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USS Nebraska wins prestigious award Water Festival marks 20 years BY KEVAN MOORE
KMOORE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Admiral Cecil D. Haney, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, was in Bremerton this past Friday to present the Omaha Trophy to the crew of the USS Nebraska (SSBN 739). A small ceremony to present the prestigious award was held in front of the Puget Sound Naval Museum. The trophy is awarded each year to units who demonstrate the highest standards of performance in the command’s mission areas, their role in global operations and the command’s continued emphasis on strategic deterrence. The award categories are global operations, submarine ballistic missile, intercontinental ballistic missile and strategic aircraft operations. Selection is based on formal evaluations, meritorious achievement, safety and other factors, such as community involvement and humanitarian actions. “What’s really extraor-
Kevan Moore/staff photo
Admiral Cecil D. Haney, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, presents the Omaha Trophy to Capt. Jeffrey Joseph, current USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) commanding officer, center, and Cmdr. Jason Wartell, former Nebraska Blue Crew commanding officer. dinary here is, it’s the second time the USS Nebraska has received this award,” Adm. Haney
said. “The first time was in 1996.” Adm. Haney called the work of the USS
council business meeting. An appraisal by Sherwood Appraisals in Monroe from last month shows both properties to be valued at $160,000. Both properties were most recently harvested in 1990. Bremerton forester Bill McKinney says that he has been trying to obtain the Ueland parcel since 1992 when it was owned by Port Blakely Tree Farms. “This is something we’ve been looking to acquire for at least 20 years, in fact a little longer than that,” he said, noting that city has acquired 1,400 acres of forestland since 1986 through purchase or exchange. In that same time, the city has
surplussed or sold about 520 acres. The Gorst Creek Watershed, in which both properties sit, is not part of the city’s surface water program, but McKinney says that Ueland parcel will serve as a better buffer to the Union River Watershed. “It doesn’t drain into our watershed but it is a buffer to our watershed,” he said. “We have no plans to reactive the Gorst Creek System. Without a filtration system for this water supply, we couldn’t use it.” McKinney said the exchange is a good deal for the city.
Nebraska and other boomers — “this business of, day-in and dayout, 24-7 work with credible, effective, safe and secure strategic deterrence” — one of the most important assignments in the U.S. military. “(Your work culminated in) 100 percent strategic and navigational readiness on three patrols, accumulating 254 underway days. That’s pretty remarkable,” Adm. Haney said. “Both crews performed exceptionally well in all major inspections that you participated in and the crew was graded in every area at or above standards -- unmatched by any Pacific SSBN in the last two years.” Adm. Haney told the sailors not to rest on their laurels, though, as the submarine undergoes a mid-life overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. “You’re doing some great work keeping this ship, as I’ve advertised to many in Congress, able SEE NEBRASKA, A13
BY SERAINE PAGE
SPAGE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Water, water and more water. If there was anything Kitsap County students learned about at the Water Festival, it was about the importance of H2O. On Tuesday, more than 1,000 students from across the peninsula scattered across the Kitsap County Fairgrounds to learn more about the precious commodity during the 20th anniversary of the event. In an effort to spread the word about the importance of water conservation, professionals from environmental and natural resources fields shared their knowledge with students from 23 schools across the county. The goal of the festival was to provide hands-on learning experiences in a fun atmosphere outside the classroom. “This watershed edu-
cational program showcases the dynamics of water and demonstrates how pollutants travel over land and under ground to eventually reach groundwater, streams and the Puget Sound,” a 2014 Water Festival pamphlet states. “The program teaches students how their actions affect water quality.” Aside from teaching children about the necessity of clean water, how their actions affect water quality and the importance of water conservation, community members also offered fun activities, such as painting fish. Michael Chichester f rom C row n h i l l Elementary, spent time painting his “creepy” dead fish to create pressed art. He quickly ran the brush back and forth over the scales before pushing it onto a white sheet of paper. SEE WATER, A13
Bremerton considers exchange of timberland BY KEVAN MOORE KMOORE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
The City of Bremerton is considering an exchange of timberlands with Ueland Tree Farm. Under the terms of the deal, the city would swap 35.5 acres of its forest property that includes Heins Lake and is mostly covered with Douglas fir for a 39.4-acre property owned by Ueland that is primarily covered with alder trees and some conifers. The two properties are less than a mile apart in the Gorst Creek Watershed southwest of Bremerton. A public hearing was slated during Wednesday’s city
SEE TIMBERLAND, A13
Courtesy photo
Heins Lake is part of a 35.5-acre parcel that the city is looking to exchange with Ueland Tree Farm.