Birch Bay Blog

We, too, Have Awards

2012-01-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

For enhancing Birch Bay's most-geinuine traditional business: Keith Alesse and Saara who, with Patrick and Patrica very much on the scene, are upgrading and maintaining The C Shop to be better than ever.For creating a new event that brings visitors to Birch Bay: Tammy Pearce and Dave Bucknell of the Bay Cafe (in cooperation with The C Shop), who staged a day-long concert that brought many new – and younger – people to Birch Bay.

For demonstrating that it is possible to start a new restaurant in Birch Bay: Mike and Susan Gillern of Dee's Country Diner – “Dee” is what the kids called their dad. They started out offering breakfast and lunch, now they're open for dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings until 9 o'clock.

For maintaining Birch Bay's biggest draw: Ian Buchanan, manager of the Water Slides. Moreover, he's bringing the new owners into the community. They sponsored this year's Polar Bear Plunge.

For persistance, blended with patience, in keeping the Park & Rec District alive: Ted Morris, the president, and other commissioners, Jeff Carrington, Katy Montfort, Doug Robertson and Rich Stargell, spent their tax money prudently and are still in operation despite losing two levy votes. Now they are getting ready to try again. An open house where activities being offered will be show-cased Saturday, the 28th, starting at 10:30. Included is horse basketball in three age categories. Location is the Birch Bay Activity Center, the renovated gym in Bay Horizon Park.

Ted faces double pressure. As manager of Birch Bay and Peace Arch State Parks he must make do with a drastically reduced budget. The community is fortunate to have this solid citizen who combines concern and competence.

For keeping a somewhat nebulus program with slow results in front of the public: Ingrid Inschede, the County's outreach manager of BBWARM, the Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management district.

For proving a steady hand in keeping the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce on track: John Gargett, the president who instituted a program to gain sponsors for a series of events that attract visitors – The Ring of Fire & Hope, the Polar Bear Plunge, the Sandcastle Contest and Discovery Days Arts and Crafts Festival with the parade and Ducky Derby.

For improving both the facility and the reputation of Birch Bay's and Whatcom County's best low-cost lodging, Ken Lord, manager of the Hostel and Guest House in Bay Horizon Park.

For moving a small business to a big building – previously housing indoor golf, then an exercise club – and creating a low-cost source of valuable clothing and household appliances: Susan Fisher of Birch Bay Consignment and Thrift. (Ruth's winter outfit is built around a red sweater-coat for which she paid $7; last week we bought a CD player for $20.)

For tireless devotion to the needs of the community: Kathy Berg, Chair of the Birch Bay Steering Committee who operates a government in waiting. Highly visible for the e-mail reports of information important to citizens, she also works quietly behind the scenes. Recently, she has been doing this work with the help of Doralee Booth, her vice chair. Now she has formed The Waterfront Group at Birch Bay with six members to achieve the long-held dream of shoreline restoration with a berm. Permanent restrooms are included. Members of the group are Sunny Brown, Katy Montfort. Ted Morris and Brian Southwick in addition to Berg and Booth.

Considering this list of awardees, Birch Bay is a more together place than many realize.

November 26, Small Business Saturday

2011-11-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to the last post, consider next Saturday, the 26th, as your day to shop local, shop small. See http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/ for more information.

Members of the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce can use their on-line newsletter, The Birch Bay Buzz, to advertise their specials for the day or the week or the month - www.birchbaybuzz.wordpress.com

rah

2011 Holiday Season--Birth of a New Tradition

2011-11-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

We don’t know where this originated, but Sandy Brewer of Blaine Community Theater forwarded it us and we whole-heartedly endorse the concept. Despite the frequent references to Christmas, it does apply to the entire holiday season.

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods--merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone--yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants--all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains--this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list--post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city--send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Sandy ended by saying “...and I would add to the list such things as theater tickets, locally produced movies or CD's and music by local groups as well. Been in a film lately? Send a copy of it to a friend as a gift.”

Right here in Birch Bay we have restaurants and coffee shops, a yarn and gift shop, a thrift and consignment store and other businesses working hard to stay open. Just outside Birch Bay, a creamery sells delicious cheeses, a dog and cat center offers day-care, and other restaurants and businesses seek your support.

Shop local and build Birch Bay, Whatcom County, Washington State and America.

rah

Thinking More About Jack Louws

2011-11-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

One evening last week—after I wrote the previous post—I was sitting at a meeting with Charlie Hawkins on one side of me and Sunny Brown on the other. Both qualify as liberals and both are enthusiastic supporters of Mr. Louws for county executive who found throwing my vote away by writing in David Stalheim as foolish.

Mr. Hawkins, a revered member of the Blaine City Council, said he watched Mr. Louws as mayor of Lynden and thinks he will be a county executive who cooperates with the whole community. Ms. Brown, an enthusiastic Democrat campaigner, said she has been introducing Mr. Louws to key people and likes the way he talks.

So I went back to the October issue of Whatcom Watch and re-read the Louws answers to questions on important issues. Again I found his responses bland and without controversy. If he really wanted the support of Whatcom liberals he would have committed to somone who is prepared to follow the state's Growth Management Act by concentrating new homes on smaller parcels and preserving farm land. He had that opportunity when he was endorsed by Stalheim who was forced out as County Planning Director. Moreover, he went along with a larger new jail without questioning the need. Rather than propose innovative approaches, he sold personality; a more polite way of stating, “He's full of himself.”

Tomorrow night and Wednesday morning will be interesting.

Mulling Over my Ballot

2011-11-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

The candidate I want most to win is Christina Maginnis who is running for County Council against Sam Crawford, the conservative who presently heads the Council. At first, she struck me as a pixie who could do standup. Second, I found her to be an intelligent woman and an expert on water quality who could make an important contribution to saving Bellingham's Lake Whatcom water supply.

After the Birch Bay Candidates' Forum, I chastized Maginnis for not emphasizing her education and experience in testing water quality. She said for many county voters “environmentalist” is a negative. Instead, she is pounding Crawford on “Trust and Transparency,” including use of expensive TV ads. He claims to have “lost” messages from his developer clients to his official county e-mail address.

If Maginnis and the two other Council candidates slated by the Democrat party–Alan Black and Pete Kremen–win, they would form a liberal majority on the Council. Mr. Kremen should win easily, despite Tony Larson's Tea Party support. If Alan Black (a good man) wins, it will really be because Barbara Brenner loses. Has this longest serving member of the council worn out her welcome?

As a former city boy–Philadelphia and San Francisco– I admit to ambilivance about Ms. Brenner. Although at the end of my time in San Francisco, I stood on street corners with a victorious city supervisor, most of those years in the cities I rarely had contact with politicians–to be in the same room was an experience. It was really an experience to walk in to the BBCF and be hugged by Brenner whispering, “You're one of the few people I know here.” None-the-less, I expect Mr. Black will be a council member who will be respected for weighing issues and making careful decisions.

About the County Executive candidates I am not ambilivant. A couple of years ago, at a “Farmers Growing Trees for Salmon” dinner, Ruth and I found ourselves sitting across from Doug Erickson without knowing who he was. It took an hour to find out and another hour to learn his views. He is a born politician with a pleasant personality who, I expect, would be good for Birch Bay, working to get the berm built and making Whatcom a county that many in the state, looking for an effective governor, would admire. (Only three counties in the state have County Executives.) One of the things I like about Erickson is that he doesn't equivocate. His flier contains a 10-point checklist that includes “Build new jail,” “[Support] Gateway Pacific Terminal,”“Streamline county permitting process.”

Of course, this progressive could not vote for Doug Erickson. Nor could I vote for Jack Louws, who strikes me as being mostly full of himself. So I wrote in David Stalheim, whom Bellingham liberals should never have allowed to lose in the primary. If the Democrat slate wins for County Council they will be redeemed.

Vote for the Park & Rec Levy

2011-10-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

And tell your friends and neighbors to vote.

There is a flyer around that lists, with pictures, the accomplishments of the revived Northwest Park & Recreation District, that mirrors the boundaries of the Blaine School District, with the exception of Point Roberts.

Most visible in Birch Bay is the gym at Bay Horizon County Park at a cost of $153,000. Outside the building, Park & Rec purchased a playground set for $35,000. With the County demolishing unnecessary buildings,and the Lions Clubs refurbishing dorm buildings and the hostel, this park is now a community asset.

Ball fields will be built after this levy is approved.

But Park and Rec is not just about sports. The District has supported a wide range of recreational programs ranging from exercise machines at the Blaine Senior Center, safe bike and walking trails, dog parks, sailing and swimming lessons that benefit people of all ages and physical abilities. See more accomplishments at http://nwparkandrec.org/districtaccomplishments.html.

The amount of the levy is 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $30 per year for a home valued at $300,000. The levy will be applied to your tax bill for six years, allowing for prudent planning and economical construction. This is a bargain any way you figure–for your family, for your community and for your home due to the likely increased value.

Where else do you get more value for a dime?

The Slow Food Challenge

2011-09-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Slow Food, like many great movements in history, began with a tipping point. That was in 1986 when McDonald's opened a fast food restaurant near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Carlo Petrini, then writing culinary articles for two Communist publications, was outraged, calling for preservation of traditional and regional cuisine. Three years later the founding Manifesto of the International Slow Food Movement was signed in Paris by delegates from 15 countries, “Not so much as a protest against the restaurant chain as a protest against big international business interests,” to quote Wikipedia.

Now Mr. Petrini heads the University of Gastronomic Sciences whose mission is to bridge the gap between agriculture and gastronomy. The Slow Food Movement has chapters in 132 countries. The structure is decentralized. Each chapter has a leader who is responsible for creating and promoting local events.

Last year we participated in a tuna canning organized by Jeremy Brown, who was recently appointed Fisheries Ambassador to the International Sustainability unit of the Prince Charles Trust. This was an event of the Fourth Corner Slow Food Chapter.

In August the Fourth Corner leader, Diana Campbell issued a $5 challenge for Saturday, September 17. Could we arrange a dinner that would cost no more per person than we would pay at a Jack in the Box (where we have never been but whose commercials we like best)? We asked two couples with whom we dine regularly to join us.

Naomi and Roger brought a large salad with blue cheese from the Co-op and greens from their garden.

In August the Fourth Corner leader, Diana Campbell issued a $5 challenge for last Saturday, September 17. Could we arrange a dinner that would cost no more per person than we would pay at a Jack in the Box, where we have never been but whose commercials we like best? We asked two couples with whom we eat regularly to join us.

Naomi and Roger brought a large salad with blue cheese from the Co-op and greens from their garden. For dessert, also from their garden, they brought strawberries and blueberries with some wild blackberries.

Irene made a casserole of zucchini, onions, mushrooms and Feta cheese. Jack, her husband, brought a large – and inexpensive bottle – of white Italian wine. We wrapped small portions of Jeremy's tuna in lettuce leaves for hors d'oeuvre, then grilled chicken breasts with slices of red pepper on charcoal.

All agreed it was the best meal we have had together in memory. While we didn't request sales slips, we're reasonably certain we stayed within the $30 budget.

For information about the Fourth Corner Slow Food Chapter, the new leader is Lisa Dailey at lisa@ladailey.com.

BP's Biennial Open House

2011-09-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Each time I've attended the BP refinery's open house at Cherry Point--three times in the last eight years--I've been impressed with their good-neighbor efforts, attention to safety and positive employee relations. While I can't pretend to know anything about any other unit of this huge corporation, this one seems to be on the right track.On October 16, along with about 400 of my friends and neighbors, I waited for a bus while browsing the poster presentations and chatting with the staff on hand to answer questions. Another squadron of staff was managing parking, providing beverages, donuts and sweet rolls under the shelter of an immense tent, and others were conducting people onto the fleet of Belle-Air buses on the tarmac in the employee recreation area.

Because I missed my intended bus due to an unfortunately timed trip to the toilet, the wait seemed long in the brisk morning air. Once aboard, our guide, Ron Petty welcomed us with jokes about charging for the treat and an introduction of himself. He retired from being a BP operator from 1966 to 1999 and has returned to service.

For the next 45 minutes or so, he kept us informed about the history and operation of the refinery. Starting in the 1950's, the plant has changed hands several times and now employees about 800 people with another 800 contractors on site at any given time. (They are constantly hiring--see Careers at www.bp.com.) This labor force produces about 9.6 million gallons of product every day.

All vessels (tanks) are taken down and inspected every five years. BP does this on a rotating schedule that creates a six-to-eight week "turn-around" every year or two. Birch Bay residents and businesses are familiar with this event that brings a thousand or so workers into the area.

The new and improved feature of this tour was the stop at the Shops facility, where we got off the bus, received safety goggles, and were escorted into the huge new (move-in November 2010) building on the Grandview Road side of the property. After a general introduction, we visited demonstration sites in the Instrument and Electrical Shop, the Machine Shop and the Maintenance Shop, where we learned about pumps and impellers (getting a freshly minted miniature impeller key-ring from the computer driven machine).

