The Science Café presentation in April is Amphibians: Local to Global Conservation.

Amphibians have risen to the top of the global conservation crisis due to basic aspects of their natural history and physiology, and an introduction to the global issues and features that make them vulnerable will be provided. We’ll also hear how the natural history of amphibians can be used to inform landscape analysis using GIS to better understand landscape level habitat conditions for amphibians. The analysis can identify potential migration and dispersal zones between wetlands and the results can be used to indicate where functional connectivity remains or has been lost to assist with identifying locations needing special conservation and restoration attention during land use planning. We’ll wrap-up by hearing about the very intriguing behaviors of our local amphibians and how these behaviors can inform actions all of us may take in support of their survival in our increasingly populated landscape.

To present and discuss this topic, we will have a panel of three speakers. Dr. Marc Hayes is a Senior Research Scientist for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Molly Levitt is a planner with Thurston County and will be speaking about her recent Master of Science thesis results. Joanne Schuett-Hames is a Conservation Biologist with WDFW who will be speaking on amphibian behavior, an area of research that is independent of her work at WDFW.

When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Where: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee House, 516 Capitol Way S. Olympia, WA, phone (360) 786-6717.

Batdorf & Bronson has three locations in Olympia. Science Café meets in the downtown coffee house on Capitol Way. On-street parking is available on Legion, Capitol Way, Columbia Street, and Water Street. After 6 p.m., there is parking available at Heritage Bank on Columbia Street between 5th and Legion.

Coming in May:

The Science Café welcomes comments and suggestions on topics, speakers, and how they can improve their meetings. Also, please feel free to pass this notice on to like-minded friends.

Science Café of Olympia provides an informal atmosphere where people both with and without scientific background can meet to gain a better understanding of interesting topics in science and technology. After a brief presentation by an expert in the field, the meeting will be opened to discussions. Science Cafés are found nationwide and are loosely affiliated with the U.K.-based Cafe Scientifique, an international organization promoting public engagement with science. The Sciencecafes.org website is produced by the Science Unit of WGBH in Boston in association with Sigma Xi. Support for Science Café of Olympia is provided in part by the Puget Sound Chapter of The American Chemical Society.

http://www.sciencecafes.org/event_pages/olympia.html
http://www.cafescientifique.org/

The Science Café thanks Batdorf & Bronson and its staff for inviting the Science Café into their delightful gathering spot.

The Thurston County Board of Commissioners has scheduled two public hearings at the end of March. The Board may take action at the conclusion of the hearings. The first of these hearings is regarding a moratorium temporarily prohibiting any new uses for the portions of Thurston County in Maytown. The second topic is one of significant interest to residents in the Griffin area: Cluster Development Regulations. We are uncertain as to whether the Maytown Moratorium will be covered in the hearing first, or the topic of Cluster Development regulations.

Date: Tuesday March 30, 2010
Time: Beginning at 5:30 P.M.
Location: Room 280, Building 1 of the Thurston County Courthouse Complex
Address: 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW, Olympia, WA 98502.

Cluster Development Regulations: The public hearing is to accept public comment on the adoption of regulations to limit cluster developments. Through these proposed amendments, Thurston County will consider making the interim regulations permanent until the County has time to make additional changes to the cluster development provisions. Contact Olivia Terwilleger, (360) 754-3355 ext 7544, terwilo@co.thurston.wa.us. More information: http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/planning/prrd/prrd_home.htm.

The web site of the Griffin Neighborhood Association has some material related to Cluster Developments, also called Planned Rural Residential Development or PRRD. Some details on our web site may be out-of-date, but it may give you some background on the topic. Click here to read that information page. The Thurston County Planning Department also offers current information regarding PRRD. Click here for the Planning Department’s information page.

Referenced ordinances, draft regulations, and maps are available at the Thurston County Resource Stewardship, Permit Assistance Center at the address below or online. Those wishing to testify should appear and be heard. If unable to attend, written comments maybe sent to the staff contact listed above by March 30, 2010, 4:00 P.M., by email or mailed to Planning Department, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Olympia, WA 98502. If you need special accommodations to participate, call (360) 786-5489 by 10:00 a.m. at least three days prior to the meeting and ask for the ADA Coordinator. Citizens with hearing impairments may call the TDD line at (360) 786-2933.

NEW WEB MAIL SERVICE:

Also, we ask that you subscribe to our new Web Mail service in order to continue to receive e-mail updates after April 15. The Web Mail service offers several advantages to the traditional way of sending out e-mails. The new service provides a secure way for residents to subscribe, unsubscribe and forward e-mails, and it makes the e-mail process more efficient and dependable for Thurston County planners. After April 15, e-mail updates will be sent exclusively to Web Mail subscribers.

