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SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 18 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Freedom for Lolita?
NOAA policy reversal could be a game changer for endangered species
52 acres of Freeland forest felled in logging operation By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Wallie Funk photo
Orcas are corralled during the famous Penn Cove round up in 1970. Whale advocates hope a recent decision by federal regulators will pave the way for the release of endangered species in captivity, such as Lolita, the last surviving orca from the roundup.
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record A twenty-year quest to bring home Lolita, the last of seven orcas captured from Penn Cove decades ago, has resulted in what may be a small but significant victory. In late January, National Marine Fisheries, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced that the whale is considered a member of the Southern Resident orca population, which is listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The decision is not yet official, nor is there any guarantee that she’ll be released from captivity once it is, but it would afford her
all the same protections as her Puget Sound relatives. Advocates say the decision could be a game-changer for animals in captivity and may be Lolita’s best chance for release in decades. “This is the best shot Lolita’s ever had for returning home,” said Howard Garrett, a founder of Whidbey Island-based Orca Network, a group that has lobbied for the whale’s release for the past two decades. “Finally, something is bearing fruit,” he said.
A ray of hope
of 1970 in Central Whidbey’s Penn Cove. An estimated 90 individuals of L-pod were corralled and seven, including the then 4-to-6-year-old Lolita, were taken and sold to marine parks around the world. She has called Miami Seaquarium home ever since and is the only surviving member of the capture — the other six died in captivity within five years. That roundup and others eventually led to a court decision that banned orca captures in Washington, and helped pave the way for the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972.
Lolita was captured in the famous orca roundup
SEE LOLITA, A15
Mike’s Place has new owners By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Mike’s Place, the former restaurant building on the corner of Anthes Avenue and First Street, has new owners.
The Langley commercial space formerly known as Mike’s Place has new owners. Jason Joiner, the Windermere real estate agent who handled the deal, confirmed rumors of the sale Thursday, saying the deal closed this week. Karen
and William Allen, part-time residents of South Whidbey who own several properties around the island, purchased the building for $250,000. At this point, Joiner said they do not have plans for the 2,700 square feet of street-level commercial space on the SEE MIKE’S PLACE, A20
South Whidbey saw what may be its biggest clear-cut in years at a property just north of Freeland recently. Totaling 52 acres, the unusually large harvest began this past October on forested property on the east side of Highway 525 between Chase Lake and Evergreen Lane, and wrapped up this month. State regulators say the logging was conducted legally and that the landowner, PBWA Properties — a limited liability company of which Peoples Bank is the only member — secured all the appropriate state permits before work began. “It’s a larger harvest, but we felt [it] met our forest practice rules,” said Jeff May, district manager for the state Department of Natural Resources’s forest practice program in Snohomish, Skagit and Island counties. PBWA Properties declined a request for an interview with The Record, but did issue a statement that the parcels have a designated forest land classification and are operated under a timber management plan as required by Island County. “Part of the timber management plan requires thinning or logging of the trees so the trees and undergrowth don’t compete for light, water, and nutrients,” the statement said. “In order to remain in compliance with the timber management plan, PBWA Properties LLC engaged a forestry consulSEE LOGGING, A15