In the San Juan Update mailbag this morning we have this letter from Louise Dustrude…

If you haven’t yet turned in your ballot, perhaps it’s because you think there’s no reason to vote in so many uncontested races. Here’s another way to look at it.

In the public hospital district election, which is my focus here, no one chose to run after four people signed up early on the first day for the four vacant seats, and so the public was deprived of a spirited campaign.

There was much to campaign about.

Many of us believed – many of YOU believed — that the board needed to take a more transparent approach, but instead its meetings were moved from 5 pm in a room with equipment that offered online public access both during and after meetings to 3 pm in a room without such access. Numerous special meetings were held, all during working hours.

Anna Lisa Lindstrum, elected two years ago, is the sole continuing member of the board and she has contended throughout her term so far that the public is entitled to such access.

The four candidates now running take the same approach, and we can anticipate that future meetings will be accessible to all.

We can also anticipate their support for prudent fiscal decisions, for unwavering support of Planned Parenthood as an alternative source of health care, and for a fresh look at health-care needs of islanders.

Please fill out your ballot for Gail Leschine-Seitz, Everett Clary, Kyle Loring, and Trish Lehman and turn it in before November 6.

Louise Dustrude
Friday Harbor

True to ISL’s ongoing mission to produce the best-written, most inspiring plays of our times – ones that move us – not just to laughter, although often infused with it, but with reconsidered viewpoints, ones that leave us with new understandings and empathy for those around us, we are thrilled to present Lucy Kirkwood’s brilliant play, “The Children”.

Humour, love, friendship, humanity, age, courage, children and what their future may hold – this wonderful play is as tantalizingly hard to define as life itself.

Awarded the Critics’ Circle, Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best New Play and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best play in the English language by a female playwright, Lucy Kirkwood has also won the “Most Promising Playwright” Award in the UK. Her work has been performed at the Royal Court, the West End and on Broadway.

See it Thursdays through Sundays, November 8 through December 8th at the Marie Boe Building at the SJC Fairgrounds. Check out www.islandstageleft.org for more information and show times.

Join David Montgomery and Anne Bikle as they explore the connections between soil and human health.

David Montgomery earned his Ph.D. in geomorphology and teaches at the University of Washington where he studies the evolution of topography and how geological processes shape landscapes and influence ecological systems. Montgomery writes about the relationship of people to their environment and is the author of Growing A Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life. In 2008 he was named a MacArthur Fellow. 

Anne Biklé is an author, biologist, and gardener. She uses her broad background and endless fascination with the natural world to investigate and write about connections between health issues, plants and the environment. Her interests have also led her into public health, salmon restoration, and environmental planning. Continue Reading

4 male and 1 female Anna’s hummingbirds

Story by Richard Wright

In the islands we usually associate hummingbirds with the spring and summer seasons. In mid March our small Rufous Hummingbirds arrive from Mexico to breed in our islands and elsewhere in the NW. By mid August most of our Rufous Hummingbirds return to winter in Mexico.

Recently, however, another species of hummingbirds, the Anna’s Hummingbird, has decided that the islands aren’t a bad place to overwinter… with a little help from humans. When I moved here 40+ years ago, there were no Anna’s here in the islands. However, climate change has moderated our winter temperatures and Anna’s have extended their northern range to include the islands. But they need our help.

Because of their high metabolic rate, hummers must take in sustenance quite often during the day. Annas go into a torpor (semi-hibernation) state which will get them through night, but at dawn they rapidly need food. Hummers typically must consume two to three times their body weight in nectar for survival. Denial of nectar for an hour or so could cause them to starve, especially in cold weather.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if we feed the wintering Anna’s, we have a responsibility to be more vigilant. We need to be sure that the feeder does not go dry. We need to be sure that the feeder is clean and free of black mold.

Here are a couple of other things we need to watch for. First, when the temperature drops belong freezing, watch that the nectar doesn’t freeze. I find that at about 28 degrees the sugar nectar will begin to freeze. If the weather report predicts temperatures down to that level, it is good idea to bring the feeders in at night and then put them out just before dawn. I keep an extra feeder with room temperature nectar in it. When I see that the outdoor nectar is beginning to freeze, I swap it with the extra feeder. Secondly, when it snows, don’t let the snow build up on the feeder to the point where the hummers can’t feed.

