Rockslide on Chuckanut Drive – WSDOT photo

Just in case you’re heading to Bellingham or points farther north, and are planning to take scenic Chuckanut Drive, you might want to rethink that, or at least keep an eye on the WSDOT travel alerts website. Here’s more from WSDOT…

A rockslide and the risk of unstable rocks on the hillside above the road, have forced WSDOT maintenance crews to close SR 11/Chuckanut Drive at milepost 12, just south of the Whatcom Skagit county line. On the south side, the road is closed at Chuckanut Ridge Drive. On the north side, the road is closed at Pacific Rim Drive.

Additional geotechnical crews and equipment will head to the area on Thursday to determine a process to safely reopen the highway. Right now, there is no estimate on when we will reopen.

Please follow along on the WSDOT North Twitter account for updates to this closure.

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we have this letter from Steve Ulvi regarding affordable housing and Yes For Homes…

The Yes for Homes Coalition of San Juan County is a grassroot, volunteer, non-partisan, county-wide group of affordable housing advocates laser-focused on passing this Home Fund initiative on November 6^th.

This proposed Home Fund is a carefully constructed government intervention after years of broad public outcry that continued affordable housing inertia is unacceptable. This is an affirmative push toward achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people. We like to say that this half-percent Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) “harnesses the problem in order to fund the solution”.

Call it our ace in the hole, this REET, this excise tax for housing. A custom tool in our toolbox that other counties can only envy. Communities beyond counting are flailing. But over 790 communities nation-wide are today employing similar Housing Trust Fund models using local revenue sources to overcome these community-crippling housing trends.

However, there is an interesting delusion at play here. That is that we all have a fair chance to live a version of the dream on these islands. That notion of the Island Dream contrasts sharply with the reality we know through hundreds of housing-related conversations with young adults, long-time island residents and business owners. And decades of powerful letters to the editor. Continue Reading

San Juan County Public Hospital District #1 is pleased to announce that yesterday (9/11/18) it voted unanimously to accept a sales agreement with HWV Property LLC of Friday Harbor, WA, to sell the Inter Island Medical Center (IIMC). The agreed upon price is $875,000 with a 21 day feasibility study. If the sale is canceled after the feasibility study the buyer has put up $15,000 in earnest money.

The district has had several offers over the summer, indicating strong interest in the property, and is grateful that the IIMC property could finally be used once more. On June 28, 2018, the board passed a resolution (Res 18-490) to dedicate proceeds from the sale of the IIMC to reduce the existing SJIEMS building bond obligation.

This pending sale serves the public both in strengthening the financial positions of SJCPHD #1/SJIEMS and in potentially bringing back into use the vacant building and/or lot of the IIMC. Continue Reading

Plane crash at Roche Harbor – Norris Palmer photo

SJ Update reader Norris Palmer shares this news story with you…

A two passenger Island Air Shuttle took a nose dive shortly after takeoff.  Officials at the site said that a pilot seat malfunction slid the pilot to the rear of the airplane.  Upon takeoff if that happens, the gravity forces make it almost impossible for the pilot to reach any controls. No one was injured and there were no passengers.

Norris Palmer

The Seadoc Society and UW Friday Harbor Labs with support from Oceangate Foundation are hosting the Cyclops Submersible.

Cyclops 1 is coming north from OceanGate Inc.’s base in Everett for a week of exploratory science in the San Juans. Using FHL as a hub, three different project teams – including local researchers – will be using this deep-sea craft to investigate issues of conservation concern in the Salish Sea.

You are invited to visit FHL’s docks on Thursday, September 13th –

• 6:00 – 6:30 pm: view submersible & its platform
• 6:30 – 7:00 pm: hear details from the researchers using Cyclops 1

Directions: Friday Harbor Labs is at 620 University Road. Once you drive down the road and over the speed bump, take the first right and park. From parking lot, walk downhill and/or follow the small road around left of the building down to the pier.

It’s this Saturday!  Friday Harbor Bike-n-Brew offers a choice of three bike routes exploring the back roads of San Juan Island. We have:

• The Mount Grant Grinder, for those who like a serious challenge in altitude gain
• The Metric Century for a roughly 62-mile ride (100 kilometers- yes, 100!)
• The Scenic Loop for families and cruisers.  

