Important Meeting! Illahee’s inclusion in Urban Growth Area and zoning changes up for discussion. Eric Baker, County Special Projects Manager to speak 6pm Tuesday @ Library

Posted on January 26, 2012 by illaheecommunity

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Illahee Update 1/26/12 Sewer Plans, Timbers Edge Sewers, ICC TE Motion, Remand Meeting, One Time Opportunity

Posted on January 26, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Illahee Sewer Plans. A few years ago Kitsap County looked at the Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) and located likely sewer lines and pump stations, since eventually any area in the UGA would need to be sewered. We were surprised to see these main sewer trunk lines on on the county remand maps at a meeting on Wednesday evening. Sewers are the primary infrastructure needed for higher density development, which UGAs are supposed to be. See the attached map that is available at the following county website: http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/community_plan/remand%202011/remand_alternatives.htm

Two Illahee Maps. Illahee shows up on two of the county’s remand maps: East Bremerton & Central Kitsap. The Central Kitsap UGA Alternative 1 map is shown below. Note on the website are 4 alternatives and what we are showing is just one of them.

Timbers Edge Sewers. The first map shows the Timbers Edge sewer line and pump station, which will run between the Fir Drive area and the Illahee North development. This is a pressurized system that runs for nearly a mile through Illahee and will be more costly to hook up to than a gravity system. This is the sewer system the concerned many residents during the Timbers Edge hearings and which was eventually approved by the Hearing Examiner. If the scheduled February 24, 2012 auction of the Timbers Edge properties is purchased by another developer this sewer line could be a reality. While most are not in favor of sewers through Illahee, there are a few who are for a variety of reasons.

ICC Board Approved Motion. Pertinent to the above item is a motion that we heard was approved by the Illahee Community board, which requests the Port of Illahee to become involved. This is the motion we saw in an email.

The ICC Board of Directors requests Port of Illahee secure the remaining 15 acres of Timbers Edge properties at the February 24, 2012 auction to ensure protection of aquifers and Illahee Creek. The desired outcome would be the eventual sale and development of the east 5 acre portion of the Avery Homestead at the current zoning (Illahee Greenbelt Zone (IGZ)) and with the stipulation that Low Impact Development (LID) applications be used to infiltrate storm water, and, if possible, securing the west 5 acre wooded parcel of the Avery Homestead for the Illahee Preserve, along with the roughly 3 acre parcel of the Garrison property for the Illahee Preserve, and the roughly 2 acre parcel of the west Talmo parcel for the Illahee Preserve. The proposed method for these acquisitions would be to obtain a “bridge loan” from the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) for a period of three to four years. The bridge loan could be secured using the recently acquired Ocean View properties for collateral. The possibility of obtaining the Illahee Store could remain on hold for a little longer until these other issues are resolved. We presume the Ocean View properties which house the Port office and meeting room are no longer necessary with the purchase of the Deitch property which we understand will eventually house the Port office and meeting room in the lower floors of the building. Because time is of the essence with the upcoming scheduled auction of the properties, we request this request be given urgent review and attention.

Remand Meeting. The sewer issue is actually just one aspect of the remand process that the County is going through and which Illahee residents will have an opportunity to become better informed. Eric Baker is the Special Projects Manager at Kitsap County and the person who will be discussing the remand issues and alternatives at an Illahee Community meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at the Sylvan Way library from 6 – 8 pm.

Everyone Welcome. All residents are invited to come to this extremely important meeting as there is the possibility that portions of Illahee could be removed from the UGA, which would mean they would not be subject to annexation by the City of Bremerton. From an earlier questionnaire only 2% wanted to be annexed by Bremerton (and 6% who were hoping to be annexed by Silverdale) and the remaining 92% wanted to have a unique community of Illahee, which resulted in an Illahee Community Plan that was approved in 2008.

One Time Opportunity. This has been called a once in a lifetime opportunity for the community of Illahee to possibly further control its destiny. The time to get the information is at the Tuesday meeting and the time to testify before the County Commissioners is on February 6, 2012. Not much time to go through everything, but Mr. Baker is a good presenter and will discuss the alternatives for Illahee. Also, look at the information on the website that was noted earlier.

Let Your Neighbors Know! Please let your neighbors know about this important remand meeting. Again it is at the Sylvan Way Kitsap Regional Library meeting room on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, from 6-8 pm. If you have questions give us a call 479-1049.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ICC TE Motion, One Time Opportunity, Remand Meeting, Sewer Plans, Timbers Edge Sewers | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/23/12 Culvert, Surveyors, Port Question, Response, Organization Support?,ICC Agenda Item?, Old Cougar Sighting

Posted on January 23, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Illahee Creek Culvert. We have been thanked for monitoring the culvert that allows Illahee Creek to flow underneath Illahee Road. The clear opening remains in the 22 to 23 inch range as of this past weekend. A few years ago the measurements were around 30 inches, and before that it was around 36 inches, all of which shows the effects of the storm surges that bring down the sediment from upstream.

Illahee Road Surveyors. We talked with county personnel surveying along Illahee Road north of the Illahee Store. Evidently when they resurface the road this year they will also install new storm water piping as the old piping has deteriorated.

Port of Illahee Question. We often get questions regarding the Updates that are put out on the website and distributed to residents. A few weeks ago we received the following response and question:

If the Port considers funding this property are they overextending themselves? With the purchase of the two houses and also looking at the old store, I can see a tax increase on the horizon. I wonder if the majority of those living in the Port boundaries really care what happens to the TE property. If taxes are raised you will then hear the outrage, just remember what happened to the Port of Bremerton with some of the things they did.

Our Response. We tried to answer these questions with enough detail to explain how we saw the situation, which turned out to be longer response than we wanted. We eventually talked with the questioner who suggested it might be good to let others see it. This was how we responded:

You raise some good questions which will take some time to answer.

There are times over the years that I have wondered what the Port sees as their mission – is it just the area around the dock or is it the greater Illahee community?

In the past it seems to have been simply confined to the dock structure. When they realized the dock was being encroached upon by the excessive sediment coming from Illahee Creek (32 inches of mud under the innermost float), I think they expanded their thinking to the creek and the impacts upstream development was having on it. It was around that same time they supported a salmon incubation project upstream in the creek that was ruined by excessive sedimentation, i.e. lots of mud.

And near term we are looking at the likely failure of the culvert and the washout of Illahee Road if we have another storm like the one that took out the Gilberton Creek culvert. What we saw from the residents, when these issues were before them, was pretty much universal support. And that isn’t even mentioning the fact that the community paid about $8,000 for a hydrologist to study Illahee Creek to determine what was happening to it, and found that development in the aquifer recharge area would be impacting the stream. He also later found we are currently at water balance, meaning the rain water that gets infiltrated into the aquifers is what we are withdrawing, and around the creek the withdrawal is already decreasing the flows in the creek. All of which means we are affecting the ability of the stream to support fish.

So we have some significant issues, and years ago we went to DCD and asked if there was anyone who was concerned. We were basically told they were only concerned about big streams and they really didn’t care about our issues or the fact that Illahee Creek would be impacted, which is why the community decided to pay for a stream study and the hydrologist.

Also, Public Works, when we met with them, said they couldn’t do anything unless a watershed analysis was done, which is why the Port put in for a Department of Ecology grant. The grant paid for a report that is a road map for all that needs to be done, and which should be part of what the Port is working on. My concern is the report is just the beginning, and while it will be primarily up to the county to make most of the major changes, the Port and the community can help and still need to be involved.

But getting back to your question about whether residents really care? What seems to get them most concerned is what is what impacts their pocket books, whether it be taxes, sewer hookup fees, etc.

Residents get anxious when they realize we are in the Urban Growth Area and are destined someday to be annexed by the City of Bremerton, especially when they find out what the Bremerton tax and utility rates are. More recently when residents realized they would eventually need to hook up to the one mile sewer line Timbers Edge was/is going to put in through Illahee and the costs to hook up could be up to $30,000, plus monthly sewer bills, many of those residents got excited. What these major expense items do is help put things into perspective for those affected.

What we and other communities have found out it is they need to be proactive and often spend some money upfront if they want to protect or preserve their community. What happens to many communities is they realize too late that they needed to be involved in these kind of issues. What I appreciate about the Illahee community is that so far they have been willing to step up to the plate and do the right thing. I especially remember about 20 some years ago when fish pens were approved by the county for Illahee and the community contacted UW experts who said there was insufficient flushing action in Illahee so they then hired attorney John Merkel to fight the issue before the Shorelines Hearings Board, and they won.

So getting back to the question about whether the community would support the Port getting involved. I think they would if they knew all the facts.

The facts as I see them are these.

1, Illahee Creek is a troubled stream that is destined for disaster without intervention. The problems are the results of upstream development when there were no requirements to control storm water. The storm water surges are a major contributor to sediment pollution of Puget Sound as evidenced by the chocolate brown water seen out in the bay after every significant rain storm. The sediment has already filled the culvert that was installed in 1999 and raised the lower flood plain by 18 inches. The sediment is also responsible for filling the stream pools used by fish in the stream and the demise of salmonids in recent years.

2, The aquifers surrounding the area are at water balance and are already impacting the base flows in Illahee Creek. As an example of how development can affect the stream, without infiltration requirements for the Timbers Edge development the base flows of the stream were projected to be reduced by an additional 15-20%

3. The issue for the Port and most in the community with the Timbers Edge development was the higher density and the sewers. There wouldn’t have been any legal challenges if they would have gone to a lower density and septics. In other words if now there was a way for this approved development and/or the properties to be purchased and later sold to a developer who would use low impact development techniques, most everyone would be satisfied.

4. The community tried to contact land trusts and were unable to obtain their support. Both of the land trusts recommended the Port as the agency that needed to be involved.

5. The Port has shown in the recent past they are looking out for the entire community rather than just being concerned with the dock. They supported many items including: the Illahee Community Plan, the geotechnical study of the steep slopes of Illahee Creek, the challenge to the outfall at the dock, and they received the DOE watershed grant.

6. The Port has shown that they are interested in improving community interaction and the area surrounding the dock structure by sponsoring Illahee Day, promoting the community website, purchasing the Ocean View property for a meeting space, purchasing the Dietch property for shoreline access, and are actively looking at the Illahee Store property.

7. The Port Commissioners have been good about watching out for our tax payers dollars. They are cautious and don’t do anything unless they have thoroughly investigated the issues. They are unlikely to raise taxes unless there is a clear mandate from residents, and if they felt they had to raise them it would be the minimum amount required. This should be reassuring for residents.

