Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, August 24, 2023

Affordable housing project on Vashon secures funding

Vashon businesses find the bright side in the break-ins

By Alex Bruell Reporter

A recent rash of thefts at island businesses has been cause for renewed security — and even a sense of gratitude — from local store owners.

Over the last three weeks, at least five businesses on the island have suffered break-ins, said Vashon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy Drayer, mostly centered around the Bank Road/Vashon Highway downtown area.

Drayer said.

By Elizabeth Shepherd editor@vashonbeachcomber.com

The developer of Creekside Village on Vashon (CVV), a 40-unit apartment community promising affordable rents for workforce tenants on Vashon, has now obtained the funding necessary to move forward with the project.

Thedevelopment,comprisedofthree two-story buildings, will be spread out on2acresofa7-acrepropertylocatedat 16818695thLaneSW,offGorsuchRoad.

Constructionisscheduledtobeginin latespringof2024andwillbecompleted in the summer of 2025, according to Christopher Bric, president of the Vashon’s Shelter America Group, the nonprofit housing organization behind the project.

The property is within walking distance of Ober Park, the Vashon Library,andtheemployment/shopping hub of the island.

This location, Bric has said since first announcing his plans for the project in

2015,isideallysuitedforVashon’sworkforcepopulationandotherdemographics it will serve: senior citizens, single adults, and families with children.

The need for affordable housing on Vashon is dire and has become more so in the years since he first announced his intention to develop CVV, Bric maintains. “Rental properties on the island have become nonexistent as single-family homes are sold and become secondary residences or are converted to short-term vacation rentals,” he said, noting that no new apartments, with the exception of Vashon HouseHold’s Island Center Homes, have been built here in years. “The need for new affordable housing on the island cannot be overstated.”

Funding from county and state sources

In a fact sheet sent to islanders about the CVV project earlier this month, as

well in a public meeting held virtually onAug.7,Bricoutlinedthefundingnow secured for the project.

This includes a $6.3 million housing finance loan from King County, a $6 million grant from the Washington Department of Commerce, and a $2.9 million gap loan from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. A conventional first mortgage loan will complete the financing needed for the almost $21 million development.

Submission to the King County Permitting Department is scheduled for early September, Bric said.

Who qualifies to live there?

Preference will be given to householdsthatcurrentlyliveonVashon,have Vashon employment, or have family on the island, Bric said, adding that Shelter AmericawillworkwithVashonYouth& Family Services to facilitate this effort.

Vashon’s low COVID rate success gets noticed in new study

By Elizabeth Shepherd editor@vashonbeachcomber.com

How did Vashon — a small, rural islandcommunitywithlimitedresources and an aging demographic — achieve a COVIDcaserate70percentbelowlarge, urban mainland King County?

And what factors contributed to Vashonhaving30percentfewerCOVID cases and 55 percent fewer hospitalizationsthansouthWhidbeycommunities — a place both demographically and geographically similar to Vashon?

A newly published peer-reviewed study describes Vashon’s pandemic response and provides insights into thesequestions—showinghowislanders came together to fight an unprecedented threat to public health, rallying around the banner of the nonprofit VashonBePrepared.

Eagles present ‘Country Gold Hog

Wild’

Join the Vashon Eagles for dinner with all the fixins’ and country dancing all night, on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 18134 Vashon Hwy SW. Dinner runs from 5-7 p.m. and will feature deluxe pit-roasted pig, mac salad, coleslaw, beans and a roll, all for $20 for members and $25 for non-members. At 7 p.m., the outdoor patio will be rockin’ rowdy country tunes and open for dancing until close. The event is open to the public, so come one come all for a country-gold good time. For more information, call 206-463-5477.

Helping Maui

Vashon Rotary and Vashon Island School District have partnered to establish an “Island-to-Island” Maui Relief Fund, in the wake of the catastrophic wildfire that devastated the island of Maui and the town of Lahaina on August 8. To make a donation of

HAPPENINGS

any size, visit tinyurl.com/49u9ad2w.

Workshop offers renewal

King County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kiersten Whitacre said deputies are investigating the matter. Surveillance footage from two of the incidents showed a thin white man in a winter coat / knit cap, but evidence so far doesn’t definitely tie all of the incidents to the same suspect. In the meantime, deputies are making more visible patrols downtown, including late at night, Whitacre said.

C’mon Barber owner Tara Morgan, who operates her mobile barbershop from an old airborne express truck, came to work Wednesday morning of last week to find an iPad and Bluetooth speaker gone. The items were worth around $400 altogether, and nothing else was disturbed; the thieves likely entered through truck’s roll-up door.

The truck shares a location with Country Store and Farm and the Little Bird nursery, and the businesses have cameras and other security measures — “so I don’t think we’ve ever really thought it was an issue,” Morgan said.

But Morgan counts herself fortunate enough to be able to replace the items, and she wants the best for whomever took them.

“You have to be in a pretty serious state of mind … to want to break into somebody’s livelihood,” she said. “And I really hope they got what they needed. … I’m still really grateful that they didn’t vandalize [anything].” It may not be much of a “crime wave,” especially compared to property crime in other King County cities. But it’s still an unusual surge for the island community,

“If you have small things going on, and you don’t pay attention to them, and you don’t deal with them, the longer they sit … the bigger they get,” she said. “We understand that compared to the Seattle metro area, what we’ve got going on is no big deal. … [But] for us it’s a really big deal. … There’s a lot of privilege to being able to live on Vashon, in many ways. Being safer from crime is one of them, but crime still impacts the community.”

Liz Ophoven, who has owned Wine Shop Vashon since June, said a thief or thieves appear to have pushed an air conditioning vent tube through a window to access the store, taking about $50 from a cash register, and walked out the back door, closing it behind them. It all happened in the early morning of July 30.

This is the second time the store’s had a break-in, and the first time an entire shelf of wine was missing afterward, Ophoven said. This time, it’s not clear if any wine bottles were taken and the cash seems to have been the main target.

“Fifty dollars is a lot to a small business,” Ophoven said. “That $50 of revenue could help me purchase another case of wine at wholesale to sell … (or it’s) four hours of labor for someone to help me, and that four hours is really valuable time. … Any loss is big. … We’re not operating, typically, with huge amounts of cash reserves.”

At the same time, Ophoven said the incident won’t shake her optimism about living and running a business here. She’d like to find out who’s behind the break-ins and see if the person or persons can be helped by the Vashon community.

“I think the island is such magical place,” Ophoven said. “I shored up my security, but it won’t change the way I feel about doing business on the island. … I’m determined to keep the vibe where we want it, rather than have outside circumstances create a bad energy.”

See THEFT, Page 4

The “Power of the Beautiful State Course,” centered on teachings from EKAM, the World Center for Enlightenment in South India, will be presented on Saturday and Sunday, Sept 2-3, at LewisHall,23905VashonHwySW.Attendeeswill look deeply inside themselves to examine their relationships with others and learn how disconnectionfromtheirownemotionsfeedsintochallenging reactions from others. The goal of the workshop is to liberate attendees from suffering through wisdom, meditation and processes, enabling all to flow back into their lives renewed and reconnected. Find out more and register at BeautifulStateVashon.eventbrite.com.

New CPR classes

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue has opened registration for three new dates — Sept. 18, Oct. 23 and Nov. 17 — for the department’s

popular two-hour CPR and basic first aid class.

The non-certificate community classes include CPR training, practice using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and Stop the Bleed training. Register soon before the slots are all taken.

Sign up at vifr.org/cpr-classes.

Wildfire Risk Assessments

King Conservation District’s (KCD) Wildfire Preparedness Program — in collaboration with other state and county agencies — aims to make communities in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) less vulnerable to wildfire damage and more resilient to wildfire impacts.

KCD provides assistance to homeowners and communities including providing home wildfire risk assessments, assisting communities with becoming Firewise USA® sites, and implementing wildfire mitigation projects. To find out more, visit tinyurl.com/3fpx44kh.

FILE PHOTO

(Left to right) James Bristow, Vicky de Monterey Richoux, Jan Milligan, Tyler Young and Rick Wallace, leaders of Vashon’s response to COVID-19, posed in 2021 at the vaccination site at Vashon Pharmacy, after being named Grand Marshals of the 2021 Strawberry Festival Parade. See COVID, Page 11

ELIZABETH SHEPHERD

Mike Masi (left) and Christopher Bric, on the grounds of what will become Creekside Village on Vashon. See

Classiccontemporaryhomewithagenerouslivingroom,withbigpicturewindows,andacomfortablespace forgathering.Theoversizedkitchenhostseasymodernamenities, spacefordining,andextraroomforstorage.

Move-inreadyanddownaprivatelane,thisbeautifullyupdatedcraftsman homenestlesperfectlyon3/4acreoflovelygardens, tallevergreens.The2-story2170sq.ft.homehassundrenchedkitchenwithstainlessappliances,granitecounters,maplecabinets.

MLS#2137419$995,000

Iconic&historic,theHingeBuildingstandsapartinthebustlingcoreofdowntownVashonIsland.Delightinit’s whimsyandcharm:themainfloorhostsretail/officespace.Upstairs,a1-bedroomapartmentaddsversatility.

Wellmaintained1,910squarefootsingle-levelhomehasvaultedwood-ceilings,anopenfloorplan&wallof windowsintheliving,kitchen,&diningareas.PrimarybedroomhasFrenchdoorsleadingtolargesunnydeck.

Thisquainthomeonshy5acres,blendsintothebackdropofgreenery.Thehomesteadliveswell,with1largebedroom and1bath,aneasylivingroom,andkitchenfeaturingnewappliances.Asplendidsettingwithroomtogrow!

OneofSouthPark’soriginalfarmhousesneartheDuwamishriver.ClassicfeaturesincludehoneycoloredFir flooring,tallwindows,and9’8”ceilingsdownstairs.Restorationcompletedtoexposeoriginalbeadboardwalls.

Turn-keypropertynestledintheheartofVashonIsland!Whether youseekaserenework-from-homesanctuary, ahavenformulti-generationalliving,oranopportunitytogenerate rentalincome,thispropertyaccommodates.

TOTALLYQUIET PRIVACY

Thishomeistailoredforvariedlifestyleswithmultipleentrancesandlivingareas.Adesignerkitchenflowselegantlyintoanexpansiveliving/diningspacewithvaultedceilings&fireplacelookingoutonromanticacreage.

Meticulouslymaintained3bedroomhomesituatedon 2.5sundrenched,pastoralacres.Entirepastureisfenced. MLS#2129212 $824,950

Thisthreebedroom,twobathhomein2,690sq.ft.is inthemiddleoftenacres,allconnectedbywidetrails.

