County’s Preliminary Development Code Docket Now Available for Review

According to the County’s web site, “The Official Docket of Development Code Amendments is a list of proposals for making changes to Thurston County’s development regulations.” Proposed changes are assigned a priority, on a scale of A (high) through D (low).

A summary of the entire docket is here. Both priority A and priority B are considered “high priority”. Of particular interest to residents in the Griffin area may be these high priority items:

Docket item A-2 would “Amend the Forest Lands Conversion Ordinance for Rural Areas”. This is contained within the County’s code section 17.25. According to the docket, “This could clarify and strengthen tree protection in rural areas of the County to mirror the on-going urban forestry effort.”

Docket item A-8 would “Clarify Expiration Deadlines” and would be applicable to many codes. “The code is unclear regarding expiration thresholds on approved projects, both built and unbuilt, most particularly on projects with multiple phases or buildings. Adding specific language to clarify that certain actions, not just moving dirt, are necessary to avoid expiration would improve consistency and predictability. Importantly, it would also avoid indefinite extensions after codes have changed. ”

Docket item A-13 would make revisions to the Critical Areas Ordinance in Title 24. “The new critical areas ordinance was adopted in July 2012. Amendments were made to correct errors, references and address issues brought forward through the implementation of the new critical areas ordinance. As staff continues to work with the new regulations, more issues have or may develop that need to be addressed in a timely fashion. Examples may include fixes to the prairie definition, geologically hazard area definitions, and issues regarding older nonconforming uses.”

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Steamboat Christmas Caroling @ the Grange! Saturday, December 13

Come join the Steamboat Community for our 3rd Annual Old Fashioned Christmas Caroling in the Grange.

December 13th at 2:00 to 4:00 PM

Along with the Griffin Fire Department’s Santa Sleigh!

Hosted by Restoration Home – Ingrid Olszewsky, Catherine Haag, and Heidi Sheffels.

2:00 Doors Open – Visit Santa’s Sleigh at the Fire Department
3:00 Candlelight Christmas Singing inside the Grange

Hot cider, hot chocolate, cookies and light appetizers.

Any donations will go to our Community Outreach Program which will help local families in need this Christmas season.

We look forward to seeing you!

Free “Naturescaping” Class, Thursday November 20

Click on the image for a larger version.

The WSU Extension Native Plant Salvage Project and Stream Team Program are sponsoring a free “Naturescaping for Water & Wildlife” class this Thursday, 6 PM to 9 PM at the Tumwater Fire Hall.

Topics in this class include:

  • Planting for four-season interest
  • How to attract birds, butterflies, & amphibians
  • Landscaping for tricky areas, including slopes
  • Easy ways to minimize lawn area
  • Water-wise ideas for your landscape
  • How simple changes can save time and money

“Naturescaping for Water & Wildlife”
Thursday, November 20
6 PM to 9 PM
Tumwater Fire Hall
311 Israel Rd. SW, Tumwater

Register online at www.streamteam.info

Questions? Contact nativeplantsalvage@gmail.com or (360) 867-2167.

Griffin/Steamboat Peninsula Joins Nextdoor

nextdoor-harris-infographic-final

Click the image to view a larger version

Local residents have created an online “neighborhood” for the Griffin area on the web site Nextdoor.com. Over 37,000 other communities use Nextdoor across the U.S. to provide a way for neighbors to communicate online in a safe environment. There are a number of Nextdoor neighborhoods right here in Thurston County, including Boston Harbor, McLane Point, and across the city of Olympia. Nextdoor is described as “the private social network for your neighborhood.”

