The
On Nov. 1, the Rotary Club of San Juan Island presented Lopez Elementary third grade students with dictionaries designed especially for this
INSIDE Energy Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Islands’ eekly W
grade level.
“The Power of Community�
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this story on page 2.
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The Hamlet: a vibrant Lopez adult community By Lorna Reese Special to the Islands’ Weekly
“Too much house; too much yard.� Florence Wagner, 76, is talking about why she’s moving from her home of 23 years on Whiskey Hill to a Hamlet cottage. “I’m preparing for the day I can’t take care of myself or a house on a hill. I want to live on flat ground without stairs, and The Hamlet is much more practical for me.� Built in the heart of the village by the non-profit Lopez Housing Options, The Hamlet was established expressly so Lopezians could stay on the island as they aged. The Hamlet cottages offer independent living for those who choose to simplify their lives; The Hamlet House provides care for those needing some assistance with activities of daily life (ADL). “Several seniors had left Lopez when their homes and properties became too much to take care of
or they needed some assistance,� says Rip Van Camp, LOHO chair. “The Hamlet has 14 one- or two-bedroom cottages for those who want a convenient, maintenance-free life, while Hamlet House is a six-bedroom adult family home. It’s a lively adult community with a fabulous Gathering Place for various kinds of social interaction by residents.� Gale McCallum, 87, agrees. After 25 years in her own Lopez home, McCallum was the first resident to move in when The Hamlet opened in 2008. “My husband had died and it seemed sensible at my age to make decisions for my future. I wanted to locate myself for convenience, and this is perfect. Everything I need is in the village so I can walk everywhere, which is good for me,� she says. “Living here is easy. Maintenance is taken care of so there are no upkeep chores for me to do. The cottages are well insulated, too, so I don’t hear neighbors
or outside noises.� Some of The Hamlet’s onebedroom cottages are classified affordable using San Juan County’s requirements for moderate income. Anyone age 55 or older and qualified to live independently is eligible to live in the cottages. There is no longer an entrance deposit and residents lease rather than buy cottages. At the moment, Hamlet House is full and there are seven cottage residents. Mollie Fromm, age 92, has been coming to Lopez since 1981. “For the last ten years, I spent summers on my houseboat here and winters in Miami Beach,� she says. “The heat in Florida was too limiting, so this year I moved full time into a cottage at The Hamlet.“ The Hamlet celebrated three years of operations in July. “During that time we served 13 residents in the cottages and 19 in Hamlet
Contributed photo/ Robert S. Harrisob
�Mollie Fromm, a new resident, and Gale McCallum, the first Hamlet resident, welcome Florence Wagner to her cottage in the Hamlet.�
SEE THE HAMLET, PAGE 6
Coastal Cutthroat — What we don’t know can hurt us By Cali Bagby This is part 2 of a two-part series about the coastal cutthroat on the San Juan Islands
Little research has been done on coastal cutthroat, and experts want to know more in order to move forward with conservation efforts.
Open Fri & Sat 7AM-5PM Sun 7AM to 4PM Thru Nov 27th Holly B's Cookbook, Holiday Stollen & Gingerbread People and Holly B's T-shirts and hats make great Holiday Gifts!!
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San Juan County is developing a plan for all the salmon, with an emphasis on chinook, but Barbara Rosenkotter said the county is still identifying what fish are in which streams. “What’s really important is diversity of the species,� said Rosenkotter, San Juan County’s coordinator for salmon recovery. The county’s goal, is not to constrain landowners or enforce laws, but to show them how to protect the species on their land. For example, if someone has a stream on their property they can keep the natural
vegetation as a buffer zone, which helps promote other native species. “At this moment there is no specific ordinance for cutthroat,� Rosenkotter said about San Juan’s upcoming Critical Area Ordinance update. “The update will be protecting certain wetlands, buffer zones included, which are accessible to cutthroat and other salmon.� Mary Lou White, a biologist for the Wild Fish Conservancy, has been working at San Juan Island’s Garrison Bay watershed for almost four years. She has been creating plans to increase water flows with
Lopez Islander Resort Annual Craft Fair Sat., Dec. 3 10 am-3pm and Sun., Dec. 4 10am-3pm
Come join us for a wide array of arts and crafts from all islands. Any questions, call Kathy 468-2233.
bends in the channels, help a small lake on the property drain slower and create woody debris areas for fish to hide. She also studies what type of vegetation should be in the watershed, and what non-native fish should be removed. White researched historical documents to find out what the watershed used to look like. She found that in the 1800s the valley was bulldozed to make room for farm land, at least seven ponds were created and that at one time there was even a population of beaver. White said since those develop-
ments, the watershed, which drains from a forested wetland to an agricultural valley used primarily for livestock, hasn’t changed over the last 100 years.
A conservation plan Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has no plan to list cutthroat as threatened or endangered, it intends to develop a coastal cutthroat conservation plan. “Hopefully we can come up with a plan to prevent listing the fish as endangered species,� said Marci Koski, a supervisory fish biologist for recovery assessment and planning.
Two Fabulous Workshop Opportunities! with James
Dunn
Learn how to have the most effective web presence for your small business. 9:00 - 1:00 with Brian
Jaeger
Experienced business coach to help strategize moving your business forward. By appointment.
Both held on December 3rd. Preregistration required. Fee: $30 each Contact the LIFRC at 468-4117 to sign up, or for more information go to our website at www.lifrc.org Sponsored by, Communities Connect Network, Broadband USA, Harvest Foundation, United Way In collaboration with the Lopez Island Library
SEE CUTTHROAT, PAGE 6
Holiday Sale Olive Glass & Piper Dalton Knit Ware
Friday November 25th 10 - 4 142 Baroque N Glass Ln.
Lopez Island 468-2877