Team Mudsharks, Left to right: Morgan Johnston, Missy Martin, Noah, Steve Cutting, John Roberson, Tracy Roberson, Rob Penwell, Jeff Roberson, Kim Ryan, Kelby Anderson, Tracy Anderson, and Amanda Rennick – Contributed photo

The crack of the bat, the pop of a mitt, the Umpire calling “YOU’RE OUT!”

Summer Softball is just around the corner. Register your team now for the Island Rec adult co-ed softball league.

This slow pitch league plays games on Tuesdays from June through August. Register your team by May 7, $433.00. Mandatory Captains Meeting May 7 at 5:30pm at the Rec House, 650 Park Street. New teams always welcome. Ages 16 & up.

For more information or registration call 378-4953, visit www.islandrec.org, or email Morgan[@]islandrec[.]org. In the meantime there are still 2 weeks left of free pick-up games at the elementary school fields. Sunday April 26th and May 3rd from 5:30-7:30pm.

Sharp Tailed Snake – Contributed photo

This very rare snake was only recently discovered on Orcas Island, with a FIRST SIGHTING EVER last year on San Juan Island!

Now, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the SJC Land Bank, and SJI National Historical Park invite YOU to help us search for this docile and elusive little snake as landowners and citizen scientists.

On Wednesday, join Wildlife Biologist Ruth Milner and SJC Land Bank Steward Doug McCutchen for this free presentation about Sharp-tailed snakes and how you can help on the project.

On Thursday, we will demonstrate the survey technique in a field setting and discuss how you can help advance our knowledge of this rare species.

• Presentation – April 22, 7:00 pm at SJI Grange
• Field Trip – April 23, 1:00 pm at Young Hill
• Contact – Tanja at (360) 378-4402 for more info or to Register

Join Park Education Specialist Raena Parsons, San Juan County Land Bank Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Tanja Williamson, and Wolf Hollow Education Coordinator Shona Aitken for bird-filled fun!

Check out bird specimens from Seattle’s Burke Museum, make bird related crafts, and play bird games!

• Games
• Art Projects
• Bird Specimens
• Photo Booth
• Refreshments

Friday, April 24, 2015
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Driggs Park, 328 Caines Street (Corner of Caines and Argyle)

WSF improves technology to handle summer ferry reservations
San Juan Island reservations will be made available starting April 28

A team of information technology specialists determined the Washington State Ferries’ online vehicle reservations system stopped working last Tuesday, April 14, because it was unable handle the large volume of customers that attempted to make summer reservations.

To avoid large surges of reservations being made at once, WSF will release summer reservations to and from the San Juan Islands in smaller segments to help shorten wait times online and over the phone. IT specialists also are performing continuous testing and system upgrades that should significantly increase the ability to handle hundreds of vehicle reservation requests simultaneously.

Even though improvements are being made, it is possible customers may experience longer than usual wait times online as well as on our phone system. Continue Reading

Several islanders have written letters about Island Rec, and asking you to vote YES or NO for renewing the Island Rec levy in the upcoming April election. This post will be updated as new letters come in.

Click below to see what they have to say:

Asking for “Yes” votes:
Shannon Plummer
Victoria Compton
Carrie Lacher
Duncan Wilson
Brad Fincher
Ron Krebs
Gordy Waite
Rita Weisbrod
Tom & Chris Kearney

Asking for “No” votes:
Judah Finney

Dr. John Geyman, M.D. – Contributed photo

If you follow the news about the Affordable Care Act, and are anxious to hear what a well-known local doctor has to say about providing Americans with comprehensive health care, come and join us at Griffin Bay Bookstore on Saturday, April 25, 7:00 pm for a reading and discussion of Dr. John Geyman’s latest book:

How Obamacare is Unsustainable:
Why We Need a Single-Payer Solution for All Americans

John Geyman, M.D., was a physician at the Inter Island Medical Center from 1990-97 and was chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington from 1976-1990.

This is the first book to take an evidence-based assessment, after five years of experience, of the good and bad about the Affordable Care Act. It also offers economic, social and moral reasons that a single-payer system—Medicare for All—would provide universal access to comprehensive health care, paying less than we do now with more value and less bureaucracy.