More than a year ago, members of the Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association discussed the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. In this book, author Robert D. Putnam wrote about “how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and our democratic structures – and how we may reconnect.” GNA Board members asked what they could do to foster a greater sense of community among residents of an area as large as the Griffin School District. One of the projects undertaken because of this discussion was to create a unique logo for the Steamboat Neighborhood logo and to distribute that logo on free stickers now seen on cars around the peninsula (these stickers are often available at the Island Market, on its post office counter). Nextdoor, too, was created in part to address the challenges presented in Putnam’s book. The folks who created Nextdoor found that although 65% of all online adults use a social networking site such as Facebook, only 28% know their neighbors by name and only 26% speak to their neighbors. However, 79% of people who use an online neighborhood forum talk with neighbors in-person.

How does Nextdoor differ from other social networking sites? One important way is how Nextdoor “verifies” its members are actually residents in the area. In addition, members have to use their real names and they cannot join as a couple. Folks who join Nextdoor can invite their own neighbors, either by word of mouth, by email, or even by requesting that a postcard invitation be mailed to the neighbor.

Neighbors use Nextdoor to share recommendations, post classifieds, and discuss suspicious activities. They can create groups and organize local events. Mobile apps are available for Apple and Android devices and alerts can be sent by SMS, if needed and your profile includes a cell phone number.

The boundaries for our Nextdoor neighborhood run up Madrona Beach Road and from roughly Summit Lake north to Steamboat Island, more or less along the boundaries of the Griffin School District. The size of this area exceeds what Nextdoor normally allows for a single neighborhood. The area was originally broken in two, to complete what Nextdoor calls the “pilot” stage for the neighborhood network. This is when networks are allowed to prove there is support in the community sufficient to draw enough members to the network. Our two networks quickly acquired enough members to leave the pilot. Organizers appealed to have the two networks merged into one and Nextdoor agreed to do so. We’re now in one, big, long network covering the whole peninsula.

Are you interested in Nextdoor, but want to learn more, first? Click here for their About Us page, which links to lots of frequently asked questions.

Are you ready to join our Nextdoor neighborhood? Just click here.

The Annual “Death to Scotch Broom” Blog Posting

Every year, around this time, all those yellow flags – those scotch broom flowers – come out to wave. Next will come the seeds and, next year, more scotch broom. There are noxious weeds and then there’s scotch broom. Now is an excellent time of year to get serious about reducing the amount of scotch broom on your property.

So, responsible rural property owners want to know: What makes scotch broom so bad?

Scotch broom is a prodigious seed producer. The seeds have hard coats enabling them to survive in the environment for up to 80 years. Once established, scotch broom forms dense brush fields over six feet tall. The brush fields diminish habitat for grazing animals, such as livestock and native animals. Areas of dense brush shade out and kill native grassland plants in invaded areas, and favor invasion by other woody, non-grassland plant species.

Scotch broom prevents reforestation, creates a high fire hazard, renders rangeland worthless and greatly increases the cost of maintenance of roads, ditches, power and telephone lines. Wildlife suffers as the growth becomes too dense for even quail and other ground birds to thrive. Being slightly toxic and unpalatable it is browsed very little by livestock.

If you cut your trees, so that a lot of sunlight reaches the ground, you’ve probably now got scotch broom to cut.

How do you eradicate scotch broom?

There are two schools of thought, those who say pull out the whole plant and those who will tell you, if you’re clever and your timing is right, all you need are a pair of lopping shears.

From the School of Pulling Out the Plant, we get these instructions:

Pull out the entire plant, including roots. When the soil is moist, small plants can be pulled easily by hand. Winter and spring are good seasons to do this.

Larger plants must be removed with a tool such as a Weed Wrench. Be sure to remove the entire plant. Broken stems re-sprout and are much harder to remove for the next person. Plants can be left where pulled.

One of the benefits of being a member of the Griffin Neighborhood Association is members can rent our Weed Wrench.

Not yet a member of the GNA? Dang, what are you waiting for?! Click here to join online.

From the School of Cutting Broom in Bloom, we get these instructions:

First, cut broom in bloom. Use loppers or small saws and cut broom right at ground level.

Broom puts all of its energy into making flowers. If you cut it while in bloom, it will most likely die in the summer’s dry heat.

