U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wood ducks are among the many birds you can see at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
By Sharon Wootton, The Herald
If you haven’t done any recent bird-watching in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, now’s a good time. Birds of all sizes and stripes are passing through, and you can watch them from an excellent boardwalk.
One birder reported seeing a great egret, a great horned owl family and a rufous hummingbird chasing a Northern shrike. Look for wood ducks, coots, yellow-rumped warblers and wrens, and expect cliff swallows to be building nests on the refuge buildings. About 175 species of birds have been recorded here, so it’s worth a trip.
To get to the refuge, take exit 114 off I-5 between Olympia and Fort Lewis.
One physical highlight of the estuary is the Twin Barns Loop Trail, which includes a mile-long boardwalk through woods, grasslands and freshwater marshes.
There are several trails that include viewing platforms, towers and mounted viewing scopes. Several places on the boardwalk have railings that are lower than usual so that wheelchair-bound birders have better views.
Trail to Turtleback. The Washington Trails Association is hosting a Volunteer Vacation from May 4 to 11 on Orcas Island as well as several events on May 10.
The San Juan Preservation Trust has planned a new trail to the Turtleback Mountain Preserve with stunning views that have been inaccessible. The preserve protects the entire ridgeline.
Although the weeklong vacation is full, May 10 options include working with the trail crew, hiking a 3-mile round-trip section to the turtle’s head, or meeting the volunteers for a barbecue dinner.
For more information, go to www.wta.org. While you’re there, check out the other vacations; some are already full.
Octopus protection. Hunting can occur in the water as well as on land. The giant Pacific octopus is one target for divers. Current rules allow someone with a valid state fishing license to harvest one giant Pacific octopus a day in most of Puget Sound.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has agreed to consider four options to provide more protection to that population, and those options, as well as no change and a total ban, are open to public comment.
Petitions signed by hundreds of scuba divers and others sought protection for octopuses from recreational harvest. For more information and to comment, go to www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/octopus, through May 31.
Mushroom Maynia. It’s that time for Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History’s annual fungi event. Attend talks, bring mushrooms for identification, take part in fungi crafts and learn how to cultivate edible mushrooms.
It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11. The day is included with museum admission, $10 general, $8 senior, $7.50 youth. The Burke is at NE 45th St. and 17th Ave. NE.
Reserve your spot. A new reservation system for wilderness camping in Olympic National Park has started. Requests for wilderness camping areas with overnight use limits now are being accepted by postal mail or fax; no phone reservations are allowed.
Permits are required for the following high-use wilderness camp areas: Ozette Coast, Royal Basin/Lake area, Grand Valley and Badger Valley area; Lake Constance, Upper Lena Lake, Flapjack Lake, Sol Duc/Seven Basin/Mink Lake area, Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats, Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows, and group and stock camp sites along the Hoh River Trail.
The Quinault Indian Nation and the Quinault Canoe Society will proudly host the Paddle to Quinault 2013 during the dates of August 1st-6th, 2013.
Back in 1989, Emmit Oliver, a Quinault Tribal elder organized the “Paddle to Seattle” as a part of Washington State Centennial Ceremony revitalizing a tradition that was lost for many years, and that is canoeing. We now know this as the Canoe Journey. The Canoe Journey has become symbol of cultural revitalization on a national level; we can expect anywhere from 90 US tribes, Canadian First Nations, and New Zealand to join the celebration.
The Canoe Journey creates opportunities for tribal members to re-learn, strengthen and reinforce their canoe traditions. There are many cultural values that are learned from the canoeing some include: pride, cultural knowledge, learning how to paddle, respect, and sense of achievement.
ATTENTION: canoe families Saturday May 4th will be surf training at Point Grenville!
12:00pm the Bring your canoe, our May-ee will be available as well. Lunch will be provided
Celebrating and Honoring Native Voices at the University of Washington, and Pacific Northwest Native filmmakers. Meet the filmmakers, free and open to the public.
