Miscellaneous - 2-21/11

Illahee Preserve Downed Trees.  Recent winds have caused a number of trees to come down in the Illahee Preserve, with some of them blocking trails.  Several Illahee Preserve volunteers have gone through the county's chain saw training class and have been doing an amazing job of keeping the trails open.  While walking the trails on Saturday afternoon, after the Saturday morning wind storm, we encountered Jon and Vic (two East Bremerton Rotary volunteers who went through the training) who had just taken care of 14 blocking trees and were starting to work on #15.  These are the type of amazing people we are fortunate to have working in the Preserve, and reinforces again and again that volunteers, and volunteer organizations like the Rotary, can keep a major Kitsap County Heritage Park's trails open and the Preserve well maintained.  
(For those wondering about the trash bags by the Mutt Mit Station (see attached photo), they were left by the County's Alternative to Detention crew several weeks ago, and they must have forgotten to call someone to pick them up.)

Power Outage On Saturday.  We received the following photo taken near Illahee State Park showing at least one set of downed power lines that probably caused some of the outage on Saturday morning.

Wednesday's Library Meeting Sponsor.  Some have wondered about who is sponsoring the "annexation" meeting at the Library on Wednesday at 6:15 pm.  They saw the signs that went up on Saturday and wanted more information.  We received a copy of an email that had a brief explanation of the Illahee Community Club (ICC) that may be helpful:

Illahee Community Club Information:

The Illahee Community Club (ICC) has been in existence since the founding of Illahee, but was reorganized in 2008/2009 to expand its boundary (essentially that of the Port of Illahee) and purposes (to support restoration and preservation).  The Club is now a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity with contributions tax deductible, as allowed by law.  Yearly dues for voting members are $10 per family.  Lifetime memberships are granted for those who support the ICC with gifts over $100.  There are currently ~175 voting members. 

The purposes of the Illahee Community Club are:

·         To restore, preserve, and maintain the Illahee community as an historic, scenic, and culturally significant area.

·         To combat community deterioration through remedial actions such as elimination of fecal coliform and storm water pollution.

·         To restore and preserve the Illahee area of Puget Sound, including freshwater, wetlands, floodplains, estuary, nearshore, marine, and upland habitats for the benefit and education of the general public.

·         To restore and preserve the following items adversely impacting the Illahee Creek Watershed as delineated in the Department of Ecology / Port of Illahee funded Parametrix Report, “Illahee Creek Watershed Surface Water Management Plan,” which are:

Surface Water Runoff, Landslides, Reduced Aquifer Recharge, Water Quality, Functionality of Illahee Creek Culvert, Degraded Salmonid Habitat.

·         To restore and preserve the natural features of the Illahee area including the Illahee Preserve (a Kitsap County Heritage Park), Illahee State Park, and area wildlife and habitat for the benefit and education of the general public.

·         To advocate for accomplishment of the goals and objectives in the Illahee Community Plan that support the restoration and preservation of the local Puget Sound area for the benefit and education of the general public.

·         To solicit and obtain financial support for the education, restoration, and preservation of the aforementioned items and other impacts adversely affecting the Illahee area of Puget Sound.

·         To work with private landowners, public water groups, schools, land trusts, government agencies, public and private associations, businesses, service groups, foundations, Indian tribes, and others to accomplish the above purposes.

Pheasant.  We have been trying to get a picture of a roster pheasant in the area that is pretty skittish.  This is the best we can do at this time and appreciate photographers who can capture good poses of these birds.

Gray Squirrels.  Gray squirrels have been steadily moving north through Illahee.  This one showed up this fall and pretty much ate all the chestnuts from our American chestnut tree.  They often displace the native Douglas squirrels and chipmunks, probably by out-competing them for food.  We also saw our first gray squirrel in the Illahee Preserve this winter.  Some think they are coming from the more urbanized areas of Bremerton.


Black Turnstone.  These are small shore birds we noticed just south of the Illahee Community Dock.  We included a picture with a pigeon in it to give you an idea just how small these birds are.

Spring Flowers.  We took the pictures of flowers on Friday and have noticed more flowers blooming each day, including a bunch of daffodils today (Monday).  We didn't have our camera today, so those pictures will come later.  We also noticed the Canada Geese have paired up, another sign that Spring is nearly here.

