American Legion to host Superbowl benefit for Jordan Griffin

The American Legion invites the public to a Superbowl Party and Dinner at the Orcas Island Post on Sunday, Feb. 1.
Admission is $10 for big screen viewing of the XXXI
Superbowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, beginning at 3 p.m. Dinner will be served.
All profits will go to assist Jordan Griffin and his family. For questions, call 376-4987.

Cuban poet to give workshop and poetry reading at Doe Bay

The Cuban poet, Jose Kozer, will be comingto Doe Bay on Saturday, Feb. 7 to conduct a workshop ($50) from 1-5 at Doe Bay and give a free reading of his poems in Spanish at 7 p.m. This will be Jose's first visit to the Pacific NW. He'll be teaching and speaking at Hugo House in Seattle and Seattle University.

Paul Nelson of Global Voices Radio and SPLAB! is bringing Kozer to Orcas Island. Nelson is a longtime visitor of Doe Bay Resort and he was eager to bring Jose to the island. He says, "Jose Kozer is one of the most remarkable Cuban poets in the world. Jose's poetry critiques are the kindest, most incisive and remarkable ones I have ever experienced."

The webpage for his visit has been updated with all the current info at: www.globalvoicesradio.org/Jose_Kozer_Workshop.htm

Joze is offering four scholarships to his workshop at Doe Bay. Contact Paul Nelson at splabman@yahoo.com or call Harreld at Doe Bay at 376-2291 for more information.

Stan Englehartson passes away

Stan Englehartson, longtime Orcas Islander, died Thursday, Jan. 22.Stan's parents homesteaded on Orcas and Stan and his brother Alan were born here. Stan spent his entire life farming, lumbering and working for the Road Department on Orcas -- except for serving in the Navy during WWII. He leaves his wife Margaret Englehartson, his daughter Lynn and his brother Al.
There will be a funeral service for Stan at the Woodlawn Cemetery given by the American Legion at 11:30 A.M. Feb. 7, followed by a memorial gathering at the Senior Center.

Total SJC 2009 Property Tax Bill: $41 Million

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

Graphic above shows how much of each tax dollar is levied by each of the various types of taxing entities (fire, schools, the state, the county, etc.)

County Treasurer Jan Sears reported on Jan. 28 that her department began running the final calculations for taxes on each of the 17,127 taxable properties in San Juan County. The calculations are complex, as the bills include levies for 43 different taxing entities within the county; many with complex systems of rates and exemptions. Sears reports that the bottom line, including all taxes, assessment and accrued penalties and interest is: $41,050,167.05 – an increase of $2.16 million over last year.
By law the tax bills have to be in the mail no later than February 15, “And we’ve never been late,” Sears said. When the calculations are complete, they must be printed and then they are stuffed into envelopes by County staff. “We are one of the few counties in the state still doing that in-house,” she said. “It gives us the opportunity to check for errors and special situations where we need to pull the statements for adjustments. We are also able to insert informational flyers from our taxing districts.”
Taxpayers may choose to pay half of their taxes by April 30 with the second half payable by October 31. Penalties for missing the April 30 deadline start with a 3% penalty plus an additional 1% interest for every month the payment is late. An additional 8% penalty is tacked on if the total payment isn’t received by December.
Last year the Treasurer’s office collected 97.3% of the taxes due by the end of the year. It also collected $327,325 in interest and penalties.

All Ages Dance with Common Market Friday at the Center

The fact that Barack Obama likes hip hop has brought me at least to the door to have a listen, and fellow Orcas Islanders will have that chance tonight when the Funhouse and Orcas Center join forces to bring hip hop genius to the island.
Common Market and No-Fi Soul Rebellion will go onstage tonight, Friday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $10.

Above, singers rock with Common Market as they create their new music video.

Barbara Courtney, Executive Director of Orcas Center says, "Come rock the house with a leader of Seattle’s hot hip hop scene and a hip pop-soul duo."

“Common Market have created a work that’s brought them closer to the region of hiphop greatness. This is no exaggeration.” — The Stranger

From Common Market's latest work

…Service, work it

The vagrant came upon a plot, shop – set it down
Found vacant, he gon’ make it into something better now
Barn hand, conversant in farm land, planted seven rows
Will it ever grow? Heaven only knows, though he’s
Hopeful, never boastful about the ethic
Set it deep into the earth, work and serve, all the rest let it
Come or not, hot summer sun, son – bumper crop
Over night, or so some thought (now they’re talkin’ that)

Orcas Writers Festival sponsors the Big Read

The Orcas Writers Festival Gurus are gearing up for a new year, starting with the Big Read, a grant program that gives money to support a community-wide reading program. The Gurus have decided that Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a good choice for the Big Read.

It works like this: libraries and community organizations come together, choose one book from the Big Read booklist, and plan events over the space of a month that entice the whole community to read and discuss the same book.

The Big Read program, sponsored by the National Endowment of the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Arts Midwest, is working directly to give communities the means to read together and have fun while they’re doing it.

The Orcas Island Writers Festival would like to bring the Big Read program to the San Juan Islands community in connection with their September festival.
A San Juan READS! program would inspire reading among adolescents, bring lapsed readers back to the pleasures of a good book, and bring the community together.
The Festival Gurus have a number of ideas for San Juan READS! events and welcome more ideas and participation:

· The festival will devote a number of events to the Big Read, including a reading from Hurston’s book by an up-and-coming author, a lecture on Hurston by an authority on African-American literature, and an invitation to several African-American authors.

2009 Property Tax Rates Set - lower for most, but...

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

San Juan County Assessor Charles Zalmanek reports that the total assessed value of taxable property in San Juan County increased 13.1% between 2007 and 2008 to approximately $7.976 billion. That is identical to the increase during 2006 and lower than the jump in 2005 when the total taxable property value increased by 17%.

The increase in total value does not translate directly into higher taxes however because the County can only increase revenue collected from existing property by 1% per year without voter approval.

Assessor Zalmanek also noted that some of the 43 taxing entities in the County did not take their full allowable increase this year. Those include: the Port of Orcas, the San Juan and Orcas Cemetery Districts, and San Juan Island Emergency Medical Services. (Only 10.5% of the average property tax dollar is collected for the County Government’s operating fund.)

To offset the higher values, the tax levy rate was reduced by amounts ranging from 3% in Friday Harbor to 17.4% on Orcas Island. Because roughly one-third of the properties in the County are re-assessed each year, two thirds of the properties in the County actually pay less tax each year than the previous year. Residents of South San Juan Island – whose appraisals increased an average of 52% last year – will pay about $23 less in property taxes per $100,000 value. On Blakely Island property taxes will drop by $54 per $100,000 value.

Friends help Jordan Griffin and family following spinal injury

Pictured here: Sam, Justin, Jake, Teddy, Ray Bottom: Anthony, Jordan and Mike...the guys hangin out!

Since his accident snow-boarding at the Orcas Island golf course in December, 16-year-old Jordan Griffin has already overcome many obstacles on the road to rehabilitation. Jordan has moved from Harborview Hospital to Children’s Hospital where he’s now breathing on his own and is free of tubes and catheters.
This week, he was scheduled for both a wheelchair “fitting” and surgery on his wrist, which was broken at the time of the accident, but went undetected until his mom, Rachel Meenach, urged x-rays.

Rachel and Jordan have been keeping family, friends, and the public posted to their progress (and setbacks) as she writes on the Caring Bridge site. To read the blog, or sign the guestbook, go to www.caringbridge.org, and in the "visitor" window type in Jordan Griffin.
This week, Rachel wrote:

[Jordan's] friends...waves of them....come down and hang out. They really stole the show! But Jordan needed that boy (and girl) time, so I was happy for him. They went and bought him a remote control car that he has been driving all over the place...we justify him having it as an Occupational Therapy tool....works on his hand and finger coordination! =)....right?

Jordan has a wheelchair "fitting" tomorrow. (Jan. 27) His choice is to have a bright orange titanium frame with black seat and back rest...should look pretty cool!
Also, he has his wrist surgery on Tuesday, which will set our discharge date from Childrens [Hospital] back to March 4th or so....but he understands and is a trooper!

I feel so blessed to be able to bring my son home to such a wonderful place....so many people have touched our lives, some who are close friends, and others who we have never met!

And... I would love to see our journey as a family bring goodness elsewhere....there has to be something good come from this situation!
Right now, I don't know where our path will go…but I hope it will always be positive....always forward!