Tiana Osborne, a maintenance technician, was a welder before she joined BP and the other welders, pipefitters, fabricators, valve specialists and equipment operators in the Maintenance Shop.

Returning to the main tent, we were treated to lunch and a piece of the 40th Anniversary cake. In discussion with Michael Abendhoff, Director of Government and Public Affairs, who was responsible for organizing this event, he said that the Stores building might be on the next tour where we would see many of the items used on a regular basis--sign me up!

rah

You Could Contribute to an Islamic Relief Fund (or Invest in a Fund that Follows Islamic Principles)

2011-09-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Next weekend undoubtedly there will be anti-Muslim stuff about “the enemy” but, really, we should recognize that a great many people of that faith in the world had nothing to do with the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane that was forced down in Pennsylvania. When politicians harangue about “the enemy”, it would be better to express kindness to the many Muslims who bear no ill against our country and—in some cases—are suffering from our actions.

Last month we enjoyed a dinner with a remarkable group of such people. The program included a film about the suffering from the famine in Somalia, and we contributed to Islamic Relief, a fund that is providing water and food for those Somalian drought victims—$20 each, the requested donation, feeds a family of four for a month.

We owe this opportunity to Ruth's attendance at Western. In one of her first classes she became friends with Alaa, a young man from Egypt. He and his professor friend came to our cottage for Thanksgiving that year. We had a long, lively conversation about Muslim customs, including relations between men and women—courtship, marriage and divorce.

Back then, Alaa washed dishes in a Bellingham restaurant to cover some of his expenses. This spring Ruth re-connected with him, and we had lunch at the Skylark Restaurant where he had worked. Alaa was excited about the revolution in Egypt. He had just heard from his brother who had gone from his home in Alexandria to Cairo to be part of the demonstrations.

Alaa was now working at Saturna Capital in Bellingham, an investment company sponsoring a mutual fund that follows Islamic principles (or Sharia) that preclude interest paying investments, such as bank stocks. While some of the investors are Muslims—Alaa's ability with Arabic being an advantage— many are not. This is not a charity. The Amana Income Fund has averaged an annual return of 7.49 percent over the past 10 years versus the S&P 500 Index that has averaged only 2.70 percent. Only one other fund in the Schwab list of income funds did better in that period.

Alaa also was doing well in his personal life. Through mosque connections he was introduced to a young woman in Southern California. Shortly before our lunch date, his mother had come from Egypt to meet the girl's family. That went fine but Alaa would need to go back to meet her father, a businessman who was visiting Afghanistan. If all went well, they would become engaged and she would move to Bellingham. There was also the possibility that Alaa might move to California to work with fund clients there.

In early August we received an e-mail from Alaa inviting us to the fund-raising dinner. Nothing about betrothal, but we were hopeful.

The dinner was held in the RESources meeting room. Prior to the meal some of the participants prayed on rugs in an adjacent room before breaking the Ramadan fast.

Meanwhile, we talked with a magnetic young woman who was acting as hostess in the absence of the Iman. A graduate of Blaine High School, she has been holding down a full-time job at the BP refinery while taking a full schedule of courses at the community college and the university. She is preparing to be a physical therapist in an eight-year program that will graduate her as a doctor.

The food was much like a typical American pot-luck—several pasta dishes, rice, roast lamb, deep fried chicken and shrimp. Desserts came later. Pepsi was the most common drink. Alaa's wife was mentioned. We kept looking and asking. Finally, there she was. Beautiful – and sweet!

ak & rah

We Went Whale Watching

2011-09-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ruth's work with volunteers at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce Visitors' Information Center earned us a certificate for a whale watching tour that we used last week. The San Juan Cruises boat is the one that previously made daily trips from the Fairhaven Cruise Terminal to Victoria, B.C. and back. When we took that trip a couple of years ago, we saw some whales on the homeward leg. This time we got to see two pods of resident Orcas.

It took two and a half hours to get to our destination, off the northern tip of San Juan Island. Captain Grant broke up the time by describing the history and features of the islands we passed. Abundant coffee, tea, soda, beer, wine and snacks kept everyone happy. When we found the whales, the captain identified the members of Pod K and L, giving their names, relationships, and ages. Some are very old; some were born this year.

Getting good pictures was difficult. One reason is that the whales are not publicity seekers. They make no effort to help picture-takers by coming to the surface consistently at the same points. Another reason is they don't stay up long enough for photographers to focus.

Outside the cabin on a narrow walkway, we found a vantage point with a railing against which we were able to hold our cameras somewhat steady. We considered ourselves lucky to get this picture even though the focus is not sharp.

These tours are important business. There were three other tour boats in the area, a few fishing boats and several individual recreational ones. Captains of fishing boats radio to other boats – including tour boats – the location of the pods. Adult whales eat about 250 pounds of salmon per day and fishermen follow the whales to find the salmon.

After about 90 minutes of looking for and watching the whales, we had a two-hour break in Friday Harbor, which was crowded with tourists.

Meanwhile, the hard-working crew – one young man and two young women – were preparing food for the trip back. Being small eaters on a diet, we chose only salmon and salad. Others piled their plates high with rolls, rice, chicken and salmon. (What prompts people to select chicken rather than salmon?) Dessert, including brownies and cheesecake, came later.

We decided this was one of the best days we've had since moving here eight years ago. Well worth the $89 other people paid.

San Juan Cruises, Fairhaven Cruise Terminal. wwwwhales.com 1-800-443-4552

Whale watching trips are available daily until after Labor Day, then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until September 25, 2011. The season starts again in mid-May 2012.

ak & rah

2011-08-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

The recently opened Jack Niemann's Black Forest Steak House is a worthy addition to the northwestern corner of the county.

Since we moved to Birch Bay eight years ago, CJ's Beachhouse (and its predecessor) has been the place we take visitors. The Black Forest is now our place for special occasions. We will continue to go to CJ's. (Last Tuesday we were there for two meals – the Chamber luncheon and again in the early evening with Eli Friedlob, Matt Krogh of RE Sources, and Robin Everett of the Sierra Club who were responsible for The Coal Hard Truth event later that evening. Also there was Lindsay Taylor, formerly of N-SEA and now part of the RE Sources team.)

Our special dinner at Black Forest was August 13 for our 201^st lunaversary (we celebrate months of marriage). After we split a garlic prawns appetizer, we both had small filets Oskar, a very good use of artichokes, followed by Black Forest Cake – just one piece with two forks, and we took half home. This meal called for two glasses of wine. First a Pinot Grigio, then a Malbec from Argentina. The price, over $100, was well worth this meal.

This past Saturday we went to the art show at Birch Bay Square. Should we eat at the burger place? But we had seen the Black Forest Happy Hour Bar Menu in the Northern Light. Between four and six we could eat as inexpensively as burger prices. When we sat down in the big dining room where we had eaten the week before, we were quickly told that the Happy Hour menu is only available in the bar. There we found more people than in the dining room, yet Bob the bartender was prepared to treat us well.

This time we split the Scallops Christina and three glasses of the same wines as the week before.

Ruth ordered Olympic Crab Cakes and Al a “naked burger” (no bun) with mushrooms. For each of these items we paid less than $10, bringing the total to $45.60 with tax before tip. When we got home we found a little piece of last week's Black Forest Cake in the fridge. We both had enough with glasses of Citra Merlot from Rite Aid.

For someone who started his first restaurant in White Rock in 1968 and now has 49 of them, Jack Niemann may be the most modest owner in the world. The hostesses are dressed like LA, the waiters wear black pants and white shirts with ties, but Jack sports worn jeans and a simple golf shirt. And he enjoys talking with people – no airs.

He quickly agrees that the room, converted from a bank building, is too noisy (he is hiring an acoustal expert to change that), and he is delighted with success: “Friday night was crazy!”

“Bob, the bartender,” Jack says, “was explaining to a couple that we have this nice little local wine; the couple said 'That's us; we own the Dakota Creek Winery'.”

P.S. Steve, the master waiter who used to work at CJ's – he smoothly served the BBCC luncheons by himself – is now at Black Forest.

The Coal Hard Truth Forum

2011-08-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Answers about the proposed coal terminal at Cherry Point

7 - 9 p.m., August 16
Birch Bay Bible Community Church
7039 Jackson Road, Birch Bay

There are a lot of questions about the controversial proposal to build North America's largest coal terminal next to the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve. Come to the Coal Hard Truth forum to get answers about the project proposal, its potential impacts on hum and ecological health, and how coal consumption impacts us all.

Learn more about: The terminal proposal itself -- Coal dust from the terminal -- Health impacts from 18 more trains a day -- Where we are in the regulatory process -- Regional and international perspectives -- What you can do

Sponsors: Sierra Club, RE Sources, and Climate Solutions

rah

About Community Councils

2011-08-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

At the recent Birch Bay forum for County Executive candidates, David Stalheim suggested that, if incorporation is not feasible now, we might consider a community council such as some operated in Chelan County.

I've taken a quick look at two councils in unincorporated Washington communities – Manson with about 3,500 people near Chelan, and Peshastin, much smaller, near Leavenworth. Both councils, I was told, grew out of the groups that had created their UGAs.

At www.peshastin.org you will find the by-laws of their council, which has seven members who serve three-year terms. They “have no legal authority to impose binding conditions, contracts or requirements...but may issue advisory opinions.” Members serve without compensation; the council has no borrowing authority, but may solicit donations and distribute funds.

As illustrated, the Peshastin Community Council (blue line) covers a larger geographic area than the UGA (salmon line with purple fill). The larger salmon/purple area to the upper left is Leavenworth.

LilithYanagumachi, a long-range planner, of the Chelan County Department of Community Development, said that the councils are helpful in establishing zoning criteria and in representing their communities to the County Commissioners. But she added that individuals coming before the commissioners can have as much stature as the councils.

Members of the council, whose terms are rotated, are elected at annual meetings. Cathy Springer, vice chair of the Peshastin council, explained that candidates – she called them “volunteers” – complete an application form that includes the signatures of 10 people who endorse the candidacy. At the meeting, the forms are on display and voters put names they are voting for in a box. Ms. Springer added that at the last meeting, when she was re-elected, there was only one candidate each for the two vacant positions.

Interest in the council heats up, she said, “When crap hits the fan.”

On the last Saturday in July, Friends of the Peshastin Library held an ice cream social that brought the community together and raised funds for the public library.

Four Strong Contenders for County Executive

2011-08-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

The take-home from last Thursday evening's forum is that we are fortunate to have four strong candidates for County Executive. With mail-in ballots now out, the “non-partisan” primary election goes on until August 16. The two leaders from that vote will contend for the general election in November.

Tom Anderson told us he is the engineer administrator with problem solving skills. After a somewhat rocky opening statement that he read, Anderson demonstrated that he is a skilled communicator. His spontaneous answers to questions were miniature essays of clarity.

Doug Erickson is the seasoned politician, born with charisma, who has served in the state legislature for the 13 years since he was age 28. One of the state's strongest proponents for free enterprise, he said he believes businesses create jobs. If Erickson becomes County Executive, he could make Whatcom County into a little Texas – there are parallels in refining and farming. You can imagine how he might become a candidate for governor.

A robust Jack Louws comes on as experienced in both government, as an two-term mayor of Lynden, and business man, who headed a successful truss manufacturing company inherited from his father and now passed on to his son. Living in Birch Bay, he demonstrated an interest in the community and ventured the advice that incorporation would require urban streets that are more expensive than rural roads.

David Stalheim, ousted as the county's planning director and the progressives favorite was a pleasingly smart and witty debater. In contrast to Erickson, he said government can provide the framework for businesses to create jobs. His most telling point was that the county is sitting on an economic development fund of over $10 million from which only $1.5 million has been spent to improve the civic center. He suggested that some of that money could be invested in Birch Bay's berm project. Stalheim could win if Bellingham liberals rally to get out their vote in opposition to the Tea Party followers who dispute the state's growth-management act. Asked for advice for Birch Bay on incorporation, Stalheim said that first the county executive should sit down with community leaders to review the feasibility study that has been largely ignored. An alternative, he suggested, could be a “community council” similar to that operating in Manson, a resort community on Lake Chelan

This debate, hosted by Kathy Berg, of the Birch Bay Steering Committee, and moderated by John Gargett, President of the Birch Bay Camber of Commerce, spoke well for the potential of the community.

About the coal trains, the consensus in this discussion was largely that, if environmental controls are established and enforced, the bulk coal dock at Cherry Point could be approved.

A detailed discussion of this issue can be found at www.getwhatcomplanning.blogspot.com, operated by Jean Melious and David Stalheim

[Comments gratefully encouraged.]

2011-07-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

The first parade participant we saw out our window on Saturday, July 16, 2011, was the indefatigable County Council member, Barbara Brenner, in rain garb, standing in the bed of a red pickup truck. When last seen Brenner, currently the longest serving Council member, was still standing on the truck.

Flush from a positive article that week in the Cascadia Weekly, Tom Anderson, described by editor Tim Johnson as an “underdog in the race for County Executive”, wearing just a suit despite the drizzle, walked the whole parade route speaking enthusiastically to bystanders. (Unfortunately, many were not Whatcom voters.)