I don’t know whether the Port will take this issue on. What I heard from one of the Commissioners at their monthly meeting on Wednesday (1/11/12) was that he thought the Port had enough issues before them with the dock and and the properties in the area. In other words he didn’t think they should get involved. My personal thought is that position is pretty short sighted. I think the Port should investigate what they can do to help. If they need to determine whether residents are supportive of their involvement, that can be done by the ICC with petitions. When the Timbers Edge issue first came up it didn’t take long to get pages of signatures. I don’t know how many signatures the Port would need for them to feel there was community support but I feel whatever they need, once the facts are known, the support will be there. Hope this long response helps answer some of your concerns.

Support from Community Organization? We heard that the Timbers Edge issue was going to be discussed at the Illahee Preserve Stewardship monthly meeting and at a Thursday ICC Board meeting, both of which were cancelled because of the weather last week. We feel it is important that both of these Illahee community non-profit organizations register their positions on what they would like to see happen.

Agenda Item for ICC Meeting? We also hope that the issue will be on the agenda for the ICC community meeting scheduled for 6:30 pm on January 31 at the Sylvan Way library where Eric Baker will be discussing remand options, another topic that can greatly affect the Illahee community. This will likely be a similar presentation to what is being planned this week according to a front page article in the Kitsap Sun this morning, which is at this link: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jan/22/county-plans-meetings-for-public-to-weigh-in-on/

Thoughts? We welcome your thoughts on these issues.

An Old Cougar Sighting Report. We periodically check to see if there are responses at our website (illaheecommunity.com) and found this one regarding an old cougar sighting.

Saw your article about Cougar sighting, I saw a cougar about 5 months ago between East Blvd and Illahee then by another neighbor in his front yard on East Blvd and McWilliams within two weeks of that sighting. Just heard about your site or I would have let you know sooner.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Culvert, ICC Agenda Item?, Old Cougar Sighting, Organization Support?, Port Question, Response, Surveyors | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/22/12 Auction Continued, Snow Pictures, High Tides, Egg Sacks, Illahee Preserve Snow, Brush Picking, Eagle Food

Posted on January 23, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Auction Continued. The auction of the Timbers Edge remaining properties that was scheduled for this past Friday has been continued to February 24, 2012. We know of at least one person who was there on Friday to see what was going to happen. We will let you know the details of this auction as soon as we get them.

Snow Pictures. We received some nice pictures of birds at a suet feeder we want to pass on. If you have some nice pictures and want to share them we will pass them on. We are hoping someday to have a picture section on the website, and are waiting for someone to manage it.

High Tides. We are in the middle of a week of high early morning tides. The tide on Saturday wasn’t supposed to be that high, but with the rain and wind it proved to be the most destructive of the season. One person lamented that they had a nice log wash up this past year and they tried to anchor it down with two spiral anchors only to have it and the anchors washed away during Saturday’s high tide.

Egg Sacks? We took a picture of what we remember as the egg sacks of a frilled dogwinkle. Because of their resemblance to oats, they are sometimes referred to as sea oats. We thought they were more of a spring time occurrence, but maybe not in the Sound?

Illahee Preserve Snow. Not much of a noticeable impact to the Illahee Preserve from the snow and wind this past week. There were a few small trees down but the most picturesque was the moss on the snow. We also noticed someone had plowed the Almira parking lot and want to thank them.

Brush Picking Tape. We were told the brush pickers have been in the Preserve and lots of pink tape pieces have shown up in the brochure box at the Thompson Lane parking lot. We found several pieces of orange tape on our trip through there on Saturday. If you see brush pickers please call 911.

Eagle Food. We saw three horned grebes at the Illahee Dock on Wednesday while cross country skiing. These seem to be especially vulnerable to our bald eagle population.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Auction Continued, Brush Picking, Eagle Food, Egg Sacks, High Tides, Illahee Preserve Snow, Snow Pictures | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/12/12 Cougar Sighting, State Park Free Access, Brush Pickers Back, Timbers Edge Plea, Gifted 21 Acre Deed Filed

Posted on January 13, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Cougar Sighting. We received the following email note on Monday from a person who lives close to Illahee State Park. Normally when there is a sighting like this there are others in the area who will also report it. Let us know if anyone knows anything more.

Last night the Illahee State Park camping host heard a scratching sound around the front door steps of his camping trailer. He saw the back end of a retreating cougar when he opened the door to investigate.

State Park Free Access. We heard access to the State Parks is free this weekend beginning on Friday and through Monday, and thought we would remind residents who might not have paid the $30 for a pass.

More Opened Mail. On Monday we received another report of mail thefts, which read as follows:

For your updates. Just found a bunch of opened mail from the 4300 block of Illahee. A lot with 4330 and different space, trailer numbers. Called the Sheriff and turned it over to them. Most was dated 12/29.

Brush Pickers Back. We have received phone calls that brush pickers have returned to the Illahee Preserve. If you see them you can call the Sheriff, the Parks Department, the numbers in the Illahee Preserve brochure, or 479-1049.

Timbers Edge Plea. Because of our updates on the Timbers Edge property auction, we have been asked to include the following email plea in an Update. We have other residents wondering what to do, and also those wondering how to help. It appears to be a drama that keeps unfolding week by week. Here is the plea:

I just found out the Timbers Edge project is going to be sold on the steps of the Kitsap County Court House on the morning of January 20, 2012.

According to Mr. Michael Smith, of Comfort, Davies and Smith-Attorney who will conduct this sale, he will be selling two parcels, as Mr. Jim James of Beach Drive Development LLC has found himself in default and his properties.

THIS IS IT – the opportunity for someone in the Illahee Community to purchase one or both of these properties for approximately $300,000 each. We need someone who can help satisfy the density concerns of this Timbers Edge dense development , which will forever change the landscape of our community.

Can you help in this situation? Are you an investor who could both satisfy your investment in a way which could profit yourself, serve a community need, and have a grateful community honor you with open heart? If you are that person, we need you to step forward, and know that a community thanks you for being able to allow us to keep this community unique and the place we call home.

The time is NOW, the need is NOW, can you help us, NOW?

Contact: Mr. Michael Smith, Attorney

1901 65th Avenue West

Fircrest, Washington

253-565-3400

Gifted 21 Acre Deed Filed. We did see a copy of the Bargain and Sale Deed on Wednesday, which shows it was filed on Monday, January 9, 2012 (this is for the gifted 21 acres in settlement for dropping the appeal to the Shorelines Hearings Board). For those interested in the process, the documents first went through the County Treasurer for payment of the Excise Tax, and then to the Auditor for the actual recording or filing of the the deed. After this we assume someone in the county updates their records to show the 21 acres removed from the tax parcels, and new tax parcel numbers and descriptions assigned. We think this could greatly impact the auction sale that is being planned for January 20th, and wonder if the attorney selling the properties is aware of the recent filing that could affect his auction sale?

Your Thoughts? Let us know your thoughts on how you would like to see this drama play out?

Jim Aho

(We have been asked to note that these Updates are filed and posted on the illaheecommunity.com website)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brush Pickers Back, Cougar Sighting, Gifted 21 Acre Deed Filed, State Park Free Access, Timbers Edge Plea | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/7/12 Missing Kids Found, Settlement Papers Signed, January TE Property Auction, GPC Clarification, GPC Supportive, Importance of 15 Acres

Posted on January 7, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Missing Kids Found. We were asked about the the pictures posted on signs in Illahee on Friday. We took a picture of one of the posts which is shown below. We also called the NCIS duty officer this morning and found out the kids have been found.

Papers Signed for 21 Acre Settlement Agreement. We heard the Port of Illahee and the Illahee Community Club have signed the Settlement Agreement by which 21 acres of open space land along Illahee Creek have been conveyed to the Port of Illahee (to eventually be added to the Illahee Preserve). Thank you Jim James and Beach Drive Developers! And also the Port of Illahee and the Illahee Community Club, and attorneys Ron Templeton and Ryan Vancil for following through with the paper work.

TE Property Auction Scheduled for January 20th. We heard that the Timbers Edge property auction that was originally scheduled for 12/16/11 is now scheduled for 1/20/12. Since some of these properties have been affected by the gifting of the open space portions to the Port, we are waiting to see how they will be described in the reported upcoming posting of the sale in the paper.

GPC Clarification. We sent a copy of the last update where we talked about the GPC and the TPL not being able to help the community with the TE property purchases. They felt we did not correctly state their position, so we have copied portions of their email below.

Thank you for sharing a copy of your recent newsletter with me. Unfortunately, your brief summary is an inaccurate summary of Great Peninsula Conservancy’s position on the Timbers Edge properties.

Great Peninsula Conservancy decided not to be an active participant in the potential acquisition of the Timbers Edge properties because we felt that with the transfer of the 21 acres out of the total of 36 acres that the lion’s share of conservation of critical habitat had been accomplished. Further, the remaining 15 acres appear to have limited capacity for attracting grant funding due to lack of significant habitat or trails. In our estimation, financing for the purchase of the remaining 15 acres will need to come from private donations and/or public financing. We felt that the community and/or Port were in the best position to provide that funding.

In addition to private donations which you already are pursuing, we suggested that the Port of Illahee might consider a levy or some other funding mechanism. We pointed you to a successful model for a local levy supported by private donations in Anacortes that was used to acquire a community forest. This might be particularly attractive as you indicated only 5 of the 15 acres were suitable for addition to the Preserve and the remaining 10 acres might be suitable for low impact development. Perhaps the Port could use its bonding authority to purchase the land and use a levy and/or income from developing the 10 acres to pay back the bond.

Like Trust for Public Land, this project is too small for GPC to consider. The capacity issue I mentioned has to do with how Great Peninsula Conservancy prioritizes projects we take on, and this project did not rank highly in our estimation for the reasons described above. Nonetheless, we recognize the community’s interest in acquiring the land and provided guidance to assist you in achieving your goal.

GPC Supportive. The Great Peninsula Conservancy spent considerable time investigating the TE project, researching the project area, looking for grants, making numerous calls, which included bridge financing resources, and providing suggestions such as those mentioned above. We appreciate their time and effort and realize as they stated in an email “We simply cannot take on every conservation project that is brought to our attention.”

Importance of the 15 Acres. While the GPC found the 15 acres less important from the aspect of significant habitat and trails (and therefore less eligible for grants), many in the community feel the critical issues are with aquifers, the base flows in Illahee Creek, and storm water impacts. It appears if anything is going to happen now it is up to the local Illahee community and the Port of Illahee.

