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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 29, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 29, 2011
 
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JOURNALEDITORIAL GUESTCOLUMN Fingerscrossed maOWlaS n t ehn e water supply in h e there's into str; ns and othel water bodies We've got our enough for all of our water needs. Espe- I called surface water, wer on the fingers crossed that ff/- cially living west of the Cascades, who Earth's surface). Another portion is /\\; the weatherman is wrong and that the 30th Annual OysterFest will be a sun-drenched af- fair. As of mid-week. the forecast calls for ram on both days. Regardless of the weather, though, we're sure //0YSTER0000 that this year's event will, once again, be a suc- cess. No single event, with perhaps the exception of the Forest Festival at the start of summer, better highlights all things good about Shelton and Ma- son County. Folks from Olympia. Seattle and beyond come here every fall to shuck, slurp and savor the briny bivalves that grow right here in our backyard. The Skookum Rotary and dozens of other non- profits put on a wonderful festival and, in turn. support myriad local causes and young people through the awarding of scholarships. So. rain or shine, plan on setting aside some time this weekend to swing by the festival in or- der to eat some amazing food while supporting a great cause. OysterFest first-timers or those who want to get a leg up on the crowds can check out a special insert inside this week's Journal that is chock- full of info about how to get to the festival conve- niently and what to expect once there. hasn't longed for more sun to break up the winter days of gray and drizzle? So there must be an up side - we have lots of water, right? Many people may be surprised to learn that water availability can no lon- ger be taken for granted in our state. Even in wet years such as this one, streams dry out by late summer. Next time you drive by your local creek, take a look and you can see this for yourself. The Pacific Northwest's natural cli- mate cycle of wet winters and dry sum- mers often results in water being most |imited at the times it is most in demand, in the summer and early fall. And there are many additional challenges and demands on our limited water supply. These include population growth and de- velopment; potentially reduced summer stream flows due to the effects of climate change; and the increase m "imperwous surfaces" (impervious surfaces are those that cover the land and prevent or re- strict water from soaking into the ground. such as pavement and buildings). The winters in Mason County are rainy - there's no denying those wet days seem to go on forever. In some parts of the county we also get some snowfall and certainly enjoy looking at it on top of the Olympic Mountains. But what happens to rain and snow once it falls to the ground? Some of the rain flows over the land sorbed into the ground (groundwate and stored in aquifers. Aquifers are underground geologic formations th; store and move groundwater to spri streams and marine waters. As snow melts, it also goes to our streams and aquifers. Snowmelt car be an important source of water in t spring and summer in some areas. In the dry months when stream flows naturally drop, groundwater is still moving from the aquifers int( creeks and lakes. Because of this. tb water we see flowing in some of our streams in late summer and fall is mostly from groundwater. All our water is connected: withdre ing water from our streams, rivers an lakes affects groundwater and vice-ve There are many water wells throu out the county. The use of any single well is probably not going to have a b: impact on water supply. It is the cure lative use - the effects of many, man users drawing water from individual wells - that really adds up, and can 1 significant impacts on the amount of ter in both our streams and aquifers. The good news is that each of us. t small actions, can help conserve our precious water supply. Turning off t water when brushing your teeth saw as much as three gallons of water ea time. Run the clothes washer and dis washer only when full and you can st /lason County? yP:; :1 000 g lyl insper le :ntth S h: en b- you'll save up to 150 gallons per month. :) These are the types of simple actions that can really add up to mak a big t difference. For more water saging tips, lgs, go to Mason County's webpag at www. co.mason.wa.us. Declining stream flows and aquifer levels are of concern to everyqne and • e everything that depends on adequate water in the streams. People need water for drinking and daily uses. Fish and other aquatic species need adequate water at key life stages as an important part of their habitat. Companies and farmers with existing water rights rely on water being there to run their operations. The importance w- of adequate and reliable water supplies ] cannot be overstated: the avaihbility of rsa. water determines our qualityflife and ,h- the success of our commtmitie& farms, businesses and industries - ad Wash- g ington's competitive position in the global u- economy. We are all stewards of the environ- ment we live in. With careful water tve management, we can have sufficient and a- reliable supplies of water now and into the future. Whether we know it or not, ,y we are all - each and every one of us water