But the most exhuberant campaigner was Ruby May, who darted from one side of the parade to the other putting Anderson cards, fortunately encased in plastic, in the hands of smiling participants regardless of residence. Little Miss May was celebrated in Whatcom politics in 2009 when she appeared tearfully before a closed library in an ad that was credited with winning that levy.

Ruby is the daughter of Richard May, who managed that campaign. The previous year he was an organizer for Barack Obama in several states. Richard, who was also passing out Anderson cards, said he is working for him and other Democrat candidates in Whatcom.

Found standing quietly among the onlookers before Sunday's Ducky Derby, was Bellingham's mayor, Dan Pike. Congratulated for his stand against the coal trains and the proposed pier at Cherry Point for shipping coal to China, he said he is pleased that the mayors of Seattle, Tacoma and other cities have joined the fray. And he is particularly pleased that the Washington Department of Ecology has also joined. “That means,” he said, “Whatcom County will not foot the legal bills.”

Learning About Community Gardens

2011-07-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

For six months we planned a trip to Boston for a commencement ceremony of Ruth's granddaughter who finished at Emerson College in December; they have only one ceremony in May. Originally, the plan was to drive the whole way there and back, and we spent hours plotting distances between what we thought would be interesting points along Highway 2 – there weren't very many.

However, after filling our gas tank one day for almost $50, we concluded in unison: “Let's fly.” We boiled our “interesting places” down to two: Cape Cod, which we had both visited years ago, and the Berkshires that neither of us had explored before.

On the Cape we had a timeshare with room enough for Ruth's son and his family, four people including the graduate. This was at Falmouth, a very nice town at the inner Cape. But the weather was disappointingly like Birch Bay: rain most days.

On a walk in Falmouth one morning we explored a neat housing development – houses are spiffy on the Cape – that led to a community garden, which supplies a food bank. Spaces with water and tools are free with the understanding that participants will donate half of what they grow to the food bank, as explained by this local. He said most of the growers work hard. Generally, the beds looked impressive. Only one plot looked abandoned, and our friend said the other gardeners would be patient until taking action to expel that individual to make room for someone on the waiting list.

For several years we have talked about developing a community garden on the small lot where we've been “Farmers Growing Trees for Salmon.” This Fall the trees will be gone and the program closed.

Last year we built and planted a sample raised bed. When we returned from our trip we found our lettuce was growing well. But the cost of the raised bed makes that approach impractical. In the Spring we will offer ground spaces for planting.

For the Berkshires we scheduled a visit to the Nutrition Center in Great Barrington that is operated by Peter Stanton, nationally known for helping children prevent obesity. His message is, “Eat more vegetables.” He finds that when kids learn to cook vegetables they will want to eat more. In his kitchen the appliances and table are at kid height.

Naturally, he has a community garden on his property and the weekly farmers market is held on adjacent property that belongs to the hospital that is nearby. While clients of the Nutrition Center are all ages and incomes – half of the Center's revenue is from physician referrals paid by insurance – he wants to garden to have low-income growers who are charged $30 per year. “When people pay, they care,” Peter explains.

Three Picture Perfect Days

2011-07-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

After all the lousy weather during the winter and spring we got some wonderful weather for the weekend. Saturday, Canada Day was OK, Sunday and Monday were “picture perfect.”

The big event for Birch Bay was the Two Buck Duck race Sunday. This was a trial run for the Really Big Event that will be held on July 17, the Sunday of Discovery Days. Then 200 ducks are offered at five bucks each.

Before the race started I talked to my duck, Morrison, who was more interested in the other ducks than my winning wishes.

The co-chairs, Brian Southwick and Mike Kent, planned, organized, and executed this event superlatively. Other members of BBCC who served were Tony Dolk, the starter who dumped the competitor ducks into Terrell Creek from the Bay Rim Condos Bridge, Ruth Higgins who plucked the winners from the water at the the finish line and Nancy Stull kept tallied the winners.

Mike Kent, calling the race, created Network TV excitement for people on the bank. In addition to organizing every detail, Brian Southwick was the East Bank duck spotter who pushed stray ducks back into the stream. I was “spotter down” on West Bank where, fortunately, there weren't as many stragglers.

The big winner was Andronetta Douglass of Birch Bay when two of her three ducks finished first and second – her $6 investment returned $40 in gift certificates to CJs BeachHouse and the Bay Cafe. Can anyone do that well in the Casinos?

Third place went to Lisa Sprague (not present at the finish) who will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Bay Cafe.

Thanks to Bob Fraser for the “spotter down” photo. He is a Canadian who enjoys his place in Leisure Park.

It's going to be a hot summer

2011-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

In politics that is. We have the on-going battle over the plan to build a bulk carrier terminal at Cherry Point to ship coal that will come by rail from the Powder River Basin in Colorado and Wyoming to China. While the forces of SSA Marine are well funded for lobbying and advertising – “every obvious effort to sell creates its own resistance” – the opposition led by Bob Ferris of ReSources is demonstrating grass-roots strength.

One possibility is that to please Bellingham voters who don't like the idea of 14 more long trains a day holding up traffic, the coal trains would be routed to Custer. But that wouldn't be good for Birch Bay residents. Expect that an information meeting for local residents will be held in August.

Part of the battle will be fought in Whatcom County Council. In the August primary four candidates are up for County Executive and two candidates for each of four Council seats. An opportunity to hear where each stands on coal trains and other issues comes on July 19 when the Bellingham Tea Party – yes, those people – will hold a forum. Expected to attend are County Executive candidates Tom Anderson, Doug Ericksen, Jack Louws and David Stalheim,. For County Council County Tony Larson and Pete Kremen, District 1; Sam Crawford and Chirstina Maginnis, District 2; and Alan Black and Barbara Brenner, District 3. The forum will be held in Syre Auditorium at Whatcom Community College,

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a meet-and-greet time prior to the 6:30 p.m. start of the two-hour event. We understand questions will be limited to 15 seconds.

As we've done in the past we're forming questions to ask each candidate. Tell us what you'd like to know from each about coal trains and other issues.Candidates' answers will be posted verbatim.

Voice your dream for Birch Bay library services

2011-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 11 at the C Shop beginning at 7 pm, Whatcom County Library System is holding a community focus group for the purpose of determining how the library can fulfill the information needs of the area in the next three to five years. Here’s the challenge---sustainably; staying within our budget.

The focus group outline encourages recognition of the reasons people choose to live in the Birch Bay/Blaine community, what the community lacks, and the vision for the library’s role. This series of focus groups is the beginning of the library’s strategic planning process. It is essential to the process to check in with our communities and listen. There will be other opportunities to provide insight and ideas for the library’s plan, but this is the start.

The outline consists of:

Introduction,
Update on the library’s fiscal outlook,
Visioning exercise for the local community
Discussion of how the library meets the community’s information needs for the next three to five years within a sustainable budget.

All this is background for beginning the process of updating the library’s Strategic Plan. It’s crucial to hear what residents think.

Invite your friends and come help shape the future of library services in Birch Bay.

For more information, contact Library Director: Joan Airoldi, 384-3150 x201

Whatcom County Library System

Administrative and Processing Center
5205 Northwest Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226
Phone: 360-384-3150, Fax: 360-384-4947

The City Club Debate

2011-05-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, the day after the City Club debate over the plan to build a rail-head depot at Cherry Point to load coal on big ships to China, the Mariners were playing in Detroit and the color girl strayed away from the ball park to visit the Ford museum. First she showed viewers the first passenger train, a fragile little thing; then she showed us a giant locomotive that by itself could pull a mile-long train of cars full of coal. Holy smoke!

That evening on the PBS News Hour it was BNSF's turn for an extended non-commercial showing the “train that connects us all” traveling through beautiful fields with cows running along side and majestic wind turbines overhead. How romantic!

Waiting in line to get into Northwood Hall for the debate we had the good fortune to stand behind Gary Anderson, a photographer who had spent three and a half hours touring the coal dock at Tsawwassen. Devastating pictures are on his site: www.chuckanutconservancy.blogspot.com.

Inside the spacious hall we found that City Club members who paid $11 for an okeh lunch sat well-spaced at round tables with the opportunity to ask questions. As “guests” we paid $16 to sit close together at small tables. We were hoping to sit with labor union members, cheering advocates for the Gateway Pacific Terminal to be built at Cherry Point, but all at our table were opposed. The hall was packed. The program chairman acknowledged he was reluctant to announce a number because it might exceed listed capacity

The debate was between Promise and Concern. When Concern's leader Bob Ferris described the health menace, with specific examples, related to coal transportation, the Promise team of Craig Cole and Bob Watters, an executive of SSA Marine the company that wants to build the terminal said Cherry Point would be different. “Tsawwassen is like a 70s gas guzzler, Gateway Pacific will be Prius,” said Mr. Watters. Although SSA Marine operates terminals around the world the Promise team had no examples of where they operate cleanly.

Mr. Cole compared Mr. Ferris to Glenn Beck crying that he is tired of “fear mongering over coal dust.” City Club is “nonpartisian” – applause is discourage. But this time Mr. Coal was booed. (See Bob Ferris' profile on Linkedin – he has a distinguished career as a leader in environmental protection.) Belying his confidence, Mr. Cole said he went to the Powder Basin in Montana where the coal is mined and learned that three “protocols” are being tested but the railroad for the best way to limit coal dust.

In answer to questions – some from the audience were harsh – the Confidence team promised problems would be solved in the permitting process. They seem to believe they can manage those who control that process, including the Whatcom County Council.

Mr. Coal Makes His Case

2011-04-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday Craig Cole, representing the SSA Marine, the company that wants to build the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point, spoke at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce. From the view of executives in Seattle, Craig Cole might seem to be a good choice – a native of Whatcom County, once a member of the County Council, who ran a third-generation business and serves on the WWU board. But up close he is unconvincing.

Yes, there were folksy local references – as a boy he spent summers in Birch Bay – yet he stuck close to a power point presentation and the pretty SSA brochure that summarized on its front cover: “America needs a new export facility; Cherry Point is the best location; Hundreds of permanent jobs, millions in tax revenues; It's the right idea, the right place, the right time; Let's get America moving again.”

But Cherry Point deserves better than slogans. What was missing from Mr. Cole's presentation is an understanding and a vision of Whatcom County in the 21st Century that combines traditional industry with clean jobs utilizing technology. Why are students in our high schools studying math and chemistry and physics? How can WWU be harnessed in bringing our county into this century? Mr. Cole could speak as a statesman rather than a salesman for one company's solution.

He said that criticism raised by the terminal's critics are only “half right.” Yet he refused to identify those points that he believes are wrong.

Bellingham's Mayor Dan Pike, in attempting to make sure that “accurate facts about the project are put on the table,” produced a two-page outline that can be found at: www.cob.org

When I started to mention this at the meeting, Mr. Cole was quick to say he is a good friend of Mayor Pike. When I asked if he had read the outline he said he hadn't. Then I read one line: “Who will underwrite the cost of mitigation factors,” and said: “If you're so sure the project is safe, indemnify Birch Bay, for the shellfish, values of condos, etc. Have your friends at Goldman Sachs write a bond contract with their friends at AIG.” Mr. Cole shot back, “Mayor Pike has no jurisdiction.”

Technically, perhaps not, but influence?

Could Coal Trains Be A Black Swan In Our Future?

2011-04-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Black Swan is a concept of the destructive unexpected event that was popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a Lebanese-born short seller who became an acclaimed book author after becoming very wealthy shorting the bubbles of the last decade. Typically, these bubbles are perceived at the outset as great opportunities. So was greeted the news that SSA Marine, the giant, worldwide port operator had gained an opportunity to build the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point to load trains of coal from Montana on to ships for China.

SSA Marine, having sought this opportunity for years, came on with a blitzkrieg PR campaign to gain the support of most office holders in the state from the governor to the mayors of Lynden and Ferndale, who posed for ads supporting the terminal. Why not? This means jobs and increased tax revenue. For Birch Bay it could mean well-paid buyers of houses and lots that have been hard to sell and new houses, perhaps more new developments like Bay Crest.

Andy McCauley, president of the Bellingham Port Commission, told a group of Birch Bay residents at a recent information breakfast that, having grown up where coal is burned, he hates it, yet he is supporting the terminal because it means “economic opportunity.”

But, unlike most Black Swans that are “unexplainable and unpredictable until after the fact,” this bird is being met head on. The arguments fall into three categories:

Global Environmental Ethics – Are we increasing global warming by sending coal to China? On the other hand China will get coal from elsewhere and, if they buy it from us, the U.S. will reduce our imbalance of payments. A third hand would be that the Chinese may invest the money and engineering skills to make “clean coal” a reality.

Noise and Congestion – If projections are met, there may be as many as 14 trains, as long as a mile and a half, running through Bellingham and Ferndale daily.

