Examiner The Whidbey
Olympic League opens with a win and a loss Page 6
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First-place winner, 2014 WNPA General Excellence
Thursday, December 18, 2014
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VOL. 20, NO. 19
Town sells easement on land near Navy’s OLF By Megan Hansen Co-Editor
Last week the Town of Coupeville sold development rights to the Navy on 54 acres of property it owns near Outlying Field. The transaction for a restrictive easement was facilitated through the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and netted the town $800,000. Pat Powell, executive director for the Land Trust, said her organization often works with other groups where there’s a property that meets the goals of all parties involved. In this instance, the property in question is 54 acres that includes forest land on Keystone Hill. The property has a deep aquifer that the town uses as the primary water source for its utility system because the location has better withdrawal and water quality than the town’s other wells. “The details of the … restrictive easement allow for the continued use of the land for additional wells and for future addition to the existing water treatment plant,” said Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard. “Restricting any further development preserves the forest, open space, water quality, aquifer recharge and wildlife habitat in this area.
See, Disclosure, page 12
Coupeville bids farewell to Treva Carter By Janis Reid Staff Reporter
Coupeville lost one of its greatest champions in recent weeks with the death of artist and organizer Treva Carter. She died Nov. 29 at age 96. Carter The longtime Coupeville resident, who spent her later years living in Oak Harbor, is credited with creating the Coupeville Arts Festival which celebrated its 50th anni-
See Carter, page 2
Ron Newberry photo
A brood of loose chickens trots alongside Highway 20 outside of Coupeville Monday.
Loose flock ruffles feathers By Ron Newberry Staff Reporter
Why do the chickens cross the road? Lauren Mueller only wishes she knew the answer. For more than three weeks, a brood of chickens has been spotted strutting along and even across State Highway 20 near Coupeville, ruffling drivers’ feathers in the process. And, it seems, each time there’s a fresh sighting, Mueller’s phone rings. Louise Mueller, Lauren’s mother and neighbor along Madrona Way, has raised chickens for more than half a century, but the ones raising a ruckus along the highway not far from their property line do not belong to her. She and her daughter believe the chickens are all roosters and were dumped near the highway shortly before Thanksgiving. Both are concerned the chickens, which have been seen dodging traffic on the highway, pose a safety hazard to passing motorists and have notified Island County Animal Control, the sheriff’s department, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and just about anyone else they can think of to try to find a solution to get them out of harm’s way. But so far, they say they’ve encountered little help and no solid advice on what to do.
“It’s really a danger to have them up there,” Louise Mueller said. “Someone could try to avoid a chicken and swerve in another lane and hit somebody else.” Louise Mueller said she spoke with Carol Barnes, the county’s animal control officer, and found the matter to be a very low priority with no plan in place to catch the birds. Barnes said she did visit the site and approached the chickens only to see them disperse in different directions. That only heightened her own concern about trying to catch them with the potential for chasing them into the highway and causing a traffic accident. “Unfortunately, there are no services available for this type of situation,” Barnes said. “We do have (services) for large animals. But for this type of situation, we don’t have staffing or the capability or the equipment for that matter. “Try catching five loose roosters. I can’t run that fast. It makes it a difficult situation.
It’s not like we don’t care.” Louise Mueller, who’s 85, said she asked for traffic-control assistance to aid in corralling the chickens but was rebuffed. “She would have to call law enforcement to do that,” Barnes said. Louise Mueller has tried to take matters into her own hands, scattering a trail of feed along an access road about a half mile long that cuts through the family’s properties on Madrona Way to the highway. The Muellers have had the land in their family since 1948 as Louise’s in-laws once owned the Captain Whidbey Inn. After weeks of coaxing, Mueller succeeded in luring five chickens to her farm this week only to see them wander off again into the woods and back to the highway. “I think they roost up there,” she said. “I think they only come down for breakfast. “The chicken cafe is only a short distance
See Chickens, page 12