Posted June 8, 2016 at 5:44 am by Tim Dustrude
Mike Halette is this month’s APS Volunteer of the Month – Contributed photo
The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor has announced Mike Halette has been named Volunteer of the Month.
Mike is regular visitor to the shelter where he walks dogs, visits with cats and helps out with odd jobs around the facility.
Mike can always be counted on to help out at events and fundraisers, too. On behalf of the staff and board of directors at APS-FH –
Thanks very much, Mike!
Posted June 7, 2016 at 2:52 pm by Tim Dustrude
Discover Deadman Bay on Dad’s Day: An Intertidal Walk
Checking out the tidepools on the westside – Contributed photo
Dr. Erika Iyengar, of Muhlenberg College and long-time researcher at the Friday Harbor Laboratories, returns to help kick-off summer break on the Westside exploring the intertidal zone.
Spend the morning among an amazing diversity of spineless animals (invertebrates) and learn how they feed, reproduce, and interact with each other.
Wear some old sneakers or come prepared to get wet up to your knees. If you have a plastic magnifying glass, bring it! Kids welcome with adult supervision.
Meet and park at the Lime Kiln Point State Park main lot – Discover Pass or parking fee required – participants will walk to the Land Bank’s Deadman Bay Preserve.
Sunday, June 19, from 9:00 to 11:00 am at Deadman Bay Preserve, San Juan Island.
This event is presented by San Juan County Land Bank and is free to the public. For more information please contact Tanja at 360-378-4402 or tanjaw [@] sjclandbank.org.
Posted June 7, 2016 at 5:52 am by Tim Dustrude
Brickworks Old and New – Contributed photo
The Town of Friday Harbor has a vacancy on the Historic Preservation Review Board and here are Ten Reasons Why you should serve:
For more information about the Historic Preservation Review Board, and to apply for the open board position, contact Sandy Strehlou, 360.622.2037 or sstrehlou [@] fridayharbor.org.
Posted June 6, 2016 at 5:52 am by Tim Dustrude
Leslie and Val hold up the map showing how far they’ll travel
From the SJ Update mailbag – just got a note from Leslie and Val Veirs – they’re heading north for the summer on their boat and hoping to make it all the way to Haida Gwai and what’s cool is you can click their link and follow their progress online as they travel. Check it out…
Greetings,
Leslie and I are now off on our summer sailing adventure hoping to get as far north has Haida Gwaii. Click on our blog, if you are interested in what we are up to. We hope to blog a bit when we get bits of internet.
Cheers and have a great summer, each and every one of you!
Posted June 6, 2016 at 5:43 am by Update Staff
Toda is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed Photo
Hello, I am Toda. My story is a sad one… When I was younger someone tied firecrackers to me and lit them. Since then I’ve been shy and a bit fearful of people. The good news is that plenty of nice people have come into my life since that horrible day, and I am learning to trust again.
I’m a very good little girl. (I only weigh about 25 pounds, which is a perfect size for a lap dog!) I absolutely love cuddling with my people more than just about anything. I get along great with other dogs and even cats.
I was hoping you might be able to help me find someone who knows about kindness who might love me enough to give me a forever home. Call my friends at The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor. They’ll make plans for us to meet.
Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158
Posted June 6, 2016 at 5:39 am by Tim Dustrude
Matthew Lawrence Steenkolk, July 10, 1993 – May 26, 2016
Matthew Lawrence Steenkolk was born on July 10, 1993 in Corvallis, Oregon to Susie Spores-Steenkolk and Bruce Steenkolk. He attended elementary school in Newport, Oregon and high school in Friday Harbor, Washington. Matthew moved to Independence, Oregon and passed away on May 26, 2016.
Matthew loved being outdoors and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He especially liked riding 4-wheelers, camping at Three Forks and helping out on the farm. Matthew was proud to have worked for Warfield Logging as a choker setter. He was an avid reader and talented writer.
Matthew is survived by his mom Susie Spores-Steenkolk of Salem; his father Bruce Steenkolk of Toledo; brother Nathan Steenkolk of Eddyville; grandparents: Jerald Spores and Vicki Channer
of Logsden, Arlene Parsons of Newport, Bobby and Phyllis Steenkolk of Toledo; numerous aunts and uncles; many cousins and his beloved dog Cutter.