Health Degradation – In a letter published by the Northern Light on March 10, Don Pitcairn, president of Surrey's United Naturalists reported on the experience of residents of the Tsawwassen First Nation's reserve, located next to the Delta Superport that is British Columbia's “gateway.” He included airborne coal dust pollution, and black tide caused by particulate from trains, ships and trucks plus a stagnant seashore due to currents impeded by causeways.

In a letter to community members Bob Ferris, executive director of ReSources, quotes a warning from Cherie Eichholz, executive director of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility that, “Coal dust has been linked to respiratory diseases.”

Bob Ferris – the full title of his organization is ReSources for Sustainable Communities – is the captain of the folks who are standing up to the advocates who include Peabody Coal, Goldman Sachs, that owns 49 percent of SSA Marine and Warren Buffett, a principal owner of BNSF, the railroad that will haul the coal from Montana and Wyoming. Information about “No Coal at Cherry Point” can be found at www.re-sources.org.

A comprehensive article on the subject was published in the April issue of Whatcom Watch (www.whatcomwatch.org). It was written by Dr. Preston Schiller who teaches courses on transportation planning and environmental issues at Huxley College of the Environment at Western. He studied the coal industry in West Virginia and worked on U.S. Clean Air Acts.

The permitting process will involve many agencies from the Whatcom County Council to NOAA and is expected to take four years. There will be ample opportunity for Birch Bay community members input including the election of county council members and the county executive.

In addition to the above sources, Jeremy Schwartz has been providing balanced reporting in the Northern Light. And you can expect the Cascadia Weekly to provide reporting and offer opinion.

As always, comments are eagerly sought.

Vote YES on School Bond

2011-04-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ballots are arriving this week. Although the election date is not until April 26, there is no reason to wait. In advertising, presentations to civic groups and campus tours Superintendent Ron Spanjer has made the case that the school buildings, particularly in the high school, need to be restructured. Others who have inspected the facilities have confirmed the need in letters to the Northern Light.

In 2008 the vote for a $40 million bond failed. (At the same time a 4-year maintenance and operations levy was approved.) This year's reduced request, $32 million, represents a re-evaluation of priorities and includes $2 million to buy property for an eventual Birch Bay elementary school.

With the economy down and voters increasingly cautious, you might ask why is the school board asking for the vote now. The answer is that, with interest rates at historic lows, the cost of the 12-year bond is lower now than later; construction bids can be expected to be lower.

Hearing and reading so much in the news about the failure of the nation's schools, I was pleased to hear Mr. Spanjer's comments on the quality of the Blaine High School in his talk at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce in February:

Advanced Placement – that is students completing college-level courses – is up for the 4^thconsecutive year;
BHS is recognized as an “exemplary level school” on the State's Accountability Index;
Last year the high school completion rate passed 90 percent for the first time.

My high school class started in 1944 with 100 students and graduated 34 in 1948. You understand why I am impressed with that 90 percent.

Hope for the Future

2011-03-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Buddy Moen remembers always wanting to run a restaurant. When he was eight his mother him cook for the family. His first meal was liver, onions and pasta shells preceded by a green salad. But he was not a “mother's boy” and never called a “sissy.” In high school he was two years the captain of the football team on defense, honorable mention on the all state team at strong safety.

But at Everett Community College he didn't go out for football; he wanted to cook in the college restaurant that was open to the public on Friday nights and for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Buddy studied marketing as well as food service. In the evenings he tended bar at Romano's Macaroni Tavern in the Alderwood Mall. (He said he wanted to learn there after reading in Hospitality Magazine that Macaroni was the best organized of the upscale national franchises. He also figured he could make better tips there, serving food as well as drinks.)

Betsy Payton worked around the corner at the Apple Store and often came to Macaroni at the end of her shift for a small plate – usually shrimp – and a glass of wine. Payton flirted with Moen and Moen flirted with Payton. One evening when she worked late Buddy came into the Apple Store and asked Betsy if she would have dinner with him at the nearby Red Lobster. While that was not Betsy's dream date, she agreed when Buddy explained he was studying that chain for a term paper.

Betsy was a favorite of her grandfather, Ben Vanderlugt. She had spent summers at his farm in Lynden and played with the calves. Now retired with a young wife – he sold the farm to Betsy's uncle – and living part time in California – he asked Betsy to set him up with an Apple system to trade commodity futures. Betsy, who worked on the “genius desk” in the Apple store, had a number of followers who traded futures. Ben was so delighted with his system that he invited Betsy to spend a weekend at his new house in Birch Bay. Betsy asked Buddy to go along.

To escape the talkative young wife, Gwen, – much younger than Betsy's mother – Betsy took Buddy for a walk on thebeach. Not far from Ben's house, they came upon a vacant restaurant building with a for-sale sign, called the Blue Fish yet painted brown – “Bad marketing there joked Buddy.”

Back at the house Buddy peppered Ben with questions about the “brown fish.” How long had it been closed? Was it ever profitable? How much does the owner want? Ben explained that the owner's price was way out of line and that community people wanted to get hold of the building for a visitors' center, a bath house and what all that could not be profitable – “They're socialists,” said Ben.Finally Betsy, who had been trying to coax Buddy away from talking about the restaurant with fingers on his knee, clapped her hands and said: “Grandpa, I'm afraid we're gonna stay up tonight. Can we use your computer to make a business plan?”When they came down to breakfast, Ben and Gwen were not surprised to see the table covered with paper, rather than dishes.The first page was a summary. The owner wants a million but he will accept a lease-to-buy with a hundred thou up front with no rent until Labor Day. After that, 15 percent of profits, defined as revenues less expenses. including reasonable salaries for management.

“But that place is a shack,” said Ben. “

“It's not what's inside the building; it's what people will see looking out. Beautiful water, flocks of sea birds, marvelous sunsets. The deck on top will be full of people,” Buddy responded.

When he had finished reading all 12 pages of the plan, Ben said, “OK, you've got your hundred thou,” and Gwen said, “50 thou more for working capital.”

Buddy kept it simple. He got five gallon pails of white paint cheap. (When Betsy pointed out it was glossy, Buddy said, So much the better.) Three guys who wanted to be waiters did the painting for minimum wage – “we'll make good tips”, they said after reading the business plan. Big pots, large plates, salad plates, unmatched knives, forks and spoons, and wine glasses were a steal at a salvage place. He ordered Dreamfields low-carb mac in bulk – “Good nutrition is our offer,” said Betsy, talking “branding.”

The restaurant opened the Friday before Memorial Day:

Mac&Cheese+Crab

Just one dish with a green salad and a glass of pinot grigio (non alcoholic for kids) and Birch Bay black berries with whipped cream for desert. All for $13.50. Additional wine for $3.50 per glass or $9.50 for big, 1½ liter bottle.

As marketing manager, Betsy put her Mac Mini to work, starting with a list of all the Libertarians in Whatcom County for a special evening the first Tuesday night. Ben got his friend, Ron Paul to come. Congressman Paul passed his own hat, “To get these young people started – they are Free Enterprise personified!”

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were fine – the average wait was 25 minutes and the average check for two, $37. “We're making money on $14,” howled Buddy. Betsy became the Twofor Queen of Weeknights. With computer lists from the County she sent out coupons for birthdays, marriage anniversaries, etc. – “Come celebrate paying your taxes!” was the most popular. (The average check was $43.)

Nobody remembered the brown fish.

Postcript to Post of March 20

2011-03-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

New sign. A really nice sign. A sample of what could make Birch Bay a more interesting place to visit and a more enjoyable place to live.

First, Fix the Signs

2011-03-20T13:18:00.001-07:00

When the consultants' report is completed, the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce will need to determine priorities. In our view the most important task is to revamp the signage that does not include all the businesses presently available to visitors. A revamped program can achieve two important objectives:

1. Enable visitors to find what they are looking for and direct them to business they might not know exist.

2. Involve all businesses in collaboration to make the community more cohesive and, in the process, strengthen the chamber.

Yes, there are some businesses that initially won't want to participate. They may if “encouraged.” Recently I heard a fitting motto: “Pressure, but don't destroy.”

There are some signs that might make visitors wonder what kind of place Birch Bay is. One couple with two businesses recently, on their own, hand lettered their locations on the existing sign. They might be labeled scofflaws, but put yourself in their situation. With an existing system allowing additions, their businesses could have been included efficiently. (A factor is that these people have made significant contributions to the chamber and the community.)

This is going to be a challenge for the Chamber that in previous years has been hard pressed to maintain existing events. The new officers and board inspire hope. They are a cohesive team that has attracted more volunteers and they are changing the previous view that a “non-profit” should not make any money. Fortunately, that attitude is gone and incentives to increase revenue are being added, such as sponsorships of events.

Nonetheless, for an organization that is “on budget” with a balance of four thousand dollars, funding new signs will not be easy. Perhaps the solution would be an assessment on businesses in a way that will make participation desirable. (Pressure, not destruction.)

Another need may be a special listing of lodgings. One comment reported by the consultants was about too many condos. In my view, time shares, rentable condos and cottages are an asset, RV parks less so. But RV parks in Birch Bay are a fact of life. However, they could be dressed up with better signs and entrances.

A related thought is that, along with multi-business listing signs, attractive individual signs should be rewarded. Here is my nominee for this year's ribbon.

Are you ready?

2011-03-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Disasters such as the triple whammy that struck Japan starting last Friday remind us that we should all be prepared.

I know, we all intend to, but we just don't get around to it.

One great source of information is the Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division's Prepare in a Year program at http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_prepare_year.shtml. It breaks down the preparation into an hour a month so that by the next Ides of March you would be prepared. Or you could accelerate that and be ready in 12 weeks or 12 days.

For another source on how to get started, or check out how you're doing, see the FEMA site at http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/basic_preparedness.shtm.

Closer to home is Whatcom County's Web site at http://www.whatcomready.org/, with lots of information, some the same as the others and some a little more specific to our location.

We don't have a nuclear reactor to worry about; very limited potential for tsunamis, according to local authotities; and the BP refinery does not use hydroflouric acid in its process, so the possibility of that hazardous material release is avoided.

Other real potential hazards are earthquakes, flooding, volcanic ash fall-out, and fires.

Birch Bay in winter

Living in beautiful Birch Bay has few hazards and plenty of rewards, so get ready for the few and be safe to enjoy the plenty.

rah

Pay Attention to the Birch Bay Tourism Study

2011-03-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

Everyone concerned with the future of Birch Bay should read and consider the ideas put forth by the consultants who are paid $25,000 by the Port of Bellingham. There is a version at www.birchbaychamber.com (click on "survey").

Dodd Snodgrass, the Port's project manager who oversaw the work (dodds@portofbellingham.com), e-mailed us a copy of the latest version last week. It is 95 pages with nice pictures – that's a lot of paper and ink.

Some people are not favorably impressed. At the February meeting of the Birch Bay Chamber, John Gargett, the president, said he didn't know people have trouble finding Birch Bay. At an information-sharing meeting last Tuesday, Charlie Shelton, the Port director, and Michael McAuly, the newest Port commissioner got an earful from a man who rents cottages who said that he “resents outsiders who tell him his business.”

Kathy Berg, chair of the Birch Bay Steering committee, in written comments to those who guided the consultants, noted that, “Unfortunately, the sometimes inaccurate information is a distraction and counter productive.” She added that, “weaknesses” listed in the consultant's report have been addressed and or been improved over the past 10 years by the Steering Committee.

My view, from the meetings I attended, is that the consultants seemed more interested in expressing their own ideas than in seeking out all the key people in the community and listening to their ideas.

Among the 13 people they did interview are few of the have-done/can-do people who have built the community. In a section on what is likely to happen to the tourism market in Birch Bay if nothing is done, the consultants include: “Continue as a sleepy backwater.”

Birch Bay is generally recognized for the best warm-water beach north of California. The State fish and game commission ranks Birch Bay as the best clamming beach north of Seattle. Seventy thousand people camped at the state park last year. There were 500,000 total visitors, according to Ted Morris, who manages the park.

Last week the Herald reported census numbers for Whatcom County communities. In the past decade, Birch Bay had the greatest percentage growth (69.6%) of any community in the county and, with the exception of Bellingham, the most gain in people (3,453); greater than Blaine (914) Ferndale (2,657) and Lynden (2,913).

Do these number define a “backwater?”

While the consultants fill their study with bright ideas about how to attract more people to Birch Bay, I think the priority should be on how to create more activities and amenities for people who come so they will stay longer and spend more money. That's going to take entrepreneurial enterprise.

Nonetheless, those who study the recommendations will find some good ideas that prompt thinking.

In my youth I made a modest living taking California investment analysts to New York to meet reporters and broadcasters. Most of the discussions were about hot new companies and their business plans. Some of the best business plans were described as originating on one side of a folded napkin – a paper napkin.

So, if you've read this far I suggest that, as you study the consultants' recommendations, you take a piece paper – re-use paper folded the long way – and write down five things you would like to see happen, aside from Kathy's berm and Ted's boat launch.

Five things that are do-able in the next three years.

Send them to us as a comment for posting.

Survey on Speeding

2011-02-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

Do you think the year-round 25 miles-per-hour speed limit on Birch Bay Drive is appropriate?

