On June 25, under the light of the full moon closest to the summer solstice, millions of new lives began on the beaches of the San Juan Islands. On that night, surf smelt, a species of small forage fish, spawned at the peak of high tide. Their eggs are now deposited along the high water mark, and in as little as 14 days, these eggs will hatch, and the larval fish will return to the Sound with the tide.
Some San Juan County residents are concerned about the ease with which the County Council majority is passing their responsibility for upland and shoreline planning to the state’s Department of Ecology, the Department of Commerce, the department of Fish and Wildlife and the ubiquitous Puget Sound Partnership’s Local Integrating Organization, (LIO).
The July 4 Parade was great! We all had a lot of fun, but we have a serious problem. I am concerned about the safety of the children picking up candy during the parade. Big truck and fire truck drivers are very careful but they are unable to thoroughly monitor their rear wheels.
Hospice of San Juan would like to thank the San Juan Island Community Foundation and the Women’s Fund for awarding us a grant for our Spring 2010 Training. Without this funding, we would find it very difficult to train our volunteers.
Both my husband and I were successful commercial fishermen in Alaska in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred on March 26. It devastated the herring fishery, which usually opened the first part of April. It wreaked havoc on the salmon fisheries as well and caused untold harm to the environment of Prince William Sound and the south central Alaskan Coast line.
Once again, we are all reminded why we enjoy living on this island. A small group of local citizens planned and successfully launched a first time event called Share the Road Bicycle Celebration on May 15. The event was created to strengthen the notion that while using our roadways we all have the the same rules, rights and responsibilities toward one another.
It is close to impossible to get truthful information in most of the mainstream media about the illegal and brutal Israeli military occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. That is one of the reasons that human rights activists like David Schermerhorn feel the need to take actions such as this latest non-violent attempt to break the blockade and get relief supplies to the besieged and dehumanized residents of Gaza.
The May 26 USA TODAY ran a front-page article titled “In Seattle, homeowners build a cottage industry” which told about the Seattle program of allowing people with lots over 4,000 square feet to build a small rental cottage or add an apartment over a garage — in essence, adding a small “accessory dwelling unit” to a single-family
residence property.
Let’s all remember why we have Memorial Day. Picnics and such are wonderful, but let’s remember the freedom we have which is directly related to our men and women in uniform, today and in the past.
I am uncomfortable with the Local Integrating Organization, its lack of clear purpose, and its sponsorship by the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). Further, the implication that the LIO has the authority to “Ensure implementation of priorities,” etc. in San Juan County, as well as the PSP’s agenda to participate (meddle) in the development of our local regulations and regulatory processes is intrusive and extremely worrisome to me.
If you attended the County Council meeting May 18, as I did, you heard Council Chairman Richard Fralick give a report from the Budget Subcommittee to the other council members that even when the economy turns around there is no way that the county can sustain the course they are on.
For a few hours on Saturday, May 22, the clouds parted and the sun was shining on the Friday Harbor Elementary School playground just in time for students, their families and many in our community to enjoy the booths, food, huge inflatables and excitement of the PTA’s Spring Carnival. The crowd was large, the smiles were plenty, prizes were abundant and a wonderful time was had by all.
I wanted to take a moment to recognize the accomplishments of this year’s Dragons lacrosse team. For nine seasons, the Dragons have exemplified the best in island resourcefulness: playing programs affiliated with much bigger schools (Snohomish, Bellingham, Lynnwood!) and with far larger budgets, and consistently putting together teams that are focused on sportsmanship and good team play. The 2010 team is the pinnacle of those efforts.