Flyby – John Miller photo

John Miller shares another wildlife photo. This one is a Mallard duck he saw when he was out photographing swans last week. He calls it “Flyby”.

On the tech side – Nikon D500 with 200mm f2 AF-S @ f2.8, 1/2000 sec and 200 ISO.

Kerwin Johnson cooks up some cod for Fish Tacos – Tim Dustrude photo

Fish For Teeth Turns Tacos Into Healthy Teeth

Fish for Teeth is starting its sixth year of providing dental services to those who cannot otherwise afford dental care, and we’re celebrating the same way we always do—by making a gigantic batch of Fish Tacos!

The Fish for Teeth Taco Team will be making fish tacos on Friday, January 13 at Friday Harbor Ace Hardware from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Tacos are $7.00 (suggested donation), which goes to fund our tooth-fixing program.

Fish for Teeth sponsors the Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van (the ToothMobile) for two-day clinics in Friday Harbor every January, May, and October. Local volunteer dental professionals staff the van, and more volunteers assist in scheduling the visits and coordinating the clinics. The result is healthier teeth and gums, and overall improved health, for those who could not otherwise afford the care.

Fish for Teeth funds our programs with fish tacos and direct donations from caring individuals, and also benefits as a AmazonSmile donation recipient. This enables us to have NO INCOME PARAMETERS restricting those who receive care; so in addition to those with low incomes, we can service those “in the middle,” who earn too much to qualify for low-income programs, but still don’t have discretionary income for proper dental care. Continue Reading

How do successful business owners and entrepreneurs achieve goals and take their businesses and ideas to the next level? Learn how to create a strategic vision map to bring ideas and dreams into reality and get through periods of transition. Join the San Juan County Economic Development Council for a workshop on the topic of Vision Mapping Strategies, on January 30th from 9:00 am to noon at the San Juan Island Library, cosponsored by San Juan Propane. Advance registration is required.

Business owners and entrepreneurs often wonder how they can leverage their ideas into success, and many ask themselves how they’ll even recognize that success when it’s been achieved. These queries have a common thread – how to create one’s desired concrete results from ideas and goalsetting. Participants will join instructor Sharon Hooper to learn how to create strategic vision maps, a deepening and enjoyable process to explore possibilities and discover how to create the perfect blueprint for the next steps of a journey.

Instructor Sharon Hooper has been a Professional Certified Coach since 1999. After working with the U.S. Department of Defense and directing one of the world’s largest Child Development Centers, Sharon and her husband Richard created an independent and award-winning record label, World Disc Productions, headquartered in Friday Harbor for several years. Continue Reading

This is January’s edition of the UW Labs’ Tide Bites, written by Andrea Dingeldein…

When you have a question about something you see in nature, a research scientist provides you with an answer in words. My explanation, on the other hand, comes in the form of an image. My name is Andrea Dingeldein, and when people ask me what I do for a living, I respond, “I’m a science illustrator.”

A conceptual illustration of Bull Kelp – ©Andrea Dingeldein, 2016

That usually elicits a rather confused look and the question, “Well, what is that?”

My simple response is: “It’s a visual explanation of science.”

Science illustration communicates scientific research to broader audiences, which in turn boosts scientific literacy and thus improves the effectiveness of conservation efforts around the world.

Continue reading here

Opalco Rate Increase Takes Effect In January

When Co-op members get their power bills in January, the 2017 rate increase will be included. The Board-approved budget included a 5% revenue increase, which will affect the average bill by roughly the same amount. The rate increase will be applied to the energy usage (kWh) portion only of residential and commercial bills with no increase to the facilities charge.

“With this year’s rate structure,” said Foster Hildreth, General Manager, “specifically the Board’s decision to place the increase on energy use and keep the facilities charge the same as last year, members can keep their bills lower by using less electricity.”

