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Camano Action for a Rural Environment
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Transition Study Group Meets October 26 |
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Written by Allison Warner
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Friday, 14 October 2011 08:44 |
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Have you wanted to learn more about "peak oil" and what climate change might mean for our Island community? C.A.R.E. has launched a new forward-looking subcommittee to look at ways to make our Island home more sustainable and resilient in the face of the global economic downturn, climate crisis, and "peak" oil. We will learn about "peak oil" and the climate crisis through readings by experts on the topic and learn how we can organize/structure our community to respond so that the impacts of the crises are lessened. Many positive efforts have been undertaken by communities worldwide and we will look at those and draw lessons for our community. We will use a book club format to study the Transition Handbook and other readings about climate change, creating resilient community and lowering our community carbon footprint. We have decided to meet at Clay and Susan Thompson's to start. We will have a potluck for each meeting and approximately one to one and a half hours of discussion, depending on the topic. Please join us for a positive experience. Meetings are the Fourth Thursday. This month, the Transition Book Club will meet 6:30pm, October 26, at 2188 Lowell Pt Rd- the last house on the right before the Camano State Park. |
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Puget Sound Partnership News |
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Written by Allison Warner
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Monday, 25 July 2011 19:39 |
What is the status of Salmon Recovery in Puget Sound? Puget Sound was once home to more populations of Chinook and other salmon with a greater diversity of traits than what exists today. Only 22 of at least 37 historic Chinook populations remain. The remaining Chinook salmon are at only 10% of their historic numbers, with some down lower than 1% of their historic numbers. The decline in salmon is closely associated with the decline in the health of Puget Sound and therefore requires a coordinated, ecosystem-wide restoration effort. Salmon recovery is guided by implementation of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, adopted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in January 2007. This recovery plan was developed by Shared Strategy, a grassroots collaborative effort to protect and restore salmon runs across Puget Sound. Shared Strategy engaged local citizens, tribes, technical experts and policy makers to build a practical, cost-effective recovery plan endorsed by the people living and working in the watersheds of Puget Sound. See the Shared Strategy website for additional information on the creation and materials of the planning process. Salmon recovery actions occur at both the watershed and regional scale. Each watershed has a unique set of priorities, strategies, and actions directing recovery, which are updated by their local policy and technical groups. Representative leaders from each of the 14 watershed areas in the Plan also meet as a regional body to provide strategic input for Plan implementation. At the regional scale, there is also an overarching set of priorities, strategies, and actions directing recovery. A group of policy decision-makers, called the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, meets regularly to develop guidance for implementation of the Plan and advises the Leadership Council on salmon recovery decisions. This group consists of representatives from each of the 14 watershed areas, the environmental and business community, indian tribes, and state and federal agencies involved in salmon recovery. Additionally, a NOAA-appointed Regional Implementation Technical Team (RITT) works with the regional and local groups to provide technical review and guidance for recovery. What is the Puget Sound Partnership Doing to Recover Salmon? |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 15 October 2011 11:03 )
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WHAT IS A TRANSITION INITIATIVE? |
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Written by Allison Warner
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Monday, 04 October 2010 09:29 |
What is a Transition Town (or village / city / forest / island)?Here's how it all appears to be evolving... It all starts off when a small collection of motivated individuals within a community come together with a shared concern: how can our community respond to the challenges, and opportunities, of Peak Oil and Climate Change? A Transition Initiative is a community (lots of examples here) working together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address this BIG question: "for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"
After going through a comprehensive and creative process of: - awareness raising around peak oil, climate change and the need to undertake a community lead process to rebuild resilience and reduce carbon
- connecting with existing groups in the community
- building bridges to local government
- connecting with other transition initiatives
- forming groups to look at all the key areas of life (food, energy, transport, health, heart & soul, economics & livelihoods, etc)
- kicking off projects aimed at building people's understanding of resilience and carbon issues and community engagement
- eventually launching a community defined, community implemented "Energy Descent Action Plan" over a 15 to 20 year timescale
This results in a coordinated range of projects across all these areas of life that strives to rebuild the resilience we've lost as a result of cheap oil and reduce the community's carbon emissions drastically. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 04 October 2010 09:37 )
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Island County Septic 101 classes |
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Written by Allison Warner
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Thursday, 23 June 2011 12:52 |
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Island County requires septic inspections every 3 years due to a new state law passed in 2008. As an initiative of the Clean Water Utility, Island County provides homeowners with conventional gravity and pressure systems to inspect their own septics, once they have gotten training which is available online and in classes you can attend. HOST - Septic 101 and 201 Classes for Island County residents are offered regularly again, thanks to the Clean Water Utility. Please visit the website for the online tutorial and to register for classes. http://www.islandcountyeh.org/Page/105. This informative class is the first step in giving you the knowledge you need to inspect your own system. Come learn how to properly care for your system, including what everyday maintenance tips can help prevent thousands of dollars worth of repairs. You'll also learn how you septic system works, when you need to pump your system, and what you should ask from your septic system service provider to ensure a complete inspection. Registration is required!. You can register online at http://www.islandcountyeh.org/Page/118, or call Island County Public Health at (360) 679-7350. (On Camano: 629-4522, ext 7350) |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 14 October 2011 09:22 )
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Island County Shorelines Master Program Update |
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Written by Allison Warner
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Tuesday, 24 August 2010 09:11 |
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Shoreline Master Program
Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas NEW! ISLAND COUNTY HAS COMPLETED ITS ISLAND COUNTY SHORELINE INVENTORY AND CHARACTERIZATION. IT IS NOW POSTED ON THE WEBSITE AND HAS GONE TO DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY FOR COMMENT. EACH SECTION OF SHORELINE HAS BEEN CATEGORIZED IN A DETAILED INVENTORY. YOU CAN FIND YOUR SHORELINE AREA, OR THOSE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WITHIN THIS REPORT. PLEASE GO TO THE COUNTY WEBSITE: http://www.islandcounty.net/planning/shorelines.htm PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT INVENTORY TO THE EMAIL LISTED BELOW OR CONTACT Karen Stewart at
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(360)678-2348
In 2010, Island County has begun its required update of its Shoreline Master Program and Fish and Wildlife regulations. A consultant has been hired and has begun to develop a community outreach plan. Several community meetings will be held in 2011 to help with development of the new regulations. As part of the grant tasks, the consultant will co-facilitate a community visioning process with County staff to include as many citizens as possible to determine goals for future use of the shoreline. The visioning process will identify shoreline problems, opportunities and management strategies. The information gained through the visioning process will guide the overarching strategy for shoreline uses, public access, resource protection, restoration and economic development consistent with SMA policy and SMP guidelines. The precise schedule and approach for this public outreach effort will be developed in the public participation plan noted above. The three year process is targeted for final adoption at the end of 2012.
These projects will require extensive public participation. In the future, the County will host a number of workshops for citizens to obtain information and provide comments relating to the update of the SMP and Fish and wildlife regulations. We are planning an educational meeting in January 2012 about the life of baby salmon in the estuary.
Please go to the county website for more info. There is a very interesting Department of Ecology Coastal atlas that has oblique aerials of the coastline at the shorelines link. All interested parties should email
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to be kept up-to-date with the most current information. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 14 October 2011 09:35 )
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