If you have to make a choice, go after single plants and small infestation to prevent its spread.

If the broom is huge, cut off as many of the branches as you can. If the broom is small and not blooming, you can return and cut it next year when it blooms.

It is most important to not let the broom go to seed! Cut before June 17 (this date is from Vancouver Island’s “BroomBusters” web site, so it’s probably earlier, down here in the South Sound).

CUT DOWN ALL YELLOW FLOWERS so that they can not turn into seeds. Each scotch broom plant can produce 2,000 to 3,500 seed pods – which burst open, shooting seeds into adjacent soil. If you cut them while in bloom – no seeds!

HERBICIDES applied in the spring when new leaves are present are another effective control tool, but always remember to read the labels carefully and exercise extreme care when applying chemicals, especially near waterways.

DO NOT BURN SCOTCH BROOM! When exposed to fire, its seeds burst from their seedpods. Also, the smoke from burning scotch broom is actually toxic and may seriously irritate the respiratory tracts of you, your family, or your neighbors.

TAKE SCOTCH BROOM TO THE DUMP. The best way to get rid of scotch broom, once it is cut, is to take it to Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center.

The Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Agency offers the following information and services to the public: Educational presentations, plant identification especially those that may be noxious weeds, consults on your property, prescriptions for specific noxious weed problems and what the county approves for its own use, free disposal of designated noxious weeds at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery centers, and limited use of a manual removal tool called the wrench. Also available are many informational brochures and pamphlets as well as several videos.

So, responsible homeowner, get out there and cut your scotch broom!

Annual Community Meeting January 23rd Features “Whale Tales from a Local Whale Researcher”

John Calambokidis

On Thursday, January 23rd, the Griffin Neighborhood Association will host it’s Annual Community Meeting. As always, the annual meeting is where the GNA conducts a little of the required business of the Association and presents a program of interest to our community. This year, in addition to a brief overview of the Association’s activities over the last year, and the election of the Board of the GNA, we will feature a presentation by a local research biologist.

Annual Community Meeting
Thursday, January 23
6:00 PM – Light snacks
6:30 PM – Program begins
7:15 PM – Featured speaker
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters

Our featured speaker is research biologist John Calambokidis, from the Cascadia Research Collective, who will present “Whale Tales from a Local Whale Researcher, Including New Findings on Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest.”

Greg Woods, Superintendent and Principal of the Griffin School District, will also speak about the upcoming Two-Year School Programs and Operations Replacement Levy, which will appear in a special election on February 11th.

This last year has seen the Association complete its fourth year with the Steamboat Conservation Partnership. With the Prosperity Grange and Restoration Hope Community Outreach, the Association sponsored a very successful summertime Community Picnic, Farmers and Local Business Fair. We supported a community effort to install the Steamboat Little Free Library and we distributed literally thousands of “Steamboat Neighborhood” stickers. Members of our Board will describe all these activities, and more.

Would you like to serve on the Board of the GNA? There are currently six positions open on the Board of the Griffin Neighborhood Association. The Board is the governing body of the our non-profit organization. If you are interested in what it might be like to serve on the Board, click here to download our “frequently asked questions“. Or contact any current Board member for more information. Come join us as a member of the Board!

Now is a great time to become a member or renew your membership. Annual Meeting time is traditionally the time when many members renew their dues to the Association. Annual dues are $20 ($10 for seniors, age 65 and up, $5 for reduced income individuals or families). Please support our Association by joining and making a dues payment. You can do both online by clicking this link.

We look forward to seeing you at our Annual Community Meeting and we thank you for your support of the Griffin Neighborhood Association.