What Next? There are many wondering what will happen next, including this update scribe. Let us know your thoughts.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged GPC Clarification, GPC Supportive, Importance of 15 Acres, January TE Property Auction, Missing Kids Found, Settlement Papers Signed | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/5/12 Culvert Measurements, Land Trust Rejections, Importance of TE Properties to Illahee

Posted on January 6, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Culvert Measurements. “Can you show us what the culvert measurements are?” has been a request for some time. Last month we received a yardstick mounted to plastic pipe (the plastic pipe is dense so if it falls into the stream everything will not float downstream into the culvert). We took some pictures before the last rain which showed the maximum culvert clearance at 22.5 inches. The rains we received on Jan 3 & 4 showed some change in the gravel buildup, but the clearance was the same.

Land Trust Rejections. There were a series of emails we saw yesterday that were disappointing to say the least. We are going to copy and paste them as follows so you will know what we know regarding the rejections. While the rejections aren’t good news, we need to remind ourselves that the Port of Illahee was the recipient of 21 acres that will eventually be transferred to the Illahee Preserve which is good news.

Rejection Email #1.

We just heard from the Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) that they decided they are unable to help us with the TE property purchase due to capacity issues, financial and staffing. While this is disappointing, we decided early on to contact two land trusts, a local one and a national one, the GPC and the Trust for Public Lands (TPL). Our hope early on was that the GPC would take on the lead role and work with the TPL as needed since they have teamed up together before. Since that didn’t happen we now hope the TPL will be able to work with us. Ryan made contact with the TPL before the Christmas holidays, and we will follow up now that the GPC is no longer an option.

Rejection Email #2.

We talked with the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) this afternoon and just heard back from them. They said our project was too small for them, though they did hold open the possibility that they may be able to work with the Port of Illahee, if the Port was interested and contacted them.

What is amazing is that our project is TOO BIG for the Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) and TOO SMALL for the Trust for Public Lands (TPL). What do we do when we fall in the middle?

Any suggestions of what to do next would be greatly appreciated.

Importance of TE Properties to Illahee. We have been asked what is so important about the TE properties that the community would go through all the trouble to try and find a land trust to help save them? The short answer is most in the community are not against development but were against the high density of the Timbers Edge development. They felt larger lots with septic systems were a better fit for aquifers and the creek. Some of the reasons were:

Aquifer Recharge. Early on the community paid for scientific studies to better understand the hydrology of Illahee Creek and what the effects the Timbers Edge development would be. Those studies and others that followed showed the development as originally planned could result in decreased flow in Illahee Creek by 15 – 20 percent, and more importantly that the Manette Peninsula is essentially at water balance, which means we are extracting water at the same rate it is being infiltrated. The implications of this fact should be of concern to everyone, and especially officials. A lower density development or no development in this area would be better for aquifer recharge.

Illahee Creek Inflow. Illahee Creek is fed by rain water that eventually flows out from springs and seeps flowing from the shallow aquifer. The shallow aquifer is in hydraulic continuity with the deeper aquifers. The USGS modeling of the Bainbridge Island aquifers also covered the Manette Peninsula which when applied showed that well extractions are already resulting in decreased flows in Illahee Creek. A lower density development or no development in the area would better support the base flows in Illahee Creek.

Salmon. Historically Illahee Creek, though a small stream, had salmon runs which have been reported. The base flows during dry periods are already low and any further reduction could affect the ability of the stream to support salmon. Also, the high flows that come from any significant rains, because of the lack of storm water controls in the upstream areas of the watershed, bring excessive sediment that fills the pools in the stream that are necessary for fish. A lower density development or no development in this area would be better for salmon.

Illahee Creek Culvert. While the failing Illahee Creek culvert is a major concern for the community, the Timbers Edge engineers realized the problem and call for the storm water from the project to be infiltrated to help with the aquifer issues and excess storm water discharged on the downstream side of the culvert. However, the TE engineers want to run the sewer line from the development in the roadway above the culvert rather than under the stream. With a culvert that is jeopardy of failing the community is concerned about these plans and is another reason for wanting a lower density development with septic systems.

Illahee Dock Sediment Buildup. The storm surges that have filled the culvert have also deposited extreme amounts of sediment out on the delta and under the Port of Illahee’s community dock. Several years ago the mud under the inner float was measured at 32 inches. The concern of the Port is at some point the draft under the dock will increase to the point dredging would be required. Higher density developments are more likely to exacerbate the issue than lower density developments or no development.

Cumulative Effects. The effects of each one the above items is why many in the community would like to see a lower density development or no development, and when they are coupled together, the are called cumulative effects and have an even greater impact which is why they contacted the Land Trust to see if they could help.

Did Anyone Give $10,000? We contacted the treasurer of the Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP) who said there was one person who gave $10,000 a couple of days before the end of the year because of tax reasons.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Culvert Measurements, Importance of TE Properties to Illahee, Land Trust Rejections | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 1/2/12 Mail Theft Pictures, Illahee Boundary, Resident Human Interest Story, Important Dates, Lost Float

Posted on January 3, 2012 by illaheecommunity

Another Mail Theft. In our last update we linked an article in the Kitsap Sun about mail thefts along Illahee Road. We found out about this theft the other day and asked if they could give us a report of what they found, and this is it:

We found this on Wednesday Dec 28th in mid-morning after our mail had been delivered to our mail box. The mail had been scattered all around and some of it had been opened. The mail that I looked at came from the Fir Drive and Nobles Lane. It had started to rain so the mail was wet. I called the Post Office but the number had been been disconnected, so I called the Sheriff’s office and they told me that a Deputy would connect with me. Later that day he did, but he was in Kingston, so I told him I would take the mail to the post office. It took two large plastic bags.

Evidently there were lots of Christmas cards in the mixture that were opened so it will be interesting to know if the Post Office tried to contact these people and deliver what they could.

Illahee Boundary. We attended a luncheon recently and found there were residents who live in Illahee but didn’t know they lived within the Illahee boundary, so we have included a boundary map. It mostly corresponds to the Port of Illahee boundary except for the southern end and the area east of Perry Ave.

Illahee Resident Human Interest Story. Last week there was a nice human interest story in the sports section of the Kitsap Sun about a local resident who is also a recently elected Port of Illahee Commissioner. We asked Mike if we could link his story, and while he was a little reluctant, he said we could. We wish him well in his upcoming surgery.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/27/east-nets-3-peat-in-bremerton-alumni-game/

Important Dates. We heard about two important upcoming events. The first is a meeting of the Illahee Community Club who will host Kitsap County Planner, Eric Baker, who will discuss the UGA Remand Options the county is considering. The meeting is scheduled of January 31, 2012 at 6:30 pm at the Sylvan Way Library. The next event is a big celebration being planned for May 5, 2012 at the Illahee Preserve that we heard about at a recent meeting. We plan on providing more details on both of these meetings as they get closer.

Lost Float. We received the following email notice about a float that washed up on the Illahee shoreline in case someone lost one recently.

A very nice float has washed up on our beach, so if you know of anyone who is looking for it, have them call me. This float has cleats and reflectors and is well made.

2012 Expectations. We heard from a number of residents this Christmas season who are hoping for great things to continue for Illahee this next year. We agree and especially want to thank the Port of Illahee for their successes this past year of 2011 and for all they do for Illahee.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Illahee Boundary, Important Dates, Lost Float, Mail Theft Pictures, Resident Human Interest Story | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 12-27-11 Float Occupiers, Christmas Gifts & TE Properties? $10,000 Gifts? Mail Thefts, Preserve Spared

Posted on December 27, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Float Occupiers. There aren’t many floats along Illahee shorelines for waterfowl and marine mammals, so the three floats shown in this picture (taken from the Illahee dock) are very popular pretty much all year long. The second photo shows a near daily occurrence where the local cormorants eventually become so numerous the seals finally leave.

Christmas Gifts for TE Properties? There are people in Illahee and in the surrounding community who have expressed interest in helping with the possibility of obtaining the Timbers Edge properties that are presumably scheduled for auction in January 2012 (based on a 30 day extension?). They have asked if they can make a donation this year (because of a tax situation) to help purchase the properties for the Illahee Preserve. They also said their substantial gifts would only be given for the specific purpose of purchasing these properties, and if the purchases do not take place, they would like their money returned.

Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP) Response. The Illahee Forest Preserve, the non-profit group set up to help the Illahee Preserve, has responded by setting up a special account to handle any funds that might be given through them. They will work with the land trust organizations that are working on this to help facilitate the purchase. The checks can be made out to the Illahee Forest Preserve or the IFP, with a note on the check “For TE property purchase only.”

$10,000 Gifts? We have heard there are already two residents interesting in contributing $10K for the TE property purchase, and several others who have said they wanted to help and needed more information on how it should be done.

Total Amount Needed? What is the total amount needed for the purchase? That is the question that needs to be answered. If all that is needed is the money to satisfy the amounts that showed up in the legal section of the Kitsap Sun on 12/7/11, it would be $272,225 for the first parcel, and $308,917 for the second parcel, for a total of $581,142. While that seems like a significant amount of money, the property could be viewed by developers as cheap since a 110 home development has already been approved, albeit with some pretty stringent conditions. An unsuspecting developer could like at this project as a bargain if they thought they could get $20,000 for each of the 110 lots, less roughly a $1M-2M for infrastructure.

The Culvert Problem. The problem is how and where do you run a sewer line under Illahee Creek, since the culvert has filled with sediment and needs to be replaced? The development was originally planning on running the sewer line in the roadway over the Illahee Creek culvert, which wouldn’t work with a failed culvert. We aren’t sure how one can complete an appraisal on this project with such a big unknown.

Mail Thefts. This past Friday morning many local residents found their mailbox doors open, and some mail boxes were laying on the ground. The next morning the mystery was solved when the linked article appeared in the Kitsap Sun. Mail thieves arrested in Bremerton http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/23/mail-theives-arrested-in-bremerton/ The thieves were caught that evening thanks to the sharp eyes of someone here in Illahee who reported seeing the thieves in action.

Preserve Spared. The Sunday morning wind storm that went through the area did not seriously affect the Illahee Preserve. We walked through most of the trails and only found one small tree across the trail. It appears the Preserve was spared this time, though the maintenance crew felt the reason for hardly any trees coming down was because last years storm had already taken care of the weak trees in addition to the ground not being saturated because of the dry weather.

Year End Gifts Appreciated. The Illahee Forest Preserve board wishes to thank those supporting the Preserve with your end of year gifts, and especially those able to help with significant gifts for the purpose of purchasing the TE properties. Those gifts can be mailed to: Illahee Forest Preserve or IFP, P.O. Box 3047, Bremerton, WA 98310. Thank you!!!!!

