Illahee in the News - 3-13-11

Illahee in the News.  Illahee makes the printed news quite often.  There is a nice article in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, written by Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes entitled "Around the Sound ...  focus on Illahee and the nearshore environment."  The link is:  http://kpbj.com/feature_articles/2011-03-02/around_the_sound_focus_on_illahee_and_the_nearshore_environment

Illahee Car Story.  The Kitsap Sun recently had an article about Andy Barcheck and his amazing car story and how with the help of local craftsmen won a prestigious car award.  Andy and his wife live near Illahee State Park.  The link to the article is:  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/mar/03/fourteen-years-in-a-garage-pays-off-for-man/

Long Time Illahee Resident Photo on Front Page of Kitsap Sun.  On the front page of Thursday's Kitsap Sun was an article on shortages of some produce with a picture of Audrey Boyer buying celery.  (For years Audrey put out an Illahee Community Newsletter, which she personally mailed to about 200 residents.  These Updates are now trying to follow her lead in keeping residents appraised of what is happening in Illahee.)  The link to the article is:  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/mar/10/in-search-of-lettuce-southern-cold-snap-to-blame/

Rob Woutat Column.  Rob Woutat recently wrote about the changes to his neighborhood in Illahee which has some interesting comments following.  The link is:  http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/feb/24/rob-woutat-things-are-changing-in-the-old-hood/

Sense of Community?  What is interesting about the Woutat article is that there are a number of Illahee residents who are trying to foster a sense of community in Illahee.  There are some definite bright spots as those who regularly use the Illahee Preserve seem to know each other, as do those who use the Illahee community dock.  Whenever petitions were circulated there was also interest in what was happening in Illahee, with one early petition drive gathering over 700 signatures.   Another bright spot is we find that more and more residents are receiving the Illahee Community Updates, which are now also on a blog site and on Facebook.

What Else Can Be Done?  If you have any ideas about how to better bring together the Illahee Community, we would be glad to forward them on to the Illahee groups we are aware of:  the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee, the Illahee Forest Preserve, the Illahee Community Club, and the Port of Illahee.

Jim Aho

Jim Trainer Article 1-14-11

Illahee's Resident Arborist.  Illahee is fortunate to have its own resident arborist in the person of Jim Trainer.  With nearly half of the Illahee community being forested, it is nice to have a tree expert living here in the midst.  Next to wildlife, one of the other things that residents mention about what makes Illahee such a special place to live, is all of the trees.

Kitsap Newspaper Group Article.  The Kitsap Newspaper Group has printed a great article about Jim in the Bremerton Patriot and the Central Kitsap Reporter, which is distributed to some of the residents of Illahee.  Note that not every person receives these weekly publications as about half of the community is in the CK Reporter area and the other half in the Bremerton Patriot area, and delivery is only made to certain neighborhoods.  So we have attached the link to the article here (all you need to do is click on it).  Kitsap man speaks for the trees - Jim Trainer, a tree historian, tells local history through the trees in our backyards. - Bremerton Patriot

Thanks For Sending This Article.  Most of what we pass on is information sent to us, and we thank those who emailed this article to us.  We had been getting the Bremerton Patriot up until the last two weeks, and had just sent an email to see what had happened to our delivery, so the passing of this article was especially helpful.

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 1/31/10

Mussel Sampling Response. We received a great response from Bob Johnston and the following links regarding the mussel sampling update that was put out two weeks ago.

Thanks for sending the update, here is some additional info on the species mentioned.

The worm is a polychaete (many segment) worm, most likely the clam or mud worm, Nereis vexillosa http://www.nwmarinelife.com/htmlswimmers/n_vexillosa.html

I think the fish is probably a gunnel, I'm not sure what species, but I don't recall any stripes or markings that are characteristic of the saddleback and crescent gunnels
http://www.itsnature.org/sea/fish/gunnel/
http://emeralddiving.com/id_gunnels.html

The eggs may be tube snout eggs, which are orange or honey colored
http://nwgeogirl.smugmug.com/gallery/3126827#171417078_b7w9m
http://www.pnwscuba.com/critterwatchers/pnwmarinelife2005.htm#200508

The mussels we were interested in sampling are Mytilus spp. (blue mussel or bay mussel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_mussel
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/other/mussels.asp

Here is a link to more information about intertidal invertebrates of south Puget Sound
http://www.nwmarinelife.com/index.html

Thanks for your interest and help with the sampling!