MLS#2133379$1,075,000

ThisarchitecturallydesignedhomewithviewsofPuget Sound,MountRainierandcitylights.Fantasticlocation! MLS#2045981$1,675,000

ThisModernisthomeoverlooksQuartermasterHarborand Mt.Rainier.Sitedon7+acresofsun-filledprivateland. MLS#2136882$3,100,000

ThetimelessarchitectureofPeterStoner shinesinthisexceptionalresidence, situatedinthemiddleof9.68privateacres!Aquietlocation,yetthreeminutesfromtown andschools,thehome hasqualityfinishes andgenerous spacesthroughout—fourbedrooms,3.5bathsin6,000sq.ft. and anattachedtwo-cargarage, shop, andunfinishedcarriagehouse.Thehomecaptureslight,bringingtheoutdoorsin, at everyturn. SOLD REPRESENTED SELLER MLS# 2135184$2,100,000

Mary Margaret Briggs Heather Brynn Connie Cunningham Tristan Carbery JR Crawford Cheryl Dalton Nancy Davidson Beth deGroen Kathleen Rindge

Denise Katz Shirley Kinzer Dale Korenek Sophia deGroen Stendahl Sue Stinson

VASHONISLANDPARADISE

Twenty units will be reserved for households at or below 50 percent of area median income, with 20 more reserved for households at or below 60 percent of area median income.

Rents at CVV will range from$1,284-$1,541foraonebedroomapartment;$1,5411,849 for two bedrooms; and $1,781-$2,137 for threebedroom units.

Thesitewillalsocontain47 parking spaces for residents, in a lot fronting the property, close to Gorsuch Road.

A shared vision

The quiet property on Gorsuch Road where the projectwillbebuilt,ownedby longtime islander Mike Masi since 2005, has for decades been the site of a small trailer park. Masi also resides on the tidy, shaded grounds of the park where six trailers, includinghisown,arenestled inashadygroveofpeartrees, near a small, seasonal creek forwhichthenewprojectwas named.

His eagerness to sell his property to Shelter America, he said, had come from his desire to ensure that the property would always remain a place where islanderscouldalwayslivecomfortably and affordably.

“I realized how ideal it was for affordable housing,” Masi said,onarecentafternoonas heandBricsatoutsideMasi’s vintage single-wide trailer. “I hadtheland,thelocation,the watersharesandthedesireto do it.”

Bric, too, described the site as ideal for workforce housing — a tremendous need on Vashon that has only increased since he first entered into an agreement with Masi in 2015 to buy the property.

“An opportunity like this is like Haley’s Comet,” he said. “It only comes along once in 76 years.”

The project, first announced by CVV in 2015, has taken more time than

expected to secure financ-

ing,Bricsaid,butthroughout the wait, Masi had remained steadfast in his desire to see the property developed for affordable housing.

“He’s been a kind of hero in all this,” he said. “It’s pretty much unheard of that a land sellerwouldstayaspatientas Mike.”

In 2015, Masi and Shelter America entered into a partnership aimed at the eventual sale of the building to Shelter America — obtaining the required water shares and zoning needed for the development.

The specific parcel where theprojectislocatedhadtwo special development conditions as approved by King County,throughthecommunityplanningprocess,over20 years ago, Bric said.

One condition allowed for the development of 12 units per acre, and the second required development of “mobile homes and manufactured housing.”

In 2017, Bric said, that second condition was removed by King County, also through a community process, with the stipulation that the site could be developed only for affordable housing.

Bric pointed out that prior to 2017, either 40 mobile homes or manufactured housing units could have been placed or built on the site, with no affordability requirement.

“Affordability is now assured, rather than aspirational,” he said.

Help for current residents

For both Masi and Bric, it was important to consider thedisplacementofthetrailer park’s current residents.

Masi said that the greatest reward of his owning the propertyhadbeenhischance to live in a community with his tenants and see them raise their families.

Inthelastsixyears,hesaid, he has not raised the rent for those who reside there, charging rents between $580 and $830 per month.

In both the public meeting held to discuss the project,

as well as the fact sheet sent to the community, Bric said ShelterAmericahasengaged a national company, as required under the Uniform Relocation Act, to work with local landlords and agencies to secure housing for all currentresidentsofthetrailer park.

Morever, he said, these households will have a priority opportunity to move back to the newly developed apartment complex if they so choose and qualify for the housing.

Hilary Emmer, an affordable housing advocate on Vashon whose work is often conducted under the auspices of the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, said that she is one of the people who are workingonhelpingthefivecurrent tenants of the park relocate and that she supports the development of CCV.

“Each tenant is getting money to help pay the difference of what their rent was andwhattheirrentmightbe,” she said. “It is a set amount, but certainly very helpful.”

Community support and neighbor concerns

ManyonVashonhavelong supported Bric’s project, and are now cheering the news that it is finally being built.

“The affordable housing crisis on Vashon Island is

too great to expect an agency like Vashon HouseHold to manage alone,” said Jason Johnson, executive director of Vashon HouseHold. “We need partners like Shelter America and are thrilled that the Creekside Village project is moving forward. This community, especially the island’s workforce and seniors, need those 40 units of deeply affordable housing more than ever before.”

Morgan Brown, chair of the community council’s Vashon-Maury Affordable Housing Committee, concurred.

“As should be apparent to all, Vashon is in acute need of more housing, particularly the type of workforce housing that [Creekside] is goingtoaddress,”Brownsaid.

“This isn’t going to solve the problem – it’s too big, with tremendous obstacles – but with 40 units, [it] is significant. Vashon is fortunate that at least this project has managed to overcome those

obstacles.”

However, the project does have detractors: Saul Fortunoff, and his wife Weslie Rogers, live across the street from the proposed project, and both say they don’t believeitbelongsonGorsuch Road.

In 2018, Fortunoff created a Facebook page, No CreeksideGorsuch,whichincludes a detailed, three-page position paper detailing why he believes the site is wrong for affordable housing.

Chiefamonghisconcerns, he said in a phone call with The Beachcomber last week, was his conviction that increased foot and car traffic on the road could lead to serious accidents and that the driveway to the parking lot was on a blind corner at the bottom of a hill.

This contention has been disputed by Bric, who said that careful engineering has evaluated the safest access to and from the site, with an emphasis on clear sightlines

of directional traffic entering and exiting the property. Fortunoff and Rogers both said they understood the need for affordable housing on Vashon, and have long volunteeredforsocialservice causes on Vashon.

“The idea is good, but [the development] is in the wrong place,” Fortunoff said. “The property is absurd for development.”

At the virtual meeting held on Aug. 7, two other neighboring residents asked if a sidewalk on Gorsuch Road could be incorporated into the plan, saying that many more neighbors would support the project if this were the case.

But 11 other islanders spokeupwithstrongsupport of the project.

“I wish I did live closer to it,” said islander Merrilee Runyon. “We badly need affordable housing on Vashon and this project is very respectful of the land and the community.”

•Acupuncture,ElectroAcupuncture,andAcupuncture withinjections.

•Dietandfeedingconsultations.

•ChineseandWesternherbs.

•Nutraceuticals.

•OzoneTherapy.

•Adjunctivecancertherapy.

• Homeopathyandhomotoxicology.

•BachFlowerRemedies.

• Wellnessexamswithminimal vaccines.

• Non-anestheticdentalswith AnimalDentalCare.

Callforanappointment: (425)885-4500

EnlightenmentinSouthernIndia,personallyguidetheteachings throughvideosespeciallycreatedforthiscourse.

A project concept rendering of Creekside Village on Vashon.

School district announces leadership changes

By Elizabeth Shepherd editor@vashonbeachcomber.com

The Vashon Island School District has announced three key staffing changes in the district.

Thomas Elliott

The first is the sudden departure of Thomas Elliott, who for the past six years has served as the director of the district’s LINKS programs, which offer alternative learning programs for homeschooled and other students not attending the district schools.

In his letter to families and students, Elliot wrote that only last week, an opportunity had opened for him to return to teaching math at another school.

“Teaching makes my heart sing, and I miss it,” he said, adding that he was sad to leave the learning community of LINKS.

Superintendent Slade

McSheehy praised Elliot, saying he had shown “tireless care and unparalleled commitment to fostering a nurturing environment [which has] not only transformed the lives of countless

students but also inspired his colleagues.”

The district, he said, would work closely with LINKS staff and Vashon High School administrators to determine a transition plan for the program’s leadership. Vashon High School principal John Erickson also serves as principal for the LINKS programs.

Anders Blomgren

Anders Blomgren, a longtime teacher and coach in the school district, has been named as the district’s new athletic director, replacing Andy Sears, who resigned from the post last year and has now moved off the island with his family.

Superintendent Slade McSheehy said Blomgren was hired after a lengthy search.

“The process made it clear that [Blomgren’s] skill set, disposition and background make him the best fit for the significant demands of the position,” McSheehy said, in an announcement made by the district on Aug. 20.

Blomgren grew up on Vashon and has been an educator in the school district for 23 years, teaching subjects including English, creative writing, weight training, PE, healthy living, and more. He’s also supported many athletic programs at McMurray Middle School and Vashon High School throughout the years.

Along with his brother, Per Lars Blomgren, Anders is best known for his work in building a highly respected and successful wrestling program on Vashon over the years.

In a 2019 Beachcomber article, detailing the brothers’ long list of accomplishments in coaching and mentoring youth, parents of Vashon High School wrestlers gave high praise to both Anders and Per Lars.

“It is hard to overstate what the Blomgren family has done for the Vashon wrestling community,” Cheryl Pruett, owner of Pandora’s Box, whose twin sons Chester and Clyde both wrestled with the brothers, said. “They have instilled a love of the sport, but more importantly than that, they have taught at least 1,000 kids what a strong work ethic looks like, how to be humble and gracious, how to be a good teammate and what true sportsmanship really looks like.”

Anders’ coaching experience, McSheehy said, began as a college student coaching wrestling at Simon Fraser University and Pacific Lutheran University.

Nels Langauer

Nels Langbauer, an islander, will join the district staff in a new, one-year role, as Dean of Students and Administrator Intern.

By Alex Bruell Reporter

Monday marked the beginning of the attempted murder trial against James Kevin Warren, an Island man accused of the stabbing of fellow Islander Duncan Mayshark in February.

Warren is charged with first-degree attempted murder in the King County Superior Court. He faces trial in Seattle.

King County prosecutor’s office spokesperson Douglas Wagoner estimated Tuesday morning that testimony may start in the case the week of September 5, with closing arguments likely taking place around September 12 or 13.

In court documents, prosecutors say Warren committed “a brutal and prolonged assault,” stabbing Mayshark around half a dozen times with a large kitchen knife and causing him to lose about half a gallon of blood.

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) received a 911 call from a neighbor of

The position, said McSheehy, is not a paid or permanent position. Rather, Langauer will serve the district as he completes over 1,360 hours of service as he fulfills his requirements to graduate from the UW Danforth Educational Leadership Program.

Langbauer, a current Vashon resident whose family has long resided on Vashon, comes to his new role from Hillsboro High School in Oregon, where he was a dean of students for two years and a special education teacher for three years. As a classroom teacher, he taught special education, alternative education, and Spanish to all age levels in Central California before working in Oregon.

Prior to starting his teaching career, Nels was an outdoor guide and instructor in California and throughout Latin America. His studies and work during this time allowed him to become trilingual in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. He is now very happy to live on Vashon full-time, said McSheehy, and thrilled to be serving the Vashon Island School District in his internship.

Classes starts at district schools on Aug. 30.

the victim on Feb. 9 reporting a stabbing in the 19000 block of 87th PL SW, in the Fir Ridge neighborhood of Vashon. At the neighbor’s house, deputies found the 35-year-old male adult victim with multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and arms.

According to the court documents, Mayshark came to his neighbor’s house, bleeding profusely, and told the neighbor that Warren had stabbed him.

Mayshark was airlifted via helicopter to Harborview Medical Center, and

said that someone a couple of weeks ago accessed the Thai restaurant through an unsecured window, took several hundred dollars’ worth of liquor, a pair of wireless speakers, and left.

received a blood transfusion during his helicopter ride.

According to documents, a search warrant was drafted for the victim’s residence, and blood, a bloody knife and a bloody hammer were found in the residence, along with a bag containing what the investigators believed to be narcotics containing fentanyl. Warren was arrested on Vashon at around 4 p.m. that day.

In the criminal justice system, defendants like Warren are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Altogether, it wasn’t that bad, Schwaegler said; the liquor and speakers have been replaced already, and it taught him to better secure one of the windows into the business.

“We feel blessed and fortunate to be living and operating a business on Vashon Island,” Schwaegler said.

It’s the first break-in they’ve had since opening in 2012 — and for Schwaegler, ironically, a reminder of how blessed he really is.

“We’ve just moved past it completely,” he said. “Because, again, what are we talking about? A total of 600, 700 bucks? In my opinion, it’s a pretty low price to pay to live in an otherwise pretty stable community.”

Enjoygreatfood,toetappinglivemusicandthe companyofourresidents,familiesandstaff.

Don’t miss the fun aswe enjoyan old-fashioned family stylebarbecue featuring manyfavoritesummer dishes. Comereadytomake newfriends asyoutourourbeautiful, one-of-kind community Enterour raffle to windoor prizes. CalltoRSVPorlearnmoretoday.

May Kitchen and Bar co-owner Tom Schwaegler

ELIZABETH SHEPHERD PHOTO

A house in Vashon’s Fir Ridge neighborhood, on the block where deputies say the crime took place, was sealed off with crime tape the afternoon of the arrest.

COURTESY PHOTO Anders Blomgren has been named the new athletic director of the Vashon Island School District.

Shoreline salmon fishing open through rest of August on Vashon

By Alex Bruell Reporter

Shoreline anglers have until Aug. 31 to fish for pinks and coho salmon in Marine Area 11, which includes all of Vashon Island.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) lifted fishing restrictions in the area for those fish earlier this month.

Salmon fishing is open daily through Aug. 31, from the shoreline only, for pinks and cohosalmonreturningtothe South Puget Sound.

Angling from a floating device other than a dock or pier attached to shore is prohibited. The daily limit is two salmon, with no minimum size. Anglers must release all Chinook and chum.

Marine Area 11 will reopen for salmon fishing from vessels Sept. 1 - 30, with similar restrictions: Pinks

and coho only, a daily limit of two salmon with no minimum size, and Chinook and chum must be released. That doesn’t affect the planned Oct. 1-31 salmon fishery.

The Marine Area 11 summer Chinook fishery began on July 1 and was closed on July 15 due to high sublegalencounters,according to WDFW.

“Re-opening Marine Area 11 in July and August would have led to an early closure of coho, pink, and chum salmon fisheries through the rest of the year due to unmarkedChinookimpacts,”

WDFW said in an explanation of recent angling restrictions, choosing to reopen “to shore-based fishing only, which allows for coho and pink opportunities without adverselyimpactingChinook stocks.”

The Vashon Sportsmen’s Club had to cancel its Frank Matsumotofishingderbythis

year,clubPresidentMikeWitt said in an email, due to a lack ofconcreteseasondatesfrom WDFW.

It’sbeen“exceedinglychallenging” over the last couple of years to plan the derby, he said.

“The Vashon Sportsmen’s Club supports conservation and certainly understands the last-minute season windows, but the downside ofthematteristhatitimpacts our ability to offer the derby,” Witt said.

Marine Area 11 stretches from the northern tip of Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows bridge, covering the waters of the Puget Sound in between. Public fishing piers include the Dockton Park Pier on Maury Island and the Point Defiance Marina Boathouse, a short walk from the PointDefianceferryterminal. For full details, visit wdfw. wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ emergency-rules.

An angler casts a line in this courtesy photo from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

One community, one response

Acommunitynewspaperis,byitsnature,aroughdraftof thehistoryofaparticularplacethatislaiddownweekafter week, month after month, and year after year.

Butsometimes,ifyou’reluckyasajournalist,andyoustick with a story long enough, you get to write about how the whole thing turned out.

Such was the case at The Beachcomber this week, in our“Vashon’slowCOVIDratesuccessgetsnoticed,”about a new peer-reviewed study that examines why Vashon achieved a COVID rate 70 percent below King County.

The study also showed that our island had far few cases and hospitalizations than south Whidbey communities — placesbothdemographicallyandgeographicallysimilarto Vashon.

So where did Vashon go right?

As it turns out, we were actually prepared for the catastrophiceventofCOVID—notthatwehadplannedspecifically for that prolonged public health crisis.

We’d actually planned for an earthquake.

A nonprofit, FEMA-sanctioned disaster preparedness organization, VashonBePrepared, was established in 2007 — years after islanders led by retired three-star general Joe Ulatoski,advocatedandorganizedforsuchagrouptoexist.

Hereonourferry-dependentisland,itseems,smartand well-connected people have always been thinking about whatmighthappenifcatastrophestruck.Ifthecatastrophe was big enough, affecting a wide region, Ulatoski and his band of early organizers knew, Vashon would be left on its own.

But even before Ulatoski marshaled the forces that would later become the coalition of organizations making up VashonBePrepared, islanders had banded together to prepare — forming citizen corps, operating ham radios, and organizing nascent CERTs (Community Emergency Response Teams) and NEROs (Neighborhood Emergency Response Organizations).

All that training and planning, and all that communitymindedness,cameintoplayinMarchof2020whenaglobal health crisis arrived on our doorstep.

VashonBePrepared—anditsaffiliatedEmergencyOperations Center (EOC), CERT, NERO and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) — sprang into high gear. It wasn’t an earthquake, but our world, here on Vashon, was shaken nonetheless,andinmanyways,wewereverymuchonourown.

Vashon was beyond fortunate that all these groups were ably led in that time by, frankly, heroic figures — Rick Wallace, Vicky De Monterey Richoux, Jan Milligan, Dr. Jim Bristow, and his MRC co-leaders — a group with 100 combinedyearsofexperienceininternalmedicine,pediatrics,infectiousdisease,pediatrics,immunologyandmolecular diagnostics.

We were fortunate, too, that our fire chief at the time, Charles Krimmert, stood solidly behind all these groups, servingastheIncidentCommanderofVashon’sEmergency OperationsCommittee(EOC)andsupportingitsworkfrom day one.

One community, one response.

Andunifiedresponse,asitunsurprisinglyturnedout,was thebestwaytobattleCOVID—andthepeer-reviewedstudy that we have detailed in our article this week proves that.

Here at The Beachcomber, we are proud that we helped play a part in the response, leaning in, from the start of the crisis, to center our coverage of COVID around the efforts of VashonBePrepared.

The organization’s saturation messaging campaign told thetruenewsofthepandemic’simpactonVashon—detailing current local cases and hospitalizations, risks, closures, outbreaks, mandates from the county, state and federal government, and above all else, the resources available to islanders to fight back.

All of this information belonged in the local newspaper, week after week.

Seeing the measured results of VashonBePrepared’s work during the past three three years is moving, from this vantagepoint.Ithelpsusrememberatimeofprolongedand profoundcrisisinourcommunity,andhowall11,000ofus managed to meet the challenge, one day at a time.

“We sometimes say the most important word in public healthispublic—andthat’swhathappenedhere,”Bristow said. “…Our neighbors pulled together as a community to take steps to protect themselves and each other. That requiredeveryonetomakepersonalsacrificestokeepeach othersafe,andourcommunitywasalmostuniquelywilling todothat,”hesaid.“Eventhreeyearslater,itstillamazesme.”

Editor’s note to readers

The Beachcomber strives to include all points of view on its opinion pages. We also strive for accuracy but cannot vouch for the veracity of all statements of fact contained in commentaries and letters to the editor. Time does not always permit our small staff to extensively fact-check these contributions to our newspaper.

Community Council is seeking board members like you

Our precious island community has no municipal government.

WedependonKingCounty and Washington State for zoning, public roads, laws, and enforcement of those laws.

King County is massive, so it is often difficult to find the right person to address a question or complaint, let alone solve an issue. That is why our island created the volunteer-runVashon-Maury Community Council.

In one form or another, there has been a community counciltohelpaddressisland needs for most of the last 100 years. Currently, the council has 615 people on its mailing list and over 250 voting members.

But we are in dire need of communityleaderstostepup andbecomeboardmembers.

ThemissionoftheVashonMauryCommunityCouncilis tohelpthepeopleofVashonMaury Island address island issues. The Council operates as a participatory, nonpartisan forum, sometimes referred to as a “town meeting,” and can create specific committees to study and addressspecificIslandneeds.

The council aims to represent the interests of the Vashon-Maury community to King County and other governmentandnon-governmental organizations in lieu of a municipal government.

Early on, the Council helped to stop illegal developments and an apartment complex rezone; helped establish the island’s local bus service; instigated dock repairs and improved ferry service; and assisted the County in conducting its Comprehensive Land Use and Zoning Study.

Many of our key island

organizations began as ideas – then committees – of the community council, before spinning off on their own.

The Groundwater Protection Committee, Vashon Household, and initial support for the Vashon Parks District are afewofthemostwell-known.

Atonepoint,theCommunity Council rented a passenger ferry and took islanders to Olympia to protest poor service by Washington State Ferries.

Most recently, the council has been instrumental in the installationofthesturdymetal garbage cans you have seen

in Vashon town, the organizing of help and support for our beleaguered Post Office, andasternrecommendation against allowing developers to pay a fee to King County sotheycanbuildmarket-rate housinginsteadofaffordable housing.

There is more the council can do. Much more. But as a matter of capacity, we need your help. We need islanders to serve on the board to help innovate and lead, and we needtoincludemorediverse voices to make sure we’re truly representing the interestsofourwholecommunity. No formal experience is required, just a willingness to serve.

To learn more, attend a meeting, take a look at our websitev-mcc.org,andaskto meetwithaboardmemberto find out more.

Welookforwardtohearing from you – soon.

The authors are members of the board of directors of the Vashon-Maury Community Council: President Diane Emerson, Vice President; Debra Gussin, Treasurer John Affolter;CorrespondingSecretary Jessica Anakar, At Large Member Ben Carr.

How Vashon’s recycling program made itself redundant

the dedicated folks at Zero Waste Vashon (notably Will Lockwood and Steve Bergman) we teamed up with the Food Bank as a way to maximize the usage of their truck by having it full in both directions of their weekly food runs.

A crew of extraordinary volunteers was signed up to operate our “First Sunday” monthly collection events.

We are thrilled to announce that we are redundant.

Our First Sunday Styrofoam and Plastics collection program began in January 2019 as a way to provide a service that did not exist on the island.

Many of us had known about StyroRecycle in Kent or the transfer station in Tacoma and had been shlepping our light-as-air nuisance packing material therewhenrunningerrands. I was one of those people and decided to see what could happen if we put our loads together.

Jacquie Perry joined in, and in partnership with

■ AQUACULTURE

Next, I discovered that there were many small companies in the region that recycled individual types of plastic items: polyethylene foam, urethane foam, rigid polystyrene — and for a while, we collected and sorted these and our drivers drove all over the Kent Valley delivering these assorted goods.

Then we would stop at NorthwestHarvestandFood Lifeline to fill up the truck for the Food Bank and head home.

We found an incomparable home base at the Sheffield Building. The owner, Tom Bangasser, became our chief supporter.

Kelp farms have no business on Vashon shores

The article on proposed kelp farms on Vashon written expertly by Leslie Brown(Aug.17Beachcomber),pointed out many complex and confusing details.

No one wants to risk any harm to whales in any way shape or form. And do we really want to be kayaking through buoys? Lights flashing in serene settings? Boats chugging in the waters to facilitate kelp harvesting?

But the biggest concern I have is that these are proposed profitable businesses on property they do not own.

The Salish Sea belongs to our Indigenous ancestors and all of us who share this beautiful island. Would we allow a specialized marijuana farm to be placed in Island Center Forest? A specialized Christmas tree farm in the woods of Ober Park?

Not very likely no matter how much the businesses purported to add to the public good, or share their research about the future they claim to improve. Thebestreasontonotallowthesefarms

Stephen Bogan

A big change occurred when I learned about DTG Recycle, which made an alternative fuel for the cement industry. So we contracted with DTG Recycle, and with this addition, we became the only post-consumer general plasticsrecyclingprogramin the country. With a couple of notable exceptions (PVC and fiberglass), if it was hydrocarbon-based, we took it.

What began as a personal experiment grew into a weekly plastics collection event, each run by a team of 10-30 volunteers.

We are all so proud of this: proud of our volunteers, of our community for showing up, of the enormous amount of plastics we have diverted from the landfill. In the last two and a half years alone, our tiny program has diverted over a hundred tons of plastics and 3000 cubic yards of styrofoam from the Cedar Hills landfill.

This is with the participation of 10 percent if the island’s households —over

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Article lacked expert voices

I was surprised that Leslie Brown’s articleonkelpfarminglackedthebasics that would have made it more enlightening and authoritative. She allowed thekelpfarmers,somewaterfrontpropertyowners,andSoundActiontoframe the issue according to their agendas. Where was any background information on marine mammal entanglement? Where was any corroboration or refutation by experts, of whom there are many in our region? I am left with little more than a “he said/she said” story controlled by vested interests on both sides of the issue. Brown could have reached out to NOAA Marine Fisheries staff in Seattle that oversees the protection of orcas. It’s unclear whether she reached out to David Bain, an independent researcher associated with Sound Action, but his opinions are out of step with other whale researchers on this matter. So why did she not interview the premier local organization, the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor? Why not also interview tribal fisheries experts?

At the very least, she could have cited the appendices of the permit that are requiredinordertodocumentenvironmental impact. I can attest that running the gauntlet of state and federal agency

600 per month. We are grateful for the generous contributions that have enabled us to maintain a donation-based system. I have always based the decision of what we collect onhavingaveryclearpathto recycling. Each downstream process has been vetted before an item is collected.

So it was extremely difficult to make the decision this summer to pause our collection of materials that went to DTG Recycle, which has stopped making its alternative fuel for the cement industry from mixed plastics.

For the last year, they have been sending mixed plastics to the Vancouver, Canadabased Merlin Plastics.

In some ways, this is better than the path to cement fuel because Merlin carefully extracts everything that can be made into hydrocarbon feedstock. So more material is actually recycled before it is made into an alternative fuel.

See RECYCLING, Page 14

and tribal review for this kind of permit is daunting.

Perhaps I am slightly jaded after decades working for Puget Sound nonprofits and environmental government agencies, but Brown missed an opportunity to ask certain hard questions about Nimbyism or using the plight of orcas to raise funds for Sound Action as primary motivators in objecting to the kelp farms. After all, are all the other environmental organizations asleep? The Puget Sound Keeper Alliance, just to name one. On the other hand, rather than let Amy Carey raise all the objections, put some of her own hard questions to Mr. Kollins and Mr. Spranger regarding their proposed farms.

Ken Pritchard

No kelp, no salmon, no orca

We all want our orca, salmon, and the waters of the Salish Sea to be healthy— no argument, right? For starters, we have to also agree that these are in precipitous decline and nearing a tipping point.

If you don’t own one of Tag Gornall’s colorful t-shirts advocating for plankton—a passionate campaign that he has waged for years, you are missing out big time.

NADINE EDELSTEIN

COURTESY PHOTOS

Vashon-Maury Community Council board members (top, left to right) Diane Emerson, Debra Gussin, (bottom) John Affolter, Jessica Anakar, and Ben Carr.

Science-based decision-making is critical to protect orcas

Last week the Beachcomber published a story exploring two commercial kelp farming projects proposed for Vashon Island. We applaud Leslie Brown’s work tackling a complex issue and wanted to provide moredetailonwhywereluctantly appealed the King County permit for the farm proposed for the Southwest corner of Vashon.

Sound Action has no goal of blocking kelp farming. However, given the imperiled status of the southern resident orcas whales and the entanglement impacts outlined below, we must be certain to get this right.

Kelpfarminguseslongline ropes set horizontally and vertically across a large area in the water. These ropes are seededwithkelp.Depending on the array, a 10-acre farm would be expected to have two to three miles of rope line installed when considering the cumulative total of all lines.

There is no question the introduction of longlines creates whale entanglement risk,somethingmultiplewild orca and cetacean experts testified to during our recent appeal hearing. The site and immediate vicinity for the proposed kelp farm at the south end of the island is documented to be one of the highest whale use areas in inland Puget Sound. The Southern Resident orcas regularly spend hours there in the fall and winter months, and individual humpback whales commonly spend weeks to months there. Transient orcas are also regular visitors. Whale use of the farm proposed near Fern Cove is different but still substantive.

When Sound Action first learned of the kelp farm proposals, we met with each applicant to share information on whale use and our entanglement concerns. We also provided detailed information to federal agencies and King County, including an entanglement comment letter and included reports fromenvironmentalandorca advocacy organizations.

The review process for these permits was troubling. At the federal level, ESA review was conducted by a third-party contractor recently hired to support aquaculture permit processing. Before this, they had no professional environmental work experience.

During review of the south-end project, the consultant accepted applicant-provided information regarding orcas that was clearly incorrect. The applicants said that the area was partofthesummercorearea for resident orcas, when, in fact, orcas are here in the

fall and winter, not summer. Stunningly, they completely failed to recognize humpback use of the site.

The County review process was also flawed. We were stunned to learn both proposals were pulled to the front of the review line after top management in the permit department received a communication, sent on behalf of the County Executive, to share he had become interested in kelp farming and was requesting a status update and information on the expected timing for permit issuance.

That communication came just days after staff from the Executive’s office met with the applicants, their joint consultants and legal teams.

The County also failed to evaluate the entanglement impact appropriately, so much so that a consultant hired by the County testified the entanglement information from orca and environmentalorganizationswasnot evenprovidedtoher.Instead, the County relied on the same incorrect whale information and flawed federal agency review.

Science-based decisionmakingiscriticaltobringthe southernresidentsbackfrom the brink.

Thereisnoevidenceshowing orcas would or could use echolocation to determine rope covered with kelp as an

object to avoid. During the appeal hearing, orca experts with decades of experience testified that orcas do not continually echolocate, and most significantly, there is nothing to indicate they would view rope lines coveredwithkelpasathreat.

And,ofcourse,humpback whales do not echolocate.

Further, orcas and humpbacks are attracted to kelp andoftenplaywithandinteract with the vegetation. This behavior has been observed so frequently that it has been dubbed “kelping.”

Both the permitting agencies and the applicants have pointed to a lack of any reported entanglement with aquaculture longlines in Puget Sound as evidence of low entanglement risk.

However,theyfailtorecognize that except for a small footprint experimental farm near the Hood Canal bridge — which is not in a common cetacean use area — there arenofloatinglonglineaquaculture arrays in southern resident use areas or at tidal levels accessible to whales in Puget Sound.

They also point to a lack of reported entanglement with kelp farming on the East Coast. But farms in that area are generally required to be locatedoutsidewhalecritical habitat and use areas. With this, an absence of reported whale entanglements from kelp farming in the United States does not reflect a lack of entanglement risk or likelihood. Rather, it reflects that farmsarecommonlylocated outside of whale areas.

Orcas can and do become entangled in rope similar to what would be used in commercial kelp aquaculture farms. As recentlyas last month, a transient orca was found entangled in rope off Camano Island, a repeat of a June 2023 entanglement event off Whidbey Island.

That entanglement of

humpbackandorcaareoften relatedtocrabpotlines,fixed fisherylonglines,orropeand buoy lines where the origin couldnotbeconfirmeddoes not negate or minimize the risk kelp farming presents.

A NOAA memorandum evaluating marine aquaculture interactions outlined that this type of gear was similar or analogous to aquaculture lines and that it would be appropriate to draw similarities as proxies when determining risks to marine mammals to inform regulatory and management decisions concerning aquaculture.

There has also been a suggestion that using tight lines will address entanglement, but this practice is a minimization measure at best and does not avoid the impact.Further,evenifataut line were a mechanism to prevent entanglement, there is no pathway for the rope to remain tight.

Longlines are designed to be taut at high water and significantly loosen at lower waterlevels,meaningthereis slack in the lines at anything less than high tide. Additionally, even when “tight,” the lines are free floating and held up in the water column with buoys. A cetacean instantly creates slack by lightly pressing down or pulling the rope.

Shortly after learning of these and other proposals, Sound Action began developing our “Hold the Line”

solution as a pathway to addresswhaleentanglement while simultaneously charting a course to support kelp farming as it emerges.

In a nutshell, there are financially and physically feasible solutions to prevent entanglement.

These include the use of non-entangling composite fiberglass lines instead of rope or the installation of sequenced sections of weaklink breaking points, placing growing arrays in shallower water areas outside of cetacean range, and using on or near-bottom cultivation instead of floating arrays.

Each practice is viable, and these breaking line/ weak-link supplies are readily available and inexpensive — something we confirmed by talking to

all the manufacturers and ordering the products.

Lastweek,duringadiscussion with a community member who is a kelp farm advocate, they shared that they could not understand why kelp farm proponents would not embrace these whale protections. We agree, and moving forward, it is our hope this win-win approach to create a unique opportunity for collaboration rather than conflict is brought to life on Vashon and that all the parties’ time in the courtroom comes to an end. As the executive director of Sound Action, Amy Carey helps to protect vital nearshore habitat and species — including wild salmon and orca — across the Puget Sound region.

ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE BEACHCOMBER

The Beachcomber depends on feedback and contributions from readers. We welcome letters to the editor and thoughtful commentaries from community members.

Send letters to editor@vashonbeachcomber.com. Letters must be signed and should be no longer than 350 words. While all opinions and viewpoints are welcome, letters must be factually accurate. We do not typically publish letters about business or neighbor disputes.

Commentaries, like letters, must be factually accurate in addressing matters of interest and importance to the community. If you have an idea for a commentary, please write to editor@vashonbeachcomber.com, to pitch your idea. Commentaries are typically 500-750 words, though in some cases, they may be a bit longer.

For more information, write to publisher@vashonbeachcomber.com and editor@vashonbeachcomber.com.

• FULLPROPRIETARY MEMBERSHIPS $309/monthlydues (waitlist)

• ASSOCIATEMEMBERSHIPS $105/monthlydues (availablenow)

• RACQUETMEMBERSHIPS

$60/monthlydues (availablenow)

• SUMMERSWIM PASS $950fortheseason. MemorialDayweekendtoLaborDay.

Amy&Cara GivingyouAnswers, Ideas,andSupport ForallyourRealEstatequestions

Nextinanon-goingseriesaboutIslandhistory

museumhours: wednesday–sunday1-4pm

2064637808

https://www.vashonheritage.org/

vashonheritage.org

10105swbankroad vashonwa98070

Q:“Weboughtaremodeledmanufacturedhomeoverfiveyearsago.Itwas allwecouldaffordonVashon.Wehaveslowlydiscoveredmanycorners werecutandalotofcover-upsweredoneduringtheremodel.Knowing everythingthat’swrongwithourhouse,willweeverbeabletosellit?”

- Remuddled

A: Goodnews,Remuddled!Yes,you will beabletosellyourhouse.Sometimescontractorsor homedo-it-yourselferscutcorners,uselowgradematerials,havenoattentiontothedetails, andcoverexistingdefects.Youhadaninspectionbyalicensedinspectorwhoisn’tallowed totakeanythingaparttoinspect,sosomecover-upswerenotdetected.

Kimmel’sGrocery

ByBruce HaulmanandMikeSudduth

Whenyou’rereadytosell,you’llfilloutaSellerDisclosureStatement(Form17).Thereyou willdiscloseeverythingyouknowtobedefective,broken,leaking,cracked,etc.You’llalso answerquestionsaboutrepairs,systemsandappliances,heatsources,environmental contamination,presenceoflead-basedpaint(ifbuiltbefore1978),septicandwell maintenanceandinspections,easements,wooddestroyingorganismsorpestinfestation, alterationsandpermits,ifany,plusaddanyotherdefectsintheblankareaatthebottomof theform.Ifyouanswereveryquestiontruthfullytothebestofyourknowledgeyourhousewill selltosomeonewillingtobuyitwithitsquirksanddefects.

Welove thesegreatquestions!Keepthemcoming,

InAugust 1924,C.G. Kimmelpurchasedan interest in thePetersen grocerystoreandthenew Petersen andKimmel companypurchasedthesoutheast corner ofthemainintersectionthat wasoccupiedbythePioneer MeatMarket andthebuildingnext toitusedbytheVashonAuto TransportationCompanyfora garage.Petersen andKimmelplannedto developandbuild anewstoreandbegantoclearthe siteand constructa“modern fire-proofstorebuilding.” WhatultimatelybecameKimmel’sShop-Riteoccupiedthat site untilKimmelopenedthenew Kimmel’sShop-RiteShoppingCenter(nowVashonMarket IGA)in1959. Themainintersection buildingisnowoccupiedbyUrbanBlooms, TheSwiftwaterGallery,andWomen Hold theKey.

It’sYourHistoryAugust24,2023 YoucanpurchaseBruceHaulman’s ABriefHistoryofVashonIsland

attheHeritageMuseumandattheVashonBookshop

ThisFeatureProudlySponsoredby: Tyler-VashonPharmacy TheMathewsFamily-VashonThriftway•Earl-IslandHomeCenterandLumber

-AmyandCara

eXpRealty: eXpisaglobalonlinebrokeragethat’spoweredbytopagentsandcuttingedgetechnology.

eXpisoneoftheworld’sfastest-growingrealestatebrokerages.Foundedin2009,wearenow in24countriesaroundtheworldwithacommunityofover88,000+realestateprofessionals, allconnectedthroughouruniquecloud-basedplatform,eXpWorld.

Sendyourquestionstoaskamyandcara@gmail.com

Allquestionsarewelcome!

AmyGreenberg-206-255-9388amy@amygreenberg.com

CaraBriskman-206-948-7734carab.realtor@yahoo.com

Rep’s new season will celebrate history, music and literature

By Elizabeth Shepherd editor@vashonbeachcomber.com

Vashon Repertory Theatre — the upstart company founded in 2020 by islander Charlotte Tiencken, has announced its expansive next season, to be staged in venues ranging from Kay White Hall to moreintimatespacesincludingthe Black Cat Cabaret and the North End Grange Hall.

The season has a literary bent — it features works of theater inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens,andbelovedNorthwestauthor Brian Doyle. But the season is also distinctly musical, historical and Vashon-centric.

It’s Vashon Isle

The season’s opening show, “It’s Vashon Isle!” starring Jeff Hoyt as none other than P. Monroe Smock, the editor of the Vashon Island News-Record, will run Oct. 13-15,atVashonCenterfortheArts (VCA).

In 1926, Smock — in a performance worthy of P.T. Barnum — took to Seattle radio airwaves with a one-hour “show” extolling the wonders of Vashon — creating, essentially, what might well have been the first infomercial ever created.

Smockpromisedgiftstolisteners who responded while introducing islandsingersandperformers,who threaded the broadcast with musical entertainment.

In “It’s Vashon Isle,” Hoyt will bringthisiconic1926radioaddress back to life on the stage of Kay White Hall.

Accompaniedbyhistoricimages rendered by Smock’s rosy oratory, Hoyt will also stage conversations with modern-day island guests for perspective on the era.

And, of course, there will be music from both the original

program and more recent odes to Vashon played by contemporary island performers — including Kat Eggleston, Steffon Moody, Members of the Vashon Island Chorale, The Filson Sisters, and many others. The show will serve as a benefit for the Vashon Heritage Museum and Voice of Vashon.

Edgar Allan Poe, The Poet’s Journey

This one-man show, featuring actor Bradford Farwell in the title role, tells the true story of Edgar AllanPoe’sambitiousideatolaunch aliterarymagazinecalledTheStylus that would exclusively feature the work of American writers.

The show will have two performances only, on October 28, at Snapdragon’s Black Cat Cabaret.

In 1849, a publishing house in

St Louis told Poe that if he could persuade 1000 people to subscribe to The Stylus, they would publish the magazine. With that incentive, Poe traveled to cities and towns along the east coast, offering his literary opinions and performing his poems and storiesinthehopeofconvincinghis audiencetosubscribe,atfortycents a month for one year, to The Stylus.

A Christmas Carol

A one-man telling of the famous Charles Dickens classic, starring renowned stage actor Allen Fitzpatrick, will be presented in two performances only, on Dec. 16, at VCA. In his show, Fitzpatrick follows in the footsteps of Dickens, who, a fewyearsafterwriting“AChristmas Carol,” began public readings of the novella, which he continued to

perform until the year of his death.

Fitzpatrick has acted at every major Seattle theatre; he was featured in 28 productions at the 5th Avenue Theatre.

He has spent 48 years on Broadway and in professional theatre, workingalongsidesuchnotablesas StephenSondheim,AndrewLloydWebber,HaroldPrince,JohnGuare, and Marvin Hamlisch. He debuted on Broadway in Les Misérables.

AmonghisothereightBroadway credits are “Driving Miss Daisy,” with James Earl Jones, “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Damn Yankees,” with Jerry Lewis, and “42nd Street.”

Still in Love with You

“Still In Love With You, A Tribute to Audrey and Hank Williams, Sr.” — written by Randy Noojin and directed by Charlotte Tiencken — will come just in advance of

Valentine’s Day, from Feb. 9-11, at the North End Grange Hall.

Based on the book by Lycrecia Williams,thismusicalmemoryplay follows the story of Hank Williams and his on-again-off-again relationship with his first wife, Audrey. The show features all the amazing songs that Hank wrote and sang during his turbulent life and career.

Vashon’sownJenniferPotterand Jon Whalen will breathe life and song into the couple’s passionate liaison.

Kissing the Joy as it Flies

A revival of “Kissing the Joy as It Flies, The Words of Brian Doyle,” adapted by islanders Mike and Gerry Feinstein and also directed by Tiencken, will be staged March 22-24, at VCA.

The show is a revival — the Feinsteins first unveiled this muchpraised production on Vashon in 2019.

Starring Kat Eggleston, Cate O’Cane, Jeanne Dougherty, David Mielke, and Paul Shapiro, the show is centered around the moving, comic, and insightful words of the revered Northwest author Brian Doyle, who published more than a dozen books and countless essays before he died of a brain tumor in 2017.

His work is renowned for elevating “the little things” of life into profundity.

Tickets for Vashon Repertory Theatre’s 2023-2024 season go on sale September 5 — all are general admission tickets, ranging in price from $18 to $25. Pay-what-you-will tickets, if available, will be available at the door for each of the shows. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit vashonrepertorytheatre. com or vashoncenterforthearts.org, for shows including “It’s Vashon Isle,” which will be presented at VCA.

Two shows remain at Concerts in the Park series

By Beachcomber Staff

Two shows remain at the Vashon Park District’s free annual Concerts in the Park series at Ober Park.

Bowie/Rex & His

Boogie Army

Bowie/Rex & His Boogie Army will take the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, playing the music of David

Bowie, Marc Bolan & T-Rex, Roxy Music, The Cars, The Kinks, Talking Heads, Joy Division and more.

The band features Dave Dederer (Presidents of the USA) and Tim Dijulio (Lazy Suzan) on guitars, Michael Musburger (The Posies) on drums, Billy Stover (Dusty 45’s) on keyboards and Jeremy Lightfoot (Danny Newcomb) on bass. With Feveyear as the frontman,

backed by singers Rhiannon Walther & Melissa Feveyear, the ensemble is complete. Opening for Bowie/Rex & His Boogie Army will be Maire Kennan, a singer and songwriter from Vashon.

Djeliyah Band

The concert series will conclude on Aug. 31, with the Djeliyah Band, playing West African music,

islanders Anna Hicks and Zoey Rice opening the show.

The Djeliyah Band fuses traditinoal Djeli music with modern Guinea music from West Africa. It’s orchestrated by multi-talented Djeli, Aboubacar “Boka” Kouyaté of Kankan, Guinea, West

Africa.

Boka connects the rich traditional music of the Djely people to global music, uniting the traditional Griot music, Afro beat and modern Guinea music.

The opening acts for each band are part of the Vashon

Events program, “New Voices,” aimed at giving islanders an opportunity to hear the latest additions to the island music scene.

A reminder: no dogs are allowed in Ober Park. Alcohol and smoking are also not permitted. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair.

