J-14 Samish – David Waterworth photo

One-Time Only- Voices of Our Salish Sea

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience legendary speakers on our ocean life in one room on one day. Be the first to preview new films by marine experts on orcas, salmon and the Salish Sea sponsored by the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA).

“They Don’t Live on Words” by Robin Jones

On Saturday, July 13, from 9:30 am-5 pm at the San Juan Community Theatre, SJIMA presents DEEP DIVE: the documentaries which showcases current films about issues unique to our Salish Sea accented by arts that also speak for our endangered wildlife.

Featured works are Artifishal, The Road to Extinction is Paved with Good Intentions, a new film by Patagonia that explores the threats to wild salmon. The Searching For Chinook documentary by PNW Protectors, set out to film the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) when they found themselves at the center of developing events involving Tahlequah and her dead calf, public comments on breaching dams and the drama between scientists and politicians.

Seattle Times journalist Lynda Mapes presents Toxins in the Salish Sea. Dammed To Extinction, written by Steven Hawley and directed by Michael Peterson describe the dwindling numbers of salmon and SRKW in the Pacific Northwest. They depict the life work of Ken Balcomb who says, “Studying whales is science. Removing dams is politics.” Continue Reading

FHHS Inskeep Scholarship recipients Payton Brooks, Siri Lindstrum, Ava Hoffman, Thea Seitz, Jayna Ott, Maxwell Mattox, Julian Brown and Victoria Polda. (Not pictured: Aida Must) – SJICF photo

Another end of the school year signals a new scholarship awards season at the San Juan Island Community Foundation! Over the last few months, SJICF has awarded $177,000 in college scholarships and awards to 39 local students for the 2019-2020 school year.

SSIS Inskeep Scholarship recipients Georgia Smith and Matthew McElrath – SJICF photo

9 graduating seniors from Friday Harbor High School and 3 from Spring Street International School were awarded new scholarships from funds held at the San Juan Island Community Foundation. 25 previous recipients were also awarded one-year renewals and new scholarships.

Students are selected each year based on their financial need, level of academic achievement and community involvement. 3 funds are awarded based on intended field of study.

The 2019 scholarship recipients are: Continue Reading

The Scribner Cabin sports a new roof – Contributed photo

The Scribner log cabin located on the grounds of the San Juan Historical Museum has recently had the roof replaced. A benevolent, anonymous donor provided the funds to cover the cost of the project. We thank them for their generous gift to the Historical Museum and for helping to preserve the 128-year-old structure.

Scribner Cabin before the move in 1988 – Contributed photo

The cabin was a gift to the Historical Museum in 1988 by island residents Sondra and Jack Raub. It was moved from their property near the shore of Mitchell Bay on the northwest side of the island, to the Historical Museum grounds. After the move, the cabin was restored and after 30 plus years, the roof needed to be replaced.

Edward Scribner, his wife Alice and three of their children came to San Juan Island from Michigan, around 1890. In 1891, Edward, his father James and father-in-law Arthur Malcolm built the cabin. The planks that form the walls were hewn with broad ax and adze from massive old growth logs. The well-built cabin has stood the test of time and is indicative of dwellings built during the homestead era, which began in the 1870s. 

The family lived in the cabin for twelve years while Edward worked as a carpenter and shipwright. During that time, Edward and Alice raised nine children – six of whom were born in the cabin – which consisted of two rooms and a sleeping loft. The family moved to a home on Web Street in Friday Harbor around 1903 and welcomed three more children into the family for a total of twelve children. They maintained ownership of the cabin for a number of years and continued to use it as a fishing cabin.

Luxel Corporation, one of the lesser known businesses on San Juan Island, provides nanometer-thick materials for applications in space astronomy, laser fusion, and semiconductors. 

Travis Ayers will describe Luxel’s technology, how it is used, and will have a few samples to observe.

Refreshments will be served, courtesy of the Friends of the Library and the San Juan Island Trails Committee.  

Monday, July 1st at 7:00 pm at the San Juan Island Library. Free.

Sue is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Hello. My name is Sue.