Happy birding,
Richard W. Wright

Members of San Juan Island Grange #966 voted unanimously this month to upgrade the kitchen in their building on First Street to full commercial status and pledged $40,000 from their reserves for the project, provided the membership can raise a like amount.

Two Grange members have each pledged $10,000 to kick off the campaign, and member Larry Soll has volunteered to lead the effort to raise the additional funds.

He anticipates a number of benefits to the community – It will make possible the production of value-added products that can be sold at the farmer’s market or other retail outlets, or donated to the food bank. Caterers will be able to prepare food at the Grange to be served there.

He suggests that island chefs could prepare and serve affordable dinners; both “farm to table” and ethnic meals would be encouraged.

A number of individuals have expressed interest in teaching short courses on such topics as bread making, food preservation, pickling, and ethnic food preparation.

In addition, the American Red Cross has designated the Grange as an emergency shelter in case of natural disaster. The commercial range will be fueled by propane, ensuring the ability to act even in an electrical outage.

The plan is for construction to take place in January through March 2020. Contributions may be made now, or pledges may be made for the month of January.

Checks or pledges should be sent to San Juan Island Grange #966, PO Box 2013, Friday Harbor. Please include your email address and phone number and specify if you wish to keep your gift (or the specific amount) confidential. The Grange is a registered 501©(8) non-profit organization.

Angela Anderson – Steve Alboucq photo

Angela Anderson, Executive Director of the San Juan Preservation Trust, has been tapped to join the Land Trust Leadership Council, an elite group of nationally recognized leaders in the land trust field.

“As an exceptional land trust executive director, you will bring valuable experience and perspectives to the group,” wrote Andrew Bowman, president and CEO of the Land Trust Alliance, in naming Anderson to join the Alliance’s Leadership Council. “I am excited for you to join this impressive cohort of innovative leaders who, like you, are interested in ensuring the vitality and effectiveness of the entire land trust community as it advances private land conservation in the U.S.”

“This is an elite group of, at most, 55 land trust executive directors out of more than 1,000 Land Trust Alliance member organizations,” said Keith Wentworth, president of the Preservation Trust’s Board of Trustees. “This an honor and testament to the leadership Angela has demonstrated in her previous work in Hawaii and, most importantly for us, her great work with the San Juan Preservation Trust since she joined us in February of 2018.”
Continue Reading

The Friday Harbor Winterfest begins November 30th with the Island Lights Festival

The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the Island Lights Festival on November 30th. This kickoff event for the Friday Harbor Winterfest is on a Saturday this year so more families are able to attend. Once again the Chamber is partnering with Island Rec and the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild.

It will be a fun filled evening when all start gathering at 5:00pm on Spring Street between First and Front Streets to await the arrival of Santa. We will have caroling while sipping some hot chocolate and coffee while waiting for Santa to arrive to light the tree.

Once the tree is lit we will have some more caroling before heading up to Brickworks for more fun. Upon arriving at Brickworks one will find pictures with Santa, crafts with Island Rec and local harvest soups and spiced local apple cider for sale.

For more details please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 360-378-5240 or [email protected].

The Class of 2020 Kicks off Grad Night Fundraising

Deluxe Noble Wreath

The Friday Harbor High School Senior Class of 2020/PTSA is now taking orders for their annual Holiday Wreath sale. Get your beautiful, aromatic, long-lasting, 24” Northwest Noble Fir wreath with pinecones, berries, and a handmade bow in the color of your choice for only $25! These wreaths make great gifts for friends, family, neighbors and business associates.

This is the largest fundraiser for the Class of 2020. Proceeds go directly towards paying for Grad Night: a memorable, safe and sane graduation celebration. Continue Reading

Learn the art of clay with Alchemy Art instructor, Glenn Hendrick. Glenn will guide you through the introductory process with a little bit of talk and lots of hands on time for creating a successful clay vessel.

These vessel can be used for a potted plant, a jewelry holder, a personalized cup, or simple home or garden decoration. The class will be held on Thursday November 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at Alchemy Art Center, 1255 Wold Road for participants 18 and over.

The early fee of $31.00 expires October 31 and becomes $36.00 thereafter.

Participants will go home with a unique clay vessel they have made as well as the knowledge and skill to make many more.

For more information or registration visit our website at www.islandrec.org; stop by the Island Rec office Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm, or call us at 360-378-4953.