The Djeliyah Band

COURTESY PHOTO

Theatre’s season opener,

Vashon Isle,” Jeff Hoyt will star in a re-creation of a 1926 radio address delivered by Vashon Island News-Record editor P. Monroe Smock, promoting the wonders of Vashon.

See How They Run

Drama Dock, Vashon’s venerable theater company, will present Philip King’s classic British farce “See How They Run,” running at 7 p.m. Aug. 25-27 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1, at Vashon High School Theater, at 9600 SW 204th St.

The play — “arguably the funniest farce ever written,” according to the British Theatre Guide — was originally devised and performed as a morale booster for the troops during the darkest days of World War II in England, before it

transferred to the West End and rapturous reviews in 1945.

The show’s madcap plot, according to a 2006 Guardianreview,“transforms preposteroussituation[s]into spiraling ecstasy.”

The play, directed by accomplished physical theater artist Christopher Kehoe, has a cast studded with local favorites, Drama Dock veterans and other performers who have appeared in Drama Dock’s all-British season this year.

Kehoe has performed onstage in over 50

productions with more than 20 theater companies, from classical Shakespeare to musical theater to new work.

He has a special interest in physical performance and ensemble-created theater.

The ensemble includes Chris Clark, Reed Harvey, ChrisBoscia,DavidBreyman, Catherine MacNeal, Alyssa Norling, Cate O’Kane, Brian Palermo, Bill Epstein, and Maria Glanz (understudy). Find out more and get tickets at dramadock.org.

Art Heart Soul Music Microfest

A lineup of five music acts will be the centerpiece of the Art Heart Soul Music Microfest, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Open SpaceforArts&Community.

OpenSpaceproducerssay attendees can expect a “very Vashon day-into-night of extraordinary music, lawn games, and the occasional roving acrobat, tumbler, or jester crossing your path.” The event will feature local food trucks, a community pub, and an all-local marketplace.

The acclaimed Sam Grisham Project — a tribute to the music of Jerry Garcia and Sam’s legendary father, David “Dawg” Grisman, will headline the festival. Other acts include David Gans, Marcus Rezak’s Shred is Dead, Rebecca Frazier GratefulStrings,andRaeIsla.

Camping on the grounds is also possible — find out more, reserve a campsite, and purchase tickets (on a sliding scale) at openspacevashon.com.

Jam in the Atrium

Heralded jazz

vibraphonist Susan Pascal will return to the free “Jam in the Atrium” jazz series from 1-3p.m.Saturday,Aug.26,in the atrium of Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA). During

the session, she’ll play with the Jam’s host, island bassist Bruce Phares. Pascal is lauded for her superb 4-mallet musicality and masterful

improvisationalskills.Phares said that the first two times she joined him in the Jam series were tours de force.

OurPractitioners:

• StephanieBarbee, LICSW Psychotherapy

• LoriKimmel, LMT MassageTherapy

• JenniferKeyte, LMHC PsychotherapyforAdults andAdolescents

• DennisLevin, LAc AcupunctureandTraditional Chinese Medicine

• Kim Newall, MALMHC CertifiedinEMDR info@kimnewallcounseling.com

• RemonyHenry, LICSW Counseling EMDR

• GretchenBurkholder, LMHC, ATR Psychotherapy ArtTherapy

• KarenHain, LAc,MAc,OM,LMP Acupuncture Manualtherapy

www.fullcircle-vashon.squarespace com

COURTESY PHOTO

Susan Pascal will join island jazz guy

Phares in VCA’s “Jam in the Atrium” series.

COURTESY PHOTO

A lineup of five music acts will take the stage at the Art Heart Soul Music Microfest.

Arts

From Page 9

“The amazing sound of her beautiful instrument reverberating in the amazing

space’s acousticsissimplysublime,

a heartwarming and ethereal sound of joy and euphoria,”hesaid.

Nick Vigarino with JD Hobson

Firey Northwest blues musician Nick Vigarino and opener JD Hobson will take the stage at 7:30

p.m. Sunday, Aug 27, in The Backlot outdoor event spaceofVashonTheatre.

Vigarino, a singer and guitarist inductee of the Washington Blues Society Hall of Fame and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, has performed across the

world.

“Nicktooktodismantling what was left of all sensibility with the skill of a surgeon and the impact of a wrecking ball,” The Bluesletter wrote of his talents. As New York’s Musician Magazineputsit:“Thisguy

kicksa**.”

Tickets cost $10 in advance, or $15 the day of theconcert.

Vashon Opera

Vashon Opera will soon present “The Marriage of Figaro” — Mozart’s classic comedy complete

with plenty of on-stage shenanigans set to geniuslevel music. The opera will be presented Sept. 15 and 17, at Vashon Center for the Arts. To find out more about the production and its acclaimed cast of principal singers, visit vashonopera.com.

COURTESY PHOTO. Nick Vigarino COURTESY PHOTO

The Sam Grisman Project

Scenes from Vashon’s COVID response effort in 2021: (Top left) Cosplay by a CERT member was part of the experience at the final day of Vashon’s testing site, and young Hazel Hernandez (middle) managed to giggle as her mother, Kaylee, helped her during a pop-up testing event at Chautauqua Elementary School, conducted by the MRC after an outbreak at the school. At a vaccination clinic at Vashon High School, student Payton Venturi (right) said hello to Jinna Risdal’s therapy dog, Rain — a welcome worker at vaccination clinics in the schools. (Bottom) VashonBePrepared’s drive-through vaccination site opened to high demand at Vashon Pharmacy in January 2021.

From Page 1

The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science (PLOS ONE), documents the grassroots work of highly organized teams of volunteers on Vashon, combining saturation public education and community outreach with home-grown volunteers who provided professional-level COVID testing, contact tracing, and vaccination.

“We decided to widely share the results of our research because what we all achieved on Vashon can be accomplished anywhere a community puts its mind toitandprovidestheneeded organization and support,” said Dr. Jim Bristow, a leader of Vashon’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the correspondingauthorofthestudy.

The efforts of Vashon’s MRC — led by a group of local doctors with 100 combined years of expertise and experience in internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious disease, immunology, and molecular diagnostics — included establishing a testing site early in the crisis, rapid contact tracing, and planning and implementation of Vashon’s mass vaccination campaigns. The mass vaccination campaigns were made possible through an innovativepartnershipwithVashon Pharmacy. In addition, the team also widely advised local businesses, agencies, andschoolsonCOVIDsafety

practices.

According to Bristow, the work of the nation’s 750 MRCs needs to be more widelyappreciatedandbetter funded.

“Our study of Vashon’s community effort suggests MRCs could be an enormously valuable resource whenthenationisfacedwith the next public health crisis,” he said.

The study used standard statistical modeling techniques to compare publicly availablestatisticsfromthree Puget Sound populations — Vashon, the similar communitiesofWhidbeyIsland,and the King County mainland.

“Whidbey is a similarly remote island setting that served as a control, allowing comparisonofthetwoisland community environments,” Bristow said. “Whidbey’s populationislargerandmore diverse than Vashon’s, but its southern communities are quite comparable to Vashon and had similar mobility during the pandemic.”

Theanalysisdemonstrates that while age and other demographic factors were reliable predictors of COVID ratesonthemainland,demographics could not explain the significantly lower rates on Whidbey and Vashon.

The authors speculated that islands tend to have a strong sense of community that other studies have shown can translate into lower COVID rates.

But a direct comparison of Vashonwiththedemographically and geographically similarcommunitiesofsouth

Whidbey found that Vashon

achievedsignificantlygreater successincontacttracingand vaccination.

As a result, Vashon had 30% fewer cases and 55% fewer hospitalizations per capita than the other island community.

Why? Bristow contends that Vashon was organized and ready, from the start, to confront the public health crisis in a unified way, in contrast to many other communities.

“Our experience suggests that the elements of success must be in place before the emergency arrives to be most effective,” Bristow said.

“In our community, we had the nonprofit VashonBePrepared and our well-practiced volunteer Emergency Operations Center (EOC), supported by Vashon Island Fire & Rescue. We also had our federally registered Medical Reserve Corps and a longstanding Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in place. That made all the difference.”

RickWallace,thevolunteer manager of Vashon’s EOC, described the wide-reaching public messaging campaign — begun at the dawn of the pandemic—asbeingcrucial.

A pivotal moment, he said, occurred in the first week of emergency activation when Fire Chief Charles Krimmert, serving as the Incident Commander of the island’semergencyresponse, ordered the transparent release of all EOC situation reports — documents typically used for internal briefings, said Wallace.

“That decision, made

within days of our pandemic activation, quickly went island-viral, and established areliableandcomprehensive sourceofinformationforour community,” Wallace said.

The reports — detailing current local cases and hospitalizations, mandates fromcounty,stateandfederal governments, information and advice from the Medical Reserve Corps and more — were available to islanders through a number of channels.

These included Voice of Vashon’s Alert Service opt-in email list, and several communityFacebookpages, Wallace said. He added that it was “incredibly valuable” that The Beachcomber began a weekly summary of the reports in the spring of 2020.

According to Bristow, the 11,000 residents of Vashon also deserve enormous credit for the success of Vashon’s unified pandemic response.

“We sometimes say the most important word in publichealthispublic—and that’s what happened here,” he said. “The vital pandemic information was there for everyone through a saturation public health communications effort. And our neighbors pulled together as

a community to take steps to protect themselves and each other.”

The study focused on the publichealthresponseofthe Vashon community, which was one of four core objectives of the island’s emergency activation. But food security, housing security, andeconomicrecoverywere the other important objectives under VashonBePrepared’s pandemic response umbrella.

Theseefforts,saidWallace, recognized the economic and social impacts of the emergency and their potential for devastating Vashon’s community life — peaking when the island faced 22 percent unemployment and 40 percent of the island’s businesses were closed or making no money.

Inresponsetothisunprecedented hardship, he said, VashonBePrepared established a community relief fund with over $500,000 contributed by island residents. Another $250,000 was addedtothefundbyleveragingreimbursementsthrough the King County Office of Emergency Management access to federal funds from the CARES Act.

The Relief Fund, Wallace said, went largely to support food,housing,andeconomic

recoveryeffortsbyanarrayof island nonprofits including Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, Vashon Island School District nutrition program, Vashon Maury Senior Center, Interfaith Council for Prevention of Homelessness,VashonYouth and Family Services, and St. Vincent de Paul Vashon.

The Relief Fund covered the cost of more than 25,500 meals, many of them deliveredtohomesandneighborhoods. More than 4,300 bags ofgroceriesweredistributed. Funding to the Chamber of Commerce Ask an Expert program made it possible for 400 residents to get expert help in filing for unemployment benefits.

Bristow, looking back now at what was accomplished in terms of pubic health on Vashon, starting almost immediately at the dawn of COVID and continuing through the many permutations of the pandemic, described the community’s response as selfless.

“[It] required everyone to make personal sacrifices to keep each other safe, and our community was almost uniquely willing to do that,” he said. “Even three years later, it still amazes me.”

The full study can be read at tinyurl.com/2s3truy3.