May 1-3, Beginning Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00 PM, University of Washington campus, Kane Hall 220
This event is in partnership with “The Living Breath of Wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ: Indigenous Ways of Knowing Cultural Food Practices and Ecological Knowledge,” hosted by the UW’s American Indian Studies Program, and the 12th Annual Symposium of Native and Indigenous Graduate Student Research, “Reminds Me of Home: The Cultural Shaping of Our Senses,” where Native and Indigenous graduate students, staff, faculty, and community members will present on how their research, analysis and presentation of data has been shaped by their culture and communities.
MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Strawberry Festival Talent Show will return to the Marysville-Pilchuck High School auditorium on Thursday, June 13, starting at 6:30 p.m., but in order for the doors to open at 5:30 p.m. to let the audience in, the Talent Show will need some talent to showcase.
That’s why Strawberry Festival organizers will be holding auditions for the 2013 Talent Show on Wednesday, May 8, and Thursday, May 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. both days, in the M-PHS auditorium.
Marcy Giesler, who’s directing the Talent Show yet again, explained that organizers are looking for solo and group entrants of all ages, in performance categories such as vocal, dance, instrumental and comedy.
Awards will be given out at the June 13 Talent Show to the first, second and third place performers in each category.
The deadline to enter the May 8-9 Talent Show auditions is Friday, May 3.
Hank was born May 29, 1941 in Tulalip, Washington and entered into rest April 25, 2013.
He is survived by his wife, Inez Bill-Gobin; two sisters, Anna Mae Hatch (Verle, deceased) and Isabelle Legg (James, deceased); a brother, Earl “Moxie” Renecker (Bernice, deceased); and three sons, Rick, Brian, and Bill Coriz, all of Sante Fe, New Mexico. All three sons whom he raised lost their biological father the same day of the passing of Hank. (These boys send their special heartfelt prayers to our family loss, while they prepare for biological family. Just the same we give our heartfelt prayers too. )
He is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Isabelle Gobin; and siblings, Shirley, Emery, Daryl, Frank, and John.
Hank was born and raised on the Tulalip reservation. He left at the age of 21 to further his education goals. He attended the Santa Fe Indian Boarding School where he received both his High School diploma and Certificate in Ceramics and Painting at the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1965.
From 1965-1970, he attended the San Francisco Art Institute earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He then went on to complete his Master’s degree atSacramento State College in 1971. It goes without saying, Hank held high achievement levels for himself. At SSC he was voted as an immediate art candidate, within a year’s time he received his MA in painting. While at SSC he worked as a teaching assistant in the fields of drawing, watercolor, and oil painting. Again, Hank had determination for success. By the second semester, he had been appointed as ‘Assistant Professor’ teaching Native American Art.
In 1971, Hank returned to the Institute of American Indian Arts where he then taught Ethnic Study courses. One year later he became the Acting Arts Director. Later, he was appointed as the full-time Director which he held for 11 years. After leaving this Directorship position he traveled and painted museum quality pieces across the United States from 1982-1986. Hank then worked for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, in Portland OR, from 1986-1987.
Hank returned home in 1989, where his ‘spiritual life’ began. Hank always had this little saying or phrase, “Like a migrating salmon’ returning home”. His spiritual pathway provided the cultural foundation where it was important in applying these cultural values and beliefs in the day to day aspects of his life. Including while he was the Tribes Cultural Resource Manager (24 years). For example, putting these traditional and cultural values into practice where Hank was instrumental for the development of the Tulalip’s language program.
Hank also worked with the community in setting the foundations of the cultural teachings, protocols, and values surrounding the tribal family canoe journey. He also worked closely with tribal, federal, state and local governments and agencies on issues of cultural and environmental interest and established standards that met the needs and concerns of the Tulalip Tribes’.
Throughout his career, Hank dedicated much of his work towards building a tribal museum; a vision long held by Tribal elders and Tribal Membership. Through hard work and dedication, Hank brought this dream to reality. He advised, initiated, and designed what became the ‘Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve’; the place that tells our story in our own words, and honors our past, present, and future people.