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous - 11/24/10

November Winter Storm.  Monday's snowfall and then later in the day and early Tuesday, the cold north wind has left its mark on Illahee.  Tuesday morning found trees and power lines down, evidently from some wind gusts from the west, and icy roadways.  We went walking around part of Illahee on both days and the difference was striking.


Another Chipmunk.  On Monday we saw a chipmunk scouring for food in the snow, and wondered why it wasn't hibernating.  We think by Monday evening it was wondering the same thing.  We have heard that chipmunks hibernate in the winter and expect that is true, but we were told by the property owner that this guy was back at his bird feeder on Tuesday in the frigid weather.

Young Deer.  We also watched a young deer on Monday as it seemed fascinated by the snow.  Unfortunately is was snowing hard at the time and the photo of the deer at the side of the road is obscured.

Leaning Power Pole.  This leaning power pole on East Blvd was reported to us early Tuesday morning and was taken care of by late in the afternoon.

Trees Down.  Not only did some people loose power Monday evening, but they were having problems getting out of their areas due to fallen trees.  The fallen tree photos were from Quinault Drive, Sunset (East End), and Hicks Ave.  The Sunset tree took down the power line and left bare wires on the ground.

Power Outages.  There were lots of power outages in Illahee (which goes from 30th Street on the south end, to University Point on the north end), which have mostly been taken care of from what we have heard.  Those in the more central or historic part of Illahee were more fortunate with this storm as they only had some power fluctuations.

Humming Birds.  On Tuesday morning we had a report of 5 humming birds sitting on this feeder, and another one close by, evidently waiting for the sun to thaw the frozen sugar water.  We asked them for a picture but they could only get two of them at the feeder.

Photos & Reports.  If you have any photos or reports you would like to share, please send them on.

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 2/16/10

Speed Radar Sign.  When we mentioned the new speed sign on Illahee Road we failed to mention it had a radar unit above it that gives the speed of the vehicles.  Well, sort of.  For vehicles going over 10 miles over the speed limit it flashes "SLOW DOWN."  However, every now and then between the flashing slow down message the speed shows up.  We saw lots of 40 plus speeds and some probably in the 50 range.  We were quite surprised at how fast some of the vehicles were going.

Old Radar Sign.  A few years ago residents requested the portable radar sign that the county has available for a week at a time. The radar unit was located at a school bus stop and the kids, and the parents, used to comment about the excessive speeds of many of the drivers. 

Solar Powered.  We also failed to mention the sign was solar powered as you can see from the attached photos.

Sign Location.  We also failed to mention the location of the sign and had several inquiries as to exactly where it is.  The location is not quite 0.2 mile north of the community dock on Illahee Road and is facing north so it picks up the speeds of southbound vehicles coming into the historic section of Illahee. 

Flower Photos for Sunbirds.  We have a number of Illahee residents who spend their winters in warmer climates, but they should know that after the one cold spell we had early this winter, the weather has been unbelieveably warm.  We are attaching a few photos to prove it.

IFP Meeting Reminder.  The Illahee Forest Preserve, the non-profit supporting the Illahee Preserve, meets tonight, Tuesday 2/16/10 at 5560 Ocean View Blvd at 6:30 pm.

Illahee Community Meeting on Saturday.  The Illahee Community meeting will be at the Sylvan Way Library at 1:30 pm on Saturday, 2/20/10 and all are invited.

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous - 12/15/09

Illahee News Articles.  There have been a number of recent articles in the Kitsap Sun regarding Illahee.  We have a number of snow birds, travelers, former Illahee residents, and residents who don't get the Kitsap Sun who like to keep up with what is happening in Illahee so we have attached the links to the reports.

Illahee Has Been Cold.  We had a week of cold weather and many are now happy to have the warmer rain instead.  The cold weather resulted in several fires in Illahee that were reported in the Sun.  The links are: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/12/illahee-home-fire-caused-by-combustibles-next-to/ and  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/08/fire-displaces-illahee-family/

Illahee Arson Fire Report.  There was also an article in the Sun regarding the arson fire that took the life of Paymela Long back in October 2009.  The link is:  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/09/at-scene-of-homicide-family-prays-for-peace-and/

Comments to Past Updates.  We normally receive comments to the Updates and often forget to pass them on.  When we include them we like to put them in italics.  Here are a few regarding trash:

while walking along illahee road this afternoon, i spotted several of
the aforementioned white trash bags, i noticed they were all stamped
with a kitsap county logo....so maybe jail trustees... or ????