-bob

PS we also found a specimen of a "Northwest Ugly Clam" at a marina in Port Orchard. Have you ever seen these at Illahee?
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/bayclams/ClamID.asp
(scroll down until you come to "Other common bivalve species found on docks")

Beach Walk at Lions Park. For those interested in the marine environment and beach creatures Washington Sea Grant and WSU Extension host beach walks, which are at low tides and are in the evenings in the winter time. We talked with someone who attended the evening Beach Walk at Lion's Park on Wednesday and they said it was fun to see what the beach creatures look like at night. We will let you know when the next ones are.

Illahee Fire on Tuesday. There were lots of sirens in Illahee on Tuesday in response to a grease fire. See the attached article that was in the Kitsap Sun.

Thompson Lane Gate Destroyed. We received word that someone destroyed the gate opening mechanism at the Illahee Preserve parking lot at Riddell Road and Thompson Lane. Word has it that the Parks Department doesn't have the funds to fix it. The gate was determined necessary a few years ago due to the illegal dumping of trash along the one half mile long secluded Thompson Lane that connects the 14 homesites located in the middle of the section.

Stolen Car in the Preserve near Petersville Road. We had several people call about the car that got behind the guard rail and ecology blocks at the Preserve walking entrance just across from Petersville Road. It was a stolen car and we are trying to get pictures of it.

Native Plant Demonstration Rain Garden. Plans are now being developed for 4 Rain Garden plots at the Almira parking lot for the Illahee Preserve. The hope was that local native plant nurseries would want to put in demonstration plots, but they said it was too expensive for them as native plants are often more expensive than the non-natives and they evidently didn't see this as an opportunity. It looks like we will be depending on volunteers and the local Master Gardeners to help get the rain garden plots planted. Let us know if you would like to help or are interested in contributing native plants.

Patriot Article on Illahee Shores Homicide in Oct. The attached article in the CK Reporter and Bremerton Patriot on Friday is a reminder that Illahee, and in particular Illahee Shores, has had its share of homicides. No closure in sight for Long's loved ones - Central Kitsap Reporter

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous Items - 1/16/10

Illegal Logging - Awhile back we noted that someone was logging on the Timbers Edge properties. Evidently this was reported to Kitsap County enforcement, who reportedly contacted Mr. Jim James, who reportedly stated that someone was stealing the timber. Since we took pictures of the logged stumps, we were called on Thursday by KC Enforcement for more information. We were not home when the call came in and will call on Monday to try and see if can give them more information.

Logging or Dump Truck Seen on Fir Drive? Theoretically someone should have seen a logging or dump truck with trees in it on Fir Drive in November or December. We would like to get some more information on this illegal logging so if anyone has any information please contact us.

Eyes in the Woods. Interestingly we just received information from another Illahee resident who thought we and the Illahee Preserve might be interested in a program called EYES IN THE WOODS, a non-profit organization of volunteers who assist the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) in protection and perpetuation of our natural resources. It is similar to the "Neighborhood Watch" program only for forests and public lands, such as we have around here.

Upcoming EYES IN THE WOODS Training Class. The Tacoma Sportsman's Club is holding training from 7-9 pm on January 27, 2010. For more information contact see the attached pdf file brochure.

Port of Illahee New Meeting Location. We attended the monthly Port of Illahee meeting on Wednesday at their new meeting location, which is 5560 Ocean View Blvd, Bremerton, WA 98311. We asked if we could take a picture, which is attached, and shows from right to left, Commissioner George Schaefer, Commissioner Dennis Sheeran, and newly appointed Commissioner Mike Mantzke. This new location should make it easier for residents to attend the monthly Port meetings, which are at 5 pm the second Wednesday of the month, or for February 10th for next month.

Brown Storm Water in the Bay. Those living along the water have likely noticed the daily brown silt laden water emanating from Illahee Creek this past week. On Friday we watched as a flock of several hundred feeding American mergansers encountered the muddy water. They evidently were unable to see any fish and flew about a third of a mile until they were on the other side of the brown water.

Mussel Sampling Feed Back. We received several emails regarding the mussel sampling and will pass that information on in a later update.

