Islands' Weekly, March 10, 2015

By Scott RasmussenJournal editor

San Juan County’s chief building official remains on paid administrative leave and his employment with the county in doubt.

And, the merits of his report of improper govern-ment action, a so-called “whistleblower” claim, would appear to be up in the air as well.

An eight-year county employee, John Geniuch was escorted out of his office at the Community Development and Planning Department on Feb. 11 by two senior-level managers and placed on administra-tive leave pending the out-

come of an internal inves-tigation involving a trio of concerns over employee conduct.

He left the building with-out incident, according to Friday Harbor attorney Nick Power, who represents Geniuch in the labor-man-agement dispute, and who described his client’s exit from the building as civil, a matter-of-fact affair and “no big deal.”

“He packed up his stuff and left,” said Power, who joined his client at CDPD prior to his departure. “That’s about all there was to it.”

Hired as a plans exam-iner, Geniuch was promoted

to deputy building official in late 2010 and appointed chief building official in early 2014. He contends that revenue generated by build-ing permit fees has been improperly funneled to other CDPD-managed pro-grams and that the ongoing practice is out of compliance with state law.

Geniuch said he repeat-edly notified CDPD man-agement and others of his concerns in the latter half of the previous year and was repeatedly told that his interpretation of RCW 82.02.020 is incorrect.

On Feb. 4, he filed a whis-tleblower claim with the county human resources department and the pros-ecuting attorney.

On Feb. 17, Power and Geniuch met with the coun-ty manager, human resourc-es manager and CDPD Director Sam Gibboney to discuss the concerns lev-eled by management about his job performance and that reportedly led to his dismissal.

Power said that such a meeting, known as a

Loudermill hearing, is standard protocol for gov-ernment employees facing potential termination and functions as a “due pro-cess” hearing in which an employee can contest, rebut and clarify facts surround-ing allegations in question.

Power declined to describe the allegations, but said that two appear to border on “fabrication” and the third, while even if true, would amount to a “very minor” transgression.

Power is unsure how long the county intends to keep his client on administrative leave and said they have yet to receive notice about the status of his employment.

Calls by the Sounder seeking comment from the county manager have not been returned.

As chief building offi-cial, Geniuch manages the regimen of county building inspections and oversees building plans and permit reviews.

Duties of the position include handling disputes over local building code and

The

WeeklyIslands’

The

WeeklyIslands’TheIslands’Weekly

VOLUME 38, NUMBER 10 • MARCH 10, 2015

INSIDE Crime briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Dump changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3‘Intensive’ classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

www.islandsweekly.com360-376-4500

Anne

Will

is ph

oto

ISLAND SINFONIA

Free Admission And Plenty oF PArking

For more inFo CAll: 468-4422donAtions WelCome • tAx-deduCtible

The only Symphony Orchestra in the San Juans!

Founded in 1984 • Musicians from San Juan, Lopez, Orcas and Shaw

Presents a concert of beautiful and beloved orchestral works Sunday, March 22, 3pm

at Grace Church

Tannur Ali – Poet, Performer and Founder of iLOGIC

Antonio Gutierrez – Chicago Housing Activist

LCLT ANNUAL MEETINGwith THE BOLD ONESMonday, March 23Grace Parish Hall 7 p.m.

Featuring a Dessert AuctionAll welcome!

By Shona AitkenWolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

We counted eight of the little animals – dead and squished flat by cars – on just one short stretch of road.

We also found two others, slowly making their way across the road, so we carefully scooped them up and moved them into the long grass at the side of the road. Most people driving along would never have noticed these tiny creatures, only three to four inches long.

The little creatures were rough-skinned newts. At this time of year the females are moving from the woodland, where they spend the winter, to their breeding ponds and wetlands.

Sadly their route often takes them across roads where many are killed by cars.

These little newts are quite abundant on the islands, but most people have never seen one because they are so small (a really big one is about six inches long), and they spend most of their time hidden in veg-etation on the forest floor or in ponds and wetlands.

They look a bit like lizards, with long bod-ies and long tapering tails, but they are actu-

ally amphibians, with moist skin. Their top side is covered in small bumps (hence the name “rough-skinned”) and can be a range of shades of brown, but their belly is bright orange or sometimes yellow.

Several years ago we were driving on Orcas and came across a newt slowly cross-ing the road. Of course I had to rescue it so it wouldn’t get run over. When I approached, it curled its front end up in an exaggerated push-up, flashing its bright orange underside at me. That is newt-speak for, “Try to eat me and you will die!” This is no empty threat, as the newt’s skin pro-duces a potent neurotoxin that will kill most predators if they eat one.

The exception is the common garter snake that seems to be immune to the toxin and regularly has newt for breakfast. I had no intention of eating the newt and knew I wouldn’t die from briefly touching it, so I ignored its warning, gently scooped it up and moved it off the road. And then I washed my hands.

For the next few weeks, and again in fall when they return to the woodland for the winter, rough-skinned newts will be on the move and will be vulnerable when they have to cross roads, so look out for these little creatures when you are driving, and let

friends and neighbors know too.If you know of an area where newts are

breeding or crossing roads, we’d love to know.

Give us a call 378-5000 or send an email to [email protected].

Contributed photo / George Willis

Rough-skinned newt.

What’s rough-skinned, small & trekking across our roads?