Hank’s lifework was dedicated to his people; he was a cultural warrior and advocate. His spiritual beliefs were a prominent aspect of who he was; and it was this spiritual way of life that enabled him to carry out his responsibilities to protect his people’s cultural and environmental interests. Everything about Hank was genuine and his magnetic personality touched the lives of all those who he crossed paths.
Services will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2013 at the family home. Interfaith services will be held Sunday, April 27, at 6 p.m. at the Tribal Gym. Funeral services will be held Monday, April 28, at 10 a.m. at the Tribal Gym.
EVERETT — Comcast Arena was awhirl with flashing lights, fog and the pounding rhythms of the most popular songs coming out of Bollywood’s biggest movies.
Most Bollywood films are about love, so the crowd was treated to a four-hour concert featuring hits such as “I Will Love You 12 Different Ways in 12 Months (Barah Mahino Mein Barah Tareekon se),” “Desi Girl,” and “Hit On Me While Dancing” (Dance pe Chance).”
It was all for a good cause: To raise awareness about a Seattle group that is working to fight domestic violence against women in Washington’s South Asian communities.
The event last Sunday was the result of a partnership between the non-profit API Chaya, of Seattle, and concert production company Krazy2Seattle, of Federal Way.
“The first goal was to come out in the open and talk about (domestic violence),” said Arun Sharma, of Bothell, one of the organizers. “The intent was to raise awareness, raise some money and bring the South Asian communities together.”
Horrific incidents in Pakistan and India spurred the local groups to action. The Pakistan Taliban shooting of 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai for speaking publically about the right to education for girls and women, and the gang rape and killing of a 23-year-old college student on a bus in New Delhi, Sharma said.
In the South Asian community, which includes immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, rape and domestic abuse are not spoken about openly, or even easily discussed within families, Sharma explained.
API Chaya, formed in 2011, provides advocates who work directly with South Asian women and families who have experienced abuse, and others who work in the community to educate and organize support for survivors and ways to end violence, said Sarah Rizvi, the group’s program manager.
“We provide direct advocacy and supportive services to survivors in crisis and raise awareness of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking,” Rizvi said.
The concert started coming together in January, with about 50 volunteers working “to address cultural-based incidents of domestic violence that are prevalent in communities in Washington State,” Sharma said. “Part of the concert’s aim was to create awareness among people as well as overcoming religious barriers to serve our communities.” Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists all came together for the event.
Although the amount of money raised is still being sorted out, those in the audience — estimated to be about 3,000 — were happy for the opportunity to help raise awareness.
Nedhal Ahmed, of Everett, said the event was an opportunity for him to support the cause. “I have come here to chip in my share to help stop any kind of crime against women,” Ahmed said. The same issues exist in other countries, said Ahmed, who is from Yemen.
“I am here to support suffering women,” said his friend Nasr al Mahshi, also of Everett. “Some women are denied their fundamental rights.”
Rakesh Maini, the runner up in Indian Idol season 5, was the night’s first singer. He hopes that in India the culture will change, and people can begin to openly address rape and domestic violence.
“I am happy to perform for a social cause. I have sisters, mother, and family like everyone does. I therefore would do whatever it takes to hand women justice and basic rights,” he said.
Dan Bates / The Herald Eastbound Marysville traffic, coming off I-5 from both northbound and southbound ramps, jams up at the Fourth Street train crossing April 9.
MARYSVILLE — When it comes to traffic backups from more coal trains, Marysville is Snohomish County’s ground zero.
Of 33 street crossings on BNSF Railway’s north-south line in the county, 16 — nearly half — are in Marysville.
Many of them already are congested.
Even now, at Fourth Street downtown, trains cause drivers to wait through the equivalent of three or four red lights, according to one traffic study.
