December 6, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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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
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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.