Artist Harold Cohen will begin the 2010-2011 Crossroads Lecture Series

The Orcas Crossroads Lecture Series announces its 2010-11 season of lecture events.  Now in its fourth season, Crossroads offers diverse topics, of local and global relevance, explored by expert speakers of some renown.  All lectures will be held at Orcas Center and followed by a question and answer period and a public reception with the speaker.

The series begins with acclaimed visual artist Harold Cohen, exploring the topic Computers, Cognition and Creativity in the Visual Arts on Sunday, September 26 at 2 p.m.  Cohen has developed a computer program, named Aaron, to create art.

Art by Harold Cohen

The second fall lecture is by Louis E. Wolcher, on Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m.  Author and  Professor of Law at the University of Washington, Wolcher’s topic is The Meaning of Justice in the World Today.

A nationally recognized authority on ecosystem management, Gloria Flora will speak on the topic From Depletion to Sustainability on Friday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Richard Fadem will offer a literature class this fall focusing on the novel Daniel Deronda, by George Eliot. The class will meet on Thursdays, 10:00-12:30 at the Senior Center, from September 30th until November 18^th.  The Oxford World Classics edition, available at Darvill’s, will be used for the class.

Registration will begin after Labor Day at the Senior Center. The fee for this class is $25, payable by check to Ruthie Newman at the first class. As always, any surplus will be donated to the high school’s college scholarship or English program.

According to Richard Fadem: “George Eliot is a great English writer and in the 19th century second as a novelist only to Dickens. But as a novelist she is very nearly unique because she is first of all an intellectual who happens also to be a superb imaginative writer. Her thought as much as her imagination permeates her fiction.  She read widely in philosophy, history, and of course literature and she possessed a brilliant mind.

“Everything George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) has written is exceptional in its intelligence and understanding.

Elementary School Needs Funding (matching or otherwise) to Fix Utilities

Work was completed this month at the Orcas Island High School for the energy conservation upgrades provided by the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction grant awarded earlier in the year. Now the Orcas School Board must decide how to “match” the awarded grant funds to pay the $150,000 costs.

“This changeover to more efficient [energy] will save us money in [heat] and water costs and have also earned us an energy incentive through OPALCO,” said Orcas Island School District Superintendent Barbara Kline.

Weather-stripping, motion-sensitive lights and water-saving fixtures have been installed. The heating-ventilation-air conditioning (HVAC) system has been retooled.

Unlike the high school, more extensive repair and renovation to the utility systems in the elementary school will require more extensive funding.

The district had applied for a grant to the State Department of Commerce for $1.5 million for HVAC and plumbing replacements in the elementary school. But Orcas did not get that grant “largely due to our inability to do a three-to-one match for the grant funds,” said District Superintendent Barbara Kline late last month.

Lieutenant Alden and the Active, circa 1852

By Tom Welch

The United States Exploring Expedition, commanded by Charles Wilkes, was the first government expression of interest in the San Juan Islands. Surveying the islands in 1841, Wilkes and the Expedition (also known as the U.S. Ex Ex) named many of our local features and landmarks. Shaw, Blakely, Decatur, Waldron, and other Islands were named in honor of heroes of the War of 1812 by Wilkes. He also named Mount Constitution for one of the successful U.S. Navy vessels in that war. Lieutenant James Alden was a member of the Expedition, on board the ‘Porpoise’, and was later active in our area in another capacity.

In 1855 James Alden was Captain of the U.S. Survey and Revenue Vessel ‘Active’, engaged in survey work for the Joint U.S.-British Boundary Commission. The ‘Active’ was a wooden-paddle steamer, converted from a schooner-rigged vessel purchased from a commercial west coast firm and refitted at Mare Island.

United Way of San Juan County is seeking three Volunteer Coordinators – one each for Orcas, San Juan and Lopez Island.

Each coordinator will be responsible for recruiting and training volunteers to help with the annual giving campaign that gears up in September. Two hours per week from August through December required, with stipend. 99% of all proceeds benefit United Way locally.