Adding trains would make it that much harder for people who live in the city to get in and out, would delay access to businesses and cause serious problems for fire, ambulance and police service, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said.
The proposed $650 million Gateway Pacific terminal would serve as a place to send coal, grain, potash and scrap wood for biofuels to Asia. Trains would bring coal from Montana and Wyoming across Washington state to Seattle and north to Bellingham. Supporters point to the jobs that would be generated by the new business.
The terminal also is expected to generate up to 18 more train trips through Snohomish County per day, nine full and nine empty.
This would roughly double the number of trains that currently travel between Everett and Bellingham each day.
Other cities that could be affected by delays from more trains are Edmonds and Stanwood. In Mukilteo and in Everett, the tracks run through underpasses or tunnels at major arterials.
Marysville is in a unique position because the city is long and skinny north and south. The tracks run its entire length, right between Marysville’s two busiest north-south routes, I-5 and State Avenue.
In the case of State, at some crossings, the tracks are right next to the arterial. And State Avenue and I-5 are only about a half-mile apart through much of the city.
How much money will be needed for bridges, underpasses and rail improvements — and who would pay — is a long way from being determined.
Railroads are obligated by federal law to pay only a maximum of 5 percent of the cost of new bridges or tunnels deemed necessary to offset delays from added train traffic, according to Courtney Wallace, a spokeswoman for BNSF Railway in Seattle. The railroad owns the tracks from Seattle to the Canadian border.
“We would work with city officials to identify funding and work with them to see where the funding could come from, whether it’s federal dollars, state dollars or local dollars,” she said.
Wallace said she didn’t know if the company proposing the plan, SSA Marine of Seattle, would pitch in to cover any of the costs. Craig Cole, a spokesman for SSA Marine, declined to comment on the topic.
Even if money is available for road fixes, Marysville’s choices are limited.
Because of the closeness of the tracks to State Avenue and I-5, building overpasses is not even an option, city public works director Kevin Nielsen said.
Officials with Marysville and the state Department of Transportation — to name just a couple of agencies that submitted letters during last fall’s comment period on the plan — asked that potential improvements and costs be addressed in upcoming environmental studies.
From September through January, about 14,000 people registered comments in hearings and in writing with the three agencies reviewing the plan — the state Department of Ecology, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Whatcom County.
It’s too early to tell exactly what subjects the studies will include, said Larry Altose, a spokesman for the ecology department. It will likely be at least a few months before the topics for study are determined and a year before the first draft of the study is done, Altose said.
This would be followed by another comment period and the final study, which would likely take at least another year.
Many environmental groups, local governments and individuals have come out against the plan. Their concerns, in addition to traffic at crossings, include pollution from coal dust and climate change.
One of the rail crossings is at 271st Street NW in the heart of Stanwood. Mayor Dianne White, however, doesn’t believe the extra trains would cause major problems.
“I don’t see it messing it up that much. They don’t stop, they keep going,” she said.
She added, however, that “I really feel for Marysville. It could completely block the whole city.”
Other crossings in the Silvana area and north of Stanwood could face some rush-hour delays but traffic is lighter there than in Marysville.
On the positive side, the plan is projected to create 4,400 temporary, construction related jobs and 1,200 long-term positions, according to SSA Marine.
“If they don’t build that Cherry Point terminal, (the trains) are going to keep going into Canada like they are now and we don’t get 2,000 jobs,” White said.
Rep. Rick Larsen, whose district includes Marysville as well as Bellingham where the project is planned, came under fire in his re-election campaign last year for backing the coal terminal. At the time, he called it a difficult decision, but said he supported the terminal because of the thousands of unemployed people who live in Whatcom County.
He said in a statement on Friday that “potentially negative outcomes” should be determined in the environmental review.
“If the (study) identifies traffic impacts, the project sponsor would and should be responsible for paying for improvements to mitigate those problems,” he said.
In Edmonds, the city has only two crossings, but one of them sits at the entrance to the ferry dock at the foot of Main Street. The other, at Dayton Street, controls access to much of the waterfront, including the Port of Edmonds marina.