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 000Gifts? Mail Thefts, Christmas Gifts & TE Properties? $10, Float Occupiers, Preserve Spared | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 12/19/11 Scoters, Kitsap Sun TE Article, ICC Name Change, End of Year Giving, Sunrise Photo, Coyote Response

Posted on December 19, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Scoters. Scoters are large diving ducks found throughout Puget Sound waters in the winter months. There are the White-winged Scoters, the Black Scoters, and the most colorful Surf Scoters which are in the area but those photos did not turn out. Shown in the picture below are White-winged Scoters. It is hard to believe the Scoters have gizzards capable of breaking up clams, snails, mussels and other crustaceans. We have yet so see a Black Scoter, which is less common. It is supposed to have no white markings on it but does have the distinctive orange bill. We found another person, Jeff Adams with the UW Sea Grant program, who also likes to see scoters and wrote about them in his blog for the Kitsap Sun which contains pictures of Surf Scoters, http://pugetsoundblogs.com/sea-life/2011/11/02/surfs-up-on-the-salish-sea/

TE Story in Monday’s Kitsap Sun. The front page headlines in today’s (Monday’s) Kitsap Sun looked like this:

Last Friday’s Scheduled Auction Delayed 30 Days. The courthouse step auction that was supposed to take place the past Friday was postponed 30 days while papers were being prepared and signed to transfer 21 acres of open space land to the Port of Illahee, that will eventually be transferred to the Illahee Preserve. The Kitsap Sun article does a nice job of providing some of the later history of the development which is at the following link: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/18/controversial-illahee-housing-development-headed/

Next Steps? We have been asked by some residents what will happen next? The Port of Illahee was suggested as a possibility to purchase the land, though we reminded them the Port felt it did not have enough community support when the idea was raised sometime ago. Another suggested a petition drive to see if residents were willing to have their Port taxes raised to help with the purchase. One person was willing to donate $10,000 to help the community purchase the largest group of properties and commented that we only needed 30 more to raise the $309,000 amount to satisfy what the holder of the note needed. He said he thought he could find 10 more who were willing to give, which would only cover one third of the cost, but another suggested that number would likely lead to other willing supporters. What these residents all said was that this would need to be done quickly if it was to happen by the middle of January.

Land Trust Option. The Illahee Community Club board met last Thursday and stated their plan has always been to contact land trusts once the open space gift transactions were completed. We heard that a representative of the Illahee Community Club met with a land trust representative on Monday (12/19/11) and they are hoping to hear next week if the land trust organization will agree to help them. We heard they were encouraged by what they heard at the meeting, but these things need to be approved by the organization directors and possibly their board members. They also noted that land trusts aren’t rich with cash, but they are good at raising significant dollars within the community and surrounding area and that it could require support from many sources.

Illahee Community Club Name Change. We also heard the Illahee Community Club has been trying to decide what its name should be since it has rejected the “Club” ending that was a carry over from years ago when the Illahee Community Club was more of a social group as a 501.c.4 organization rather than its current designation as a 501.c.3 non-profit corporation. They asked we put the question to those receiving these updates to see if they had any preference. Among the options discussed last week were: Illahee Community Association (ICA), Illahee Community Connection (ICC), IllaheeCommunity.Com (ICC) (which coincidentally is the website address for the Illahee community. The board said this decision has been the hardest so far for them to agree on and they are hoping for some help.

Year End Giving? The board also asked us to remind residents that the Illahee Community Club (ICC) and the Illahee Forest Preserve (IFP) are both 501.c.3 not-for-profit groups and gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The address for the ICC is PO Box 2563, Bremerton, WA 98310, and the address for the IFP is PO Box 3047, Bremerton, WA 98310. Your gifts are greatly appreciated by both groups.

Third Sunrise Photo. We received a third sunrise photo from last week, this one taken from the resident’s deck.

Another Coyote Comment. Thank you for all your comments and especially from those who are dealing with or familiar with coyotes. This comment came in last week.

i believe these coyotes will move on, they are just doing what coyotes do. People should really consider keeping their cats in at night and if they have dogs, probably should keep them in at night as well. Chickens should be in a fenced in pen, with a secured cover. The coyotes will move on once the food source is not as available. They are loud and they are masters at sounding like there is more of them than there is. We see this happen on farm in Sequim all the time. No worries, just be aware and you can out smart them.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Coyote Response, End of Year Giving, ICC Name Change, Kitsap Sun TE Article, Scoters, Sunrise Photo | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 12/14/11 Timbers Edge Gift Tract Update, Sunrise Photos, Winter Waterfowl, Cell Tower Approved, December High Tides, Soft Bulkheading, Coyote Report

Posted on December 14, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Timbers Edge Gift Tract Update. Thanks to local attorney Ron Templeton, who agreed to prepare the conveyance documents without pay, it appears the gifting of the open space tracts to the Port of Illahee, and eventually to the Illahee Preserve, will take place this week. The legal papers have been prepared and are in the process of being reviewed. Since several parties are involved it will take a few days, but it is on a fast track to have everything completed on Friday. Again, we need to thank Ron Templeton, who has made what seemed like an impossible situation a few days ago, something that will probably complete by weeks end. The Illahee Preserve and the Illahee Community thank you Ron for resolving the gifting predicament!

Sunrise Photos. Never before have we received sunrise photos, but yesterday two different sets arrived. The above one is stitched, the second set is from Arlene Lind.

Winter Waterfowl. Late fall and winter are the times of year when we see a new complement of waterfowl along the Illahee shorelines. The first to arrive are usually the American Wigeon which are pictured here. We will start including photos of the various winter waterfowl we see most everyday.

Cell Tower Approved. As normally happens with these type of hearings (unless you have a lawyer, experts, and a good case), the second cell tower (for Verizon) at the Trenton Fire Station was approved. See the attached notice from the Kitsap Sun http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/05/cell-tower-approved-on-trenton-avenue/. We tried to find the decision of the Hearing Examiner on line, but evidently they are longer posted on the county website. We did sign up to get a copy and will be glad to send it to anyone who might be interested.

December High Tides Coming. December is the month of high and low tides. Thirteen foot high morning tides will be with us for the rest of this week and the 25th through the 29th. Because of the significant effects of atmospheric pressure, winds, storms, and rainfall on tides, the predicted high tides on the charts may or may not be an issue.

Log Shoreline Protection. This is also the time for those using logs for shoreline protection (soft bulkheads) to be concerned. We have included some pictures of logs being used to protect shorelines in Illahee. The high tides can be be a major threat for these logs, especially if there are strong winds and waves.

Coyote Report. The other day we received an email from a resident who lives close to the edge of the Preserve and have included his coyote report.

The pack of coyotes near us is far more than 5 or 8 as some “expert” had mentioned in a previous E-mail. I hear them all the time and can say that there are many. many yipping at the same time they can raise a holy racket from a good 1/4 mile away. Also, we have watched them kill some our neighbors chickens and even attack one of their baby lambs, fatally injuring it. Also, a Cooper’s Hawk attacked my wife’s and neighbors chickens a couple of months ago.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cell Tower Approved, Coyote Report, December High Tides, Soft Bulkheading, Sunrise Photos, Timbers Edge Gift Tract Update, Winter Waterfowl | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 12/10/11 Timbers Edge Foreclosure Sale and Illahee Preserve Open Space Gift?

Posted on December 11, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Many Phone Calls and Emails This Week. We received many emails and phone calls this week regarding a legal notice in Wednesday’s (12/7/11) Kitsap Sun. The legal section add was a “Notice of Trustee’s Sale” of all five of the Timbers Edge project parcels. If you don’t still have Wednesday’s paper the notice can be read at this link: http://secure.adpay.com/Kitsap%20Sun/7630661/clicknbuy.aspx?networkview=False&catid=3310&pcatid=GLGL&procid=0bec5f2f-634c-4189-82a4-897132e3f407&region=1037 We have been trying to figure out what it all means and we are still confused, but thought we should let you know what we have been able determine so far.

Background. The Timbers Edge project has been a concern for many years for Illahee residents since as it was originally planned it would have had some devastating effects on Illahee Creek. Over the years the project changed some, though it was still a high density, small lot development on the bluffs of Illahee Creek. It nevertheless was eventually approved by the Kitsap County Hearing Examiner. When the community appealed to the Shorelines Hearings Board, the appeal was withdrawn when the developer agreed to gift the Open Space areas, roughly 24 acres, to the Port of Illahee (for a possible grant match, which would have the land eventually transferred to the Illahee Preserve).

Next Friday’s Sale? The date, time, and place of the sale is December 16th, at 10 am, outside the main entrance of the Kitsap County Superior Courthouse in Port Orchard. These are the same type of sales that have had disturbances the last two weeks, see the following link: ”Another Occupy arrest at Kitsap County foreclosure auction” http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/09/another-occupy-arrest-at-kitsap-county-auction/

The Parcels. The Timbers Edge project involved 5 separate parcels of land, which the local community has referred to them as the Avery parcels (2), The Talmo pacels (2), and the Garrison piece, based on who owned them previously.

Avery Homestead. The Avery homestead consisted of two 5 acre parcels that parallel Noble Lane. We understand that some of the descendants still live in the area and that is about all we know. It was that 10 acres that had plans for the highest density of homes, about 90 homes on roughly 40′ by 90′ lots.

Talmo Parcels. The Talmo parcels are located just north of the Avery homestead, along the steep banks of Illahee Creek. They are mostly open space and can only accommodate approximately 8 slightly larger lots, roughly 60′ by 115′.

Garrison Parcel. This is the parcel to the west, which lies along the steep slopes of the South Fork of Illahee Creek, and is also comprised of roughly 60% open space. This parcel had plans for approximately 18 homes sites averaging roughly 60′ by 100′ in size.

Total Owed is $581,141. According to the notice the “Total Payments and Charges Owed” for the Garrison parcel is $272,224.80, and $308,916.93 for the combined Avery and Talmo parcels, which adds up to $581,141.73.

What Will Happen on Friday? We don’t know what will happen? We have been asking questions, but we are not getting any real answers.

Questions? We have been asked about what will happen with the 24 acres gifted to the Port? Some think that a lien against the properties needs to be served, others think that the gifted open space is already part of the property legal works. We don’t know what to think, so if anyone has any information, we would like to get some answers, or at least a better understanding of what is happening.

Land Trust Purchase? The idea of trying to interest a Land Trust to purchase the Timbers Edge development has been part of a long range plans by Illahee groups (Port, Preserve, & Community). The Preserve and Port were contacted early on by two Land Trust organizations and had decided to wait until the open space gifting had taken place, since it supposedly was imminent. They were also waiting for the Illahee film project to complete as it should show all the preservation projects that have gone on in the Preserve and could be used to positively influence the land trusts.

Next Steps? It appears the next step is to wait and see what happens at the sale on Friday 12/16/11. Hopefully the person or group purchasing the properties will be willing to work with the community or a land trust to purchase these properties. One of the suggestions made this week was to see if the community could raise $308,916 to purchase the largest group of properties. They thought if there were 31 people willing to contribute $10,000 each that it could be done. While that seemed like a very unlikely prospect to us, there were a few who were willing and able to contribute.

Community/Preserve Awareness. We have been asked to let people know what is happening on these issues, and while we don’t know as much as we would like, we decided it is time to pass the information on since the sale is this coming Friday.

Comments? We would like to know your thoughts and comments, and any expertise you might have to better understand what might happen and if there are any options out there for the Preserve and the Community.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Foreclosure Sale, Open Space Gift, Timbers Edge | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11/27/11 Fallen Tree Report, Rotary Group, Culvert Report, High Tides

Posted on November 27, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Fallen Tree Report 2010/2011. The final fallen tree report for the 2010/2011 season was 105 trees removed from somewhere between 4 and 5 miles of Illahee Preserve trails. Assuming 5 miles of trails this would equate to 21 trees per mile of trail. Considering the time span of one year and several intense wind storms the numbers appear reasonable. Thanks to the Rotary trail crew for staying on top of this beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving last year and finishing up with tree 105 on Thanksgiving morning this year!

Which Rotary Group? There are at least three Rotary groups in the area (two in Bremerton and one in Silverdale) and every now and then we are asked exactly what Rotary group has adopted the Illahee Preserve. The answer is the East Bremerton Rotary Club. Not only does this club organize and participate in Illahee Preserve work parties, they work with tree companies to get wood chips, they perform the fallen tree removal crew duties, they have been doing restoration work planting trees and ferns, and they pay for and installed two of the large Illahee Preserve signs, and are working on a new sign for State Route 303 just north of the wrecking yard. They are also helping with Nathan Clemen’s Eagle Scout Compass Circle Meadow Restoration Project, and possible other projects we aren’t even aware of. Thank you Rotary Club of East Bremerton!!!

Illahee Culvert Report. We wanted to see if the last rain storm had any effect on the Illahee Creek Culvert under Illahee Road. According to our measurements the sediment level raised about 6 inches. We look for the maximum clearance from the bottom of the stream to the top of the culvert and use a stick to do so, which you can see in the photo below. The concern as the sediment level increases is possible blockage from upstream logs that might not fit through the culvert. There are a number of upstream areas where logs are slowly moving down, some that would make a beaver feel quite fortunate to find. We have included a couple of examples below.

High Tides. There have been some high tides already this month, with a few more to end up the month of November. Early this morning was a 13.5 ft high, with a 13.4 on Monday and a 13.2 on Tuesday.

Beach Log Securing Experiment. We have heard of some attempts to try and keep transient logs at the high tide mark of the beach in order to improve shoreline habitat by securing them, some with ropes, others with an anchoring system. We will try to get more information as there are many more high tides coming up in December, since if any of these experiments work, others might be interested in doing the same thing. Otherwise these logs float out on high tides and are eventually picked up and hauled away.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Culvert Report, Fallen Tree Report, High Tides, Rotary Group | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11/22/11 Fallen Trees, Illahee Creek Culvert, Pee Wee Report, Cell Tower Hearing Report

Posted on November 23, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Fallen Trees 99 and 100. We went for a brief walk in the Preserve today and were happy to report we only found two trees down across the trails, but still means 100 trees came down since last Thanksgiving, and will likely be cleared either Wednesday or at daybreak on Thanksgiving day.

Damaged Hemlock. The other day we took a picture of a small hemlock tree that had been hacked about half way up the trunk. When we went by it today it would be hard to know it had even been there as the Rotary trial crew took care of it. One of the frustrations they have learned to live with is vandal damage and hope with increased usage of the Preserve that it diminishes.

Illahee Creek Flows. With 2.84 inches of rain we received as of late Tuesday, Illahee Creek is running fast, but not as full as we expected on Tuesday afternoon. We have been measuring the maximum clear opening (from the base of the stream to the top of the culvert) to see if the recent downstream cleaning has had any affect. The measurement today was similar to the last few readings. The concern is it would only take one large log to block the culvert and possibly cause a washout.

Last Pee Wee Game Report. Following is the report of the last North Perry Pee Wee football team’s championship game at Port Townsand from Tony Chavez:

One last pee wee football note. Illahee’s own North Perry Gators C-String (9-10 year olds), being the Kitsap County Champs traveled up north to Port Townsend on Saturday, November 19, 2011, to take on the North Olympic Youth Football Champions, the Forks Chargers, in the 3^rd annual Battle of the Bridge. North Perry won by a score of 36 to 8, making them a perfect 10-0 this season! As they like to say at North Perry, HARD WORK PAYS OFF!

Another Cell Tower Hearing Report. Awhile ago we posted a comment regarding a second cell tower being proposed at the Trenton Ave fire station. We were hoping at a minimum they could disguise the tower as a tree so it won’t be so imposing. We just received the following report from Judith Krigsman who gave in-depth testimony before the Hearings Examiner, Kim Allan, on November 10th.

I felt that the hearing went very well. I explained that most neighbors in the immediate vicinity or within the fall zone of a cell tower, can be refused an FHA loan. That is 26 per cent of all mortgage loans. HUD has strict guidelines and cell towers are called nuisances and hazards. This may affect home values in the area. This can also make it difficult to sell your home if you need to secure an FHA loan.

The Department of Community Development was not aware of this most serious detail. Verizon, the cell tower proponent, did not know this either. Now it will be up to the Hearings Examiner to go through all the facts presented to see if they have merit.

Also, Department of Community Development completely omitted the adjacent property to the south in the proposal, which would be most affected by the 125 ft. monopole. This family, owners of the 3 ½ acre adjoining parcel, are in jeopardy of losing their home if the tower ever fell. It appears that sometimes those most affected have such little voice when it comes to these hearings. That is the great thing about Illahee, neighbors look out for each other and attend these hearings to express their thoughts.

The major issue to this hearing was that Verizon failed to prove that they did an active search for alternative locations in an industrial or commercial zone, where Kitsap County prefers to locate these facilities according to Kitsap County Codes.

Additionally, Steven Chafee, an Illahee neighbor, came to make testimony at the hearing. He presented some good facts about cell towers to the examiner and expressed his concerns about the proposed project as a concerned neighbor.

Stayed tuned for the outcome and although it is hard to make change, the voice is a powerful thing!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you a great Thanksgiving!

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cell Tower Hearing Report, Fallen Trees, Illahee Creek Culvert, Pee Wee Report | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11-21-11 Illahee Preserve Report, Tree Count, Restoration Projects, Grass Seed, Preserve Experiment

Posted on November 21, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Trail Tree Count at 98. Whenever we can we like to tag along with the Rotary’s trail maintenance crew as they remove trees that have fallen across trails. Currently the trails are covered with maple leaves as shown below. Since last Thanksgiving they have kept count and early Sunday morning removed trees 96, 97, and 98. With high winds expected tonight (Tuesday) they will likely reach the 100 mark by Thursday.

Volunteer Crew Greatly Appreciated! The Rotary crew has gone through the chain saw safety course required by Kitsap County for anyone operating a chain saw in the Preserve. They do such a great job of clearing the medium to smaller trees that most would not even know a tree had fallen across the trail. How do you adequately thank volunteers like this who give so much of their time, energy, and resources in order to keep the Preserve trails open and clear?

Tree Restoration Planting. Not only does the Rotary crew keep the trails open, but they are helping in restoration areas as we leaned when we tagged along on Sunday afternoon and helped a small group of Rotary and Illahee Preserve Stewardship members plant small cedar trees.

Compass Circle Meadow Restoration. A second restoration project, the Compass Circle Meadow Restoration, is also being worked this school year as the Eagle Scout project of Nathan Clemen. Nathan and his scout troop have created a perimeter trail around Compass Circle as the meadow area will be replanted with grasses supportive of wildlife. Nathan needs to complete the project this next spring, and because of the magnitude of the project, the Rotary and the Stewardship are helping with getting the meadow area ready and planted.

Grass Seed Located in Oregon. Three 50 pound bags of grass seed have been located in Corvallis, Oregon and they are looking for anyone who might be driving Interstate 5 in the near future, who might be able to help transport the seed here. Let us know and we will pass the contact information on.

Restoration Signs Ready. The Park’s Department has helped with providing 5 restoration signs to close and block off the 5 trails that go through Compass Circle and Nathan is looking at some temporary signs, possibly laminated, that will help trail users connect with the right trail again. This will be a big change for trail users and we have been asked to let them know what is being planned in this area of the Preserve. We hope at some point there will be a map of the perimeter trail around the meadow.

Preserve Experiment Working? The Illahee Preserve is a 444 acre forest that has been called an experiment to see if the local community, volunteer groups, and individuals can essentially support and maintain a large heritage park. Based on what we have seen since the Preserve was obtained just 10 years ago (in 2001) and the above support, THE EXPERIMENT IS WORKING! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Grass Seed, Illahee Preserve Report, Preserve Experiment, Restoration Projects, Tree Count | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11/14/11 School Sports Groups, Pee Wee Exception, Timbers Edge Gift, Community Meeting Info

Posted on November 14, 2011 by illaheecommunity

School Sports Groups. With Illahee being roughly equally represented by the Bremerton and Central Kitsap school districts, we don’t covered school events or issues. Such events are covered by the Kitsap Sun and also by more localized reports in the CK Reporter and the Bremerton Patriot.

The Pee Wee Exception. Thanks to Tony Chavez for the following Pee Wee report, the exception that doesn’t follow the school district boundaries. Congratulations to these upcoming athletes!

Just a note to the Illahee Community about ‘our’ Pee Wee football players. The North Perry Gators who’s district covers Illahee finished the 2011 pee wee football season as so:

D-String (7-8 year old) finished with a record of 4-3. They started out the season 0-3, but turned it around and won their first playoff game. They were eliminated in the semi-finals by the eventual champions Warren Ave.

C-String (9-10 year old) finished the season 6-0. Had an epic battle with their arch rivals Warren Ave in the semi-finals winning 8-0. North Perry defeated Chico in the championship 32-6 , to earn the county title.

B-String (11-12 year old) finished the season 6-0 as well, cruised through the post season, and was soundly defeated in the championship game by a very good Tracyton team 45-8.

