This story was submitted by Margie Doyle on behalf of the League of Women Voters…

Pictured are Ed Kelm, pilot, Kim Abel LWVWA President, Pat Dickason, Vice-President and Lobby Team Chair, and Raelene Gold, League Natural Resources Lobbyist – Click for larger version – Contributed photo

The League of Women Voters took to the air a few days ago.
Four members of the State League Board, traveled to Friday Harbor in order to hear the local League program, “Island Crossroads: Vessel Traffic, Oil Spills and you”. The talk, given by Lovel Pratt and Shaun Hubbard of San Juan Island, was designed to inform people about the increased risk of oil spills brought about by additional maritime traffic through our waters. The vessels would be transporting oil and coal from the proposed new or expanded terminals in Bellingham and in Canada.

In order to show the Board members how vulnerable we are here in the Salish Sea, local Board member Clare Kelm offered her husband and their plane to show the guests the narrow passages through which these super tankers will travel. The day was perfect and the impact of a potential oil spill was made clear.

Ceremony Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 2 PM at Friday Harbor Airport Terminal

John Geyman, MD becomes the seventh recipient of the annual award honoring contributions to aviation on San Juan Island. John served as Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at University of Washington until 1990, then moved to San Juan Island where he practiced medicine until 1997. John was instrumental in establishing The Eagles – a group of pilots on San Juan Island who fly cancer patients to and from the mainland for treatment. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the San Juan Pilots’ Association, helped establish the San Juan Aviation Museum in the terminal at Friday Harbor Airport, and is an active member of the United Flying Octogenarians (UFOs).

The San Juan Aviation Museum is a joint project of the San Juan Pilots Association and the Port of Friday Harbor. Previous honorees have been:

• Roy Franklin (2008)
• Marty Stewart (2009)
• Bob Nichols (2010)
• Dr. Malcolm Heath (2011)
• Frank Brame (2012)
• Marilyn and Les LaBar (2013)

The induction ceremony is scheduled for 2 PM this Sunday, April 27th at the Roy Franklin Terminal, Friday Harbor Airport. The Port of Friday Harbor and San Juan Pilot’s Association cordially invites the public to attend and enjoy early Island aviation stories and light refreshments.

Do you have a friend or neighbor who takes exceptional care of their land? A teacher who inspires students to understand and care for the environment? A business that has been a leader in sustainable business practices? Here is an opportunity to recognize exemplary members of our community who have shown their commitment to preserving and protecting the San Juan Islands.

Each year the Stewardship Network of the San Juans presents Good Steward Awards to islanders, and we need your nominations. If you know someone who deserves this award, please submit your nomination by May 23, 2014. Nominations will be accepted in the following eight categories:

• Shoreline Stewardship
• Farmland Stewardship
• Woodland Stewardship
• Village Stewardship
• Business Stewardship
• Individual Stewardship
• Youth Stewardship
• Educator Stewardship.

To see previous years’ winners, nomination forms and award guidelines, go to stewardshipsanjuans.org. Results will be announced in the media the week of June 9. Award recipients will be presented with “Finnies”—fish handcrafted by Crow Valley Pottery— on Saturday, June 21 as part of the Solstice Celebration on Orcas Island.

To submit nominations, fill out the form on stewardshipsanjuans.org. You can also mail your nomination to Julia Vouri, Stewardship Network Coordinator, C/O San Juan Islands Conservation District, 530 Guard St., Friday Harbor 98250. Questions? Contact Julia at
stewardship network [@] gmail [.] com

This weekend, it’s the Spring Swing Community Dance at the Mullis Center on Sunday. Here’s Debbi of the Prevention Coalition with more…

Hi Tim,

Hope all is well. I wanted to see if you’d be willing to share last year’s slideshow you made, as a way to promote this year’s dance? As you may know, it’s a FREE Community Spring Swing at the Mullis Center this Sunday. We have FREE dance lessons at 2:15pm – 2:45pm compliments of Bill and Rita Ament! And, the One More Time Band will provide LIVE music from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm!

We ask people to bring a simple snack to share, no utensils are provided, so finger foods would be perfect:) We’ll have some sherbet punch while it lasts, compliments of Marketplace. This family-friendly event is organized by Rock Solid Youth and the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition, but of course, we couldn’t do it without everyone donating their time and talents!

Thank you,
Debbi

Skagit Valley College Foundation will fund more than $440,567 in scholarships

The Skagit Valley College (SVC) Foundation Board of Governors recently approved more than $440,567 in endowed scholarship funds to be awarded to SVC students during the 2014-15 academic year. This endowed scholarship allocation is the largest scholarship distribution SVC Foundation has ever provided in its 35-year history.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, we are pleased to continue our tradition of supporting access to higher education at Skagit Valley College,” said SVC Foundation Board of Governors President Jeff Pleet. “The increased support by individuals, businesses, foundations and other organizations, combined with investment earnings from endowments, enables SVC Foundation to extend life-changing opportunities to students throughout Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties.”

Endowments are established by donors to honor family members or to serve specific program interests for many years into the future. Endowment scholarships are paid from earnings, while the principal continues to grow in diversified investments.

Since 1978, SVC Foundation has been making student dreams a reality and supporting exceptional educational programs, thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors. Through community, opportunity, education, and stewardship, SVC Foundation works to identify, promote, receive, and manage gifts to SVC from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations. All gifts to SVC Foundation are managed in accordance with donor wishes.

For information about SVC Foundation, visit www.skagit.edu/foundation or call (360) 416-7870.

This just came in… Kinda late notice but if you have some time tonight, you might want to check it out. Madden Shanks, a FHHS student, is organizing this event tonight as her community project…

Heifer International Livestock Fundraiser
“From our community to theirs, we can send livestock to families in need of a steady income and nutrition, give youth better education, and give clean water to communities.
Share an evening of appetizers and wine, donated by Roche Harbor, with an auction.” Madden Shanks, organizer

Madden’s Fundraising Event $20.00 per person
Wednesday, April 23rd at 6pm
Roche Harbor’s Pavilion
Wine and Appetizers provided by Roche Harbor Resort

Event sponsored by San Juan County Youth Livestock and 4H

For more info, check out the Event Poster (PDF)

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius) – Contributed photo

Prepare for the BioBlitz at San Juan Island National Historical Park and enjoy birding with a local flavor by consulting Spring Street International School’s field guide to birds, assembled by Sharon Massey’s Seventh Grade middle school science class.

The guide can be downloaded for offline access on smartphone devices, or on home computers through the free iNaturalist app that the park will use during BioBlitz, scheduled May 3-4 at American Camp.

Begun in January, the Spring Street bird guide features student drawings and descriptions, coupled with photographs of 78 birds that have been sighted in the San Juan Islands.

“We started by looking at field guides, deciding what we liked, and coming up with a list of criteria for a field guide of our own,” Massey said. “We chose to do a bird guide simply because one of our students was good at drawing birds and the project took off from there.”

At first only a few of the students drew, while others researched and/or wrote descriptions, Massey said. But eventually all 11 students involved in the project began to draw, and each student’s knowledge and skill evolved with every bird depicted. After only a few weeks the students had compiled more than 20 drawings, eventually topping out at 78, she said.

On science class days, the students focused on birding utilizing, in part, pre-established bird boxes. The students spotted, sketched, recorded the species of bird based upon the nests they found, and eventually cleaned the vacated boxes, Massey said.

“We were inspired by the work of Roger Tory Peterson and David Sibley, and while we are fully responsible for the inaccuracies in our bird illustrations, we learned a lot about our local birds through this project and decided to call our book a Book of Birds, rather than a field guide, “ Massey wrote on the web site. “While you might not be able to ID every bird in our book from our illustrations, we hope the book helps you fall in love with birds the way we did!”

“That is just fantastic–I love this!” said Lee Taylor, park superintendent “The students did an amazing job accurately representing the birds and infusing them with artistic expression; thanks to all who contributed.”

Editor’s note – this story was contributed by the NPS via their Shortwave Newsletter.

