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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 6, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 6, 2012
 
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Service planned to take place at SHS Mini Done By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@mca~oncounty.com A Shelton teen died Fri- day after sustaining injuries in a Lacey house fire the day before. Jerame Humphreys, 17, attended Shelton High School (SHS) as a senior un- til mid-September, died at Harborview Medical Center. At about 1 a.m. on Nov. 29, Lacey Fire District 3 firefighters responded to a house fire in the 5800 block of 18th Avenue Southeast. Crews found Humphreys trapped in a bedroom. He was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospi- tal in Olympia, then to Har- borview Medical Center in Seattle. Firefighters extinguished the fire. Two other occupants of the home were treated for minor injuries and released. A preliminary investiga- tion into the fire concluded that the fire started in the kitchen. While the exact point of origin is undetermined, in- vestigators believe the fire began near the stove. Inves- tigators are continuing to re- view their evidence. Humphreys' family has organized a memorial ser- vice at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Jerame Hum reys' memorial service When: 3 p:m., Sunday Where: Shelton High School Mini Dome A reception will follow at Sheltun ttigh School Student Union Building Shelton High School Mini Dome with a reception to follow at the Shelton High School Student Union Build- ing. SHS Principal Wanda Berndtson said Humphreys was well-liked while he at- tended the school. She said the school did not have a record of why Humphreys left SHS in Sep- tember. "We all care a lot about him," she said. "It is really sad for us." Berndtson said many stu- dents already knew about Humphreys' death when they came to school Friday. If a currently enrolled stu- dent dies, Berndtson said the school would send out letters to all of their students' par- ents. However, Humphreys was not an enrolled student, so the school is dealing with student grief on a case-by- case basis. "We immediately go get that student ... talk to them and try to find out what's go- ing on," she said. "As soon as we were starting to see that, I called for other counselors in the district to come and help US." acidification plagues local shellfish growers By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@.mason(:ot~ n/y,com Ocean acidification is a threat to the health of shellfish and other species, and the Puget Sound as a whole. It also presents a dan- ger to shellfish growers and harvesters, which LEARN ABOUT: . Design • Energy Efficiency • Budget • Community Programs • Transit • Donor Pavers J Mason Transit Authority and the Community Center Association cordially invite you to join us at our Transit- Community Center (T-CC) Open House meetings. There will be four open houses which will feature a presentation of the T-CC Renovation Project, along with a question and answer session. Learn about the design, energy efficiency, the budget, as well as transit and community service programs. If you have any questions please contact Mike Oliver, Mason Transit Authority Development Manager, for more information at 360-432-5710 or e-mail at moliver@masontransit.org www.masontransitorg In A Holiday Hurry ? / :i!~ii!~i!! ...... Buy a s25 Gift and we'U give you s5 Gift Card Get a FREE: • Redeemable for anything • Practical • Reloadable $ 5.00, ........... Open daily 6:30am 426-7224 WALLACE KNEELAND BLVD EXIT Shelton @ Shell Credit card gas sales open 24 hours Page A-2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 along with timber, is one of the top industries in Mason County. Statewide, shellfish growing is a $270 million per year industry, according to release from Gov. Christine Gregoire's office. "When our hatchery is impacted, we can't sell any seed," said Bill Dewey, Taylor Shellfish spokes- man and Blue Ribbon Pan- el member. "We don't have enough seed to provide all the oyster growers." On Nov. 27, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed an execu- tive order proclaiming the importance of a recom- mendation from her Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification to take action to address the problem of increasing acidification in Puget Sound. "A healthy ocean is criti- cal to our health and our coastal economies," Gre- goire said in the release. Dewey applauded the governor's actions. "Just the fact that Gov- ernor Gregoire listened to our pleas on this issue, made it part of the Wash- ington Shellfish Initiative and formed this panel is just huge," he said. "The governor's bgen phenom- enal for our industry." The governor's Blue Rib- bon Panel recommended 42 actions to reduce acidi- fication, naming 18 "key early actions" to address the problem. The panel recommended reducing the sources of ocean acidification, includ- ing global emissions that produce carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the biggest contributors to ocean acid- ification. The ideal pH of sea- water is 8.2, Dewey said, however in some growing areas in the Puget Sound, especially in Mason Coun- ty, that pH can become dramatically more acidic, getting down to a pH closer to 7.5. When pH in saltwater goes down, it becomes too acidic, negatively affecting the ability of shellfish such as oysters, clams, scallops and mussels to produce their shells. It also affects the growth of shellfish larvae, severe- ly affecting their ability to develop normally, Dewey said. Excess nitrogen and other nutrients in the wa- ter can also exacerbate the problem of acidification, increasing algae blooms, which produce more CO2, said John Konovsky, envi- ronmental program man- ager for the Squaxin Is- land Tribe. "The nutrients that are here tend to stay here," he said. "That's where south Puget Sound and particu- larly Oakland Bay are at risk." Because Oakland Bay is what he refers to as the terminal estuary of the Puget Sound, Konovsky said nutrients tend to ac- cumulate in the bay, in- creasing factors that lead to acidification. "I would say that there's the potential for (Oakland Bay) to be worse, and that all has to do with the geo- morphic isolation of the South Sound from the rest of the Puget Sound," he Low pCO2 High pCOz High £1Aragonite Low DAragonite / ==== ..... Courtesy graph:c Images of a shellfish larva on the left shows normal development in 15 to 30 feet of water with a pH of 8.2 and normal atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Images on the right show abnormal development of a shellfish larva in 100 feet of water with a pH of 7.5 and carbon dioxide levels four times atmospheric levels. Both images were taken with a scanning electron microscope. said. "I'm very keen on up- ping the research effort in Oakland Bay to better un- derstand what the situa- tion is with nutrients right now." Konovsky said the big- gest contributor to nitrogen in Oakland Bay Shelton's wastewater treatment plant, although he added that recent upgrades to the plant have dramatically cut the amount of nitrogen going into the water. "The question is, is that enough or do we need to do more?" he said. Konovsky added that acidification does not only affect shellfish, but also affects species that prey on them, such as endangered salmon. The executive order directs the Washing- ton state Department of Ecology and other state agencies to advocate for reductions in carbon di- oxide emissions at glob- al, national and regional levels, to implement the recommendations by the Blue Ribbon Panel, and to work with the University of Washington to conduct technical analysis on the effects of ocean acidifi- cation and on possible sources of acidification. The order also requests that the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency assess ocean acidification along with water quality. Gregoire also plans to reallocate $3.3 million in the 2013 Washington state budget to fund ac- tions to correct ocean acid- ification. The funding will go to help shellfish hatch- eries adapt to acidic water conditions and to create a center to study acidifica- tion at the University of Washington. Funds for the programs come from existing taxes collected on hazardous substances and revenue from leases on state-owned aquatic lands, including the sale of geoduck. Dewey stressed that the changes proposed by Gre- goire and the panel likely will not have immediate results. He said that the problem of ocean acidifi- cation would continue to worsen for the next 30 to 50 years, as CO2 trapped in the ocean continues to surface. Provisions under the executive order could help growers such as Taylor Shellfish mitigate effects from low pH levels, he said. "In our lifetimes, this problem's only going to get worse, even if we change our ways as it relates to CO2 emissions today," Dewey said. "Our only hope is being able to moni- tor and adapt to what's coming our way." Panel member and for- mer Mason County Com- missioner Steve Bloom- field said CO2 emissions need to be addressed on a national level, not only within Washington state. "So much of it originates outside of our state that we have no control over it," he said. Dewey was more hopeful in his assessment, saying the recommendations of the panel encourage people to reduce emissions. "Armed with knowledge people will change their behaviors," he said.