Owl, Film, Sign, Clean-Up - 1-20-11

Owl Report.  The following owl report came in a couple of weeks ago.  These owls are so small you can hold them in the palm of your hand and we wish we had such a photo.  The attached link below shows just how cute they are.  We also had a report of a Coopers Hawk on Classic Ave last week.

The northern saw-whet owl is back!  This little owl spent several months last year looking for a mate in the ravine behind Roosevelt Street.  His call can be mistaken for an alarm clock or the beeping of a truck backing up - it's high pitched and very regular.  He is back in the preserve although he seems to have moved up the ravine to a place west of the vacated portion of Rest Place.  According to Vic Ulsh, "They are cute little rascals.  The big bully 'barred owls' who roam Illahee Forest can be predatory on the little saw-whet owls so I worry about them."  Although their mating call can be annoying at 5:00 in your backyard, we are all hoping that he succeeds in finding a mate this year!

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/9/overview/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl.aspx

Seattle Film Showing.  We are late in posting this notice as this film showing is tomorrow evening in Seattle.  Note that Shelly Solomon is the filmmaker who is working on a film on Illahee.  She has done some amazing films, as you can see below, and we are fortunate to have her helping us get the message about what is happening in Illahee and to our watershed.

Public Environmental Film Event: sponsored by Feathered Friends and Sustainable Seattle
Friday Jan 21st, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Location
Feathered Friends
119 Yale Ave. North (just down the street from REI)
Seattle, WA
http://www.featheredfriends.com/retail_store/Events/leapingfrog/leapingfrog.html
Filmmaker Shelly Solomon
Throughout Ms. Solomon’s career as a biologist, she has been struck by the fact that so much of the positive work being done in the environmental field, has gone unnoticed. It seemed only natural to Shelly that a better-informed public would lead to a more engaged public. Ms. Solomon started Leaping Frog Films to “Get the Word Out” about these positive stories. Solomon recently received Sustainable Seattle’s 2010 “Leadership in Sustainability in the Natural World” award for her film work.

Find below 2 films that will be showing, plus 2 pages of film reviews

Buried in Sawdust for 50 Years” and the Unintended Consequences
This is a fascinating film about how a Washington estuary was filled with milling waste to a depth of 60’, where it remained for 50 years and how a local nonprofit secured over one million dollars to restore the estuary back to its original tidal elevation. Highlights of the film include an examination of the chemical contamination resulting from 50 years of accumulated wood waste, interviews with an original mill worker and his memories of the operation, discovery of the original estuary elevations with plants and tidal channels still in-tact, and finally, the returning of tidal waters to the estuary for the first time in 50 years. Project partially funded by Salmon Recovery Board. Created by Leaping Frog Films.

Almost Lost but not Forgotten - Pinto Abalone Recovery in Washington State
Puget Sound is full of many treasures, and the native abalone is among the greatest.  At a NOAA's Mukilteo lab and a small abalone nursery in Port Gamble pinto abalone are being grown for re-introduction into the wild. In the summer of 2009, over 1,200 animals reared in this facility were outplanted into Puget Sound, representing the most substantial abalone recovery effort to date in Washington. Pinto abalone - the only abalone species found in Washington - may be at risk of becoming locally extinct.  The natural population has plummeted over the last several decades and there are too few abalone in the wild to successfully reproduce.  The goal of this multi-faceted abalone recovery program is to increase densities in the wild and build sustainable populations of this important species for the future.  This film showcases different aspects of recovering abalone populations in Washington State from spawning adult brood animals, to tending juveniles during months of grow-out, to careful reintroduction into the wild. It's a big undertaking involving conservation genetics, state-of-the-art hatchery rearing techniques and lots of collaboration between scientists, NOAA, WDFW, tribes and community groups. Created by Leaping Frog Films.

Preserve Brush Picking Signs.  Soon there will signs posted to tell people more explicitly that brush picking in the Illahee Preserve is illegal.  The Park's Department had the attached sign made up for Banner Forest and we asked for some for Illahee.  The signs are in English, Spanish and French in case so there should be no problems understanding for those who don't speak English.  