Job Description Duties:

• Become familiar with United Way mission and policies
• Work with the Board and Executive Director to ensure a minimum of five local presentations at businesses, schools and /or community events are completed by December 1, 2010.
• Assist with coordinating our annual Day of Caring and other community events.
• May help with various office projects
• Promote volunteerism as a way of helping United Way and as a way of building one’s own personal skills

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, contact United Way Executive Director, Joy Goldberg at the United Way office at 360-378-4121 or by email at unitedwaysjc@rockisland.com.

The Eastsound Planning and Review Committee (EPRC) holds its monthly meetings on the first Thursday of the month. This Thursday, Sept. 2, it will change locations to meet at the Eastsound Fire Hall from 3 to 5 p.m.

The agenda calls for filling empty positions, updates from County Council Members Gene Knapp and/or Richard Fralick, solid waste, Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) update, Road Transfer to Public Works, and new issues.

Chair Gulliver Rankin described the EPRC goals to create better communication with the County Council on:

• 2009/2010 priorities;
• Pending ordinances affecting Eastsound

A request to change the Uniform Development Code (UDC) to remove the airport overlay zone from the Gerard Property will be presented by Francine Shaw.

John Campbell and Lisa Byers will address the EPRC on affordable housing with the goal of understanding the context and issues of housing in Eastsound in developing a housing element.

EPRC Member Audrey Moreland will give an update on the “Streetscape” plan for Eastsound; EPRC Member Patty Miller will give an update on the “A” Street to Main Street and Mount Property stormwater treatment project.

Finally the EPRC will review 2010 priorities in light of county budget constraints and refocus on one priority.

Not long ago the Sounder had a cartoon caption entitled, “In The Argument Over Airport Access Rights.”  It was a two panel drawing of “The Losers,” and “The Winners.” The “Losers” were the Port of Orcas and property owners adjacent to the airport. The “Winners” were the “Lawyers.”

A new group now needs to be added to the “Losers.” That will be the “Taxpayers.” It is regrettable that the cartoon was so prescient.

In order for the owners of the property adjacent to the airport to protect their deeded access to the runway it appears the Port of Orcas and the FAA are backing the landowners into a corner which will inevitably lead to expensive lawsuits defending the Ferris Deed. This will not only be costly to the landowners; it will ultimately result in taxpayers paying to defend the Port’s and FAA’s position.

In all likelihood, the landowners will prevail. The 1959 Ferris Deed is a legal document clearly stating that the property owners shall have the right of access and the use of the airstrip for aviational purposes only.

Jumpstart! Classes: Hybrid Forms with Nance Van Winckel   panels and evening event  still open

The Orcas Island Writers Festival is fast approaching — it’s third annual festival will take place September 17-19, 2010. The Festival was born in 2008, the brainchild of writer Barbara Lewis, as “a way to enrich and connect readers and writers through classes, lectures, workshops, and the natural beauty of Orcas Island,” says Lewis, who continues as the Festival Director.

It is distinguished among writers festivals as one that focuses on the art and craft of writing, rather than the process and techniques of publishing. “Our festival creates an environment for focus and energy, designed to bring the writer – whether a novice writer or experienced author – to deeper, more effective, and more fulfilling expression,” says Lewis

Festival events will again take place in Eastsound venues. This year the Writers Festival  faculty is from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, which Poets and Writers Magazine called the top low-residency writing program in the country. David Jauss and Sue Silverman teach the workshops (which had one opening as of this week)  and Nance Van Winckel, will again teach the Jumpstart!

In the last election I had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of people who willfully subject themselves to public scrutiny simply to provide for the educational needs of our children.  First, as a critic of the School District’s bond proposal and then after due consideration, a supporter, I came to appreciate the hard work and dedication that our volunteer School Board members have put into this process.

