History Corner
New territory uncovered in 2nd edition of ‘Pig War’ page 12
Island Scene
Trash meets its match: 3rd annual Great Island Cleanup page 13
Opinion
Faulty assumptions? ‘Rural Resistance’? On eve of an election, views differ dramatically over CAO page 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Vol. 106 Issue 16
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Voters spared another election
Startup date of CAO delayed Confusion, lawsuits prompt pushback of startup date to 2014
By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
The County Council decided April 9 to postpone the startup date of the critical areas ordinances until March 1 of next year. The critical areas ordinance, approved by the council in December, was initially slated to go into effect on March 1 of this year. In February, the council extended that effective date until May 1. At its April 9 meeting, the council voted 5-to-1, with Councilman Jamie Stephens opposed, to push back that startup date until the spring of 2014. Stephanie Buffum, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans, spoke in opposition to extending the effective date. “I’m shocked and amazed that we are having this conversation” after “we watched this process languish since 2005.” Council candidate Lisa Byers of Orcas Island suggested the planning staff should use any extra implementation time to “identify a few case studies evaluating the properties” under both the current law and the new law. Stephens, chairman of the council, said he was voting against the delay because “I thought December would be the better See Delayed Page 4
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
Back home, on the campus of Spring Street International School, Graham Crawbuck and Reyna Ellis reflect on their contribution to San Juan Islands National Monument designation.
Monument memories
Passion for preservation earns two island teens 15-minutes of fame By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
Both received a personal invitation from official sources. And the event was close to the heart of each. But neither Graham Crawbuck or Reyna Ellis were quite sure of what to expect at the San Juan Island National Monument dedication ceremony last week in Anacortes. So when Congressman Rick Larsen gave up some time allotted to him at the April 1 celebration, and then ushered Reyna to the podium, it caught the Spring Street International School student a bit by surprise. Although the teen had no idea that she would be asked to speak before a rather large audience, and with television cameras rolling as well, Reyna clearly remembers that the
words came out easily. “I just said what I felt,” Reyna recalls. “But at that moment it was all kind of a blur, then I handed the microphone to Graham.” Reyna has since seen video of herself on Komo 4 News; here’s what she had to say: “I would just like to thank everybody who encouraged President Obama,” she said. “You know, I feel so privileged that I get to live on this – on these beautiful islands, and that this land will be saved and preserved for my children.” Graham conveyed a similar message when his turn came to address the crowd. Back home in Friday Harbor, he’s impressed by how many people from outside the San Juans attended the ceremony. He sees it as a testament to how much support there is for preserving the islands’ natural beauty and ecological health. “It’s really bigger than just our county,” Graham said of the monument boundaries. “There are parts in Skagit County and in Whatcom County too.” See Monument, Page 3
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It looks like voters won’t have to decide whether to change the number of County Council members from three to five. At least not in 2013. Declaring themselves surprised by a negative reaction, councilmen Rich Peterson and Marc Forlenza on April 9 withdrew their proposal to increase the size of the council and a companion proposal to elect council members by district rather than countywide. The 2005 vote approving the See Spared Page 5
Published by The Journa l of the San Islands’ Sound er and Islands Juan Islands, ’ Weekly
Home and Garden
The 2013 edition of the Home and Garden is available in this edition.