Preserve Clean-Up.  There are a number of people who help keep the Illahee Preserve clean of trash, along with the Chalice Heart group the routinely picks up trash along Thompson Lane, which is especially important now that the gate was damaged and considered too expensive to fix.  We took a picture of Jay and Rob last Saturday as they were helping with the clean-up on Thompson Lane.  Also included is a picture of a TV set that was dumped along the road.  These are the disappointing events that are offset by those who volunteer to help clean up.  Thanks to all those who keep the Preserve and Thompson Lane picked up!

Illahee Community Clean-Up.  We know of at least 4 people who have been regulars at picking up the roadways and ditches in the Illahee community.  They are Rob, Carol and Carole, and Dennis.  You see them carrying bags for the garbage they pick up as they get they do their regular walks.  They have told us that the bending over to pick up things and then carrying the bags greatly increases their cardio-vascular workout over just walking.  We have heard there are also others who are regularly picking up trash and we would be happy to recognize them for their efforts.  Please let up know who they are.

Jim Aho

Culvert Concerns 1-15-11

Status of Culvert?  We have been asked about the status of the Illahee Creek culvert and whether the emergency clean-out by the county a few weeks ago has improved the situation.  For those who are new to these Updates or the Blog site, many think the culvert is in jeopardy and could fail, and those comments can be found earlier reports.

Saturday Measurements.  We measured the clear opening of the culvert on Saturday morning (1/15/11) before the rains and found essentially the same clear opening that was measured before the emergency clean-out.  In other words the emergency clean-out DID NOT decrease the sediment levels at the inlet end of the culvert.  See photo of culvert inlet.

Limited Measurement Opportunities.  We had to wait until there was a break in the rains as the creek water becomes too murky and too dangerous to measure when the stream is flowing full.  For those interested in actual measurements, there was a maximum of 29 inches of clearance before the clean-out, and today the clear measurements varied between 27 and 30 inches, depending where in the stream we took the measurements.

Large Logs Moving Toward The Culvert!  We received an email on Friday, along with some photos, alerting us the the fact that there are several upstream areas where there are large logs that seem to be moving downstream.  We received permission from the upstream property owner and took the attached photos.

What Happens if Logs Block Culvert?  So what will happen if the logs block the culvert?  First of all it will take a large rain to cause these logs to move, and secondly some of them would go through the culvert as the high velocity of the flow in the culvert would tend to move them quickly downstream.  If they should get lodged inside or in front of the culvert, the upstream basin area would quickly fill.  The increased pressure might be enough to force a blockage on through, but if not, the water would back up until it overflows at the lowest point of Illahee Road.  That point is probably just opposite the Krigsman's driveway and would likely cause a road washout.

Why Report This?  The reason we are reporting this is because first of all it is a safety issued and secondly, something needs to be done to help resolve the storm surges that ravage Illahee Creek.  The storm surges have been polluting Puget Sound with large amounts of sediment for over 40 years and has been a concern for residents and the Port.  It became an even greater concern when everyone realized the relatively new culvert (installed in 1999) was also filling with sediment as the flood plain kept rising.  

Raised Flood Plains.  There is not much anyone can do with a raised flood plain.  Someone forwarded us the City of Issaquah's Frequently Asked Questions on Flooding, which answers many of the questions Illahee residents have raised about the flood plain issues including dredging.  The link is:  http://www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/Page.asp?NavID=442 and their first sentences regarding dredging are:

Current Federal and State environmental regulations make it extremely difficult to justify stream channel dredging as a means to control flooding. While it can be done, it is very costly and time consuming to propose such work. .....

Time to Admit Culvert Failure.  We think it is time to admit that while the culvert hasn't actually failed, it has technically failed.  It is time to look at either a significant culvert extension or a bridge for Illahee Creek.  But an extension or bridge would only resolve the threat to Illahee Road, and not the storm surge problem.