If you’ve never watched a pee wee football, it is an absolute blast. It’s a great community builder, it’s free and great for the kids (young and old) involved.

Two article in the Sunday, November 12, 2011 Kitsap Sun regarding the championship games:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/12/chuck-stark-pee-wees-still-football-at-its/

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/12/three-pee-wee-teams-cap-undefeated-seasons/

Timbers Edge 24 Acre Gift. In an earlier Illahee Update we reported concerns about the status of the 24 acre gift of open space that was agreed to when the the community dropped its appeal to the Shorelines Hearings Board. We later noted that the developer, Jim James, noted that the gift would take place. Some residents who sent us the default notices that were attached to trees, are still concerned. We have been told that even if there is a default on any of the five land parcels of the development, the open space gift will take place, that the gifting somehow takes precedence. If anyone can help us better understand this issue we would appreciate it.

Saturday’s Illahee Community Meeting. We haven’t seen the official minutes but did see a copy of an email that was sent to one attendee discussing some interesting information about Illahee community memberships and communications.

Thank you for your comments yesterday (which expressed concerns whether there was enough community members present to represent the entire community). We realized we haven’t checked on our data base numbers for some time and wanted to verify the numbers we gave out at the meeting. We currently have 369 residents in our data base who have supported at least one community issue since we started working on the community plan. Of that number 173 are active members through paying the $10 dues or were granted life membership because they contributed some threshold amount to the group. All Illahee residents are considered members-at-large which have no dues.

The community updates go out to roughly 500 email recipients and some of those forward them to their neighbors. We know that some access the Updates via the illaheecommunity.com website, which is what Fred does, the guy who was sitting in front of you. We have a goal to have several people reporting for the updates and hope to reach 1000 email recipients in the future, which considering households would mean we would be reaching the majority of Illahee residents. What is most interesting is every month we get a few more requests, though we do have those who move away and request their names be removed.

The one aspect of the updates that the majority of residents have told us is that they like the wildlife photos and wildlife info. They have also said they don’t like meetings but like to know what transpired at the meetings. They have nevertheless responded to important community issues and have paid for experts and lawyers when necessary, which for a few years averaged roughly $10,000 a year. And lastly we do have concerns as our community meeting attendance has been steadily dwindling which is why we are looking for speakers. The standard comment regarding meeting attendance is “let us know if something important is happening and we will be there.” Which is why if we ever need to determine what residents want regarding UGA issues (such as if Illahee could be removed from the UGA), we will go with questionnaires to all residents like our original one (which was used to verify whether residents wanted to create their own subarea plan), so we will have the objective and quantifiable data required to support a possible community position.

Additional Reporters? As the above response notes we are always looking for several other reporters to cover Illahee issues, such as the Pee Wee report. Let us know if you can help, even if it is just sporadically.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Community Meeting Info, Pee Wee Exception, School Sports Groups, Timbers Edge Gift | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11/11/11 Saturday Community Meeting, Special Speakers, Cell Tower Hearing Report

Posted on November 11, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Saturday Community Meeting . The next quarterly meeting of the Illahee Community will be this Saturday (11/12/11) at the Kitsap Regional Library on Sylvan Way at 1 pm. One of the topics will be to discuss possible options that might be available to the community as part of the remand of the Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan. There are decisions that need to be made by Kitsap County and Illahee could be part of the solution, but we would need to know what residents want. The whole issue needs to be resolved next year so it is imperative we start working on this soon.

Future Special Speakers? The Illahee Community board discussed getting expert speakers for meetings, but need to know what topics residents might be interested in. One subject that has been recommended is the presentation on growing oysters and clams by Taylor Shellfish.

Cell Tower Hearing Report. This is an especially painful subject as things did not go well at the hearing. I did a presentation that did not go well on how we were trying to establish wildlife corridors that went through that area, and asked that the mono-pole cell tower be disguised as a tree (as shown above) so as to make it more visually pleasing, only to be discounted by the Verizon rep and the county planner. Two others testified and we hope they will comment on their thoughts. The bottom line is it is very hard to effect any changes when you find out about the project just before a hearing and don’t have community consensus. The county pretty much accepts whatever the applicant submits. In this case we were at a distinct disadvantage as the Fire District already approved the oversized flag pole that is a disguised cell tower in a residential zone, which is the precedent, and probably justifies it because of the income it produces, and will soon have more assuming the new Verizon tower will be approved by the Hearing Examiner.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cell Tower Hearing Report, Saturday Community Meeting, Special Speakers | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11-8-11 Research Ferry, Illahee Community Meeting, Cell Tower Hearing

Posted on November 9, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Research Ferry in Illahee. The white catamaran making test runs in Illahee waters is Kitsap Transit’s “Rich Passage 1″ doing research on its ability to be a high speed, low wake ferry carrying passangers through Rich Passage. The Kitsap Sun article describing the boat and testing can be found at the following link:

Research ferry wake tests beginning http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/oct/29/research-ferry-wake-tests-beginning/

Illahee Community Meeting on Saturday. One of the issues likely to be discussed at the Illahee Community meeting on Saturday at 1 pm at the library, is the remand issue. There were at least 5 residents at the remand meeting on Monday evening at the County Administrative Building.

Cell Tower Hearing on Thursday. We are working on better understanding the upcoming hearing on the new Verizon cell tower at the Trenton Ave fire station. The notice for the hearing is as follows:

Cell Tower Staff Report. The staff report for the cell tower is on the county website and can be read by clicking on the following:

http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/lu_env/he/reports/cy2011/he-sr-11-98260.pdf

Community Input? There are residents concerned about aspects of the planned cell tower. Some think there must be a better location. Another wonders about the wisdom of two cell towers so close together. And it appears there are other concerns. Based on past experiences with these types of hearings, this is the only opportunity to make sure things are done right. If residents don’t like the idea of two side by side cell towers at the fire station, this is your one opportunity to say so.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 11/5/11 Deer Picture, Remand Meetings, Cell Tower Hearing, Community Meeting, Drug Bust, Illahee Preserve

Posted on November 5, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Deer Photo. We have heard about a number of big bucks in Illahee, but this one is the most colorful. While sometimes we have lots of wildlife photos coming in, that is not the case now. Please feel free to forward any wildlife photos you would like to share. The note with this photo was:

I know you get lots of photos, but I saw this older buck out in the pasture today with the llamas and goats. Looks like an offspring from the albino, from a few years back.

Remand Meetings. The discussion of how the county will respond to the Comp Plan remand is of particular interest to Illahee as there are a number of residents who would like to see Illahee removed from the Urban Growth Area (UGA) base on the fact that we are roughly half forested and almost half either Preserve, State Park, or Open Space (the golf course etc), all of which make it more difficult for providing the infrastructure needed to accommodate increased urban growth densities. The county has scheduled two meetings this upcoming week to present the issues. We have copied the information on this important meeting below:

Kitsap County has been required by the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board to revisit the size and make up of certain urban growth areas by August of 2012. This decision was as a result of a lengthy legal challenge based upon our 2006 Comprehensive Plan adoption.

Specifically, the Hearings Board has required Kitsap County to revisit the following:

1) Whether 4 dwelling units an acre (1/4 acre lot sizes) is an appropriate urban density for Kitsap

2) What density should Kitsap use when calculating the amount of urban area necessary to accommodate population growth through 2025.

These issues primarily apply to the low-density residential zones (Urban Low, Urban Cluster and Urban Restricted) and likely will require a reduction in the sizes of many of our urban growth areas.

Kitsap will be holding two public workshops to further present the requirements of this Hearings Board remand. These workshops will also include public discussions of the issues of urban growth in our County and which areas are most appropriate for future urban development. These workshops will be held on the following dates and times:

November 7^th

6:30PM – 8:30PM

Kitsap County Administration Building, Commissioners Chambers

619 Division Street, Port Orchard

November 10^th

6:30PM – 8:30PM

Klahowya Middle School, Commons

7607 NW Newberry Hill Road, Silverdale

These workshops will include an opening presentation, followed by individual discussion group exercises and then concluding with an open house for attendees to speak one-on-one with County staff.

Additionally, if you are the primary contact for an interest group please forward this message on to your appropriate body.

We look forward to this public discussion that will affect our community’s future . If you have any questions regarding the remand or the upcomining workshops, please contact Eric Baker at ebaker@co.kitsap.wa.us or at (360) 337-4495or Angie Silva at asilva@co.kitsap.wa.us or at (360) 337-4841.

Heather Adams, Community Planner

Policy and Planning Division

Kitsap County Department of Community Development

360-337-5777 ext.3094

hadams@co.kitsap.wa.us

Cell Tower Hearing on Thursday. We don’t know as much about this topic as we would like to, but talked with some concerned citizens about a second cell tower being proposed at the Fire Station at the top of the Illahee hill. We said we would notify residents of their concerns and received the following:

ATTENTION ALL ILLAHEE RESIDIENTS

We have just become aware of an upcoming Kitsap County Hearing regarding the proposed new 135-145 ft. Cell Tower to be erected at the Illahee Fire Station. This hearing before the County hearing examiner is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Thursday, November 10, 2011. This monopole cell tower will be in the same general area of the existing one.

Although residents living in the immediate area of the fire station were sent a notice that this hearing would be tentatively scheduled for December 8, 2011, it appears that this date has been moved forward to November 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Many have concerns about this project and some may be happy at the thought of getting improved cell coverage. There are no guarantees for those living at the bottom of Illahee Road that their coverage will improve, but this monopole will improve coverage for Bremerton and Sylvan Way we are told.

I was always told that these cell towers were to be located in commercial or industrial areas and we sure have many of those places in the area, I believe, well suited for that, not to interfere with the viewscape we all now enjoy coming down or up Illahee Road. It is common practice for one of these cell towers be removed when the new one is erected, but that is not included in the proposed plan.

Please come to the hearing and express your views both pro and con regarding cell towers in residential neighborhoods and how you could be affected by this proposal.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to try and answer them and feel free to call.

Thank You, Judith Krigsman 792-6934

Community Meeting Next Saturday. The Illahee Community non-profit group that has been representing Illahee concerns meets quarterly and has scheduled a meeting next Saturday afternoon at 1 pm at the Sylvan Way library. We understand they are trying to schedule a speaker on a topic of interest to the community and will provide us with an agenda soon.

Drug Bust? We are often forwarded information and articles that show up on websites. This one evidently showed up on the Kitsap Sun website, but did not get posted in the paper. We don’t know much more than what is in the article, except from the blog it appears a neighbor said the people had only recently moved in. Thanks for passing on information such as this so we can pass it on.