State transportation officials, in written comments on the Gateway Pacific plan last fall, said two of 25 sailings per day were recently eliminated from the Edmonds-Kingston run because waits for trains were causing the boats to run behind schedule.
A plan proposed long ago, but shelved by a lack of funding, called for building a new ferry terminal at the south end of Edmonds where a bridge could be built over the tracks to carry ferry traffic.
The transportation department, in its letter, asked that this plan be re-examined in the environmental study, as well as the possibility of a bridge or tunnel at the Main Street crossing, and restricting train traffic during busy travel periods.
More than twice as many trains run per day on weekdays in south county than from Everett north — 49 compared to 19. Very few of the roads north of Everett, however, have bridges or underpasses at the train tracks.
Of the trains running in both directions between Everett and Seattle, about 35 are freight trains, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said. Amtrak Cascades and Empire Builder trains add another six every day, while Sounder commuter trains add another eight on weekdays. Mudslides have canceled an increasing number of these trains in recent years.
Adding 18 trains per day would bring the Monday-Friday total to 67.
About 15 freight trains run per day between Everett and Bellingham, Melonas said. Amtrak Cascades trains add four more for a total of 19 each day.
Adding 18 to this total would bring the total to 37.
Currently, up to four trains per day already carry coal on tracks between Seattle and Canada, Melonas said. Several terminals in British Columbia already ship coal, according to the Coal Association of Canada.
Trains are restricted to 30 mph in Marysville for safety reasons, meaning the barriers are down for six to eight minutes — the equivalent of three or four stoplight cycles — for the longer trains, according to the Gibson study.
The study was done for a group of business owners and residents in Whatcom County, said Tom Ehrlichman, an attorney for Salish Law of Bellingham, the group’s law firm at the time.
In downtown Marysville, the crossing at Fourth Street is less than a quarter-mile from I-5 — too close for an overpass, which would take up four blocks, Nielsen said.
Engineers have looked at tunneling under the tracks, but the dip would have to be steep because of the proximity to the freeway. Also, high ground water at that location would make the underpass susceptible to flooding, he said.
At 88th Street NE, the tracks are just a few feet from State Avenue.
“We could go over it, but you would end up way over on the other side of State Avenue in a neighborhood somewhere, and you’d have to have loop-back ramps over people’s houses to get back to State,” Nielsen said.
Because the tracks at 88th and 116th Street NE are so close to I-5, sometimes, when a long train goes through, traffic backs up onto the freeway, according to the Gibson study.
In fact, the extra trains could negate the benefits of the city’s $2 million widening of 116th completed a few years ago, the study says.
The study shows the street having carried 20,000 automobiles per day in 2011. For 88th Street NE and Fourth Street, the numbers are 30,000 each. Of this 80,000 total, about 7,000 of those were in the evening rush hour.
Because of the problems with building overpasses, city officials feel the best solution is to build an off-ramp from northbound I-5 directly to Highway 529 and the new Ebey Slough Bridge. This ramp would carry northbound drivers over the tracks as they exit the freeway, dropping them directly into the city and keeping them from having to sit at crossings at Fourth, 88th or 116th.
This project would cost about $1.8 million, said state Sen. Nick Harper, D-Everett.
So far in this year’s session of the Legislature, no money has been included for the ramp. Nehring said the project could potentially be included in a package to be sent to voters.
Developing story: In 2010, the United Kingdom denied the Iroquois Nationals entrance into the country to compete in the 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships because they refused to recognize the valid Haudenosaunee passports the Native squad travels with. As a result, the Nationals couldn’t play in the tournament, which is staged every four years, and Germany was placed in their spot in the elite Blue Division, which is home to the top six squads from the previous world championship.
