M/V Samish enters the harbor with “Sentinel” escorting – Tim Dustrude photo

Updated – Click the link below to see more photos submitted by Aaron Shepard…

The newest Washington State Ferry M/V Samish made it’s inaugural run from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on Sunday morning, June 14th, and was greeted by the SJC Sheriff/Fire boat “Sentinel” for an escort into the harbor complete with water cannons.

On hand to greet the vessel on its first scheduled arrival were Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher, State Senator Kevin Ranker, SJC Council Chair Bob Jarman and WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson. The San Juan Jazz Quintet was there as well to entertain.

M/V Samish arrives in Friday Harbor on its first scheduled sailing – Tim Dustrude photo

Click here to see stunning photos by Aaron Shepard: Continue Reading

Bikers4Orcas San Juan Island Fundraiser Poker Run – June 28, 2015

Bikers4Orcas (B4O) is an international group of motorcyclists who will be riding to heighten awareness of the plight of orcas in captivity around the globe on June 28, 2015. B4O San Juan Island will ride that day for Tokitae aka Lolita, a member of L-Pod of the Southern Resident Killer Whales who inhabit the waters of Washington’s San Juan Islands. Lolita was captured 44 years ago in Penn Cove and has been confined ever since in a small cement tank, performing daily at Miami’s Sea World.

Net proceeds from this event will go to Orca Network’s “Free Lolita Campaign”. All donations are tax deductible. Orca Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and their need for healthy and safe habitats.

Click for larger poster

The SJI Ride will be a full day motorcycle event. The day starts with a “fuel up” pancake breakfast & registration from 9:00 to noon at the San Juan Mason’s Lodge at the corner of Reed and 2nd Street in Friday Harbor. A scenic Poker Run around the island starts at 11:00, with the awards ceremony at 2:30 at Lime Kiln Point (Whale Watch) State Park. The Cutthroat Pirates will be in the Park staging motorcycle games, the “Orcalympics”, to round out the activities. A box lunch from Spring Street Deli can be ordered & prepaid ($10) at registration & picked up at Lime Kiln to enjoy a picnic lunch at the Park. Entry fee is $30 for the 1st rider and $10 for other riders on the same bike. The entry fee includes breakfast, swag bag, commemorative pin, day parking pass at the State park. Breakfast ($5) & the box lunch ($10) are available to those who have not paid an entry fee.

For more information contact Patti Wickham at (360) 317-6886, b4osji[@]gmail[.]com or on Facebook at Bikers4Orcas San Juan Island. www.bikers4orcas.wordpress.com

As beneficiary of the San Juan Island Triathlon and Marathon, Purple and Gold of Friday Harbor High School is organizing volunteers for the events
June 20 and 21st. If you’ve volunteered in the past you know what fun it is to be at aid stations or course directional markers. Plus, all volunteers receive an event t-shirt and are invited to the after-race festivities including a barbecue.

To sign up, go to http://www.purplegoldfh.org/triathlon.html and choose from three triathlon legs, or marathon aid station or traffic/motivators.

Here’s a Garden Tour invitation for you from Fiona Norris and Linda Thompson…

Two gardens on the shoreline, one vintage home set in an oak grove, one whimsical house and garden, and a garden literally on the rocks.

These are the treats in store in the 2015 Garden Tour, coordinated by the San Juan Island Garden Consortium, Saturday, June 13, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The two properties along False Bay are adjacent to one another, and share the same landscape designer, Steve Schramm of Island Gardens Company and construction contractor, Dan Lowe, of Lowe Construction. But, as you tour both, you will see, up close and personal, how very different two properties can be – the architecture, the layout, and garden design and the plantings. Yet both convey the sense of wholeness Schramm brings to all his landscape designs.

The Green property was purchased from renowned textile artist Amanda Richardson when she returned to England. The new owners built a stunning new home designed by Tom Kundig, an innovative Seattle architect known for his industrial style mixed with the vibrant crafts culture of the Pacific Northwest. He also built their guest house which you must not miss!

(follow this link for more about the gardens and ticket information) Continue Reading

Vera and Olsen Schoultz are excited to announce the birth of their little sister, Kelly Ann.