Celebration of Life will be held from 1:00pm-4:00pm, at the Elks Toketee Illahee Park/Campground in Siletz on June 12, 2016. Please bring your favorite food dish to share in the potluck.
As Matthew would say “Right on….”
Posted June 5, 2016 at 10:14 am by Update Staff
Spring Street International School invites you to…
Click to view poster
Come enjoy a night of hip-hop, bluegrass tap dancin’ in the original play Tumbleweed People in No Man’s Land; premiering on June 6th at 6:00 pm in the Wittier Theatre at SJ Community Theatre.
Admission is free and donations are gratefully accepted.
This original play written by Spring Street International School history students is the culmination of a school-year’s worth of reading, writing, researching and debating. It centers on the Great Depression and is seriously bluegrass flavored, with a nice big side order of tap dancing.
Here are some photos of the cast…
***
Rehearsing on stage – Contributed Photo
Tap dancers – Contributed Photo
Check out San Juan Community Theatre’s website for more events and information.
Posted June 5, 2016 at 10:12 am by Update Staff
Contributed Photo
The Orcas Trailblazers 4-H Horse Show is June 25 & 26 at the San Juan County Fairgrounds. Performance will be both days and gaming will happen Saturday night. The forms are on the SJC 4-H website at sanjuan.wsu.edu under leader & member resources or contact Lorena Stankevich at 376-7048 or lstankevich [@] yahoo.com.
The summer show judge will be Susan Clogston, who has judged at the SJC Fair before. The prices are the same as last year. $9 a class, $25 stall fee, $1 for insurance. The club decided to do prizes instead of ribbons, so there will be high point prizes and some “raffle” drawings for prizes throughout the weekend. It should be a fun event!
Posted June 4, 2016 at 9:39 am by Tim Dustrude
Late breaking news… We’ve just learned there’s a sale at the Storage Place…
Saturday June 4th at 9:00 a.m. Three 10′ x 20′ units full of treasures for you! Camera equipment, military & nautical items. Ship models, sextant, about 400 books, pressure washer, kitchen items & more.
At the Storage Place on Argyle across from the fairgrounds.
Please park on the road.
Posted June 3, 2016 at 11:11 am by Brook Ashcraft
Teresa in Boulder – Contributed photo
Teresa Smith will be one of the 51 featured artists opening their studios for visitors to view at this year’s San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour. On the tour, visitors will learn more about what the artists surround themselves with and where their art is created. It allows art collectors and buyers to purchase pieces directly from the studio of the person who created them. Also, each studio features a raffle for a piece of original art.
The tour is self-guided and the map of the locations can be viewed here and a video of last year’s tour can be viewed here.
Studios will be open…
Teresa Smith was born in Quebec, Canada, and after visiting the San Juan Islands in the late 1980’s she fell in love and soon moved to San Juan. Teresa lived here for 14 years, and was best known for her original watercolors, cards, and calendars. In 2003, she moved to Boulder CO. with her daughters to get a fresh start after a divorce. She would stay for 14 years in Colorado, shift to oil painting, and graduate from Naropa University, in Boulder, with B.A. in Visual Arts. She returned to the San Juan Islands in July of 2015.
SJ Update intern Brook Ashcraft got a chance this week to chat with Teresa about her art… Continue Reading
Posted June 3, 2016 at 5:56 am by Tim Dustrude
Lindsay shows the guide drawing she refers to as she paints the large mural – Tim Dustrude photo
Artist Lindsay Carron is making good progress on the mural painting on the side of the Whale Museum building. When finished, the mural will depict three orcas chasing salmon following forage fish through a bull kelp forest.
That’s Lindsay way up there on the lift
All who see the mural will know that the Whale Museum not only cares for their building, but are stewards of our marine environment as well.
Lindsay plans on the whole thing being done on Saturday, so if you want to see this art-in-progress, you’d better get over there soon.
It’s always good to have some help with a project of this size. This is Sarah, Lindsay’s helper working on the kelp forest
The museum thanks the following who have supported the project with cash and in-kind contributions: The Norcliffe Foundation, Friday Harbor Grand B & B, Town of Friday Harbor, Friday Harbor House, Harbor Rental, Ace Hardware, and many individuals.
