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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 15, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 15, 2007
 
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Dragon ship skipper This statue marks the homestead of Erik the Red in ICeland. Jean Springer of Shelton will present a lec- tttre on the "Route of the Vikings" on Saturday, Feb-  17, the third in her series of travel adventures ,0Sted by the local historical society. The program  Uleludes slides and narrative and will begin at 2 p.m. [ [i at the Mason County Historical Society Museum, 427 i[iiW.est Railroad Avenue in downtown Shelton. Admis-  : free of charge. 111 puts area on laew college tracl : .t a,&apos;e 00oo00t, ng a l[   Would direct the Higher Edu- ".]i'°f n Coordinating Board to ad- |]]y s higher education needs in v k.%?°, n and other counties by estab- ,- | alag a four-year college in Kit- | OUnty. |! te Senator Tim Sheldon, D- |i_tch, is a sponsor of Senate 5978 Other sponsors are state I q%t0rs I)erek Kilmer, D-Gig Har- d Phil Rockefeller, D-Bain- _ Island. The measure asks ard to evaluate the need for a 'laureate-granting institution K,|lOple .... e living in Mason, Kitsap, "'.,rSon and Clallam counties. /eldon sits on the Senate, High- igducation Committee. Its a s that we need to get sta ,rt, ed, at s what the bill does, he ,.It starts us down that road. .!t happen today? No. But we re toward the future. er, who is vice chair of the tee, is the bill's prime spon- .i' ae most important driver for wth is education," he said. nployers need skilled work- 1 COmpete and our workers need skills. It's time we start mov- ing forward on ensuring we have the capacity here in our region to provide the education opportunities that our workers and our business- es need today - and tomorrow." The bill would direct the board to assemble a local advisory com- mittee consisting of local education and business leaders and local law- makers to develop preliminary rec- ommendations to the legislature by January of next year and final rec- ommendations by December of 2008. "This is one of the first steps in the process to meeting the edu- cational needs of the peninsula," Rockefeller said. "Edhcation is the cornerstone of our economy and of our community. With an economy that is becoming increasingly reli- ant on baccalaureate degrees, this effort's time has come." The bill was introduced on Thursday and will be referred to the Senate committee. "It's time to spread education funding to the areas that are less served. This is a good first step in that direction," Sheldon said. 00irds count on the and the beach #01tLteers are needed to moni- birds in South Puget 3dning will be given in Shelton aturday to persons interested eking with the Coastal Obser- a and Seabird Survey Team. kaown as COASST, this is a who prefer to count these creatures while they're on the wing are in- vited to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which runs February 16-19 throughout the U.S. and Canada. Open to beginners and expert birders alike, participants simply Harstine Island: '.al sig[ .ting no red herring By JOHN COOPER A great hubbub took place on Harstine Island at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday, in the vicinity of the spit at Dougall Point. Jan Avery, security officer for Hartstene Pointe, arrived on the scene and concluded there was nothing she could do to stop the activity of the mob that had ar- rived. All she could do was keep an eye on what was happening and report later on what she had seen. For 30 or 40 minutes she watched as offshore the waters of Case In- let seemed to be "fiercely boiling ' as countless small, silvery fish churned the surface. In awe she observed seven eagles, hundreds of gulls and three-to-four dozen seals, of all sizes feasting on the large school of fish, possibly small herring. Remarkable senses of sight and smell, as well as hearing, enabled the birds and sea mammals to home-in on the spot where a feast awaited. With our orcas vacation- ing in the waters off California they were able o eat their fill and not be eaten. Not all the news on the nature front is as exciting, but nonetheless it is interesting. Several islanders have mentioned to me that many more towhees are visiting feeders than has usually been the case. One island resident said that 12 towhees were counted at the feed- ers at one occasion and opined the full total of such visitors might be as high as 16. ANOTHER THING that peo- ple often say to us is, "We saw a different kind of bird in our garden today." In this day and age, one should remember the disclaimer in many bird books that says avi- ans generally follow a usual mi- gratory route but there are always exceptions. Specimens that ordi- narily do not visit our area may