Click for larger image – Contributed photo

Registration Open for Summer Theatre Workshops

San Juan Community Theatre is offering three weeks of workshops for youth this summer, including one week with teachers from Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Those two instructors, Chris Dewar and Laura Knote, will visit Friday Harbor from July 7 to 11 to lead classes for students in grades 1-8. Classes range from “Fairy Tale Fantasy” and “Space Squad” for younger students to “Physical Comedy” and “Scene Study” for older ages. This is the second year the regional theatre has partnered with SJCT to provide what they call creative drama classes that are “drama true”– the truth created when disbelief is suspended and we enter an imaginary world.

Following SCT’s visit, SJCT Production Assistant and veteran director Penelope Haskew and actress Amanda Smith will offer classes July 14-18: from Haskew’s “Adventures in Theater I and II” and a by-audition-only-course, “You’re the Star!”; to Smith’s “From Page to Performance” aimed at older teens. Then during the week of July 21-25, Haskew will teach “A Week in the Life” workshop for grades 5-8 (with a special invitation for students from Lopez Island), which looks at many facets of theater including acting, directing, designing and stage craft.

Registration details for all of the workshops are available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org. Each class is $125 per week per student, with a $15 early bird discount for those registered by June 15; scholarships are available for students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. For more information, contact Mary Blevins at 378-3211,
ext. 29.

Here’s a different take on the SJIFR Easter egg hunt this year, submitted by Sheila Harley…

San Juan Island Fire Rescue Easter Egg Hunt 2014 at Jackson’s Beach

Started here

Next to here

Then to here

And ended up here – Contributed photos

And a good time was had by all!

Sheila Harley
San Juan Island Fire Rescue
Public Information Officer

Again this year – home grown vegetable starts from your local Master Gardeners – tomatoes, peppers, squashes, cucumbers, brassicas, herbs.

Come fill your garden from this large selection of varieties that will thrive in our climate. Also perennials dug from master gardenersʼ flower beds, all potted up for you to stick into the ground at your home.

This annual event has become a popular tradition here on San Juan Island, so get there early to grab your favorites before we start selling out! An added attraction will be the Friday Harbor Animal Shelter Bake Sale, so you can snack and shop at the same time, then take some delicious treats home with you.

• Where: Mullis Senior Center, Friday Harbor
• When: Saturday May 10, the day before Mothers Day
• What time: 9:00 am – noon
• Contact: Alice Deane
  tedalicedeane [@] rockisland [.] com
  or 378-5250

Current Measles Surveillance
No additional cases have been reported or are under investigation in San Juan County since April 18, 2014. Over the past month there have been a total of six (6) cases of measles among San Juan Island residents. All known cases are now beyond the contagious period. However, current information indicates that exposures to contagious individuals in Friday Harbor took place as late as April 8th at numerous locations. This means local residents could still develop symptoms from this outbreak as late as April 29, 2014.

While all the known cases have passed the infectious period, additional cases may be present in the community. It is difficult to know for sure if an individual is infected, as one is contagious for a full day before experiencing symptoms. According to CDC guidelines an outbreak cannot be considered over until two incubation periods beyond the last known exposure. In this case May 20, 2014.

In addition to the cases that have occurred in San Juan County, six individuals in Whatcom and one in Kitsap County have recently been diagnosed with measles. Several of these individuals are known to have traveled throughout the region while infectious. For this reason San Juan County residents should consider measles as a possibility if they become ill. Continue Reading

Westside Trail – Click for larger image – SJ Update photo

Saturday, April 26, 1-4pm.

Meet SJC Land Bank Commissioner Amanda Azous to walk the new Djarf trail connection on the Land Bank Westside Preserve.  We will look for wildflowers and observe prairie restoration activities supported by the new plant nursery located at the Land Bank office in town.

Learn about the summer 2013 work of the Youth Conservation Corps and hear history of this area.  Length is 2 miles;  Terrain is rustic trail; Rating is moderate.  Dogs on leashes are welcome.

Meet and park in the upper parking lot of Lime Kiln Point State Park on Westside Road.  Please note: Discovery Pass is required.  More info is available at www.sanjuanislandtrails.org.

Watercolor: “Giant Bumble Bee” by Clarissa Felix, Friday Harbor Elementary School

San Juan Islanders and visitors from throughout the region can cast their ballots on artwork submitted to the annual Community Arts in the Park competition, now on display in the American Camp visitor center.

