Ed Sawyer – APSFH Volunteer of the Month – Contributed photo

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor has named Ed Sawyer, “Volunteer of the Month” for May.

Ed is a favorite among dogs at the animal shelter because he shows up every day, rain or shine, to walk them – and always with treats in his pockets!

The board of directors and staff of the animal shelter extend a heart-felt thanks to Ed for his loyalty, dependability and hard work.

If you’d like to join the team of volunteers at the animal shelter call Jan at 378-2158.

Click to enlarge poster

Return of the River, the capstone film of the Friday Harbor Film Festival’s 2015 Winter Film Series, is on tap to be screened at the San Juan Island Grange on Tuesday, May 19th at 7:00 p.m.

The Friday Harbor Film Festival’s 2014 Audience Choice Award Winner for Favorite Film, Return of the River tells the story of the Elwha River Dam removal – the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States!

The visually striking film screening is co-sponsored by FRIENDS of the San Juans and chronicles the extraordinary community effort to change public opinion and restore the local ecosystem by setting the Elwha River free. Continue Reading

Island Rec has cancelled their hanging basket class previously scheduled for May 16th at 10:00 am. The San Juan Island Garden Club, to make use of the supplies purchased for the class, will have an alternative class.

• Date:   May 16, 2015
• Place: 1785 Douglas Road #42 – The Oaks
• Time:   10:00 AM
• Instructor: Theresa Hill, Master Gardener
• Cost: $35.00 cash or check at the door

Class participants will assemble a 12” hanging basket of seasonal flowers. All supplies needed to complete the project will be supplied. You are encouraged to bring a trowel and/or gardening gloves.

The class is limited to 16 members. Reservations are encouraged by calling:

• Theresa Hill   378-2447
• Vonnie Harold   378-6250

L to R: SJISD Superintendent Rick Thompson, IMA Board President Charlie Bodenstab, FHMS/HS Principal Fred Woods – Contributed photo

San Juan Island School District is grateful for San Juan Islands Museum of Art annual support for the middle school art program

According to SJISD Superintendent Rick Thompson, “The San Juan Island School District is very grateful and would like to formally thank the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA) for their annual and highly significant donation in support of public school art.”

The San Juan Islands Museum of Art is committed to helping to support a first class K-12 art curriculum in the face of school budget limitations. For the last five years IMA has administered the elementary school Art Enrichment Program that provides a variety of artistic learning opportunities for the youngest students in the district. This program is made possible through local partnerships that include the San Juan Island School District, the Washington State Arts Commission, San Juan Island Community Foundation, San Juan Public Schools Foundation, local PTA organizations and private donors.

This year, in addition to support for art in the elementary school, IMA has donated $13,300.00 toward the cost of a middle school art instructor for the school year 2015-16. This is an annual donation and is intended to help bridge the gap between elementary school AEP program and the award winning high school art program at Friday Harbor High School.

The IMA Board of Directors looks forward to a time when art is fully funded by the state as essential curriculum for the well-rounded student. Full funding of education will strengthen life-long opportunities for public school students by providing a basic education that includes the arts, STEM, health, and humanities.

Misty-Mae is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Believe me, girls – I’m just as shocked as you are that I’m still here at the animal shelter. It’s been months! Cray-cray, right?   I’m by far the prettiest girl here, and I absolutely adore greeting people in the lobby!

If I have to watch another, less-attractive cat get adopted I think I’ll just scream. LOL.

I sure wish my new BFF would walk through that door and notice my gorgeous green eyes. Girls, you know the rest of that story would be history! Call me! Let’s do lunch!

Animal Shelter
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

Dear Editor,

On behalf of Island Rec, San Juan Island School District, the Friday Harbor Athletic Association, and the other groups, organizations, and individuals who have worked so hard to fund and develop the new community park on Carter Avenue, we want to thank our island voters for a fantastic turnout and a strong positive result in support of the recent Island Rec levy.

The overwhelmingly favorable vote will allow for six more years of a wide variety of recreational programming and the use of multiple parks for our active community members, solidify another six year partnership between Island Rec and the School District to support high school sports, and provide for the operation and maintenance of the new community park, beginning in January of 2016,

Above all, this levy means more than funding. This levy means we can continue working for a healthy, vibrant, and active community for all.   Whether you are looking for social activity or want to push your performance level; no matter which age or stage of life describes you; no matter what your income level; all of our San Juan citizens are included in the mission of Island Rec.

As the Island Rec Board of Commissioners, we are grateful for voter support, and are strengthened in our resolve to continue to be good stewards of your tax dollars.

Most respectfully,

The San Juan Island Parks and Recreation District Board of Commissioners:

Bill Cumming, Board Chair
Scott Zehner
Tracy Roberson
Adam Eltinge
Jacquelyn Reiff

Here’s a letter from Amy Herdy…

Dear San Juan Update, Could you help me get the word out about the following…

Sheriff Ron Krebs has given the official green light for a San Juan County volunteer sheriff’s mounted posse. The purpose of the posse (say that fast ten times!) is to help with community outreach and also assist the sheriff whenever he needs extra hands, such as searching for a missing person.