do so. The other day one Harstiner speaking about a returning house finch said there was one bird that was "red all over." Possibly it was a purple finch that looks, as one writer described it, "like a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice." Bear with us now as we say a word or too about the island's resi- dent bruin. We have not received any report of the creature having been seen recently. However, we have heard that bear droppings have been found, sometimes fairly close to residences. In other cas- es there have been bird feeders pawed and damaged, with one on a metal pole being bent over. Uneasy about such activity one resident called the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to see what could be done. In an- swer to the question, "If I see the bear can I shoot it?" The response was, "no." Where we live is natu- ral habitat for bears and as long as the creatures are not aggressive or life-threatening it is not accept- stance where a black bear attacks a human or displays behavior that constitutes an urgent human safe- ty concern, a state enforcement of- ricer will respond immediately and euthanize the bear. In the event of a human safety concern, the offi- cer has the option of immobilizing, marking and relocating the bear. This may be done one time only in lieu of killing the animal. When a bear causes the loss of livestock, the officer will respond within 24 hours to euthanize or immobilize the animal. In cases where there is potential threat to livestock or where there is bear be- havior that is a nuisance, an officer of the state will provide consulta- tion regarding responsible precau- tions. The caller will be advised to: secure and manage garbage in a manner that will not attract wild- life; remove or manage barbecues, fallen fruit, pet food, bee hives and bird feeders which produce odors that attract animals; and not make a practice of feeding wild animals. Latimer's Landing on Pickering Passage at the mainland end of the Harstine Island Bridge is a busy place which serves as a launching site for boaters from both ends of the span. A severe windstorm de- stroyed the dock during the late fall of 2005. Those who inquired about when it would be repaired were told that it would be placed on the project list for last year, 2006. Repairs were not made. Boating season for 2007 is in the offing and some folks are be- ginning to wonder when repairs will be made to this facility, which is used by boaters, fishermen and the general public. AN INQUIRY elicited a reply from John Keates of the county parks department who indicated officials have been working on obtaining the required permits to complete the job. Three weeks ago they made a presentation to the hearing examiner in Shelton and they hope to receive approval to move forward with the renova- tion. The permitting process brought to light a few conditions that lim- it a window of the construction time and call for additional proj- ect oversight. With all that taken into consideration, officials hope the job will be completed this year. Information to this effect has been given to the Mason County Com- mission. Those who use Latimer's Landing will look forward to see- ing the repair work on the dock start in the not too distant future. Word from Bill Prastka is that the new Prostate Cancer Support (Please turn to page 33.) Thank You to all the local businesses, friends, family, neighbors, and community members who helped us to achieve our goal of running in and completing our first marathon. The Pacific Shoreline Marathon took place on Sunday, February 4, 2007 in Huntington Beach, California, and we succeeded in not only finishing, but in surpassing our goal of finishing in under five hours, both of us coming in at 4:27. Thanks Again, Ally Ducker and Breana Chavez Anytime Fitness A Scoop Above Gateway Property Management KMAS Losall Antique Dolls Lynch Creek Floral Optical Shop Prudential NW Real Estate That Dean General Contractor Safeway Walmart Ken Chavez Brian Ducker Tanya Ducker Barbara Hubbard Alvin Lester Jean Lester Tami Lester Carolyn Saltz Yoga atCla,,.W00 ' ' Litile Skookum Community Hall \\;...li,.,,. " 3480 SE Lynch Road :!  Each Monday 7-8:30 p.m. $6 per session, ages 12 and over if Aft levels of experience welcome . Questions: Jeri 427-3926 .n Science project of the Uni- count the highest number of each able to shoot them. . ity of Washington in partner- bird species they see during the Somewhat frustrated, the horn- With the Olym__pic Coast Na- count dates. Sightings may be made downer asked what could be done Ir _ 111 when one ofthe creatures damaged II [ t3 A ¢¢ T II Marine Sanctuary. from homes, schoolyards, parks or LUASST works with people in wildlife refuges. Tallies and loca- property. The response did not II I k t] LY  ] | it P communities to monitor the tions will be posted on the Web site cheer up the islander. The advice 1 -- "" f:":   ....... -- l| ofrna  rind ecosystems in the at www.birdsource.org/gbbc, given was to stop feeding the birds E The UW Coastal Observation and Seabird [11 ,c,. Northwest. The goal is to This Web site will provide its and ...... have nothing edible where it |i Survey Team is looking for volunteers to il pml_., ve the marine environment visitors with a real-time snapshot coum De accessea Dy a Dear ........ .... . : ...... .... Idingontheinformationgath- of birds counted throughout North ........ |l monitor marine btrds m south Puget Sound. I II I:d.t)ng long-term monitoring. America. WE CHECKED on the Depart- II .. ........ ....... II Trammg session ment of Fish and Wildlife and |i ' .... ............... ............. ........ i| mi'ng will be held in the The Great Backyard Bird Count found that although responses l[ Shelton Public LtbraMtlRoom [I _;-s room of the William G. is organized by the National Audu- may be frustrating they are predi- E ........ : SaturdayrFeb:::1:7i!0i30a:30 pm II cated on a considered policy These .............. ..... ::::: FAldlblic Library at Seventh bon Society and the Cornell Lab of n.ll.i. ,h,, la ho l,,wn ,r i. IJ Contact: info@coasst.org, 206-221-6893 I der in Shelton from 10:30 Ornithology. Last year participants l;'  4:30 p m February 17 submitted more than 60,000 check- " .............................. " ""  " or ra "" " Ir,,rore information, contact lists while reporting sightings of l[ _ Uolliver by e-mail at info@ more than 7.5 million birds and l.t'°rgor call 206-221-6893 623 different species. Results are ASST l,A$! has been counting used to help track bird populations ,lleabirds as a way of gauging and to better inform those making t. Persons conservation efforts. Vegetarian Cooking Classes c,,<S,NO [ /1 quick, healthy meals? i: ant to save money?  lerience feeling better? e rn quick, easy vegetarian recipes r, desserts and drinks Die each delicious recipe r horne a folder of recipes , Thursday, March 1,8 and 15 * 6:30-8:00 pm . , Shelton Civic Center (Cota St.) i )Per night or $10 for all 3 classes includes food and materials I * Space is limited • I Call Chriss at 426-5242 or Eileen at 427-1073 ] Lsented Shelton Adventist Church by Seventh-day ". ' 4 OPEN: SUN - WED 10AM - 12AM THURS - SAT 10AM - 2AM In The Pound Froe 8pe.lm on the 24th 19330 N.HWY 101 SHELTON, WA. 98584 (360) 877-5656 Thursday, February 15, 2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 31 Dragon ship skipper This statue marks the homestead of Erik the Red in ICeland. Jean Springer of Shelton will present a lec- tttre on the "Route of the Vikings" on Saturday, Feb-  17, the third in her series of travel adventures ,0Sted by the local historical society. The program  Uleludes slides and narrative and will begin at 2 p.m. [ [i at the Mason County Historical Society Museum, 427 i[iiW.est Railroad Avenue in downtown Shelton. Admis-  : free of charge. 111 puts area on laew college tracl : .t a,'e 00oo00t, ng a l[   Would direct the Higher Edu- ".]i'°f n Coordinating Board to ad- |]]y s higher education needs in v k.%?°, n and other counties by estab- ,- | alag a four-year college in Kit- | OUnty. |! te Senator Tim Sheldon, D- |i_tch, is a sponsor of Senate 5978 Other sponsors are state I q%t0rs I)erek Kilmer, D-Gig Har- d Phil Rockefeller, D-Bain- _ Island. The measure asks ard to evaluate the need for a 'laureate-granting institution K,|lOple .... e living in Mason, Kitsap, "'.,rSon and Clallam counties. /eldon sits on the Senate, High- igducation Committee. Its a s that we need to get sta ,rt, ed, at s what the bill does, he ,.It starts us down that road. .!t happen today? No. But we re toward the future. er, who is vice chair of the tee, is the bill's prime spon- .i' ae most important driver for wth is education," he said. nployers need skilled work- 1 COmpete and our workers need skills. It's time we start mov- ing forward on ensuring we have the capacity here in our region to provide the education opportunities that our workers and our business- es need today - and tomorrow." The bill would direct the board to assemble a local advisory com- mittee consisting of local education and business leaders and local law- makers to develop preliminary rec- ommendations to the legislature by January of next year and final rec- ommendations by December of 2008. "This is one of the first steps in the process to meeting the edu- cational needs of the peninsula," Rockefeller said. "Edhcation is the cornerstone of our economy and of our community. With an economy that is becoming increasingly reli- ant on baccalaureate degrees, this effort's time has come." The bill was introduced on Thursday and will be referred to the Senate committee. "It's time to spread education