The

JournalWEDNESDAY, December 9, 2015 n VOL. 108, NO. 49 n 75¢

NEWS | County pays $22k in pub-lic records settlement [8]CULTURE | Island Lights Fest lights up the sky [9]OUTSIDE | Seventh new Southern resident orca baby [20]

Power rate to increase

SMP draws

criticism

Mike Vouri: Reflections on 20 years working at the park

More than 50 people packed into the San Juan Island Library on a stormy evening Dec. 2 to congratulate Mike Vouri on his retirement, and listen to him spin wild tales about the 20 years he has spent at the National Park. Excitement was in the air, but there was also a solemnness. This night was the beginning of the end of an era. Never fear, Mike isn’t leaving our island soon.

Vouri opened the slide show with a photo of his grandfather, Paul Bentley, and dedicated the evening to him, the man who introduced him to the islands. Immediately, ten-year-old Mike fell in love with everything about the islands; the characters he met, lush vegetation, even riding ferries as well as the National Park that opened in 1966. His grandfather encouraged him frequently to get a job at “that beautiful park.”

Vouri didn’t disregard his grandfathers’ advice, but he loved writing, story-telling and histo-ry. He couldn’t imagine a way to incorporate those passions working as a ranger. He attended Western University and became engrossed with the Bellingham community. Working for the Whatcom Museum rekindled his connection with the park. As it happened, he was coordinating an exhibit about George Pickett and needed to borrow some artifacts from then National Park Ranger Bill Gleason, who hired him in 1995.

Change doesn’t usually occur drastically, over-night, but in small incremental stages. It began innocently enough for Vouri in his new position, improving toilets. All the parks’ toilets were “hand-me-downs,” in such terrible condi-tion English Camp’s was dubbed “Hole of Calcutta.”

“I thought everyone would be

excited about the improvement,” Mike commented wryly, “A few days after American Camp’s was finished, someone shot holes in the door.”

The slide show continued with photos of staff and volunteers who had come and gone.

“The key with volunteers is that they need to be consistent, and Becky Knoll was. She knew how to handle visitors. She was kind, but tough,” he said showing a pic-ture of her gentle face, eyes daring the camera. “One day we had an unhappy customer. He wanted to really come at me. Becky blocked the door, wouldn’t let him in. ‘You want to leave it,’ Becky said. I’ll never forget that.”

There were shots of the old park office no longer on Spring Street, assorted renovations, archeologi-cal classes, Fourth of July parades, and General Pickett events, of which Vouri says “Without help

By Leslie KellySpecial to the Journal

Get ready to pay more for electricity if you are a member of the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative.

But the increase is projected to be minimal – about $6 a month for the average customer.

The board of directors of OPALCO approved its 2016 bud-get Nov. 20, opting for an increase in electric rates of about 5 percent.

“We want to keep measures in place that keep our co-op finan-cially healthy, following two years of declining energy sales,” said General Manager Foster Hildreth. “Member’s bills will go up about 5 percent beginning in January.”

Currently, the average month-ly bill is $116. It’s expected to increase to $122 beginning in January.

The decline in energy sales for the co-op is related to the weather, Hildreth said. But the 5 percent increase includes the co-ops costs of doing business,

By Heather SpauldingJournal reporter

By Anna V. SmithJournal reporter

San Juan County Council has begun the public hearing process on updating the county’s Shoreline Master Program, which applies to the more than 400 miles of shore-line in the county and concerns landowners, public access points, private businesses and research property.

The first SMP was adopted by San Juan County and approved by the Department of Ecology in 1976. According to Linda Kuller, planning manager and deputy director at the Department of Community Development, the last major update was in 1998, with several amendments made in 2002. Though the county was ini-tially on a deadline of June 2013, Kuller said that a number of fac-tors delayed the deadline includ-ing a Critical Area Ordinance review and approval process required prior to the SMP, limited state funding and county staffing, and a lengthy public involvement process. As of Dec. 3, the depart-ment has received approximately 115 comments and more than 50 people providing verbal testimony.

The first day of the public hearing on the proposed SMP on Nov. 30 brought an overflow of commentators to the council chambers from all ferry-serviced islands. The majority of public commentary focused on the pro-posed changed designation of Snug Harbor Resort, currently a non-conforming structure, to a port, marina, marine transporta-tion shoreline designation.