Then today, following the surgery, Rachel wrote:

Jordan's surgery went perfect! Textbook as always! He left his room around 10:30 a.m. and he was back in his room by 4! He was is a great mood too...all those pain meds! haha

The tough part is the recovery...he is on morphine to help with the pain and another med for his spasms...I think they are worse than the actual pain....everytime he moves any part of his body, the spasms go all through his body and into his arm...really horrible for him...very uncontrollable! =(

Anyways, its going to be a long night...Josh is here to help me...we are going to do shifts...
Update more in the morning =)....God Bless!
Rachel, Jordan and Josh =)

Jordan and Rachel’s family can be assisted by contributions at Islanders Bank, 475 Fern Street Eastsound, WA 98245.

Drop off locations are at:
Crescent Service
Country Corner
Island Market

Skatepark Committee to discuss options in library on Wednesday

The Skatepark Committee will meet at the Orcas Island School Library on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. The committee was formed to address outstanding maintenance, financial, legal and safety issues at the Orcas Island Skate Park within Buck Park on Mt. Baker Road.

At a meeting called by the Orcas Island School District (OISD) and the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership (OIPP) last November, a crowd packed the library to discuss the issues with members of the school board, OIPP the Skate Park Foundation, PTSA, the Funhouse, Camp Orkila staff as well as skaters, students and parents.

Parent Debbie Shaw stepped forward to chair a committee to seek positive solutions for "a community asset" created in partnership with the school district and the Skate Board Foundation, which hold funds for maintenance of the park at a rate of $5,000 per year.

Options such as user maintenance, user fees, and skatepark rental for use by off-island skaters and competitors were discussed. Warren Miller, one of the original founders of the skatepark reminded the group that the park had been built for the free use by Orcas Islands, saying, "It's all about freedom, there's no score here -- in a skateboard park every kid wins."

Bus for education to Olympia on Feb. 26

Barb Skotte, President of the Orcas Island School District Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) alerted Orcas Islanders that the Washington State Legislature is gearing up for a session sure to focus on Basic Education Funding and the needs of our public schools.

Skotte writes:

Our school district administration and board members continue to have direct meetings with our and other legislators to promote the specific issues facing smaller, rural districts such as ours.

However, there's an opportunity for interested parents and community members to speak out on Thurs., Feb. 26., which is Washington State PTA's Legislative Focus Day. State legislators will be available to meet with PTA members and hear our concerns.

To promote turnout at this event, our State PTA Region, Region 8, has chartered a bus to leave from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal early that morning (returning the same day). The cost is $25 per person. This is a chance not only to participate in promoting education issues directly to our elected representatives, but to meet and network with PTA members from our Region.

Those interested in signing up for the bus are asked to contact Skotte for further details at bskotte@yahoo.com.

Afterschool Spanish Classes to Start Earlier

"The afterschool Spanish classes got off to a wonderful start yesterday -- thank you to Anna Roseberry for her wonderful teaching presence, and to Pat Hunt, our Program Coordinator, for her work in making these classes happen!" said PTSA President Barb Skotte on Jan. 27.

By popular demand, the Wednesday afterschool Spanish classes will start earlier than previously scheduled, right after early dismissal, with the grade 1-3 class running from approx. 1:10-2:10 p.m., and the grade 4-6 class running from approx. 2:15-3:45 p.m. There are still some spaces left, so those who'd like to join in are urged to sign up ASAP.

Jessica Gudgell named Orcas Junior Idol

Orcas Idol contestants await their trip up the catwalk to perform on stage Saturday night. Right, Pam Wright joins Arianna and Jason Dean on the benches at the Green Room in the Grange. Below, Conrad Wrobel, Stephen Baker and Kelsey Whitaker put their heads together.


On Saturday, Jan. 24, Jessica Gudgell was selected as Orcas Junior Idol. Jessica performed "Our Song," by Taylor Swift. As winner of the Orcas Junior Idol competition, Jessica is invited to sing at the Orcas Idol performance on Feb. 7 at the Orcas Center.
Now in its fourth year, the Orcas Idol competition, based on the popular television program, American Idol, is the largest fundraiser for the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership Coalition, dedicated to promote healthy lifestyles on Orcas Island. The program is funded by the state and operates through Orcas Island School District.
Also on Saturday, auditions for the adult (high school-age and older) Orcas Idol contestants were held.
From the performances of 12 contestants, Susan Weiss, the father-daughter combo Jason and Arianna Dean, Pam Wright, Yuko Horikawa, Pam Evans, Margie Doyle, Stephen Baker and Conrad Wrobel were selected to enter the three-round Orcas Idol selection process on Feb. 7. Contestants will prepare songs in the Pop/Rock, Country Western and show tunes categories.
Tickets for the event on the Orcas Center main stage traditionally sell out, and overflow crowds can purchase tickets for the live feed in the Madrona Room. Tickets may be purchased at Radio Shack and at Darvill's.
Please note that this year, the Orcas Idol performance begins at 6:30 p.m.

Rare opportunity to change county laws until March 1

Docket Call: Public Can Request Changes in Comp Plan, UDC, Maps
By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

The San Juan County Community Development and Planning Department has issued official notice that it will accept suggestions, proposals and requests for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, the Uniform Development Code, and site-specific amendments to the Comp Plan’s Official Maps until March 1, 2009, for consideration on the 2009 docket.

Under the Growth Management Act, the County may consider and make changes to the Comprehensive Plan and its maps just once each year. Under an Ordinance which went into effect this year, modifications to the UDC may be considered up to three times a year in 2009 and 2010.

Requests for site-specific land-use re-designations require a formal application and fee. (Contact the Department at: 378-2354 for details).

Other requests and suggestions for changes should be made in writing to Community Development and Planning (CD&P), Attn: Colin Maycock, P.O.Box 947, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, or by email to colinm@co.san-juan.wa.us or by Fax 360-378-3922.

Please include:

1. The name, address, and phone number of party who is submitting the suggestion.

2. A description of the proposed amendment, including suggested new language and a reference to the section of the document that would be amended.

3. Reasons why the change should be made and is in the public interest.

For answers to questions about the process, contact Colin Maycock at 360-370-7573.

Orcas Stage on the Green Wins Architecture Award

The Stage on the Green at Eastsound Village Green County Park has been selected as the American Institute of Architects, Seattle -- 2008 Awards for Washington Architecture People's Choice Winner in the "Built" Category.
San Juan County Parks and Recreation Director Dona Wuthnow describes the landmark stage as "a partnership project designed and developed through community consensus."
It was funded through a combination of County Facilities Program funds, a state "Building for the Arts: grant and "a lot of in-kind contributions from craftspeople, contractors and designers, plus cash contributions from the community.
Pictured above are some of those people, at the June 2006 dedication ceremony.
"Originally we had planned on putting up a serviceable structure that we could afford," she said. "Then a dedicated group of Orcas designers, craftspeople and activists came to us with the resources, energy, creativity and determination to build a stage that could become a part of the community's identity."
The County Park Board and Orcas Open Arts put a lot of trust in the group's commitment to the project in going ahead with the partnership, and that trust paid off.
The AIA competition entry, put together by David Kau and Fred Klein of Orcas, describes the project as "the product of a yearlong collaboration -- among architects, artists, engineers, builders, school teachers, dancers and craftspeople -- to design a build a public performance stage for the Village Green. Our design was conceived as a pre-emptive challenge to the County Parks Department, which was on the verge of purchasing a pre-fab gluelam pavilion, found on the internet and about to be trucked and barged from Illinois. We proposed a locally inspired counterpoint -- to be designed locally and constructed from materials sourced locally. An ambitious grassroots plan hatched by activists committed to a process of consensus."
Credits for the project reflect that process.

Kindlings WinterFest brings speaker on Diversity, Civility and Christian Faith to Orcas

The KindlingsFest summer event, held on Orcas Island for the first time last summer, was a great hit as main speaker Dr. Jerry Root, spoke on the writings of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Now, Kindlings WinterFest sponsors author and speaker Os Guinness, who will give four talks on Christian Faith for the 21st Century from Friday evening, Jan. 30, to Sunday morning, Feb. 1 at Orcas Island Community Church. The lecture topics include:
* The Journey - A thinking person’s quest for meaning at 7 p.m. Friday
* Survival of the Fastest - Living sanely when life is fired point blank at 10 a.m. Saturday
* A World Safe for Diversity - Living with our deepest differences in a world of exploding pluralism at 7 p.m. Saturday
* You Only Live Once - Calling, the ultimate game plan for life at 10 a.m. Sunday

The Public is welcome at these free lectures at 176 Madrona Street in Eastsound, with a suggested donation to The Kindlings of $10 per lecture.
For more information call: 360-376-6422 Or visit www.TheKindlings.com

Os Guinness is the co-founder of The Trinity Forum and served as Senior Fellow and Vice Chairman of the Board from its inception in 1991 until 2004.
Born in China during World War II, he remained there until 1951 when the Communists forced most foreigners to leave. Since then he has lived mostly in England, Switzerland, and the United States.
Educated in England, he did undergraduate studies at the University of London and postgraduate studies at University of Oxford. Since 1984, he has lived in the Washington, DC area. He was a Guest Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies and then a Guest Scholar and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He was co-author of the public school curriculum "Living With Our Deepest Differences."
He has written or edited more than twenty books, including Unspeakable: Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror and The Case for Civility: And Why Our
Future Depends on It.
His deep concern is to bridge the chasm between academic knowledge and popular
knowledge, taking things that are academically important and making them intelligible and practicable to a wider audience, especially as they concern matters of public policy.