funding to the areas that are less served. This is a good first step in that direction," Sheldon said. 00irds count on the and the beach #01tLteers are needed to moni- birds in South Puget 3dning will be given in Shelton aturday to persons interested eking with the Coastal Obser- a and Seabird Survey Team. kaown as COASST, this is a who prefer to count these creatures while they're on the wing are in- vited to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which runs February 16-19 throughout the U.S. and Canada. Open to beginners and expert birders alike, participants simply Harstine Island: '.al sig[ .ting no red herring By JOHN COOPER A great hubbub took place on Harstine Island at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday, in the vicinity of the spit at Dougall Point. Jan Avery, security officer for Hartstene Pointe, arrived on the scene and concluded there was nothing she could do to stop the activity of the mob that had ar- rived. All she could do was keep an eye on what was happening and report later on what she had seen. For 30 or 40 minutes she watched as offshore the waters of Case In- let seemed to be "fiercely boiling ' as countless small, silvery fish churned the surface. In awe she observed seven eagles, hundreds of gulls and three-to-four dozen seals, of all sizes feasting on the large school of fish, possibly small herring. Remarkable senses of sight and smell, as well as hearing, enabled the birds and sea mammals to home-in on the spot where a feast awaited. With our orcas vacation- ing in the waters off California they were able o eat their fill and not be eaten. Not all the news on the nature front is as exciting, but nonetheless it is interesting. Several islanders have mentioned to me that many more towhees are visiting feeders than has usually been the case. One island resident said that 12 towhees were counted at the feed- ers at one occasion and opined the full total of such visitors might be as high as 16. ANOTHER THING that peo- ple often say to us is, "We saw a different kind of bird in our garden today." In this day and age, one should remember the disclaimer in many bird books that says avi- ans generally follow a usual mi- gratory route but there are always exceptions. Specimens that ordi- narily do not visit our area may do so. The other day one Harstiner speaking about a returning house finch said there was one bird that was "red all over." Possibly it was a purple finch that looks, as one writer described it, "like a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice." Bear with us now as we say a word or too about the island's resi- dent bruin. We have not received any report of the creature having been seen recently. However, we have heard that bear droppings have been found, sometimes fairly close to residences. In other cas- es there have been bird feeders pawed and damaged, with one on a metal pole being bent over. Uneasy about such activity one resident called the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to see what could be done. In an- swer to the question, "If I see the bear can I shoot it?" The response was, "no." Where we live is natu- ral habitat for bears and as long as the creatures are not aggressive or life-threatening it is not accept- stance where a black bear attacks a human or displays behavior that constitutes an urgent human safe- ty concern, a state enforcement of- ricer will respond immediately and euthanize the bear. In the event of a human safety concern, the offi- cer has the option of immobilizing, marking and relocating the bear. This may be done one time only in lieu of killing the animal. When a bear causes the loss of livestock, the officer will respond within 24 hours to euthanize or immobilize the animal. In cases where there is potential threat to livestock or where there is bear be- havior that is a nuisance, an officer of the state will provide consulta- tion regarding responsible precau- tions. The caller will be advised to: secure and manage garbage in a manner that will not attract wild- life; remove or manage barbecues, fallen fruit, pet food, bee hives and bird feeders which produce odors that attract animals; and not make a practice of feeding wild animals. Latimer's Landing on Pickering Passage at the mainland end of the Harstine Island Bridge is a busy place which serves as a launching site for boaters from both ends of the span. A severe windstorm de- stroyed the dock during the late fall of 2005. Those who inquired about when it would be repaired were told that it would be placed on the project list for last year, 2006. Repairs were not made. Boating season for 2007 is in the offing and some folks are be- ginning to wonder when repairs will be made to this facility, which is used by boaters, fishermen and the general public. AN INQUIRY elicited a