While some residents sup-ported the designation change in order for expansion at the resort, others including the Mitchell Bay Homeowners Association opposed the port, marina, marine transportation designation for fear of over-development, intrusion on wildlife and other issues.

According to Erik Nelson, co-owner of Snug Harbor Resort, the original plan to add 11 slips to the marina was denied, and at this

See SMP, Page 5 See VOURI, Page 3

See OPALCO, Page 4

BRIGHT ISLAND LIGHTS

Contributed photo/ Aaron ShepardSanta spreads good cheer at the Island Lights Festival on Dec. 4. See more fun from that evening on page 10.

How to reach usOffice: 378-5696Fax: 1-888-562-8818Editor: editor@sanjuanjo-urnal.com

Display advertising: Friday at noonClassified advertising: Monday at noonLegal advertising: Thursday at noonPress releases, Letters: Friday at 3 p.m.

Journal deadlines

2 — Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

Join Jacksons and our community in making a difference for victims of domestic violence.

Purchase a Peace Dove at any Jacksons store now until December 25th.

Jacksons will match customer donations dollar for dollar.*Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a 501(c)(3) organization.

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DONATE NOW TO HELP STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

To learn more about the campaign, go to wscadv.org or call the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Where to call for help: National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474 TTY 1-866-331-8453

*Jacksons will match up to $75,000. To find out more go to wscadv.org

The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com Wednesday, December 9, 2015 —3

COMMUNITYNOTICES

PrescriptionsGifts & Watches

Toys & Candy 210 Spring Street

Friday Harbor

378-4421

This bulletin board space, donated by Friday Harbor Drug Co. & The Journal of the San Juan Islands, is available to nonprofit community service clubs, churches & organiza-tions at no charge. To re serve space, call Cherie Sarrett 8 days prior to publica-tion at The JOURNAL:

378-5696.

Your

Headquarters

DEC. 11Wolf Hollow’s

Critter’s Christmas

Join Wolf Hollow staff and board to ring in the holiday season with festive goodies

and drinks! Bring a gift for our critters and pick a handmade ornament for your own tree!

Visit our websiteMullis

Community Senior Center

DEC. 12THSAN JUAN

SINGERS HOLIDAY CONCERT

San Juan Island’s annual holiday choral concert features a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589). Written in the early 1700s, this beautiful, lively and lyrical setting of the prayerSan Juan Community Theatre

DEC. 13THIMA Islands

Artists’ Registry ShowThe San Juan Islands Museum

of Art (IMA) welcomes the community to our fourth

exhibition of works by more than 70 countywide Artist

Registry members.540 Spring Street,

Friday Harbor,

DEC. 12THFriends of the

Library Holiday Book Sale

All proceeds will support SJI Library programs not covered by tax dollars. Shop local and

support the library!10am to 4pm

at the SJI Library,

from so many I couldn’t have pulled it together.”

During the 150 year anniversary of the Pig War, the park received a record breaking 5,000 visitors. The schooner Lady Washington came up to help celebrate, offering rides from English Camp. Thirty people were waiting their turn, “Five minutes,” Mike said as he threw up his hands, “I went to the bathroom and was gone five minutes. When I returned, the dock had col-lapsed, people were flailing about in the water.”

In in 1995, 1996 and 2007 the park was forced to lock down during the government shutdowns. A foreboding photo of a chain-link padlocked across American Camps parking lot flashed across the screen. “Broke my heart when we had to do that.” He said with a lowered voice.

“Once I got a phone call

from the park, ‘Mike, you’re going to love this!’”

Vouri rushed to the park to find two college-age boys hauling a cannon up from the beach. “They wanted to take it home, we explained no, no, no…” The audience laughed.

During the Pig War there were reports of ships practicing firing cannons. Historians assumed these were “dry shots.” These two college kids proved this was not the case. The cannon was placed in an exhibit but there is still a dent in the ground where it lay for over a hundred years, concealed by a Douglas fir.

Vouri touched on some of the parks controversies as well. “Lets talk,” a photo of a densely populated rab-bit warren appeared on the screen, “about rabbits. My favorite time. My favorite time.” Laughter emanated from the crowd at Vouri’s reference to the parks attempt to control the rabbit population, which created a huge backlash from the

community.“Our thought [in regards

to controlling rabbit popu-lation] was about restoring natural prairies, Camus and other wildflowers. We didn’t communicate well enough with the community. I do think we learned from that mistake.”

