestle it over the ice to get it onto the transom. A canoe could get us to town in a pinch, but lining back upriver wouldn’t be possible for quite some time.
There was a reshuffled landscape to be reckoned with. After a highwater, bank to bank breakout 600 yards across, the river can quickly drop several feet as the meltwater surge subsides, leaving a jumble of car-sized ice blocks mashed along the shores and back sloughs to melt in place. Continue Reading
Posted May 23, 2020 at 4:53 pm by Tim Dustrude
This story has been updated since it was first published…
The variance application submitted Friday afternoon was approved by the Secretary of Health mid-day on Saturday, allowing San Juan County to proceed to Phase 2 of the Governor’s four-phased Safe Start Washington plan effective immediately.
San Juan County Council Chair Rick Hughes highlights the importance of this approval, “Our community can now start to slowly re-open, a much-needed step for many of our local businesses. I appreciate the quick work of the San Juan County team in submitting the application, and the State Secretary of Health for prompt review and approval. If we all closely follow the requirements in place to minimize the risk of transmission, I’m confident we can proceed to Phase 2 safely and responsibly.”
An individual business may only open under Phase 2 once it can do so safely by meeting the guidelines for Phase 2 opening found on the Governor’s website. A few are listed below:
Now that San Juan County is in Phase 2, face coverings are required in all public businesses as per San Juan County Health Officer order 2020-4. To help educate the public and customers of this critical requirement to ensure the health of our community several printable posters have been developed. Businesses have 48 hours from the move to Phase 2 to post signage- mid-day on Monday the 25th.
In addition, as per San Juan County Health Officer order 2020-1 and 2020-5, the ban on transient lodging for non-essential travel remains in place until the Governor moves San Juan County to Phase 3. The ban on camping and transient moorage remains in place as well, though camping is now allowed on the non-ferry served islands.
Please remember that in both Phases 2 and 3, high risk populations are strongly encouraged to stay home to the full extent possible. More information on high risk populations is available from the CDC.
For more information about COVID-19 and the ongoing San Juan County response, visit www.sjccovid.com
Posted May 22, 2020 at 3:21 pm by Tim Dustrude
“I am pleased to see this Project come online,” said Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan. “It is incumbent on us to do what we can to use renewable resources. It is not only environmentally beneficial but provides a benefit to our ratepayers.”
Next week the Town of Friday Harbor will activate its first solar power project on the Island. The solar panel array, which is a 100 kW (DC) Solar Photovoltaic System, is located on a quarter acre of Town property behind the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The project is guaranteed to produce 95,000+ kW hours of electricity per year using solar panels and electrical inverters made in Washington State. Apollo Solution Group (ASG), through a Washington State Department of Commerce grant, installed the array. Continue Reading
