Reporter Central Kitsap
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 | Vol. 28, No. 46 | www.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.com | 50¢
Kitsap County looks at changes to pet licensing and holds
Silverdale smashup
By Leslie Kelly lkelly@soundpublishing.com
Kevan Moore/staff photo
A five-car wreck at about 3 p.m. in the heart of Silverdale Tuesday afternoon left no one with serious injuries, but closed the southbound lanes of Silverdale Way. The wreck occurred just before the Bucklin Hill Road intersection and may have involved a man driving on a suspended license who was also wanted by police.
Keeping busy bees safe, healthy and happy can be a tough job By Seraine Page spage@soundpublishing.com
Anyone who has been out on a honeybee farm knows that there is no rest. That goes for the bees and their keepers. “This is what I do now,” said Ben Roberts, manager of Loving You Honey Farms. “I’m re-learning what I used to know. I’m going to be doing a lot of feeding of the bees this year.” Roberts is slowly working on building up his parents’ honey farm business after moving back to Washington state from Indiana. His parents started the business in 1985 with 120-plus hives. After his dad got cancer, the hives were neglected and mites and parasites also took a toll on the bees. They soon disappeared, leaving nothing more than sticky hives in their wake. Now the farm has only
Seraine Page/ Staff Photo
Ben Roberts checks on his bees at his Bremerton honey farm. nine new hives, but Roberts is determined to build them back up, which is not an easy task, especially for folks here in the Pacific Northwest who keep bees. “Bees don’t do cold real well, and they don’t do wet real well,” said Mark Emrich, president of the Washington State Bee Association, an organization focused on
assisting beekeepers and the agricultural community in the state. Emrich, who is frequently interviewed by large news organizations including NPR, compiles regular data on beekeeping in the Pacific Northwest. Out here in wet, cold and moisture-filled Washington State, that seems to be a bit of a problem for beekeepers
It’s a BIG one ! The Kitsap County Fair set to run Aug. 21-25 Pages 9-12
watching over honeybees. Last year, winter hive losses were at about 35 percent, Emrich said. “Here, they’re at a disadvantage because of our climate. The beekeeper has to be a little bit more honed in on his craft,” he said. “We are comparable to the rest of the country (in losing bees), which is sad on so many levels.” Roberts can understand all about perfecting the craft. While he grew up around honeybees and honey production, he moved out of state and lost some of his skills and trade. When he came home, he found his mother’s farm overtaken by large blackberry bushes, weeds and busted and broken hives. In her garage, he found three tons of honey in barrels. Which is fine because honey never spoils, according See BEES, A17
Some pet owners in Kitsap County may have to pony up a bit more in order to license their pets in the future. And county residents who haven’t been licensing their pets, are being asked to play by the rules. Those changes are among the recommendations from the Animal Control Advisory Committee presented to Kitsap County commissioners earlier this week. The nine-person county advisory committee has been working since February to prepare recommendations to streamline animal control services,
increase pet licensing compliance and update fees. Currently, Kitsap County contracts with the Kitsap Humane Society for animal services, such as picking up and housing strays. For some time, county officials have been looking at how the costs of animal control services can be brought more into equilibrium with the revenue that pet licensing generates. According to Eric Baker, special projects manager with the county, cost are 10 times what is collected in licensing. In fact, the work of the committee showed that many pet owners in the county don’t license their See DEBATE, A17
Naval Base Kitsap has change of command Captain Thomas A. Zwolfer relieved Captain Peter M. Dawson as Naval Base Kitsap commanding officer in a change of command ceremony Aug. 9, at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor. Zwolfer, a native of Wood Dale, Ill., graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1988 with a bachelor of science in Naval Architecture. He subsequently earned a masters in Business Administration from Chaminade University in 1995. Zwolfer’s most recent assignment was as the Strategic Programs Branch Head within Undersea Warfare Division on the Navy Staff. He also commanded USS BREMERTON (SSN 698) from December 2005 to March 2008. His awards and decorations include the
Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medal (two awards), and several other unit and personal decorations. He is married to the former Karin Patzer of Ellicott City, Md. and has two daughters. Captain Dawson, who assumed command of Naval Base Kitsap in April 2011, is retiring following a long, distinguished career in the U.S. Navy. He was born in Corvallis, Ore., graduated from Oregon State University and received his commission at Officer Candidate School. His tour as NBK commanding officer was See CHANGE, A17