Lili Lyne is the new Recreation Specialist at Island Rec – Contributed photo

Island Rec is pleased to welcome Lili Lyne as their new Recreation Specialist. Lili will primarily be organizing Sports and Fitness programs and events.

Lili is a recent graduate from Western Washington University where she studied Therapeutic Recreation. Over the years she has developed an expertise in adaptive sports, from soccer to wheelchair rugby she has worked with folks with disabilities to feel empowered.

Most recently, Lili has been working with WWU on a grant research project called Right to Risk. She is also a recent Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).

A fun fact about Lili is that she is no stranger to a small-town lifestyle; the first 7 years of her life she lived in Point Roberts, WA, an American territory in Canada.

In her free time Lili enjoys rock climbing, performing stand-up comedy, eating guacamole, and making new friends. She believes that being able to work for Island Rec and its enthusiastic staff will be a welcomed adventure and great opportunity to serve the residents of San Juan Island.

Check out all of Island Rec’s events at www.islandrec.org, stop by Island Rec at 580 Guard Street, or call 378-4953.

Winter Weather – Cathy Degnan photo

The San Juan Center of Skagit Valley College offers two life-long learning courses this winter.

As the weather chases us indoors for January, February and March, sign up for a community class at the San Juan Center. Pass the winter days enjoying good books and engaging discussions and lectures at the San Juan Center of Skagit Valley College.

In “The World of Travel in Literature” join instructor Michele Griskey for a world-wide literature course.  The theme is travel/the journey and what this means both literally and metaphorically in literature. 

The course will cover classical works like those of Homer and Dante Alighieri, as well as more recent works by writers like Marjane Satrapi and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and assorted poems and essays from other writers. Continue Reading

Daniel Mayes of Island Stage Left gives a preview of Christmas Memories

The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce held their Holiday party/Annual meeting and Awards Ceremony on Monday evening at Brickworks.

They welcomed Scott Sluis, of Islanders Bank, as new president and said farewell and thank you to Gail Schnee for her 2 years as president. Also there was a Thank you to the Town of Friday Harbor for all they have done for our community, and our town.

2 new members were acknowledged: – Robert Kobrink Construction and Dancing Seeds Farm

And after a quick preview from Island Stage Left for their upcoming production of Christmas Memories, the Awards of Excellence were presented.

Awards of Excellence: Member is recognized as a San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce business member that excels in quality service and or/products, upholds the Island Friendly Spirit, practices the highest business ethics and exemplifies enlightened customer service and staff relations.

See award recipients below: Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag we have a letter from Allison Lance…

The more diverse an eco-system is, the greater its odds are for survival. Genetic diversity insures robust populations. This applies to Earth’s life forms, which includes humans. In order to ensure our survival we need robust biodiversity. Therein lies the problem, nature is unbalanced because the human specie takes about 60% of everything and pollutes most of the Earth. Plants, animals, habitat, water, fish are all being crushed by our numbers at 7.6 billion.

Hunting will not bring back the dying land. It just won’t. Rifles are not wolves. Hunting and trapping are mindsets. For those of you who say it is a “cherished tradition” – I doubt science will ever change your mind. Your word of choice is “harvest” which for me and others is such a strange word for murder.

A good place to start saving land and species is not to open up protected land for hunting. Hunting does not save species. Careful preservation is best. The deer are not foraging in the forests, it a safe place for them to seek shelter, bed down and rear their families. And, on their own accord the starving deer will be forced to enter your property to survive then you can kill them (or try to). Continue Reading

Daniel Mayes and Sylvie Davidson (Prospero and Ariel in The Tempest last summer) play uncle and niece – Contributed photo

Only four more showings of Slowgirl and people who’ve seen it are raving about it. This is your last chance to see it before it’s gone.

It’s a story by Greg Pierce told with humor and sensitivity, of a friendship between a reclusive uncle and his teenage niece as they navigate the delicate regions of guilt, fear and truth.

Becky, a seventeen year old girl, has fled to her hermitic uncle’s retreat in the Costa Rican jungle to escape the aftermath of a terrible accident.

The week they spend together forces them both to confront who they are and what they are running from. It centers around the many ways tragedy can unmoor a life and the power of family to both wound and heal.

Suitable for children 12 and up. Occasional colorful language. A story for everyone who has ever made a mistake.