A busy week ahead - Jan. 26 - Feb. 1

Orcas Island resident David Schermerhorn will speak of his recent experience confronting the Israeli blockade of Gaza ports at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowhip on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the West Sound Community Hall. The service begins at 11 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. For more information, go to www.orcasislanduu.org.
A new series of chamber music performances featuring county musicians will begin on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Orcas Center at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for students.
A two-day San Juan County Salmon Recovery Workshop will begin on Monday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Friday Harbor Labs Commons on San Juan Island.
Hosted by the San Juan County Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery, the first day will highlight information about nearshore and also freshwater systems in San Juan County. This information will provide an understanding regarding important fish habitats documented to date in San Juan County. The morning of the second day, Tuesday, will be an adaptive management discussion regarding how we potentially modify the salmon recovery work plan based on the results of recent assessments.
Go to http://sanjuanco.com/docs/committeeagendas/391_San_Juan_County_Salmon_Recovery_Workshop_Agenda_11_08.doc.pdf to view agenda.

Eastsound Planning Review Committee work session Monday, Jan. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the airport conference room.
The agenda will include...
* Budgeting EPRC's $4,800 county funds
* Discussing county web site and potential EPRC uses, define the EPRC secretary position
* Developing ERPC Annual Calendar
* Discussing the Flow Chart that Bob Connell has created on EPRC and the groups it interacts with
i.e., the EPRC role in the Eastsound Swale or Storm Water in general.
* Discussing Eastsound visioning/Eastsound Planning and the sub-area plan.

Auditions for "A Year with Frog and Toad" will be held Monday, Jan. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Orcas Center, which will produce the musical performance the weekends of April 15-18 and 22-25.

The Friends of Moran State Park Annual Meeting will be on Monday Jan. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Moran Environmental Learning Center Lodge. The event will honor the contributions of Barb and Gordon Buman, longtime members of the Friends of Moran. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

The 2009 Artsmith Artist Residency takes place the last week of January at theKangaroo House Bed & Breakfast in Eastsound.
Five talented artists and writers, chosen for a week's residency, will be featured at an open studio and potluck on Monday, Jan. 26, beginning at 6 p.m. The potluck will be followed by a spoken word open mic.
"Come meet the artists, see and hear their work, and share your own writing
in the open mic.Bring a dish and/or beverage to share. Or if you're too busy, just come enjoy the bounty!" say Artsmith hosts Jill Johnson and Charles Troxey.

Public Meeting to Discuss Proposed Country Corner (Limited Area of Intense Rural Development (LAMIRD) on Monday, Jan. 26 from 7 until 9 p.m. at the Eastsound fire station.
This matter will come before the County Council in Friday Harbor on Tuesday, Jan. 27 during the County Administrator's report as: Consideration of an Ordinance Establishing a Moratorium on Subdivisions within the Country Corner LAMIRD – Ron Henrickson, Director of CD&P & Colin Maycock, CD&P Senior Planner will present the discussion.

On Tuesday, Jan 27, the San Juan County Salmon Recovery Workshop will continue from 8:30 AM until 1:30 PM; the workshop is hosted by the San Juan County Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery This morning will be an adaptive management discussion regarding how we potentially modify the salmon recovery work plan based on the results of recent assessments.

Also on Tuesday, in Friday Harbor, the Agricultural Resources Committee will meet from noon until 2 PM at the Whidbey Island Bank, Community Room, 535 Market Street, Friday Harbor.

On Orcas Island, the Memoir Group will meet Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 1-3 p.m. in the Library. All are invited to join fellow writers in conversation, reading and writing and share excerpts of work in progress.

The Orcas Island Fire District will meet at the Eastsound Fire Station at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

The Skatepark Committee will meet at the Orcas Island School Library on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m.

Sustainable Orcas Island's first meeting for 2009 will be Wednesday, Jan. 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Library. Mikial Denker will speak on sustainable transportation. Those who are unable to make the meeting are asked to email or call Phil Heikkinen, Director of the Orcas Island Library at 376-4985 or phil.heikkinen@gmail.com.

The Orcas Island School District board will hold a strategic plan workshop on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. at the school library.

The County Veterans Advisory Board will meet in Friday Harbor in the conference room in the Legislative Building from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30.

Also on Jan. 30, the Orcas Center will present its "All Ages Concert" featuring Common Market and No-Fi Soul Rebellion. Tickets to this event are $10 and may be purchased by calling 376-2281 or going to www.OrcasCenter.org

Kindlings WinterFest sponsors author and speaker Os Guinness, who will give four talks on Christian Faith for the 21st Century from Friday evening, Jan. 30, to Sunday morning, Feb. 1 at Orcas Island Community Church. The lecture topics include:
* The Journey - A thinking person’s quest for meaning
* Survival of the Fastest - Living sanely when life is fired point blank
* A World Safe for Diversity - Living with our deepest differences in a world of exploding pluralism
* You Only Live Once - Calling, the ultimate game plan for life
The Public is welcome at these free lectures at 176 Madrona Street in Eastsound, with a suggested donation to The Kindlings of $10 per lecture.
For more information call: 360-376-6422 Or visit www.TheKindlings.com

Board meet finds schools on budget, on track

“I have a feeling that thing’s are going very well in business office,” Orcas Island School District board member Tony Ghazel said at the Jan. 22 school board meeting. His sentiments were echoed during the meeting, with hard facts to support them:
• Sara Morgan whose contributions have been cited in the past year’s number-crunching, has become a new member of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), the citizens’ group that assists the business office in tracking school funds. OISD board member (and BAC liaison ) Keith Whitaker said, “Sara has already contributed greatly at the first meeting.”
• In her report on the Orcas Island Education Foundation, Janet Brownell said, “Ben [Thomas, Business Manager] and Sara have done a fantastic job on invoicing and tracking the money [contributed through the OIEF to the district.]”
• Superintendent/Principal Barbara Kline praised the catch-up work done by the new Accounts Payable person, Dali Cuthbert , “She has done a lot of catch-up work in the last three weeks.” Kline added that enrollment was “looking good in the right areas, K-4th[grade] and high school.”
• Teacher Mandy Randolph thanked the Board for “the time and effort you’ve put into a thankless job.” Randolph also expressed her appreciation for the new Mac computers all the elementary teachers have recently received.
• Career and Technical Education director Kari Schuh said, after working with the Business Office to apply for a grant, “I could not have done it without Ben, Sharron [Mierau, Business Office staff] and Sara and Dali -- they have been tremendous to work with, helping make that new aspect of my job easier.”

The board approved the consent agenda, which included a contract position for a coordinator for the Farm-to-Cafeteria program, to be paid by the Orcas Island Education Foundaton (OIEF)

In Kline’s absence, teacher Marta Branch passed out certificates to members of the OISD board in recognition of School board appreciation month and the board’s service with the district.

Elementary Principal Tom Gobeske, who also oversees food service transportation and maintenance, zeroed in on the maintenance aspect in his report to the board.
He said, “Maintenance is hard at work, but there’s lots to do.”
Gobeske suggested that a community service day be held to fix up the school. The December storms created snow buildup on the roof, but with shoveling, the leaking into the gym that had started was kept to a minimum and there was no damage to the gym floor.

He also said that on Jan. 20, the classes watched the Presidential Inauguration and had discussions: “It was a very exciting day. The enthusiasm, involvement and knowledge of the children is really encouraging.”

Marian O’Brien reported for the Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA), noting that PTSA President Barb Skotte had sent out emails announcing two new afterschool programs in Spanish and astronomy.

O’Brien reported that “over 25 people in worked in the garden, and probably clocked over 60 hours of work,” during the national Day of Service on Jan. 19. Volunteers also worked in the schoollibrary, and would like to meet once a month to do community service.

Superintendent/Principal Barbara Kline reported by telephone from Washington D.C. She addressed the workshop by suggesting a bond committee be formed, and asked the board to think about the positions they would want to see represented on such a committee, including community members.