The Orcas voters have now made a clear statement that they cannot/will not support the current School District development plan.  Those of us who supported the initiative may not like the outcome of the vote, but I do believe that we understand the resistance to the project as it was proposed.  We know that in order to make many of the badly needed repairs and improvements to our campus we will need to reach farther out to the community to develop a new plan that balances the economic, educational and functional needs of our schools.

There will be a Herstory class: Women’s Perspectives in History for six weeks av ailable for girls and boys ages 9-14.

Students will learn about women in the past, while creating projects and presentations. Reading will include
interesting historical fiction and non-fiction.

The class begins September 23, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-12:00 at the Reddick Room by the OPAL office at the corner of Enchanted Forest and Lover’s Lane. The instructor is  Didier Gincig, former classroom teacher and recreation program director.

Call or e-mail for questions or registration: 298-0362 or 376-6053; didier@earthball.com.

Jeff Berryman, author of "Arthur, the Begetting," comes to Orcas next weekend

Seattle playwright, actor and published author Jeff Berryman will visit Orcas to attend the closing night performance of his play, Arthur: The Begetting on September 12th at the Grange.  Mr Berryman will be available after the performance to answer questions about the play and playwriting.

Berryman continues work his Arthur cycle: Arthur: The Begetting, and Arthur: The Hunt, the first two plays in the projected seven-play project, have both been professionally produced in Seattle, and, Arthur: The Begetting was featured as part of the Jean Cocteau Theatre’s New Classics Series in New York.

His other plays include The Catacombs of Texas, The Carrolls of Queen Anne, The Crèche Collector, The Question of Bethlehem, When Comes the Way, Postmodern Art, and The Little Guy.

The San Juan County Fire Marshal’s Office would like to remind everyone that our local schools will soon be back in session.  Here are some safety tips offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help keep your children safe:

Schools will be welcoming students back to the classrooms in the coming weeks. FEMA has tips to offer for help to keep your student safe as they travel to and from school.

On the School Bus

If your child’s school bus has lap/shoulder seat belts, make sure your child uses one at all times when in the bus.

Children should:

• wait for the bus to stop before approaching it.
• not move around on the bus.
• check to see that no other traffic is coming before crossing the street to enter the bus.
• make sure to always remain in clear view of the bus driver.

In the Car

• All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
• Children should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4′ 9″ in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age).
• All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles.  If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger’s seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.

Riding the Bicycle

When it comes to bike riding, remind your children to:

• Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how short or long the ride.
• Ride on the right, in the same direction as auto traffic.
• Use appropriate hand signals.
• Respect stop signs.
• Wear bright colored clothing to increase visibility.
• Know the “rules of the road.”
• Make sure your child’s walk to school is on a safe route.
• Be realistic about your child’s pedestrian skills.  Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision.

Walking to School

Bright colored clothing will make your child more visible to drivers.

By Madie Murray

Mia Kartiganer, September Farm to Cafeteria Celebrity Chef

The Farm to Cafeteria sponsored Celebrity Chef Lunch days start September 16 with Mia Kartiganer of Mia’s Cafe serving Mia’s Lasagna with Veggie’s and Fruit Dessert to all having lunch in the school cafeteria that day.   Friends and family of K-12 students, teachers and administrators are all invited and encouraged to have lunch with their kids.

Mia will be followed by Anne Garfield of Rose’s in October, Lisa Nakamura of Alium in November, Madden of The Quilted Pig at Rosario in December, Charles Dalton of The Kitchen in January, Geddes Martin of Ship Bay in February, Bobby Olmsted of Cafe Olga in March, David Mowry of Country Corner in April and Christina Orchid of Red Rabbit Farm in April.

These incredible chefs dedicate several hours of their time prior to the day of their lunch working with the cafeteria staff developing the menu and preparing the fresh local items that will be served.  Then, on the day of the lunch, they are again working hand-in-hand with the cafeteria staff to cook and personally serve the lunch to 300+ students, parents and teachers.   It is a win/win event where local, well-known chefs and community “foodies” have the opportunity to personally interface with the cafeteria staff, our public school students, teachers, administrators, parents and all who come to lunch that day.