managers. Thanks for doing your part. e s h h- we Sally Toteff Director, Ecology's Southwest Regional Office Washington LETTERSTq)THEEDIT()R WORDONTHESTREET to the editon We ::Will print .signedi origina I:letters of Iocal.interes00i 00iil not ..... publish..letters th:at for the: JoUrnaL Whitman for FD 6 the job. Darrell Franks Union Editor, the Journal I am a member of the Onion Fire Department, and I endorse Tim Whitman's candidacy for Commissioner of Mason County Fire Dis- trict 6. The Union Fire De- partment needs Whitman, and I hope that District 6 voters will join me as I cast my vote for him. Whitman is a retired pro- fessional firefighter, and he'll bring experience and a genu- me understanding of the fire service to the Board of Com- missioners. Whitman is a firefighter, and as a firefight- er he understands the unique requirements of running a successful department. I know Whitman to be a man of honor and integrity. He's intelligent and capable. And he carefully considers all aspects of an issue before he comes to a decision. He's approachable, has a great sense of humor and is hum- ble as well. Whitman is in- terested in serving the Union community by bettering the fire department. It's time to put Whitman on the District 6 Board of Fire Commissioners. We need him to lead the district beyond the negative politics of the past several years and into a period of advancement and cooperation. The citizens of Union deserve the very best leadership of their fire department, and Whitman is the very best candidate for Vote for Johnston in District 6 Editor, the Journal I encourage your vote to retain Dave Johnston as Fire Commissioner for District 6 in Union. For some time I have had the opportunity to work with Johnston on service boards and have found him to be enthusiastic, dedicated. versatile and well-informed - qualities that stand him in good stead in a leadership ca- pacity. Your vote for Johnston for Fire Commissioner would be well-placed. Judy Likkel Union Were they praying or not? Editor, the Journal With reference to the cap- tion of the above-the-fold photograph on the front page of the Sports section of the September 22 issue of" the Journal, were the play- ers praying, as the caption states, or were they just tak- ing a knee out of respect for their injured teammate - a sportsmanlike and appropri- ate practice and one that as many in the stands noted the Central Kitsap football team did not observe. The photograph shows nine play- ers t the helmet of one of them is just barely visible over the left shouder of number 24 on the left side of the photo) and only two of them have their heads bowed as if they might be praying. I know, I know. one can pray without bow- ing one's head. but the other seven players simply do not appear to be praying, as the caption states they are. In ad- dition, the helmetless player on the far right pretty clearly is either talking to the player on his right, or he is looking up into the stands. And while the two players in the center foreground of the photograph might be praying and while l intend no disrespect to either of them or to any other player or person who might or might not have been praying at this or at any other time. the two players in the center of the photo do not remotely seem engaged in prayer. So, and finally here is the point, it seems that the caption is inaccurate and may dem- onstrate an editorial bias of some sort. If that is the case, I wanted to inquire and to draw attention to it. Such a bias is or would be fine. but if this is a news-paper, as I believe it purports to be. then any such bias should be clear and perhaps even explicit. Eric S. Valley Shelton !' Shelton-Mason County lh !i['," .:  'i'  ...... , " il , USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal. RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.rnasoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington Sheton-Mason County Joumal is a member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $37 per year for Mason County addresses, $51 per year in state of Washington but outside Are you plannin! OysterFest? Why Ann Baker Mason County, $61 per year out of state. Owned and published by Sheton-Mason County Journal, Inc Page A-4 - She ton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, September 29, 2011 I on going to or why not? "No, I just don't enjoy the crowds." George Cook "Sure_ I'll go. I'm looking for- ward to the oysters." In the article titled "16 vie for op Mason County Commission seat" t] article says that Randy Churchill is member and president of Kristmastov Newsroom: Kevan Moore, managing editor Aria Shephard, North Mason. environment, reporter Jesse Mullen, general mgr. Advertising: Dave Pierik, advertis Harvey Morris, ad re Front office: Donna Kinnaird, boo kkeeper Natalie Johnson, reporter Margot Brand. circulation Emily Hanson, sports reporter Cricket Carter, mailrcom Adam Rudnick, copy editor supervisor Bob Bottman "Yes, I'm looking forward to the food. The oysters and salmon frybread are so good." Jennifer Robinson "No I'm working. I'd ratller work and stay busy than go to OysterFest." n Kiwanis. m It should have said that Churchill a was a past president of the organiza- 'n tion. ng manager )resentahve Composing room: William Adams, graphics Koleen Wood, classifieds/legals Becky Corr, typing Pressroom: Kelly Riordan, production manager Travis Miller press operator