Kline praised the programs that have been coordinated with Orcas Center as “totally fabulous,” not only in the center’s programming, but also in the visiting artists they bring to school assemblies.
(A report on the bond discussion will be posted at a later date on Bullwings)

San Juan Leadership class holds retreat on Orcas

Members of the 2009 Leadership San Juan Islands class came to Orcas Island for a two-day retreat on Jan. 23 and 24. They attended workshops at Heartwood House and braved the arctic air on Friday afternoon to tour Orcas "landmarks." Pictured above are Lou Gray from Lopez Island, Angie Attwell and Kristy Ayers from San Juan Island, and Steve Gresham from Orcas Island making a stop at the Healing Arts Center.
This year's class of 20 members is the largest in the Skagit Valley College's five-year program in community leadership. Its mission is to educate and motivate community members interested in developing their professional leadership skills and in learning more about issues affecting San Juan County. Leadership SJI meets monthly to consider aspects of island life such as culture and history, governance, education, economics, community building, environment and social systems and community health.
The retreat brings 25 class members and facilitators to Orcas Island, where off-island members are staying at the Smugglers Inn.
Orcas Islanders who are participating in the program are Louise Carnachan, Owen Cheevers, Margie Doyle, Ethna Flanagan, Steve Gresham, Barbara LaBrash, Learner Limbach and Marta-Maria Nielsen.

County to fund Village Green restrooms

Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce director Lance Evans announced that in a county Lodging Tax Advisory meeting held Jan. 21, a motion was approved to fund the public restroom facilities located in County parks. "Obviously, the public restroom in Eastsound is covered by this action, said Evans. "Assuming the County Council approves the recommendation, funding for our public facility is in place. The Chamber thanks all who let your voices be heard on this issue!"
The Eastsound restrooms had been slated to be closed in a cost-cutting measure on the 2009 County Parks budget.
Evans has been appointed to fill a position on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, representing the three county Chambers of Commerce. He joins other representatives, including Orcas Island’s Mike Stolmeier, Susan Fletcher, John Messinger, Jim Nelson and Carl Silvernail.

Comment deadline on WSF long-range plans extended

Washington State Ferries (WSF) announced an extended public comment period on the draft long-range plan through Monday, Jan. 26.

Due to the overwhelming response from communities, we extended the comment period five days to ensure ample opportunity for the public to provide input on the two options in the draft plan. The tenth public hearing concluded in Fauntleroy on Wednesday night, and all of the public hearing transcripts, with the exception of Fauntleroy, are available online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning/ESHB2358. The Fauntleroy hearing transcript will be posted online mid-next week. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to attend a public hearing and/or provide comments. We are reviewing all of the comments and determining what modifications can be made to the options in the draft plan. You may continue to send comments through Jan. 26 by writing wsfplanning@wsdot.wa.gov or WSF, Attn. Joy Goldenberg, 2901 3rd Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98121.
A revised draft plan, along with all of the public comments received, will be provided to the Legislature on Saturday, Jan. 31. The plan is intended to provide options for consideration during this Legislative session and will not be finalized until after it is reviewed and decisions are made by lawmakers.

Friends of Moran Park honor Bumans Jan. 26

Michel Vekved, of the Friends of Moran State Park, issued the following invitation:

I would like to extend a personal invitation to the Friends of Moran State Park Annual Meeting on Monday Jan. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Moran Environmental Learning Center Lodge.

Our meeting usually lets the public know what activities our non-profit organization has accomplished during the previous year.

This year, however, is a bit special because we will be honoring Barb and Gordon Buman for their time, talent and dedication to Moran State Park over the last 13 years.

We will have a brief presentation awarding Lifetime Membership with refreshments for all.
I hope you can make it to share the moment with us for Barb and Gordon.

Free 4-hour moorage at County's newest dock at Orcas Landing

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
The County’s newly purchased public dock at Orcas Landing is welcoming boaters with 430 feet of moorage space available without charge for up to four hours during the day. According to Public Works director Jon Shannon, the facility will also offer a space for public meetings when renovations to the main building are completed this Spring.
The County closed on the property adjacent to the Orcas Ferry landing in December after more than two years of on and off negotiations between the County and the owners of what was then known as “Jacobson’s at Orcas Landing.” Throughout that time, former San Juan County Council Member Alan Lichter kept focus on the acquisition project, help keep the negotiations alive and is given credit for their ultimate success.
The usefulness of the dock has quickly become apparent. Most frequently boats Waldron and other non-ferry served islands tie up at the dock to connect with the ferry. Their passengers have just a 50 yard walk to the ferry.
The Washington Recreation and Conservation Office has awarded the County a $106,000 grant toward the $2.88 million purchase price and a 4,000 square foot building on the property will generate approximately $50,000 in lease revenue this year, in addition to revenue from several parking spaces across from the Orcas Hotel. Additional funding will come from the County Road Fund, which – under state law – may be used for water transportation facilities. (The funds used to purchase the dock could not have legally been used for County Operating Expenses).
The County took ownership of Orcas Landing shortly before the winter storms hit, but it weathered them with no significant damage.
Public Works Director Shannon said the purchase furthers several of the County’s transportation goals, “This provides a linkage between the County Road, the marine highway and the ferry system – a goal of out previous planning efforts. It also provides a staging area for pedestrians and bicyclist using the Washington State Ferry system.”

School board holds bond work session prior to regular board meeting on Thursday

The school board will hold a work session Thurs. Jan. 22 beginning at 3 p.m. to discuss whether to pursue a future bond issue. Public input is welcome. The work session will be followed by the Board's executive (private) session at 4:30. The regular January meeting, will convene at 5:30 pm. As usual, the Board will meet at the school library.

January is School Board Appreciation Month. Orcas Island Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) President Barb Skotte said, "Our school board members are volunteers who give many hours each month doing their best to help our schools and kids. Given the current economic times, this often requires them to make difficult choices and weather considerable criticism. Please take the time to thank our board members (Janet Brownell, Tony Ghazel, Charlie Glasser, Scott Lancaster and Keith Whitaker) for all they do!"

Tidbits and factoids nourish community in service projects

The national Day of Service on Jan. 19 was a day of fun and camaraderie for those who joined in some of the projects happening on Orcas Island.
About 25 volunteers of all ages showed up at the Orcas Island school to work in the garden just down from the school's historic maple tree.

It was kind of hard recognizing old friends disguised in our hats and workclothes, but we moved the compost pile and weeded and cultivated the rows in preparation for spring plowing.
Teacher Anne Ford McGrath explained that she and fellow teacher Pam Jenkins like to take their classes out to the garden, but they have a hard time supervising 20-25 kidds at a time, so they could use some help with that.
Community Foundation Executive Director Hilary Canty, event organizer, brought some great gooey chocolate-y cookies for snacks, and Madie Murray, Farm-to-Cafeteria program advocate, brought lattes and sandwiches later on. Orcas Island Education Foundation is funding a Farm-to-Cafeteria position, which the school board is expected to approve at their meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Orcas Island School District board president Janet Brownell mentioned that the state Basic Education Task Force report, which came out last week, lacks needed funding proposals, but said that it did recommend raising the levy lid to 30%, which would help the Orcas school district right away.
Mia Kartiganer asked "What are the risks in taking on the post mistress?" and I told her that the truth is the best defense against slander.
(Originally I'd written that Mia had "asked if I was being sued by the Post Office for my article decrying their lack of accountability in delivering the mail." Mia corrected my original words, see Comments below.)
Barbara Bentley (pictured above on the left)described her husband, Glenn Prestwick's combined research-entrepreneurial work in developing natural chemical injections for arthritis relief and healing. Bentley is a biology professor, and her explanations are an ideal model of translating scientific ideas so the layman can understand them. She described the effect of Glenn's research in promoting healing tissue without adhesions in abdominal surgery as similar to developing one-sided "scotch" tape.
So imagine my surprise when I scoped out a biography by Barbara Bentley, subtitled, "My Life with a Psychopath" at the Natilus Book Awards office, before I realized there could be more than one Barbara Bentley in the world.
But I digress. The Orcas Barbara Bentley had the highest praise for Orcas Island medics who came to her aid when she fell and broke her arm last fall.
As we worked, the sun came out and made a perfect day in the garden -- a Goldilocks day, not too cold, not too hot.
In the afternoon, I went to the Historical Museum, where they were also gardening, and helped plant bulbs and weed. (See photo in Jan. 18 post "Upcoming week"). Jean Dickerson gave me a bit of education about the bulbs we were planting -- Lord Alfred hybrids from 1889, and John Willis told me of his cousin's politicking in Kodiak, Alaska, where I used to live. Margot Shaw took pictures and Andrea Cohen invited us into the museum for muffins, tea, coffee and peanut-butter-and-jam brushchetta.
The hot drinks were most welcome as the fog rolled in and the natural wind tunnel of North Beach Road chilled the bones.
After thawing out at home, Patty Monaco and I went to Kaleidoscope where Director Amber Paulson had invited service volunteers to help with the kids. We got there in time to sing "Yankee Doodle" and "Dixie" with Kaleidoscope teacher Margie Crowe and delightful, second-grader Delaney.
Then Patty came back to my home with me and helped me prepare "Memory" from "Cats" which I'll be singing at the Orcas Idol auditions this Saturday night at the Grange.
I heard on the radio that Martin Luther King Day had been named a Day of Service back in 1994, but to my knowledge, that aspect of it was never promoted until this year.
Hilary Canty, Executive Director for the Community Foundation, suggested that the community join together for a project once a month. I'd like to see more young kids at the historical museum and more boomers and seniors at the school.