Building official on administrative leave

SEE LEAVE, PAGE 4

Elusive convict gets six-year prison term

An Orcas Island man who two weeks ago began serv-ing a six-year prison term for felony assault could face additional penalties for fail-ing to appear at a sentenc-ing hearing in late October.

On Feb. 27, David D. Thompson, 48, was sen-tenced in San Juan County Superior Court to 72 months in prison for second-degree assault with a deadly weap-on, a Class B felony, and to 60 months in prison for felony harassment, a Class

C felony. The sentences will be served concurrently.

At the sentencing hear-ing, Thompson also pleaded not guilty to a charge of bail jumping, a Class C felony, and is currently in custody in Island County Jail pend-ing an April 20 trial date. Bail was set at $200,000.

Thompson was convicted of the two felonies in late October following a jury trial and then failed to appear at the subsequent sentencing hearing. It was the second time over a five-month peri-od that he’d been convicted of the charges by a jury; however, he was granted a new trial in July because of impropriety involving a juror during the first trial.

Thompson, whose crimi-

nal record includes 14 felony convictions as an adult, most-ly non-violent crimes in six different Washington state counties, as well as 15 sepa-rate misdemeanor offenses, eight of which occurred in San Juan County, was initial-ly charged with five criminal offenses stemming from a confrontation in late 2013 in which he reportedly threat-ened three men with a rifle after they refused to let him shoot their dog, according to court documents. He was acquitted of three lesser offenses.

A $100,000 warrant was issued for Thompson’s arrest after he failed to appear at an Oct. 31 sentenc-ing hearing. He was appre-hended in early February while en route to the main-land, after disembarking a ferry in Anacortes.

A Class C felony, bail jumping carries maximum penalties of five years in pris-on, a $10,000 fine or both.

Felony charges for San Juan man

A San Juan Island man faces charges of felony assault for allegedly bran-

dishing a knife during an after-business-hours con-frontation in a parking lot with two others.

On Feb. 27, Eric M. King, 34, pleaded not guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of sec-ond-degree assault with a deadly weapon, a Class B felony, and was released under court orders pending a May 11 trial. According to prosecutors, King threat-ened another man with a “large folding knife” during the early evening confronta-tion, in which a brief alterca-tion reportedly ensued in the parking lot of a commer-cial wood shop on Argyle Avenue. The man report-edly was shoved and then fell into his car during the scuffle.

A third person at the scene, a female acquain-tance of King’s, reportedly told authorities that she did not see him brandish a knife but that King is known to carry them.

A class B felony, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon carries maximum penalties of 10 years in pris-on, a $20,000 fine or both.

– Scott Rasmussen

The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • March 10, 2015 – Page 2

Lopez Business HoursGalley

RestaurantOpen at 8 a.m.Full menu until

8:30 p.m. every nightShort-list menuafter 8:30 p.m.

Fresh, Local, Fantasticwww.galleylopez.com

468-2713

Lopez IslanderLUNCH DAILY

11:30-4:30 p.m.

DINNER DAILY4:30-9:30 p.m. FRIDAY4:30-9 p.m. SATURDAY

4:30-8 p.m. SUN. - THURS.

COME IN AND ENJOY OUR RENOWNED

SPECIAL RR RANCH PRIME RIB THURS, FRI, SATwww.lopezfun.com

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Southend RestaurantThursday-Saturday 12-8

Sunday Brunch 9-12

Beer-Wine-Great FoodDelicious Baked Goods

Daily Specials, Deli To Go ItemsCome Down to the South

End & See What’s Cookin’!Southend General Store

Winter Hours 7:30 to 7:30 everyday

southendgeneralstoreandrestaurant.com

468-2315

ONGOING

THRU MAY 26GAMES: Pinochle card games, 7 p.m., Woodmen Hall. $2 per player.

THURS, ONGOINGEVENT: Thursday Tech Time, 6 - 7 p.m., Library Community Room, led by Library Director Lou Pray. Lou will be on-hand to help you learn how to use your Kindle, tablet or iPad. She will assist patrons in learning how to download electronic movies, music and books on to their devices and computers. Lou will tutor patrons in setting up email, operating

a smartphone, dropping apps on their devices or designing a presentation. Patrons will be assisted in accessing software at their own speed with Microsoft IT Academy and Lynda.com. Another interesting feature is that the opportunity is mobile. The library is avail-able to come to groups or businesses. Thursday Tech Time is one of the offerings through May 2015 during the Digital Outreach programming, which will feature Digital Skills Classes. Pick up a brochure or visit lopezli-brary.org for info. Made possible by funding provid-ed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

MAR. 10 - APRIL 28EVENT: “Years of Living Dangerously” film series and community conversation, 7 - 9 p.m., The Gathering Place at the Hamlet. Showing of “Years of Living Dangerously,” an Emmy-Award winning Showtime nine-week series on cli-mate change from the perspective of people living through its hardships, dan-gers and challenges. Each episode will be followed by special speakers and com-munity conversation.

THURS, MARCH 12MEETING: Lopez Island Garden Club, 9:30 a.m., Woodmen Hall. Doug Benoliel, botanist, landscape designer, author and wild edibles expert will present: “Small Shrubs and Ground Covers: Seven Favorites for the San Juan Islands!”