Police search suspected drug house on Illahee Road

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/nov/01/police-search-suspected-drug-house-illahee-road/

Illahee Preserve Information. We heard another Eagle Scout project is being planned for the Preserve, which will make it number three. One is complete, one is ongoing at Compass Circle, and the new project is in the planning stage. We also heard that the Rotary trail crew has now cleared 92 trees that have fallen across the trails since last Thanksgiving, and are wondering if they will reach 100 by this Thanksgiving. Also, we want to thank the county Public Works crew for removing the filter fabric from the rain garden drains at the Almira parking lot. We tried but were unable to get the gratings off.

Other Subjects? We have been asked to clarify the Timbers Edge situation, and about a large white boat recently seen in the area. Let us know if you have some subjects you would like to see covered. And, if you have photos to share, please send them.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cell Tower Hearing, Community Meeting, Deer Picture, Drug Bust, Illahee Preserve, Remand Meetings | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 10/23/11 USS Alabama Work Party, Rats & Possums, Leadership Kitsap Project Approved, Nov Community Meeting, Timbers Edge

Posted on October 23, 2011 by illaheecommunity

USS Alabama Work Party. A very successful work party occurred on Friday morning (10/21/11) with the USS Alabama SSBN (731) blue crew showing up with 26 volunteers. (The Alabama is the sixth Trident class nuclear powered Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine and the fifth United States ship to bear the name of the state.) The following is from an email report of the work party.

Thankfully we were mostly ready for this most recent work party, as we were expecting 10 and possibly a few more. Jon Buesch brought a trailer load of wheelbarrows and there were a few more that showed up. Frank Richmond manned the woodchip pile loading area and cleanup around the parking lot. Don Jahaske and his trusty truck hauled loads of English laurel branches to the gravel pit area behind Goodwill where they chip them up. It cost the Illahee Forest Preserve (our non-profit group) a little money to bring them there, but it was quicker and considering the price of gas, a better choice than bringing them all the way to the county transfer station. Lori Raymaker brought trash bags and was there to remind everyone of the need to be safe, complete paperwork, and then helped with the work. At the end she loaded up the county’s 4 wheelbarrows along with bags and bags of trash that was picked up. Thanks to the county parks department for their support and for disposing of the trash.

The subs coordinator of volunteer projects, Michael Countryman, took pictures, and Jon Buesch arrived to pickup the wheelbarrows, and the work party ended having completed another bunch of major tasks.

Many thanks go to the USS Alabama blue crew, and to Jon, Don, Frank, and Lori! This was another very successful work party with the US Navy and supported by the Rotary, the Illahee Forest Preserve, the Illahee Community, and the Parks Department. And we almost forgot to thank Brandy Sommers (FTC Sommers) who brought the coffee.

Rats & Possums. Rat and possums are not the most lovable creatures, but they are certainly prevalent. When you see them during the day and as frequent road kill you know their numbers are considerable. Below is a picture of a large rat that was sent in.

Leadership Kitsap Project Approved. On Tuesday evening the Illahee Preserve Stewardship Committee and the Illahee Forest Preserve non-profit group approved the Leadership Kitsap project for the Illahee Preserve. This is an amazing group and the Preserve and greater Illahee community are fortunate to have them select the Preserve for their project. Additionally, this group needs to have everything complete by late spring so look for some action reports along the way.

November Community Meeting. We have been asked to let residents know that an Illahee Community meeting is being planned for Saturday, November 12, 2011 beginning at 1 pm at the Sylvan Way library. That is all we know at this point and will pass on an agenda when we receive one.

Timbers Edge. We talked with Mr. Jim James, the owner and developer of the Timbers Edge project, at a scouting ceremony this afternoon. He informed us that his engineer is working on infiltrating the stormwater from the project and that he will be transferring the 24 acres soon. We have been asked by residents to report on the progress of the Timbers Edge project as it impacts not only those who live near the project, but the greater community because of its location and impact on Illahee Creek, and the running of roughly a mile of new sewer line through Illahee.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Leadership Kitsap Project Approved, Nov Community Meeting, Rats & Possums, Timbers Edge, USS Alabama Work Party | 1 Comment

Illahee Update 10/17/11 Culvert Photos, Illahee Preserve Laurel, Illahee State Park, Timbers Edge, Water Course Report, Preserve Meeting

Posted on October 20, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Culvert Photos. Two weeks ago the Illahee Creek culvert under Illahee Road had the downstream area cleaned out of sediment in the hopes that it would result in an increase in the clear opening at the other end of the culvert, some 65 feet upstream. We measured the upstream clear opening to see if it had changed as the result of two weeks of stream flow and the nearly one inch of rain received last week. The results? NO APPRECIABLE CHANGE! This means it is possible to have a washout if we get another rain like in Dec 2007. The good news is the county is looking for ways to slow the water down upstream, which is the right thing to do, rather than routine downstream cleaning. The bad news is it could be too late if we get another super storm.

Illahee Preserve Laurel. A few years ago a group of volunteers came in and cut down some English Laurel that has somehow shown up in the Illahee Preserve in the Compass Circle area. (English Laurel is a common hedge bush used because of its vigorous growth, up to 3 feet per year. Many people eventually take these bushes out because of the maintenance needed to keep them from taking over.) The photo below shows an English Laurel in the Preserve that must be at least 20 feet tall. The deer have kept the lower portion free of limbs.

Improper Laurel Disposal. The volunteers at the time didn’t haul out the cuttings which were left in a pile on the ground where they re-rooted and rebounded with a vengeance. This past week hours of labor were needed to cut down the laurel again as this lack of proper disposal created a virtual laurel jungle in the Preserve. We have included a photo showing how a branch re-rooted itself. In the background are the new piles of branches that need to be properly disposed of.

Illahee State Park Photos? As the Illahee film project is finishing, we have been asked to provide our filmmaker with some historical photos of Illahee State Park. Any help or suggestions on where to get them is greatly appreciated.

State Park Input Desired. We received the following from a resident who lives close to the park:

FYI The state parks department is trying to figure out how they are going to run a parks department with severely reduced or no funding from the general fund in the future. This may be of interest to community members who would like to comment on some of the proposed initiatives to do that.

Begin forwarded message:

From: “Washington State Parks” <ZYA505@PARKS.WA.GOV>

Date: October 11, 2011 2:32:11 PM PDT

Subject: We need your help – transformation strategy for State Parks

Dear State Parks supporter,

The 2011-13 state operating budget reduces State Parks general fund support by more than 70% with the intent of eliminating it entirely in the future. To help offset this reduction, the Legislature established a user-fee approach to funding the operations of the state park system. Park visitors not otherwise paying for camping are now required to purchase a $30 annual Discover Pass or pay a $10 daily fee to access state parks. The pass is also required to access state lands managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Annual sales of Discover Passes are projected to raise about $65 million with 84% dedicated to State Parks and 8% each going to DFW and DNR.

With the real potential for no general fund support, State Parks must rethink our approach to providing recreation opportunities and stewarding park resources. We face a basic choice:

Keep the agency as we know it, but dramatically smaller to reflect reduced funding and hope to rebuild in better times, or

Use the current crisis as an opportunity to transform the agency, diversifying funding sources, engaging support, building expertise and creating an agency adapted to operating without state general funds.

I recently established a task force to explore the latter choice and craft a revenue and efficiency strategy to help set the agency on a conscious course towards long-term financial stability. The task force convened work groups with agency staff and stakeholders and developed 61 distinct revenue and efficiency initiatives.

Now we need your help. As a State Parks’ supporter, we need to know from you whether we’re on the right track. Attached is a document that describes all 61 initiatives and which ones we’re recommending to implement first. Please give us your thoughts. We’ve set up a special e-mail inbox to collect your input: transformation.strategy@parks.wa.gov. Your input will help us create a revenue and efficiency strategy to help guide us into our second century of service.

Thanks. We appreciate your support!

Don Hoch, Director

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Timbers Edge. We have on more than one occasion, been asked to check on the status of the Timbers Edge development that was approved by Kitsap County and the Hearing Examiner, albeit with some conditions. We have had calls and emails, including some forwarded photos of papers posted at the property. We have heard that early December 2011 is when payments are required. The photos are of two different papers.

The 24 Acres? We have also been asked whether the 24 acres of open space has ever been conveyed to the Illahee Preserve (via the Port of Illahee?), which was the condition agreed upon when the community dropped its appeal to the Shorelines Hearings Board. This has not been done and based on the photos of the possible default documents, it appears it may never come about.

Kitsap Water Course Event Report. We saw four Illahee residents at the water course event this past weekend at Keyport. We were impressed with the speakers and the information presented. There are many studies and some major research efforts underway in west Puget Sound that are most interesting, and hopefully will be made known to more and more residents. If the sponsors decide to hold another water course/conference next year, it would be worth attending.

Tuesday Illahee Preserve Meeting. This is a reminder about the Illahee Preserve meeting being held at the Port meeting room at 5560 Ocean View Blvd at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to come and hear the presentation by Leadership Kitsap regarding proposed projects for the Illahee Preserve.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Culvert Photos, Illahee Preserve Laurel, Illahee State Park, Preserve Meeting, Timbers Edge, Water Course Report | Leave a comment

Illahee Update 10/14/11 Illahee Preserve, Leadership Kitsap Presentation, Energy Audit, Burglary Responses

Posted on October 14, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Illahee Preserve. We have been asked if anything has been going on at the Illahee Preserve since nothing has been mentioned recently. It is time to catch up on this unique area that remains unknown to so many in the area.

444 Acre Forest. If you add up all the parcels that make up the Preserve it amounts to 444 acres, not including internal right-of-ways, which would increase the number some. And if you add the 107 acre Rolling Hills Golf Course that was gifted to Kitsap County, to the 444 acres you have 551 acres. That makes it more than 7 times the size of the more well known Illahee State Park, that is 75 acres.

Getting the Word Out? Some of the issues with a new park is getting the word out about this relatively unknown Preserve at the same time it is being established, planned, and developed as a premier nature preserve and park. The Preserve has had a presence at the Kitsap County Fair and other events in order to help others in the county know about its existence. It is rumored that the Rotary is looking at paying for and installing a sign along State Route 303, where it borders the Preserve.

Leadership Kitsap Project. The Illahee Preserve folks and Kitsap County Parks were notified recently that one of the Leadership Kitsap groups were interested in helping the Illahee Preserve by selecting them for their group project. After looking at the Preserve and talking with individuals they came up with a list of proposed projects they felt would be helpful and will be presenting them at an Illahee Preserve Stewardship meeting on Tuesday, 10/18/11.

