Dang, but I wish we had one of those government grants. I did go, today in fact, down to Everett to a workshop to see how to get on that gravy train! Anything to get out of this closet (in a soon-to-be-demolished building) that I share with another guy. Fitting onto the meager floor space is manageable, it’s the one decent computer we have between us that is the bottleneck. Be nice to have a place to store stuff too. Doesn’t look promising, budget cuts coming you know – down economy.
Checked out a used Subaru the other day. Uhhh, don’t know if I’m up for it – pretty pricey. Dealers are awful proud of that little car.
Spent time with a farmer too – down by the Samish where he lets about a gadzillion fishermen use his land for the next two months. Seemed like a nice guy – we and the Samish bay oyster farmers pay the freight to get a couple of porta-pottis out there and then he and a buddy take care of moving them up and down the dike for use and weekly servicing. Had some nice things to say about how well the fishermen respect his property. Some of the fishermen had some nice things to say about him too!
Free bus tickets can be had in April to catch a SKAT ride from Burlington/Mt. Vernon areas to the Swinomish Reservation (and back) for the big annual Earth Day event. I guess maybe 150 folks used them last time. You just have to keep paying attention!
Here is the link for the new Skagit Valley Farm Map and Guide
http://www.agbizcenter.org/FilesUploaded/file/Skagit County Farm Map print version.pdf
You can pick them up at many locations, including Chamber of Commerce – get some and send them to your out-of-town friends!!!
And lastly, get your comments in about potential flood control measures! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to get the locals’ take on its proposals for flood-control projects in the Skagit Valley. A video of the corps’ presentation of 38 flood-control measures given Aug. 18 to a Skagit County flood-control advisory committee can be viewed on cable television or the Internet.
The 2 1 /2-hour presentation will air on Comcast Skagit21 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. every day for one week, beginning Sept. 2.
The video of the meeting will be available on the Skagit21 page of the county Web site, http://www.skagitcounty.net , starting Friday, Sept. 5.
Public comments may be e-mailed to Lorna Ellestad, or mailed or hand-delivered to her at 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon. The deadline for comments is Sept. 30.
The Local-Organization-You-Might-Want-To-Be-Involved-With this week is The Nature Conservancy (TNC) http://www.Nature.org The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951, and its Mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Many of you already belong and contribute money and maybe time to TNC projects. There is much TNC activity and effort here in our NaturalSkagit.
TNC has protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide — and operates more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. With more than 1 million members, the TNC works in all 50 states and more than 30 countries — protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia.
The TNC has developed a strategic, science-based planning process, called Conservation by Design, which helps identify the highest-priority places—landscapes and seascapes that, if conserved, promise to ensure biodiversity over the long term. Worldwide, there will be thousands of these precious places. Taken together, they form something extraordinary: a vision of conservation success and a roadmap for getting there—the Conservation Blueprint. Simply put, by protecting and managing these Last Great Places over the long term, the future of the natural world can be secured.
In the past, The Nature Conservancy was a major player in creating the 9,000-acre Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Habitat area, and owns 1300 acres of it.
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/washington/preserves/art6376.html is the link to the part of the TNC website that shows what is going on here in our NaturalSkagit, both in the delta as well as upriver.
The website is full of interesting stories and articles about work all over the world, as well as here in Washington. There is a calculator to see how your “carbon footprint” is too, if you dare!
The Skagit River Family Fest is a big TNC party this Saturday, September 6 – details in the calendar below!
Here are some near-term activities to consider:
Sat. Sept. 6 Skagit River Family Fest Noon – 6:00pm Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Rockport http://www.skagitfisheries.org/famfest.pdf for more details.
Wed., Thurs., Sat. Sept. 10, 11, 13 Skagit Stream Team Training 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Wed. & Thurs., 9:00am – 3:00 pm Sat. Padilla Bay Reserve facility on Bayview-Edison Rd. to register
Thur. Sept. 11 Small Forest Stewardship Workshop 6:00pm – 9:00pm Concrete High School Commons Free, but register by Sept. 10 or call 360 336-0172 Refreshments!!!
Sat. Sept. 13 Finney Creek Watershed Tour 10:00am – 4:00pm Register by Sept. 10 to reserve a seat in the van and for meet-up location. Dress for the weather and for wading! or call 360 336-0172 Snacks!!!
Sat., Sun. Sept. 13/14 Sourdough Speaker Series – Saul Weisberg and Peter Jackson North Cascades Institute Learning Center at Diablo Lake $95 Call 360 856 5700 ext. 209 to register
Mon. Sept. 15, Wed. Sept. 17, Mon. Sept. 22, (9:00am – 1:30pm) AND Wed. Sept. 24, (9:00am – 4:00pm) Climate Stewards Volunteer Training Program
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Bayview-Edison Rd.
http://www.padillabay.gov/ClimateStewards.html to register online by Friday, September 10
Wed. Sept. 17 Marine Mammal Stranding Network training for Island, Skagit or No. Snohomish County volunteers 6pm - 9pm Fire District #5 on Race Road, just south of Coupeville Fee is $20 for the NOAA Fisheries stranding resource book. Please contact Susan Berta at 1-866 ORCANET ( ) or Sandy Dubpernell at 360- 678-3765 ( ) to register.
Fri. Sept. 19 Construction Stormwater Management Practices Seminar 10:00am – 2:00pm Skagit Train Station, Mt. Vernon For builders, contractors, public officials, and citizens as well. Lunch included – no cost. Register at
Many similar events and activities and opportunities are posted on the GoSkagit Event Calendar. Check it often!
(This blog is a service of the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance (SCEA) http://www.skagitwater.org Your comments will be helpful. New ideas to consider, and changes we should make are especially welcome. Corrections and further enlightenment will help as well. You can email to . Thank you.)
