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Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, June 13, 2012 n VOL. 45, NO. 24 n 75¢
annual concert - page 9 www.islandssounder.com
Joys of fatherhood
Ferry reservation system not a done deal
An island dad shares his story in honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, June 17 by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Publisher
When Ginger Haug screams, the whole world knows. “I usually have in ear plugs,” laughs her good-natured father James, who takes the perils of parenting all in stride. James and his wife Jessica are raising their two young girls on Orcas: four-year-old Wylie and 17-month-old Ginger. James says he has changed a lot since becoming a dad. “When you have kids, you’re taking part of yourself and putting it out there – and hoping it doesn’t get hit by a car,” he said. James describes Wylie as funny and friendly and Ginger as tough. Both girls are athletic and accepting of other people, traits that James says he shares with them. Although he works full time as a general contractor, James is often seen walking the streets of Eastsound with his girls. Jessica is a massage therapist at the Healing Arts Center and a volunteer EMT. James grew up with four brothers and two sisters, but the Haugs are ready to stop adding to their family because “two is a lot!” according to James. Prior to becoming a father, he thought very little about
child development and education. Since he welcomed his two daughters into the world, James tried reading books about raising girls, but found them to be “bologne,” as they didn’t accurately describe his daughters. So he has learned by experience. “I wasn’t confident as a kid, even though I was successful in athletics,” James said. “Giving confidence to my kids is really important … failure is part of success. You have to let them do what they want to do and not let them get hurt too badly.” James grew up thinking that he had to what was expected of him. “I don’t want my children to be afraid to live the way they want to,” he said. James and Jessica have found it’s important to make time for each other. Now that both girls are older, they feel more comfortable to go out in the evenings and take long weekends. Some of his advice to new dads: give your kids space and cultivate your own interests. “You have to be happy too,” he said. “We all have our own dreams.”
Study on soap safety by CALI BAGBY Staff reporter
Next time you lather up in the shower with your favorite pomegranate-grapefruit body wash, think about what exactly you are washing down the drain. You may be disturbed to find out your standard shampoo is toxic, even brands claiming to be earth friendly. That is the puzzle Shelly Skofield
by Scott Rasmussen Journal Editor
Mandy Troxel/contributed photo
James Haug with his daughter Ginger during a demanding Halloween experience. Haug is also the father of Wylie, who is four.
contributed photo
Kwiaht Director Russel Barsh says manufacturers are not required to test the impacts of releasing soap products into the environment. is setting out to solve: Which body products are safe for the environment? “Awareness is the biggest part of this project, getting people to think about how much product do they use and is it necessary?” Skofield said. “I want to find out which
products are the most harmful to be more informed about choices.” Skolfield, a Reed College student and summer intern in toxicology at the Lopez-based nonprofit laboratory Kwiaht, will test more than 50 popular body care products sold in the islands and
publish her findings. According to the federal Food and Drug Administration website, cosmetics including moisturizers, perfumes, shampoos, toothpastes and deodorant must be tested for safety for consumers, but Kwiaht Director Russel Barsh says manufacturers are not required to test the impacts of releasing these products into the environment. According to Alan Bennett, FDA public affairs specialist, there are “no general rules, but if there is an environmental issue it could be included in a regulation.” There are plenty of tests to protect humans like ecological toxicity eye irritation tests, said Skofield, but human skin is a lot different than gills or the shell of a crustacean. “Many [soaps] contain emulsifiers, fragrances and colorants
See Soap, Page 6
In the event that a reservation system proves to be a poor fit for the San Juan Islands, Washington State Ferries is prepared to drop the idea. So says the ferry system’s Assistant Secretary David Moseley, who last week pledged at a series of community meetings that WSF would abandoned its quest to establish a reservation system in the San Juans if the logistical hurdles are too high, or if the community can’t get onboard. “If we can’t work out the issues that come up as we try to develop a set of business rules then we’re not going to do this,” he said. “Washington State Ferries has no interest in losing ridership with a reservation system.” Reservation system or not, ridership has been on the decline systemwide over the past decade. In 2011, the ferry system carried 22.2 million riders across all routes, roughly 2.8 million fewer than in 2002, and four million fewer than in its peak year, 1999. While the
See FERRIES, Page 5
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