Washington communities face a growing risk from oil spills to explosions as more oil is transported through Spokane, along the Columbia River, across and along Puget Sound and along the Washington coast.

If all of the oil-by-rail projects were built, they could move a total of 800,000 barrels of oil per day — more than either of the pipelines planned in British Columbia. This total works out to roughly 120 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, more than the state’s entire greenhouse gas emissions from all sources.

Washington is on the front lines when it comes to oil transport. Now is the time to ensure that residents and decision-makers understand what's at stake.

Join the discussion and become informed!

6:30 pm     Welcome
6:33 pm     Moderator – Rich Bergner, Evergreen Islands
6:40 pm     Oil Transport in the Northwest – Eric de Place, Sightline Institute
6:50 pm     Current Threats in Washington – Kristen Boyles, Earthjustice
7:00 pm     Crude Awakening in Washington – Matt Krogh, Forest Ethics
7:10 pm     Marine Risks of Increased Shipping in the Salish Sea – Stephanie Buffum, Friends of the San Juans
7:20 pm     Community Safety, Dealing with the Dangers of Oil Trains – Ryan Walters, Anacortes Council member
7:30 pm     Question and Answer- Moderator
8:00 pm     There is hope, but we need you!– Matt Petryni, RE Sources
                 Engagement opportunities
8:30 pm     Conclusion

Contact:  Carolyn Gastellum ecgastel@wavecable.com Anacortes, Wash.

Transition Fidalgo & Friends           
Growing Community Resilience         
 http://transitionfidalgo.org           

Come on down to the Anacortes Farmer's Market on Saturday to enjoy camaraderie, food, crafts, music, and a skill-share workshop inside the Depot! Transition Fidalgo & Friends is happy to partner with the Farmer's Market to bring our community free workshops through the market season.

The Farmer's Market opens at 9 am. Workshop will be inside the Depot at 10 am. THE FIX-IT FOLKS WILL ALSO BE AT THE DEPOT JUNE 28 - BRING YOUR BROKEN ITEMS AND HELP TF&F SUPPORT DECEPTION PASS STATE PARK!

June 28th, 10 am: Culinary Herbs
 
Kelly Ann Atterberry will lead us on a  journey through the delights of herbs used to flavor meals, from bullwhip kelp to spearmint and beyond. She'll explore the health and taste benefits of a number of key herbs, many of which you can cultivate in your home garden.  Kelly Ann holds a degree in Herbal Medicine from Bastyr College and is currently a grad student in Vegetable Horticulture at WSU's Skagit Research Station.
Free; no registration required. Co-sponsored by Transition Fidalgo & Friends and the Anacortes Farmers' Market to help grow community resilience.

More workshops to put on your calendar:

July 5:  Herbal Support for Stress Relief with Suzanne Jordan
July 12:  Mason Bees with Joe George
July 26: Raising Urban Chickens with Linda Zielinski, and Tour de Coops & Crops from 1-4:30!
August 16: Home Canning with Vivian Smallwood
August 23: (at Potluck Kitchen) Canning Jams and Jellies with Vivian Smallwood
Sept. 6: Not Your Grandmother's Frugal Living with Laurie Racicot
Sept. 13: The Value of Good Food - Eating Well on a Budget with Heather Burke
Sept. 20: Boost Your Immune System with Sharon Swan
Sept. 27: Know Your Energy Field: Self-Healing Energy Therapy with Julianne Ash and Sue Jones
Oct. 4: (at Potluck Kitchen) Fermenting with Julianne Ash

Hello friends,

This is a follow-up to Karen’s email about the exciting transition for Skagit 1095, as it grows into a county-wide group with tendrils in food access, security, equity, systems, and more. Our intent is to provide regular meeting times so we can collaborate, coordinate, and communicate about food-related issues and opportunities in Skagit County.

