Contributed photo/
INSIDE
Catherine Aboumrad
Genticorum, the traditional Quebec music group will perform at Woodman Hall, April 19. Read more on page 5.
Update on Solid Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Thrift Shop’s 30 years
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Protect pets from rabies
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www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 15 • April 10, 2012
One sign, unpicked berries and a balancing act By Iris Graville
Special to the Islands Weekly
If a hand-painted white sign is out at the corner of Fisherman Bay Road and Hummel Lake Road, there are berries. At least that used to be the way locals and visitors on Lopez knew that Crowfoot Farm’s U-pick fields were bursting with fruit. But since retrieving his sign — twice — from the San Juan County Roads Department, Eric Hall has given up on this method of alerting customers. San Juan County Ordinance 18.40.370 prohibits off-premises outdoor commercial signs like
his. Twelve years ago, Hall and his wife, Eleanor “Elf” Fay, moved to Lopez from North Carolina with a dream of an organic berry farm and orchard. Now they open their two acres of certified organic raspberries and strawberries for picking every summer. “There are very few certified organic U-pick farms anywhere in Puget Sound,” said Hall. “Farmers can get better prices selling their berries to stores and restaurants. We sell all of ours on Lopez and all from the farm.” Hall and Fay were aware of the sign ordinance, but
Reception
Saturday, April 14th 5-7 pm Show dates: April 14 - May 11
SHOW OF NEW WORK Weaver – Linda Rose Painter – Ginny Neece Come and enjoy this social time... refreshments served!
Gallery Hours: 10-5 Thu.-Sat.; 10-3 Sun. Lopez Village Plaza www.Chimera Gallery.com; (360) 468-3265
enforcement has varied over the 14 years it’s been in effect. “The intent of the ordinance was to not clutter roadways and rural landscape with signage,” said County Councilman Jamie Stephens, Lopez/Shaw. “It was adopted as part of a comprehensive plan to keep rural lands rural.” Stephens added that last summer, signage along county roads proliferated, and he received complaints. René Beliveau, with the San Juan County Planning Department, also heard concerns about higher density areas such as Eastsound on Orcas Island, especially when businesses placed signs in front of competitors’ stores. Beliveau’s code enforcement officers have the authority to remove signs that violate the regulation. When they do, they take them to the local Public Works headquarters. And that’s where Hall reclaimed one of his signs last August after it had been removed from a location in Lopez Village, about three miles from his berry farm. He’s not looking for sympathy, or a fight. “In general, I agree with the philosophy behind the ordinance,” said Hall. “But farm signs are a time-honored
Solid Waste Disposal District
Contributed photo
Above, Eric Hall and Elf Fay grow organic strawberries and raspberries at Crowfoot Farm on Lopez Island. Below, the hand-made and hand-painted signs of Crowfoot Farm.
tradition in agriculture.” Fay agrees. “People tell us they like the signs, and they work so well for our kind of business,” she said. Hand-built and hand-painted by Hall, the three-foot by four-foot sandwich board signals U-pick hours and which berries are available. When the fields are at the height of production, Hall tacks on a one-word notice —“Lots.”
Even though the code prohibits all off-site advertising signs, a Crowfoot sandwich board that Hall placed midway between the village and the farm wasn’t removed initially. “A lot of times we don’t have big vehicles and can’t pick all the signs up,” Beliveau said, suggesting why the sign away from the village center was bypassed. A week after removal of
By Steve Wehrly
Protection of more than
1,000 acres of local land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management moved
Lopez Island Realty 360-468-2291
Information Meeting April 11, 2012 Wednesday, 7 -8:30 p.m. Grace Church Hall
Hear from Neil Hanson, SWAP* members, and others. Contact Sandy Bishop for more info: turtle@rockisland.com *Solid Waste Alternatives Project
See signs, page 8
Conservation effort gets SJC council boost Journal reporter
Q & A—vision, costs, schedule, etc. Brainstorm ideas—days and hours of operation Winter and Summer Free recycling Special days for businesses, contractors
the Crowfoot Farm sign, Hall again set up both off-site signs to inform customers of picking days and times. He then called the roads department. “I told them we’d remove the signs in three weeks. We have thousands of dollars of berries in the field, and if they don’t get picked, we’ll be sunk,” he said.
Est. 1972
Beach Access
Aleck Bay Park Mobile home on .4 acres with 2 bedrooms. away. Agate Beach, Iceberg Point, MacKaye Harbor boat launch and Islandale Store are close by. $95,000 For more information contact Gary Berg at Lopez Island Realty 360-468-2291 • Toll free 866-632-1100 lopezisland@rockisland.com Website lopezislandrealty.com
a step forward April 3, when the San Juan County Council authorized sending a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar seeking designation of the land as a National Monument. More than 70 islanders filled the San Juan County Council’s hearing room in Friday Harbor and watched simulcasts on Orcas and Lopez. Continuing an effort started three years ago by Islanders for the San Juan Islands National Conservation Area, most but not all of the crowd was seeking protection for more than 50 parcels of land throughout the San Juans. See conservation, page 8