The year 2009 brought an end to George Pickett, minus one exception, years later, honoring long time ranger and volunteer Darlene Wahl after she passed away. One of the big-gest changes was the recent rerouting of Cattle Point Road. Vouri had pictures of that as well with its new path over Mt. Finlayson.

“I know I’m leaving the park in good hands, and I’m optimistic about where it’s going in the future,” Vouri said with a smile.

We will adjust to this new era, Mike, but forgive us if we ask you if you have the day off when we see you around town wearing jeans rather than your uniform. It takes time to adjust.

VouriContinued from page 1

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Contributed photoMike Vouri performing as General Pickett..

Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is offering a $2,000 for an “Educational Opportunity Award.” This award helps women to overcome financial difficul-ties and better their lives through education and training. The recipient may use the cash award to offset any costs of higher educa-tion, such as tuition, books, childcare, and transporta-tion.

The award will be granted to a woman living in San Juan County who is enrolled in an undergraduate or vocational degree program of study, including on-line educational programs. An applicant does not need to be the primary wage earner in a household to be eligible for this award.

A downloadable appli-cation form is available online at www.sifri.org, or pick up a form at the Toy Box, 20 First Street, Friday Harbor. Applications must be mailed to SIFRI, PO Box 2856, Friday Harbor WA 98250, and postmarked by Jan. 11, 2016. For questions or additional information, contact Diana Sibert, diana-sibert@gmail.com or 370-5269.

All applicants will be notified of the judges’ deci-sion in mid-February, and the winner will be invit-ed to the annual Notable Women’s Lunch in March.

This is the second year in a row that SIFRI has offered this award.

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4 — Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

NEW WEDNESDAY NIGHTS! SUKIYAKI

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5-9 PM | RESERVATIONS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED | (360) 370-7191

You make a differencewhen you round up your monthly OPALCO bill to help a needy islander!

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All donations to PAL go directly to grant recipients.

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“Serving the San Juan Islands for over 40 years”

including energy costs and capital outlay costs, said Suzanne Olson, OPALCO spokeswoman. She said rates the co-op pays to Bonneville Power Administration, which sup-plies energy, have gone up about 6 percent annually.

According to the budget document, the total budget for the energy co-op will increase from the current year at $23.3 million to $24.8 million. The budget is based on a 3 percent infla-tion projection for 2016. Budget forecasts for 2017 to 2020 were also approved and the rate of inflation is expected to jump to 4 per-cent in years 2019 and 2020.

The co-op doesn’t plan any new hires through 2020 and will remain operational with 51 full time employ-ees. Wages are forecast to increase 2 percent in 2016, 3 percent in 2017 and 2018, and 4 percent in 2019 and 2020, as allowed by the current collective bargain-ing agreement with union

employees.The budget also reflects a

projection that power costs from BPA are expected to drop in November and December 2016 by about 2 percent.

Olson said that is expect-ed to happen because fore-casters say the current El Nino weather pattern will end and temperatures will become colder; thus mean-ing more energy sales and a drop in price.

As for capital projects, OPALCO has budgeted $3 million for the submarine cable replacement project. About $4.4 million was spent in 2015 and $7.4 mil-lion is planned for 2017. The project will finish up in 2018 with $200,000 allotted.

Other projects are out-lined in the construction work plan which has a goal of achieving voltage stability, and a greater sys-tem reliability and overall system efficiency. In 2016, there is $2.28 million for replacement based on age, cable type, neutral degra-dation and outage frequen-cy. Another $2.4 million is allotted for grid control

communications infra-structure.

One of the programs that the co-op is initiating in 2016 is the energy assis-tance program. The 2016 budget includes $90,000 for the program, which is just half of what was request-ed. Although specifics of the program are still being worked out, those who qual-ify will get a $10 credit each month to their $39 facilities charge. Additionally each consumer will pay .0005 cents per kilowatt hour, or for the average customer, 45 cents per month to help fund the program. Awards will be based on income and household size.

The program stems from a survey in which mem-bers voiced concerns about their neighbors who are low income or on fixed incomes and cannot afford their energy bills. The survey showed that 1,500 of the co-ops members fall below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

“OPALCO is doing its part and setting an example for other county agencies by creating an energy assis-tance program in 2016,” said Hildreth.