HaveyouconsideredjoiningtheVAC?It’stimetoprioritizeyourhealth,re-balanceyourlife, andfeelgreat!Cometakeatourandcheckoutourawesomefacility.

Wehavesomethingtooffereveryone:

•Pool,HotTub,&Sauna

•TrainingCenterRoom(Outdoorroomwithlargegaragedoorsthatopen)

•Cardio&StrengthTrainingMachines&FreeWeights

•FamilySwim&LapSwim

•ClassesonLand&Pool-SeniorFitness,WaterWalking,Yoga,HIIT,Pilates,Zumba,Barre, BellyDance,etc.

•1ON1PersonalTraining&Semi-PrivatePersonalTraining

Monday-Friday:4:45AM-9PM

(206)567.4600 Leeann@safesecuremoney.com

Saturday:8AM-8PM

Sunday:9AM-6PM

PHOTOS BY RICK WALLACE (TOP) AND MICHELLE BATES (BOTTOM)

By Alex Bruell Reporter

The State Department of Health has closed recreational shellfish harvesting at Quartermaster Harbor beaches due to unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poison.

The closure, effective Aug. 17, includes most species of shellfish including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates, but does not include crab or shrimp, according to the DOH.

Crabmeat is not known to contain the PSP toxin, but their guts and the fat in the back of their shell can contain unsafe levels, so crabs should be cleaned thoroughly and their guts and “butter” discarded.

Advisory signs will be posted at beaches warning people against collecting shellfish, according to the DOH.

Paralytic shellfish poison is a naturally-occurring neurotoxin created by some species of algae. Shellfish can eat those algae and retain the toxin,

notorious Exxon Valdez spill inAlaska—allwoefullydisregarded in the article.

and it can cause illness or death to humans when consumed in high enough amounts. Cooking or freezing the shellfish won’t destroy the PSP, according to the DOH, and its presence can’t be detected by visual inspection alone.

Symptoms of PSP poisoning include numbness or tingling of the face, arms and legs; headache, nausea, dizziness and loss of muscle coordination; or in extreme cases, muscle paralysis and respiratory failure. For mild symptoms, contact the

Washington Poison Center (800-222-1222) or Public Health (206-296-4774). If symptoms are severe, call 911 or have someone take you to an emergency room immediately.

The closure refers only to recreational shellfishing; commercial shellfish sites are monitored separately, according to the DOH.

For more information on shellfish safety and harvesting, visit: fortress. wa.gov/doh/biotoxin/ biotoxin.html, or call the DOH biotoxin hotline at 1-800-562-5632.

His resume as an internationally renowned marine mammal vet, saver of stranded whales, a catcher of whalekillers,whoestablished a central healing center for marine life threatened by the

Tag’s message: plankton are the very bottom of the food chain on which all marinelifedepends.Kelpare plankton.Ifwewanttoprotect orca, we have to focus on the real source of their decline.

Any view from Vashon shores might look peaceful,

but the truth is that we’re looking at a dying body of water. A primary reason is thelossofmostofourisland’s original kelp forests.

It’s been reported in this papernumeroustimes:orcas arestarvingtodeath.Chinook salmon populations are 80% of an orca’s diet and they are now listed as endangered, having dropped to as little as

10%oftheirhistoricnumbers. Habitat degradation is a key factor: after migrating from theirbirthrivers,juvenilefish congregate in kelp beds for protection from predators until they are grown enough to head to the open ocean. Therefore, let’s keep it simple: no kelp, no salmon, no orca. Both Mike Spranger and Mike Kollins don’t need themoney.Theyarenotsome evil corporation coming to Vashon to destroy — these are two fathers with children who are dedicating themselves to the health of future generations —including us. Let’ssupporttheirgoodwork with all possible haste.

Rondi Lightmark

■ PLASTICS Don’t forget “reuse”

FurthertoCeliaCongdon’s commentary about plastics use, consider the second “R” ofthewastereductionmotto, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

While,likeme,youmaynot beabletoreduceyourplastic use to absolute zero, you can

greatly reduce your plastics consumption, disposal and recycling by reusing such itemsasplasticproducebags, Ziploc bags, cling wrap, etc. simply by just washing and saving them for reuse.

Once washed and dried they can be reused dozens of times for dozens of purposes before they eventually wear out and need to be recycled orthrownaway.Forinstance, you can clean produce and bulk food bags and put them in your shopping bag for reuse when shopping at the market. You can also reuse these materials to wrap food for refrigeration or freezing.

This same philosophy can be extended to aluminum foil, waxed paper, paper bags andmostother“throw-away” materials, too. It’s easy once you start keeping “reuse” in the front of your mind before reaching for new materials.

Fred Sayer

Perspective from local dairy

We are Venison Valley Farm & Creamery. We

produce bottled milk, yogurt and cheese from our small herd of cows. One of the most common questions we get asked is about our use of plastic packaging. We would like to raise awareness about some of the challenges our small business faces in reducing our reliance on plastic.

The main issues are cost, facilities and labor. Singleuse plastic is sanitary and cheap. We are able to buy it in small lots from nearby vendors. Other forms of packaging are only available as massive bulk orders that require large upfront expenditure, expensive freight shipment, and a clean facility to store. Paper cartons require expensive equipment that must be housed and maintained.

Glass packaging, in additiontotheenormousupfront cost, must be collected and sanitized which would require substantial additional labor and expanded facilities as dirty bottles can’t behandledwithinourGrade A Dairy.

This map from the state Department of Health shows the area in Quartermaster Harbor (the red criss-cross grid) in which shellfish harvesting is temporarily closed due to high levels of paralytic shellfish poison.

Wildfire Prevention: Advice from Vashon Island Fire & Rescue

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) and VashonBePrepared have been receiving concerned citizen inquiries, asking if a Mauilevel wildfire could happen on Vashon.

VIFR has great advice pages that can help you take stepsnow,includingonethat describes the newly elevated Stage Two Burn Ban in place for the island. Find out more atbit.ly/VashonBurnBan,bit. ly/VIFRWildlandFire,andbit. ly/VIFRwildfirePrevention.

Could a Maui Fire Happen on Vashon?

“The loss of any property from a wildfire would be a disaster for Vashon,” said VIFR Fire Chief Matt Vinci.

“That’s why it’s important for VIFR and our island partners to be prepared. VIFR staff prepares every day for the next potential or probable emergency. Our preparations include disaster planningwithVashonBePrepared,dailyshiftstaffingthat allows us to cover fire and EMS responses, providing wildfire prevention education to the public, and maintaining a modern fleet of fire and EMS equipment that is ready for the next response.”

As explained on the wildfireadvicepagesontheVIFR website,theChiefpointedout thatthefireweathersituation on Vashon is different from what happened on Maui, and what happens every fire season in California or the eastsideofWashingtonState.

We don’t often have the hot dry east (Diablo or Santa Ana type) 60 miles per hour winds that blow fire-spreading showers of embers, suck humidity out of brush and trees, and turn even a small fire into a deadly one.

In addition, the island usuallyhasovernightcooling weatherandoceanhumidity that recovers fire fuel moisture levels. That’s why it has beenyears(since2016)since theNationalWeatherService last posted a Red Flag fire dangerwarningthatincluded theVashonfireweatherzone.

But Chief Vinci added an additional consideration for islanders.

“It’s important to understand that it would be more than an hour before additional firefighting resources would arrive by ferry from the mainland to help VIFR deal with a major conflagration,” he said. “Our islandlimited resources are the real wildfire risks that we face on Vashon. Numerous firefighters would be needed to stop a fast-moving, wind-blown fire.”

Even with the lower risks related to our local environment, there is still the risk of wildfiredoingmajordamage here.Thepotentialforafireto get out of control teaches us that citizen action is essential to help prevent a wildfire disaster. Everyone should take the steps described on the VIFR website to reduce the chances a wildfire will get started, spread quickly, and endanger their neighborhoods.

Be ready with a family evacuation plan

All island preparedness beginsatthehouseholdlevel. Expertsadviseeveryoneto figure out two potential ways to get out, by car and on foot, and one or more places to reunite.Practiceasafamilyto make sure everyone understands what to do, where to go, and what to take along in agokitthatyou’veassembled beforeyouneedittofleefrom a dangerous situation.

It’s helpful to work with your neighbors to share information and plans. That’s an excellent reason to sign up for one of the informal training sessions by

the Neighborhood Emergency Response Organization (NERO) program run by VashonBePrepared. Find out more at bit.ly/ VashonNeighborhoods.

If it becomes necessary to evacuateyourneighborhood, it will help if you know about the three levels of evacuation that might be requested by King County Sheriffs and VashonIslandFire&Rescue.

The King County Office of Emergency Management calls it Ready, Set, Go! Level One (Ready) is for you and your family to be prepared andgetready.LevelTwo(Set) is an alert that evacuation is likely on short notice. Level Three (Go!) is for immediate danger in your area so leave now.

Ifyouhaveacomplexevacuationplan(suchaswithlivestock)evacuateearlysoasnot to get stuck. Tune to Voice of Vashonat1650AMtogetofficialinformation,andencourage family and neighbors to sign up for the VoV Emergency Alert System at bit.ly/ VoValertSignUp.

Summer COVID Wave Update

So far, experts from multiple agencies say the new dominant variant of COVID does not appear to cause moreseverediseasethanthe variantsithasbeenreplacing.

The new mutation is EG.5, nicknamed Eris, and it now accounts for 17% of all COVID infections in the country. That’s a big leap in the space of a few weeks.

While the weekly COVID death rate has dropped below 200 per week nationally – the lowest weekly rate since the pandemic began – the COVID hospitalization

rate has been increasing nationally and in our region, reminding us that COVID is stilllurkingandcanmakeyou sick.Cautionisstillwarranted if you have risk factors.

Vashon Risk Level: Holding at Basic

The VashonBePrepared COVID Risk Advice Tool aggregates data in our exposure area.

That includes King, Pierce,

Membersofthe VashonSocial ServiceNetwork

DOVE Domesticviolence & sexualassaultadvocacy: www.vashondoveproject.org•206-462-0911

InterfaithCounciltoPreventHomelessness (IFCH) www.ifchvashon.org•206-643-5169

StVincentdePaul

www.svdpvashon.org•206-450-7577

VARSA Reducingyouthalcohol & substanceuse: www.varsanetwork.org•206-567-2647

VashonCareNetwork

www.vashoncarenetwork.org•206-473-8715

VashonHouseHold www.vashonhousehold.org•206-463-6454

Vashon-MauryCommunityFoodBank (VMCFB) www.vashonfoodbank.org • 206-463-6332

Vashon-MaurySeniorCenter www.vashoncenter.org•206-463-5173

VashonYouthandFamilyServices(VYFS) www.vyfs.org•206-463-5511

Alsocall211. KingCounty211providesthe mostcomprehensiveinformationonhealthand humanservicesavailabletoKingCountyresidents. Theinformationandreferralspecialistsareexperts inunderstandingeligibilityrequirementsofmany humanservicesystems.Mon-Fri8am-6pm.

andKitsapcountiessincethe island has ferry routes that generatethousandsofround trips daily to those mainland areas. The primary metric evaluated by the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps is the COVID hospitalization rate since that is very reliably reported by public health agencies, unlike the poorly reported home health tests, as discussed above.

