“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Jedi on the Christmas Tree – photo Peggy Sue McRae

Here come the holidays! It’s a time to connect with the people that we love. It’s whirl of sparkling activities and time-honored traditions that can bring with it the stress of keeping up with our social calendars.

Plus Covid. This plague is not finished with us yet. In spite of readily available vaccines, cases are spiking across the country and right here in San Juan County. This ongoing threat adds a significant layer of stress to holiday gatherings and travel.

The holidays are often a mixed bag. Holidays can trigger grief when someone is missing from the family circle. Taking time for self-care can help us fend off exhaustion and mitigate the pressure of expectations – both our own, and other peoples expectations of us. Here are a few suggestions to bring some calm into this special time of year. Continue Reading

Friday Harbor, WA – San Juan Island National Historical Park is proud to announce a contest to design a new logo for our park! The winning designer will receive an award of $500 and a feature story about their work and artistic process on National Park Service websites and social media.

This contest is part of our year-long series of events commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the resolution of the international boundary in the San Juan Islands. We are seeking a logo that will convey our park’s history and a sense of place that would be familiar to San Juan Island residents and visitors. The winning logo will be the property of the National Park Service and will be used on park promotional materials and in gift shop merchandise for years to come.

Logo designs are due on January 25, 2022, and should be submitted in .JPG format to [email protected] with the subject line “Logo Contest” along with an explanation of your logo’s meaning and artist biography. The winner will be announced on February 15, 2022! If you have further questions, send e-mail to [email protected] or call Cyrus Forman at 360-298-4698.   GOOD LUCK!

In response to the critical lack of maritime and ferry transportation workers, and the continued need for high-wage careers for islanders, the EDC has launched a Mariner Training Initiative.

Workers seeking a new career are invited to the EDC’s new program on mariner workforce development. First, on Jan. 29^th, 2022, the EDC will offer a one-day workshop – Getting Started in Maritime Careers – at Seafarers Worldwide in Anacortes.  The workshop will cover career options and pathways while providing hands-on experience with skills expected of mariners, such as ropes, life rafts, and firefighting.

Participants who successfully complete the workshop may then apply for coaching and financial support to defray costs of obtaining their Ordinary Seaman Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC).   The EDC will pay for successful applicants’ TWIC card and MMC applications, and for the Coast Guard physical and drug test, and assist applicants through the process. Continue Reading

Doe Bay Creek culvert photo by Byron Rot

From drought conditions this summer to record rainfall and flooding last month, water management is certainly a critical issue. San Juan County’s Clean Water Utility, managed by the Department of Environmental Stewardship, serves citizens by addressing storm and surface water infrastructure improvements such as stream culverts and water quality treatment.

The Utility also sweeps and maintains public drainage systems in higher density areas, conducts storm water development reviews, evaluates environmental compliance for streams and wetlands, and performs water quality monitoring, to name a few. Learn about the projects and programs being implemented to protect our water here.

The County Council approved a rate increase for the 2022-23 biennia to support this important work. The Clean Water annual service fees consist of a basic rate of $54.00 for operations and maintenance, and an Island-specific capital rate for approved infrastructure projects on specific Islands ranging from $0-$78.60 per year. The total service fee per parcel is based on the amount of impervious surface – calculated at 10,000 sq feet per 1 equivalent service unit – which represents a majority of parcels in the County. 

With climate change and increasingly severe storm events, the work of the Clean Water Utility will continue to be a top priority for the citizens and environment of San Juan County. The Clean Water Utility strives to protect our fresh water for generations to come.

Story by Louise Dustrude…

Attorney General Bob Ferguson

Washington state attorney general Bob Ferguson spoke at the December meeting of the League of Women Voters on Monday about the great variety of issues currently being confronted by his office.

Speaking to the group on Zoom, he called his office “the largest law firm in the state,” and said they represent every state agency. He said his office doesn’t make policy: “We give advice, they decide.”

The office recently confronted election integrity in the case of Loren Culp, a losing candidate for governor, who after his loss filed a series of lawsuits against the state. Attorneys have an ethical obligation not to file frivolous lawsuits, and after the AG’s office challenged Culp on those grounds he withdrew his suits “with prejudice,” meaning he can never file them again.

Ferguson also said, “We filed a suit against the postmaster general, joined by other states, for failing to deliver our November 2020 ballots in a timely manner, and we won.” It was “a huge case for election integrity.”

A current priority in the office is “litigation against corporations that we believe fueled the opioid crisis…. Other states signed on to a settlement granting a lifetime legal shield to the Sackler-Purdue family, which we believe the judge didn’t have the authority to do,” so Washington is still pursuing the case in court.

Ferguson then said he would respond to questions: Continue Reading

All in a day’s work for our stewards! Check out this time lapse video volunteer Michael Noonan shot of the dock demo at Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve Lopez Island:

https://vimeo.com/645420585/bda88786e9 

The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on December 17, from 8:30am – 10:20am, followed by a special meeting from 10:30am – 3:15pm, regarding Coffelt Farm Preserve via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and meeting materials.