Olson said the board did not fully fund the program at the level requested by staff because it was “trying to keep expenses down” for the utility and for its mem-

bers.“Even 45 cents a month

will feel like a lot to some of our members,” she said.

The 2016 budget also includes staff time for devel-opment and preparation for future community solar projects. Activities in 2016 will include exploring sites, design and loan funding possibilities.

OPALCO is a nonprofit member-owned electric utility co-op providing ser-vices to San Juan County since 1937. Most of its energy is generated from hydro power by BPA and is delivered to about 20 islands by way of submarine cables. It has 11,198 mem-bers, 1,339 miles of power lines and 11 substations. Its subsidiary, Rock Island Communications, deploys fiber optic communications throughout the area.

“The marriage of energy and communications lays a compelling foundation that enables co-op members to make a better living through internet-enabled businesses that lifts the area beyond a tourism economy,” the bud-get narrative stated.

To see the entire budget document go to www.opal-co.com.

OpalcoContinued from page 1

"Christmas Past & Present"

Sat., Dec. 12, 7:30 pm • Sun., Dec. 13, 2 pm San Juan Community Theatre

San Juan Singers Holiday Concert

The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com Wednesday, December 9, 2015 — 5

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THE NIGHT BEFORE

Begins Thursday, Dec. 10thOn Christmas eve, three lifelong

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Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Jillian Bell

CREEDBegins Thursday, Dec. 10thThe former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson

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point they will not be adding marina slips, whether or not they are designated as port, marine and marine trans-port. Nelson said the resort is designated as noncomform-ing use because it should not have been allowed in the cur-rent zoning, which is conser-vancy, but was grandfathered in since it was built in the 1960s. Due to requirements from Department of Natural Resources, the Snug Harbor docks need to be moved further from shore to avoid “grounding out,” meaning that the dock rests on the sea bed at low tide. Nelson said they will also take out creosote pilings and styro-foam blocks, and replace the old docks. After the redesign of the marina and moving further from shore, the docks will project into the bay approximately 96 feet.

“We are just trying to be good neighbors, hopefully satisfy everyone but still end up with a viable project,” Nelson said. “There’s a defi-nite safety hazard with the age of the docks, in terms of stability and overall condi-tion.”

The upland portion of Snug Harbor Resort is cur-

rently designated as rural residential, and at the shore-line it has a split designation of conservancy and aquatic. The conservancy designation means that no new marinas or expansion of existing marinas is allowed in the water, Kuller said. The SMP proposes a change in designation to port, marina, marine transporta-tion, making the marina a conforming use and allow the docks to be expanded into the water.

A number of people who spoke at the Nov. 30 pub-lic hearing said not enough time was given from when the draft proposal was made available and the end of the public comment period, which included two power outages and two federal holi-days. According to council-man Rick Hughes, the coun-cil extended public com-ment one week, to Dec. 8 for comments to go on public record. Hughes said that pub-lic comment will be recieved until deliberations, the Dec. 8 deadline is only for com-ments to go on public record.

“We’ve been working on this document for so long and a good chunk hasn’t changed for a long time, so I do feel that the info has been available to the public for a period of time in one form or another,” Hughes said. “Plus we added on one week and

will be accepting comments until deliberations mid-Jan-uary.”

Speakers were also disap-pointed that certain aspects of the SMP were allowing looser definition of nonconforming use requirements and repeal-ing the forage fish protection clause amongst other issues.

Kyle Loring of Friends of the San Juans told the coun-cil that the proposed update of the SMP is generally less restrictive, and asked the council that if they did not take the Friends’ submit-ted comments into account, that it keep the existing SMP because the original “is more protective than the one you are proposing.”

Lovel Pratt discussed the future of commercial aqua-culture operations, including fish net pens and geoduck operations, saying the pro-posed SMP does not address

them, and now is the time to be proactive, since residen-tial and aquaculture opera-tions are priority shoreline uses. Pratt recommended that the county draw from Island County’s plan. Billie J. Swalla, director of Friday Harbor Laboratories, voiced her concerns about the pro-posed change in designation of the labs research areas, False Bay and Argyle Lagoon.

