Many say that the San Juans are paradise – so how do we keep them that way? An eight page full color insert coming out July 15 and 16 in all three local papers gives actions we can all take to help. Make sure you get a copy of “Caring for our natural resources … a way of life in the San Juans.”
Have you ever wondered about salmon restoration in your backyard, your watershed? What’s going on, who’s doing the work, where the projects are located, and how you can get involved or coordinate with these efforts? Thanks to a joint effort by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and locally based Lead Entity watershed groups, such as the San Juan Lead Entity coordinated by Barbara Rosenkotter, searching for restoration projects in our watersheds is now just as easy as looking for a new home on the Internet or locating an address on MapQuest.
The campaign of 40th District Democratic Party Nominee for State Senate, Kevin Ranker, received the endorsement of longtime 40th LD State Representative Jeff Morris (D-Anacortes.)
Reema Griffith, Executive Director of the Washington State Transportation Commission, said in a press release on July 8, “Washington State Ferries (WSF) is facing serious challenges. With the increased costs of operations due to rising fuel prices and the need for investment in infrastructure and new ferries, the challenges are growing each day. Over the past several months, the State Transportation Commission has been involved in a comprehensive effort to gather data on ferry customers to help the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division (WSF) and our state’s decision makers identify comprehensive solutions that will meet the needs of its customers in the future.
Captain Max Jones of the Orcas Island Fire Department says that the fire at Burke Thomas’ cabin on July 4 was “by far the hottest fire I’ve ever been to in 26 years of firefighting.”
The Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that this year’s best Community Parade Entry is awarded to the Orcas Island Historical Society and Museum for their “Born Here, Still Here” entry.
On Friday, July 11, Superintendent Glenn Harris submitted a formal resignation from his position as Superintendent of the Orcas Island School District.
Orcas Island Fire Department has joined with San Juan and several local fire districts to respond to fires now burning out of control in eastern Washington. Firefighters from all over the state are sending what help they can to help in the effort. One fire, east of Wenatchee, is now considered a threat to the Bonneville Power lines. Firefighters Tad Lean and David Howitt from San Juan Island plus Chad Kimple and Perry Pruett are manning brush engines from both islands. Noel Monin from San Juan Fire District 3 is the Strike Team Leader.
Secretary of State Sam Reed is reminding Washington citizens that Saturday, July 19, is the last day for them to do mail-in or online voter registration in order to vote in the August 19 Primary election.
As the July 24 deadline for budget completion for the 2008-2009 school year looms, the Orcas Island School District (OISD) Board sharpened their pencils and exchanged proposals for budget cuts at their meeting on July 7, and by the end of the evening, they’d whittled $210,000 from the proposed budget deficit.
In his report to the Board of Fire Commissioners on July 8, Orcas Island Fire Department Chief Mike Harris announced that the Fire/Medic local union members Valerie Harris, Mik Presz and Patrick Shelpler have formally presented the proposal to divide the Assistant Fire Chief duties into three positions, with a start time of Jan. 1, 2009. They also proposed an interim start date of August 1, 2008. Their current contract expires on Dec. 31, 2008.
Register online at www.sjcf.org
Bob Myhr to take Kevin Ranker’s slot..