MEETING: Lopez Artist Guild Annual Meeting, 7 - 9:30 p.m., Lopez Library meet-ing room. This year’s annual

LAG meeting will feature speaker Robin Jacobson on the topic “Social Media for Artists.” There will be a short business meeting at 7 p.m. followed by Robin’s presentation.

SAT, MARCH 14SPORTS: Calling all island basketball players. Here is your chance to represent your island in the third Annual 5-on-5 Basketball Tournament on Orcas on March 14 at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $75; proceeds go to the Booster Club.

ART: Opening reception for TJ Anderson’s “Illumination of the Orb,” 5 - 7 p.m., Chimera Gallery. Enjoy this rare opportunity to see a large collection of TJ’s beautiful and inspiring works of wood. Show runs through April 10. Thursday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-3, Lopez Village Plaza. 468-3265. www.ChimeraGallery.com.

EVENT: The Beauty and

Complexity of Vietnam: A Different Light, 1-2:30 p.m., Library Community Room. The final program of the Lopez Library’s Winter Wanderlust Series. Lopez locals Jack Pedigo and Parvin Baharloo pres-ent photographs, videos, impressions and discus-sion of the country today. The program will include numerous elements of Vietnam including its natu-ral wonders as well as time for discussion at the end of the program.

MON, MARCH 16MEETING: LCLT Board Meeting, 4 - 6 p.m., LCLT office.

FRI, MARCH 20LESSONS: Lopez Island Golf Club, golf instructor Steve Nightingale will offer free golf lessons for kids 12-18 at Lopez Golf Club on these dates: March 20 (8:30 - noon), March 21 (8:30 - noon), March 27 (3:00 - 5:30) and March

28 (8:30 - noon) Sign up with Richard Tetu at Lopez Island High School or contact Joyce Kruithof at 468-4992.

EVENT: Blood drive, 11 - 5 p.m., Community Church.

SUN, MARCH 22MUSIC: Island Sinfonia, the only classical orchestra in the San Juans, will present a wide variety of familiar music, 3 p.m., Grace Church. No admission fee. This non-profit offers you exciting live performances of beau-tiful music you know and love. If you’d like to hear even more music next year, your tax-deductible con-tributions will be precious and very much appreciated. For more info, call Ginni Keith at 468-4422.

SAT, MARCH 28EVENT: Fun and Funky Flea Market, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Lopez Center for Community and the Arts.

CommunityCalendar

Publisher 360.376.4500 Colleen Smith Armstrong [email protected] 360.376.4500 Cali Bagby [email protected] Manager 360.376.4500 Joanna Massey [email protected] Advertising 360.376.4500 Cali Bagby [email protected]

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The Islands’ Weekly was founded in 1982 and is based on Lopez Island. The Islands’ Weekly is published every Tuesday and is

mailed to homes and businesses in the San Juan Islands.

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Lopez IslandAA Meetings:

Mondays - 7:30 p.m. at the Children’s CenterWednesdays - 4 p.m. - Women’s meeting at the fellowship hall at Grace Episcopal ChurchSaturdays - noon at the Children’s CenterCall 468-2809

Al-Anon:Saturdays - 9:30 a.m. at the Children’s Center, Lopez.Call 468-4703.

Crystal RoventeCome in for your

FREE LUNCH!Galley Restaurant

Crime Briefs

Salmon recovery efforts in Washington are making a difference — more salmon are returning home in some areas, although significant work remains — according to a new report released by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.

“Washington state has been investing in salmon recovery for more than a decade, and we are starting to see some results,” said Kaleen Cottingham, direc-tor of the Recreation and Conservation Office, home of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, which cre-ated the report and website. “That’s heartening. But we also see that we have a long way to go until all salmon species are healthy enough to be removed from the endangered species list.”

The newly released state

of salmon in watersheds executive summary and interactive website show Washington’s progress in trying to recover the 15 populations declared as at risk of extinction by the fed-eral government and list-ed under the Endangered

Species Act. The website puts online live data from many sources around the state and offers interactive story maps from efforts statewide.

Some findings from the report:

• Nearly half of the 15 salmon populations are increasing.

• Measurements of the amount of water in streams and rivers show that the majority of the monitoring stations assessed have stable

or increasing flows. Having enough water in streams and rivers is important for keep-ing the water cool enough for salmon to thrive.

• Seventy-five percent of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s hatch-ery programs meet or are expected to meet scientific standards to ensure conser-vation of wild salmon and steelhead, compared with only 18 percent of hatcher-ies meeting those standards in 1998.

• Shoreline armoring in Puget Sound, through bulkheads and riprap, is increasing at a rate of about a mile a year. This substan-

tially exceeds the amount of shoreline being restored. Hardening shorelines deprives young salmon of food and shelter.

“Recovering salmon is good not only for the fish but also for the people of Washington,” said Brian Abbott, the executive coor-dinator for the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office. “We know that salmon recovery work has created nearly 7,500 jobs and generated $763 million in economic activ-ity since 1999. Most of that money [80 percent] stays in

the county where the restora-tion work occurred, which is a big help to the economies of rural communities.”

“Washington has great people in place in nearly every community to do the work of restoration, and this report shows we are making progress,” Cottingham said. “We just have to recognize that recovering salmon isn’t going to happen overnight. Preserving salmon essen-tially helps us preserve our way of life. That’s worth the effort.”