Time to Secure Golf Course.  So concurrently with correcting the failed culvert, it is finally time, after over 40 years of this small stream polluting Puget Sound, that the storm surges be brought under control.  The logical place for this to be done is at Rolling Hills Golf Course, so we would urge the county to finish the paper work to secure the golf course, which would be a good first step.

Please Let Us Know Your Thoughts!

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

Blog Site - 1/13/11

Blog Sites?  Several years ago we were encouraged to introduce a 'blog site' in an Update so residents would have a place to comment on our Updates.  We started one and quickly decided for the most part Illahee residents, or at least the ones receiving Updates, did not seem to want to respond or comment to a blog site since WE ONLY RECEIVED A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.

Unfamiliar With Blogs?  In talking with residents we realized that many are not familiar with blogs and/or do not feel comfortable commenting on issues in a blog format.  We understand because we, as being older, are not very comfortable ourselves. 

Younger Generation Communication?  We have been advised we need to "get with it" and use the communication tools of the younger generations if we want to keep them interested.  

Facebook & Twitter?  We have been told to not only have a website with a blog, but also get on Facebook, and Twitter, and possible some other sites, if we want to reach those who use these sites.

So What Do We Do?  We recently decided it was time to seriously listen to those trying to help us and make some changes, and with the help of a number of volunteers, we now have an up-to-date blog at the illaheecommunity.com website.

Great Volunteer Support.  What the volunteers did was take all the Updates that have been issued for the past few years and put them into the BLOG, which turns out to be a chronological log of the Updates.  This turns out to be a recent history of the events taking place in Illahee.  We just found out today that the word BLOG is a blending of the two words WEB and LOG (which tells you we aren't very networking smart).

Kitsap Sun Blogs.  We have followed some Kitsap Sun blogs and have especially enjoyed Chris Dunagan's 'Watching Our Water Ways' blog http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/.  We found we could download some of the photos he received from Capt Jim Maya, which are in this blog, and are some great photos of killer whales.

Illahee Blog Site.  The Illahee blog site is at our illaheecommunity.com website and can also be reached at:  http://illaheecommunity.blogspot.com/

Blog Site Design.  The following is the writeup we received by those who recently updated the blog.

The blog is designed so that people can comment and have discussions about the updates and the various Illahee-related issues and information we regularly post.  We now have a system in place to ensure that our e-mail updates are posted to the blog within 24 hours, so please feel free to go to the blog and comment!  The blog has an e-mail tool at the bottom of each post that allows you to e-mail the blog post to anyone you'd like.  This is a great way to increase exposure to our updates and hopefully generate more comments and discussions.

Facebook.  Now this Facebook stuff is a little new to us, so we are just going to copy what we received.  

We also have a Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Illahee .   The Facebook page is configured so that any user can post comments or photos directly to the page without moderation.  We encourage everyone who has a Facebook account to visit our page, "Like" it, and start using it!  Most importantly, please click on the "Suggest to Friends" link in the upper left corner of the page and then select all of your Facebook friends who have some connection to Illahee.  We are trying to build a broad base of interest in our community, particularly among the younger generations of Illahee residents.  We will be posting a link to our blog updates to the Facebook page, and we are working on putting together more photo galleries using Facebook's great photo tool.

Can We Reach All Illahee Residents?  The goal of a community website and blog is to reach out to ALL Illahee residents, so please help us by sharing our blog, website, and Facebook page with your personal Illahee social networks.

Let Us Know Your Thoughts!  Let us know what your thoughts are on this new adventure, possibly in response to this writeup, as this should be available the blog site within 24 hours of it being sent out by email.

Jim Aho

Illahee Wildlife - 1/12/11

Illahee Wildlife.  The numbers and diversity of wildlife in Illahee, and the surrounding area, is amazing, and from your comments is one of the reasons people like living here.  One of the projects being worked on is a master template for interpretive signs for the Illahee Preserve and possibly for the Illahee Community, that would incorporate images of area wildlife.  We think this is a huge undertaking if for no other reason than just the vast variety of both terrestrial and marine wildlife, which we are aware of around here.