Thanks to who ever picked up the chair that was dumped along side the road on 1st street.

You were wondering about the white trash bags along the road, it was a group of

youth that was escorted by a police truck, so it appears to be community serves

workers or work release prisoners.

We did a trail clean up a few weeks ago and are schedule to finish the trails (in the brush off the trail) this weekend. We did not do the road however. (This was in response to an email wondering if the Alternatives to Detention group did the cleanup work on Illahee Road.)

Timbers Edge Appeal Questions.  We are getting more and more questions as to what is happening with the appeals the Illahee Community Club has filed.  Earlier this afternoon we met with a Bremerton Patriot reporter who was asking about the Timbers Edge appeals.  Since there seems to be substantial interest in the appeals, we will cover them in greater detail in future Updates.

Illahee Creek Monitoring Stations.  We came across an old map showing the location where fecal coliform monitoring was done along Illahee Creek a few years ago.  Based on the results obtained from the samples the stations changed from those shown on the attached map, and due to another year of monitoring data and Health Department cutbacks, will be changing again in 2010.  If anyone is interested in volunteering to collect the fecal coliform samples at the beginning of each month, please send us an email. 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 7/8/09

Illahee Forester.  Illahee is fortunate to have a recognized forester, Jim Trainer, in the community.  Jim often gives wildlife presentations and also tours of area forests, including the Illahee Preserve and the area along Illahee Creek.  We are a little late in reporting on a recent tour Jim gave to the GPC last month. 

 

On June 13 Jim Trainer conducted a hike for the Great Peninsula Conservancy to see the 800 year old culturally modified Western Red Cedar in Illahee.  There were about 25 people and it was reported to be quite a hike. 

 

Hooting Owls.  Last evening there were some owls who were especially noisy along Sunset next to the Illahee Preserve.  There appeared to be about 4 owls having a hooting contest.  We think they were Barred Owls and wish we had a recorder to document their sounds. In the past we have had nearby residents tell of hearing the owls at night and last evening we heard them for ourselves.  It was quite an experience.

 

Garden Tour Interest.  We have had 5 people express interest in working on an Illahee garden tour so we will try to get them connected to see what they will come up with.  Let us know if you know of anyone else who might be interested, or any garden areas you would recommend they consider.

 

Timbers Edge Appeal & Possible Counter Proposal.  We understand an ad hoc committee of the Illahee Community Club is working on a draft counter proposal to be presented to the Illahee community for final concurrence, and then when/if approved, to the developer.  We will try to stay on top of this as we know that many are concerned on what will happen to the community if the project were to go ahead as planned.

 

Rainfall in Illahee.  Since May 20th the rainfall in Illahee is only 0.22 inches which has come in some pretty small amounts, see the attached for the exact amounts which begin on June 19th and end on June 27th. 

 

0.01
0.08
0.07
0.02
0.02
0.02

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 7/7/09

Illahee Day.  Save Saturday, August 1 for Illahee Day 2009.  The theme is theABC's of Illahee.  A for an Attractive Illahee, B for Breakfast and lunch at the community dock, and C for Community clean-up in-between breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast at the dock between 9-10 am.  Community clean-up between 10am -12 pm.  Lunch at 12 pm.

 

5 Clean Up Teams.  You can pick the clean-up team you would like to be on. The five of them are:  Team Dock, Team Illahee Road North, Team Illahee Road South, Team Ocean View & West, and Team Illahee Preserve.  The attached brochure provides the details.

 

Volunteer Receive .....  All volunteers will receive Illahee T-Shirts, and there will be drawings and prizes.  Sign up by sending an email or leave a message with your name and shirt size at docdmsret@msn.com or call 340-7257.

 

Aquifer Meeting.  We have been asked when we are going to report of the aquifer meeting that was held on June 30th.  On some of these meetings we wait to see if there is going to be any press coverage, since they do such a good job.  Because there was no coverage we will provide a brief synopsis.  The room was filled and the information was extremely informative.  We received many compliments for hosting the event.  During the question and answer time there was some disagreements as to the extent and influence of some of the deep aquifers.  The consensus is that the USGS needs to do some definitive studies of the area to define the aquifers.  What was not in dispute was the need to infiltrate our rainwater runoff and to do so as close to the source as possible, thereby mimicking natural conditions.  We will provide more information later on the subject.

 

BKAT Coverage & Viewing Dates.  The aquifer meeting was documented by Bremerton Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) and will be broadcast four times.  The dates are:

 

“The Illahee Watershed Aquifer Protection Plan” will air:
7/20      11am
7/22      10:30pm
7/24      3pm
7/30      10am

BKAT is Kitsap's local TV channel. 
Channel 12 - Comcast
Channel 3 - WAVE

 

Thanks to Dr. Massmann, Dave Tucker, & Shawn Ultican.  We want to thank Dr. Massmann for his presentation and helping us better understand groundwater as an important resource that needs to be understood and managed.  We also thank Dave Tucker from Kitsap County Public Works for being there to answer questions, along with Shawn Ultican, from the Kitsap Healthe District who also fielded questions.

 

Brown Tap Water.  Every now and then Illahee residents experience a brown coloring in their drinking water.  We have had several instances where people have forwarded their questions to us, and we have asked them to call North Perry Water.  Attached is George Smalley's recent response to a resident in the area south of Illahee State Park.

 

Just thought you should know that it is not a harmless bacteria in the water that causes a brown color when water is taken from a fire hydrant at a high rate of speed. It is typically sediment build up, or a concentration of a harmless mineral called manganese. The District does work hard to provide clean water to its customers by  flushing the water mains on an annual basis to try to keep the build up of these minerals and sediments down.The water is safe to drink however it is not to appealing to look at. The problem was caused by a brush fire on E.30th and Parklane Sunday morning 7/5/09.The fire dept. had to hook to a hydrant and flow water. We are sorry for the inconvenience however these things happen and they are beyond our control.The District did flush the area for most of the day on Monday the 6th.
Please call the District office if you are still experiencing discolored water.

360.373.9508

Thank you,

George Smalley
NPW GM

 

Cat Chasing Deer.  During a walk on Monday morning a resident reported watching a large deer walking on the roadway past a house when a black cat took off after the deer, chasing it down the road and into the Illahee Preserve.

 

Mediation Clarification.  In our last Illahee Community Update we linked the Kitsap Sun article that discussed the County's new mediation process and made some comments.  Scott Diener, Manager of Policy and Planning for DCD, sent us the following  info and link:

 

The article title is misleading.  The approvals made by the BCC only allow the Hearing Examiner to authorize mediation (as well as reconsideration).  The actual process language (when mediation is optional and when it is required) is going to the Planning Commission on July 7 for its initial work study (after being remanded back to them by the BCC in Dec 08).

To follow the mediation language development beginning with the Planning Commission process, go to http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/pc/default.htm

 

Where Did the Canada Geese Go?  Some of the residents with waterfront yards report they haven't seen the Canada geese since the 4th of July and wonder if they just moved elsewhere in Illahee, or if they left the area because of the fireworks.

 

Humming Bird Photos.  There are lots of humming birds in the area, and we were surprised to find them in the Illahee Preserve the other day when collecting water quality samples for the health department.  Katrina Knutson, the Kitsap County Planner who helped prepare the Illahee Community Plan sent us the following link to some amazing hummingbird photos.

 

BIRTH OF A HUMMINGBIRD                                              
This is truly amazing.                                            
                                                                     
Be sure to click on 'NEXT PAGE' at  the bottom of each page; there  
are 5 pages in all.                                                 
                                                                                                                                        
A lady found a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way        
   from the egg to leaving the nest.  Took 24 days from birth to     
   flight.  Because you'll probably never see this again in          
   your lifetime, enjoy and share.  The very last picture is         
   amazing.                                                                                                                                
CLICK THIS ADDRESS....                                                                                                                   
   http://community.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM                

 

Timbers Edge Appeal.  We have heard the community's appeal of the Hearing Examiner's Decision to approve the Timbers Edge Development, may soon go before the County Commissioners.  There is a group that is working on a counter proposal to be given to the developer to see if there can be an acceptable resolution of differences.  The group needs to complete their work soon if they plan on getting it done before the appeal is heard by the commissioners.

 

Dry Conditions In Illahee.  It has been some time since any appreciable rain has fallen in Illahee.  There is an official or semi-official rain gage in Illahee where rainfall is measured.  That is about all we know and hope that we can find out more, maybe even some photos of it, along with any current reports.

 

Jim Aho