7PM
eller
The
INSIDE Editor’s notebook
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Risks of GMO
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Noel McKeehan photo
Piano Mania
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
Baby season at Wolf Hollow By Cali Bagby Weekly editor
During the summer, Wolf Hollow Rehabilitation Center resembles the emergency ward at a hospital. There is a room for x-rays and blood tests and quarters for injured “patients” that will be released as soon as they are healthy. Outside, a giant white board lists the types of patients currently in care at the center. “It changes all the time,” said Shona Aitken, Wolf Hollow’s education coordinator. “It’s baby season, that’s why we have so many animals right now.” But, unlike a hospital, the white board describes ducklings, seal pups, bald eagles, raccoon kits, baby minks and finches instead of listing patients in need of an appendectomy or tonsillectomy. And unlike the ER,
FILM:
volunteers, staff and interns busy themselves with tasks like feeding the seal pups or slicing up fresh roadkill or examining an injured songbird. Aitken said it takes two full-time staff, two seasonal staff, five interns and on any given day one to two volunteers to run the center during these busy months. Wolf Hollow, located on San Juan Island, has served San Juan and Skagit County for the past 30 years. The 40-acre property hosts 40 animal enclosures, including an eagle flight enclosure, seal pools, a deer enclosure, and a songbird aviary. So far this year, Wolf Hollow has treated 512 animals. Some are with Wolf Hollow for only a few days, while others need care for several months. And animals come from various
Second in a series of 8 showing each Wednesday at
7PM
Genetic Roulette
The Gamble of Our Lives Wednesday September 12th 7PM Lopez Library
cate Film by Jeffrey Smith, world’s leading advo king spea be will y Jeffre . ICES on GMO-FREE CHO . 7PM , 18th er emb Sept on er Cent at Lopez
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 37 • September 11, 2012
Cali Bagby / Weekly photo
A curious raccoon kit in its enclosure at Wolf Hollow. locations in the San Juans and Skagit County. Two recent cases of animals found on Lopez occurred this summer. One seal pup was seen alone on beaches in the Fisherman’s Bay area for two days before being picked up by the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network and was brought to Wolf Hollow in July. Another seal pup was found alone on the beach with wounds on its head. The pups will be released in small groups when they get up to normal weaning weight [50 pounds] in the wild. In a small room across from those pools is the seal
pup nursery. There are no baby rattles or pink mobiles dangling from the ceiling. Instead there are several bath tubs with wooden tops that do actually resemble
the walls of a crib. When seal pups are too weak or sick to swim all day they spend every night tucked into these tubs, said Aitken. As they become
stronger they can swim for a few hours each day. When seals are in good health they stay in the water for 24 hours and eat fish on their See wolf hollow, page 8
CAO update continues to draw criticism By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
If the San Juan County Council needed proof it isn’t making anyone happy with its critical areas ordinance update, it got that proof at public hearings on Aug. 21. Opponents and proponents, the planning staff and all six council members insist they want to protect both environmental values and property rights, but neither the
LOPEZ LOBOS Home Games This Week: 9/13 Volleyball 2:30 pm Soccer 2:30 pm 9/15 Football 2:15 pm
environmentalists nor the defenders of property rights are happy with the draft ordinances. And both sides are warning the council that they may go to court to vindicate their positions. San Juan resident Pat O’Day summed up the problem in his comments to the council: “You’re here to protect the environment and to protect property owners,” implying the latter were not being protected. The 1990 Growth Management Act and 1998 amendments to the Growth Management Act mandated that local governments prepare and periodically review comprehensive plans and development regulations, especially in five designated critical areas. Those areas are specified as aquifer recharge areas, geologically hazardous areas, frequently flooded areas, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, and wetlands. See CAO UPDATE, page 8
Lopez Center
SAVE the DATE
Lopez Center
PIANO MANIA!
Saturday Sept. 15th
Saturday September 22nd, 7:30pm
for the 9th Annual
Final Concert in the Steinway Series
Lopez Home Tour
Latin Grammy Award Winning Pianist
Visit 8 distinctive homes while benefiting the Lopez Center for Community & the Arts
with bassist
www.lopezcenter.com
Jovino Santos-Neto Chuck Deardorf Guest pianists
Kim Smith & Lia Pryce by donation • www.lopezcenter.org