reply from John Keates of the county parks department who indicated officials have been working on obtaining the required permits to complete the job. Three weeks ago they made a presentation to the hearing examiner in Shelton and they hope to receive approval to move forward with the renova- tion. The permitting process brought to light a few conditions that lim- it a window of the construction time and call for additional proj- ect oversight. With all that taken into consideration, officials hope the job will be completed this year. Information to this effect has been given to the Mason County Com- mission. Those who use Latimer's Landing will look forward to see- ing the repair work on the dock start in the not too distant future. Word from Bill Prastka is that the new Prostate Cancer Support (Please turn to page 33.) Thank You to all the local businesses, friends, family, neighbors, and community members who helped us to achieve our goal of running in and completing our first marathon. The Pacific Shoreline Marathon took place on Sunday, February 4, 2007 in Huntington Beach, California, and we succeeded in not only finishing, but in surpassing our goal of finishing in under five hours, both of us coming in at 4:27. Thanks Again, Ally Ducker and Breana Chavez Anytime Fitness A Scoop Above Gateway Property Management KMAS Losall Antique Dolls Lynch Creek Floral Optical Shop Prudential NW Real Estate That Dean General Contractor Safeway Walmart Ken Chavez Brian Ducker Tanya Ducker Barbara Hubbard Alvin Lester Jean Lester Tami Lester Carolyn Saltz Yoga atCla,,.W00 ' ' Litile Skookum Community Hall \\;...li,.,,. " 3480 SE Lynch Road :!  Each Monday 7-8:30 p.m. $6 per session, ages 12 and over if Aft levels of experience welcome . Questions: Jeri 427-3926 .n Science project of the Uni- count the highest number of each able to shoot them. . ity of Washington in partner- bird species they see during the Somewhat frustrated, the horn- With the Olym__pic Coast Na- count dates. Sightings may be made downer asked what could be done Ir _ 111 when one ofthe creatures damaged II [ t3 A ¢¢ T II Marine Sanctuary. from homes, schoolyards, parks or LUASST works with people in wildlife refuges. Tallies and loca- property. The response did not II I k t] LY  ] | it P communities to monitor the tions will be posted on the Web site cheer up the islander. The advice 1 -- "" f:":   ....... -- l| ofrna  rind ecosystems in the at www.birdsource.org/gbbc, given was to stop feeding the birds E The UW Coastal Observation and Seabird [11 ,c,. Northwest. The goal is to This Web site will provide its and ...... have nothing edible where it |i Survey Team is looking for volunteers to il pml_., ve the marine environment visitors with a real-time snapshot coum De accessea Dy a Dear ........ .... . : ...... .... Idingontheinformationgath- of birds counted throughout North ........ |l monitor marine btrds m south Puget Sound. I II I:d.t)ng long-term monitoring. America. WE CHECKED on the Depart- II .. ........ ....... II Trammg session ment of Fish and Wildlife and |i ' .... ............... ............. ........ i| mi'ng will be held in the The Great Backyard Bird Count found that although responses l[ Shelton Public LtbraMtlRoom [I _;-s room of the William G. is organized by the National Audu- may be frustrating they are predi- E ........ : SaturdayrFeb:::1:7i!0i30a:30 pm II cated on a considered policy These .............. ..... ::::: FAldlblic Library at Seventh bon Society and the Cornell Lab of n.ll.i. ,h,, la ho l,,wn ,r i. IJ Contact: info@coasst.org, 206-221-6893 I der in Shelton from 10:30 Ornithology. Last year participants l;'  4:30 p m February 17 submitted more than 60,000 check- " .............................. " ""  " or ra "" " Ir,,rore information, contact lists while reporting sightings of l[ _ Uolliver by e-mail at info@ more than 7.5 million birds and l.t'°rgor call 206-221-6893 623 different species. Results are ASST l,A$! has been counting used to help track bird populations ,lleabirds as a way of gauging and to better inform those making t. Persons conservation efforts. Vegetarian Cooking Classes c,,<S,NO [ /1 quick, healthy meals? i: ant to save money?  lerience feeling better? e rn quick, easy vegetarian recipes r, desserts and drinks Die each delicious recipe r horne a folder of recipes , Thursday, March 1,8 and 15 * 6:30-8:00 pm . , Shelton Civic Center (Cota St.) i )Per night or $10 for all 3 classes includes food and materials I * Space is limited • I Call Chriss at 426-5242 or Eileen at 427-1073 ] Lsented Shelton Adventist Church by Seventh-day ". ' 4 OPEN: SUN - WED 10AM - 12AM THURS - SAT 10AM - 2AM In The Pound Froe 8pe.lm on the 24th 19330 N.HWY 101 SHELTON, WA. 98584 (360) 877-5656 Thursday, February 15, 2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 31