For more information call Cali Bagby at the Islands’ Weekly 376-4500

Ad Sales Deadline: Glossy: April 1, 12 pm; Non-Glossy: April 22, 12 pm

Publication Dates:May 20, 2015

Ad Sales Deadline:

A supplement of the Journal of the San Juan Islands, Islands' Sounder and Islands' Weekly

SpringTide

•2015-16•

Distributed to 60,000

Visitors Each Year!WE CAN HELP.

Submitted by Lopez Solid Waste District

Anyone who is astonished at the current dip in gas prices knows how rapid economic markets can change.

Recycling markets are no differ-ent. In last month’s article, Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District dis-cussed the reasons that we, as a community-run transfer station, have changed our self-sorting bins for plastic recycling in 2015: the markets have changed.

Previously our plastics were sold at half a penny a pound. With our new system, the higher value plastics, like the #1 PETE and #2 HDPE, earn between $.15 and $.21 per pound.

We now have created dedicated bins for each, so we bale these plastics individually to get the highest possible price.

A good metaphor is if you are harvesting your garden to sell at the farmers’ market and have tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and kale. You wouldn’t likely toss them all together and accept the lowest price.

Therefore, by having separate bins for each of the highest value plastics makes the most sense/cents. So we have gone back to

sorting by numbers with a few changes.

Visually there is a clear dif-ference between a carrot and a tomato, but it’s not as clear why a #1 plastic bottle is different from a #2 or #7.

This has to do with the types of resin that the plastics contain. Plastics have only had numbers since 1988, when the Society of the Plastics Industry began the labeling system to identify what kinds of resins had been used and assigned numbers to each. This was done for the express purpose of recycling.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2012, 32 million tons of all types of plastic were generated in the U.S., but only 9 percent of that was recovered by recycling.

However, 31 percent of all #1 PETE and 28 percent of #2 HDPE plastics were recovered by recy-cling in 2012. This is because both are very valuable resins and rela-tively easy to recycle.

The community of Lopez is unique. We are known in the north west for some of the least contaminated recyclables.

As a whole our population is

well informed and educated. Plus we care.

For those interested, there is a more detailed explanation of each number, its place on our site and uses on our website: www.lopez-solidwaste.org.

We have compressed our first bales of these plastics in 2015. We want to thank the community for your new self-sorting dance as it has allowed us to bale individual plastics according to their num-bers.

Now that the west coast dock strike is over we can sell our bales and will report back to the com-munity on the price.

Remember, too, that we now recycle all steel free of charge. Lopez is one of the most well-edu-cated and proactive recycling com-munities anywhere in the U.S., and we are deeply grateful for this community’s participation.

Contributed photo

Professional dancer, Kerry Ratza, and violinist Libby Valluzzi. These women donated their talent to cre-ating a short video on “The New Recycle Dance.” To see it, simply go to our webpage at www.lopezsolid-waste.org.

Changes at the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal

New state report shows status of salmon recoveryContributed photo

Salmon recovery efforts in Washington are making a difference.

The 15th Annual Funhouse Science Fair happens on Saturday, March 28, starting at 12 p.m. at the Funhouse Commons.

This free family event is open to the public and features gizmos and gad-gets, marvels and wonders of the sci-ence world. There is truly something to interest all ages.

Learn from our featured guest, ento-mologist (bug scientist) Don Ehlen and his amazing Insect Safari, as he shares cool facts about our creepy crawly friends.

View his extensive display of pre-served specimens and live insect

guests. K-12 students from Orcas, and

neighboring islands, have been work-ing hard to perfect their projects.

Wandering Wizards will be present to judge all the entries and cast votes for the Richie Moore Rocket Ship of Wonder award, which is presented annually to the “best of show” entry.

For the 10th year in a row, the Funhouse is awarding $2,000 in schol-arships to the top three high school or middle school student entries.

This year we will be giving away iPads to three of our winners, as well. Everyone who enters receives a cer-

tificate and a science-related prize.All sorts of amazing demonstrations

and exhibits are on display throughout the Funhouse grounds by students and adult islanders.

Check out the Bed of Nails, witness a drum implosion and enjoy all the fantastic projects by our local students. There are lots of surprises in store, so come check it out.

For downloadable rules and sign-up forms, visit the Funhouse website at www.funhousecommons.org or email [email protected] for ques-tion. Entry forms are due by March 24.


Across1. "Spy vs. Spy"

magazine4. "The ___ Daba

Honeymoon"7. Avalanche12. Tree trunk13. Greyhound, e.g.14. One who is in

charge15. Shoulder

ornaments on military uniforms

17. Chant18. Judge incorrectly20. Cockeyed21. "Aquarius" musical22. Cousin of a crow25. Certain herring26. Stages of a

journey27. Nonpoetic writing29. Advance

consideration31. One who works

diligently at a trade34. Anxious35. Soft cotton fabric

with a nap39. Pub order40. ___ vera41. Secretary, e.g.45. "That's ___ ..."46. Digestion aid47. Magical wish

granter48. Partook

excessively51. Like slander54. Van Gogh's "The

Starry Night," e.g.55. Rained heavily56. Anger, e.g.57. "Green Gables" girl58. Essential oil from

flowers59. ___ Grove Village,

Ill.60. Caribbean, e.g.