“It is not hyperbole to state that the labs’ existence in San Juan County relies on the quality of the marine resourc-es and the field sites accessi-ble researchers and students; thus this designation affects us directly and significant-ly,” reads a letter written by Swalla and research professor at the labs Megan Dethier to the council. “The most recent versions of the shoreline des-ignations directly adjacent to our marine life preserves will

significantly downgrade the protection of those marine resources.”

Around False Bay, the last SMP designated dual desig-nations of rural residential/natural and rural farm forest/natural. The proposed SMP eliminates the dual designa-tion, to be rural residential and rural farm forest. Around Argyle Lagoon, near Jackson Beach, the proposal looks to change the designation from natural to port, marina and marine transport, as well as from natural to rural residen-tial to accommodate barges coming into Jackson Beach and the houses on the north shore.

“Because the University owns and controls all of the tidelands and the critical area regulations protect the func-tions and values, no signifi-

cant impacts to the environ-ment are anticipated with the proposed change to aquatic,” Kuller said.

Kuller said that the Department of Community Development proposed early in the process to try and eliminate dual designa-tion. According to Kuller, the council may review and address some of the submit-ted comments at their Dec. 15 meeting, but will likely not complete the bulk of the review until late January. Once approved by the county, the Department of Ecology reviews the plan and may choose to hold a public hear-ing and allow a 30 day com-ment period. Kuller says it may take up to six months for Department of Ecology to review and choose to approve or deny the SMP.

SMPContinued from page 1

Rock Island Communications has been busy installing fiber optic broadband to homes and businesses around the county. This historic undertaking will provide fast, reliable Internet up to 2 00M bps+ to those who want it.

We’re currently managing over 250 simultaneous construction projects countywide. Here are some of the groups we’ve been working with to date:

Current Group Projects: Matia View on Orcas Island Morning Light on Orcas Island Suncrest on Orcas Island Whiskey Hill on Lopez Island Cape San Juan on San Juan Island Mineral Point on San Juan Island Spring Point on Orcas Island Mineral Heights on San Juan Island The Highlands on San Juan Island

Upcoming Group Projects: Cayou Valley on Orcas Island Gary Oak on San Juan Island Portland Fair Area on San Juan Island Panorama Place on San Juan Island Brown Island on Brown Island Salmon Point on Lopez Island

You Can Get Connected Too! Learn more about organizing at rockisland.com, or attend one of our monthly meetings.

Monthly Open Fiber Meeting:Join us this month for one general information session. All are welcome!

This meeting will be held on Lopez this December (meetings will rotate islands every month).

This month’s meeting: December 9thLopez Island Library from 5:30 – 7:00 pm2225 Fisherman Bay Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261(360) 468-2265 rockisland.com

FIBER UPDATE

MONTHLY FIBER MEETUPS

8 — Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

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Wednesday December 16th @ 7PMChristmas Jazz

Free jazz with music from the San Juan Jazz Quintet (minus one!).

What better way to celebrate than to relax with music and meet up with friends, old and new?

By Anna V. SmithJournal reporter

A Public Records Act lawsuit against San Juan County has been resolved, with the county paying $22,501 plus legal costs and attorney’s fees to plaintiff Sheryl Albritton, accord-ing to press releases from the offices of the attorneys working on the case.

The complaint, filed Oct. 9 in Skagit County Superior Court said the case “is about elected officials and pub-lic employees conspiring to conceal improper gov-

ernmental conduct from the public,” and alleged a number of documents were withheld from a public records request.

San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord was origi-nally listed along with San Juan County as a defendant, and was dismissed from the case as requested by the defending attorney.

“The maximum penalty we could get if we continued to litigate Ms. Albritton’s claim was about $18,000 dollars — that the coun-

ty offered Ms. Albritton significantly more than the case was worth indi-cates how badly the county wanted this case to be over,” said plaintiff attorney Nick Power in a press release.

According to defense attorney Jeffrey Myers, the county arrived at the $22,501 amount after cal-culating the days from Albritton’s request of the documents until when the county handed them over.

In the press release from Myers’ office, it states the lawsuit is based on a “mis-understanding,” and that it was unclear in the initial request which documents Albritton was requesting. “When we reviewed the lawsuit, it became clear that Ms. Albritton wanted more than just code enforcement

records,” Myers said in the press release. “Our first step was to provide her with all the additional documents, including records about the Improper Governmental Action complaint which did not properly belong in the code enforcement file.”

