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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 19, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 19, 2012
 
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By NATALIE JOHNSON nataEe@rnasoncounty,com The Shelton High School Students Against Destruc- tive Decisions (SADD) Club received national attention this month for its efforts to promote safe driving at SHS. Senior and club president Stephanie Howard traveled with her mother and SADD Club Advisor Gerald Apple to Washington, D.C., early this month, and on Jan. 9, met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood along with nine other Project Ignition Leader Schools from across the United States. "I was just lucky to have the opportunity," Howard said. Project Ignition is a teen driver safety program co- ordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council and funded by State Farm. Howard said this is the sec- ond school year that the SHS SADD Club has done projects with Project Ignition funding to educate their peers about the dangers of distracted driving. "It's any kind of activity that takes any part of your focus or eyes or actual hands off driving. The main focus is texting and driving," she said. Representatives from schools with the top ten Proj- ect Ignition programs in the country met in Washing- ton, D.C., on Jan. 9 to take a tour of the capitol, spend a day shadowing an employee in the U.S. Department of s to D.C. Courtesy photo Shelton High School student Stephanie Howard, right, met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood in Washington, D.C., as part of a conference for Project Ignition, a teen driver safety program. Transportation and present U.S. Department of Trans- their school's projects to con- portation's Deputy Assistant gressional staff members, Secretary of Governmental Howard said. Affairs Amit Bose. Howard was chosen to "It was really interesting," represent the Shelton SADD she said. "It was really com- Club. During her job shadow, plicated and a little above my she spent four hours with the head." Journal photo by Natalie Johnson John Bolender, executive director of the Mason Conservation District, spoke at the Mason County Commission meeting on Tuesday in favor of the county opting into a Voluntary Stewardship Program to protect critical areas. County opts in to stewardship program By NATALIE JOHNSON state priority. If funded, designate a water- natalie@masoncoun~y,cvm shed group and entity to administer funding and develop a work plan," according to the briefing. The Mason County Board of Commis- Dan Wood, local affairs director of the sioners voted Tuesday to participate in the Washington Farm Bureau, addressed the Ruckelshaus Voluntary Stewardship Pro- Mason County Commission. He said that gram for protection of critical areas outlined before Mason County voted on the proposal, in state law. 20 counties in Washington had voted to join According to a briefing provided to the the voluntary stewardship program. county commissioners by Director of Plan- However, it isn't certain that the county ning and Community Development Barbara will receive funding for the first year of the Adkins, "This program is an alternative ap- program. proach for counties to protect critical areas "So many counties are opting in -- I don't on agricultural lands. It is intended to ad- believe all counties will be funded in the first dress the contentious issue of the protection year," Wood said. "Until you get funding you of critical areas on agricultural land while have no obligation to move forward." maintaining viable agricultural production." Although funding is in question, opting The option is designed to ease restrictions into the plan would not leave the county's on agriculture while still preserving critical critical areas unprotected, he said. areas. Until a work plan is approved, the county According to the state law: "It is the intent will still be subject to the Growth Manage- of this act to: (a) Promote plans to protect ment Act and all county Critical Areas Ordi- and enhance critical areas within the area nances (CAO). If the plan is deemed not ad- where agricultural activities are conducted, equate by a state technical panel the county while maintaining and improving the long- must revert to its CAOs, Wood said. term viability of agriculture in the state of The program would rely on work being Washington and reducing the conversion of done already in partnership with organiza- farmland to other uses." tions like the Skokomish Watershed Action The program was recommended in a re-Team (SWAT) and the Mason Conservation port by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, District. a joint enterprise of the University of Wash- According to the RCW, the stewardship ington and Washington State University. plan would "Rely upon voluntary steward- Governor Chris Gregoire signed the pro- ship practices as the primary method of gram into law on May 16, 2011. protecting critical areas and not require the The Mason County Commission held a cessation of agricultural activities." public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to hear John Bolender, executive director of the public comment on the proposal. The county Mason Conservation District, spoke in favor had until Sunday, Jan. 22, to choose to par- of the plan at Tuesday's meeting. ticipate in the program. "Farmers are stewards of their land," he Now that it has opted into the program, said. "It's important that we provide an en- the county will "confer with tribes, envi- vironment that is conducive to the county's ronmental and agricultural interests. No- agricultural producers ... we need to reduce tify property owners and other affected in- regulatory barriers but that doesn't mean dividuals, tribes, governmental agencies, we don't protect the environment." businesses, school districts and organiza- All three Mason County Commissioners tions. Adopt an ordinance or resolution that also spoke in favor of the stewardship pro- elects to participate, identifies participating gram and voted unanimously to take part in watersheds and nominates watersheds for the pr%~'am III I [ The SHS club's project in- ing in service clubs n she volved a video showing the dan- attends Western Washington gers of texting while driving. U~versity in the fall.| 'Last year we did a video %Ve're hoping we'r~ mak- that is about 10 minutes long ing a real differencel" she and has a local coroner telling said. '%Ve feel that things about his experience arriving like distracted drivi~ g are on the scene for a crash that way more important th an the Conference in Minneapolis, can save lives immediately. On April 11 through 14, members of the SADD club plan to travel to participate in the National Service Learn- ing Conference and youth- driven PeaceJam Leadership involved texting on driving," other things that tend to get Minn. she said. focused on a lot." Until then, the SADD Club The group also wrote and Howard doesn't m~ an to will continue its projects, in- performed a skit last year discount the importaJlce of cluding the Little Stars pro- on the dangers of distracted educating peers abot t the gram, which educates first- driving, and this year, have dangers of alcohol or t ~bacco grade students about bicycle placed public service an- use, but she said te~tching and pedestrian safety. The people to not text ant drive Little Stars program is also Mom Grandma... We Can't Believe You're 70 Either/ Love, Your Family ?.q Friends nouncements (PSAs) on the radio and on the back of Ma- son County Transportation Authority (MTA) busses. These projects were all funded by Project Ignition. Howard said the PSAs ask drivers, "Is that text message worth your life? Your friends can wait." Howard said many of the other nine high school represen- tatives came from smaller cities and towns such as Shetton. Howard joined the SHS SADD club in junior high school on a whim, and five years later is the leader of the club. After those years of dedi- cation to the club, Howard plans to continue participat- % makes for any Complete this form, clip it You can order by phot O 0 $51 E] $51 (in md mail to P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 ,e (360) 426-4412 with your credit card. '(Mason County address) -'lma or Bremerton address) $61 per year out of state Please charge to my Please c [3 New g Renewal ion Visa 0 MasterCard I I Card Number: I Signature: Expires: Name: City: t 3 di r code Phone: Address: State: Zip:. I I I Shelton-Mason County Journa I -Thursday, January 19, 2012 - Page A-3