Click here to sign up for our new Web Mail service.

Thanks, in advance, for helping us transition to the new system. We look forward to staying in touch.

Thurston County Planning Staff

UPDATE: From Futurewise, we received this email:

It’s time to permanently protect rural areas from sprawl.

In 5 days the Thurston County Commissioners will be asked to decide whether to make temporary protections to discourage rural sprawl more permanent. The Planning Commission and County staff recommends we keep protecting our rural lands – and we agree.

Please take a moment right now and let the County Commissioners know that you too support making the cluster development regulations permanent in order to protect Thurston’s water quality & quantity, reduce traffic congestion, and keep working lands productive. Click here to email your Commissioners today!

Background

Thurston County’s clustering regulations, and their rural density bonuses, have long created problems for Thurston County residents and property owners because they allow the overdevelopment of rural areas. In response to these concerns, the county eliminated the density bonuses in rural areas in 2004 as part of an interim regulation. Now the Planning Commission and Planning Department both recommend the County permanently eliminate the density bonuses in rural areas – and we agree.

The recommendation also includes other improvements to the county’s cluster development regulations which will help protect Thurston County’s rural character, Thurston County’s working farms many of which are located in rural Thurston County, help protect the water quality of Puget Sound and the county’s rivers and streams, and help conserve ground water resources as higher density rural development is typically served by wells.

On Tuesday, March 30 at 5:30pm, the County Commissioners are holding a public hearing to determine whether to adopt these recommendations. Please click here to let them know that you too support these efforts because they will help to permanently protect the rural character of Thurston County.

Thanks for all that you do,
April

To read the Planning Commission & Department’s recommendations, please click here.

As you may recall, Karen Valenzuela was appointed to serve on the Board of County Commissioners when Bob Macleod retired from the position. She later ran for and retained her seat, through the end of Bob’s term. Now she must run yet again, for a new term. Her campaign kicks off with an event next Thursday, March 18.

Thursday, March 18th, 5:00-7:00pm
River’s Edge, 4611 Tumwater Valley Dr., Tumwater
“Light food, good friends, and one great Commissioner. No host bar.”

Donations are appreciated! If you cannot attend this kickoff event but wish to help, you can contribute on-line at http://www.karenvalenzuela.com/

As Commissioner, Valenzuela has remained interested and supportive of the efforts of community members here in the Griffin area. This last Friday night, for example, she attended our fundraising party to benefit the Steamboat Conservation Partnership. Thurston Conservation Voters endorsed Karen Valenzuela when she ran successfully for Tumwater City Council in 2005 and Valenzuela earned their endorsement for County Commissioner in 2009. Click here for more endorsements she earned, in her prior campaign.

Local supporters ask you to please join them and help re-elect Thurston County Commissioner Karen Valenzuela: “See you on March 18th!”

According to the web site of the Thurston County Republican Party, Pat Beehler, who was defeated by Valenzuela, last November, is going to make another go at the office.

This month’s Science Café topic is “From ivory towers to prison watch towers: Research on rainforest canopies and its communication to non-traditional public audiences.”

When: 7:00 pm, Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Where: Batdorf & Bronson Coffee House, 516 Capitol Way S. Olympia, WA
Batdorf & Bronson has three locations in Olympia. Science Café meets in the downtown coffee house on Capitol Way.

On-street parking is available on Legion, Capitol Way, Columbia Street, and Water Street.

After 6 p.m., there is parking available at Heritage Bank on Columbia Street between 5th and Legion.

Our speaker is Dr. Nalini M. Nadkarni. She is a member of the faculty at The Evergreen State College and President of International Canopy Network.

Rainforest canopies foster tremendous diversity and complexity, but remain one of the most poorly understood communities on Earth. Using mountain-climbing techniques, construction cranes, and hot-air balloons, canopy researchers have documented the rich flora and fauna that live their entire lives in the canopy. My research in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula has shown that canopy communities contribute substantially to maintenance of biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and enhancement of wildlife habitat for the whole ecosystem. However, human disturbances such as forest fragmentation, air pollution, and global climate change, can have strong negative effects on canopy biota. To raise awareness of the fragility of forest canopy biota and encourage their protection, I have developed pathways to communicate results of my canopy studies to the public by creating partnerships with artists, faith-based communities, and incarcerated men and women. I describe this work as a potential model for other scientists to bring their research to the public and thereby become open to new perspectives on their studies.

Coming in April:
Amphibians in Western Washington
Presented by local Griffin-area resident Joanne Schuett-Hames, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife