Wildlife Update & Other Items - 7/24/09

Eagle Gets Goose.  This past week I went out on the deck to take a phone call.  While on the phone I heard the crows making a loud commotion at the beach and saw a Canada goose that appeared to have fallen down and was using his wings to try to move or get himself up.  Seconds later, and before the goose could get up, a bald eagle was on top of him and immediately started to pick away at his feathers.  There was a slight breeze blowing and soon the beach downwind was covered with goose feathers.  I finished my call and took some pictures and have attached 4 of them.  I was told that two eagles spent most of the rest of the afternoon feasting on the goose.  A similar event took place last year with a single goose, which may be why the geese tend to stay in groups. 

 

Deer Photo.  The other evening on a walk we saw six deer.  The attached photo shows four of the deer - two larger deer are on the left with the mother in the center of the photo and twin fawns to the right.  They were amazingly tame.  The other two deer seen were a mother and her fawn.  Some of you see these scenes daily and others only see the results of their nightly grazing.  The photo was taken at dusk with a flash so some serious editing of the photo was needed to take the glare from the eyes.

 

Illahee Day August 1.  Just a reminder that Illahee Day is next Saturday, August 1st.

 

County Notice Posting of Illahee Creek.  There are some residents trying to figure out what is being planned for the dredging of the Illahee Creek culvert and the placement of the dredging material at the beach.  It is interesting that the project name is "Illahee Beach Nourishment."  Needless to say, some are not convinced, and are trying to get more information.  We are hoping that we can have a presentation on this project at the August meeting of the Illahee Community Club.  The time and place of this meeting is yet to be determined.

 

Aquifer Meeting Airing on BKAT.  The aquifer meeting was taped and is being rebroadcast on the Bremerton Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) station at the following time:

The last showing of “The Illahee Watershed Aquifer Protection Plan” will air:
7/30      10am
BKAT is Kitsap's local TV channel. 
Channel 12 - Comcast
Channel 3 - WAVE

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 7/19/09

Kitsap Sun Article.  We like to pass on newspaper articles about Illahee and there was an interesting one in the Kitsap Sun's Sunday paper regarding the Illahee Community's appeal of the Hearing Examiner's decision to approve the Timbers Edge project.  Reporter Brynn Grimley was in attendance at the Commissioner's work study session where the appeal was briefed to the Commissioners and she wrote the linked article:  http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jul/16/commissioners-preparing-to-hear-appeal-to/ 

Commissioner's Meeting.  There were also 4 Illahee residents at the meeting to listen to the county's briefing which took about 45 minutes.  What is interesting is the Illahee Community will have roughly 10 minutes to present its appeal arguments to the the Commissioners, which may be fine if this was a simple appeal, but in this case there were over 400 exhibits and two days of testimony. 

Timbers Edge Counter Proposal.  The community is reported to be working on a Counter Proposal to be presented to the developer.  The process has been ongoing off and on for two months and reports are they are getting final approvals from the ad hoc committee and the 15 member Illahee Community Club board.  Afterwards it will be voted on by the Illahee community at an August meeting, yet to be scheduled.  We will pass it on in an Update once it becomes available to us.

Copies of Counter Proposal.  We just heard that they are hoping to have copies of the Timbers Edge Counter Proposal available at Illahee Day on August 1, 2009.

Illahee Day on August 1st.  This is a reminder that Illahee Day is next Saturday.

Illahee Day.  Save Saturday, August 1 for Illahee Day 2009.  The theme is the ABC'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 atdocdmsret@msn.com or call 340-7257.

Illahee Preserve Trash Dumping.  We are attaching a picture of some major trash dumping at the new Illahee Preserve parking lot on Almira.  They are realizing that they will need to open some "windows" through the trees so that those doing the illegal trash dumping might be seen and caught.

Rotary Work.  Thank God for the East Bremerton Rotary Club that has taken the Illahee Preserve on as one of their projects.  Not only are they doing a stellar job of trail work, and promoting the Preserve, they also took care of illegal dumping that occurred (see the attached report),

East Bremerton Rotary completed another successful work party at Illahee Forest Preserve on Thursday evening, July 16th.  10 Rotarians participated in efforts to tidy up the Almira Drive parking lot.  Activities included spreading wood chips around the perimeter of the parking lot and removal of construction debris which had been dumped in a hidden corner of the parking lot.  Thanks to Ron Pettygrove for taking care of this disposal task.  Hooray for Ron!

Wildlife Reports.  Just a few wildlife reports coming in.

Plant Nibbling Deer.  Near nightly nibblings by deer passing through the neighbor hoods have been reported. 

Otter Family Increases.  There are reports the numbers of otters in the area have increased.  We don't know if it is because of new young ones or not.

Blueberry Addicted Goose.  There evidently is a lone Canada goose that has become so addicted to blueberries he is able to repeatedly defeat mesh netting.  We understand the wife paid for an additional four foot high fence around the berries so the husband wouldn't shoot the goose.  We hear that emotions can run quite high as people try to cope with wildlife.

Brownsville Weather Station.  We haven't had time to research the Illahee weather station, but did receive the following information that there is a Brownsville weather station.

I don't know if this would be any use to you.... but the Port of Brownsville has a weather station set up on the dock, it records rain, wind, pressure and such... I have included the web site, http://www.portofbrownsville.org/      on top left is weather and events click that, then just click weather, it's interesting and would be worth a few minutes just to look around, it also gives all the upcoming events such as BAD in September , which is Brownsville appreciation Day, very cool, well I am signing up for the big clean-up on August 1, so I will see you then.

Aquifer Meeting Airing on BKAT.  We owe the community more information of the aquifer meeting that was held on June 30, 2009.  In the meantime the meeting was taped and is being rebroadcast on the Bremerton Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) station at the following times:

“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

Illahee Creek Posting Inadequate?  We just got word that a letter sized yellow sheet of paper was stapled to a telephone pole by Illahee Creek.  The posting is a "Statement of Exemption From Shoreline Substantial Development Permit Requirements."  Evidently Kitsap County wants to clean out the culvert again and deposit the material on the beach.  We understand there are some who are concerned about the continued dredging of the stream and are asking if there is a long term plan.  The yellow paper says it was posted on July 10th and needed to be appealed within 10 days of the decision, which was noted on the paper as July 6th.  Some are wondering if this is proper notice and if this provides adequate time to find out what is being planned.  We took a couple pictures of the posting and we'll let you decide. 

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