Orcas Irthlingz and Obama honored at the Outlook

A happy crowd filled the Victorian Room at the Outlook Inn last night to celebrate both the inauguration of President Barack Obama and the recognition awarded Orcas resident Sharon Abreu and her environmental organization, Irthlingz, for submitting a National Strategy for Sustainability, which ranked in the Top Ten proposals on Change.org this past week in its Ideas competition. Over 7,800 proposals were submitted.
The plan can be viewed at www.citnet.org/leadership/documents/_Wheeler_NatlStrategy2.doc and the award announcement can be seen at www.change.org/ideas.
Irthlingz can be accessed online at www.irthlingz.org.
Abreu says public support of the National Strategy should contact their legislators.

Today's party at Outlook honors Obama and Abreu's strategy for sustainability

Contributed by Phil Heikkinen
The public is invited to an Obama Party Celebration at the Outlook Inn's Victorian Room today, January 20 - Inauguration Day - from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is in conjunction with Obama parties going on around the country coordinated by MoveOn.org.
The event will also honor Sharon Abreu's work on the proposal for a National Strategy for Sustainability, which ranked in the Top Ten proposals on Change.org this past week in its Ideas competition. Over 7,800 proposals were submitted.
The Outlook event is an hors d'oeuvres potluck - only non-perishable d'oeuvres requested. Please do not bring drinks.
Abreu writes:

The no-host bar will be open! There will be an AV program of the inaugural events to broadcast, and our event will be connected with celebrations around the world! Festive attire is encouraged, especially the color purple to represent the blending of blue and red!
Admission is $5 at the door.
$150 will go to pay for the room rental. Any additional money collected will go to Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education (www.irthlingz.org), run by Sharon Abreu and Michael Hurwicz, Shoshana Avree will announce Abreu's award at the party and Sharon will say a few words about the proposal and the competition.
Samara Shaw and Magda Mische would like to know if anyone would like to put some energy into making a banner for the party. If so, please contact them as soon as you can:
Samara Shaw at highgood4all@yahoo.com
Magda Mische at drmagda@centurytel.net
Also, if anyone has access to a laser printer and can assist printing some support materials, please contact Nancy at nschaferlmt@msn.com.

Manage your Work and Retreat to Progress

Louise Carnachan, Orcas Island management consultant, writes in her latest newsletter about stepping back to consider your activities and your goals, your daily habits and your plans. A regular "retreat" to evaluate and plan can be the secret to realizing dreams, ambitions and deadlines.
Everyone, from individuals to families, small businesses, sports teams, non-profits and large corporations can benefit from considering her advice:

If you're scrambling to meet payroll or worried about what programs and services to cut just to stay solvent, it's almost impossible to stop and consider, "What do I want to have happen in the next 12 to 36 months?" However, by not taking time to consider the future and make concrete plans to achieve it, you will be at the mercy of outside forces. You will miss opportunities that present themselves because you haven't created a vision or made a plan and begun to execute it.
Now is the time to meet with your Board, your leadership and your staff to take stock of the present and envision the future you want- not the future you'll be stuck with if left to fate.
Building a Retreat Agenda
When you are unclear about the retreat goals and the agenda, time is wasted. Below is a sample agenda for a planning retreat.
Sample Retreat Agenda
• "State of the Organization" Report- Accomplishments and Challenges
• Three Year Vision for the Organization- Our Preferred Future
• Gap Analysis Between the Current State and the Preferred Future
• SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
• Action Ideas and Prioritization
• Action Planning 1-3 Years
• Measures- How Will We Know We Are Succeeding?
• Evaluation of the Retreat Process
Do keep in mind that a plan with no responsible party and no timeline isn't complete. Make sure someone's name is associated with each action as the person who will do the next step, bring other parties to the table and be responsible to report back on progress by the due date established.

Carnachan can offer further help by going to her website link on this site -- look to the left and scroll down (or up) for "Links that I Love."
Many island organizations are planning retreat workshops or strategy sessions to envision and plan. The Eastsound Planning Review Committee (EPRC) will hold its retreat on Monday, Jan. 26.
The Orcas Island School District Board strategic plan review will be held Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. at the school library, one week after the regular board meeting this Thursday, beginning at 3 p.m. with a discussion of the proposed bond, and reconvening at 5:30 for the regular meeting.
It would be well worthwhile to attend these meetings for a beginning or overall view of the sense of these boards and build upon their strengths in planning for your own organization.
And if your organization is planning a retreat or giving an annual report, post it on Bullwings so that the public can save the date.

Children singing - the sound of happiness on Jan. 20

Orcas Island School elementary music teacher Pam Wright says, "The holiday has been extended and we want to share the hard work that the students have done as we start the new year."
The students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will perform at the old school gym on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. Their concert will feature the children playing "Boomwhackers," hip hop reindeer dancers -- courtesy of dance teacher Susan Babcock -- recorders, percussion, piano and string -- violins, violas and cellos (Thanks, Moana Kutsche for including this information).
Wright's students will sing "Still, still, still" and other Christmas songs, "For the Winter" and the Jewish "Shalom" (peace) song.
Wright says that her 5th and 6th grade choir has been learning so fast that she began instructing them in the bell choir.
Pam Wright says the program has been carefully planned to last just one hour.

Upcoming Week, Jan.19 to 26

This week started with an official government holiday on Monday, Jan. 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Day. President-Elect Obama has declared it a national day of service, and Orcas Island groups are planning to pitch in at the Orcas Island School, beginning at 9:30 a.m., and at other sites. (See Day of Service post below).
Pictures depict John Willis and Jean Dickerson and George Karnikis planting in the misty cold of the Eastsound wind tunnel in front of the Orcas Island History Museum. Although workers were few, Dickerson said, "they worked very hard," and she plans future garden parties.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, there will be a Haircut Drive to benefit the family of Jordan Griffin from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Country Corner Laundromat. For appointments, call 376-4740. Minimum $10 donation for “nothing fancy” haircut.
The San Juan County Marine Resources Committee will meet, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Islanders Bank in Friday Harbor to hear the 2008 Annual report, 2009 work plan and assignments, discussion of the Shoreline Master Program amendment process, revision of the water section of the SJC comprehensive plan, presentation of theLead Entity Day and Salmon Recovery Citizen Award, among other agenda items.
Science subcommittee meeting, will meet following the MRC meeting, from 10:45 – 12:30 at Islanders Bank.
An Inauguration Day party will be held at the Outlook Inn, beginning at 5 p.m.
The Orcas Island Elementary School will perform their winter concert at the old gym from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Orcas Garden Club will meet in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Carol Miles will speak on vegetable gardening.
The Orcas Island School District Board will have a double-header meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22in the school library. At 3 p.m. the board will have a work session to discuss the future school bond. Public input is invited to discuss plans for a future bond issue. The board will adjourn to a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters at 4:30 p.m., and will reconvene the public session at 5:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Jan. 24 the Orcas Center will present Spotlight in the OffCenter featuring Eric Apoe and Baby Gramps. For tickets call 376-2281.
Sunday, Jan. 25 the Island Classics Series will come to Orcas Center in the OffCenter, featuring works by Malotte, Bloch, Duval, Egilsson and locals Carolyn Cruso and Sharon Abreu. For tickets call 376-2281.