Twenty-two entries were received, including 17 from sixth graders in Leisha Holmes’ art class at Friday Harbor Elementary School. Park staff removed photos and visitor information from several walls in the center to accommodate the works. This year’s theme was Wildflowers and Pollinators of the San Juan Islands, so there are plenty of bees and flowers.

“We’re really excited by this year’s entries,” said Raena Parsons, park education specialist. “The colors are especially fetching, particularly among the students. Come on out and cast your ballot!”

Art lovers can either vote on site in the center — open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday, or view the works and vote online at this link.

The contest awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m., Saturday May 3 on the American Camp parade ground.

Community Arts in the Park celebrates ecology through art. The competition goal is to raise awareness and inspire community connections to local ecology and outdoor stewardship, according to Parsons. It is also a key component of San Juan Island National Historical Park’s first-ever BioBlitz, scheduled May 3-4, 2014 at American Camp.

For more information, contact Raena Parsons at 360-378-2240 ext 2222 or
Raena_Parsons [@] bps [.] gov, or the American Camp Visitor Center at 360-378-2240, ext. 2233.

Watercolor: Pollinator and Plant by Nick Copely, Friday Harbor Elementary.

Opalco Election Open; Annual Meeting On Saturday, May 3rd

Our member-owned electric cooperative is holding its annual meeting and election for the Board of Directors. This is every members’ opportunity to influence who sets our co-op policies and rates. Every OPALCO member has the right to vote in each election – regardless of their home district. In this election, there are six candidates running for two open positions in District 1 (San Juan, Pearl, Henry, Brown and Spieden islands) and, in addition, two member-initiated bylaw amendments. Ballots arrived by mail this week; members can vote online, by mail or at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 3rd. Six members who vote by absentee ballot will be rewarded with $50 bill credits.

Candidates for the Board are nominated by committee or by petition. The 2014 candidates nominated by committee are: Vince Dauciunas (incumbent), Glenna Hall (incumbent), Bryan Hoyer, Doug Rowan and John Sheehan. The 2014 candidate nominated by petition is Steve Hudson. Note: Don Galt, Sr. was also nominated by petition, but withdrew from the election. Candidate bios were sent by mail to each co-op member with their ballot booklet and are available online at www.opalco.com.

Members and their families who attend the 77th Annual Meeting on the ferry will be treated to a healthy and delicious lunch, catered by The Galley of Lopez Island. Every member will receive an energy savings backpack with LED bulbs included – and has a chance to win one of more than fifty fabulous door prizes, such as power and garden tools, gift certificates, kitchen tools and appliances, camping and sporting equipment, OPALCO bill credits, art, and merchandise from local businesses. Every member who attends will receive a $5 credit on their next bill (one credit per membership).

The annual meeting begins at 9:45 a.m. on the ferry. Members should arrive earlier than their boarding time to park and register for the meeting. Boarding times for each island are as follows: Continue Reading

Local Author Susan Wingate to Teach Workshop on Self-Publishing

The San Juan County Arts Council presents “Jump on Board the Starship ‘Publishing’,” a workshop taught by award-winning, Amazon best-selling author, Susan Wingate. The one day workshop will be held May 17 from 9:00 am – 3:45 pm in the Community Room at Skagit Valley College, Weber Way, San Juan Island. The cost of the workshop is $55.

Learn how to get published and stay published, learn the steps to get published by traditional presses, indie and small presses, and learn how to publish your own stories from cover art to eBbook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble platforms.

To register go to www.sjcartscouncil.org or email:
pigmansartworks [@] rock island [.] com or call 378-0951.

Writing Our History Workgroup April 28
Join local authors, researchers and staff from HistoryLink.org to help create local content for the online encyclopedia of Washington State history.

A workgroup to facilitate more content on the History Link website has formed. Local writers, historians, and interested parties are invited to attend on Monday, April 28th from 11:30 – 1:30pm at the San Juan Island Library; rides available for those coming from other islands.

Please RSVP to Sandy Strehlou, 360-378-2810.