Terrestrial Mammals.  Terrestrial mammals that either are or have been seen in the Illahee area include:  black bears, black-tail deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, opossums, skunks, rabbits, moles, mountain beavers, gray squirrels, Douglas squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, bats, rats, and mice.  Let us know if we missed any.  We have attached a photo of a fox to represent this group.

Marine Mammals.  Because of the over 3 miles of shoreline in Illahee, and the relatively narrow passage of water between Illahee and Bainbridge Island, the marine mammals that frequent Puget Sound can at times be seen in Illahee.  The marine mammals we have seen include:  Gray whales, Orca whales, sea lions, porpoise, seals, and river otters.  Again, let us know if we missed any.  We have attached photos of a seal and river otters to cover this group.

Major Marine Birds.  Bald Eagles, Osprey (rare), Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers, Gulls, Cormorants, Loons, Canada Geese, Mallards, Wigeons, Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Mergansers, Scoters, Grebes, Plovers, and Sandpipers.  In this section we have just covered the main categories as the numbers become extensive.  Attached are photos of a Goldeneye and various waterfowl at the mouth of Illahee Creek.

Terrestrial Birds.  The Kitsap Audubon Society has documented over 55 different terrestrial birds just in the Illahee Preserve.  The numbers of terrestrial birds in Illahee are too many to list them in this Update.   

Saltwater Fish.  Silver salmon and chum salmon have been the main salmon species using Illahee Creek (and the nearshore areas), along with two trout species, steelhead and coastal cutthroat.  Chinook salmon and pink salmon are also regularly use the nearshore beaches of Illahee.  Forage fish such as sandlance, smelt, and herring, and many other species use the nearshore areas.  We have attached some photos of salmon smolts netted in the nearshore environment a few years ago.  Also attached is a picture of a smelt that was caught at the Illahee dock on a squid jig.

Marine Invertebrates.   This is another wildlife category that has so many species that it is beyond listing, except for a few categories we are more familiar with:  clams, oysters, mussels, snails, sea stars, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, squid, and jellyfish.  Attached are photos of mussel sampling and a squid to represent the vast number of invertebrates.

Wildlife Reports Desired.  As we stated at the beginning, one of the primary reasons stated by residents for the reason they like living in Illahee is because of the wildlife.  And one of the primary reasons people state they like the Illahee Community Updates is because of the wildlife reports.  Thank you for all your wildlife reports and the pictures you pass on so we can get them out to the entire community.  We couldn't do it without your help!

Jim Aho

Beach Sediment & State Park Pics - 1-10-11

December Storm Sediment Deposits.   There was much concern a month ago (on 12/12/10) when heavy rains caused Illahee Creek to overflow its banks and filled the stream with sediment.  The velocity of the stream successfully carried the sediment through the culvert and deposited it on the flood plain and at the mouth of the creek.  We have been monitoring the culvert to see if the emergency clean out of the downstream end of the culvert is helping and will be reporting on that in a later update.

High Daylight Tides.  Because of the high daylight hour tides, it has been difficult to look at the sediment deposits in the nearshore area, that is until this past weekend.  We took some pictures and videos of the sediment deposits.  The first photo looks south at the mouth of the stream.  The second looks north toward the Illahee community dock.  The raised area to the north used to look more like a valley or depression (to give you a visual image of what it looked like before the storm), and is an indication of the amount of sediment that was deposited by the December storm waters.

Concerned Residents.  We have heard from some of the residents near the mouth of the creek who were amazed at the sediment buildup from the December storm.  Below is an email of from a local homeowner who has evidently been impacted with increased flood insurance requirements.

As the owners of one of the properties at the mouth of Illahee Creek, we have certainly noticed and been concerned by the increased sediment in Dr. Schutt's reservoir and the entire basin.  However, It seems there is too much focus on the culvert as this will not impact the rising elevation or sediment build up at the mouth.  This is presently impacting home owners and the community as the sediment build up effects the marine life in the bay, as well as the elevation of the flood plain.  The real problems lie more up stream with the flow of water and amount of sediment entering Illahee Creek and flowing down stream to the mouth as you noted below.  Correct that problem and you will not need to raise the culvert.  We would love to see more dredging or digging out of the flood plain even a few truck loads as a nice gesture as this problem has already cost home owners in the area with mandatory flood insurance requirements from mortgage lenders. 