Celebrity Chef lunches began in November of 2009 with Charles Dalton of The Kitchen being the first.  Since then it has become one of the Farm to Cafeteria stellar events.   Any Island amateur or professional chef wishing to participate in our Celebrity Chef lunches are encouraged to do so by calling the Farm to Cafeteria Coordinator Bruce Orchid at 376-2608.  The months of May and possibly early June 2011 are currently open.

Compassionate Communication:  Eight Week Series Beginning Monday September 13^th

The Orcas Island Public Library will be offering a course on “Compassionate Communication” led by Rena Patty, beginning Monday, September 13^th through Monday November 29^th, from 6-8pm.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), also called Compassionate Communication, is based on historical principles of nonviolence — the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart. With NVC we learn to hear our own deeper needs and those of others. Through its emphasis on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—NVC helps us discover the depth of our own compassion.  NVC can be seen as both a spiritual practice that helps us see our common humanity, using our power in a way that honors everyone’s needs, and a concrete set of skills which help us create life-serving families and communities.  NVC creates a path for healing and reconciliation in its many applications, ranging from intimate relationships, work settings, health care, and social services.

This Compassionate Communication eight-week course will cover the basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), including learning to clarify what we are observing, what emotions we are feeling, what values we want to live by, and what we want to ask of ourselves and others.  The course will be highly interactive, with opportunity throughout each class for personal engagement and integration of new skills; optional homework with feedback will provide opportunity each week to integrate new skills into life outside of class.  There is a $70 course fee (no one turned away for lack of funds).

Nancy Southern, who holds a Masters’ Degree in Social Work and is a Personal Energy Management Coach, will offer a four-week class beginning Sept. 9 about self-sabotage behaviors.

Southern, says, “Do you have one or more self-sabotaging habits that limit your ability to have meaningful relationships, be successful in your business, solve everyday problems or realize your dreams?   Self-sabotage is usually caused by one or more of the four universal addictive patterns as defined by Angeles Arrien, PhD.:

1) Addiction to Intensity
2) Addiction to Perfection
3) Addiction to the Need to Know
4) Addiction to What’s Not Working

During this 4-week series you will zero in on which ones are holding you back and systematically reduce or dissolve their influence in various aspects of your life.

For a sample of a tapping session for the universal Addiction to Perfection, listen to an audio recording with Nancy Southern in a recent teleclass: happytapping.net/NS_Teleclass_August11_2010.mp3

Class dates are Thursdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Deer Harbor (Directions provided when you enroll.)

Cost for the class is $150, which includes a private 1 hour session valued at $95) To register, call 360-376-4288 or email nancy@happytapping.net.

The Orcas Island Camera Club (OICC) show this year is called “Orcas Eyes.” This third annual OICC show is at Orcas Center and runs through September.

The show is an opportunity for the club to share their work with the community.  Images will be shown throughout the lobby and Madrona room.

There will be an opening reception starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday September 3rd at Orcas Center. The reception is a party and a chance to meet some of the photographers and enjoy the images in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. You can catch the show through the end of September during normal Orcas Center open hours and during live performances at the center. See www.orcascenter.org for open hours, performance schedules and to order tickets for live performances.

OICC is a thriving club full of enthusiastic photographers running the gamut from beginner to veteran professionals and academics. It is a place where photographers can get together to share their passion. If you are interested in photography and would like to meet others of a like mind go to one of the OICC meetings.

The Big Leaf Maple, planted in 1905, just needs better nutrition, arborists find

It now appears that all that’s wrong with the venerable old maple tree in front of Nellie Milton (Orcas Island) Elementary School is that it’s over-loved and thirsty!

Indicates that years of happy feet treading the ground around the 105-year-old maple have compacted the soil so thoroughly that water can’t seep down to its roots.

Plans call to loosen the soil around the tree and perhaps shelter it from “smother-love” with a fence.