Down1. Sulky2. Panhandle site3. Mild expletive4. Biblical shepherd5. Meat retailer6. Quiet7. Cast8. Cracker spread9. "Much ___ About

Nothing"10. Big ___

Conference11. "... ___ he drove

out of sight"12. Areas around

churches' altars for the clergy and choir

14. Pinocchio, at times16. Police, with "the"19. "Schindler's ___"22. Nudges23. Far from ruddy24. "Are we there

___?"26. Elders' teachings27. Corn ___28. Same old, same

old29. Manage30. "Unimaginable as

___ in Heav'n": Milton

31. Slog32. Extol33. Setting for TV's

"Newhart"35. Away36. Animal house

37. Certain conic section

38. Pedicure's painted object

41. Some river mouths42. Car's mechanical

energy source43. Reddish brown44. Move by means of

a light anchor46. Curve47. Portable firearm48. Creole vegetable49. Swerve50. Softly hit tennis

ball that falls just over the net

51. Marienbad, for one52. Ale holder53. Away

Crossword Puzzle

Answers to today's puzzle on page 8

SudokuFill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The dif� culty ranges from 1-5 (easy) 6-10 (moderate) and 11-15 (hard). Today’s puzzle is level 9.Sudoku and Crossword answers on page 8

Got a nit to pick, a joke to share, a song to sing? Whatever is on your mind, “LOPEZ Talks” wants to hear from you.

As part of the well-respected Leadership San Juan Islands program (learn more at www.LSJI.org), this year’s team from Lopez will hold its first but not the last “LOPEZ Talks” on Saturday, April 25, in the school’s multi-purpose room from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The idea is simple: on this late Saturday afternoon (after Tour de Lopez) 20 or so different people will get on stage and talk for three to five minutes about something they love, hate, do, did, know, care about, obsess over or think about. No topic is too mundane or politically incorrect — except no selling or bigotry.

We’re not looking for polished speakers, just ordinary folks who want to tell their neighbors something. Multi-media, such as slides, PowerPoint and video will be wel-come.

If you have an inkling to participate, contact Bob O’Connell to learn more at [email protected] or 468-3318. Deadline is April 1.

The event is being hosted and put together free of charge by the Lopez Cohort of Leadership San Juan Island.

Recruiting speakers for ‘LOPEZ Talks’

Come one, come all to the Funhouse Science Fair

making code interpretations to resolve such disputes, serving as department liaison for the Building Advisory Committee and drafting legislation to help clarify or make local build-ing codes more effective.

Geniuch earns high marks from those in the local building trades, according to John Evans, director of San Juan Builders Association. His

organizational and commu-nication skills, and knowl-edge of the code and chal-lenges faced by local build-ers, have helped create a climate of cooperation in an arena that often has proved contentious in the past.

“He’s the first person who’s been there in a long time who’s organized,” Evans said. “He’s been able to communicate well on the finer points of the policies and programs the county has in place, and that’s important.”

LEAVECONTINUED FROM 1

By Marcia DechadendesSJI National Monument Manager

The second anniversary for the San Juan Islands’ designation as a national monument is on March 25.

We are at last moving into the resource management plan process where we are turning to you for your per-sonal insight and support. Once complete, this plan will be the foundation for management decisions for the next 15-20 years.

Thus far we have created a team of agency resource specialists to represent the diverse interests for the landscapes, we have gener-ally identified the existing data for the landscape and we have opened up our pro-cess to other governmen-tal agencies to share their expertise in the process. We also have a team of local

citizens who have stepped forward to represent the public voice in the planning process as the monument advisory committee.

We are now at the stage of defining the issues for man-agement of these diverse landscapes, and we would like to hear from you.

We are hosting a scop-ing meeting on Thursday, March 12 at Woodmen Hall from 5-8 p.m.

At this meeting you will hear from our lead planner Lauren Pidot and our rec-reation lead Nick Teague. Our cultural heritage lead Rich Bailey, lead biologist J. Vacca and vegetation lead Mark Williams will also be present with whom you can connect with.

You can hear from Lauren about the planning process and Nick will share an over-view of the landscapes of

the monument. Following their presentations the pub-lic can ask questions. Fliers and fact sheets will also be available.

You will have the oppor-tunity to submit comments in writing, at any of the resource stations, or else-where by email or writing to identified locations.

Written comments may be submitted during the

official scoping period in the following ways: Email to [email protected], mail to San Juan Islands National Monument RMP, P.O. Box 3, Lopez, WA 98261, hand deliver to BLM Lopez Island Office, 37 Washburn Place, Lopez Island, WA 98261 or fax 503-808-6333.

Submit comments by the end of March.

Scoping meeting for the nat’l monumentBy Elizabeth LandrumSpecial to the Weekly

Do you love poetry? Do you write poetry? Or are you, perhaps, a bit afraid of it? Whichever category you fall into, a three-part poetry course at our Lopez library may just surprise and delight you.

Orcas Island’s JoEllen Moldoff, who coordinates the Writers’ Roundtable, writing workshops and poet-ry readings there, is offer-ing the poetry course, with each session devoted to a contemporary poet.

Called “Poets Teaching Poets,” the interactive class-es are open to everyone, from the “simply curious” to creative writers of any genre.

Each meeting is an invita-tion to join with others to read aloud and enjoy select-ed poems of one contempo-rary poet in order to “learn about poetry from the poem,” as Edward Hirsch wrote in “How To Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry.”

Classes will be Saturdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on March 21 (poetry of Mary Oliver), March 28 (William Stafford’s poems) and April 4 (writings of Naomi Shihab Nye).