Now, the FIL has ruled that the Nationals, a member nation, will not be restored to their legitimate place in the Blue Division for the 2014 World Championships, which will be held in Denver, because of what happened in 2010. Instead, Germany will again compete in the Blue, while the Nationals will be seeded 30th and placed in a lower division. This controversial decision by the FIL, which is falling back on “past precedence and bylaws” to justify the exclusion of the Nationals, is, the Iroquois say, an unfair and inconsistent move.
And the Nationals are appealing the decision.
In an April 18 letter to the FIL Board of Directors in Toronto, Nationals Chairman Oren Lyons and Executive Director Denise Waterman appealed, asking for the sport’s governing body’s general assembly to rule on the situation. Here is the letter.
With just over a year to go until 2014 Denver opens, the Nationals are pushing to get the FIL to reverse this decision and restore one of the sport’s best squads to its rightful spot among the elite nations. Morevoer, this controversy transcends sport or politics: Oren Lyons, Onondaga Faithkeeper, spoke at a seminar in 2010 about how lacrosse , or Deyhontsigwa’ehs (‘they bump hips’) was played in the sky world before the world was created. It is a game that was given as a gift to the Haudenosaunee and they play it for the pleasure of the Creator.
Burke Museum
Sat., Apr. 20, 2013 – Sun., Apr. 28, 2013
11 am – 3 pm
Included with museum admission; FREE for Burke members
Saturdays and Sundays in April, 11 am – 3 pm
Photo (c) Jack Storms/Storms PhotoGraphic.
Every weekend in April, enjoy Coast Salish art activities at the Burke. See Coast Salish artifacts not normally on display, and try your hand at a large weaving loom. Also join us for guided exhibit tours every Saturday at 1 pm.
The Burke Museum offers weekend activities throughout the year with themes changing monthly. Check our events page for updates on other upcoming weekend activities.
Fair organizers hope to draw larger crowds with a “community event” that has “something for everybody.”
By Noah Haglund, The Herald
MONROE — Snohomish County’s springtime mini-fair will sport more than just a new name when it opens this coming weekend.
Live bands, beer gardens and better carnival rides figure among the expanded offerings at the Evergreen State Spring Festival on Saturday and Sunday.
There’s some earthy star power, too, with an appearance by Northwest gardening maestro Ciscoe Morris.
“We had a discussion after last year about how to make it a lot more of a community event so there’s something for everybody,” fair manager Hal Gausman said. “… We talked about how to make it more fun, more exciting.”
Snohomish County’s spring fair debuted in 2010. It was formerly called the Recreation and Sportsmen Expo. Organizers hope attendance this year will top the approximately 9,000 from 2012.
Organizers in the county parks department hope they’ve resolved one of the biggest gripes from last year, when patrons were unable to taste entries from a barbecue cook-off even as they were teased by mouth-watering aromas.
That owed to a contract issue with fairgrounds concessionaires, Gausman said. It won’t be a problem this time around.
The Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association has sanctioned the contest. It’s dubbed the Washington State Spring BBQ Championship and is expected to attract more than 20 competing teams.
Meanwhile, root beer and microbrews will be offered at beer gardens. Live musical acts span genres of classic rock, country, Latin rock fusion and indie rock.
Returning this year will be vendor booths showcasing the outdoors and related products. Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club is hosting a youth casting pond to be stocked with 1,000 trout. Les Schwab Tire Centers is sponsoring the event, which is for first-time anglers ages 12 and under.
While festival admission is free, rides and games cost money. Parking is $5 per vehicle.
The schedule includes:
Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
A ceremony for the 50th anniversary of Snohomish County Parks is scheduled from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Evergreen Events Center.
Ciscoe Morris is scheduled to take the Events Center stage from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The carnival starts Friday, remaining open from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday carnival hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday hours 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Butler Amusements of Fairfield, Calif., is providing the rides.
For more info on the Spring Festival or to purchase advance ride bracelets, call 360-805-6700 or go to www.evergreenfair.org.
The annual Evergreen State Fair is scheduled Aug. 22 through Sept. 2.
