February 23 - March 1, 2017
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Local eateries dish samples Blaine wrestlers land in Home and Garden Show 8th place at state, page 6 kicks off in March, page 8 at Bite of Blaine, page 2
Wings Over Rays of sunshine beam off Drayton Harbor Water returns for 15th year By Joe Meche
(See Wings, page 3)
s Western Washington experienced a long-desired winter warm-up last week, with high temperatures reaching nearly 62 degrees and low of 40 degrees between February 16 and 20, according to the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District. The warm weather may not last long. On February 22, the National Weather Service called for possible snow and rain showers in the forecast through the weekend. Photo by Ruth Lauman
County has rights to 60 percent of land for Birch Bay berm By Oliver Lazenby Whatcom County has obtained about half the permits and most of the land it needs to begin construction on a 1.6-mile Birch Bay beach restoration project, said Jim Karcher, design and construction manager for the county. Karcher updated the Whatcom County Council Public Works, Health and Safety Committee on the status of the Birch Bay Drive and Pedestrian Facility Project, often called the berm, at its February 21 meeting. The project aims to restore the beach
with a natural sand and gravel berm that will protect the road from floods, reduce beach erosion and provide safer bicycle and pedestrian routes along Birch Bay Drive. The county has 19 out of about 40 easements it needs to build the project, but over half the land. “The big thing is the county has obtained 5,700 linear feet of the 8,300 feet required for the project,” Karcher said. “So it’s about 60 percent complete in land acquisition.” The easement negotiation process has delayed the project once before. Construction on the berm was scheduled to start in fall
Thriving marijuana market gets potful of legislative attention By Tim Gruver W N PA O ly m p i a N e w s B u r e a u A number of bills in the Washington Legislature could change the way people buy, sell and grow marijuana. The bills received hearings this week in the House Committee on Commerce and Gaming with a wide range of proposals and opinions. Marijuana became a legal commodity in the state on July 8, 2014, one of few states at that time to legalize the plant for public use. It remains an il-
legal substance within the federal legal framework. Bringing marijuana to your door You could be buying marijuana in your pajamas thanks to a new bill that would allow delivery services straight to your door. HB 1712 allows licensed marijuana retailers to fulfill orders by phone or online for users age 21 and up. Current law allows marijuana purchases only at brickand-mortar stores. An opponent said such purchases would compromise customer and employee safe-
ty by encouraging transactions in insecure locations. “So what this bill does is take away the walls, it takes away the witnesses, it takes away the cameras and the security protocols and any sort of alarms,” said John Kingsbury, a member of medical marijuana advocacy group Patients United. “I have to think that the first kid that gets stabbed, or shot, or beaten, you’re going to feel a little bit responsible for that. If this isn’t a (See Marijuana, page 3)
2016, but a longer-than-expected third party property appraisal process stalled easement negotiations, county officials said in September 2016. The design for the project is about 95 percent complete, Karcher told the committee. That means it’s finished aside from any tweaks that the right-of-way negotiations and permits require. So far, Whatcom County has obtained needed permits from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, a Water (See Berm, page 3)
INSIDE
Birding festivals are a great way to enjoy bird watching in fantastic settings. They offer the added bonus of meeting people who share your passion for our winged wonders. Birding festivals began not only as a way to celebrate birds but also as a means to increase public awareness of birds and the need to protect and conserve the critical habitats necessary for their survival. In 2001, a small group of local birding enthusiasts met to consider the idea of a birding festival in Blaine. The importance of the area as a gathering place for thousands of wintering birds was realized when the Drayton Harbor/Semiahmoo area was designated as one of 53 important bird areas in Washington state. Shortly after that, the same locale became the anchor leg of the Cascade Loop of the Great Washington State Birding Trail. With significant data to support our efforts, in 2002 a festival was born. In 15 years, the Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival has grown to include an array of events and activities to suit bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts of every age and level of expertise. This year, the event takes place March 10–12. Expect field trips and excursions led by knowledgeable birders, which include a day trip to the George Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in British Columbia; a two-hour open-water cruise on the 50-foot Salish Sea; and shorter cruises on the Plover ferry from Blaine Harbor to Semiahmoo. For those wishing to stay closer to the heart of the festival, the all-day birding expo will feature photography workshops, arts and crafts, wildlife exhibits and speakers and lots of kids’ activities. Everyone is invited to the festival opening and artist reception at Semiahmoo Resort on Friday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. Meet featured artist Kay Dee Powell, enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a no-host bar and featured presentation titled “Celebrating Drayton Harbor’s Bounty” for $15. All will
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