Our Comments.  We concur with the above letter about the need to correct the upstream storm surges and the fact that the large sediment deposits are affecting marine life.  We are not sure though, that there is enough money or the environmental approvals necessary to dredge out a raised flood plain.

Illahee State Park Creek Sediment?  It appeared to us that there were some significant sediment deposits at the mouth of Illahee State Park creek, which is at the north end of the park.  We haven't talked much about this small creek, but it a recognized creek by the state, and is monitored by the Health District.  If anyone has information on whether our observation of the sediment buildup is correct, please let us know.

Illahee State Park Improvements.  We have been asked how the Illahee State Park sewer improvements have been progressing.  The park has been closed because of the ongoing work and we have not talked with the park rangers, but we did take some pictures near the beach parking area, during a beach walk on Sunday.  If you have any information on the progress, please let us know so we can pass it on.

Work Party, Levee, Wildlife - ‏ 1/3/11

Rotary Work Party.  Some major work was done at the Thompson Lane parking lot on Sunday (1-2-11) by the Rotary Club of East Bremerton (see attached photos).  It was quite amazing to watch the front end loader on the John Deere tractor fill 3 or 4 large wheel barrows to overflowing at one time.  They didn't want a big group helping them because of the tractor, so we didn't advertise this work party to others.  They moved tons of wood chips, and we thank them again for adopting the Illahee Preserve and keeping it in tip top shape.  The following is their writeup of their efforts:

Illahee Forest Preserve

The East Bremerton Rotary completed another productive work party at Illahee Forest Preserve on Sunday morning, January 2nd, 2011.  The focus was to clean-up the perimeter of the Thompson Lane parking lot along Riddell Road.  Roughly 15 loads of wood chips had already been delivered to the parking lot.  Dave White's John Deere tractor made easy work of the task as chips were dumped over the guard rail and into waiting wheelbarrows.  Thereafter the chips were quickly spread atop the area surrounding the parking lot.  The Thompson Lane parking lot looks much improved for the effort. 

The second photo shows the parking lot after a thorough cleanup by Bill Wright and his mega-blower. 

Varied Thrush Gives Its Approval.  After the work party completed Vic Ulsh photographed the varied thrush that appears to give its approval of the Rotary's efforts, see his (Vic's) email comments:

The last photo is a varied thrush who stopped by to help clean-up after we were finished.  Varied thrush is a very cool bird who comes down from the high country to spend winters in the forests of Puget Sound basin.   There seemed to be about 5 or 6 varied thrush hanging around the brush in the perimeter of the parking lot.  I'm guessing they will be staying not far from the Thompson Lane parking lot for the next few months. 

Levee Questions From Previous Update.  We have been asked to explain more about what a levee is and why it was requested, as some in the community do not understand the issue.  First, the Wikipedia dictionary definition of a levee is:  "A levee, levée, dike (or dyke), embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to regulate water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river or the coast."   There must have been a concern that a levee was needed to prevent Illahee Creek from overflowing its banks, or that the levee installed after the Dec 2007 storm was in danger of failing.

Levee Comments.  We did get a few phone calls and several emails regarding the levee issue.  The first one we have attached being a comment that went to Kitsap County, followed by their response, and then a response back to the County.

First Comment & Responses:  The community should question why a levee would be constructed (at taxpayer expense) for the protection of private property that was developed contrary to the advice of the county (representing the taxpayer).  It seems that the developer knowingly (admittedly) assumed the risk of building in the streams migration zone/flood plain.  Why should the taxpayer essentially bail out the developer for their bad decision? 

