ACTING UP Activism showcased in Oscar-nominated film. Page 11
NEWS | Recycling event raises funds for dental van. [3] COMMUNITY | Fishermen honored for heroic rescue. [5] ARTS | Americana lineup a benefit for VYFS. [11]
STEALING A WIN VHS baseball logs a victory. Page 14
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
Vol. 58, No. 13
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Shellfish troubles signify a changing ocean Carbon dioxide’s impact on ocean chemistry is beginning to affect life in Puget Sound By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
Decades ago, some scientists believed the oceans could absorb much of the carbon dioxide the world’s fossil fuel-driven economy was spewing into the atmosphere. The oceans, early studies suggested, would serve as a so-called carbon sink, drinking up that carbon and storing it for perpetuity. Now, leading scientists in the region say, those oceanographers were both right and wrong. The oceans did absorb much of that carbon. But not for perpetuity. Today, according to leading researchers, ocean acidification — as this far-reaching change in the ocean’s chemistry is called — is occurring at a rapid pace. Oceanic upwellings are delivering carbon-rich waters to coastal zones, making the sea corrosive to oysters, mussels, crabs and other crustaceans and leading to indications that the ocean’s food chains are beginning to unravel. The chemical change in the world’s oceans is happening much faster than some of the best models had predicted, scientists at the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say. And ground zero for the phenomenon is Puget Sound, an inland sea that’s facing a kind of triple punch — upwellings from the ocean depths that carry carbon, atmospheric carbon heavily influenced by regional weather patterns and polluted run-off from fertilized yards, parking lots, horse pastures and failed septic systems. Shellfish growers — such as Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest bivalve grower in the country — are already seeing the impact. In 2008, the company’s larvae production — the seeds that became oysters — fell by 60 percent at its three regional hatcheries, according to Bill Dewey, public policy director at Taylor Shellfish. In 2009, larvae production was off by 80 percent. The situation, said Jan Newton, a UW oceanographer and a member of a statewide blue ribbon panel SEE PUGET SOUND, 18
Staff Writer
The Vashon Island School District has narrowed its search for the next Vashon High School principal to three final candidates — two current school administrators from the Seattle area and the high school’s assistant principal, Stephanie Spencer. The three candidates will meet the pub-
Mukai board member drops suit against islanders By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
they’re looking for.” An 18-person search committee made up of district administrators, teachers, parents and students has been meeting since the beginning of the year and interviewed five semifinalists for the position on Monday. After talking with the committee members Monday evening, Soltman selected three final
A Texas lawyer who sued three Vashon women, saying he was defamed by their high-profile efforts to dislodge him from the board that owns the historic Mukai Farmhouse, has asked a judge to dismiss his lawsuit. J. Nelson Happy, a board member on Island Landmarks and the husband of the nonprofit’s founder, Mary Matthews, filed a motion to dismiss his lawsuit last Monday. Nelson had sued Glenda Pearson, Ellen Kritzman and Lynn Greiner on Jan. 17, alleging in his 11-page complaint that they had engaged in a “civil conspiracy” to take over the nonprofit, defaming him in the process. Happy, reached by phone last week, declined to comment on his effort to dismiss the suit, referring all questions to his lawyer, islander Bob Krinsky. Krinsky is out of town and could not be reached for comment. Greiner, however, said she believes it’s clear why Happy made the surprise move early Monday morning. The Friday before, she said, a lawyer representing the three women called Krinsky to tell him they planned to file a motion Monday morning, seeking to quash the suit based on a new state law that prohibits legal action meant to intimidate people engaged in a public process. Their lawyer planned to seek legal fees as well as penalties against both Happy and Krinsky for filing what the women contend was a suit meant to suppress their activity. “It’s definitely not a coincidence,” Greiner, also a lawyer, said Friday. “After our lawyer called Bob Krinsky on Friday to find a time to have our motion heard,
SEE PRINCIPAL, 19
SEE MUKAI, 17
Leslie Brown/Staff Photo
Michael Pedrin works the fish counter at Vashon Thriftway, where local shellfish is sold.
Officials narrow search for VHS principal to three finalists By NATALIE JOHNSON
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lic and answer questions at a special forum Thursday evening at the high school. Superintendent Michael Soltman is expected to present his final selection to the school board on April 4. “We think these are three strong candidates who could do a nice job for us,” Soltman said Monday evening after interviewing the semi-finalists. “We’ll be looking for feedback from everyone on what they think and what