If there is room for another resolution, how about being sure to get out to some of the great Natural Skagit events throughout the year and also donate some time and $$$ to one or more of the many organizations working to preserve and enhance this place for the years and generations to come.  It is going to be a tough economic year and even giving some extra time and expertise will be a huge boost to these groups.  You will be reading about these organizations and opportunities right here in this blog throughout the year.

There were more than 40 candidates for the County Climate Action and Sustainability Task Force!  Good going.  Only 15 were finally assigned, but everyone is welcome to participate on work teams and sub-groups.  Watch here and the county website at http://www.skagitcounty.net/Common/Asp/Default.asp?d=Sustainability&c=General&p=main.htm for details.

http://www.rco.wa.gov/srfb/grants/funding.htm is the link to see projects in our watershed that get some $1.5 million for salmon restoration for 2009.  It is good to see these efforts proceeding and succeeding.

Maybe this year we can get the Samish River fecal coliform problems better identified and cleaned up.  There were several shellfish closures in Samish Bay in 2008, and the recorded counts of fecal coliforms continue to be too high during rainy times.  http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/samish/index.html is where information and data about the just completed detailed study can be found.  You can also see a map of impacted areas at http://www.scea.homestead.com/samishreductions.html .  Quite a bit of effort is being brought to bear and hopefully everyone living along the river and its tributaries will pitch in and help.

The Local-Organization-You-Might-Want-To-Be-Involved-With this week is the Skagit River Bald Eagle Awareness Team (SRBEAT) http://www.skagiteagle.org This is the outfit that runs the Skagit River Interpretive Center at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport and also organizes the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival.  The interpretive center is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm every Friday thru Sunday until Feb. 15.  On Saturdays and Sundays there is a speaker and presentation at 11:00 and then a 1-½ hr. guided walk around the area and river at 1:30.  The website has a complete schedule of upcoming presentations and speakers – always something interesting.  A good way to spend a weekend or just a day, coupled with Eagle watching!  The website also has a page that records the numbers of Eagles observed .. the “Eagle Count” .. so you can get an idea of the action.  That page also has the data for several years – a fun comparison.

The Eagle Festival is January 24/25 and details for info are below in the calendar.
Here are some near-term activities to consider:

Fri. Jan. 9 Starlight Beach Walk 8:00pm – 9:00pm Guided walk of Sunset Beach in Washington Park, Anacortes.  Bring flashlight, dress warm!  WSU/Skagit County Beachwatchers and People for Puget Sound
Sat. Jan. 10 Couples Eagle-watching Trip 8:00am – 3:00pm Guided van trip with Skagit Valley College $30/person Register at or 360-416-7873
Sat. Jan. 10 Winter Hawks of the Skagit Flats – with Field Trip 9:00 am – 11:00am (presentation) 11:00am – 2:00pm (field trip) Meet at Padilla Bay Facility on Bayview-Edison Rd.  Call 428-1558 or http://www.padillabay.gov/calendarofevents.asp to register. 
Sat./Sun. Jan.24/25 Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival All Day Concrete High School and other venues see http://www.skagiteagle.org for schedules and details

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.)

Ahhhh after a hard day at work it’s time to hit the shower and try that new shower head you just bought.  Turn on the water, get the temperature just right and step in.  Whaaaaatt!  Where is the nice flow I was expecting?  What is going on here?  Well little do some folks know that the hippies had been able to have new shower heads and faucets equipped with flow restrictors.  Those nasty little devices that control how much water volume comes out of your pipes.  Sure can be annoying when every time you turn around there some group is invading your space.

So how to fix it?  Simple tools can take care of it.  On the kitchen and bathroom type of faucets you need to unscrew the aerator and take out the sections being careful to note the order they were in.  In most cases you will find a small round piece of plastic with a small hole in it.  That is the restrictor.  Simply toss it in the garbage, put the parts together without it and put it back on the faucet.  In the shower some of the inexpensive shower heads don’t have a restrictor as a separate piece.  They generally don’t make the hole big enough for a good water flow.  Take your handy drill and a bit around 3/8 inch and drill out the hole.  The more expensive shower heads may require drilling in a couple of places.  Remember to open it up to at least 3/8 “.  These are pretty simple jobs with common tools and the difference is amazing.

Having problems with your hippie influenced water saver toilet flushing?  Well some of the earlier ones you have to flush 2 maybe 3 times.  There is no easy way to resolve this problem but a quick road trip can do wonders.  Simply take a quick run over the border to Canada and stop at one of the close cities and visit a home repair store and pick yourself up a new toilet.  In Canada they don’t force you to use hippie toilets and you can buy a good ole “genuine flusher”.  The great thing is that crossing the border with it is no problem.  Simply tell them what you have and you probably won’t pay duty on it.  If you do it will be a small amount and yes, it is legal to bring in a toilet from Canada.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!