The current revenue and rate increase is necessary to meet OPALCO’s cost of service which is primarily driven by the rising cost of power from BPA, OPALCO’s energy savings program and contracted labor expense. Other budgetary drivers include the major capital projects (depreciation) in 2017 such as the installation of the submarine replacement cable for the Lopez-San Juan crossing, 15 miles of underground cable replacement, the completion of fiber build out for the electric distribution system and planning for a 2018 Community Solar project.

The Board pledged to study rate structure options in 2017 and the next cost of service study is planned in 2018. Generally, a cost of service study is performed every two to three years to make sure all members are paying their fair share of the costs to deliver power. Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson is back with another San Juan Island Lifestyle Tips video. This one is about what islanders do in January.

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

Hi there. I’m Pixel. My New Year’s Resolutions? Well, all right. Since you asked, here they are:

1. I will Spend more time working on my memoir, entitled, “Pixel-Cat, Queen of Everything, Including You. And your dumb Dog”.
2. I will Practice Yoga at least three times a week.
3. I will make more time for arts and crafts.
4. I will stop judging cats who are less-attractive than me. (Just kidding. I’m going to keep doing that.)
5. I will find a new family to love.

What are your new year’s resolutions?

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

Just in time for the new year and fresh starts, the Friday Harbor Film Festival presents America’s favorite political provocateur, Michael Moore, with his film, “Where to Invade Next”.

Moore has been honored  by festivals and critics alike. This new film is hilarious and subversive. An Academy Award winning director, Moore confronts the more pressing issues facing America today and finds solutions in  unlikely places. An epic film, unlike anything he has done, a call to recapture the American Dream. 

Big laughs when we really need it, come see it at the Grange, Tuesday Jan 17th 7pm.

State’s New Report Shows Salmon Still Declining
“Salmon are ours to save,” says Governor

OLYMPIA – Salmon throughout most of Washington are in trouble, and will need continued investment by state, federal and local organizations if they are to be saved, according to a report released today by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.

“Washington State has been investing in salmon recovery for nearly two decades, and we are seeing some results,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “But we still have many challenges ahead, such as population growth and climate change. Salmon are a crucial component of our economy. Families depend on them for food and jobs. They are crucial to our identity as Washingtonians. We can’t give up on salmon recovery until they are taken off the endangered species list. Salmon are ours to save.”

Click to enlarge

The newly released State of Salmon in Watersheds report and interactive Web site show Washington’s progress in trying to recover the salmon and steelhead protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Web site provides live data from around the state and offers interactive maps to help visitors learn about salmon recovery efforts in their communities.

Some findings from the report:

• In most of the state, salmon are below recovery goals set in federally approved recovery plans. Washington is home to 33 genetically distinct populations of salmon and steelhead, 15 of which are classified as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Of the 15, 7 are not making progress or are declining, 6 are showing signs of progress but still below recovery goals and 2 are approaching recovery goals.
• Commercial and recreational harvests have declined significantly because of fewer fish and limits on how many fish could be caught to protect wild salmon. Harvest of coho salmon has fallen from a high of nearly 3 million in 1976 to fewer than 600,000 in 2014, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chinook harvests have followed the same downward trend, with about 970,000 Chinook caught in 1973 compared to 316,000 in 2014.
• The newly created Fish Barrier Removal Board recently released a report indicating that despite two decades of investments, an estimated 35,000 to 45,000 barriers to fish passage remain.

The news is not all bleak. The report also talks about progress made in habitat restoration and hatchery reform… Continue Reading

Middle schoolers, put your thinking caps on, because we’re inviting you to participate in our spring cover contest. Students in grades six through eight have until mid-January to create and submit an original drawing based on the theme “Ferries + Puget Sound Wildlife.”

For more information and submission requirements click here.

A Sprint and an Olympic Distance Triathlon. Both based out of Lakedale Resort, San Juan Island. 

Registration is open for the June 17, 2017 race! Take advantage of low early registration fees today! See more info here.

EDC Offers Women’s Business Boot Camp

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Women entrepreneurs are invited to attend the EDC’s Women’s Business Boot Camp, a half-day workshop specifically designed to tune up existing businesses and to start new ones, on January 19th on Orcas Island. Participants will learn how to write or revamp a business plan, find funding, learn about marketing and networking, learn about government programs, and much more.