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 4:00 pm at the Marie Boe Building at SJC Fairgrounds
Admission FREE – Donations appreciated

Slowgirl closes on December 16th and right after that Island Stage Left opens Christmas Memories on the 20th.

The time is near for this year’s December 15th benefit Christmas concert at St. David’s Episcopal Church: An American Village Christmas. The 3:00 pm concert will feature Advent and Christmas hymns and anthems by American composers found in The Sacred Harp, The Southern Harmony, The Mennonite Singing Book, and The Christian Harmony, along with Appalachian melodies and African-American Spirituals.

Like last year, the concert will be sung unaccompanied by a 25-voice choir directed by Richard Lind. A few instrumental pieces on piano and saxophone will be interspersed among the choral works.

Admission to the concert is free of charge. However, monetary donations to the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center or non-perishable items for the Friday Harbor Food Bank will be gratefully accepted.

Please join us on Saturday, December 15, at 3:00 pm. Saint David’s Episcopal Church is located on the corner of Park Street & Marguerite Place in Friday Harbor, Washington.

State Awards Nearly $18 Million for Salmon Recovery Projects Statewide

OLYMPIA – The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board today announced the award of nearly $18 million in grants for projects to restore salmon habitat in an effort to bring the iconic fish back from the brink of extinction. An estimated 75 percent of the funded projects will benefit Chinook salmon, which make up a large part of the southern resident orca whale diet.

“This funding helps protect one of our most beloved legacies,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Together we’re taking a step forward for salmon, and in turn dwindling southern resident orca whales, while also looking back to ensure we’re preserving historic tribal cultural traditions and upholding promises made more than a century ago.”

Since the creation of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board in 1999, the board has awarded more than $700 million in state and federal funds to more than 2,650 projects across the state. With matching funds provided by grant recipients, the amount invested in board-funded salmon recovery projects is $987 million.

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board awarded grants to organizations for 95 projects in 30 of the state’s 39 counties. Grant recipients will use this funding to remove barriers that prevent salmon from migrating, increase the types and amount of salmon habitat, conserve pristine areas and replant riverbanks to increase places for salmon to spawn, feed, rest, hide from predators and transition from freshwater to saltwater and back again.

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board funded projects in the counties below. Click below to see details on each project:

San Juan County…………………. $277,742

Continue Reading

First, it’s the Board of Commissioners for San Juan County Fire District #3. They will have their regular meeting at 3:00 pm Wednesday, December 12th, at the fire station at 1011 Mullis Street.

Then, at 5:00 pm, the San Juan County Public Hospital District #1 will be meeting jointly with the Town of Friday Harbor, Fire District #3, and the Citizen’s Advisory Group (CAG). The purpose is to discuss the progress of the CAG examining whether consolidation between SJIEMS and FD#3 is feasible and desirable.

The CAG will not be delivering its final report at this time, but will be discussing where it is at in the process. The public will be invited to comment at this meeting.

If you would like to know more about the CAG and its deliberations, we recommend that you review their webpage here.

Wasp Passage photo by John Miller

Local photographer John Miller shares this view from 300 feet elevation of Wasp Passage, taken with a DJI Phantom adv.

Great shot – Thanks John!

Island Haven Animal Sanctuary Benefit

Susan Wingate writes to share this article on deer population control…

Dear SJ Update,

I’m hoping to submit some information about the deer population that has become an issue with a certain sector of our residents and with the fish and wildlife community.

[Please see] this information from the website: http://www.pzpinfo.org/pzp_faqs.html

On Wednesday Dec 12, 2018, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors will hold a Special School Board Meeting at 5:00 pm in the high school library.

This is a Budget Informational Meeting. The community is invited to attend. Please see attached notice.

All public comment, with the exception of public hearings on policy, budget or other specific items, will be heard during the “Public Comment” section of the Call to Order.  Anyone wishing to address the board on any topic will be scheduled to speak during the public comment period by the Administrative Assistant present at the board meeting.  Check in to be scheduled to speak will occur during the 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.     

Please see the agenda at https://www.boarddocs.com/wa/sjisd/Board.nsf/Public.

(This is a quick look at the board agenda for your convenience.  Please be aware that the agenda could change prior to the board meeting.)

Tom Doenges, owner of Computer San Juans wants you to know about this new service coming to an island near you…

Calling all small businesses, schools, ports, town and individuals…

I am joining forces with a friend who runs an electronics recycling company in Bellingham called 1pc.com. Because I feel I contribute to bringing these devices to the islands by selling and servicing computers, etc. I want to help the ‘end of cycle’ and find the right disposal method.

