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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012
VOL. 18, NO. 13
Search A nose for hidden treasures under way for new schools chief By Elisabeth Murray Staff Reporter
The Coupeville School Board has appointed a search committee to find the district’s next superintendent. Under the district’s usual practice, the committee members will sign a confidentiality agreement. The committee will identify what the school system wants in its next chief and what qualifications and characteristics that individual should possess. One option is to set criteria based on a review of the notes and data collected from staff, students and community members from last spring’s unsuccessful search to permanently replace outgoing Superintendent Patty Page, who last summer accepted a position with the North Kitsap School District to be closer to family. The other option is to start a fresh discussion, Board President Kathleen Anderson said. But “I don’t think our goals and what we’re looking for has changed that much in the past six months,” said Anderson, who will serve on the committee. Karen Koschak, who retired from Granite Falls School District in 2011, is serving as interim superintendent for this school year as the search is conducted. The position will be open from Dec. 3 through Jan. 18, with an announcement posted in November to let potential applicants know of the vacancy. In early February, the committee will screen completed applications and select semifinalists. It will then interview the semifinalists and make its recommendation on finalists to the school board. The school board will then meet in executive session to review the committee’s recommendations and candidate qualifications, and identify up to four finalists. Finalists will visit Coupeville from Feb. 19 to 22 for interviews, with one day dedicated to each candidate. The school board will reconvene in executive session following candidate visits to discuss performance and candidate qualifications. The school district aims to select its new chief by the end of February. “I think this puts us in very good position See SCHOOL, page 8
David Welton photo
Truffle-hunting canine Hawkeye leads the way on a walk in the woods with his owner, Georgia Edwards. Edwards teaches the K9 “nosework” classes offered by the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation Department at which dogs learn scent-detection skills. A oneday class this Saturday is aimed at introducing people and their pups to truffle-hunting – a popular rainy-season activity in the Northwest woods, including here on Whidbey.
Truffle teams head to the woods By Elisabeth Murray Staff Reporter
S
ince moving to Whidbey Island 30 years ago, Maureen Murphy has been plucking chanterelles from the woods of South Whidbey. As a nature lover, horticulturalist and botanist, Murphy loves the experience of heading outdoors on a hunt for edible mushrooms. “To get out into the forest is a really beautiful experience,” Murphy said. “The smells, the fragrances are really potent after the first fall rain.” It is at this time, after the fall’s first precipitation that the mushrooms begin popping up and Murphy knows where to look. The fungi is quite particular about its requirements for growth, such as its lighting preferences. It has to be light, but not too light, Murphy said. In addition, like a good bottle of wine,
the forest must be aged just right. The mushrooms won’t grow in young, disturbed forest, she said, as they feast on decayed organic matter of a certain age. Central Whidbey, with its prairie and open areas, lacks the habitat that they prefer, but South Whidbey is prime habitat for growth. Unlike most hobbies trying to attract new blood, Murphy cautions against leaping into mushroom hunting before learning which are edible, and which are not. Taking time to learn the basics will go a long way toward keeping you out of trouble, she said.
Murphy first learned how to identify mushrooms when living near the Oregon coastal mountains. Her friends, experienced in the art and science of finding these seasonal delicacies, taught her how to locate the edible fungi and avoid ones that could sicken or kill her. “I don’t take any risks,” Murphy said, adding that being lazy can gave fatal consequences. “You have to be really, really, really sure.” Look-alike mushroom species can appear to be the edible kind, but on closer See TRUFFLES, page 8