There will be a formation meeting on Wednesday at Ace Hardware meeting room to discuss the possibilities and gauge community interest.

This is all done as volunteers – each posse member donates their time and the use of their horse. The posse would also take part in local parades and other events throughout San Juan County to have a public presence.

Posse members would be expected to participate in ongoing training for themselves and their horses, and the folks at the San Juan County fairgrounds have offered the arena for practice.

There are posses all over the country, so you can Google to see how other groups function. This could be a good thing for horse owners here to do – and also have fun.

Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30 pm. Ace Hardware. Folks are to check in at the register to be directed to the meeting space.
If you’re interested contact Amy or Matt at 360-317-1186.

And just a little bit about Amy:

My husband and I are newbies to the island, horse people. I read a local story about how the sheriff’s office here had surveyed the community and was unhappy with the response, that folks felt disconnected from the S.O. I was in a posse for a few months in CO before we moved and I know how terrific they can be. So I called the sheriff and said, What if you had a volunteer mounted posse to help with community outreach? And he said he thought it was a great idea.

Lynn Danaher of the Friday Harbor Film Festival sends this update from half way across the Pacific Ocean…

Raivavae Research Program May 2015

Lynn Danaher on Raivavae – Contributed photo

One of the ways funds are generated to assist with the Friday Harbor Film Festival is by leading expeditions for an adventurous few to remote Polynesia. I took a small group to the Marquesas in 2012, that provided the essential seed money to launch the first Friday Harbor Film Festival in 2013. I am taking 2 small groups during May 2015 to a very remote island in Polynesia; Raivavae, Austral Islands.

The first time I arrived in 2006 to work with Edmundo Edwards and his daughter Alexandra, I did not believe that there was still a place in all of Polynesia that was as natural, unspoiled and stunningly beautiful as Raivavae.  It is an island of remarkable simplicity with a population of almost 1,000.

Raivavae is one of 5 of the Austral Islands, lush, unspoiled and stunningly picturesque. It is located just south of the Tropic of Capricorn at 23*52’ S latitude and 147*40’ W longitude. The weather is ideal.  It is a high island of eroded volcanic basalt, 5-7 million years old, surrounded by a fringing reef; the farthest south in French Polynesia, its numerous uninhabited Motus (small islands) create a beautiful shallow lagoon with varied hues of iridescent blues. It’s highest point; Mt. Hiro tops out at 1,423 feet.

Raivavae is an island with a very slow pace, where the people maintain a subsistence lifestyle; farming taro and fishing the outer reef in handmade outrigger canoes much like they have for generations. There are no restaurants, bars or tee-shirt shops, only a very few small pensions and small stores. Continue Reading

Fawn in the tall grass – Contributed photo

Here’s a note from Shona over at Wolf Hollow about all the little fawns out and about these days…

Hello
I was wondering if you could post this article about fawns. We are receiving calls from people who are worried because they have seen fawns “all on their own”, and we would like to remind people that this is natural behavior for very young fawns.

Thank You
Shona Aitken – Education Coordinator
Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

“There’s a tiny fawn lying curled up in my yard and I can’t see its Mom anywhere”.

Most of the Black-tailed Deer fawns in our area are born in May, and for the first couple of weeks, they are not strong enough to follow Mom for any distance. Their legs are too weak and wobbly to push through brush, jump over fallen logs or run away from danger, so their mother leaves them in a sheltered spot while she goes off to feed. The fawn’s job is to lie quiet and still and wait for her to return, protected by the camouflage of its spotted coat and the fact that it has almost no scent to attract predators.

After a few hours (up to 6 or 8 hours is not unusual) the doe returns to nurse her fawn, then may move it to another spot nearby before going off to feed again. By the time the fawn is about 3 weeks old it has grown much stronger and is able to spend more time following its mother.

Each year we raise injured fawns, or orphans whose mothers have been killed by cars or dogs, but, sadly, we also receive fawns that have been “kidnapped” by well-meaning people. We have suitable formula and enclosures to raise fawns, but it is far better for them to be raised by their mothers, so, if you come across a little, spotted fawn lying curled up in the grass, please don’t touch it. Leave it there so Mom can find it when she returns. If it is in a dangerous place, or seems injured, call Wolf Hollow at 360 378 5000 and we will be happy to discuss details with you.

The Ferry Advisory Committee and San Juan County Council invite the public to a Reservations “Town Hall” meeting on Lopez Island, Tuesday May 19 from 4pm to 6pm at the Lopez Community Center.

WSF representatives will be on hand, along with FAC and County Council members, to present an update on reservations, answer questions, and listen to your experiences both good and bad. WSF and FAC are very interested to learn more about how the system is working for you, our local businesses, and our community.

Reservations, like most transportation options, are a compromise that attempt to balance the needs of a diverse group of ferry riders. For information on the years of development please see the WSF planning pages, here: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Planning/VehicleReservations.htm.

And click here for more info on using the reservations system: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/TakeaFerry.