This event is present-ed by the Lopez Library, SHARK REEF Literary Magazine and the Lopez Bookshop.

Participants are encour-aged, but not required, to attend all three classes, and to make a small dona-tion to the Lopez Island Library.

Moldoff has been writ-ing and teaching poetry for

over 25 years. Soon after she moved to Orcas from New York in 2001, she began teaching memoir and poetry writing at the Orcas Island Library, and her classes remain very popular there.

Par ticipants appreci-ate her sense of play and creative adventure, the beauty she finds in written words and the safe envi-ronment she shapes for exploration.

Moldoff’s experiences in a number of poetry work-shops with accomplished poets, including Sharon Olds, Linda Pastan, Jane Hirshfield, Ted Kooser and Naomi Shihab Nye, have helped her develop as a writer and have inspired her to want to create similar experiences for others.

Mary Oliver wrote: “Consider what is written as parts of a conversation, or a long and slowly arriving let-ter – somewhat disorderly, natural in expression and happily unfinished.”

With this in mind, Moldoff says, “We will learn from the poems, from the conversations in class and, perhaps, from our own writing in response to the poems.”


For more information call Cali Bagby at the Islands’ Weekly 376-4500

Copy & Sales Deadline: Monday, April 3, 2015, 12 pm

Publication Dates:Week of April 16, 2015

Providing a full schedule of activites and events plus,

informative feature stories.This special section of The Journal, The Sounder, & The Weekly will be distributed to over 7500 readers

throughout San Juan County and also online in our new Green Editions!

2 Happy Holidays

April 2015

Home & Garden

LOPEZ ISLANDCHRIST THE KING COMMUNITY CHURCH, There’s Always a Place for You! CTK gathers at 10:00 a.m. in the school multi-purpose room at 86 School Road. Come as you are! More info at www.ctkonline.com/lopez. Email:[email protected] Phone: 888-421-4CTK ext. 819.

COMMUNITY CHURCH, Please join us Sun. mornings. Adult Bible study, 9:30. Worship Service, 10:30. Nursery (birth-3 yrs) and Jr. Church (4-12 yrs) provided during worship service. Small groups meet throughout the week. 91 Lopez Rd., in the village. Pastor Jeff Smith 468-3877. www.ourlicc.org.

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, welcomes you to worship with us on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. Fisherman Bay Road at Sunset Lane. 468-3477. Everyone welcome!

LOPEZ QUAKER WORSHIP GROUP Please join us Sunday mornings, 10 a.m., at Sunny� eld Farm, 6363 Fisherman Bay Road. Children’s program. Everyone welcome. Phone 468-2406. Email: [email protected].

LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THE SAN JUANS (ELCA) Please join us for worship and children’s Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. in Center Church on Davis Bay Road. Also in Friday Harbor at 11:00 a.m. in St. David’s and in Eastsound at 1:15 p.m. in Emmanuel. Pastor Beth Purdum, 370-0023.

ST. FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH Come worship with us at Center Church on Davis Bay Rd. We welcome you to join us for Mass at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday starting January 3. Call 378-2910 for Mass times on San Juan and Orcas Islands.

The Lopez Secondary School finished their second year of “intensive” classes this last week. The program was start-ed to bring the passions of teachers into the classroom, as a new avenue for student enrichment. This year’s offerings ranged from aviation to Greek mythology, One Act plays to fitness and golf and a social studies class exploring each of the San Juan Islands. The Nicaraguan service trip was also included this time.

Having tried two-week intensives last year, and after input from parents and students, the staff opted for the one week model this year, to follow midwinter break. A current survey of parents and students is showing an eagerness to continue the offering.

As one parent noted, the significance of the program includes “being able to explore something that doesn’t fit tidily into the standard academic curriculum, which is lim-ited by testing requirements and the confines of a smaller school.”

Feedback from students is equally encouraging, with a theme of exploring options that they normally wouldn’t have in the course of the year: “I learned about not only

the gods and goddesses and ancient Greece, I also learned about where our ancestors came from, and I can see now how important it is to learn our history because it can shape our future.”

Another student commented, “The value is to change up our everyday school and do more hands-on activities, while students traveling can go on life-changing trips and not fall behind in school. It gives us the opportunities to travel and learn as a private school, but be public.”

The San Juan history class toured the convent on Shaw, and included for some a first-time climb of Mt. Constitution.

Besides the Nicaragua service trip, four different groups went off island for experiential learning. ... Aviation stu-dents went to the Museum of Flight, the San Juan history class explored each of the islands, the Greek Mythology class went to the Pompeii exhibit at the Pacific Science Center and the golf class traveled to Overlook Golf Course.

Support for intensives was provided through the Lopez Island Education Foundation, which donated funds for museum fees and travel expenses. The elementary will have their Intensives in May after Memorial Day.

Another year of ‘intensive’ classes

Poetry for all

WWW.ISLANDSWEEKLY.COM

Do you have a friend or neighbor who takes excep-tional care of their land? A teacher who inspires stu-dents to understand and care for the environment? A business that has been a leader in sustainable busi-ness practices?

Each year the Stewardship Network of the San Juans presents Good Steward Awards to island-ers, and relies on the com-munity for nominations. Nominations will be accept-ed for shoreline, farmland, woodland, village, business, individual, youth and educa-tor stewards.