Fiction can be very entertaining but Kitsap County did not build any levee or other flood control feature on the Mossano property.  The Road Division crew simply performed routine maintenance on the Illahee Creek culvert by excavating sediment from the culvert outlet.  All of the material was trucked from the site and this activity was permitted by WDFW.  There were no additional measures taken by Public Works.  Thank you for your comments and, in the future, please contact Kitsap One at 360-337-5777 for information on Public Works activities in your neighborhood.

Thanks Jon for your prompt response.  Is it fiction that a levee was either authorized or authorized and permitted under an emergency HPA?

Second Comment:  On the levee question.  The property in question never should have been built on.  It is a flood plain and the owner knew this when he coerced the county into giving him a permit.  The owner should live with the consequences of choosing to live in a flood plain.  No public monies should be spent to protect a house that the county did not want there in the first place.

One Legal Question Response.  We did receive a phone call from a former environmental officer who stated that the stream natural processes take precedence over protecting property, though we have not verified it or heard from any legal experts yet.

Owl & Preserve Photos.  There are a number of people who regularly use the Preserve and also take photos.  George is one who has taken photos and posted them on the following website, which contains various photos of a barred owl and other Preserve features:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/sets/72157625562766240/

Jim Aho

Random Catch-Up -12/30/10

2 More Brush Picking Comments.  We have published most of the comments regarding the illegal picking of brush in the Illahee Preserve and unless something new comes in these will be the last.  The second suggestion may be the approach that is needed, unless we hear something different from the authorities.

The brush picking sounds like 'no good deed goes unpunished' !!  After all your hard work to make the preserve available for the enjoyment of the public, some people have to take advantage and start stealing the foliage !!

I feel very sad for you and others that have worked so hard to enrich the public experience.

Hey, just responding to the brush picking e-mail, we had a problem where I used to live about people coming to our community property and taking all kind's of brush, plant's, fern's, tree's, we put up all kind's of sign's in spanish and in english, it didn't seem to matter, deep down inside these people know it's illegal, as a community we felt violated, we resulted in taking walk's caring camera's and cell phone's, we finally took enough picture's to catch these people in the act, and had enough evidence to contact the police, shortly after, no more brush picker's, I will try to make my way around the entrance's in my everyday travel's, to see if I see anything out of the ordinary, my girlfriend and her kid's like walking the preserve, and would hate for that to end. Thank You

Salal Leaf Bundles.  If there was any question as to what the brush pickers were doing, we found two bundles of salal today at the Almira parking lot (see photo).

Car In Rain Garden.  The Almira parking lot was slippery this morning and some were having fun sliding around.  The guy in this photo said his brother wanted to drive his new car and it ended up in the rain garden.  We found him waiting for someone to pull him out.  The good news there wasn't much damage to his car or the rain garden.

Paper Work Authorizing Levee.  Also attached is the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) for removal of alder trees that fell into the cleanout area (that we covered in our last Update) and permission to install a levee "to prevent flooding of adjacent property."  While the county received emergency authorization from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to install a levee, they did not do so.  This is an interesting predicament for the State of Washington and Kitsap County in that they are supposed to let streams like Illahee Creek follow their natural processes in a channel migration zone and in a flood plain.  And concurrently, they supposedly have a mandate to protect private property.  So, what happens when you can't do both?

Legal Question?  We don't know whether letting a stream follow its natural course takes precedent, or if protection of private property takes precedent?   And, does the fact that the property owner was advised to not build in the stream's migration zone and flood plain influence a decision?

Levee Thoughts?  We would like to know what your thoughts are on this predicament.

Seals Are Back.  For those who were concerned about the status of the seals in the area after the seal eating orcas came through here earlier this month, the seals are now back and can be seen on area floats.  We think this group escaped predation as the regulars all seem to be there.

Jim Aho

Year End Gifts & More Brush Picking Response - 12/29/10

Year End Gifts?  We have been asked to provide the addresses for the non-profits (501.c.3 organizations) supporting the Illahee Preserve and also the Illahee Community for those interested in supporting them with tax deductible year end gifts.   Letters need to be post marked not later than Friday (12/31/10) for them to be considered for 2010.  The addresses are:

Illahee Forest Preserve (501.c.3)

% Don Jahaske, Treasurer

P.O. Box 3047

Bremerton, WA  98310

Illahee Community Club (501.c.3)

P.O. Box 2563

Bremerton, WA  98310

More Brush Picking Responses.  More responses to the brush picking problem came in shortly after we sent out our Update.