Appeal Information. We like to provide links to articles about Illahee in our local papers. The following linked story is about the Illahee community's appeal of the Timbers Edge project to Superior Court. We send out our community Updates to the local press and they often call us and when they think they have enough for a story, put one out. We think the papers around here do a very nice job with their stories

Visibility Helping With Donations. One of the benefits of visibility from articles such as the one above, is that some donations are coming in as a result of them. We recently had a $300 donation from a friend who heard about what was happening, and after explaining what the situation was, gave the check to the community to help with the legal expenses. We have been told that donations such as these are needed to continue the appeals

Jim Aho

Timbers Edge Article - 12/29/09

Bremerton Patriot & CK Reporter Article.  Both the Bremerton Patriot and the CK Reporter on December 25, 2009 contained the following linked article "Hearings loom for 110 home Illahee project":  http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/pat/news/80073927.html

Nice Summary of Some Timbers Edge Issues.  We thought the reporter, Andy Jones, did a nice job of summarizing in a short article, some of the complexities of the project and the communities concerns. He also contacted the developer's engineer whose responses raised some questions for those reading the article.

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Question.  The article raised a question regarding whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed for Timbers Edge since Mark Kuhlman is quoted saying that "an environmental impact study was included with the original permit."  We have gone through the file and there is NO Timbers Edge Environmental Impact Statement in the file.  If they turned one in to the county, then the county failed to mention it or include it in the official file.  

Kuhlman's Sewer Comment.  We also found Mark Kuhlman's statement that "You need sewer systems in urban areas." interesting, since if they developed to the 1-4 homes per acre density, septic systems are permitted.  And moreso, the lower density and septic systems are more appropriate for critical aquifer recharge areas, which is what the expert engineering studies show and what the community is requesting of the developer.

County Failures.  When Kitsap County staff, the Hearing Examiner, and the Commissioners fail to do their jobs to protect residents and the environment, the community is left with no other choice than to appeal those actions, which it is doing with the two appeals.  We have been asked to remind those who can help with the appeal expenses to send contributions to Illahee Community Club, P.O. Box 2563, Bremerton, WA  98311.  Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable.

January 8th Superior Court Pre-Hearing.  The Superior Court hearing date of January 8, 2010 is for a pre-hearing date presumably to determine the issues and set an actual hearing date.

Jim Aho

Illahee State Park - 4/3/09

State Park Information Received.  We received some more information regarding the mothballing of some of our state parks and a letter that was sent to the state regarding Illahee State Park.  We had previously provided links to local articles in the Kitsap Sun, the Bremerton Patriot, and the CK Reporter regarding Illahee State Park being on the mothball list.

 

Seattle Times Article.  The first is an article in the Seattle Times entitled "Would you pay $5 to keep state parks open?"  It talks about one of the proposals on the table to help fund the parks so they won't be mothballed.

 

Lawmakers eye $5 car-tab fee to keep state parks open

 

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has identified more than 47 state parks that could be closed temporarily or, in some cases, transferred to cities, counties or tribes to maintain.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008946248_parksclosing30m.html

 

 

Illahee Resident Letter.  The second is a very well written letter by the Barchecks that is the best we've seen.

 

Subject: Mothballing of Illahee State Park

We read with great concern your proposal to close Illahee State Park and others.  Our neighborhood borders the park and we and many of our neighbors use the park regularly year round.  We see the dock being used by the taxpayers of the Bremerton/Silverdale area for fishing, crabbing and diving.  The oyster and clam beds are used for shellfish harvesting in season.  Many families enjoy the picnic areas and playground facilities.  Illahee State Park has a limited number of camping spots so the potential for revenue collection is also limited but that doesn't mean the park is not getting used.  Your ill fated attempt at collecting parking fees for park entry of a few years ago showed that the taxpayers expect their parks to be funded as a part of the taxes they pay.  Most think that there is enough money in the state budget to get the job done even in an economic downturn.  Illahee State Park is unique because it is close to an urban area so it is very convenient for a large number of people that do not have access to a natural area where they live.  Closing other more remote parks would have less of an impact on the taxpaying public.
Closing the park will make it susceptible to crime and vandalism which could spill over into our neighborhood which is just across the street from the park.  It will become a magnet for the homeless to set up camp since it is within waking distance to food stores and other services.  Closure will make it less desirable and/or unsafe for regular use by the people in our neighborhood even if they are allowed walking entry.  All of this will depress property values and tax revenue from our neighborhood.
Please consider these issues in determining whether you turn Illahee State Park from an asset into a liability for the taxpayers of Kitsap county and Washington state.

Sincerely.
Andy and Sandi Barcheck

 

Thank You!  Thank you for sending in the information so we can pass it on.

 

Jim Aho