I am not an egocentric feline like many of my species tend to be, I prefer wizened elder who has attained enlightenment. 

I do quite enjoy the company of humans. I am a petite senior with some “special needs”. It’s nothing burdensome, I simply require a human who similarly appreciates a quiet home without tiny humans, unevolved mutts, or rambunctious kittens. Play me Bach or Mozart, ploy me with tuna pate and I’ll purr you into sweet nirvana.

I humbly wait, with classy paws crossed, for the day my highly evolved human finally comes for me.

Kindly from the Animal Shelter,

Sue

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
994 Cattle Point Road
(360) 378-2158

Dr. Mark Fishaut came to the County Board of Health meeting, Wednesday June 19, with a plea for immediate action in finding a doctor to replace Dr. Burk Gossom who is retiring in November after 48 years on San Juan Island.

He said, “It is important that everyone in the community understands the impact of a multi-decade practice closing.”

He said the remaining health-care providers are not in a position to assume ownership of the practice.

Dr. Fishaut is a pediatrician who has been on the island for 15 years, and he added, “I have no desire to give up care of ‘my kids’.” He said, “I’m here to provide information.”

He alluded to the difficulties all rural areas have in attracting physicians, and suggested that some ways to help are to offer help with “housing, partial income guarantees, and jobs for spouses,” and also mentioned “philanthropy and government responses.”

Board chair Dr. Dale Heisinger of Orcas agreed that working for a solution “deserves some contemplation” and said he would put it on the agenda for the July meeting.

Dr. Fishaut will be addressing the public health district on Thursday afternoon. That meeting at the EMS building next to the hospital begins at 3 pm.

By Louise Dustrude

Vote counting equipment testing July 17 at 11:00 a.m.

A “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the August 6, 2019 Primary is scheduled for July 17 at 11:00 a.m. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared set of ballots to see if the results match the votes cast. The test will take place in the Elections Office located at 55 Second Street, Suite A, in Friday Harbor.

A representative of the Secretary of State’s Elections Division will be present for the test. The test is performed before every local, state or federal election to ensure that tabulation hardware and software equipment are compliant with Washington State rules and will accurately count the votes.

All interested members of the public are invited to observe.

This cast of characters is in full dress rehearsals and getting ready to perform “For Better” for you – Contributed photo

Today is “Pay What You Can Wednesdays” for this fun, fast-paced play.

“For Better,” a romantic comedy for our digital age is something we all can relate to.  7:30pm showtimes run June 26-July 7.

You’re invited to the wedding! Get your tickets at sjctheatre.org

Pictured from left are David Gow, Home Trust Exec. Director, Senator Lovelett, Jordan Kronen, Senator Lovelett’s Legislative Assistant, and Sarah Crosby, Board President of the Home Trust – Contributed photo

At the invitation of David Gow, Executive Director of the San Juan Community Home Trust, Senator Liz Lovelett, 40th LD, and her Legislative Aide, Jordan Kronen visited Home Trust properties on June 14, 2019.

They discussed various hurdles in our state which impede rapid development of affordable housing and possible remedies to those hurdles.

The Senator was in the county to talk to local officials and organizations who work on issues important to the Senator’s agenda. The affordable housing crisis is one of those issues.

The Senator and her aide toured all of the Home Trust’s parcels of land yet to be developed, and each of the three developed neighborhoods, including Sun Rise II, which is nearing completion. There are three houses still under renovation so Lovelett and Kronen were able to see interiors of the period houses which will soon be homes to island families.

They were impressed by the quality of workmanship of these vintage homes and by the character of the interiors that the new owners will enjoy.

Advance Care Planning Workshop
Free and open to the community

Wednesday, June 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Mullis Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor.

Conversations can make all the difference. Be an informed voice for yourself, your family and your patients.

Join us for an interactive discussion that will guide you through the process of completing your healthcare directive and durable power of attorney for healthcare.