I would like to walk thru the forest with my dog,but now that these people are being confronted-it is possible that I may encounter problems and am now fearful of harm that may occur. I think the police and or some other official needs to step up for public safety. Why clean up a forest area for the public if the public may be in danger using it?

I have a good friend who grew up here who has told me many times about brush picking in our general neighborhood as a boy.  I have seen postings about needs for money to meet your needs.  Might I suggest that an alternative that you folks learn from DNR how they go about leasing the right to pick.

Someone asked what they are doing with what you call “Brush Picking”

In my past career I worked in the floral industry for 30 years.  15 of those years were in the wholesale floral industry as a buyer of foliage and flowers to sell to florist.  It is most likely that these Hispanic people are picking leather leaf fern, huckleberry, and salal (Can’t remember how to spell this) or lemon leaf to sell to the floral wholesale houses in Belfair and Tacoma.  It is most likely that the vans dropping these people off are with one of these wholesale houses.  I would give the wholesale houses a call and let them know that you are having a problem with pickers picking illegally in the Illahee preserve park.  This will also give them heads up that some of the product they are purchasing is Illegal and to not buy the product from them.  The Hispanic people are not aware of the concept of private forest areas.  And yes, most of these Hispanic workers are straight out of Mexico or Honduras and speak little English.  I am from California and have worked with the Hispanic people, who come to America in hopes of a better life, for many years in the Watsonville and Salinas Valley.

Seems like the signs need to go high up on trees. Absolutely nasty to rip them down and then haul them away. Maybe the next step is trail names written into wet concrete poured into the paths

More reason to have more presence in the park by folks that would be concerned, such as the horse riders.

Unless the legal system pushes you probably will not have success with the Hispanic pickers. Know anyone in ICE?

I just wanted to let you know that I have come across a brush picker (one male) on two separate occasions in the forest. I walk my two golden retrievers almost every day along the outer rim trail (eastern most trail) and have been started by this man. The first time I saw him, my dogs alerted me to his presence and he hid behind a tree. Yesterday when I was walking, I saw him picking salal and he didn't even try to hide. I know that brush picking is illegal in our forest without a permit, and as I did not inquire whether he had obtained the proper permitting, I was unsure as to what I should do. I must say, as I often walk my dogs alone in the forest, it is a bit unnerving to have such encounters. Any advice as to what I (we) should do if this happens again?

No Official Advice Yet.  In response to the previous email -- we have not received any official advice yet from Parks or the Sheriff's dept.  Also, it is illegal to brush pick in the Preserve and as such there are no brush picking permits.  We will let you know as soon as we receive any official information or advice on this issue.

Jim Aho

Brush Picking Responses - 12/28/10

Brush Picker Responses Received.  We have received a number of very thoughtful responses to the problem with brush pickers in the Illahee Preserve.  Our policy is not to use names unless specifically given permission, and to italicize information received from others.  We do not ordinarily edit, only report, so you can come to your own conclusions.  We do sometimes choose not to use emails for a variety of reasons, so if you send something in and it doesn't get put out in an Update, please let us know since we have lost emails, or we can explain our reasons.

I asked my friend ............ what I might say to a brush picker in the park. Her suggestion was "Es ilegal en el parque". It's illegal in the park. I went online and typed "Picking brush is illegal in the park" and the translation was, "Picking cepillo es ilegal en el parque". .................................... She is from Honduras and has friends who pick brush legally. She suggested posting signs and I think that would be a great start. I would even like smaller versions that people could carry with them to show the pickers. I'm sure the signs wouldn't stay up but I'd be happy to help pay for them. I don't want to be confrontational but I do want them to know we are serious. I'm also concerned that if several of us spend some time patrolling the area, they will come back at night.  I look forward to hearing what others suggest.

how about signs periodically stating in spanish "brushpicking prohibited" violaters will be procecucted by the Kitsap  County Sheriff and/or ICE

In Seattle they spray the urban plants near the convention place bus tunnel so they stink and keep the bums from bedding down in them. I walk by this every day while on my way to work. It may simply be a fertilizer they are using, but the smell is quite disagreeable. You might want to contact them to see what they spray on it.  Stinky shrubs probably won't be very attractive to these people. What do they do with this stuff anyway? I don't get it.