Floating ferry meeting hears and comments on long-range WSF plans

At the interisland ferry meeting on Jan. 15, residents of San Juan, Orcas, Shaw and Lopez Island (pictured above left) heard Washington State Ferries (WSF) officials present their draft long-range plan.
Ferries Division head David Moseley, (pictured above right, along with Ray Deardorff, WSF staff, and Ed Sutton, San Juans' Ferry Advisory Committee chair, left to right) said unequivocably stated that the key problem facing WSF and its riders is long-range funding: “The ferries are not financially sustainable.”
The WSF draft long-range plan, published Dec. 19, is in fulfillment of a directive from 2007 legislation.
Deardorff introduced the 99-page Executive Summary of the draft plan, saying that WSF was charged with three key goals:
1) to maximize existing system capacity
2) to plan adaptive management and pricing strategies
3) to deliver the highest service at the lowest cost

Deardoff agreed that the key challenge facing WSF was “the lack of capital funding for investment.” He pointed out that the ferries have “an aging asset base,” with the average age of vessels being 34 years, and that there is a long lead time for vessel construction.

The plan presented two options, (see Dec. 22 Bullwings post), both resulting in a shortfall.
Plan A would require $3.5 billion additional funding. Plan B, a leaner option with fewer boats in service, would still come up short $1.4 billion. Moseley stated that the shortfall would need to come from other sources.

Financing options are being identified by the State Transportation Commission; their conclusions to the Legislature are expected mid-February.
Moseley said, “In this session, our hope is that the legislature will pass legislation” to address the funding problems that have plagued the ferries system since state Initiative 695 was passed in 2000, revoking the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax.

Both options involve a reservation system for vehicles, tailored to the needs of each route and users of the route, plan to keep terminal impacts to the community at a minimum, add and bolster transit solutions for walk-ons, increase passenger fares at half the rate of vehicle fares to encourage walk-ons, and keep increases of fares to 2.5% per year, with the possibility of fuel surcharges at times.

Plan A would build 10 new vessels by 2030, with the Sealth becoming the interisland boat in the spring, summer and fall, and an Illahee-sized vessel to operate in the San Juans in the winter.
Plan B will retire without replacing vessels, resulting in 3 boats instead of 4 in the fall, winter and spring, and four boats instead of 5 in the summer. This plan cuts the Sidney, B.C. destination from the San Juans’ route. Other routes in the system will also see cuts under this plan, resulting in 17 vessels and no standby boat in case of vessel breakdown.

The San Juan County Council rejected Plan B, which cuts ferry service from several runs throughout Puget Sound, and said that Plan A provides minimal service. In its letter to Moseley, the Council said:

By eliminating the Anacortes/San Juans/Sidney vessel, over 80 % of the domestic service capacity on that vessel is eliminated for seven months of the year, which is a 20% reduction in daily service capacity during this period.
Plan B does not meet current or future service demands.
There is insufficient information and time on both plans to allow the legislative bodies and communities to participate in a meaningful review.
Lack of a financing component, as required by ESHB 2358, makes qualitative decisions impossible.
Plan B removes one vessel from a totally ferry-dependent community.
....
Balancing the state budget for the 2009-11 biennium should not be the justification for a long-term state service mistake.

For the complete County response to the WSF draft, go to the Jan. 14 Bullwings post, "Letter from County's Council and Ferry Advisory Committee reject Plan B."

Many on the four-hour route expressed the need for the continued run of the Sidney B.C. ferry route from the San Juans, and the need for the interisland ferry. San Juan resident Allison Johnston-Laurie said that many people who regularly use the interisland boat were not at the hearing, but at their jobs.
County Council member Lovel Pratt commented, as an individual, “The plan doesn’t identify an adequate funding source.” She also noted that the legislature’s restriction that ferries be constructed only by state shipbuilders restricts the state from using federal stimulus funds.

Questions about reservations and options for sustainable funding for ferries were also asked.

During the past week, WSF conducted a series of eight meetings as public hearings of ferry-served communities, and will present their findings to the legislature.
A public rally in Olympia is scheduled for Feb. 17.
For further information on ferries legislation, go to www.leg.wa.gov/legislature, and type in "ferries."

Comments are still sought for input to the draft plan, by email to wsfplanning@wsdot.wa.gov, or by mail to WSF, Attention Joy Goldenberg
2901 3rd Avenue, Suite 500
Seattle WA 98121-104

Bureaucracy: love of privilege

Taken from Václav Havel's speech of February 21, 1990, "A Joint Session of the U.S. Congress," appearing in The Art of the Impossible: Politics as Morality in Practice by Václav Havel. Translated from the Czech by Paul Wilson and others, published by Alfred A. Knopf.
In a speech he gave in 1991, Václav Havel, the President of Czechoslovakia, commented on the privileges that begin to accrue to someone in high office:

"I go to a special doctor, I don't have to drive a car, ... I needn't cook or shop for myself, and I needn't even dial my own telephone....

In other words, I find myself in the world of privileges, exceptions, perks; in the world of VIPs who gradually lose track of how much butter or a streetcar costs.... I find myself on the very threshold of the world of the communist fat cats whom I have criticized all my life.

And worst of all, everything has its own unassailable logic. It would be laughable and contemptible for me to miss a meeting that served the interests of my country because I had spent my presidential time in a dentist's waiting room....

But where do logic and objective necessity stop and excuses begin? Where does the interest of the country stop and the love of privileges begin?"

[Contributed] by Peg Tileston on www.holdthatthought.com: "In the United States, corporate executives rake in millions as their companies lay off workers." Peg has been a community activist in Anchorage for over 30 years. She is the chairperson of Alaska Common Ground, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to encouraging all Alaskans to engage in respectful dialogue on issues of importance to them.

Shingle a roof, shovel debris, serve your community Jan. 19 (and before and after!)

Jan. 19 Observe National Day of Service here
Barack Obama is calling for a National Day of Service to take place on Jan. 19, the federal holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and the days preceding the inauguration on Jan. 20.
This year, the Orcas Island Community Foundation and Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce have announced several community service opportunities:
· There will be a work party at the Orcas Island School District to clean up in the flower beds in between the Elementary and the Administration office, and clean up and expand the vegetable garden in preparation for the Farm to Cafeteria program. All are welcome to pitch in.If you have tools (wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, gloves, or clippers) bring them along. If not, there will be some to lend. The party starts at 9:30 and ends when the project or the volunteers are done.
· Another garden opportunity is offered by the Orcas Island Historical Museum. Volunteers are needed to help with winter clean-up and soil amending around the historical museum buildings. Meet outside the museum on the brick pathway; work will be in progress from 10 AM to 3 PM. Help keep our historical museum tidy!
· For folks who would prefer an indoor activity, Kaleidoscope is anticipating a full house on the 19th and would appreciate all who are willing to read a story, direct a craft project, or push a swing (their staff will be there to supervise, and lend a hand as needed). If you have a craft in mind, contact Amber Minnis, 376-2484, to arrange supplies.
· Finally, The Orcas Montessori School needs assistance building planting boxes for the garden at the school and cabinet doors for a storage cabinet. Therese Chocano, 376-5350, is the contact person if you are able and willing to help.
Join your Orcas Island neighbors and others around the country and spend this coming Monday—Martin Luther King Day—volunteering to serve the urgent needs in our communities.
Some folks have been hit harder by the recession than others, but we're all in it together. We've all got to roll up our sleeves and help each other out. And volunteering is always a great experience — in just a few hours, you can help make a huge difference in the lives of others, and often meet new friends.
In Washington D.C. on Monday, Americans from around the country will assemble care packages for troops in Iraq at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (inside a heated tent).
Lopez Community Land Trust will hold a “shingling party” at the Common Ground neighborhood, where volunteers will shingle some of the 11 affordable homes being built at 758 Lopez Road from 8 a.m until 5 p.m.
On Tuesday, Barack Obama will officially start the massive job of restoring our country. As president, he plans to expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps and to create new service organizations1, including:
• a Classroom Corps to help underserved schools;
• a Health Corps to serve in the nation's clinics and hospitals;
• a Clean Energy Corps to achieve the goal of energy independence; and
• a Veterans Corps to support the Americans who serve in harm's way.
To sign up for the Orcas Island Community Service Party at the Orcas school or to sponsor another event, go to http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51086&zip_radius[0]=98245&id=15391-1920211-FfJc0Cx&t=3 or visit the Renew America Together website (www.usaservice.org ) to find a service opportunity or create your own!
You can go to the website and find out about projects without registering. You can also start an event (Please let OrcasIssues know of your event by commenting to this post).
Orcas Issues welcomes comments from non-profits and other community groups for projects for Jan. 19 Day of Service projects. Please provide contact information. Thanks!