Click to enlarge poster

Jimmy Moe is back  for more “Moonlight Sinatra” crooning – ‘Old Blue Eyes’ this Saturday afternoon from at San Juan Vineyards out on Roche Harbor Road, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, and then again on Sunday at the Rumor Mill, 175 First Street, starting at 6:30 pm.

Maybe it’s his bright blue eyes, or maybe it’s the timbre of his voice, but Jimmy Moe is best known for the his near-flawless renditions of Frank Sinatra.

Be sure to check out his new website!

The Town of Friday Harbor is accepting proposals to design a new Town logo and to create an informational video.

According to Administrator Duncan Wilson, the Town is seeking an updated logo design that better reflects the creative and vital personality of the community. Over the past several months a committee has been working to identify Friday Harbor’s current image or “story” and will be using this to guide the Town’s marketing efforts. “Our expectation is that the new logo will be a fresh and professional expression of the story of who we are as a community,” said Wilson. Proposals will be accepted until Monday, May 18, 2015. The Town expects to award the project by the end of May, and is targeting early August for completion of the project.

The Town is also seeking a videographer to create an informational video that encapsulates the story of the Town’s utility system which includes water, sewer, storm water, refuse and street maintenance. “The video is expected to be entertaining as well as educational,” explained Wilson. “Therefore, we are looking for a videographer interested in bringing both creativity and professionalism to the project.” Proposals will be accepted until Friday, May 29, 2015. The Town expects to award the project by June 15th and anticipates project completion by mid-September.

Interested parties should review the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the logo project and the video project at the Town web site: www.fridayharbor.org under “What’s New”.

Contact:
Duncan Wilson, Town Administrator
(360) 378-2810, ext 226
duncanw[@]fridayharbor[.]org

Bill Williams – Contributed photo

I am announcing my candidacy for the San Juan County Public Hospital District Board election this November.

I have been an island resident for fifteen years. Prior to coming to SJI, I spent thirty years managing hospitals, medical and dental clinics, and medical insurance companies, in civilian and military settings. I earned my BS degree at the University of Oregon and my Master of Health Administration from Baylor University. I will soon be posting a website containing a more detailed resume, information pertaining to local health care issues, and an email address for correspondence.

I am seeking a position on the Hospital District Board to help ensure health care on San Juan Island is available, accessible, high quality, and reasonably priced. I would like to see an ongoing process of evaluation and improvement of our health care in each of these areas. I want our health care needs assessments to consider the needs of all islanders, even if we don’t currently see a way to meet some of those needs.

Our Board should maintain open, respectful communication and collaboration with a large spectrum of stakeholders to include other hospitals and hospital districts, boards of health, and organizations like hospice and Planned Parenthood, to broaden our knowledge and our vision. I want more islanders to feel that the hospital district board truly represents them and through the board, they have a voice in the kind of healthcare they receive. Continue Reading

Bald Eagle – Jim Maya photo

Here are a couple of beautiful photos of a Bald Eagle that Jim Maya of Maya’s Westside Charters photographed the other day. What a beautiful bird – thanks for sharing Jim!

Bald Eagle – Jim Maya photo

Sunshine Laundries is now open – SJ Update photo

There’s a new laundromat in Town. Actually it’s a rebirth of the old laundromat. Sunshine Laundries has moved into the place right by Brickworks where the old laundromat was. The space has been cleaned up and has all Brand-New equipment – it looks very nice inside. They are not offering dry cleaning as they had before, but rather self-serve, coin operated laundry machines. (quarters, not tokens).

The place is staffed all day, and open 7 days a week, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (til 7:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays). They offer fluff and fold service, they can make change at the counter (so you won’t need to bring a bag of quarters), and the price of a wash is down from the previous $4.00 to $2.75.

They just opened about 10 days ago and are ready to serve you with 17 washers and 18 dryers.

Brand-new machines are ready for your dirty laundry – SJ Update photo

FHHS Sailing – Contributed photo

Here’s a note from Nigel Oswald inviting you to the Sailing Team fundraiser…

I was wondering if you could put a notice on the Update for the High School Sailing team fundraiser next week? I have attached the flyer but the details are as follows:

• Date: Thursday May 14th, 5.30 PM
• Location: San Juan Island Yacht Club
• Ticket Price: $25 (Students $16)
• First Course: Fresh garden salad with an assortment of breads
• Second Course: Grilled Italian sausage served over a bed of warm and creamy polenta, with a side of grilled vegetables
• Third Course: Dessert Auction!
  Red and White Wine
  Glass of Prosecco upon arrival!

Contact for tickets: Nigel Oswald – (415) 370-5755 or ioi[.]nige[@]gmail[.]com

Some tickets will be available at the door but we have sold out the last few years so please get your tickets ahead of time.

We’ll have a Foiling Moth worlds sailing video, Silent and Dessert auctions and chance to interact with this years team and coaches.

Its a pretty big fundraising year for the team and the sailing foundation as we have to manage a fleet change mandated by the North West Inter Scholastic Sailing Association so please come and support the team!

The facebook page is located here.
Click here for the event flyer.