My two cents:  If this is a crime in progress, the the proper thing to do is call 911 and get police assistance.  Preferably one should stay with the pickers until police arrive and make note if they leave -- what types of vehicles and license numbers.  Descriptions would also be helpful and cell-phone photos.  If the police choose to ignore this crime in progress, then we should have an issue there, but I believe that they would at least give a token response.

These pickers are just there for the money.  If their 'loot' is confiscated and fines (hopefully) imposed, then that should be enough to dissuade them from such activities -- at least in the Preserve.  Even just having a policeman show up frequently is usually enough to make it easier to find another place to pick.

 

Another solution might involve a telephone tree of responders to come and prevent the removal of the cuttings.  Confrontation, however, should be done with police support.  Keep the profit out of it and it will stop.

 

I don't have my Spanish dictionary handy, but maybe we could print a Spanish statement on the brochure which could be shown to any pickers.

I'm going to research among foresters how to take care of the brush
theives. I also recommend removing "standard Latin response," from
your emails, since this usage, while not intentionally racist, may be
perceived by some as belittling this individual for being
Spanish-speaking, rather than for his envirnomental crimes. Lord
knows, that there is alot of xenophobia directed toward immigrants at
this time, and it wont help our cause to be associate with this
political movement. Perhaps warning signs about vandalism and brush
theft should be bilingual, since it appears that some of the offenders
speak Spanish and not English. Are there members of our group that are
Spanish bilingual who might help with the confronting of these
perpetrators?

I would almost bet that the same folks that are stealing the brush are also stealing the signs for wood projects or fire wood.  These folks

are just barely getting by and live off the land as much as possible.  They just don't understand how we care about our forests and beaches.

They rape and pillage just like they did in their country of origin. ........ They really can't speak much Ingles.  There is no way to convince them that they

are doing wrong, because they just plain don't give a hoot.  The cops won't do anything to them, but if you cut their tires when they are in the

woods, they would work like mad to convict you if they could.  Other than intimidation, I can't think of anything that would work to get rid of

them.  I have jacked up the non Ingles speaking guys on the beach for taking too many oysters.  They just look at you with a stupid look and

shrug their shoulders, duh.  What are you going to do to them, they have no money and nothing else to lose.  The warden looks the other way.

 

Not a New Problem.  Brush pickers are not a new problem in the Illahee Preserve.  We have even encountered a buyer checking out the old growth area of the Preserve (off of Sunset).  He tried to tell us he had a contract with DNR and the Park's Department for brush picking.  While there may be some new brush pickers who are truly uniformed, this has not been our experience in the past.  We have had a bilingual member of the Stewardship Committee talk with Spanish speaking pickers and they have known that they are picking illegally.  They were using the language barrier and a convenient excuse.  We have had groups of unknown nationalities get dropped off early in the day and then later a van shows up and they all jump into it.  We have reportedly had someone at the end of Thompson Lane let brush pickers in when the gate was operational, now they just park along Thompson Lane.  We have also discovered stashes of brush, where they evidently wait until later in the evening to pick it up.  And there are more stories of following some to their residences.  Bottom line is the Preserve is 460 acres of forest and it is hard to keep all the illegal brush pickers out.  But on the positive side, we continue to make progress and with more  people reporting and caring about the Preserve, maybe we can make a significant dent in the problem this year.

Thank You For Responding So Quickly.  We had so many responses we decided to get these out before we loose track of them and will publish more responses if they come in.  We will also see how the Parks Department and the Sheriffs office want us to respond and will report that when we hear from them.

Jim Aho