Homes for critters: one last report

With all the stories this week about small creatures taking up residence in human households, consider opening your property to injured or orphaned Orcas Island wildlife that need a safe place to re-enter their own natural surroundings.
Shona Aitken, of Wolf Hollow Wildlife, wrote in that organization's newsletter:

When the injured and orphaned wild animals we care for are ready to go back into the wild, we have to find suitable places to release them. For adult animals, which probably have a territory and/or a mate, we try to get them back as close as possible to the place they were picked up. But, sometimes we don't know exactly where they came from. Someone may have dropped them off at a vet clinic or animal shelter without leaving detailed information about where they were found.
For baby animals, which would be moving away from their parent's territory once they were grown, it is not essential that we return them to exactly the same spot. We like to return them to the same general area, but need to find suitable habitat nearby where they will have the best chance of surviving. As our local area becomes more developed, it is becoming harder and harder to find good release sites, especially for larger birds and mammals that need more space.
This is where you can help! If you live in San Juan or Skagit Counties and have property including natural habitat, where you would be willing to have animals released, we would be delighted to discuss this with you. A few families or individuals have already offered their property, but we would like to add several more key sites. Our staff or volunteers would visit your site and discuss with you which species it would be suitable for, and which species you would be wiling to have released there.
If you would like to offer your property as a release site, or have any questions, please call Shona at 360-378-5000, or send email to saitken@wolfhollowwildlife.org.

PTSA Afterschool Enrichment in astronomy and Spanish

The PTSA is pleased to announce that the first two PTSA Afterschool Enrichment Classes will begin later this month! An astronomy class begins Jan. 22 and a Spanish class begins Jan. 26.
Marta Nielson will be presenting a NASA-created curriculum for 5th and 6th graders in her "Quark Academy" astronomy class, which begins Thurs. Jan. 22nd and runs for 8 sessions, through March 26. Classes will be Thursdays, 3:15-4:45 p.m., at a total cost of $40 for students of PTSA families/$50 for others.
Anna Roseberry, an Orcas High graduate with a B.A. in Spanish from Oberlin College, will teach beginning Spanish for 1st through 6th graders. First through Third graders can attend Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:10-4:10 p.m., for $50 per month, supplies included. A separate 4th-6th grade class will run from 4:15-5:45 p.m., also on Mondays and Wednesdays, at a cost of $75 per month, supplies included (the higher cost due to longer class time and increased teacher prep demands). Both Spanish classes begin Monday, January 26.
Enrollment forms (including student behavior contracts) are available at the elementary school office. Space is limited, so sign-up soon! Feel free to contact our Program Coordinator, Pat (Lohman) Hunt, at pat.lohman@verizon.net, or Barb Skotte at bskotte@yahoo.com with any further questions you might have. Also, please do not hesitate to let the PTSA know which other classes you might wish to see offered, or if you can help with creating additional classes.

Be an Orcas Idol -- or just a fun-loving friend

Attention all those who love to sing, just for the heck of it! Orcas Idol on Feb. 7 needs YOU!
Now you can share that joy with your Orcas neighbors and contribute to a good cause -- the promotion of healthy lifestyles through the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership -- by contacting Jeanne Beck at the Funhouse and deciding which of your favorite songs to sing. There's still time to sign up, Jeanne will be helping select music until Jan. 22. The Orcas Idol audition performances on Jan. 24 at the Grange will determine the Idol contestants.
Earlier this week, the editor of Bullwings was persuaded to jump on the bandwagon, and now she's hoping to bring along all those kitchen-sink and shower chanteurs and -teuses to sing your heart out. Photo right shows editor at last no-holds-barred performance. It's easy, all singers will be accompanied by karaoke music, and Bullwings will respond with suggestions to help you choose any song you'd like to sing and sure stage-fright cures.
In the past, Jenole Peacock, Jason Kraayeveldt and Locket Goodrich have won top honors, but the show isn't about competition -- it's about having a great time, sharing music, and knitting together a healthy community in a fun way.
Who else remembers Librarian Holly King singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" in audition and then serenading the Idol audience to second place with a series of smoky torch songs? Or island newcomer Jim Sullivan blowing away the crowd at the Orcas Center with his darkly passionate rendition of "Music of the Night," followed by a reincarnation of Johnny Cash with "Folsom Prison Blues."
The Generations Y and Z have been ably represented at past "Idols" with Anika Gresham and KD Laslo's irrepresible showmanship, to mention only a few of the past "Idol" performers.
So this year, let's just get up there and do it for the fun of it, (the more the merrier and the less we'll all feel intimidated).
I had fun yesterday pondering which songs from past loves I'll sing and so far, here's my list: "Memory" from "Cats," "Desperado" by the Eagles and "Love the One You're With" by Steven Stills.
Or maybe I'll sing "For the Good Times" and "Still the Same" by Bob Seger, or maybe "New Orleans" by Gary US Bonds, or maybe or maybe....
Contact Jeanne Beck at jbeck@interisland.net and let's make Orcas Idol 2009 a real Mardi Gras-style hootenanny.

Ferry meeting Thurs. Jan. 15 to air views on Long-range Plans A & B

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the San Juan County Council and the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) unanimously endorsed a response to Washington State Ferries’ Long Range-Planning Options that calls the lower cost Plan B “an unrealistic representation of state ferry service.” The response offers support to the system’s Plan A with some caveats.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division projects that, at the current funding rate, Plan A would create a 20-year funding shortfall of $3.5 billion. Over the same period of time Plan B would come up $1.4 billion short.
WSDOT’s proposed Long-Range Plan A calls for the acquisition of 10 new vessels over the next 20 years and would make capital investments in land transit programs at selected terminals to encourage walk-on ferry ridership.
Plan B calls for the purchase of just five new vessels, the elimination of the Anacortes to Sidney ferry route, and removal of that boat from domestic service. It assumes that some of the reduction in capacity would be absorbed by passenger ferries, operated by local entities rather than the state.
The State is holding a meeting aboard the inter-island ferry on Thursday, Jan 15. If leaving from Orcas Island, board the inter-island at 12:25 p.m., headed to Lopez. The ferry meeting will return to Orcas after sailing to Friday Harbor, and is scheduled to arrive at Orcas Landing at 2:55 p.m.

Letter from County's Council and Ferry Advisory Committee reject Plan B

The San Juan County Council and Ferry Advisory Committee sent the following letter to David Moseley, Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Washington State Ferries on Jan. 13:

Dear David:
RE: WSF’s Draft Long-Range Plan
The San Juan County Council and Ferry Advisory Committee have jointly reviewed the December 19, 2008 Draft Long-Range Plan and reject the option of Plan B as an unrealistic representation of state ferry service.
• By eliminating the Anacortes/San Juans/Sidney vessel, over 80% of the domestic service capacity on that vessel is eliminated for seven months of the year, which is a 20% reduction in daily service capacity during this period.
• Plan B does not meet current or future service demands.
• There is insufficient information and time on both plans to allow the legislative bodies and communities to participate in a meaningful review.
• Lack of a financing component, as required by ESHB 2358, makes qualitative decisions impossible.
• Plan B removes one vessel from a totally ferry-dependent community.
We have entered the tenth year of difficult state decisions on state ferry funding in the post-I 695 transportation funding environment. We are entering the first year of what everyone hopes is a temporary economic downturn, particularly in elastic revenues received by state and local governments that necessarily slow during these economic conditions. Our first fear is that short-term finances will drive long-term funding decisions. Balancing the state budget for the 2009-11 biennium should not
be the justification for a long-term state service mistake.
The passage of time and the change in economic and government revenue fortunes have positioned WSF to be considered the ugly step-child of the state budget. Addressing the funding gap is the answer, not divestiture. Select what is right over what is easy. If the Plan A gap of $3.5 billion is divided by the 22-year planning horizon, it is a difference of $160 million per year. The loss of MVET [through I-695]in strict 1999 dollars was larger than this by many times. The legislature found a way to replace a good deal of the highway funding as a result of public pressure to fix and improve the roads. Over time (not necessarily all in this session), the legislature must do the same for the ferry system. It is clearly the east/west highway system over the waters of the Puget Sound.
The WSF Long Range Plan presents the ferry-served communities and, to a lesser extent, the citizens of this state with the age-old comparison of price versus value. While it was a conscious point of demarcation not to include economic analysis as part of the study, that decision required the highlighting of cost centers in the WSF budget, while large portions of the overall value disappear into
the general funds of the state and local governments in the form of sales tax and lodging tax.
San Juan County is a ferry-dependent community (as compared with a ferry-advantaged community) and is composed of a complex set of users representing four distinct groups: full-time residents, parttime residents, tourists and commercial users, including those that provide essential supplies. The Anacortes/San Juans route is an extension of State Highway 20 and has been identified as one of the highlights and most scenic elements of Washington State’s most recently designated Scenic Byway.
Maintenance and continued development of a functioning ferry system is critical to the economic viability of the San Juan community.
Generally, Plan A meets the needs of the San Juan County community by providing reasonable transportation options for the multiple-user groups in the San Juan Islands. However, it is not as specific as it should be when considering how the adaptive management strategies, particularly reservations, will appropriately balance the needs of those distinct user groups. It in itself is the minimum to which WSF should peg the level of service, and other targeted improvements; emergency
back-up and passenger efficiencies should also be considered.
Plan B will set in motion a divestiture approach that would make it very difficult to re-build the ferry system to the level of service provided today; it does not provide sufficient ferry capacity to meet current or future requirements. The Plan decreases the number of runs within the San Juan Islands by eliminating the Anacortes/San Juans/Sidney boat and decreases the overall number of new vessels, which will also have a significant economic impact on San Juan Island communities. It also requires passenger-only ferries to be developed and managed by locally-funded entities. It forces mode and travel choices in adaptive management strategies rather than providing them by way of incentive.
The following comments apply primarily to Plan B:
1. Economic Analysis - ESHB 2358 stated that WSF shall develop fare and pricing policies that:
“consider the impacts on users, capacity and local communities”; however a long term economic analysis is conspicuously missing. The decrease of any ferry service to the San Juan Islands will have a negative impact to the economic viability and health of this ferry-dependent community. For the past three legislative sessions, San Juan County has requested that such an analysis be undertaken.
Without data from the economic analysis impact study, WSF cannot make sound decisions about the fate and subsequent impacts of eliminating the Anacortes/San Juans/Sidney route, as well as the loss of non-WSF tourism revenue to the state by diminishing service to the San Juans.
2. Vessel Replacement – Ridership forecasts tell you to increase capacity; Plan A allows for that in a marginal manner over time without increasing the number of vessels, but Plan B, with no capacity increase, represents poor planning in the midst of the largest comprehensive ferry planning effort to date. According to WSF planning staff, Plan A retires vessels early partially in the name of keeping shipyards happy in the hope they will give you better bids. The public should not
make all the compromise. Explore lengthening by a year some of the later replacements to take vessels to their full life expectancy and to spread capital costs. Also, the bidding advantage given to the private shipyards which have no out-of-state competition must be explored for an equitable solution and to provide qualification for federal funding.
The nickel gas tax provided some dedicated funding to vessel replacement. A movement toward Plan B appears to be a second abdication of the promise made by that prior legislature. A ferry-dependent community with no state highways can view that financial redirection with only a profound sense of loss.
The lack of an emergency backup vessel for more than the next five years is tantamount to driving a vehicle without insurance for that period. Emergency back-up vessels have been needed numerous times in just the past two years – there is no reason to expect the likelihood of that need to be any different over the next five years; therefore the situation should be included in any plan, not ignored.
Elimination of the Anacortes/San Juans/Sidney route has a significant impact on the mainland capacity of island traffic. Over 80% of the capacity in the off-season is assigned to domestic service.
3. Transit – Regardless of the Plan, better coordination with local transit agencies is required to ensure that this mode shift is a realistic option The Skagit/San Juan routes are the most difficult coordination opportunity due to the obvious need of residents, weekenders and tourists to move more materials than can be carried by an individual. As a result, it was ignored in either plan without even a
footnote of the need to study it. Transit improvements were ignored because of an apparent default to commuters in the vision of the study. Mode shift can be achieved, but Skagit Transit, the County and WSF must work together to make it happen. Appendix F does not include any specific transit improvements for the Anacortes terminal, let alone any of the other terminals within the San Juan
Islands. This is an item which has generated extensive comments in a number of community forums, most recently during WSF’s inter-island information meeting last fall. Provisions for transit improvements at both ends of the Anacortes/San Juan route are necessary to coordinate with ferry service if any decrease in vehicle traffic is to be supported. Any effort to encourage walk-on traffic must also address parking fees. As long as the costs of parking a car at the Anacortes terminal
approximate the cost of driving a car onto the islands, patrons will choose to drive their cars as it is more convenient.
4. Reservations – This is a key component in both Plans and one which San Juan County
supports, provided that no reservation fee is imposed. As stated in Appendix G, development of a workable system must be developed with “Island agents”. This is interpreted to mean representatives of San Juan County in order to ensure meaningful involvement in developing such a strategy, including the possibility of piloting the reservation strategy at one of the San Juan Island terminals this summer. The San Juan’s have four distinct user groups: islanders, weekenders, tourists, and
commercial. A poorly designed system based on indiscriminately filling vessels runs the risk of leaving groups at a disadvantage. In particular, island residents are still dependent on professional services and certain retail services available on the mainland. Being ferry dependent, and subject to the hours of those businesses, islanders cannot drive around the problem as those using other routes can. The last fare increase proposal engendered militant attitudes of islanders, who showed grass roots power. That attitude will be dwarfed by a reservation system that is not sensitive to ferry-dependent communities.
5. Level of Service (LOS) –The current LOS is acceptable; however, the reduced LOS in Plan B is not acceptable when considering the long waits that currently exist between vessels to and from certain islands. Additional information and analysis are required to determine the triggers for the two proposed levels and the subsequent impacts on ferry riders. Hidden in the alteration of the LOS standard is the previous trigger point for increase of vessel capacity. That has been exchanged for
adaptive management strategies that could ultimately drive housing choice decisions and change the ridership growth assumptions.
6. Foot passenger fare increases – It is very important to the San Juan County community that the existing no-charge for walk-ons on the interisland ferry continues. It is unquestionably the best mode-shift policy employed by WSF on any route, although it currently creates externalities outside the terminal area in the form of parking and transit. It is understood and accepted that passenger fares from the Anacortes terminal could increase. However, additional parking and transit
are essential to encourage increased foot traffic at the terminals at both ends of the route to maximize mode shift in this most unique run among ferry routes.
7. Passenger-only ferries (POF) – A primary premise of Plan B is that current and future passenger-only ferries will be operated and maintained by locally funded entities; without the certainty, readiness or willingness of the affected counties to step in, Plan B begins to look like an exit strategy that creates a service gap and points to self-taxing enabling legislation as the response. Before giving any consideration to Plan B, this is a major assumption that needs to be
explored further with prospective providers to determine the realistic likelihood of such a change in funding, ownership and management. The legislature must also take a broader view of the natural perception that this is an abdication of a 56-year responsibility. That broader view will engender a move toward partnership, which may cause re-thinking that such an abandonment equals no participation in local provider public subsidy. There is no guarantee of mode shift (and its positive
attributes) in placing POF responsibilities on counties – it is only a guarantee of cost shift.
This comment letter has been signed by the full San Juan County Council and Ferry Advisory Committee to signify our commitment to working with WSF to develop a logical and manageable plan to maintain the Anacortes/San Juan Island ferry route.

Signatures followed.

Mighty mice responsible for 125,000 - 200,000 fires per year

No this isn't a quote from the National Enquirer, but from Orcas Island Fire Chief Mike Harris, who researched national statistics for figures on the number of structure fires caused by rodents -- mice, rats, squirrels, possums, anything that gnaws -- chewing through electric wires in their search for warm "nesting places."
"They're just looking to get out of the elements, and if they can find a place inside your house -- even better," says Harris.
The danger of rodents inside a house (which can be accessed through any point of entry in both older homes and brand-new construction)is that their gnawing can cause wiring shorts that lead to fires, as the Orcas Fire Department experienced first-hand on Dec. 14 when they battled a multi-room fire on Spring Point which resulted in extensive smoke damage.
The house was a three-story "dream house" said Harris, and the culprit was a rat who was electrocuted. "That's all the Fire Marshal needed to see," said Harris, to determine the cause of the fire.
Harris described the fire as the most difficult fire he'd experienced on Orcas, and "one of the most difficult in my career." The heat ducting carried the smoke to three different rooms, but it was the bitter cold that contributed to the difficulty of fighting the fire, as well as the challenges of a steep icy road and the house being built on a cliff, which limited access.
Beyond the fire hazard, the problem of rodents finding a home within your home is that they reproduce so fast. Harris says, "If they target your house, it's not just them but the ones they're creating."
Food and water access are the main reasons for rodents entering buildings. Storing food (including trash) in sealed metal or hard plastic containers is a must. In addition, since rodents can enter buildings through holes as small as 1/4 inch, it is essential to seal off entry points with metal materials, such as steel wool or small-mesh metal screens.
Trapping and baiting are also important measures to take should food, water, and access restriction fail to address the problem of unwelcome house guests.