The county press release states that they “identified mistakes,” which according to Myers was the issue of timeliness in the response to the public records request as well as omitted documents, including those with hand-written notations.

Since the lawsuit, the county has made addi-tions to the county’s public records response. San Juan County Councilman Jamie Stephens is now the interim public records officer, and the county has issued a pro-

viso to county departments stating that non-compliance with public records requests will impact their budgets. According to the county’s press release, they have invested in new software and training to “improve its responsiveness” and to track requests.

“Unfortunately there are still huge transparen-

cy issues with our county government,” said plaintiff attorney Nick Powers in a press release about the Albritton lawsuit. “This is a step in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done for the county’s government to be in com-pliance with state law.”

County pays $22K in public records lawsuit

– Submitted by Island Fire and RescueIsland Fire and Rescue reminds everyone to slow down

this winter. The roads on San Juan Island are icy and slick. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, multiple roll-over accidents occurred on our roads. Some of the vehicles ended up on their roofs. The roads are tricky and slippery this time of year so please exercise extreme caution. Be safe for the holidays.

Fire and Rescue warns drivers to be safe on icy roads

Hours: Mon-Fri 10-4Sat 10-4 on Saturdays

come by to get your picture taken with Skipper and TC from 12 to 2

Sun 12-4378-2158 • www.apsfh.com

Our doors are open with holidaycheer! We have Skipper and TC

but no reindeer.

Come look at our tree with allof its trimming and purchase apresent in the spirit of giving

The New Home New Hopedreams fi ll the air and that issomething we want to share.

So come on by with your

dog or cat because we evenhave those kind of snacks!

For more event info or to purchase tickets:www.sjctheatre.org

SJCT Box Of� ce: 378-3210

SAN JUANCOMMUNITYTHEATRE100 Second StreetFriday Harbor, WA

Saturday, December 12 ∙ 7:30 pmSunday, December 13 ∙ 2:00 pm

Holiday ConcertSan Juan Singers

Directed by Angel MichaelsThe community chorus takes us to “Christmas Past and Present” with a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria

as well as popular and traditional carols.Business Partner:

Lake Kennedy McCulloch CPAsTickets: Adults $18; Student Reserved $9;

and $5 RUSH at the door.Coming December 20FROZEN Sing-Along!

The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com Wednesday, December 9, 2015 —11

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Alvord-RichardsonCONSTRUCTION

All buildings designed to meet your specific needs. We take care of building permits.

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texmobuildings.com2700 Meridian St. Bellinghamlic#alvorrc342cm

Proudly serving Whatcom, Skagit, Island & San Juan Counties

CELEBRATING 50 YEARSIN BUSINESS!

IN MEMORY

Dorthea was a longtime resident of Friday Harbor, Proprietor of Boardwalk Bookstore, and lover of all animals. Please support the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor.

Ferdinand J. AugusztinyDorthea Ellen Augusztiny

11-9-1921 to 9-25-1974

3-20-1921 to 12-10-2014

Economic council crowns winners of business contestLocal entrepeurs are one step closer to

seeing their business dreams come true.The San Juan County Economic

Development Council’s first annual “Launch San Juan Islands” business plan competition culminated with four winners at a luncheon on Dec. 2. There were 12 entries with plans that ranged from a dog bakery to iPhone instructions to advanced marine technology.

“We hope to make it better every year,” said EDC Outreach Coordinator Robin Carroll. “And we plan on offering a similar program for non-profits.”

The grand prize winner of $2,000 went to Sasha von Dassow of San Juan Island Transport. He will be bringing agricultural products from local farmers to the mainland – and vice-versa. The second prize of $1,000

went to Leslie and Jacob Betcher of Upright Marine on Orcas Island. They invented a new type of marine buoy anchors that are ecologically sensitive.

The two runner up awards of $250 each went to Sandhya Sreerama for her San Juan Island-based Indian food company Port of Spice and Tim Fry of 468 Communications on Lopez for an app that chambers of com-merce and the visitors bureau can use for tourists.

Since the beginning of October, the group has participated in business planning and marketing workshops, mentoring sessions and an entrepreneur trade show. The par-ticipants also made oral presentations to the panel of judges.

The winners were selected based on the following criteria: market viability, competi-tive strategy, management, likelihood of suc-cess and impact on San Juan County.