The workshop features speakers from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, and the EDC. Instructors will bring presentations and materials specifically designed to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and to find funding specifically for women-owned businesses.   This workshop will provide participants with clear and practical knowledge to battle difficult business challenges, making their businesses stronger. Continue Reading

The view toward Friday Harbor from Mount Grant – Tim Dustrude photo

Campaign for Mount Grant Preserve Reaches Finish Line

We did it! After two years of fundraising, the $4.2 million Campaign for Mount Grant Preserve has come to a successful completion. The 141-acre ridgeline, which includes open grassy knolls and stately old-growth Douglas firs, is now permanently protected.

The San Juan County Land Bank made an initial investment of $1.5 million in this project – one-half of the property’s purchase price of $3 million. The San Juan Preservation Trust raised the remaining $2.7 million from private philanthropic sources, including a $1 million stewardship fund for the long-term care of the property. More than 850 families, residents of San Juan and surrounding islands as well as visitors, contributed more than 1,200 gifts to top out the campaign.

In addition to its rich endowment of native plant and animal habitat, the Mount Grant property will offer multiple recreational opportunities. From its summit, visitors can take in remarkable views in every direction. An existing road to the top was opened to vehicles on select “Sundays on the Summit” over the course of the campaign. Time and again, expressions of “Wow, I never knew this was here!” could be heard as visitors got out of their cars or completed the one-mile hike to the top to take in the 360-degree views.

Another view from Mount Grant – Tim Dustrude photo

A volunteer steering committee of 18 community members advocated and raised funds for the project. Hiking and equestrian groups, students, visual artists, musicians, and other volunteers contributed their labor, talents, advocacy, and countless hours to the campaign’s success. Stewardship funds will be used to build trails and other visitor amenities, maintain the summit road, control invasive plants, and implement restoration of compromised portions of the preserve. “Acquisition is only the beginning,” says Kathleen Foley, Stewardship Manager of the San Juan Preservation Trust. “Our job now, as stewards of the land, is to balance human enjoyment and safety with protection of the fragile aspects of a nature preserve.”

Now that the campaign is complete, the property will be owned and managed by the San Juan County Land Bank, and the Preservation Trust will hold a conservation easement on it. A management plan will be developed through a process that includes significant public input. “We will listen carefully and work hard to accommodate as many ideas and requests as possible,” says Doug McCutchen, Preserve Steward for the Land Bank. “Please stay tuned and participate in the public scoping meetings that will soon be announced.”

For more information and directions to Mount Grant Preserve, visit sjpt.org or sjclandbank.org.

Newlyweds Gavin and Lindsey – Contributed photo

Gordy and Deanna Banry and Frank and Melissa Guard have the honor of announcing the marriage of Lindsey Banry and Gavin Guard on December 31, 2016. They rung in the New Year with a covenant that will last a lifetime. Gavin and Lindsey, though they lived 2 minutes down the road from one another, officially met at the San Juan Island EMS station when Gavin was waiting to test in for his EMS certification for Friday Harbor as an EMT in 2015. 

As they spent the summer training, they discovered that they both had a love for the island, CrossFit and furthering their education. Gavin and Lindsey Guard plan on moving to Aurora, Colorado in June for the next three years, where Gavin will be finishing his PA (Physician Assistant) schooling and Lindsey will be finishing up her bachelors degree. Gavin is graduating from Whitman College in the spring of 2017. They both share a passion for the medical field and serving others and plan to pursue that for their lifetime.

Most of all, they share an appreciation for God and seek His mission for them within their love for one another. 

“Hard Water” – John Miller photo – click to enlarge

Local photographer John Miller shares this photo of swans he saw on a frozen lake:

“While driving by Dream lake this afternoon, saw these two swans walking to a small hole in the ice – I think I will call it “Hard Water”. On the tech side, shot with a Nikon D500, 200mm f2 af-s lens at f4, 1/2000 sec. (Iso 140).”

Thanks John!