Kelly was born at Island Hospital on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:22 pm. She weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces and was 21.1 inches long.

Kelly is the daughter of Scott and Alisa Schoultz and granddaughter to Mike and Jeri Ahrenius of Friday Harbor, Wash., Dean and Rosemarie Felthous of Mill Creek, Wash., and Nils and Carolyn Schoultz of Hudson, Fla. Great-grandparents, Reed and Elaine Brockbank, live in Kentfield, Calif.

FRIENDS of the San Juans’ staff and board proudly accept the $100,000 grant from the Washington Women’s Foundation – Contributed photo

Washington Women’s Foundation Awards Friends Of The San Juans $100,000 To Increase Shipping Safety Standards In The Salish Sea

Washington Women’s Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the FRIENDS of the San Juans to increase shipping safety standards in the Salish Sea, which will reduce oil spill risks and other impacts to wildlife, marine habitat and people in the region.

“Our $30 billion dollar economy depends on safe shipping and so do the 7 million residents that call the Salish Sea home. Increasing shipping safety standards will protect our waters from existing and proposed vessel traffic and is crucial to preserving our culture, our economy and our environment,” said Stephanie Buffum, FRIENDS of the San Juans’ Executive Director.

With multiple projects proposed that could increase coal and oil exports from ports in British Columbia and Washington, potential shipping risks are escalating rapidly. Currently, 16,010 large ships transit through the Salish Sea each year.  New, approved and proposed projects could increase that number to 20,736.

To reduce the risks posed by increases in fossil fuel exports, FRIENDS of the San Juans will lead a transboundary effort in both Washington State and British Columbia to designate the Salish Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) under the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Continue Reading

Chipper available – Contributed photo

San Juan Island Fire Rescue and the Firefighters Association are sponsoring a chipper rental assistance program for active Firewise Communities and communities that are in the process of joining the program on San Juan Island. Firewise is a national project designed to help communities that are located in fire hazard areas in the United States.

To join this free program, a community creates a 5 member board, has a free community assessment (done by the fire department), attends a one hour educational meeting, holds a clean up project and applies for the program (assisted by the fire department). This is a relatively simple process that may save your house from a wildfire burning it down.

The SJI Fire Department program allows a Firewise Community to rent a 6” chipper from Harbor Rental at a 50% discount for a one-day use in their community from June 10th to September 30th. Simply go to Harbor Rental, give your communities’ name and the name of your board president then Harbor Rental will check it against a master list. The Fire Department & Firefighter Association will be billed for the second half of the daily rental charge.

For more information on the chipper program or to join Firewise call Ron Garner, acting Firewise Coordinator, at 378-7722

The ferry Samish at the auxiliary dock in Anacortes – Tim Dustrude photo

The San Juan County Council and the Town of Friday Harbor will be welcoming the M/V Samish on her official maiden voyage to the San Juan Islands. The Welcome begins at 9:45 AM on Sunday, June 14th at the Friday Harbor ferry terminal.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the San Juan Jazz Quintet followed by a few words from Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation Lynn Peterson, Town of Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher and San Juan County Council Chair Bob Jarman. Fire District #3 and the new fire boat Sentinel will provide an escort into the harbor.

Come welcome the new ferry, watch the fire boat display its water cannons, and help kick off the Summer 2015 sailing schedule.

Sunday, June 14 – Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal

09:45 AM   Musical Performance by the San Juan Jazz Quintet

10:00 AM   Speakers:

• Mayor Carrie Lacher, Town of Friday Harbor
• Secretary Lynn Peterson, Washington State Department of Transportation
• Chair Bob Jarman, San Juan County Council

10:15 AM   Fire District #3 and the Sentinel escort Samish into the harbor

11:00 AM   Samish departs

Dear Editor,

Eight months ago the County Council passed a resolution making San Juan County a voluntary Leave No Trace Area to facilitate the protection and preservation of our natural environment for all people- current and future generations. San Juan County is the first and only county in the nation to adopt these principles. We are using the LNT guiding principles to establish a culture of stewardship for all people residing in and visiting the County.

Our Public Works Department has embraced these principles by managing beach access at county road ends. The Parks and Fair Department is implementing the principles through interaction with visitors to our parks and campgrounds.