Do you think many drivers exceed the speed limit on the Drive?

Do you know of anyone who has been injured by a motorist speeding on the Drive–as opposed to a self-inflicted accident?

We can't have a red-light camera—because we don't have a traffic light—but we might be able to have a meter that measures speed and photographs cars' license plates.

Would you welcome that?

ak

Comments are not only allowed but are actively encouraged.

It's Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

We buy an estimated 250 million valentines each year based on a myth and a desire to share the love.

According to Wikipedia, there are at least 14 martyred saints with the name Valentine. “Of the Saint Valentine whose feast is on February 14, nothing is known except his name and that he was buried... north of Rome on February 14. It is even uncertain whether the feast of that day celebrates only one saint or more saints of the same name."

Saint Valentine of Terni oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni, from a 14th century French manuscript

Wikipedia further states that historian Jack Oruch, cited in the Wikipedia article, has made the case that the traditions associated with "Valentine's Day", did not exist before Chaucer. He argues that the speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among 18th-century antiquaries.

One legend, found on History.com, contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other History.com stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one History.com legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

In Great Britain, History.com goes on to tell us, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.

Ready-made cards, states History.com, were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

And now we're up to 250 million sold – and that doesn't count hand-made cards or cardless gifts.

Happy Valentine's Day.

rah

Pay Attention to OUR Land-use Issues

2011-02-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

What is going on between the Whatcom County Council and the state government has a lot to do with how Birch Bay develops.

While it is fine to take vicarious interest in what goes on in Egypt, Pakistan and so on, if you want to participate in democracy, the County Council is where the action is.

As the Elder once said in a memorable Steering Committee meeting, “The business of Birch Bay is building primary and secondary homes,” so what is built and how it is built is of great importance to our economy. Do we want growth to be concentrated in a compact Birch Bay Urban Growth Area or don't we care if more new houses are built on five and ten acre lots of former farm land?

To understand the issues related to Whatcom County's failure to comply with the state's Growth Management Act read the February issue of Whatcom Watch. The GMA protects rural land and encourages urban development to make services such as fire protection more efficient. Hard copies of Whatcom Watch are available in a number of locations including the Blaine library or go to www.whatcomwatch.org

The authors of this article are Cathy Lehman and Jean Melious. Ms. Lehman is chapter director of Futurewise Whatcom, which brought legal action against the county that resulted in an “Order of Invalidity” by the Growth Management Hearings Board. Ms. Melious is a land use attorney and professor in the Environmental Studies Department at Western. She was chair of the Whatcom Planning Commission for four years and ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner in the last election.

On the other side of this issue is the “We the People” movement, our county's version of the national Tea Party, that put up “Land Grab” signs and elected a majority of the present County Council members. Their argument is that the Growth Management Act is the product of “Olympia bureaucrats” – to quote Sam Crawford, the current council chair.

As Randy Cross, president of the Whatcom Tea Party, explained in our profile, published in March of last year (and found below),“The focus of the Tea Party is on progressive trends: Making people do what they would not do voluntarily.” That certainly can apply to the landowner who is tired of growing alfalfa and would like to “cash in.”

Whatcom Watch is the ultimate in “grass roots.” The mission is to cover local government and environmental issues. No one gets paid except for those who earn a commission on the few ad sales.

Editors have come and gone but a constant is Bill McCallum who has served the publication since it was a typed newsletter almost 20 years ago. He is listed on the masthead as “layout director,” but is really chief shepherd looking after finances and circulation.

The new editor is Jennifer Karchmer who teaches in the Communications Department at Western. Despite 20 years at major newspapers and CNN, she brings youthful enthusiasm for strengthening the voice of the Watch.

Pay attention – it's free!

ak

Comments are not only allowed but are actively encouraged.

Jerry Larson - Addendum

2011-02-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, February 4th at 4:00 PM at the Sons of Norway Hall in Bellingham, 1419 N Forest St. Arrangements by Moles-Greenacres Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

Jerry Larson - Rest in Peace

2011-01-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

Birch Bay, Whatcom County and Puget Sound are going to miss Jerry Larson, who died on Thursday, January 27, 2011.

He was a tireless activist on behalf of fin and shellfish, particularly in his beloved Birch Bay, but extending to the surrounding area.

We first met Jerry shortly after coming to Birch Bay a little over seven years ago. He was poking around in a bowl of water containing nematodes and other critters, participating in a Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association workshop on water quality in Terrell Creek.

He was a constant presence at Birch Bay Steering Committee meetings, always ensuring that the decisions being made would enhance the watershed and protect the bay as habitat for his cherished shell- and fin fish.

Within hours of his son Keith's e-mail notification of his death, friends and colleagues were reacting to the news:

“It's a sad day in Birch Bay,” said Kathy Berg, chair, Birch Bay Steering Committee.

“Jerry will always be smiling as we work to restore the chum run in Terrell Creek... or spreading oyster seed in Birch Bay,” said Steve Seymour, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“I owe so much to Jerry and he asked for so little. Truly a precious soul to watch over all of us from the smallest seed clam to the water itself,” said Martha Simonsen, health educator, bariatric clinician.

“My thoughts go out to everyone in the Larson family and all of the people in our community that knew and appreciated Jerry. We are going to miss his presence tremendously,” said Rachel Vasak, executive director, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.

The Lummi Island Watershed Enhancement Committee published their own tribute to Jerry at

http://liwec.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/gerold-larson-jerry/.

We sent our thoughts to Keith: “Our deepest condolences to you and your family. We know Jerry from his work with the Chums of Terrell Creek, seeking to restore salmon to the creek. We were concerned about him because our e-mail to him last week bounced back. Please do keep us informed of any services or memorials. If there is anything we can do to help in this difficult time, please just ask,” Ruth Higgins and Al Krause.

rah

Please feel free to post your comments. We will publish them here. R&A

Happiness is...

2011-01-23T13:36:00.001-08:00

The rash of articles about how happy Bellingham, Seattle and at least nine other places are leads us to reflect on the gross community happiness of Birch Bay.

John Stark's article in the January 20 Bellingham Herald; http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/20/1826723/bellingham-listed-among-top-10.html), Nicole Brodeur's column in the January 21 Seattle Times; http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2013992168_nicole21m.html ) and Sunset Magazine online http://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-adventure/best-places-to-live-00418000070574/) all cite examples of happy people in happy locations.


Happy Minister of Tourism

We first heard about the concept of gross national happiness at a Congress of the Society of Ethnobiologists last year. The 2014 biannual congress will be held in Bhutan, where the king had proclaimed that gross domestic product was less important than gross national happiness. The CSE representative from Bhutan presented an idyllic image of life in his country, although Brodeur points out that some minorities might not agree.

In a very unscientific survey of a few folks in Birch Bay, we learned that the reason people live or repeatedly vacation in Birch Bay is because they are happy when they are here. We feel the same way.

Photo taken January 21, 2011

It is easy to see why with such views greeting us in the middle of winter.

While Birch Bay has not been analyzed in the same way as Bellingham or Seattle, we can learn how satisfied we are with life by the bay. Brodeur introduces us to Michael Pennock, a population health epidemiologist for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, who spent time in Bhutan and since led a team that created a “Satisfaction with Life” survey. It is available on Sustainable Seattle's web site www.SustainableSeattle.org.

My overall score is 80, with the median now being 68; the dimension contributing the lowest score related to my confidence in government, go figure.

Just for fun, let's collect our overall scores, anonymously if you like, but telling us if you live or regularly work or play in Birch Bay. Report through the Comment option on this blog. We won't publish the individual responses, only aggregate them by the Ides of Febuary.

Here's to proving the thesis that Birch Bay has a high life satisfaction score, translating into a high gross community happiness quotient.

rah

Progressive Independence

2011-01-18T09:32:00.001-08:00

A well meaning worker for the Whatcom County Democratic Party recently sent me two messages asking: 1) That I write a letter to the Northern Light to argue for change in the U.S. Senate filibuster rules and 2) That I ask members of the County Council to rename Jean Melious to the Planning Commission;

No thanks.

These requests were, I expect, passed on by the county Dem hierarchy. About 1): If I understand the Senate rules, the Northern Light is hardly the appropriate place to send a letter.

About 2): Democratic party leaders should have recognized that when they lost the WTA levy they would need to rally Whatcom Democrats for the county council and state legislature votes. Ms. Melious, a land-use attorney and WWU teacher who carried the environmentalist argument for following the state's growth management act, was, on paper, a good candidate. But the party failed get the liberal voters behind her candidacy. In Birch Bay, we had no rally for Ms. Melious nor for the legislative candidates.

Tea-party folks, not wanting to be prevented from selling property for development outside Urban Growth Areas, put up blue “We the People” and yellow “Land Grab” signs to rally voters to conservative candidates. In the November election, all of the slow-growth candidates for county and state offices lost in Whatcom.

Yet the Whatcom County Democrats, in their January newsletter, boast about their accomplishments, all of which relate to Washington and none to this county.

So, what am I to tell Sam Crawford, the power in the county council, that would cause him to want to rename Jean Melious to the Planning Commission, where she can continue to be a thorn in his path to defeat the “bureaucrats in Olympia?” A party that couldn't get Kelli Linville re-elected to the state house should recognize failure and work for the future.

What's a Birch Bay activist to do? We remember a 2005 article in which we quoted Elie Friedlob, “Power is not in Washington, D. C., but in every little community.” So I am going to let the state's Growth Management Board deal with Mr. Crawford and celebrate the builders of new homes in our neighborhood who are filling in available lots. They will have great views and become part of the community.

In a previous post I referred to myself as a “progressive democrat.” Now it's “progressive independent.” Independents are considered as being passive – waiting for pollsters to ask what they think and changing from year to year. It's also possible to be independent of the political parties and to work for what the community needs. In the county, Mike Kent, a noteworthy example, is recognized as a leading Republican, but in Birch Bay he's a progressive who is stalwart in improving the community.

Comments are not only allowed, but are also encouraged.

Optimism for Terrell Creek and the Bay

2011-01-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend Elie Friedlob, the founder and leader of The Chums of Terrell Creek, reported that numerous large salmon were spotted near the creek's prime spawning grounds. This is good news for those who have been working for eight years to bring fish back to the stream.

Coincidentally, Friday morning Ingrid Enschede, the outreach

manager for BBWARM – Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management – convened a meeting of people involved in improving the quality of water in the creek's watershed and the bay. Twenty-one people, many from the Whatcom County Planning and Public Works Departments, attended the gathering at the Semiahmoo fire station to report on their activities. In total, their reports are impressive.

Rachel Vasak, executive director of NSEA – the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association – the parent organization of the Chums, explained how her group will continue to plant trees with volunteer work parties, and pursue other endeavors to improve stream habitat. She mentioned an agreement to increase the flow from Lake Terrell into the creek during dry months.

Steve Seymour, of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department, said that the allocation of chum eggs for the remote site incubator, operated with NSEA, will be increased to 100,000 this year, up from 30,000 in the last batch. He also reported a channel will be dug around the dam that separates the creek from the lake so that fish can swim to a freshwater stream that flows into the lake.

George Boggs, executive director of the Whatcom Conservation District, spoke about implementation of a $730,000 grant from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency for a four-year program to reduce nutrient and pathogen contamination. He is about to hire the key person who will go door-to-door to ask landowners to voluntarily limit pollution. Those who agree will receive the help of experts in Mr. Boggs' organization.

The County Council has been ridiculed for making homeowner reporting of septic tank inspections voluntary. However, Ms. Enschede reported that of the 690 who were asked to make inspections last February, 468 responded, with almost 200 stating the need for maintenance. One participant suggested that you could bet that those who didn't respond have faulty tanks, then added that a low-interest, long-term loan program makes repairs affordable.

The importance of improving and maintaining water quality was underscored by Ted Morris, Birch Bay State Park manager, who reported that 700,000 visitors and 50,000 campers came to the park last year and that Birch Bay is ranked as the No. 1 shellfish beach in the state.

ak

Comments are welcome, even encouraged.

Good Weekend for Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce

2011-01-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Performance of the people who put on the New Year’s Weekend events was as crisp and cool as the weather.

Friday evening's Ring of Fire and Hope once again demon- strated the promise of making Birch Bay the go-to place for New Year's Eve. Down by the Alderson entrance to the beach, there were more flares lighted than in previous years.

On Saturday morning, there were folks waiting at the door of the Visitors Information Center when registration started at 9:30. Credit goes to Tammy Pearce, Chamber VP and co-chair of the event, with organizing the registration process efficiently – less congestion than in previous years. John Haas and Marty Stauffer, with assistance from Marty's charming daughter Emma, greeted registrants warmly. Maxine Beebe and Molly Ernst, sold bundles of t-shirts.

With Chandra Dunn spinning music over the sound system, the scene became a party. The star was Brrr the Bear, manned by Ken Lord, who operates the Birch Bay Hostel and Guesthouse at Bay Horizon Park. He is a talented performer, dancing to the music and posing with many. For those who wanted prints, Linda Taylor and Dena Jensen took pictures and made prints for $10, a new income stream for the Chamber.