A report from Olaf  Ribeiro, Ph.D. Certified Plan Pathologist and Arborist, conducted August 6 this year, concludes that the Big Leaf Maple’s “twig dieback and [poor] foilage coloration is probably… a result of dry soil conditions and/or nutrient imbalances.”

Decay previously noted on the south stem “appears to have calloused over at the presented time. ” The report finds “no signs of insects, fungus infections, sap flow…stress fracturaures…strucutral problems.. or decay. ”

However, soil examination showed that excessive amounts of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc inhibit the uptake of nutrients copper, iron, zinc, boron, calcium, magnesium. The pH is also high.

Monday, August 30

Orcas Island Library Board of Trustees Executive Board meeting from 9:30  to 12:30 p.m. in the library conference room. There will be an open meeting from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.

Tuesday, August 31

Wednesday, September 1

“Medication Take Back” monthly program  from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ray’s Pharmacy in Eastsound

Thursday, September 2

Eastsound Planning Review Committee monthly meeting 3 p.m. at the Senior Center.

Friday, September 3

“Orcas Eyes” Photography opening at Orcas Center. Meet the artists and tour the exhibit at the opening reception at 5:30 p.m.

Actors Theater production of Arthur, the Begetting opens at the Grange. Plays this Friday and Saturday and next weekend through Sept. 12. All performances will be at 7:30 pm at the Grange. Due to some minor violence and mild sexual references this play may not be suitable for very young children. Tickets are $10 and are available at Darvill’s Book Store, on-line at www.orcasactors.com or at the door. For additional information contact Doug Bechtel at 317-5601.

Saturday, September 4

“Arty Party” Benefit and Silent Auction to benefit Dorothy Austin will be held  from 6 to 10 p.m.

Orcas Island School District (OISD) continues to see enrollment figures climb to over 700 students, and on Thursday, Aug. 26, the OISD Board of Directors voted to approve teacher and administrative hiring to serve those students and their families.

Superintendent/High School Principal Barbara Kline told the board that enrollment was particularly high in the K-8 grades of the Orcas Alternative Student-Initiated Studies/Alternative Learning Experience (OASIS/ALE). “OASIS teachers (some of whom have been RIF’d [Reduction in Force, or laid off]), have been working this summer to be sure that all of the OASIS students have learning plans in place. This will allow us to count them all on September 1.”

“We will need to bring back the staff that we had last year and also to add more staff, particularly in OASIS. To serve this many students, we also need to add support staff to OASIS and to help with administrative tasks.”

Kline said that a minimum of seven additional teachers is needed.

Business Manager Keith brought up that there is a wide divergence of salary amounts among the low and high range of salaries.

Crowd-waving preceded the dancing as the Orcas Rec benefit concert began at the Village Green on Saturday

Updated Aug. 30

The “Cherry Cherry Band” regaled Orcas Islanders with a Neil Diamond-style concert on the Stage at the Village Green on Saturday late afternoon.

While many concert-goers brought their own chairs, most were up and swaying, rocking, dancing or jumping to the music.

The band came from Seattle at no charge, in order that the Orcas Rec program could derive the most benefit from the donations. Linda Sheridan, Orcas Rec Coordinator, was pleased with the turnout and the donations, which totaled around $1,000.

"Acrobatic" father-son dancing at the "Cherry Cherry Band" benefit for Orcas Rec

Along with lead singer Steve Kelly leading Neil Diamond favorites “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “I Am, I Said,” the band played rock-era and funk favorites, “Under the Boardwalk,” and “Play that Funky Music, White Boy.” Couples slow-danced to the Boys Town anthem, “He Ain’t Heavy — He’s My Brother.”

A craft table was set up to make necklaces and other adornments, while kids tripped barefoot through the crowd, tossed balls around, climbed over each other, nibbled on ice cones, pizza and other treats provided by local vendors, (also to benefit Orcas Rec), or occasionally circulated with donation canisters during the show.