Wildlife Report - 8/28/09

Deer Nibblings - Earlier this summer we noticed a tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket and thought it a great idea.  We went to see how the plant was doing only to find out the deer had discovered it and were keeping it well trimmed.  See the photo below.

 

Other Deer Trimmings.  Raspberries are another favorite of deer as shown in the other photo,  They keep a number of different types of vegetation trimmed.  We know that bean plants are a favorite along with roses and kiwi.  Squash flowers also seem to be a favorite.

 

Meeting Reports?  We have been asked when we are going to report on the Illahee Community Meeting held last Saturday, the Timbers Edge Appeal Hearing on Monday evening, and the Dock Hearing on Thursday.  We have them on our list for this weekend.

 

Jim Aho

Help! Lost Blue Parrot in Illahee! - 8/24/09

Lost Bright Blue Parrot - We just received the following email note and decided to send out a single issue Update.

........we have a neighbor on Illahee Rd. that just "lost" a bright blue parrot today.  It was hand raised and did not have clipped wings.  The family is devastated as most likely the parrot will not last long in "the wild."  Would you be able to put this on the "message board?"

If anyone in our area sees this parrot John Snell would appreciate a call:

*82-271-2259

We're not sure about the phone number prefix so if you have any information on this parrot and can't reach the owner, pass the information on to us.

Jim Aho

BOCC Monday Meeting Reminder - 8/23/09

Reminder: Timbers Edge Appeal Hearing, Mon (8/24/09) evening, County Admin Building, at 7 pm.  The Board of County Commissioners will hear the Illahee Community's appeal of the Hearing Examiner's decision to approve the Timbers Edge development.  The hearing is at the beginning of the Commissioner's meeting so it shouldn't take too long, especially since the lawyers only get 10 minutes to make their case.

 

Concerned Citizen Encouraged to Attend.  We have been asked to encourage concerned citizens to attend the hearing and have been told that a good showing of citizens shows the commissioners that residents are supportive of community efforts.  Those who helped with the Illahee Day cleanup are urged to wear the Illahee shirts that were given out by the Port of Illahee.

 

Illahee Community Letter.  We have been told that 1500 Illahee Community Letters have been hand delivered to residents regarding the Timbers Edge project.  Responses have been coming in via postal mail, email, and phone.  So far the responses have all been in agreement with the "Illahee Community Proposal re Timbers Edge," with some providing checks to support the legal fund.  Some volunteers may not have distributed their letters, so if you don't get a copy by the middle of the week, let us know.

 

Illahee Community Meeting on Saturday.  There was a good community meeting held Saturday at the Sylvan Way library.  We will wait for the Illahee Community Club's report to come out before reporting on the meeting.

 

Deer Vegetation Pictures.  We have some recent photos that show some of the things deer like to eat.  So far we have photos of the decimated tomatoes, raspberries, and kiwi that we will try to get into small files so we can attach them in a later Update.  If you have some deer grazing photos we will include them.

 

See You Monday Evening (8/24/09) at the County Admin Building.

 

Jim Aho

More Important Info - 8/20/09

County Staff Recommends Approval of Private Dock.  We have been asked to advise residents that Kitsap County has recommended approval of a private dock in the University Point area.  This is in the area of the northern boundary of the Illahee Community.  Evidently there was only one person who was concerned about the project according to the staff report.  We were told this is likely the situation because very few in the community are aware that a private dock application was submitted.  We were forwarded a copy of the staff report that recommends the dock be approved and have provided the following link to the report: http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/lu_env/he/reports/he-sr-08-62589.pdf

 

Dock Hearing is Thursday 8/27/09.  The hearing date is Thursday 8/27/09 at 10 am in case anyone is interested in attending.  The agenda is on the county website and we have attached the link to it below for your convenience.

http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/lu_env/he/agenda/cy2009/he-agd-20090827.pdf

 

 

Community Comments?  We have only received one email regarding the dock.

 

I'm having a hard time believing that I am hearing a private dock is being proposed for the University Point area.  I try to walk the beach area from Gilberton Creek south and can't imagine a private dock in that area.  I thought the surrounding bluffs were "feeder" bluffs and that the county was considering shorelines as areas that needed some kind of protection.  I'm having a hard time comprehending what I am hearing and am hoping you can provide more information in your updates. 

 

PS  I'm also personally concerned about how I am to walk around this new dock.  My walks are already impeded by bulkheads that protrude out into the shoreline.

 

PS  I hope I'm not the only one concerned about this.  This seems like a really dumb idea, and has anyone thought of the winter storms during high tides, and the debris that is in the water.  Please pass my name and concerns on to anyone else you come across who is concerned.