Dave Bucknell, of the Bay Cafe, served complimentary coffee and cocoa. Enterprise was served by Patti White, who showed and sold her stylish line of Tide Catcher garments. John and Nancy Ellis brought three superbly-behaved mascots to represent their Pooch Palace and Kitty Kastle.

Tammy Pearce stoked the crowd and by 11:30, when costume judging began on schedule, there was a mob. Lynn Roberts of KAFE Radio, FM 104.1, served a Mistress of Ceremonies, giving the event genuine production values. When it came time to plunge, an estimated five spectators routed for every one who went into the water. Yes, it was cold, but some swam around far longer than others did.

Our congratulations to all the Chamber members who made the event successful, particularly to John Gargett, the event co-chair and new president. John is a past Commodore of the Bellingham Yacht Club and is active in a number of non-profit organizations and boards of for-profit businesses. He combines organizational effectiveness with a modest ego. When congratulated, all he said was, “We had a good time.”

ak

It's Gone!

2010-08-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

The derelict bus near the Wooldridge and Morrison junction is gone. The neighborhood eye-sore and gang graffiti target departed last evening, much to the relief of neighbors and law enforcement.

Might a Tea Party Member Vote for Richard May?

2010-04-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

A reader reported that Richard May's Master's Blend restaurant in Everson was giving out “We the People” signs. The reader, who wanted to vote for Dennis Kucinich for President, suggested that displaying these Tea Party signs would be disloyal to May's principles.

Disloyal to what May stands for or what she wants May to stand for?

The reality of politics in Whatcom County – as well as much of the U.S. – is that what May stands for is insignificant if he doesn't get elected. And to get elected he will most likely need to appeal to a broad spectrum of voters, including some who have Tea Party signs in front of their homes.

In discussing Tea Party people with Matt Lauer last week, President Obama said, “Some have the same mainstream legitimate concerns.” In “listening” to voters, including Tea Party members, we expect May will find legitimate concerns that he can endorse and argue for in the Legislature.

In a call to the restaurant last week, we learned, “Yes, we have a few signs left.”

Comments are not only accepted, but are also encouraged.

A Pragmatists's Approach to Gaining Elective Office

2010-03-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

In the 80s, the book to read in Silicon Valley was "The Entrepreneur's Manual" (Chilton, 1977). The author, Dr. Richard M. White, Jr., a business school professor at Santa Clara University, provided a manual for starting and managing a successful business.

The book offered advice on every anticipated need from how to gain financing through to test a new product economically to how to motivate employees. It was filled with examples of ways to establish a sideline income to support a big project.

One example introduced a mother raising three young sons. Her big project was how to afford private schools, tutors, special lessons and college for the boys. She had room on the family property to raise chickens. The boys collected eggs. Each evening before dinner, the family spent an hour cracking eggs and pouring them into 40-inch cylindrical molds. During dinner and dishes, they boiled the eggs, and then cooled the cylinders in water tanks. They refrigerated the cylinders overnight for delivery the next day. Their restaurant customers found consistently large egg slices so appealing in salads that they averaged two cylinders a day, at $5 profit per cylinder to the boys' education fund.

Richard May's big project is to run for public office. His sideline is to own restaurants. You might think that May, as a field organizer for Barack Obama in five states, would have earned a cushy job, say in the border patrol. That isn't his style.

May made his mark locally as campaign manager for the increase in the county library levy that passed with 51.41 percent of the vote last fall. The memorable picture in that campaign was a little girl crying in front of a closed library. That little girl is May's daughter, Ruby.

About the time May let it be known he was planning to run for the state senate, he bought the Master's Blend cafe in Everson. The Lynden Journal applauded with a long article, and the Everson Nooksack Chamber of Commerce elected him their president. He also serves on a number of boards including the County Appeals Board and the Blaine Parks Board. He also works with Habitat for Humanity and Communities in Schools.

Recently, May added Cafe Caffe, across the Guide from Bellis Fair. It is in the Cascade Mall that also houses the Coldstone Creamery and American Eagle Outfitters with the big boot on the roof.

It is axiomatic that one restaurant is a 24/7 business. How could one person manage two while campaigning for office? May shrugs the question off. His college was chefs’ school and it could be that political organizers learn delegation and trust.

At the March 6 Demo Party “grassroots strategy session” in Blaine, I asked May what he had learned from working for Obama.

“Start early,” he said, adding that at the Lynden Fair in August he shook hands with 900 strangers.

His campaign literature mentions that he goes to church in Lynden, which may strike secularists as opportunistic But further on we learn that his mother earned a master's in theology and worked for her church for many years. Richard was an altar boy.

When Doug Erickson, arguably the strongest Republican in Whatcom County, announced he would run for the state senate, rather than for another term in the lower house, May was quick to sidestep, announcing he would run for Erickson's seat for the lower house in Olympia.

We, having worked for Obama in our precinct and being impressed by a young Obama organizer, were excited to learn that another organizer lived in Blaine and was running for state office. However, we were perplexed – actually pissed – to find no mention of Obama in May's literature or on his website, www.richardmay.us.

When he phoned to invite us to Cafe Caffe on St. Patrick's Day – “because I'm green” – May mentioned that a boyhood friend of the president would be speaking at the gathering. Dean Ando, now a labor organizer in the Tacoma area did tell about his friendship with “Barry” during their teenage years in Hawaii. That was at a preliminary gathering before the seven o'clock meeting.

Mr. Ando mentioned there is a picture of Obama and May standing together the night of the victory at the Iowa caucuses, but you won't find that picture on the May website. Instead, there are pictures of May with faces across the political spectrum including Tucker Carlson on the Right.

Jason Heck set us straight. In addition to teaching in the Communications Department at Western, he managed Ken Mann's winning County Council campaign. He is now managing the WTA levy campaign and helping May. Heck got us reading “The Political Brain, How the role of emotion is deciding the fate of the nation,” (Public Affairs, 2007). Author Drew Westen is a political psychologist who has studied how the brain reacts to conflicting stimulus.

This big book will take us time to digest and fully understand. Heck simplified by explaining how Dr. Westen and colleagues assembled 30 subjects after the 2004 presidential election, half declared they were for Bush, half for Kerry. The investigators read the subjects contradictory statements attributed to each candidate. Neither the Bush nor Kerry voters disputed the statements. The short of the example is that emotion trumps logic.

Scans find that sections of the brain controlling emotion are more powerful than the section that provides rational thought. Ergo, a pragmatic candidate wishing to influence undecided voters is presented without identity that might summon negative emotion.

Tom Hanks would be an example.

The theme of May's handout that will likely be followed by TV and print advertising is “I Listen, I Get It! Your legislator should ask what your priorities are...your concerns should shape policy, It's your state.

For those who wonder what May believes, we have:

“A smarter budget can preserve services without creating shortfalls;

“Quality education leads to prosperity;

“Total tax reform is better than just adding a state income tax.”

And there is a picture of May with State Auditor, Brian Sontag, “who exposed 90 million dollars in waste and corruption in Port of Seattle.”
Is there any brain in the 42nd Legislative District that will send negative neurons to these bromides?

In fairness, we should report that May is not all bland. On his website there is a video segment showing May challenging Erickson on his health care proposals and in his remarks at the St. Patrick's Day meeting, he acknowledged that a state income tax is a likely eventually.

He said he knows he has 40 percent and his opponent likely has 40 percent. It is the 20 percent in the middle that he's after.

What this pragmatist needs to gain the votes of the undecided is the reality of the coming campaign. It is as much about Whatcom County in 2010 as it is about Richard May.

Once again, we seek your comments.

Changed policy on comments

2010-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

In the past, we have declined to print comments from those who did not identify themselves.

But we've seen that most blogs do allow aliases and "anonymous" entries.

So, from now on, we welcome all comments. Use any name, including your own.

Bring 'em on.

Al & Ruth

Understanding the Tea Party Movement

2010-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Intrigued by the strength of the Tea Party in Whatcom County, which drew 800 members to Mount Baker Theater on Saturday evening, Feb. 20 – I passed the word that I wanted to talk to someone in the leadership.

Never mind that I am a self-described progressive – who walked our precinct for Obama and put up signs for Laurie, Carl and Dan in the last election.

When I was a freshman at a conservative church college – this was 1948 when Harry Truman was running for reelection – the head of the history and political science department fired two young professors for attending a CIO political action meeting. Their defense was that the union activity was a significant development in politics that behooved them, as political scientists and teachers, to understand the movement. (Truman, you may not remember, defeated Dewey in a giant upset largely because of union support.)

So, it is in this vein that I bring you this report, without distortion, of conversations with Randy Cross, who introduced himself on the phone as the president of the Whatcom Tea Party.

He said first that he and his cohorts are against the progressive aspects of the Republican and Democrat parties, “We need fiscal responsibility and states rights – bad things happen when good people don't stand up.”

He quoted the Tea Party's mission statement:
To reverse deficit spending and the concentration of power in central government in order to preserve states rights and individual liberty for future generations.

Cross emphasized that the focus of Tea Party is on “progressive” trends, defined by Dick Armey as, “Making people do what they would not do voluntarily."
Armey heads Freedom Works, the umbrella support organization for Tea Parties nationally, which boasts 800 thousand members.

“George Bush pushed some progressive ideas...John McCain is concerned about global warming and is for cap and trade,” Cross said.

I have read and heard comments that Tea Party members, most of whom are white, are aroused because Obama is black. After hearing Cross, I think their objection is to “change,” the big word in the presidential campaign.

“Progressives want to tell people how to live, they want to redistribute the fruits of my labor,” Cross said.

He quoted Thomas Jefferson, “When the government fears the people you have liberty, when the people fear the government, you have tyranny.” (If that seems absurd to you in the 21st century, talk the man who has a yellow, “Land Grab” sign on his property.)

Cross has been self-employed most of his life. First, he operated a business that distributed Amish art through 300 sales representatives who covered 27 trade shows a year. When imports destroyed that business, he conceived and developed Laser Point of Origin. That business, inscribing metal – think plaques – has been operating for 15 years. While the native art distribution was national, his present business gets most of its sales in Whatcom County.

For a dinner last Saturday night, honoring people who support military families, Cross and his wife donated 13 inscribed “Oscars.” For a refinery that wanted to recognize six thousand special workers during a turn-around, he put together a gift bag that included a t-shirt and laser inscribed water bottle.

A visitor to his studio is struck by a giant poster of Einstein and a row of books about cosmology. Cross said Stephen Hawking's “A Brief History of Time” changed his life. He pulled out a worn and highlighted copy that he said he's read 14 times. He has read more than 150 books on physics that he considers equal to a college degree.

Pointing to a small poster on the chronology of “The Big Bang,” Cross said, “Then God stepped back and let us run the universe.”

He attributes his political awareness and insight to his eight-year subscription to the Weekly Standard magazine.

Cross traces the formation of the Whatcom County Tea Party movement to February 2008, when friends decided to meet at the Five Columns restaurant. They expected five people. Forty showed up.

Last April 15, four thousand gathered across from Bellis Fair. Another demonstration is planned for this year's tax day.

National Republicans he approves of are Tom Coburn, Eric Canter, Mike Pense, Lamar Alexander, Lynn Cheney and Sara Palin.

In Whatcom County he approves of Pete Kremen and Sam Crawford. “Barbara Brenner--70 percent,” he said.

Locally, he is concerned about infringement on property rights, “our absolute right,” and the proposed WTA levy that he considers unnecessary – “WTA doesn't need that many empty buses running around.”

Cross does not see the Tea Party movement becoming a third party. “The intent is to reform Republicans from inside. Our role is to inform and educate, not endorse – let the voters decide.”

While he thinks there are members of the Whatcom Tea Party who are qualified for public office, he says that he has no interest in running.

ak

2010 Olympic Shuttle Service - update

2010-02-15T11:59:00.000-08:00

You can get there from here.

Birch Bay Square management, Bob's Burger and Brew and the 2010 World Games Souvenirs and Museum have joined to offer shuttle service from the Square to the SkyTrain King George station, said Mike Harward, general manager of the Party Shuttle at the Square.

Vans take U.S. passengers to the border at the truck crossing, where they disembark for customs and immigration processing. They walk across the border to vans waiting on the B.C. side that drop passengers off at the King George station for SkyTrain with service to Vancouver. The trip from the Square to Vancouver takes a little over an hour, Harward said.

Currently, vans depart hourly from Birch Bay Square from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., then every 2-3 hours or on request. Return runs depart from the SkyTrain station at 10 p.m., 12 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3:30 a.m.This schedule may expand if demand increases. Make reservations online at www.BirchBaySquare.com.

"Over the last three days, 45-50 passengers rode the shuttle," said Harward on February 15.

The fare is $50 per person for the round trip, including secured parking in a lot west of the Jack in a Box restaurant. This space is outside the paved parking area of the Square.