Local Students Seeking Information about the Blueberry Farm

A group of students have undertaken a small ecological assessment of the Eberhardt Blueberry Farm. “We picked the blueberry field because of its evident diverse history,” writes Jana Raines, a student at The Evergreen State College. “Having gone from a thriving farm to naturalizing back to its current state makes it a fascinating location.” Raines and three others working on this project have already looked at the plant life, birds and animals in the area where the blueberry farm was located. But they need a little more historical information. Among those people living in the Steamboat area are a small number of folks who bought from or worked for Floyd and Laniera Savage, owners of the Eberhardt Blueberry Nurseries.

 

Would you be able to help Jana Raines answer a few questions about the blueberry farm?

When was the blueberry farm planted?
How long it was it in business?
How large is (or was) the blueberry farm?
When or how long ago was the blueberry farm abandoned?

If you have information to share about the history of the Eberhardt Blueberry Farm, please contact Jana Raines by email at seekeroflife@gmail.com or by phone at (360) 689-4888.

 
 

The Annual “Death to Scotch Broom” Blog Posting

Every year, around this time, all those yellow flags – those scotch broom flowers – come out to wave. Next will come the seeds and, next year, more scotch broom. There are noxious weeds and then there’s scotch broom. Now is an excellent time of year to get serious about reducing the amount of scotch broom on your property.

So, responsible rural property owners want to know: What makes scotch broom so bad?

Scotch broom is a prodigious seed producer. The seeds have hard coats enabling them to survive in the environment for up to 80 years. Once established, scotch broom forms dense brush fields over six feet tall. The brush fields diminish habitat for grazing animals, such as livestock and native animals. Areas of dense brush shade out and kill native grassland plants in invaded areas, and favor invasion by other woody, non-grassland plant species.

Scotch broom prevents reforestation, creates a high fire hazard, renders rangeland worthless and greatly increases the cost of maintenance of roads, ditches, power and telephone lines. Wildlife suffers as the growth becomes too dense for even quail and other ground birds to thrive. Being slightly toxic and unpalatable it is browsed very little by livestock.

If you cut your trees, so that a lot of sunlight reaches the ground, you’ve probably now got scotch broom to cut.

How do you eradicate scotch broom?

There are two schools of thought, those who say pull out the whole plant and those who will tell you, if you’re clever and your timing is right, all you need are a pair of lopping shears.

From the School of Pulling Out the Plant, we get these instructions:

Pull out the entire plant, including roots. When the soil is moist, small plants can be pulled easily by hand. Winter and spring are good seasons to do this.

Larger plants must be removed with a tool such as a Weed Wrench. Be sure to remove the entire plant. Broken stems re-sprout and are much harder to remove for the next person. Plants can be left where pulled.

One of the benefits of being a member of the Griffin Neighborhood Association is members can rent our Weed Wrench.

Not yet a member of the GNA? Dang, what are you waiting for?! Click here to join online.

From the School of Cutting Broom in Bloom, we get these instructions:

First, cut broom in bloom. Use loppers or small saws and cut broom right at ground level.

Broom puts all of its energy into making flowers. If you cut it while in bloom, it will most likely die in the summer’s dry heat.

If you have to make a choice, go after single plants and small infestation to prevent its spread.

If the broom is huge, cut off as many of the branches as you can. If the broom is small and not blooming, you can return and cut it next year when it blooms.

It is most important to not let the broom go to seed! Cut before June 17 (this date is from Vancouver Island’s “BroomBusters” web site, so it’s probably earlier, down here in the South Sound).

CUT DOWN ALL YELLOW FLOWERS so that they can not turn into seeds. Each scotch broom plant can produce 2,000 to 3,500 seed pods – which burst open, shooting seeds into adjacent soil. If you cut them while in bloom – no seeds!

HERBICIDES applied in the spring when new leaves are present are another effective control tool, but always remember to read the labels carefully and exercise extreme care when applying chemicals, especially near waterways.

DO NOT BURN SCOTCH BROOM! When exposed to fire, its seeds burst from their seedpods. Also, the smoke from burning scotch broom is actually toxic and may seriously irritate the respiratory tracts of you, your family, or your neighbors.