Before the ride, eat breakfast at 9am at the starting area (SJC Fairgrounds) with the Cutthroat Pirates. After the ride, starting at 4pm, enjoy samples of island-crafted microbrews while sharing your biking stories with fellow riders at the finish line (Marie Boe Building) at the Fairgrounds. Delicious food from local vendors will also be available.

Tickets are limited and are on sale now ! Tickets for the bike event ($60) and brew event ($25) are sold separately. You may purchase tickets for one or both events. Last year, we had perfect weather, and all had a wonderful time. Have a look at the photo gallery .

If you do not wish to purchase tickets now but would like to receive notices about the event, register your email address with us to receive updates. We hope you join us for this fun fall event! 

All proceeds from the event support projects of the San Juan Island Lions Foundation , such as community sight and hearing programs and scholarships for local high school students.

Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Reve Shannon – Contributed photo

Reve Shannon, actor, writer, and performer who you may remember was very involved locally in the theater and was also director of the County Fair for a while,  will be leading/directing a Playback Theater event on Saturday. Keith Busha will  provide the musical landscape for the performances.

Playback Theater is an improvisational theater form that draws stories from the audience and then plays-back the stories with acting, movement and music. Actors and audience participate in theater and storytelling that can be validating, healing and transformative. Stories are “played back” with an artistic aesthetic, ritual and integrity.

Keith Busha – Contributed photo

What will happen at the Workshop?
This participatory workshop is for anyone interested or curious about PBT. We will loosen up with some simple “theater games” and then have some fun playing with a couple of the forms used in PBT.

No theater experience is necessary!

Saturday, September 15, 2018, 11am – 2pm at the SJI Grange, Friday Harbor
Free — All are Welcome

Info: call/text Reve – 828-301-5671
or email : [email protected]

More info about PBT:
https://playbacknorthamerica.com/about/playback/
http://www.playbackcentre.org

The Whale Museum invites everyone to the first annual event, “The Dinner Party,” an elegant fundraiser and auction on Friday, September 14, 6:00 pm, at Brickworks. Proceeds benefit the museum’s mission of promoting stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. 

The evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and no-host bar, featuring special drinks by Westcott Bay Cider, Kari’s Island Elixirs, San Juan Island Brewing Co., and San Juan Vineyards.  Downrigger’s is preparing appetizers and the dinner. Music will fill the air thanks to Sasha von Dassow on the cello and Hanneke Klein-Robbenhaar on the violin. Duncan Wilson will emcee the most entertaining portion of the evening, the live auction.

Tickets for are $65.00 per person (meal includes a glass of wine or beer). Reservations can be made at The Whale Museum or online,  https://whalemuseum.org/products/dinner-party  or by calling (360) 378-4710 ext. 30, or stopping by the museum. RSVPs are strongly encouraged as seating is limited.  (If a group would like to attend, tables for eight can be reserved.)  Proceeds raised through this event will directly support the education and research programs of The Whale Museum. To reserve your seats, stop by the Museum or call (360) 378-4710 ext. 30. 

The Port of Friday Harbor Commission recently presented the following letter to the Governor’s task force. Here it is for you to see…

Dear Council Staff,

The Port of Friday Harbor respectfully requests that the Pacific Fishery Management Council set aside an allocation of 250,000 chinook salmon from the Fraser River for the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW).

Whale population is declining, and behaviors are changing due to the shortage of available salmon. Based on estimates of food requirements, a healthy Orca needs 18 to 25 adult Chinook salmon daily to meet their energy requirements. If the 75 living SRKW feed for 100 days in local waters, that means that, based on 20 salmon per day, at least 150,000 Chinook are needed just to maintain the status quo. If the Orca remain longer, as they have in many years, or if their numbers increase, more fish would be needed.

Currently, the Council allocate salmon for spawning, tribal catch, commercial catch, and sport catch. The fish that the whales need are hidden in what’s called “Ocean Loss”. Because Ocean Loss is a percentage of the total run, it fluctuates with run size, however, the whales need a fixed number of salmon every season. The net result of this is in years of low return, the SRKW have to compete even harder with other user groups and spawning escapement may suffer. Continue Reading

Artist Nicola Wheston – Contributed photo

A new exhibit, Stuff: We Become Our Things: A Retrospective opens Saturday, September 15 at the San Juan Island Museum of Art. The exhibit is part of The Female Gaze, Part 3, The Woman as a Visionary and Creator and will be showing until November 26.