Photo by Al Krause

Greg Murphy and partner work the 2010 World Games Souvenirs and Museum booth

at Birch Bay's Polar Bear Plunge, on a windy Jan. 1, 2010

Parking in the Square is intended for shoppers and will be closely monitored, said Greg Murphy, owner of 2010 World Games Souvenirs and Museum store in the Square.

For more information, call 360-303-9272 or check the Web site. Be sure to check before you go, as the details are frequently updated.

rah; edited 2/15/10

Disaster preparedness

2010-01-21T21:06:00.001-08:00

Conventional emergency preparedness wisdom suggests every individual should be prepared to provide for his or her personal needs for at least 72 hours following a disaster situation.

Common sense, based on recent catastrophic events in

Haiti

and elsewhere, suggests that a one-week plan would serve you best.

The American Red Cross provides the following advice:

Emergencies can strike at any time. Prepare yourself for the worst with our Emergency Preparedness Kit. The kit is packed with useful items to aid an adult for 3 days during the event of an emergency. Kit includes survival type items such as food bars, water, blanket and a first aid kit. All of this is packed in a heavy duty and portable 420 Denier nylon red backpack (11" x 17" x 5").

Contents:

Battery Powered Flashlight (batteries included)
Battery Powered Radio (batteries included)
Emergency Blanket
Food Bars (4,800 calories total)
Work Gloves (one pair)
12-Hour Light Sticks (3)
Moist Towelettes (6)
Breathing Mask (NIOSH-N95)
Plastic Sheeting (10' x 10')
Rain Poncho
Personal First Aid Kit
Roll of Duct Tape
Water (2 quarts)
Water Container (2.5 gallon)
Whistle
First Aid and Emergency Preparedness Booklet

An Emergency Preparedness Kit (Adult, 3-day) Part #321279

costs $49.95

See http://www.redcrossstore.org/Shopper/Product.aspx?UniqueItemId=2

to order, or assemble your own.

Please comment on your preparedness philosophy.

rah

Willing Hands Create a Strong Birch Bay Chamber

2010-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve, with the Ring of Fire and Hope, and New Years Day, with the Polar Bear Plunge, are among the best times in Birch Bay, despite weather that is predictably rainy, windy and cold.

Thursday evening was clear enough for the flares to be seen burning around the bay, from Point Whitehorn in the south to Birch Point in the north, with concentrations at Birch Bay Village, Cottonwood and the Central Reach by the big condos. Each year more flares burn – by 2020 we can expect an honored celebration with many folks coming from around Whatcom County and Lower BC. Reservations for lodging and parties will be required weeks in advance.

The Ring was conceived by Mike Kent, who provides free flares to participants. Fifty years from now, will the ceremonies honor him for initiating a Northwest institution?

While many can agree with the meaning of the Ring of Hope, the Plunge has several meanings – from courageous daring to wild insanity. However, few would deny it is a popular spectacle.

Registration – free of charge – was scheduled for 9:30, in advance of the 12 o'clock plunge. People started showing up at the Chamber's Visitor Information Center half an hour early. More than 300 people registered. No one knows how many more didn't bother. Red 2010 t-shirts sold out at $15 and most of the blue leftovers from last year sold at two for $5.00.

At last year's events, Lisa Guthrie, president of the Chamber, carried most of the load. When asked by the board to serve another year, Lisa, who is busy as Director of Development for Homestead Northwest, said she would need more help from all board members. In essence, she invoked the late John Heywood, English playwright and poet (1497-1580), who said, “Many hands make light work.” And all hands turned out:

Marty Stauffer, Vice President, Oltman Insurance

Molly Ernst, Secretary, The Northern Light newspaper

Janell Kortlever, Treasurer, Neighborhood Mortgage

Bob Moffatt, Visitor Information Center Coordinator, Birch Bay Village Realty

Patty White, Director, Tide Catcher Resort

Ruth Lauman, Director, NW Cascades.com

Chandra Dunn, Director, Birch Bay Preserve, TT/NACO

Mike Kent, Director, Windemere Real Estate

Star of the day was Dunn, who served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the costume award ceremony. Pictured at the far right in this photo, she joyfully awards prizes to the winners of Birch Bay's Polar Bear Plunge, New Years Day, 2010.

Applause for all hands!

[For more details and photographs, see www.birchbaychamber.com.]

Please comment, start a dialogue, be a critic, join the applause - or not.

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Birch Bay Winter Sunset

Welcome back from our prolonged hiatus. We left for Thanksgiving and brought back lingering colds that may have been a bit of H1N1 flu. But now we're well and raring to go.

A comment on the Sunday, November 1, 2009 post has just been added.

rah

Personal Property vs. Social Consciousness

2009-11-23T15:28:00.001-08:00

If there's not enough rancor for you watching the arguments on TV about the health care bill, come to the meetings about pollution in Birch Bay.

Last Saturday morning, 11.21, the Whatcom County Planning Department held an open house to explain the Birch Bay Watershed Action Plan, a yearlong study of the causes of pollution affecting the bay.

In addition to the usual attendees of meetings of the Birch Bay Steering Committee who come smiling, there were the strangers with sullen faces. As one woman explained, while looking at a large map of the watershed, “Those of us who live in this area have nothing in common with you folks in Birch Bay.” She was pointing to the basin that drains into Terrell Lake. The lake for fishing and bird hunting was formed by damming Terrell Creek. The spillover flows into the creek and on to Birch Bay. Apparently this woman doesn't bring visiting relatives to the bay to dig for clams.

Pollution is one sacred subject that unites most everyone who lives within walking distance of the bay. Many folks who live out in the county don't recognize – or don't want to recognize – that water from their properties, fouled by pesticides, animal waste and faulty septic tanks, is a problem. So they're angry about the tax, passed by the County Council last year, to fund BBWARM, the special Birch Bay Watershed Aquatic and Resource District. They're looking for opportunities to protest, including the recent election where several of the “seven dwarfs” were replaced by insurgents who said they would defend “property rights.”

"The study that was discussed Saturday isn't costing any Whatcom County taxpayer money. It is funded by a Federal EPA grant, perhaps to create a model for how water pollution issues can be handled. Margaret Clancy, a consultant from FSA Adolfson and Peter Gill of the county planning department, are managers of the study who explained that their objectives are two-fold. One objective is to develop better maps of the watershed, and the other is to help developers with problem areas. One such action is offering “cap and trade” solutions to problems such as impervious surfaces and mitigation of wetlands.

Mention of wetlands caused one irate man to tell how he bought property from the county without disclosure. He said he's been required to spend thousands of dollars on changes to his small lot that he didn't know was wetland. He ranted against the treatment by a county planning department member who, he says, offers only sarcasm.

David Stalheim, director of the planning department, identified himself, and after an exchange that caused some to fear for David's well-being, the two adjourned to another room. David came back without apparent harm; the angry property owner didn't.

Ms. Clancy’s presentation was devoid of any horror stories or emotional appeals. It was left to Bob Hendricks, a Bay Keeper, to rise and explain perils to the bay, which was closed for a period this past summer because of pollution.

Ms. Clancy reiterated the fact-finding nature of the mission, explaining that there would be three more meetings during the winter, spring and summer with recommendations going to the County Council in the fall.

One of the critics said, “We don't need more presentations; you need to come and talk to us.” Ms. Clancy suggested a focus group.

That may be a step in a good direction.

Cell phones and cancer

2009-11-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

On "The Dr. Oz Show", ABC network, November 17, Dr. Oz discussed a study showing a connection between long term cell phone use and some cancers. While he feels more research needs to be done, he suggests these five ways to minimize your risk:

Put it on speaker. Because your exposure drops exponentially as you move the phone away from your head, you don’t have to keep the phone very far away to reduce your exposure by 1,000 to 10,000 times.
Go wired. In crowded, noisy areas, use a wired headset instead. If you must use a wireless headset, turn it off when you’re not using it.
Store it. Unless you’re on it, stow the phone in your purse or bag. If you keep it on your waist, keep it turned off. Studies have shown that keeping a cell phone in your pocket can decrease sperm count.
Save it for a strong signal. When reception is bad (such as in a rural areas or when you’re driving) use your phone for emergencies only. The weaker the signal, the more the radio frequency has to boost itself to get connected, increasing your exposure.
Protect the kids. Do not let children use cell phones next to their heads. For older kids, it shouldn’t take much encouragement to get them to text more than they chat.

Dr. Mehmet Oz is vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is a research and practising heart surgeon, performing over 300 heart operations annually.

As a former x-ray technician, I know that distance is your friend here. Even a small separation between you and the phone is effective in reducing the potential danger from the radiofrequency radiation.

This warning is given under "precautionary principle". That is a policy applied when there is a need to take action without awaiting the results of scientific research when the potential hazard is known.

For the complete story, see www.doctoroz.com/videos/link-between-cell-phones-and-cancer

rah

Will Pete Kremen's endorsement of Michelle Luke enable the insurgents to defeat Carl Weimer?

2009-11-01T16:42:00.001-08:00

The “insurgents” in our Whatcom County lexicon are the folks protesting the restructuring to meet the requirements of the Washington state Growth Management Act, particularly the LAMIRD rural zoning. In a July letter to the county planning commission and the planning department, Bill Henshaw, a Republican activist wrote,”This is the most flagrant land grab perpetrated on the citizens of Whatcom County that I have witnessed in 35 years following land use regulations.”

“The changes in permissible uses of commercial properties,” he went on, “in effect a down zone making literally hundreds of properties non-confirming is not good public policy and certainly will have a significant impact on the economic viability of Whatcom County. Additionally, it would cause a significant re-distribution of the real estate tax burden to others in the county.”

On Grandview Road coming west from I-5, the insurgents are represented by the signs proclaiming “We the People” (from the preamble to the Constitution). Some others in yellow and black say, ”Property Rights ATTACKED! By County Government,” and most are accompanied by signs for County Council candidates Kershner, Knutzen, Luke and Teigrob. In some quarters, these insurgents are called the, “Gang of Four.”

At the annual dinner meeting of the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday, Oct. 20, one-on-one, I asked County Executive Kremen why he let his picture be on a mailer for Michelle Luke's campaign. He said he has known her for some time and he thinks she is a thoughtful person who can represent ordinary people. He added that she is only one of two people he has endorsed in 25 years in public office – and he couldn't remember the name of the other.

But this is not about Michelle Luke. It is about Carl Weimer, her opponent. Weimer, who is probably the most popular council member among Birch Bay progressives, is a political science teacher's example of the kind of person who should be in public office. He has a long list of accomplishments in public life, always standing tall on right side of environmental issues.

Kremen thinks Weimer is preparing to run for County Executive in two years. While claiming that he does not want to run for a fourth term, Kremen resents that Weimer is not collaborating with him on important issues. “I am a Democrat, a moderate Democrat,” said Kremen suggesting that there is no reason for Weimer to go his own way. Laurie Caskey-Schreiber, another of the four endorsed by Whatcom Democrats, is one member of the Council he mentioned by name as collaborative.

That led to a discussion of the reductions to the size of the Birch Bay UGA that some folks view as too radical. Earlier that day, Lisa Guthrie, knowing that the County Council would be receiving recommendations on UGA revisions from the Planning Commission, had sent a memo to Council members and the planning department with a copy to Kremen. Guthrie, president of the chamber, who heads development planning for Homestead Northwest, Birch Bay's most significant builder, is lobbying to keep the Double R Ranch in the UGA as well as Homestead property at the east end of the golf course.

Five minutes after clicking “send” her phone rang and it was Kremen. (Photo of Pete Kremen talking with Lisa Guthrie at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Dinner. Photo by Tiffani Stauffer)

In our discussion, Kremen said that he thinks the planning department and the County Council went too far in reducing some UGAs, suggesting he wants to cut back.

On another front, an analysis of “record breaking dollars” raised by County Council candidates published by the Herald last Wednesday found that all of the “insurgents” backed by Republicans have more dollars to spend than their opponents. Michelle Luke raised over $47 thousand versus Weimer's $28 thousand.

Generally, the dollars that have gone to the “Gang” are attributed to real estate interests who want to see more building in the county, on land the insurgents don't want to see “grabbed.” In a detailed scrutiny of the campaign literature of Luke and Weimer, Sam Taylor in his current Herald blog, finds Luke is criticizing Weimer's policies as detrimental to the county economy.

Mr. Taylor concludes that, if three of the four win, the county's politics could change dramatically.

Let us hope not.

A non-candidate’s answers to our questions:

2009-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

10.6845

Editor's note: Frustrated that none of the “Gang of Four” – Kathy Kersher, Bill Knutzen, Michelle Luke and Mary Beth Teigrob – responded to our questions, we asked our friend Alowishes Anonymous, to represent their views.

A.A., a long-term libertarian and a backer of Ron Paul in Whatcom County, takes credit for thinking up the, “We the People” campaign. His girl friend, Betsy, claims to have designed flag signs, and A.A. says he composed most of Ms. Teigrob's note cards that she uses in debate.

1) With growth inevitable, do you distinguish between desirable and undesirable development?