We applaud the efforts of the Bureau of Land Management and the National Parks Service in carrying out these principles on their lands. The combined efforts of these organizations and others on land and marine environments will enhance everyone’s experience of the natural or urban environment in San Juan County.

Best regards,

County Council, San Juan County Washington
Bob Jarman, District No. 1
Jamie Stephens, District No. 3
Rick Hughes, District No. 2

“Dinner” – John Miller photo

John Miller shares this photo he captured of a swallow with dinner in his mouth. Here’s John with more…

Tim – Don’t often see what the swallow’s that cruise our pond eat. That said, this fellow has captured a dragonfly and is ready to bring it to the nest.

John

Here’s the June edition of Chamber Chat, by Lauren Cohen, Co-Owner of San Juan Canvas & Chamber Board President…

Here comes summer. By the looks of last weekend in town, the summer crowds are already arriving on our beautiful island. The summer months are always such a crazy and tiring time period for the business community but also our most lucrative. Here is just a quick thought from a pretty smart guy:

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Thank You San Juan Island Historical Museum
A big thank you goes out to Kevin Loftus along with the staff and Board of the San Juan Island Historical Museum for hosting our June social. It was a beautiful evening and well attended. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new Museum of History and Industry which, when completed will be an amazing, interactive walk through the four main industries that formed our island. They are farming, fishing, logging and limestone production.

The museum is housed in a fantastic barn and those involved are making incredible progress. The entire historical museum is a treasure to our island and this addition is sure to make you even more proud. Be sure to let visitors know about the museum as well as the Concerts on the Lawn and Pig War Picnic that both take place there. Continue Reading

Just a few more days to register… Get Certified for the Summer! Upon successful completion of First Aid and CPR you will walk away with life-saving skills and have a first aid certification from the American Heart Association and/or a CPR certification, which are valid for two years.

This is an ideal class for parents, babysitters, volunteer coaches and recreation leaders.

• First Aid is June 17, 1-5pm
• CPR is June 18, 1-4pm.

Both classes will be held at the Frank Wilson EMS building and are $27 each.   Hope to see you there. For more information or registration call 378-4953 or visit www.islandrec.org

Roadriggers is Back! – SJ Update photo

Roadriggers is back! They’ve been open down there at the Front Street location since Memorial Day weekend. But they’re up on top on what used to be the front parking area. They will be open 7 days a week from 11:00 am until late afternoon (closing time depends on how busy they are).

San Juan Community Theatre’s new Artistic Director Bobby Ryan is calling for proposals from islanders interested in directing a play at SJCT during 2016.

Ryan is scheduling the Theatre’s winter and fall plays and the popular Spring Musical and would like to hear from folks excited about directing a particular production.

Potential directors are asked to fill out a proposal form detailing a synopsis of the play, why they’ve chosen the play and their vision for the play, as well as technical requirements and directing experience. The forms are available at the SJCT Box Office (open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) and the Theatre’s website at www.sjctheatre.org

The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 17.

Windermere San Juan Island Community Service Day 2015, Mullis Center beautification project – Tamara Weaver photo

Here’s a note to the community from Tamara over at Windermere…

Hi, Tim!

Every year since 1984, Windermere associates have dedicated a day of work to complete neighborhood improvement projects as part of Windermere’s Community Service Day.

Creating vibrant communities is one of the things that inspire all of us at Windermere to be involved in Community Service Day as it gives us an opportunity to give back to the communities where we live and work.

After all, real estate is rooted in our communities. And an investment in our neighborhoods gives us all a better place to call home.

Tamara Weaver
Office Administrator
Windermere San Juan Islands

Click here to see more photos… Continue Reading

Family Art Days are Back! And now they’re in town, in the orchard beside the new IMA building. A longtime tradition, Family Art Days give kids and families a fun and free creative outdoor project each Saturday throughout the summer, starting July 4th.

Each Family Art Day is led by an island artist. Drop in anytime from 10 to 2 and learn a fun craft that you will take home with you to cherish forever. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s an island tradition you won’t want to miss. In the Art Orchard beside the new IMA building.

All ages welcome! No skill required! Younger kids must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 360 370 5050 or visit our website. Click here to see scheduled events:  Continue Reading