Nominations are due by April 3, and results will be announced in June. Award

recipients will be pre-sented with “Finnies” — fish handcrafted by Crow Valley Pottery — on June 20 as part of the Solstice Celebration on Orcas Island.

To submit nominations, fill out the form on steward-shipsanjuans.org. You can also mail your nomination to Julia Vouri, Stewardship Network Coordinator, care of San Juan Islands Conservation District, 530 Guard St., Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

To see previous years’ winners, nomination forms and award guidelines, go to stewardshipsanjuans.org.


Maysie Tate, who passed away on Feb. 6, was born Meghan Connolly in East Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 1965.

She was a superb seam-stress who, after spending time in Hollywood doing spe-cialty sewing for many major films, and creating wedding headpieces for movieland royalty, moved her grateful family to Lopez Island two years ago. Here, she con-

tinued creating marvelous costume items for her loving children, Lily and Niccolo, and her lucky husband, Jack, as well as filling their purple house with love.

Maysie left a glowing impression on all whom she met on Lopez, as well as else-where.

Her friends and relatives celebrated her life at Center Church in early February

and will do so again in Los Angeles in April.

Contributions in her name can be sent to Lopez Island Family Resource Center.

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Obituary: Maysie TateThere may indeed be no free lunch, but

a free outing at Washington State Parks?Well, that’s a different matter.The Washington State Parks and

Recreation Commission set aside a dozen days in 2015 in which parking fees are not required at any state park.

It’s two down and nine more to go, to date, with the next “free day” slated for March 19 in recognition of state parks’ 102nd birthday (see below for a schedule).

“These free days are a great way for peo-ple to explore a new park or return to an old favorite,” said Commission Chairwoman Pat Lantz of Gig Harbor. “Once people realize just what they have in Washington state parks, we hope they consider buying a Discover Pass. Revenues from the pass are so important; they help keep our parks open and accessible.”

Free days are in keeping with legisla-tion that created the Discover Pass, a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.

The Discover Pass legislation provided that state parks could designate up to 12 free days each year, when the pass would not be required to visit state parks. A Discover Pass is required to access DFW and DNR lands on state parks free days.

For info, visit discoverpass.wa.gov.State parks free day calendar:

• April 4 - (Saturday) A springtime free Saturday

• April 22 - (Wednesday) Earth Day• May 10 - (Sunday) A springtime free

Sunday• June 6 - (Saturday) National Trails Day• June 13 - (Saturday) National Get

Outdoors Day• Aug. 25 - (Tuesday) National Park

Service’s 99th birthday• Sept. 26 - (Saturday) National Public

Lands Day• Nov.11 - (Wednesday) Veterans DayThe Discover Pass allows for daytime

access to parks. Overnight visitors are charged fees for camping and other over-night accommodations; day access is included in the overnight fee. The Discover Pass does not replace the sno-park permit requirement for use of sno-park winter recreation sites.

Free parking at state parks

Steward award nominations

Contributed photo

Friday Harbor’s Johannes Krieger accepts the Stewardship Network’s 2013 “Finnie” award, presented by Marta Branch.

File photo

Historic lighthouse at Lime Kiln State Park.

THE ISLANDS’ WEEKLY • WWW.ISLANDSWEEKLY.COM • March 10, 2015 - PAGE 7www.nw-ads.com

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ISLAND PETS lost/ found. On Lopez call Jane 360-468-2591; Joyce, 360-468-2258; Sheriff’s Office 360-378- 4151. Lopez Animal Pro- tection Society, PO Box 474, Lopez, WA 98261. On Orcas call 360-376- 6777. On San Juan call the Animal Shelter 360- 378-2158

jobsEmployment

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Apprentice Journeyman Lineman

2 Positions Open: Orcas and San Juan

OPALCO is seeking two Apprentice Journeyman Linemen for the San Juan and Orcas districts. Must be a high-school graduate with a passing grade in Algebra. Four- year apprenticeship training provided. Re- sponsible for construction, maintenance and operation of the over- head and underground transmission and distri- bution system. These are full-time bargaining unit positions - one based on San Juan island and the other based on Orcas Island. Down- load a detailed job description at

www.opalco.comto learn more. To apply, please submit an OPALCO employment application, your professional resume, cover letter and references to

Bev Madan 183 Mt Baker Road

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San Juan County is hiring a seasonalLand Bank Field

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· Equipment Operator or Laborer for Lopez Island

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visitwww.sanjuanco.comor call 360-370-7402.Closes 3/20/15. EOE.


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flea marketHome Furnishings

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pets/animals

Dogs

$500 AKC English Mas- tiff/ Great Pyrenees puppies. Perfect for families, security and as gentle as can be! AKC Mastiff Dad & Mom is a beautiful Great Pyrenese. All red or brown colored pups w/ some black markings. Pick you puppy, before their gone, call Francis now 360-535-9404 King- ston, WA.

9 AUSTRALIAN Shep- herd Pups. Pure Bred. Parents very docile and friendly! Mom on site. 6 males and 3 females. Tails & dew claws done. Shots & worming will be. Taking deposits now, will make good family pets! $425 for Tri-Colors; $500 for Blue Merles. Call: 360-631-6089 for more info.

AKC PUG PUPPIES! First shots and wormed. We have adorable male fawns. Well socialized with animals. Ready for great homes soon. Mom and Dad on site. Available at $700 ea. 360-929-7860 ort c t r i m m e r @ m s n . c o m Oak Harbor, Whidbey Is- land.

