At this time of year, as seasonal rains quench these thirsty islands, our drives and dirt roads look more like a satellite view of the Minnesota lake country and rubber boots are strategically positioned on every porch just to retrieve the mail.
Mayor Carrie Lacher said during her campaign that one of her goals is to establish an independent funding source for streets. Our recommendation: The Friday Harbor Town Council should place an advisory vote on the town ballot, asking town property owners if they would support Friday Harbor Fire Department becoming part of the San Juan County District 3 Fire Department.
In a talk with a leader of CAPR (Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights) it was suggested that I stick to facts, and not philosophy. That is advice that I will take in this letter. I am arguing in favor of leaving as much protection as possible between households and the shoreline. Certainly more than is suggested by CAPR. The reference to “canaries” refers to the canary that dies in an unsafe mine, providing a warning signal. Animals dying in the Spring Street Aquarium may be offering a similar warning.
Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti. As they have when disaster has struck other parts of the nation and world, islanders are responding to assist relief efforts. Here are ways that you can help.
Tuesday, Jan. 12, the San Juan Lions Club hosted San Juan Island School District Superintendent Walt Wegener and school board member Brent Snow to present their views on the M&O Levy coming up for vote on Feb. 9. Snow, who is manager of Roche Harbor when he is not devoting time to family and all sorts of community causes, kicked off what he called the “pony and dog show.” He was most persuasive.
Sometimes when something very bad happens it can, in fact, be a blessing in disguise. Such was the case the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, when Lyle Mann, not feeling well, drove himself to the clinic. They immediately airlifted him to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham for observation by the cardiac team. An angiogram the next morning revealed his center artery was nearly totally blocked and a side vein off of that artery was half blocked! His surgeon, Dr. Richard Leone, immediately scheduled him for open heart, double bypass surgery the very next morning on Monday, Nov. 30, 7:30 a.m. Dr. Leone did this immediately to prevent a massive heart attack that imminently threatened to end Lyle’s life.
2010 is an important year. We will participate in the 23rd U.S. Census to determine our nation’s population. The census is mandated every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution; the results are used to allocate congressional seats, electoral votes and government program funding. Census documents will be mailed March 15. Until then, local census workers will be spreading the word, on the street and through this newspaper, to encourage islanders to complete their census forms — all islanders, regardless of citizenship or legal residency.
Ballots will soon arrive by mail for the renewal of the San Juan Island School District’s Maintenance and Operations (M&O) levy. Nearly 20 percent of our schools’ annual budget depends upon the M&O levy. M&O levy dollars flow directly to our classrooms and after-school programs, providing additional teachers and instructional staff. M&O levy funds support reasonable class sizes; staffing for music, visual arts, libraries, advanced placement, and vocational tech; online classes; and alternative options for all our students. These are the same programs that are subject to budget cuts when the district is pressed for funds, yet they are also the very programs that often help students succeed overall in school.
The status quo jeopardizes wild salmon recovery. That’s what NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency in charge of implementing the Endangered Species Act regarding salmon, told the Federal Emergency Management Agency in reviewing FEMA’s floodplain management plan. If status quo development, pollution and other ongoing factors damaging and destroying salmon habitat are allowed to continue, ESA-protected species such as threatened Puget Sound chinook and steelhead will not recover.
The endangered Southern Resident orca whales need our help. They need less pollution and many more salmon to eat and they need fewer boats disturbing them and making underwater noise. For more than 30 years, The Whale Museum has been observing the Southern Residents and has operated the Soundwatch “on-the-water-boater-education” program for nearly 20 years. Soundwatch has worked with the whale-watch industry and the U.S. and Canadian governments to collaboratively develop “Be Whale Wise Guidelines” (www.bewhalewise.org). Some of these guidelines have already become Washington state law. Now, the federal government is seeking to create federal vessel regulations, based in part on these industry supported guidelines. Monitoring research by Soundwatch illustrates that voluntary guidelines don’t work and that the 2008 Washington state vessel regulation also is not working, especially when applied to private boaters.
Like any community, San Juan Island is a community of people with different cultural traditions and different religious beliefs. December is an important time. These different observances, by virtue of being near the close of a year, come at a time for reflection on all our common bonds.
Life on our islands was once described by a local writer as similar to living on a ship at sea. We are largely on our own out here in the northwesternmost county in the continental United States. With that in mind, “shop local” takes on new meaning. Money we spend here stays here. It helps pay local wages, support local public services, pay local wages, put food on local tables, pay local rents and mortgages. And it funnels through to the many non-profits by the generous donations of local businesses.
When a public person dies, discussions usually center on that person’s accomplishments in their field. Superior Court Judge John O. Linde will also be so remembered, and there is a lot to remember: San Juan County District Court judge for 21 years (at one time the youngest in the state). Principal of a well-established and well-respected law firm. First judge of the San Juan County Superior Court. Member of the boards of directors of the Friday Harbor Athletic Association, Inter Island Medical Center, San Juan Community Theatre, San Juan Golf and Country Club, and San Juan Little League.