Award-winning artist Nicola Wheston unveils a new installation that takes us from shopping at big box stores to witnessing empty plastic jugs, styrofoam containers and assorted trash ending up at the landfill.

Stuff: We Become Our Things: A Retrospective draws attention to the mounting issue of garbage and explores Wheston’s own relationship with trash.

Wheston is available to talk trash, and the very personal reasons behind her desire to illustrate the rapid rise of consumerism in the era of plastics and how the system is showing its cracks.

This award winning artist is represented by the Duthie Gallery, Salt Spring Island and by the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver.

Join us at the Mullis Community Center for this classic small-town event. Enjoy a delicious lunch and an afternoon of BINGO! This is a great way to start off your weekend. We meet every 2nd Friday of the month. 

This Friday enjoy Pasta with Marinara Sauce, Caesar Salad w/ Garlic Croutons, and Chef Eugene’s Famous Brownies.

$10 will get you a home cooked meal, 5 rounds (15 games) of BINGO and a fun afternoon with other game-loving community members.

Lunch is served at noon and BINGO, with LOCALLY sourced prizes, follows.

Past Salmon Derby Winners – Contributed photo

NEWSFLASH – This event is Sold Out! Here’s the lastest from Debbie this morning:

Well that was a flurry of phone calls; emails; text messages and a fax machine on fire!

2019 Roche Harbor Salmon Derby is SOLD OUT as of today 9/11/18. That beats the record set last year on 10/6!

Thank you for all the participation and continued support of our event!

WAIT LIST is started, please email with good phone contact to get on the list. Historically we get cancellations closer to the event, I have always gotten few from wait list into the derby!

Thanks again,

Debbie Sandwith
Manager,  Roche Harbor Market

(Original story follows):

We hear from Debbie Sandwith at Roche Harbor that there are only 10 spots left for the 2019 Roche Harbor Salmon Derby January 17 – 19. Don’t hesitate to get your team signed up!

This will be the 16th annual derby and features…

• $28,000 in guaranteed cash prizes
• Three nights of hosted dinners, including prime rib night; 2 hosted breakfast
• On-site lodging (not included in the entry fee) with options for everyone to stay together on the property
• Donated prizes from NW favorites like Fabill, Soctty, Shimano, Laminglass, Simrad and Berkely
• Raffle for entry in NMTA Derby Series Grand Prize Boat

Entry fee of $800 (excluding tax per boat) for up to four anglers. 
Limited Entry:  100 boats. 
Debbie Sandwith for more information on entering the 2019 derby.
Download the registration form here.

Monday, Sept. 10 from noon-2:00 pm, at the San Juan Island Grange, the League of Women Voters of the San Juans is presenting a discussion on the affordable housing initiative that will be on the November ballot. The proposal would establish a real estate excise tax, or REET, to help fund construction of affordable housing. Featured speakers include: Ryan Page, San Juan County affordable housing coordinator; Steve Ulvi, Yes for Homes Coalition; and Steve Buck, owner of Coldwell Banker SJI.

Topics to be presented include funding options that were considered, a description of the proposal and discussion of the benefits and concerns with enacting the REET. The public is encouraged to attend and submit questions to the speakers.

September 12 at 4:00 pm, at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor. We’ve invited Ryan Page to come answer questions about the Home Fund.

Then we will be working with volunteers on setting up VoteBuilder on their phones and laptops, and begin making phone calls! Neighborhood canvassers are also invited to this volunteer event and will break out into a session on setting up the Minivan program!

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

Buenos Dias, Amigos and Amigas.  I am Buddah, a kitten of many amazing qualities.  I love to jump, play, cuddle, pounce, wrestle, purr, nuzzle, run, hunt the red dot, climb pants, and take siestas, but not necessarily in that order.  I am looking for you….and hoping that you are looking for me!  I’m here at the animal shelter waiting for you.  Don’t wait too long, please.

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

We hear from Louise Dustrude…

Imagine the impact on our community if everyone who is having trouble paying for housing were to leave. I don’t believe the rest of us could function without them — people such as teachers, sheriff’s deputies, EMTs, firefighters, food service workers, and others.

Ours are among the lowest wages and highest home prices in the state, and this combination is already driving valued members of the community away.

Passing the Yes for Homes initiative will go a long way toward helping to solve this problem.

Please vote Yes when you get your ballot in October.

Louise Dustrude
Friday Harbor