Country Life Section C • lyndentribune.com • Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Dairy • C3 Gardening • C3 FFA/4-H • C2-C3
Conservation District voting is next Tuesday Three vying for open board position LYNDEN — The election for a seat on the Whatcom Conservation District board of supervisors takes place on Tuesday, March 14, at the district offices, 6975 Hannegan Rd. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and all registered voters in the county may vote in person. Mail-in ballots were only available upon request by Feb. 14. (Those who have a mail-in ballot must return it postmarked by March 14.) Three are running for the open position: Heather Christianson, Roderic Perry and Suzzi (Suzanne) Snydar. The incumbent supervisor, Dan Heeringa of Sumas, chose not to run again. Conservation districts are chartered under RCW 89.08 etseq to develop and implement programs to protect and conserve soil, water, prime and unique farmland, rangeland, woodland, wildlife, energy and other renewable resources on non-federal lands. Districts also stabilize local economies and resolve conflicts in land use. These are profiles of the three candidates: Heather Christianson The Ferndale High School graduate got a
degree in cultural anthropology from Western Washington University. She later added a certificate in grant- Heather m a k i n g Christianson from PhilanthropyNW. She has been a precinct committee officer and a photographer and event volunteer in various capacities with different organizations. Christianson lives in the farmhouse her grandfather and great-grandfather built in 1933, and where she spent many afternoons working with her grandparents on their farm. This deeply personal and historical connection to Whatcom County makes her dedicated to preserving the value of living in a beautiful, community-minded area. “The economic interests of our farmers are vital to our community’s health, as are the environmental conservation measures that help preserve what we love about our county.” She sees herself as “a lifelong learner with an open mind and a desire to understand all perspectives.” She considers her experience in “bridgebuilding between diverse communities” to be a strong asset. See Voting on C2
13-year-old Becky Thompson keeps watch at the nursery of 17 piglets born to the sow Penelope on March 3. Thompon is in Country Partners 4H Club. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)
Teen’s 4H pig births 17 Farmlife is training for hoped-for veterinary job By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune
WHATCOM — Mother Penelope was pregnant for 114 days, or three months, three weeks and three days. It’s all a matter of perspective. The end result was 17 babies born last Friday, March 3 or 3/03. Penelope, a pig that celebrated her own first birthday only on Valentines Day, is the 4-H project of Becky Thompson. The 13-year-old homeschooled
daughter of Ted and April Thompson of Lynden also attends the MP3 program of the Meridian School District. She is a member of the Country Partners 4H Club led by Helen Zylstra, with Dave Van Voorst as swine leader. Now, after the births, life at the Thompson household is eat, drink, and constantly nurse — for the pigs. For people, it’s little sleep for the entire family, which includes Becky’s sister Abby, 10, who sets her clock to wake up and help in the hour-long feeding segments. The night before the births, Penelope, a bit antsy, had managed to break a nearby water hose. Her
pen was flooded. When the birthing started, unlike any manuals or instructions, the labor went far beyond the expected two to three hours and the allotted 10 to 12 piglets. It went for 12 hours, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. The piglets were born in batches with an hour or two in between. When they thought the birthing process was done, more came. More came after that. Since several of the piglets had mucus preventing them from breathing properly, Becky lifted them to her own mouth and gave a version of CPR until they were breathing. Rather than calling a vet to help, the family had gone online and talked with the swine
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support person for their 4H group. Thompson, who started with Penelope at eight week old, set aside time daily to bond and train her. The result was gaining her trust — and better performance. By the time she got to her first showing as a novice at the Northwest Washington Fair last August, she left with a thirdplace ribbon overall across all age groups. Becky, who has focused on learning as much as she can about swine, was required to sell Penelope at the end of her showing at the 2016 fair. When her grandfather, Dan Thompson, upped the bidding See 4H on C2
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