• Open to community, PeaceHealth caregivers, volunteers and providers
• Register for the free workshop at www.peacehealth.org/yourvoiceyourchoice for yourself and your healthcare agent – come have the conversation together
• For more information, contact Hilary Walker at [email protected]

11 adults and 14 children enjoyed weekly visits to the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden and Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center in Friday Harbor to learn how to grow their own food.

Over the four-week pilot program, participants learned how to select a site with sun, consider their soil types and what their family likes to eat, and how to encourage children to eat fresh vegetables.

Hands-on activities included transplanting vegetable starts, fertilizing, weeding, slug control and watering. Each family received a container garden with vegetable plants to take home, garden gloves and a binder with gardening resources and recipes.

A bi-lingual volunteer was part of the program to help with translation as needed.

The pilot program was organized by the WSU Master Gardener program, the Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center and the San Juan County Health and Community services. The spark for the program originated over a year ago with the organizations wanting to provide an opportunity for families to grow and eat fresh vegetables. Continue Reading

Work to complete one more athletic field – this one for baseball — got under way on June 10 at the John O. Linde Community Park by Mike Carlson Construction.

The San Juan Island Community Foundation is overseeing the work through an oversight committee , Island Rec director Maddie Ovenell said. Island Rec operates and maintains the park through an arrangement with the school district which owns the land.

The cost of the work has been covered by an anonymous gift to the Community Foundation, according to Carrie Unpingco, the Foundation’s executive director.

“Mike Carlson and his crew are doing such a fantastic job and are not wasting a minute,” Unpingco said. Continue Reading

The wheel is turning, and time rushes on… time for all you Island Writers to cultivate your roots by preparing your entries for the 2019 “A Wheel in Time: Cultivating Roots” San Juan County Fair!

“But”, you say, “the Fair is months away—August 14-17.”  True, but the deadline for the Written Word entries is July 19^th—only weeks away! 

So, cultivate those writings—Prose, Poetry, Writing for Children—from the last two years, and postmark them to Island Writers, SJC Fair, POB 1094, Friday Harbor, WA  98250 or email them to [email protected] by July 19^th. 

Check out the premium book: Island Writers (Z—as in whiZZing by) is on pages 35-36.  Questions? 360-378-4310.

“A Wheel in Time: Cultivating Roots”—so start digging!

Abbey Road LIVE! Celebrating the Abbey Road album’s 50th anniversary!

50 years ago, as Woodstock became the defining moment of the ‘60s generation, the Beatles recorded and released their own crown jewel: Abbey Road, their final and most iconic studio album.

The image of John, Paul George and Ringo walking the London crosswalk is perhaps the most famous album cover of all time.

Come and experience some Beatles magic as Abbey Road LIVE! delivers its signature performance: the entire Abbey Road album, start-to-finish.

Featuring classics such as Come Together, Here Comes The Sun and the epic “side 2 medley”, Abbey Road has been widely recognized as the Fab Four’s finest musical work. And the album performance will be just part of the evening: fans will be treated to a second set of Beatles tunes spanning the band’s 8-year, 200 song career. Continue Reading

Friends of the San Juans identifies an additional 2,044 ocean going vessels making 4,088 transits to and from ports in British Columbia and Washington State from 24 new or expanding proposals.

Vessel traffic from ocean-going oil tankers, container ships, bulk cargo carriers, and liquefied natural gas carriers could increase 34% according to new information which appears in the updated Salish Sea Vessel Traffic Projections infographic available at www.sanjuans.org/safeshipping.

“All these projects have one thing in common; increased air and noise pollution that could affect the Southern Resident orcas ability to communicate, socialize and successfully hunt for scarce prey. More disturbance means these starving animals will work harder to catch food, further depleting their reserves and releasing toxins in their bodies. A major oil spill from propulsion fuel from any one of these vessels could cause the Southern Residents’ extinction and impact our economy,” said Stephanie Buffum, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans. Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Lions Club presents a $1,000 check to Lion Stacey Smith to produce multiple weather resistant photo boards to be placed at the new Interpretive Center opening at Jackson Beach this summer.  

The boards will present information relating to the plastic pick up on beaches and how land animals and marine mammals are affected by the plastic.