Posted June 3, 2016 at 5:53 am by Tim Dustrude
Ocean Annie comes to Friday Harbor on World Oceans Day!
Annie Crawley – Contributed photo
Friday Harbor Elementary School would like to invite you to dive in with empowering environmental speaker Annie Crawley and her team on June 8th, World Oceans Day, as they connect with the students for Ocean Annie’s 100 schools 100 days: Our Ocean & You campaign.
Award winning producer, underwater photographer, author, and environmental speaker, Annie Crawley will be sharing her amazing images and stories about “myths and monsters” of the sea during an all school assembly on June 8th from 8:30-9:30. The multi-media experiences share both the beauty of our underwater world and the environmental challenges facing our planet from impacts of climate change and marine debris.
Annie balances her presentations with both love for our ocean and the truth about the sea of plastic we have created. Continue Reading
Posted June 3, 2016 at 5:48 am by Update Staff
Skagit Valley College will conduct the College’s 89th Annual Commencement Ceremonies in June. Family and friends are invited to attend; tickets are not required.
The dates, times, and locations are as follows:
Posted June 3, 2016 at 5:45 am by Tim Dustrude
Griffin Bay Bookstore and the San Juan Island Library are excited to present author David Neiwert on Wednesday, June 8th at 7:00 pm at the Library. Neiwert will talk about his book, Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us, just released in paperback.
If you’ve seen the documentary Blackfish and have followed the plight of orcas in captivity at Sea World, you’ll definitely want to read Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us. In his book journalist David Neiwert details what we have learned about killer whales after studying them closely in their habitat for the past 40 years—in a way that’s readable and understandable, and that goes beyond the headlines to answer questions about one of nature’s most remarkable creatures—and asks us why we allow the captive-orca industry to still exist.
The orca is one of earth’s most intelligent animals. Remarkably sophisticated, orcas have languages and cultures and even long-term memories, and their capacity for echolocation is nothing short of a sixth sense. They are also benign and gentle, which makes the story of the captive-orca industry—and the endangerment of their population in Puget Sound—that much more damning.
In Of Orcas and Men, a compelling mix of cultural history, environmental reporting, and scientific research, David Neiwert explores an extraordinary species and its occasionally fraught relationship with human beings. Beginning with their role in myth and contemporary popular culture, Neiwert shows how killer whales came to capture our imaginations, and brings to life the often-catastrophic environmental consequences of that appeal. Continue Reading
Posted June 3, 2016 at 5:38 am by Update Staff
What fun! – The San Juan Island Garden Club is having a potluck on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at noon at the Mullis Community Center (589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor)
Please join us for a wonderful lunch. Come enjoy a great potluck with fellow gardeners. We have a good time and share great gardening information and anecdotes.
Bring a dish of your choice and enjoy the hospitality of our wonderful hostesses, Heather Olsen and Meg Lewis.
For more information, contact Dot Vandaveer, 378-8306 or Marguerite Bennett, 378-8524 or visit the San Juan Island Garden Club website.
Posted June 2, 2016 at 5:58 am by Tim Dustrude
It’s the Discover San Juan Island 2016 Kick-Off for National Get Outdoors Day
Get ready to spend your summer on an island-wide exploration. Discover environmentally, culturally, and historically significant sites in your own backyard.
The San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan County Land Bank, and San Juan Island Library are teaming up to bring you a summer-long adventure, beginning on National Outdoors Day (June 11) and ending on Labor Day (September 5). Get outdoors with your friends, and family to new, exciting places across the island. This adventure is free and anyone can participate!
Get set: Visit the library to register for the event and receive your map, guidebook, and crayons.
Go! Visit the sites in the guidebook (in any order) and search for a square wooden tile at each site. (read a clue inside the guidebook to help you find the tile at each site.) The symbol on the tile will match the image on the site’s rubbing page in the guidebook. Make a rubbing by placing the page over the tile and rubbing the page with a crayon. Once you have visited all nine sites and obtained tile rubbings, take the guidebook back to the library to be entered into a prize drawing to be held after Labor Day.
For more information about this adventure, visit our website at sjclandbank.org/events, or stop by our booth at the San Juan Island Farmer’s Market on June 11th!
If you have questions, contact Tanja Williamson at the Land Bank: 360-378-4402 or tanjaw [@] sjclandbank.org.