To learn more about your Conservation Land Bank, visit sjclandbank.org. If you’re interested in volunteering and/or joining our mailing list, contact [email protected]. We look forward to engaging with you!

About the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank
The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is a local land conservation program, created by voters in 1990, and funded by a 1% real estate excise tax paid by purchasers of property in San Juan County. Through conservation easements or outright purchases, the Conservation Land Bank protects special places in the Islands including coastlines, farmland, forests and wetlands.

Just got a call from Bruce Martin with the Lions club. They’re having a guest speaker at their meeting today at noon – Dr. House from Eventide Health will be talking about the future of healthcare on the island and you’re invited to attend via zoom.

Here’s the info you will need to join: Continue Reading

Photo by @coffeekai

People seeking job skills or career inspiration are invited to a free, hands-on woodworking course, offered by the Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC).  This four-session course, Introduction to Woodworking, will be taught by Kristen Ryan, the woodworking instructor at Lopez Island High School. The course runs Jan. 22nd to Feb. 12th (Saturdays), at 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM at Lopez Island High School.

Kristen Ryan has been developing the woodworking program at Lopez Island High School since 2019.  A project-based curriculum has been designed for anyone seeking jobs or developing careers that may involve working with wood, whether in construction, manufacturing, or elsewhere.  The course will introduce foundational skills including measurement, safety, tool use, assembly, and wood finishing.  Students will create picnic tables and benches which will be donated to the Lopez Island School Garden Program.

Applicants must be 18 years old or older, residents of San Juan County, and participating in the course to gain work skills.  The deadline to apply is Jan. 11th, 2022 and enrollment is limited. 

To apply, please visit the EDC’s website at www.sanjuansedc.org/trades.  For more information, email the EDC Trades Coordinator at [email protected].

This course is made possible by San Juan County, the Harvest Foundation, the Building Industry Association of Washington, the Raynier Institute and Foundation, the Lopez Lions, and other grant funders of the EDC’s Trades Training Initiatives.  Materials for this course were generously donated by Jones Family Farm and Sunset Building Supply.  The EDC offers special thanks to the Boden, Corbin, Levinson, Madsen, and VanHyning families, and the many other individual donors whose support was critical to launching training programs in 2021 and 2022.

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) strives to support small rural enterprises, and conduct projects to stimulate new job creation, strengthen the economic base for working families, and support overall quality of life for islanders.  

This article was Submitted by Transitions San Juan Island Waste Management Group…

What keeps on giving each year? Creating traditions that help nature:

A potted fir tree brought inside to decorate, used yearly; growing side by side with us all.
A candle lit every Xmas eve.
A cactus passed down through generations, nourished and watered throughout the year to flourish and bloom for family and friends during our holiday season.
Traditions are passed along, picked up and tweaked to fit as families grow and change, collecting culture with each new addition, protecting culture with each loss.

These family ways produce no “unused leftovers”, no over-flowing garbage bins, no waste, and no trips to the dump at the end of the year.

Give experiences as gifts: pottery or piano, dancing or drumming lessons.
Give a gift wrapped in a pretty piece of cloth, or your child’s latest Picasso piece
Donate in your friends name to their favorite charity.

While having fun theses holidays and showing love to each other, let’s be kind to our planet.
Here are a few local ideas; what a surprise to receive a gift certificate from Cafe Demeter for a dozen “peace pastries” from your activist friend! How about an opportunity to speak to your creative side and learn to throw a beautiful pot in January from Alchemy Arts Center? The best of all perhaps… a table for two at Duck Soup from your lover.

Since the last update on Friday December 3rd, there have been 13 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 450.

There are approximately two unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands.

• Lopez Island: There is one new case on Lopez Island since the last update. There are no positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.
• Orcas Island: There are five new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are two positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island.
• San Juan Island: There are seven new cases on San Juan Island since the last update. There are four positive cases under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

This week’s report shows an increase in case volumes from last week, but at more moderate numbers than we were seeing in November (fingers crossed it stays that way!). Almost all of the recent cases can be traced to recent holiday travel or gathering. The majority of cases are in vaccinated individuals, which is expected given the very high vaccination rates in San Juan County. As has been the case all along, the more serious cases tend to occur in those who are unvaccinated. Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag today we find this letter from Norvin Collins…

As the year comes to a close, your San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) responders and I wished to take a moment to reflect where we are today and what the future holds. There are three points to address that are timely and germane in terms of response and care in our community, the voices of the majority of the voters, agreement issues, and deployment modeling for SJIF&R.