Today is World Polio Day. In 30 years, we’ve gone from 124 polio-endemic countries to TWO, Afghanistan and Pakistan (Nigeria was recently removed from list after being polio free for three years).

We know we’re eradicating polio, but do you realize how may added benefits the program brings? It might be providing clean water, bed nets, soap, and even creating jobs. That’s part of the PLUS in the PolioPlus Fund.

Thanks to a 2-1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, every donation made to Rotary to end polio will be tripled. To date, Rotary Club of San Juan Islands has donated over $70,000 to ending polio.

Please join us and donate today. endpolio.org/donate. Help us see this fight to the end.

Story by Ayla Ridwan and Raylee Miniken who are participating in the FHHS Community Service Project…

Raylee, Ayla and Katie – Contributed photo

San Juan County would greatly benefit from a commercial composter. Commercial composters help to mitigate the effects of waste by eliminating the methane production of compostable items.

Composting is the process of decomposing matter. According to O2Compost, a commercial composter manufacturer, it is “the transformation of raw-organic materials into biologically stable, humus-rich substances suitable for growing plants.”

When we send our trash to a landfill, we allow it to sit and produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Composting is a process that eliminates the production of methane created by waste. A commercial composter is a facility that provides the ideal heat and PH levels for materials to compost. It maintains these levels and is able to compost materials that can’t decompose unless these ideal conditions are met. Continue Reading

Join instructor Jan Murphy for a fun workshop using personal treasures, photographs and found objects to create one of a kind artworks.

You’ll learn several tricks of the Mixed Media Trade while broadening your artistic horizons. It all happens Saturday, November 9th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at The Friday Harbor Atelier, 313 Spring Street, Friday Harbor.

Class fee is $45 (most supplies included)

To register and receive a supply list, email Jan at [email protected] or call (360) 298-2195.

The Lions Club of San Juan Island has just completed its free eye screening for children in the San Juan Island Elementary and Middle schools, and the Orcas Island Elementary School.

In all, over 300 students had their vision checked and 17 of the children were referred for vision problems .

Using a Plus Optic machine and a smart phone app that is being tested to help people identify visual problems in kids, the Lions team of volunteers, led by Gary Franklin, and past Lions Club presidents Brian Brown and Dr. Bob Williams (Opthmologist) provided this important service free to school children as part of the Lions Club annual program.

Charles Prosper, MSPT, MBA, named PeaceHealth Northwest Chief Executive

PeaceHealth announced that Charles Prosper, MSPT, MBA, has been named chief executive of the PeaceHealth Northwest network.

Prosper held the role of interim chief executive since long-time PeaceHealth leader, Dale Zender retired on Sept. 30, 2019. Prosper joined PeaceHealth in March 2019 as the chief operating officer for PeaceHealth’s facilities in the Northwest.

In this role, Prosper will continue to lead PeaceHealth hospital operations in Bellingham, Sedro-Woolley, and Friday Harbor, Washington, and in Ketchikan, Alaska. His work will focus on maintaining clinical and quality excellence, increasing employee and physician engagement and developing relationships in the Northwest communities PeaceHealth serves. Continue Reading

SJ Update file photo

Friday Harbor Elementary School’s annual Halloween Parade is coming up on Thursday October 31 at 9:30am. The parade travels from the elementary school to Argyle Ave to Spring Street, past King’s Market, across the street and back to the school. 

Students should be dressed for cool fall weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Costumes should not encumber safe movement while walking or in classrooms; no inflatables.

We respectfully request students not dress in gruesome costumes, no blood, guts, etc., nor carry any props that look like weapons. We must be able to see students’ faces at all times; no face paint or masks please.

Rachel Flowers Concerts Following Hearing Is Believing At Friday Harbor Film Festival

Dateline: Friday Harbor, WA – Rachel Flowers, an astonishing, young musician and composer from California, subject of the award-winning documentary Hearing Is Believing, will perform Live following the film’s screenings on Friday, October 25 at 1:15 pm and Saturday, October 26 at 4:15 pm at the San Juan Community Theatre during the Friday Harbor Film Festival.

Born 15 weeks premature and weighing only one pound five ounces, Rachel lost her eyesight soon after birth. At age 2 she began playing every song she heard by ear, including Bach fugues. The child had perfect pitch. Starting her formal musical education at the age of 4, Rachel spent the next 10 years studying at the Southern California Conservatory of Music. Continue Reading