Larry Churchill, Ph.D., professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center states: “John Geyman has provided us with the most lucid, best documented, and most compelling portrait of what’s wrong with the Affordable Care Act yet available. He also argues forcefully for the fix we need. This is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of U.S. healthcare, and the essential playbook for policy change.”

Jesus Chairez and Cory Ochoa – Contributed photo

Got any old cell phones laying around unused in a drawer somewhere? Jesus Chairez and Cory Ochoa are recycling old cell phones and other electronics for their FHHS Community Service Project as a way to help keep them out of land fills and also to help the Jane Goodall Institute save Chimpanzee habitat. Here’s the story in their own words…

We are collecting cell phones to recycle them. This is part of the Jane Goodall institute. By recycling these electronics, we will stop some mining for the materials needed to make them. [Most of the mining for these materials] is done in or around chimpanzee habitats. In the long run [we will be] saving chimpanzees lives!

You can find our collection box at The Barking Bird. The end date to collect cell phones is Friday the 24th of April. Our goal is 50 electronics – any of these devices including cellphones, laptops, Mp3 players, handheld gaming consoles, e-readers, portable hard drives and GPS handheld units. Together we can reach this goal! Here is a website you can click on for an overview of the program http://www.janegoodall.org/recycle-your-electronics-benefit-jgi

“Danny” is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Hi, I’m Danny the Poodle. This is me – on a really good hair day, showing off some of my awesome dance moves. That’s right, I’m an excellent dancer! I’m also pretty good at being a best friend and a snuggly bed-mate.

I’m here at the animal shelter in Friday Harbor, waiting for my special someone to come along. I hope it happens soon… this is my second animal shelter since my previous owner could no longer care for me and I’d really just love to go home now.

I’m about six years old and a terrific guy. I’ll be waiting for you….bring snacks!

Animal Shelter
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

Erin Graham is this month’s Volunteer Firefighter who directed the Easter Egg Hunt – Contributed photo

Sheila Harley is back with this month’s “Meet Your Volunteer Firefighter”…

Erin Graham is a native of San Juan Island who moved off island when she was a toddler. She moved back at the age of 37!

She was raised in Sequim, went to high school there then received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Peninsula College and General Science for Elementary School from Western Washington University.

Not long after being back, she was recruited to join San Juan Island Fire Rescue by a friend who was already a fire fighter. She had no idea that she even wanted to be a firefighter but is now very active in the department. She goes to most of the 9-1-1 calls for fires, enjoys taking classes offered by the fire dept, and has submitted her application for EMT training.

During the regular work week, you can find Erin at the school she founded in the Fall of 2013 called Daisy Chain School on West Valley Road. It is a school for all ages providing enrichment based on the science of education. Continue Reading

The Tooth Mobile is coming back to the Mullis Center, on Friday May 15th and Saturday, May 16th. Fish For Teeth is sponsoring this clinic to provide dental care for anyone who is financially unable to afford it. Applications can also be downloaded from our website at fishforteeth.com and dropped off at the Health Department or can be picked up at:

• SJ County Health Department
• The Family Resource Center
• The Mullis Center

Please note that the application deadline is Monday, May 4th. Also, please understand that the kind folks receiving your application have nothing to do with scheduling; scheduling will be made, according to severity and space, the week prior to the clinic.

Land Bank Director, Lincoln Bormann – Contributed photo

Join the Land Bank and Friends of Lime Kiln Society (FOLKS) to celebrate the Land Bank’s 25th anniversary and National Poetry Month with a nature-inspired poetry walk through the Lime Kiln Point State Park and surrounding areas.

Led by Land Bank Director Lincoln Bormann and poets Sally and Sam Green (WA State’s first poet laureate),  the trail will be laced with nature poems;  a memorable opportunity!

Saturday, April 25th from 1-4pm

• Meet and park:  Lime Kiln State Park main lot (Discovery Pass or daily pass required).
• Distance: 2 mi. Round trip
• Rating: Moderate with slightly difficult spots.
• Terrain:  mix of rustic trails (some steep sections).
• No dogs please.  Rain or shine.

For more info, send an email to: info[@]sanjuanislandtrails[.]org.