Regular meetings will be held on the third Monday of every other month from 1:30 to 3 PM, at WSU Skagit Extension: http://ext100.wsu.edu/skagit/location/

Please save the following dates:

·        September 15, 2014

·        November 17, 2014

·        January 19, 2015

·        March 16, 2015

·        May 18, 2015

·        July 20, 2015

I look forward to seeing and/or meeting all of you!

Marjie

Marjorie Bell, Program Planner

Community Health Outreach Programs

United General District 304

360-856-2549 x 212

 

The 3rd annual Whatcom Skillshare Faire is happening this
August 23-24th
at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, WA! 

The Skillshare Faire provides a two-day venue for hundreds of skill demonstrations, all offered by local residents.  The focus of the Faire is to provide a forum for the teaching and learning of practical skills that improve our community’s resilience by increasing self-sufficiency.  Years ago, lots of people knew how to repair and sharpen tools, make a braided rug, raise chickens, make soap, build a fence, make simple toys, and much more.   While those skills are no longer essential in our modern world, learning to do-it-yourself brings satisfaction, helps families to save money and strengthens our community.  The goal of the SkillShare Faire is to help revive those skills, showcase new ones, and provide a place where all of us can come learn from people more experienced in these crafts.  Put all those skills into a package with hot local musical talent, tasty local food, a local brewery beer garden and sunny August weather at beautiful Hovander Park and you have a family-friendly, must-go summer weekend destination.

The Skillshare Faire still has room for more Presenters to share their practical skills.  And volunteering is a fun way to attend for free. Learn more about the Faire at http://whatcomskillsharefaire.org

Naturescape Demonstration Garden opens with Alger Community Celebration July 12
 
Join us Saturday, July 12, 2014 from 11 am to 1 pm as the Alger community celebrates the grand opening of the Naturescape and Nectar Garden at Alger Community Hall, 18735 Parkview Lane, Alger.  The day’s events will feature a brief ceremony recognizing all the businesses and volunteers who helped make the garden dream a reality.
 
The ceremony will herald the unveiling of interpretive signs that will inspire visitors to use native plants in their own yards to help preserve habitat and keep our streams and rivers clean. Businesses who helped in the creation are Aulos Design by Ani Gurnee, Plantas Native, Asuza Farm and Garden, Skagit Soils, Northstar Stone and Landscaping Supply and Whatcom Farmers Co-op.
 
Garden tours will be available as well as games, music, baked goods for sale, educational displays, a wildlife costume parade, and spots for picnicking around the garden. Come early, stay late. The celebration is hosted by Alger Community Hall, Friday Creek Habitat Stewards, Skagit Conservation District and Chuckanut Transition.
 
The project was made possible by Friday Creek Habitat Stewards, a neighborhood volunteer group, who received at $7,500 grant from the Rose Foundation’s Puget Sound Grassroots Stewardship Fund in Spring 2013. The grant funded a multi-faceted stream and wildlife habitat enhancement demonstration site on Silver Creek at Alger Hall. The project, inspired by the volunteer group with support from the Alger Improvement Club, Skagit Conservation District, and other partners, includes incorporating specialty demonstration garden beds that illustrate how gardens beds can create healthy soil conditions, reduce maintenance, protect their neighborhood stream and add native plants that provide habitat for fish and wildlife, attracting birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
 
Garden design completion by Ani Gurnee of Aulos Design began in earnest following the grant award. Last year the work began when more than 25 volunteers arrived on a beautiful June 2013 Saturday to lay cardboard and move 50 yards of soil and 54 yards of mulch to create the garden beds.  In September, 10 volunteers appeared on a blustery, wet Saturday to install the native plants and pollinator plants.
 
This project was built on the success of the stream enhancement project conducted at the site in March 2012.  With support from Skagit County's NRSP program, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, Alger Community Hall, Skagit Conservation District, Friday Creek Habitat Stewards helped clear the Silver Creek stream bank of blackberries and other invasives and replant with native plants.