Staff photo/ Colleen Smith ArmtrongThe contest winners: Tim Fry, Sasha von Dassow, Leslie and Jacob Betcher and Sandhya Sreerama.

By Colleen ArmstrongPublisher

Friday Harbor High School Students, Jillian Urbach and Wilson Loucks, shown above, chose The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor as the recipient of their community project this year. After a great deal of deliberation, they decided to make cat scratching posts; something the shelter was desperately in need of. To raise funds for the project Jillian and Wilson had a do-it-yourself dog wash at the animal shelter in early November. With the funds raised they purchased the supplies needed to build the scratching posts and set about learning how to construct them. As you can see by the photo, they caught on quickly and presented the animal shelter with seven beautiful posts – destined to provide hours of claw-sharpening fun for shelter cats for a long time to come.

Urbach and Loucks present cat costs to Animal Shelter Want an easy way to raise

money for your favorite ani-mal shelter? There’s an app for that. Walk For A Dog is an app you can download to your phone that keeps track of how far you’ve walked and donates to any animal shelter based on that dis-tance. Jillian Urbach and Wilson Loucks, juniors at  Friday  Harbor High School, have made it their mission to spread the word about the free app as part of their community project. 

“It’s a great tool,” says Loucks. “You’re walking your dog anyway. If you can make money for a good cause at the same time, why not?”

The app, developed by WoofTrax, Inc., allows users to select any shelter or rescue organization as their beneficiary, but, of course, Loucks and Urbach hope locals will choose the

Animal Protection Society -Friday Harbor. “We’ve got-ten all our pets from the animal shelter,” Urbach says. “I wanted to find a way to give back.”

In addition to promoting

the app, the teens have built nine scratching posts for the cats at the shelter.

They also raised $200 by hosting a DIY dog wash at the shelter.

"Christmas Past & Present"

Sat., Dec. 12, 7:30 pm • Sun., Dec. 13, 2 pm San Juan Community Theatre

San Juan Singers Holiday Concert

Your dog walk can help APS

20 — Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

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2016

IN THE SAN JUANS

A January 12 Publication of the Journal, Sounder, & Weekly. In partnership with the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, with copies taken to the Seattle & Portland Wedding Shows.

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– Submitted by Orca Net-work

Orca Network joins with the Center for Whale Research to announce a new baby orca born in November in L pod. The new orca has been assigned the scientific designa-tion L123. The new mom is 12-year old L103, called “Lapis,” and this is her first known offspring.

The average age at first birth is over 14 years old,

so this new mom will like-ly have the support of her mother, 38-year old L55 (Nugget), and older sister, L82 (Kasatka), who had her own new calf, L116 (Finn) in 2010. There are now seven orcas in the three gen-erations of the L55 matri-line.

The newborn is the sev-enth birth in the endangered Southern resident orca pop-ulation in the past year. In 1977 nine new calves were documented, and in 1986 also seven calves were born. The birth of L123 brings the total in J, K, and L pods up to 83, or 84 including Lolita, the L pod orca captured in 1970 and still on display in a theme park in Miami.

Little L123 was first noticed on Nov. 10 by Orca Network Whale Sighting Network coordinator Alisa Lemire Brooks and Orca Network and Langley Whale Center volunteer Sara Hysong-Shimazu who saw the newborn from Alki Point in Puget sound while Alisa and Sara were track-ing and observing the orcas as part of Orca Network’s

Whale Sighting Network, sharing their sightings with the public via Facebook to help others in Puget Sound get to nearby shorelines to see the whales. Their obser-vations, and Alisa’s video and Sara’s photos, led them to realize that there was a new calf traveling with L pod that day. The photos

and video were sent to the Center for Whale Research, but they were unable to officially confirm the birth until Dec. 4, when Mark Malleson found most of the Southern resident orcas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and was able to take photos from closer range.

Alisa Lemire Brooks’ video of L pod in Puget Sound on Nov. 10 may be viewed at www.sanjuanjo-urnal.com.

The new arrival reminds us once again of our respon-sibility to make every effort to restore chinook salm-on spawning habitat, and access to that habitat, to allow salmon runs to flour-ish and provide vital suste-nance for this endangered extended orca family.

To learn more go to www.orcanetwork.org or visitour Facebook page.

Seventh new Southern resident community orca baby confirmed

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Contributed photo/ Mark Malleson The baby was seen on Dec. 4 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.