TAKE SCOTCH BROOM TO THE DUMP. The best way to get rid of scotch broom, once it is cut, is to take it to Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center.

The Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Agency offers the following information and services to the public: Educational presentations, plant identification especially those that may be noxious weeds, consults on your property, prescriptions for specific noxious weed problems and what the county approves for its own use, free disposal of designated noxious weeds at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery centers, and limited use of a manual removal tool called the wrench. Also available are many informational brochures and pamphlets as well as several videos.

So, responsible homeowner, get out there and cut your scotch broom!

Restoration Hope Outreach Creating Events to Bring Community Together

This last Holiday Season, local residents were invited by a new group, called “Restoration Hope Outreach”, to gather at Prosperity Grange for “Christmas Caroling at the Grange”. The event was well attended, standing room only and for the first time introduced folks to Restoration Hope, along with the founders, Ingrid Ferris-Olszewsky, Catherine Haag and Heidi Sheffels.
 

Much more recently, on March 8th, Restoration Hope Outreach sponsored another event, the “Steamboat Senior Gathering at the Grange.” This was a ‘planning meeting’ and the first of what’s expected to be an ongoing series of events at Prosperity Grange.

But what is Restoration Hope Outreach? According to Heidi Sheffels, one of Restoration’s organizers, “In brief, the main goal of Restoration Hope Outreach is to find ways to bring our community together. And what a better place to gather than our own local Grange?”

More than $700 in donations was collected during an hour and a half at Christmas Caroling at the Grange this past Christmas Season. Those donations were used to help families, here in our Community. Most of the money went to Griffin Elementary School, delegated by Mrs. Cetak, to be placed in a special friendship fund, to help kids in need throughout the year. The rest of the donations are for St. Christopher’s Food Bank that delivers food to Steamboat residents.

In the case of the Senior Gathering, the hope to make this ‘a monthly event’ for our own Steamboat Seniors to gather, socialize, play cards, talk and share about the past, enjoy a potluck and possibly listen to a local speaker or musician, sponsored by Restoration Hope.

The next Steamboat Senior Gathering is planned for Friday, April 12th, 10am to 11:30am at the Prosperity Grange. “All local Retirees and Seniors Welcome! Bring a friend and enjoy your time together!”
 
 

“Aquaponics” Topic of Guest Speaker at Prosperity Grange’s Monthly Meeting

Regular viewers of our online Community Calendar know the Prosperity Grange typically meets the first Wednesday of each month, except for except July and August. Their meetings begin at 7 PM, but there’s a potluck that begins at 6:30 PM. On April 3rd, the Grange will hear from a guest speaker about “Aquaponics”.

Prosperity Grange
Wednesday, April 3
Potluck at 6:30 PM, Meeting begins at 7PM
The public is invited

Local resident Kevin Benedict will be presenting a brief and fun talk on the topic of Aquaponics. According to Kevin, “This amazing, ancient and revolutionary farming technique raises edible fish and vegetables in an ecological, closed loop system. The size is up to you! Aquarium? Old hot tub? Swimming pool? This is truly the wave of the farming future.”

Countries around the world that don’t have our rich earth and water abundance are building thousands of acres of Aquaponics and are transforming the farming landscape of the planet.

Kevin is working with the new Aquaponics greenhouse at Evergreen University, in partnership with some young business folks that are building commercial applications in the area. Kevin is most interested, however, in learning and teaching individual households and small farmers about how to bring year round food and fish production to the back yard and the local community.

Kevin is a new member of our community. He moved on to the peninsula in February with his 11 year old son.

Kevin owns an entertainment and auction company, and promises on April 3rd that he “will stick to the old Show Biz axiom: ‘Always leave them wanting more.’'”

For more information about Kevin Benedict, see his web site at http://www.greatsong.com/
F
or more information about the Prosperity Grange, see their web site at http://prosperitygrange.org/