 

Illahee Community Letter Attached.  The Illahee Community Letter concerning the Timbers Edge Development that is being hand distributed to residents is attached as two files.  (Some residents would like to see the letter sooner rather than later, or are concerned that those delivering the letters, might miss their property.) The distributed letter is printed on both sides of legal paper, but was provided to us as two separate files.   Side 1 / Side 2

 

Your Response is Needed!  The Illahee Community Club wants to hear from as many Illahee residents as possible regarding their agreement or disagreement with the Community's "Proposal" to the developer and the county, and would like to let people respond by email if they want to save the cost of a stamp.  You can respond to info@illaheecommunity.com or to this update.  Two phone numbers are provided in the letter for those who have further questions.

 

Reminder (1):  Illahee Community Meeting, Sat (8/22/09), Library at 1:30 pm

 

Reminder (2):  Timbers Edge Appeal Hearing, Mon (8/24/09) evening, County Admin Building, at 7 pm

 

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Important Items - 8/19/09

New Eagle Nest?  We received the following email today of the possibility of an eagle nest being constructed at Ambleside, which included the picture below.

 

It would appear that we are in the process of getting an eagles nest in the
common area of Amblesides subdivision.  This attached photo was taken from
my deck.  We haven't seen any eagles arriving or leaving but it sure looks
like an eagles nest is in progress.

 

"Letter to the Illahee Community" Being Distributed.  We heard that the Illahee Community Club is in the process of hand distributing a "Letter to the Illahee Community Concerning the Timbers Edge Project," with the goal of trying to get copies to each Illahee resident.  As we understand it, roughly 200 plus letters have gone out so far with the remainder to be sent out Thursday and Friday.  We will try and get a copy to send out in our next Update.

 

Illahee Meeting Signs.  There are 13 meeting signs throughout the Illahee Community telling about Saturday's meeting at the Library at 1:30 pm.  We have been asked to see if there are any areas that should have a sign that don't.  Let us know and we will pass the information on.

 

Monday's Commissioner's Meeting.  We have been asked to remind residents that Illahee's appeal of the Timbers Edge Project to the Commissioners, will be held Monday evening at 7:15 pm at the county administration building. 

 

A Very Interesting Monday Hearing?  This should be a very interesting hearing with the county staff presenting their arguments, followed by the developer's attorney, and then the Illahee Community's attorney. 

 

Appeal Process Just Starting?  We are thinking that, depending on what the Commissioners decide, this appeal could go on the the Shorelines Hearing Board and/or Superior Court.  The arguments presented on Monday evening will likely be the basis for any appeals up the line.

 

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 8/18/09

Tires Dumped in Illahee Preserve.  We just got back in town to find several emails regarding some tires dumped in the Illahee Preserve. 

 

Photo.  Attached is a photo of the dumped tires.

 

A Possible Clue?  We received the following email that is possibly a clue.  Evidently the email was sent to the sheriff's office, but we don't know if any action was taken.

 

I am following up on an unfortunate incident at Illahee Preserve.  Sometime between last Tuesday evening 8/11 and Wednesday morning 8/12, somebody dumped 13 tires within the Illahee Preserve parking lot along Almira Drive.  See photo attached.  That's a lot of tires. 

 

Kitsap County Public Works is likely removing the tires today.  Disposal will be paid from funds secured thru a grant for dumping things such as tires.  Waste Management typically charges $5 to $6 per tire for disposal. 

 

 

Illahee Community Meeting on Saturday.  There is a very important Illahee Community Meeting scheduled for this coming Saturday, Aug 22, at 1:30 pm at the Library.  We know of two items that are scheduled to be on the agenda.  The first is Timbers Edge and what action to take pending the Appeal hearing that will take place on Monday evening.  The second is a 5 year long project to keep cleaning out the Illahee Creek culvert and place the material along the beach.  There should be more information on these two items at the meeting.

 

Loose Guinea Hens?  We may be a little late on this one.

 

Just in case anyone writes about seeing some strange birds  wandering the area, five of our guineas took off on Wednesday.     They are one dark gray rooster and one light gray hen, with three medium size (half grown) chicks.    They were last near the mouth of the Gilberton creek on Thursday evening.    They  like to fly high in trees when you get close to them.    They can be quite vocal...

 

Coyote Information.  We were given the following link on coyotes.  We have a number of coyotes in the area of the Illahee Preserve and elsewhere around Illahee.  Since they sometimes wander through the area, we thought this good information to pass on.  http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/crossing_paths/summer2009/cross_06.html

 

Keep the Infomation Coming.  We will try to keep up with the information you send in.

 

Jim Aho

Community Meeting Scheduled For Aug 22 - 8/12/09

Illahee Community Meeting Sceduled for Saturday August 22nd.  We have been asked to let Illahee citizens know that an Illahee Community meeting has been scheduled for Saturday afternoon August 22, 2009.  While August is the month for a quarterly meeting, it is timely as one of the major items on the agenda will be to discuss and vote on the Illahee Proposal of what the community would like to see with the Timbers Edge development.  This is two days prior to the County Commissioner's hearing the Community's appeal of the approval of the Timbers Edge project.  The meeting place is the Library on Sylvan Way with the meeting starting at 1:30 pm.

 

Letter to the Illahee Community.  We just saw an advance copy of a "Letter to the Illahee Community Concerning The Timbes Edge Project."  Evidently it is being printed and the Illahee Community Club is looking for residents to distribute copies to their neighborhoods.  We were told that Judy Krigsman has agreed to pick up the copies on Friday and that she will try and coordinate the distribution to make sure each resident in Illahee gets a copy.  It will likely be next week before the copies will be passed out, so be patient.

 

Illahee Community Map.  The letter contains a map showing the Illahee Community boundaries, which should be helpful to many in Illahee who are often confused as to whether they are Illahee residents or not.  The confusion is primarily for those who don't live in the historic section of Illahee.  This map has been needed for a long time and we are glad to see it being distributed throughout the Illahee Community.

 

So Who Will Distribute?  Some have already offered to distribute letters.  If you can help, call Judy at 792-6934 (she said she may not always be there, so leave a message).  Last time this kind of distribution was done, kids were paid to distribute letters to areas that didn't receive them.  If you know of any kids who would like to help, pass that information to Judy.

 

Jim Aho

Some Important Illahee Information. The community of Illahee continues to be engaged in a disagreement over the Timbers Edge project. There are a number of issues that are reported to have Illahee citizens concerned, the two primary ones seem to be the negative impact on Illahee Creek and the aquifers, and the fact that most of the lots are very small, approximately 3400 square feet. There are other issues, but these seem to be the two big ones.

Notice of Public Hearing Attached. We received a "Notice of Public Hearing" in the mail on Saturday and today Ryan Vancil, forwarded a pdf file of the notice so we have attached it for those who did not receive copies. As you can see from the notice, the hearing is on Monday evening, on August 24, 2009.

Only 10 Minutes Allowed To Present Arguments. In case you are thinking the Hearing could be long, the community is only given 10 minutes to state their case, which is followed by 10 minutes for the developer. The community has hired a lawyer to do the presentation.

Community Legal Representation. The community early on decided to be represented by legal counsel, first hiring Claudia Newman of the Seattle law firm of Brinklin, Newman, and Dold, and later they hired a more local lawyer, Ryan Vancil, to represent the communities interests.

Contributions Needed. The Illahee Community Club (ICC) has asked that we remind residents that legal representation is costly and that a legal fund has been established to receive contributions. Contributions can be sent to the ICC, Box 2563, Bremerton, WA 98310.

Decision Later? Following the arguments, the Commissioners will likely wait until a later meeting to decide on the appeal, so there probably won't be a decision that evening.

Illahee Proposal Prepared. During the last few months an ad hoc committee and the Illahee Community Club board of directors have been working on a suggested draft proposal for the Timbers Edge project that the community could live with. The proposal took some time to develop since they were working on obtaining unanimous agreement by approximately twenty committee and board members. It represents a serious attempt by the community to see if a mediation type of agreement can be reached that benefits both parties and would possibly avoid continued litigation.

The Illahee Proposal. We have attached the draft proposal we received and have also presented it below. As we understand it, there will either be a meeting to approve it or it will be sent out or distributed for a mail-in vote. We will pass on what we know as it becomes available.

Jim Aho

ILLAHEE COMMUNITY PROPOSAL

The Illahee Community has been working diligently to restore and preserve the Illahee area of Puget Sound, including Illahee Creek, its aquifers, baseflows, wetlands, floodplains, and estuaries; and is greatly concerned about the currently proposed Timbers Edge project and its impact on these areas.

The citizens of the community have had to live with the results of past county approved projects that have been detrimental to the health of the Illahee area, Illahee Creek and Puget Sound. Engineering studies funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Port of Illahee have documented significant problems from these approved and authorized developments in the Illahee Creek watershed, and have concluded that major restoration work must be done to correct the problems. The estimated cost to correct the past failures on Illahee Creek alone is $20 million, which does not include the aquifer recharge issues of Timbers Edge that could result in the death of Illahee Creek as a salmon stream.

The Illahee Community has been successful in the past with litigation regarding stormwater (Rue Villa) and to defeat detrimental projects (fish pens) or mitigate the impacts (Illahee outfall project), the last two being county approved projects (by the Hearing Examiner and the Board of County Commissioners). The community has demonstrated they will stand up and fight for and defend positions they believe in.

With Timbers Edge there are varying concerns. For adjoining property owners there are concerns for the health and safety for children with regard to traffic. For those in Rue Villa and downstream of the project, it is the threat of more uncontrolled stormwater. For others it is the impact on Illahee Creek, the underlying aquifers, the estuary and floodplains. The possible death of Illahee Creek as a salmon bearing stream is unacceptable to the community, and the fact that an EIS or Environmental Impact Statement was not required by Kitsap County is both irresponsible and intolerable. The lack of concern for the creek sends a message that in Kitsap County salmon streams take second place to development.

The citizens of Illahee are not opposed to land development. They would like to work with the developer and the county to insure the Timbers Edge project fits the community, controls the stormwater, and preserves the stream and the natural features of the area.

The Illahee proposal is that the Timbers Edge development project be reconfigured to conform to the current existing zoning for the area. This zoning density, along with low impact design applications, will help insure the protection of Illahee Creek. By itself, the reduced density will by itself improve the traffic safety concerns for the children within this area.

The elimination of major infrastructure costs should be a financial incentive. The proposed sewer system would be replaced by septics. The septic systems will help increase groundwater infiltration, which in turn supports aquifer recharge and the baseflows in Illahee Creek. With maximum infiltration of stormwater through infiltration pits, bioswales, and rain gardens, etc., stormwater overflows do not need to be treated which eliminates the requirement for a stormwater basic treatment facility and piping to Puget Sound. Eliminated also are the following: the required road improvements on Perry Avenue, possible Fir Drive improvements, the anticipated cost of running the sewer line under Illahee Creek, a new sewer pump station, and the cost of repairing Illahee Road for the sewer line installation.

The secondary benefit of the Illahee proposal is a safe and environmentally enhanced development that is supported by the Illahee Community and the Illahee Community Club.

Catch-Up Report - 8/9/09

Back in Town. We are trying to catch up on events after being out of town for awhile.

Illahee Day Report. We heard Illahee Day on August 1st was a success. There was a breakfast of juice (courtesy of the Port), muffins and bagels (courtesy of Costco), and coffee (courtesy of Starbucks) in the morning, and sandwiches and drinks (courtesy of the Port) in the afternoon, and your choice of five work groups in between that were cleaning up Illahee and working in the Illahee Preserve. The Port of Illahee provided fifty bright orange "Illahee" tee-shirts, to the participants that wanted them, and ran out of shirts which is an indication of the turn out.

Illahee Day Photos? If anyone has some photos of Illahee Day and would like to share them, please let us know. We did have Mark notify us via the website that he had posted some videos of Illahee Day on YouTube at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6N7uxx1-A Thank you Mark!

Illahee 50's & 60's Kids Gathering. The following Saturday, August 8th, found about 40 Illahee kids from the 1950's and 1960's gathering to remember what it was like to grow up in Illahee in times past. We were told the historic part of Illahee was more isolated back then and these "kids" were a close knit group and have been meeting annually in recent years. We will see if we can get some of their stories and pictures to pass on.

Notice of Public Hearing. On Saturday (Aug 8, 2009) many residents received a "Notice of Public Hearing" regarding the appeal hearing for the Timbers Edge project. The hearing is scheduled for the evening of August 24, 2009. The Illahee Community Club appealed the Hearing Examiners approval of the project to the Commissioners.

Illahee Community Proposal re Timbers Edge. We heard the Illahee Community Club has sent a copy of a draft “Timbers Edge Illahee Community Proposal” to the developer and the lawyers involved, and will be forwarding copies to Illahee residents soon, along with scheduling an August 2009 meeting. We will forward this information in another Update early in the week.

Illahee Deer. On recent evening walks we have been surprised at the number of deer observed. Some of the deer still have some of the white markings that have been carried genetically from an albino buck from many years ago. We have observed the diminishing of the markings over the years and thought it interesting to observe twin fawns, one without any markings, and the other with more white than its mother.

Illahee Culvert Cleaning? We are not sure what the status is of the dredging of the Illahee culvert this year. There were a number of residents upset with the poor posting of the county's intentions and the residents are evidently asking how the dredging fits into the long term plan to "fix" the stormwater problems in Illahee Creek. This may be a good discussion item for the August meeting.

Any Missed Items? If we are missing any items that happened in the past few weeks, please let us know.

Jim Aho