At the Basic Risk Level, wear an N95 mask indoors

in public if you have been exposedtoCOVID,areatrisk forhealthorotherreasons,or liveorspendtimewithsomeone at high risk.

If you haven’t yet had a bivalent booster or you are over 65 and it’s been at least four months since your last booster, you’re eligible now.

Maintain good ventilation at home and at work, and avoid those with suspected or confirmed COVID.

If exposed to COVID, wear

a mask in public and avoid contactwiththoseathighrisk for 10 days.

Always home-test if you have symptoms. If you test positive, isolate for at least five days and until you test negative. Also check in right away with your doctor about treatment,evenifyoursymptoms are initially mild. If immunocompromised, discussadditionalprevention actions with your healthcare provider.

King County Office of Emergency Management advises three levels of preparation and action in its “Ready, Set, Go” plan for evacuation.

I was able to meet with the general manager of Merlin at the Washington State RecyclingAssociationConvention. But our conversation elicited morequestionsthananswers and made it clear that more editing of our collection needed to happen if we were to continue this pathway.

Inthemeantime,aSeattlebasedandnationallygrowing company, Ridwell, has been expandingitscurbsidecollection program.

At first, we had a small overlapinourcollectioncategories. As Ridwell has grown and as our list has notably shrunk,wearenowcollecting thesamecategoriesofplastic, andRidwellisactuallycollectingsomeofthematerialsthat

we can no longer accept. This is good news for all of us. As a business, Ridwell has the resources to manage this material at a much higher levelthanavolunteerorganization. And I believe that this type of service is justifiably fee-based.

But there are so many hidden costs in the plastics industry. Trash collection should not be one of them. The producers of these plasticsshouldberesponsiblefor theplasticwastecreated.Zero WasteVashonandZeroWaste Washingtoncontinuetowork on this front.

Wedevelopedseveralgoals during this program:

• Educate the community about alternative ways to manage plastic waste.

• Show proof of concept that people will change their habits involving plastic waste

management. People do not want to throw this material away.

• Collect data to share with King County Solid Waste in order to convince them that we have a viable market.

• Have King County Solid Waste(KCSW)setupacollection of styrofoam and plastic film at the Vashon Transfer Station.

• Work ourselves out of a job! We have now achieved nearly all of these goals.

It looks like KCSW will be adding styrofoam and plastic film to the options at the Vashon Transfer Station by the end of this year.

Between that and the arrival of the Ridwell program on the island, we have decided that our job of collecting styrofoam for the communityisredundant,and it is time for us to close down

the program. Asthisdoorcloses,itleaves more time for us to continue todevelopprogramstominimize the impacts of plastic wasteinourcommunity(and others)—focusingonmodels forbusiness,organizationand neighborhood collection.

I am also dedicated to figuringoutwaystomaintain asimilarrelationshipwiththe Food Bank. The model of full trucksleavingtheislandistoo good to lose.

Plastic recycling can be confusing. We are fortunate to live in a region that has access to plastic recycling. Many communities around the country do not.

These are thriving markets and are based on mechanical recycling methods, but there is a growing concern that these methods add to thealreadyphenomenalload of micro- and nano-plastics

being sent into our environment.Manynew“advanced“ recyclingtechnologies(pyrolysis and gasification) do not carry the burden of microplasticproductionbutrequire great energy input and have not performed as efficiently as expected.

Bothofthesestylesofrecycling plastics have benefits and problems and generate fierce controversies.

Thecommonthreadisthat we have been led to believe that recycling plastic (by any means) is the answer to the plastics pollution problem. Thiscouldnotbefartherfrom the truth.

Tostopplasticpollutionwe must stop making plastic.

We can continue to decide topurchasenon-plasticgoods whenever possible, and be awarethatalmosthalfofplastic production is for “single use,” mostly packaging.

Most importantly, we can help enact legislation that holdsmanufacturersresponsible for the end of life of the products and the packaging that they create. These so-called “extended producerresponsibility”laws are the next generation of tools at our disposal to help curb the massive production ofplastic.Pleasecheckoutthe helpful resources at beyondplastics.org.

Thank you for all of your previous and future support and involvement. Please contact me with comments, ideas or questions.

NadineEdelstein(nadine@ itwouldbeawonder.com, 206-235-8453), along with Jacquie Perry, Steve Bergman and the Zero Waste Vashon Team launched Vashon’s plastic and styrofoam recycling program in 2019. Photo by Terry Donnelly.

We fully support efforts to reduce plastic consumption; however, our livelihood relies

on plastic packaging to remain viable. If Vashon consumers were only buying milk and yogurt in non-plastic packaging, this island dairy would cease operation. We hope that plastic-free is just one of the factors you consider in

Inlovingmemoryof

“voting” with your wallet. Perhaps there are ways that groups, like Choose Plastic Free, could step up to help businesses like ours address some of the challenges we face in building a more sustainable and food-sovereign

Sister,Mother,Wife,Friend

InlovingmemoryofKatharine DayBunnell,whodiedathome onMay17,2023,ofanaggressive sarcomacanceroftheuterus.She wasthecompanionandwifeofDel Langbauerforalmost30yearsand belovedmotherofAmyCatharine GermanandWendellRossGerman. Shewillbedeeplymissed.

Katie,asshewasaffectionately known,grewupinIthaca,NY.Asa youngwomansheusedherathletic skillsincampcounselorrolesasa coachandwatersportsmanager, continuallyfindingsatisfaction andjoyworkingwithchildren.She kepthercampfriendsallherlife andalwayslookedforwardtotheir reunionsaroundthecountry.She graduatedfromCornellUniversityin1965withadegreeinArtHistory,during whichtimeshestudiedJapaneselanguage,artandculturetopreparefor her journeytoJapanfortheTokyoOlympics.

FollowingapostgraduatestudyinpotteryatTheSchoolforAmericanCraftsmen, shemovedtothePacificNorthwest.Intheearlyseventies,shehadtwochildren withherfirsthusband,ForrestGerman.TheylivedinSeattle,Washington.Moving toVashonIslandwasthenextlegofherlifeadventure,purchasingtheirspecial plotoflandandbuildingtheirhome.ShetooktotheVashoncommunityquickly, becomingaswimcoach,advocateandmakingmanyfriends.Beingamotherwas oneofthemostimportantpartsofKatie’slife,arolethatgavehermuchjoy.Shewas supportive,kind,witty,andasourceofinspirationwithhercreativityincraftsand pottery,andherloveofgardening.

Atage52,nowdivorced,sheearnedaMaster’sDegreeinOccupationalTherapy attheUniversityofPugetSound,andestablishedanewlivelihoodasanOT helping countlesskidswithspecialneedsinthepublicschoolsystem.

VashonIslandwasherhomeformorethanfortyyearsandshereveledinthe camaraderieofthecommunityandbecameanenthusiasticMahjonggplayerlater inlife.Shewasanavidreader,sailorandswimmer.SheandDelsailedintheSan JuansandalongthecoastsofVancouverIslandeverysummer,for20years, intheir Swedishsailboat“Ithaka.”

Katie’spoliticalinvolvement,lovefortheearth,herinvitinglywildgardens,and herloveandloyaltyforfamilyandfriendswereveryimportanttoher.Everybody whoknewherwasfamiliarwithherturtle,Boris,whomsheenjoyedgreatly.She haddeterminationandtenacityandwillbedeeplymissedbyeveryonewhoselife she touched.

ShewasprecededindeathbyherparentsHenryDetweilerandCatharine SterlingDetweiler,andhertwinsisterAliceRoyer.Sheissurvivedbyherhusband DelLangbauer;daughterAmyCatharineGerman(AdamWiener);sonWendell RossGerman(MeredithMoranGerman);stepsonNelsLangbauer(MariaCândida Langbauer)turtleBoris;brotherJohnHenryDetweiler(SylviaColeDetweiler); sisterMollySterlingDetweiler(DavidRobinson);niecesandnephews:Michael Case,SusanDetweiler,CorrellaDetweiler,CatharineRobinweiler,Noelle Lindenmann,andAlexRobinweiler.

Inlieuofflowers,pleaseconsideradonationtotheOrcaNetwork or Honor the EarthinKatie’sname.Asmall,intimatefamilymemorialservicehasbeenheld.

island. Thank you for your consideration and continued support.

Ben Scott-Killian

■ DOGS

Kudos to VIPP

Thank you, Phil Clapham, for your commentary in the Aug. 17 Beachcomber, about dog fostering and your commitment to the lucky dogs you and your wife

have fostered. It’s an important reminder for new and old friends of this community to think about fostering and caring for a dog who needs a pal or two to be in its life. Fortunately, since 1984, we’ve had the most dedicated group of people leading and volunteering for our Island nonprofit, VIPP (Vashon Island Pet Protectors). VIPP’s vision is clear –“No More Homeless Pets.”

The rescued dogs would, if they could, tell you that their lives are better because of their foster pals. Over all those years, numerous adoptions have taken place and I was one of the lucky ones to adopt Gracie, an English pointer mix, the sweetest dog I have ever owned.

If you love dogs and would like to help by providing a temporary home, please go to VIPP. org and click on the “Foster” tab for more information. Thank you!

Thal

Vashon

WILLOUGHBY GREENWOO y1,1933–August12,2023

WILLO GREENW UGHBY

WilloughbyGreenwoodbeganhernextjourneyonAugust12th,2023. Shepassedawaycomfortablyinhercozycabinsurroundedbyfamilyand closefriendsattheageof90duetonaturalcauses.

BornMay1st1933Willoughby’slifewasextravagant,amazing,andfilled withgenerosityandtravelthatstretchedtothefarreachesofeverypartofthe earth.ThoseofuswhowereBlessedtobetouchedbyherunderstandthather existenceandtheimprintsheleftonourheartsexceedthequantityoftime thatwasallotted.Herabsoluteunconditionalloveandsupportsheshowedso manypeopleinherlifewasunmeasurable;atruephilanthropistatheart,an amazingmother,incrediblesister,immaculatedaughterandtrulyloyalfriend tosomany.

WilloughbywasthetrusteeoftheRoyalLittleFamilyFoundationand throughthefoundationgavetremendoussupporttoanumberofcommunity serviceorganizationsonVashonIslandwhereshelivedthelast40yearsof herlife.Personally,shewasunfailinglygeneroustomanypeopleoftenhelping youngerpeoplewiththeireducationsincluding takingthemtravelingwithher.

WilloughbyissurvivedbyherbrotherArthur,hersonGalen,anddaughter MaraWyn,fivegrandchildren,andmany‘notherchildren.Shewillbemissed greatlyandrememberedforyearstocome.

Willoughbyaskedtonothaveafuneralbutacelebrationoflife wouldbeinorder.

Inthespringthefamilywillhaveacelebrationoflifetohonorher.

Jim Marsh (206)641-5027

Marjon McDermott (206)817-7437 Nancy

Len Wolff (206)300-7594 Nancy Wolff (206) 300-7392