Let me take a moment to be clear about the November 2021 election. We have heard loud and clear that the community and voters want change in delivery of ambulance services. While the levy didn’t garner the needed super-majority of 60%, a majority of 56% of our district residents DID support the levy. The proposed levy was not whether to consolidate ambulance transport by San Juan Island EMS (SJIEMS) into the Fire District, but the levy proposed a funding mechanism needed to implement consolidated emergency response, approved by the elected members of both district boards.

The majority vote supported the concept that was proposed and initially brought to the Fire District by the Public Hospital District (PHD), and evaluated by an appointed Citizen’s Advisory Group. As a result, plans were developed, supported and approved by both the PHD and Fire District’s elected commissioners, and the proposed funding mechanism was brought to the voters. Continue Reading

This just in from WSF…

Vehicle reservations for travel on the San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes after New Year’s Day are scheduled to open next week should the current four-boat service remain sustainable. Winter season reservations will be available at 7 a.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 17. The winter schedule runs from Jan. 2 through March 26, 2022.

The beginning of the winter season is the soonest reservations will reopen in the San Juan Islands, and that is dependent on the ability to reliably crew all four vessels on the route. If that isn’t possible, the reservations release for both routes will be delayed at least another couple of weeks.

This will allow for continued trialing of the four-boat schedule before reservations can be reinstated, or return the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route to a modified and improved three-boat schedule with reservations for that schedule.

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

The Conservation Land Bank and the Preservation Trust recently completed a forest assessment at Turtleback and Turtlehead Preserves. The resulting report (click here to view report) outlines a variety of forest management actions aimed at increasing forest health, habitat value and climate change resiliency.

Staff are incorporating the recommended actions into the forthcoming update to the Turtleback Mountain Stewardship and Management Plan. In anticipation of a future that includes more active forest stewardship, the Land Bank recently applied for and received a $30,000 grant from the Washington Department of Natural Resources to implement small-scale forest management demonstration projects.

To learn more about the Land Bank’s forest health and resiliency objectives and the planned demonstration projects, please join Land Bank, SJI Conservation District and Rain Shadow Consulting staff at 5:30pm on Wednesday, December 15, for a 30-minute Zoom presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A session. The presentation and Q&A will be recorded and posted to the Land Bank website for later viewing. Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders 

The New Omicron Variant and What it May Mean for the Islands

The rise of a worrisome new variant is front and center in headlines for good reason, but as is so often the case, finding the balance between irrational fear and legitimate concern is difficult. This hot topic will attempt to detail what the variant could mean for islanders and what we should be doing now to prepare.

Q: Haven’t there been other variants, why the worry about this one?
A: First off, it is critical to understand that we are early on in a very fast-moving situation. Information presented here is not meant to be definitive, but instead is a best sense of things based on what we know (and what we don’t know). Our understanding will change dramatically in the weeks to come.

Signs point to omicron spreading much more quickly than the delta variant. Omicron has been found in three Counties in WA to date (Pierce, King, and Thurston), a clear indicator that we will almost certainly see many more cases before long. Most experts would say it is likely that Omicron will be the dominant strain of the virus within the next couple of weeks to month.

Some research suggests that Omicron spreads twice as easily as Delta. If that is the case, we can expect a dramatic surge in case numbers, which will almost certainly lead to an unprecedented strain on healthcare infrastructure.

This potential for a sudden and unmanageable surge in cases is the reason we worry around Omicron. Continue Reading

Thursday, December 9^th through Saturday, December 18^th

The Project has reached the phase of construction where the Contractor is preparing for horizontal drilling on MacDonald Street (off Tucker Avenue). This means the Contractor will begin directional drilling on the upland portion of the project and drive the casing that will eventually house the sewer line.

This activity will generate varying levels of noise throughout Town due to the geography of the area, including the Project’s proximity to the harbor and ability of noise to travel over water. The work can be best described as a noise similar to rock hammering or pile driving. Like rock hammering, vibrations are possible in the immediate work area.

To complete this task by mid-December, the Contractor is currently authorized to proceed with the work as follows:

Questions for daily on-site operations can be directed to the Contractor, David Berry, Redside Construction (206) 940-2529 or Project Manager, Pedro Mena, Town of Friday Harbor at (360) 378-2154.

Sit back, relax and let the sounds of the Season of Light swirl around you. Join the San Juan Singers on December 11th and 12th for songs that celebrate Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Hanukkah. Enjoy the soothing sounds of harp, strings, piano and voices blended in rich harmonies: old favorites like “A Celtic Silent Night,” “See Amid the Winter Snow,” and “Believe.”

Be transported to another time and place by a cappella favorites like “A La Nanita Nana” and “Al HaNisim.” Join us and revel in the joy of being back together, in harmony and in community once again. Directed by Angel Michaels, accompanied by Jenepher Reeves, Mary WillAllen, and many more fine local musicians, this concert is sure to lighten your heart and warm your soul.

Performances of Comfort & Joy will be on Saturday, December 11th at 7:30pm and Sunday, December 12th at 2pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and $5 student rush. To learn more and purchase tickets, please click HERE.