Our planet needs all the help it can get and I hope this will in some small way contribute to a cleaner world for us all. I am so happy this came along, and I want folks to know I am doing this for free.

What can you recycle for free?
Televisions, Computers, Laptops, Monitors, Tablets, e-readers and portable DVD players. (Please note that computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and printers are not included in this program.)

Data will be securely destroyed and everything will be recycled, as well as becoming refurbished systems for sale when feasible.

A date will be set early next year for a truck to come to the island(s). We are working on getting the other ferry serviced islands in on this program as well so please spread the word and be thinking about items you have that will fit this e-cycle drive.

I will be starting an e-mail list so if you want to be included on the news: please send an email to: [email protected] with “FREE ECYCLE” in the subject line.

Lets keep the islands clean and green through safe and sane disposal. I could also use assistance to organize pick up and drop off locations on all ferry serviced. If you would like to help, contact me at your earliest convenience.

The San Juan Island Community Foundation recently awarded grants totaling $20,546 to local nonprofits in their third and final grant cycle of the year. The Foundation awarded $4,648 from its Healthy Community Fund, while generous donors and the SJICF Women’s Fund contributed a combined $15,898. The following local projects were funded:

• The San Juan County Economic Development Council was awarded $2,348 to launch their Construction Basics Training program on San Juan Island.
• Island Stage Left was awarded $3,150 to replace the flooring of their stage.
• Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA) was awarded $3,590 to purchase safety equipment and boom trailers.
• PADs for Parkinson’s was awarded $4,858 to cover costs for their annual community newsletter.
• The San Juan Island Family Resource Center was awarded $5,000 to support a technology upgrade for improved outreach.
• Leadership San Juan Islands was awarded $1,600 for Class of 2019 tuition assistance.

In an effort to increase nonprofit collaboration and provide training, the Foundation staff recently hosted the first of a series of networking sessions for nonprofit leaders. Held at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor in November, nonprofit directors and development staff enjoyed an update from the SJICF staff and engaged in lively conversations over lunch to discuss current projects and to share ideas for specific topics like board development, fundraising and partnering with other nonprofits for events and programs. Continue Reading

Sometimes an idea takes on a life of its own, and that’s what has happened with the San Juan Singers’ winter concert, “The Brightest and Best of Christmas.” This concert will be filled with joyous singing and instruments playing.

John Rutter’s “Magnificat” sometimes dances, sometimes floats, and always delivers a melody that goes straight to your heart. The show continues with “Believe,” from the film The Polar Express, Celtic-inspired settings of “Silent Night” and “Now is Born the Divine Christ Child,” and a lush new setting of “See, Amid the Winter Snow.”

The lighter side of the program includes “There is A Santa Claus,” from the movie and Broadway show, “Elf,” “Eatnemen Vuelie” from the animated film, “Frozen,” Christmas-inspired spirituals and the traditional shape-note tune, “Brightest and Best,” gaily accompanied by fiddle and bass.

Be sure to come–this show will have you dancing through this holiday season!

Saturday, December 8 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 9 2:00 pm

Tickets:
Adults $20.00
Student Reserved $10 (tax included)
$5 Student RUSH at door only

San Juan Community Theatre (SJCT) held its annual Holiday Festival on Saturday, December 1^st, raising over $114,000 in support for the 2018-2019 season. Attendees were treated to 1920’s themed décor by Susan Williams, Anita Welch, and Cyndy Gislason and a menu inspired by popular dishes of the same era from Owner Anna Maria de Freitas and Executive Chef Ryan Lockhart at Coho Restaurant.

From Executive Artistic Director, Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey: “We are so grateful to all the folks who came out to support the mission of San Juan Community Theatre. Our Holiday Festival co-chairs Madelyn Busse and Susan Mazzarella did a wonderful job coordinating this event, Pat Nieman and the members of CATS were instrumental in preparing the silent auction and decorating, Cathi Nett led a gorgeous octet of Festival Singers, and a small army of volunteers all pitched in to make the night a great experience.”

“We were thrilled to see an increase in ticket sales of more than 15% over last year and we want to express our thanks to everyone who helped us raise over $114,000.”

(See photos of the event below) Continue Reading