AKC Standard Poodle Puppies. Standard AKC Poodle Puppies. Parents geneti- cally tested, good lines, great temperament. 2 year health guaranteed & up to date on shots. www.ourpoeticpoodles.comor call 509-582-6027

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The Lopez Library is proud to host its final pro-gram in the Winter Wanderlust Series.

On Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m., at the Lopez Library’s Community Room Lopez locals Jack Pedigo and Parvin Baharloo will present “The Beauty and Complexity of Vietnam: A Different Light” – photo-graphs, videos, impressions and discussion of the country today.

Pedigo/Baharloo traveled a month in Vietnam from Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City) in the south to Ha Noi in the north.

The program will include the role of commu-

nism in the country, environmental issues and concerns, religion in the culture, its history, mag-nificent artwork (temples, statues, embroidery) and a view of current living standards.

It will also feature Vietnam’s remarkable natu-ral beauty including its beaches, Paradise Cave and Ha Long Bay which is one of UNESCO’s Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Following the photographic journey into today’s Vietnam, the program will provide time for a dis-cussion of this beautiful and complicated country as well as comparisons to our own.


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Puzzle Answers

Gallery Hours Thu.-Sat. 10-5; Sun. 10-3www.ChimeraGallery.com; (360) 468-3265

Lopez Artists’ Cooperative

March 2015Opening Reception:Saturday, Mar. 14th, 5-7 pm

Show ends April 10th

“Illumination of the Orb”New works of enlightenment by TJ Anderson

“The Beauty and Complexity of Vietnam: A Different Light”

By Emily GreenbergJournal reporter

For someone who just had a baby and is up every couple of hours nurs-ing, Caitlyn Johnson doesn’t look tired.

Her strawberry blonde hair is shiny and clean, her skin glows, her smile is wide.

Perhaps it’s her attitude.“Everyone tells you it’s going to be

so hard,” Johnson said. “I keep think-ing it’s going to be so fun.”

Weighing in at a small but healthy 5.13 pounds, Iris June Johnson was born Feb. 19, just after 3 p.m. at Island Hospital in Anacortes, making her the first baby of the year in San Juan County and her mom the winner of the Journal’s Annual Baby Derby.

“People kept mentioning it,” she said. “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a baby before me.’”

Born nine days past her due date, and nearly two months into the new year, Iris June is the latest first baby of the year in the nearly 30 years since the Journal’s Baby Derby began.

And there’s more at stake than just lifelong bragging rights. Caitlyn and Iris are recipients of the derby’s “Baby Booty,” as well: gifts, prizes and age-appropriate packages totaling more than $500 and donated by two dozen local retailers, merchants and businesses.

When it came to romance, Caitlyn never dated anyone who was inter-ested in having kids, but always knew she wanted to be a mom.

A friend had recommended a sperm bank in Seattle, and this

eventual mom-to-be thought long and hard about her decision. After a year of contemplation, Caitlyn, 34, decided she was ready.

When it was time to pick the sperm donor, the information was limitless. Height, weight, hair and eye color, occupation, religious beliefs, person-ality types. You name it, they had it. But Caitlyn tried not to get in too deep when it came to finding a partner for her egg.

She stuck with the basics and knew she wanted someone tall (she’s on the short side) with blue eyes. She also listened to a few audio interviews to help her get a feel for what traits might be passed on to her baby.

“If I thought I would be friends with this person, or I liked them as a per-son, I’d put them on the list,” she said.

She saved up money for a year and a half for the procedure, and tried for five months to get pregnant. Lucky for her and baby Iris, her egg was fertilized on the fifth try – just as the “baby money” she had saved ran out.

While careful at first with whom she told about her choice, Caitlyn found an entirely supportive com-munity of friends and family. Her mom and sister came to the island to welcome the newest addition to the family, and her best friend was with her in the delivery room – a 21st century woman if there ever was one.

“I never had any regrets from the day I decided to do it on my own,” she said. “I’m just excited to be a mom.”

First baby of the year: introducing Iris JuneStaff photo / Emily Greenberg

Caitlyn Johnson with baby Iris June.

Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island) released the statement below following the passage of a statewide transportation plan Monday from the state senate:

“There is no doubt that every corner of our state is in dire need of trans-portation investments. That is not up for debate. What is up for debate is the method we employ to make those investments.

“I am very concerned that this plan comes at the expense of our kids and our environment.

“This plan is funded in part by tak-ing almost a billion dollars away from

money targeted for education and from money dedicated to cleaning up toxins in our environment.

“We already have very difficult educa-tion funding decisions to make and a Supreme Court order to fulfill. I ques-tion the wisdom of taking almost a bil-lion dollars away from education before we have even had a chance to make additional investments.

“I also believe investing in transporta-tion at the expense of our environment is a false choice. In addition to taking money away from the environmental cleanup account, this proposal unfortu-

nately includes a poison pill that would reroute millions of dollars in transit investments into pavement if the gover-nor takes action on climate change.

“For these reasons, I joined all 23 Democratic senators in proposing a clean transportation package, one that gets Washington moving by building critical infrastructure and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs without seriously impacting our schools or the health of our communities.

“Unfortunately that clean proposal was not accepted.”

Ranker on passage of transportation plan

Documents

Islands' Weekly, March 10, 2015