Here’s the official word from WSF Assistant Secretary Lynne Griffith on last Tuesday’s ferry reservation troubles…

On Tuesday, our ferry reservations system experienced technical difficulties. As of now, we are unable to accept reservations for summer travel on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/Sidney, B.C. routes until further notice. Our IT staff is trying to identify the problem, and we will provide an update on our progress on Monday, April 20.

I know this has directly affected many of you. Please accept my deepest apologies for long phone waits and for any other inconvenience this caused. In spite of the challenges we experienced, customers were able to make a total of 4,400 reservations successfully on Tuesday, 1,850 of which were for the summer season. My hat is off to our customer information staff who answered 3,000 phone calls and took many, many reservations. There is no question it was a tough day for customers and for our customer information team.

Stillpoint students show off the bags of trash they collected – Contributed photo

From Dori and Kate of the Stillpoint School…

We had a blast Friday in the sunshine cleaning the streets from our school to the Library and back as part of the Great Islands Clean-Up. Our students were thrilled to be helping the island sparkle for Spring, and they were all really excited by the number of islanders, drivers, and business owners who stopped to greet us and say thank you.

And our students were very impressed to notice that there was less litter this year than last, so islanders are working together to keep our island cleaner! That was awesome to see. Our students are also excited to participate with their families in the official clean-up effort on Saturday. It’s one of our favorite school traditions.

The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor is pulling out all the stops on this year’s WAGS event by hosting ‘A Night in Monte Carlo’ with casino gaming by Casino Event – Seattle, silent and live auctions, great food and spirits, wine pull, raffles and live music by Brickhouse, a premier Seattle show band.

And to top it off, we are very excited to announce that our special guests will be actor and SAG President Ken Howard and actress Jane Lynch! Both Ken and Jane have been very active in pet rescue, and have graciously accepted our invitation to join us at our event.

If you missed this event in 2012, here’s your chance to enjoy a night of gaming, glamour and giving! All net proceeds will benefit the ‘New Home – New Hope’ capital campaign to build a new animal shelter for San Juan Island.

So dust off the bling and shine up your dancin’ shoes, it’s gonna be a night to remember! Tickets go on sale May 1st and seating is limited! Contact Leslie Byron, APS-FH Executive Director at 360-378-2159 for more details and ticket purchases.

Saturday, June 27th at the Fairgrounds Main Building
The fun starts at 5:00 pm

The DVSAS Guest Article for this week is written by Sheriff Ron Krebs…

April is Sexual Assault awareness month. It is a month that for most people passes without a thought about sexual assault. But for some, it is a grim reminder of a day or days that they would rather not remember. Each year there are an estimated 293,000 victims of sexual assault, one every 107 seconds. Only 68% of all sexual assaults are reported to the police. Studies show that 2/3 of all assaults are committed by someone who knew the victim.

The effects of a sexual assault are dramatic and life changing for everyone. Personal relationships fall apart, self-esteem is destroyed, depression and often suicide attempts result. But the good news is this can all be avoided by educating our children and educating ourselves.

DVSAS (Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services) provide advocates for the victims of San Juan County. They are a non-profit organization which is funded strictly by grants and donations and volunteers.

Recently a Men’s Action Group was formed which is looking for male role models to stand up against domestic violence and sexual assault. If you are interested, contact the DVSAS offices. You can get the information from their website www.dvsassanjuans.org. It is time we all stand up and put a stop to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assaults.

Explore a Backyard Garry Oak Woodland & Learn How to Create Your Own – Shaun Hubbard photo

Garry oaks are our region’s only native oak, and their environment is fading fast. Less than 3% of their original habitat remains today, but it’s not too late to save this living history which is valuable habitat for people and wildlife. Friends of the San Juans is hosting a walk among the wildflowers and oak trees with landowner Shaun Hubbard and retired forester Thom Pence on Sunday, April 26 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm on Cady Mountain.

During this walk, participants will learn about the successes and challenges of Garry oak stewardship. Hubbard and Pence will share their experiences and enthusiasm for preserving healthy oak populations in the Islands.

“When oaks are thriving, an entire world of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, including humans, flourish,” says Hubbard.

Participants will also get information about how to care for Garry oaks on their own property.

Space is limited so please RSVP by April 24 to Katie Fleming at 360-378-2319 or katie[@]sanjuans[.]org.

Visit Friends of the San Juans to see a list of other upcoming events.