The market decides. You have marvelous examples in Birch Bay. When the Bay Crest communities were built, the goody goods complained there were no parks and playgrounds, but the low cost housing attracted many people who take good care of their homes. Now the communities look great. (Kids enjoy playing in the wide streets.) And in the D.B. Johnson sections they are still building and selling homes.

On the other hand you have the the Bovencamp project, Semihmoo Something, that the goodies loved, with big lots, marvelous views and “rain gardens.” The last time I looked there were only two buildings – the sales office and one demo home.

2) Building a berm to protect the beach and enhance walking, cycling, etc. for residents and visitors is a primary objective of leaders of the Birch Bay community. What would you do to help the community achieve this objective?

Nothing. When developers, like Bill Grant think a berm is needed, they will build it.

3) With the goal of increasing infill, would you vote to prevent the fire district from charging mitigation fees for homes and other structures built within the 2031-revised Birch Bay UGA boundaries?

Yes, great question. Our motto is: FEWER, NOT MORE TAXES. Make those fire commissioners learn to economize. (“A penny saved is a penny earned!”) Let them start by selling off redundant fire stations. One is in the center of Lynden's industrial area; the city has its own fire department. The little used Semiahmoo station would be an ideal location for a restaurant.

4) Those who want Birch Bay to become a city are frustrated. Two years ago, the county invested $100,000 in a study that found incorporation would be financially feasible. Now, with the economic recession, some of the premises of the study may not be valid. Would you favor a select committee of county officials and knowledgeable community representatives being charged with updating the 2008 recommendations?

Who's frustrated? Bet if you took a poll, you would find that most of the homeowners want to live by our motto and keep taxes and services as they are. Establish a fund with volunteer contributions to keep Kathy Berg and Doralee Booth on the job pestering the county for “Birch Bay's Fair Share.”

If you really want Birch Bay to become a city, start by gerrymandering the UGA boundry in a corridor out the Birch Bay-Lynden Road beyond I-5. With control of the County Council, my Four could help Birch Bay with that. The addition would include Birch Bay Square and other commercial properties – Bill Henshaw says the total is 140,000 square feet.

Property owners, irate over LAMRIND, would gladly fund a study to demonstrate feasibility. With those additions, your tax base would be expanded quickly and offer the opportunity to create more. Every Monday the Seattle Time reports on startup tech companies. Some of those could be lured by low-rent and the Birch Bay environment. Bill Grant and angel investors, bored playing bridge on rainy days in Semiahmoo, could fund incubators to nourish more startups.

A.A.

A huge relief

2009-10-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

One of the great pleasures of attending class at Western Washington University is the opportunity to walk the Sehome Hill Arboretum trails. A recent robbery prompted a warning from Western Washington University police to avoid the trails until the perpetrator was apprehended.

Last week, Detective Ferguson of the Bellingham Police Department, cooperating with the Western Washington University police, said they had many tips and were working the case, but they did not have anyone in custody.

To my great relief, yesterday the Bellingham Herald reported that two suspects have been arrested. See WWU student arrested in Sehome Arboretum robbery - http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=12B83FD7A300AD98&p_docnum=2

Now I can go back to the trail - thank you.

rah

Questions for Laurie Caskey-Schreiber, Candidate for County Council, Council At- Large Position

2009-10-13T21:19:00.001-07:00

1) With growth inevitable, do you distinguish between desirable and undesirable development?

I think desirable growth is growth that adds some value to the community as a whole. Provides needed housing, creates a pedestrian way of life, provides amenities such as parks or commercial businesses that provide a needed service to citizens of the community and creates job opportunities. Growth that is undesirable to me is housing where everyone has to use their car to do anything (even walking their dog safely), and sprawl that consumes farmland or threatens our natural resources. To me that's damaging growth.

I think the community would greatly benefit from the berm being established and I would support any efforts to make this project a reality. One way that we could make that happen would be to award a rural sales tax funded grant. One could make a very strong argument that this would make Birch Bay more attractive on many fronts, which in turn would enhance their tourism business and, environmentally speaking,it would be a win/win scenario.

With the goal of increasing infill, would you vote to prevent the fire district from charging mitigation fees for homes and other structures built within the 2031-revised Birch Bay UGA boundaries?

I assisted in crafting the school impact fee ordinance, so I believe in the concept of impact fees. If the fire district is allowed to collect impact fees by the State, I would support their ability to do so.

4) Those who want Birch Bay to become a city are frustrated. Two years ago the county invested $100,000 in a study that found incorporation would be financially feasible. Now with the economic recession, some of the premises of the study may not be valid. Would you favor a select committee of county officials and knowledgeable community representatives being charged with updating the 2008 recommendations?

I think this is a very complex issue that will constantly need public participation and assessment of changing market conditions. For Birch Bay to become a city, it has to make financial sense and not place a huge burden on the community to proceed or not to proceed. We all need to help Burch Bay find their way. That's why I supported funding the incorporation study in the first place. The force to become a city has to come from the citizens of Birch Bay. The county could facilitate some public process to vet this out more, but Birch Bay really needs to weigh the pros and cons, and then eventually conduct a public vote on the matter. Whatever they decide, I'll still work hard to serve the community, and support them in whatever direction they feel is best for the area.

Ms. Caskie-Schreiber has served on the Whatcom County Council since 2001, two years as council chair. She is a graduate of WWU and is administrative service manager of the university's sociology department.

ak

Comments are not only welcome, but are also encouraged.

Questions for Ken Mann, Candidate for County Council District No. 2, Position A

2009-10-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

1) With growth inevitable, do you distinguish between desirable and undesirable development?

Undesirable development is a pattern of residential and commercial growth that doesn’t pay for itself, destroys our rural and resource lands, and degrades our quality of life. It is generally low-density, car dependent, overly expensive, and destroys our rural and resource lands. The cost of roads, police and fire protection, and basic utilities in those areas is astronomical when compared with providing these same services in existing urban areas. Our quality of life, as measured by traffic, environmental quality and recreational opportunities, is continually degraded by our current development patterns. Our job base in agricultural, forestry, and industrial lands are threatened.

Desirable development means that we realign our incentives to make sure that developers will build in existing urban areas so that people can be near jobs and services without carving up more agricultural lands or watersheds. We must utilize our existing urban land supply to provide housing and commercial activity. Efficient and compact development will be more affordable, livable, and conserve resources for future generations.

2) Building a berm to protect the beach and enhance walking, cycling, etc. for residents and visitors is a primary objective of leaders of the Birch Bay community. What would you do to help the community achieve this objective?

I support the community’s objective of a berm, and would be happy to help. I think the most important thing to do, is lay the groundwork for design and permitting, so when the berm becomes a financial reality, the process can be as streamlined as possible.

3) With the goal of increasing infill, would you vote to prevent the fire district from charging mitigation fees for homes and other structures built within the 2031-revised Birch Bay UGA boundaries?

This is a complex topic that is difficult to address in isolation. The Fire District has a capital facilities plan that is currently underfunded for the level of service desired by the people. It would be irresponsible to intervene without having an extensive dialogue with the people of Birch Bay and the fire officials. In general, I support impact fees so that development pays its own way. I agree the incentives are backwards in Whatcom County, with cities charging impact fees and deterring development, while the County has ZERO impact fees which attracts development. This topic could be a central part of any comprehensive countywide review of impact fees.

4) Those who want Birch Bay to become a city are frustrated. Two years ago the county invested $100,000 in a study that found incorporation would be financially feasible. Now with the economic recession, some of the premises of the study may not be valid. Would you favor a select committee of county officials and knowledgeable community representatives being charged with updating the 2008 recommendations?

I will support Birch Bay’s efforts to determine their own future. The county generally does not want to be in the business of providing urban levels of services within densely populated areas. Birch Bay has grown to the point where it would be a viable option to incorporate. I think we absolutely need to revisit some of the underlying assumptions and data of the study, and confirm or reject the initial conclusions. The people of Birch Bay have worked very long and hard on their plan, and we need to honor their efforts by seriously considering it, but ultimately allowing them people to decide for themselves.

According to the voter pamphlet, Ken Mann is a member and past chairman of the Whatcom County Planning Commission. He earned a degree in political science from Tulane University and in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is owner of Caspian Management Corporation that has renovated and managed older commercial and residential buildings since 2004.

Comments are not only encouraged, but are sought.

What about our libraries?

2009-09-29T19:16:00.001-07:00

‘Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future,” said Ray Bradbury, American author best known for writing Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.

He added, "Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years,"

While we don’t agree with Bradbury’s beliefs about colleges and universities, we do applaud his opinion of libraries (found in colleges and universities in addition to city and county locations).

The Whatcom County Library System, along with many other library systems in the state and county, is facing insufficient funding to support the current level of service. Without approval of the levy lift measure on the November 3 ballot, we may lose much of what we know as our library.

Birch Bay’s bookmobile service and the Blaine’s branch library are among the sites threatened with reduced hours of operation and reduced staff. Library service users could face increased fines and fees.

“The variety of opportunities offered by the library is amazing!” Debbie Farmer, Blaine Branch Manager, said. “The public library is truly a thriving hub in the community!”

Events at the Blaine branch include Wii nights, art classes, book discussion groups, a chess club, and story times.

Circulation at that branch increased 9.3 precent this year over last, from 192,028 materials checked out in 2008 to 132,083 checked out through August 2009.

The Birch Bay bookmobile saw circulation rise an astounding 56 percent from 4,891 in 2008 to 4,845 through August 2009.

Washington libraries get their funding though a levy based on assessed property values. The last levy increase was 29 years ago. The current rate is $0.338; the requested level is $0.44. That figures out to an annual increase of $15.30 on a $150,000 property - less than a dinner out. Washington State law allows for $0.50 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, so the measure requests an amount well below the maximum.

Without our libraries, where would we be? Vote YES on on the library levy lift November 3.

Please comment - in agreement or not.

rah

All communities lose as Whatcom County works to comply with the state Growth Management Act; Bill Grant won some back -- will he get more?

2009-09-21T16:25:00.001-07:00

The few smiles in the rotunda of the county building last Thursday evening, 9.17, were the result of changes County Executive Pete Kremen recommended for Birch Bay, reinstating the town center node at the intersection of Blaine and Alderson roads. The main beneficiary of this change is Bill Grant, Birch Bay's biggest builder, who owns property there and has a multi-use plan. *

Lisa Guthrie was not smiling. She is the public face of Homestead Northwest that would lose zoning for more than 200 family homes at the eastern end of the Sea Links property. Proposed zoning is one home to five acres; Ms. Guthrie says that would mean only three houses could be built there.

Inside, the chamber was packed for a joint hearing – actually listening – by the county council and the planning commission. After Whatcom County Planning Director David Stalheim briefed the council and commission members on the highlights of Mr. Kremen's revised recommendations, representatives of the county's communities, starting with Mayor Pike of Bellingham, spoke. Most are unhappy with the lack of significant changes from Mr. Kremen's original proposal.

But Kathy Berg, who serves as chair of the Birch Bay Steering Committee, was thankful for Mr. Kremen's change from his first recommendation that she called “draconian”, cutting the heart out of the Birch Bay Community Plan. She was the only representative to recognize the need for the UGA revisions: “Lack of compliance cuts the county off from funding sources that are needed to address pressing issues in Birch Bay.” (Like The Berm.) For her full presentation and more Birch Bay information, see www.birchbayinfo.org.

Blaine, according to an earlier memo from Mayor Onyon to Mr. Kremen, would like to keep 400 acres in its west side that Trillium wants to develop. However, neither Ms. Onyon or anyone else from Blaine was at this hearing.

Representatives from Columbia Valley and Everson supported Mr. Kremen's general recommendations, but suggested improvements relating to their borders.

Dennis Rhodes, Ferndale's planner who formerly was on the county planning staff, spoke vigorously about the county not recognizing his city's need for commercial development space. (Is Ferndale preparing to sue?)

Amy Haskel, who is popular with the county staff, represented the city of Lynden. During the public period, she was followed by a handful of other speakers beginning with Mayor Jack Louws. Each of these speakers, council members, planning commissioner, city administrator, and city attorney, presented a different argument portraying Lynden as a model city. Included was a letter from prominent farmers stating that the land the county plan reserves for agriculture is not good for growing crops.

After two hours, when all of the council members and commissioners still appeared to be paying attention, we left. (Jared Paben of the Herald reported that 58 people spoke for over four hours.)

*A bigger challenge is coming for Mr. Grant Tuesday night, 9.22, when the county planning commission takes up “LAMIRDS” issues. These include the “land grab” near Birch Bay Square. Mr. Grant's Gold Star Resorts owns undeveloped land where Birch Bay–Lynden Road meets I-5, which would lose considerable value if downzoned.

ak

We enthusiastically welcome comments.

Now a Trench

2009-09-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

First it was pot-holes, all over the beach at low tide. Now it is a trench, threatening to exceed the Mariana Trench dimensions.
Please, clammers, fill in your holes.

Apart from making an unsightly moon-scape of the beach, the holes are walking hazards.

But most importantly, marine life is disturbed by clamming activity and the best you can do to minimize that impact is to return the material as close as possible to its original state.

Residents, visitors and future clammers thank you.

rah