Leadership Kitsap. Leadership Kitsap is a leadership training organization supported by many of the public and private organizations in the county where they send their leaders to get more training, which has them to break up into groups and complete projects. Over the years these groups have accomplished some amazing work in and for the community.

The Tuesday Presentation. The Leadership Kitsap group has given the Stewardship group an outline of what they want to present on Tuesday. In conversation with some of the Stewardship group members they are extremely happy with the list and are anxious to hear more. The outline of what they are presenting is:

The primary purpose of this project is to increase community awareness of and access to the 400 plus acres of preserved community land in Illahee, Washington.

1. Create a conceptual site plan for the main entrance of the park, to include areas for future restroom, gazebo/picnic area, and playground area. Site plan will be developed based on input and approval from all Community Partners.

2. Create new brochure, including logo, for the preserve. This will include conducting a GPS map of the current trails to develop a more accurate and user-friendly presentation for the brochure.

3. Develop sustainable fundraising plan for preserve improvements that incorporates customized pavers, online donations, and other, low effort methods.

4. Build trail markers at the 5 main entrances of the park, and along intersections and trails where needed. These trail markers will be on posts (not trees).

5. Project group and community partners to hold a “work day” to install trail markers.

6. Finalize with a Community Awareness and Access Event at the Preserves.

Preserve Users and Community Members Invited. The Stewardship group would like to invite Preserve users and supporters, along with Community members, to hear the presentation, since the Preserve represents ~25% of Illahee and if you add the golf course, ~33%. The presentation is at the Port of Illahee meeting room at 5560 Ocean View Blvd, and starts at 6:30 pm on Tuesday (10/18/11).

Other Preserve Items. The Rotary Club of East Bremerton has adopted the Illahee Preserve and periodically we attend their work parties. We did so recently when two of their members went out at 7 am to clear downed trees on the trails. We were wondering about why they were calling out numbers everytime they removed a tree and found out they have been keeping track of how many trees they have cleared since Thanksgiving last year. When they finished they said they have now cleared 88 trees and expect they will be at 100 by the time Thanksgiving rolls around this year.

Restoration Area Sign. One of the first places they stopped was to check on a trail closure they worked on with the Washington Youth Academy. Some of us tried to close the trail earlier with just the sign, that was eventually pulled out and ignored. You can see from the logs around the sign that it will likely not be ignored. You can also see that at 7 am these days, it is almost dark out.

Dumping Continues. We took some photos the other day showing that dumping of trash continues to be a problem. We regularly have an unknown roofing contractor who dumps shingles in the Preserve, and someday hope to have a camera system to catch him. The other photo shows a Safeway grocery cart and a clothing from an abandoned campsite that was hauled out to the Petersville entrance.

Energy Audit. We received a photo from a recent recipient of an energy audit that was part Re-Energize Kitsap (that is funded using stimulus money). They said it was a thorough evaluation and the attached photo showed that areas around their electrical outlets were not well insulated and and represented a cold spot as shown by the blue color. They said the cost was $650, but that the stimulus dollars paid for $450 of it. Their house didn’t have any major problems and the auditor replaced 39 incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, which evidently his family was not happy about.

Burglary Responses. We did receive a few more responses regarding burglaries. One reminded us that there is a difference between a burglary and a robbery. Another was a call where they said a couple in dark clothing came to their house late at night over a week ago (about the same time as the another reported incident) and seemed surprised when someone answered the door. They said they were looking for someone named Smith. Another was a response about the good that the Oxford House does, and that they didn’t think they were the problem.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Burglary Responses, Energy Audit, Illahee Preserve, Leadership Kitsap Presentation | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 10-11-11 Potential Robbery Interrupted, Benthic Testing, Tuesday Rainbow

Posted on October 11, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Potential Robbery Interrupted? We received the following report after yesterdays update regarding area robberies. This took place in the old Illahee area, and shows that this is more prevalent than just the state park area.

This is interesting Jim, because my neighbor stopped by to tell me about an incident last week here on Olive Ave. He was up late one night and noticed a big Buck outside in his yard, when he stepped outside to see better, he noticed two people all dressed in black. One he said was a tall male, and the other was not so tall and he thought it was a female. Both looked fairly young, maybe late teens or early 20′s. They were walking down the street and stopped to look in the window of a neighbors truck, they were talking and pointing at various vehicles. (including mine) They noticed a truck in the carport of our neighbor and they both walked up to it, but as they approached, the security light came on. They both ran, crouched down to a ditch in front of the house where they laid down trying to hide. The neighbor yelled at them telling them to get out of our neighborhood and they both took off running down the street.

Illahee Creek Benthic Testing. This subject requires some explanation. Benthic testing is a way of checking biological indicators of a watersheds health. The types of fish, insects, algae, plants, and other resident aquatic life tell us about the health of Illahee Creek. Kitsap County is conducting benthic testing on many of counties streams with the help of volunteers. The photo shows county employee Mauro Heine and volunteer Frank Stricklin as they tested Illahee Creek on September 28th. The fish is a fresh water sculpin that was collected in one of the samples.

Tuesday Rainbow. Since Monday evening we have received .84 inches of rain, according to one report. John Lind sent us this rainbow photo that was taken close to sunset on Tuesday.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Benthic Testing, Potential Robbery Interrupted, Tuesday Rainbow | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 10-10-11 More Robbery Info, Tow Response, Bahia Vista Road

Posted on October 10, 2011 by illaheecommunity

More Robbery Information. Today we received a number of emails regarding the recent rash of robberies in the Illahee State Park area. We have attached some of them below.

Last night a neighbor who lives on Classic Avenue noticed a older mid 80′s light colored honda coupe parked next to the vacant lots that are for sale on Classic. He drove his vehicle to a position near the front of the honda. He could see that there was a man and woman in the car. The driver of the honda then drove toward our neighbor as if to hit it. The neighbor drove away from the honda. In the attempt to follow the honda,our neighbor saw a sheriffs car in the area. He stopped to talk to the deputy. He gave the deputy the license plate number. The sheriff to him that they had received a call about the honda being in the area. The driver of the honda has a history of burglary.

I received a phone call from our neighbor… Their home was burglarized last Sunday,Oct. 9th, while he and his family were at church. He thought their home was entered through an unlocked window. All that appears to be stolen is his wife’s jewelry. Several weeks ago his family had their locked car stolen out of their driveway.

Yesterday, I was told that our next door neighbor to the south of us …. had his truck broken into and the contents removed. Including all GPS,etc. While we discussing that situation he told me that another home on Bootleg had evidence of an attempted entry into their van. He also state that he had received information that a “halfway house” for recently released inmates was now located on Franklin avenue off Viewcrest drive. I have not been able to confirm that fact. I will attempt to do just that. We have lived on Sylvan for 25 years and have never before had problems of this magnitude. Four home burglaries and a vehicle stolen within a two block radius and all in the past two weeks.

The national web site for the Oxford Home located at 3302 Bootleg Hill Place NE. I suggest reading the link “Info for Neighbors”.

http://www.oxfordhouse.org/userfiles/file/

Unknown Tow Responses. Today another tow of what evidently are security fences, came trough Illahee waters. A number of you responded with emails which are noted below:

I forwarded the news letter to my brother in Seattle. He said he saw the tow moored at Port Gamble last Thursday

In regards to the “Unknown boat tow” one day last week while watching the bridge construction, i noticed a similar instance coming from psns. It looks similar to some of the floating security barrier used around the ships.

Those fences in tow are parts of the security barrier system used around the shipyard and bangor – I believe. Have seen them working on them and moving them around at times at both places.

I have seen these tugs several times in front of our place. They look like new or replacement barriers for PSNS . A several hours later I have seen a single tug towing something similar going back towards your place. I bet they are being built or repaired at Keyport.

Bahia Vista Road Improvements. There are some areas in Illahee that are less traveled and therefore we are less aware of significant work going on in them. One area is the steep winding road that goes past Illahee State Park and down to homes on the hillside and along the shoreline. The road is Bahia Vista and the pictures are from the county website and were taken between Aug 9th and Sept 14th. I was only able to copy one photo as the rest are copyrighted. Click on the links below and you can see the rest of the photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsapcounty/6147546545/in/set-72157627546910959

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsapcounty/6147561913/in/set-72157627546910959

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsapcounty/6147561919/in/set-72157627546910959

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsapcounty/6148129196/in/set-72157627546910959/lightbox/

Culvert Cleanout? We have been asked about how the Illahee Creek culvert cleanout went on September 29th. We were out of town when it happened and will try to get information and possibly pictures of the results for the next update.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bahia Vista Road, More Robbery Info, Tow Response | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 10/6/2011 Robberies, Cooper’s Hawk, Coyotes, Unknown Boat Tow, Water Course

Posted on October 6, 2011 by illaheecommunity

More Robberies. Since the last Update there have been two more robbery reports. The first was reported in the Kitsap Sun and was just north of the Gilberton Creek culvert that washed out a few years ago. The robbery was also covered by a Seattle TV station where they said the man had a $50,00 coin collection that was taken. The link to the Kitsap Sun article is: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/sep/28/man-says-he-was-beaten-in-home-invasion/

Next Report. The next report was received on Thursday evening (10/6/11) which is the area next to Illahee State Park.

Hi………Just wanted to let you know that two homes on Ridgeview where burglarized in the past week. Our next door neighbor has found several cigarette butts next to his home and garage. That’s over 50 feet from the road.

Cooper’s Hawk Photos. Some great pictures of a Cooper’s Hawk. Thanks for sharing your photos of wildlife. We had someone who wanted us to share photos of the big rats they have around their compost pile. Maybe later.

We’ve sent you some shots of the various birds we have at our place a while back that you shared in the newsletter, we now have a new regular visitor we add to the list…

We’ve had this Cooper’s Hawk hanging around our place for the last few weeks. We usually see it on top of our cedar bird feeder in front of our living room window, but never seem to grab the camera in time. Today we were able to snap some shots of it perched on our bird bath and on top of the cab of my truck of all places… We were pretty excited to finally get some good shots, hope you enjoy and feel free to share.

Coyotes Kill Another Pet. We received the following report of another pet that was killed by coyotes last week.

One of our cats was killed a couple of days ago. We aren’t sure what creature it was, but it was a creature and near the beach on the 6200 block of Illahee Rd. I thought you should know considering the possible increase in coyotes some are talking about. We haven’t been keeping our cats inside.

Unknown Boat Tow. We have been unable to find out what this tow is that periodically passes by Illahee. Any help would be appreciated.

Upcoming Water Course at Keyport. We have been asked to let people know about a water course being held at Keyport next weekend. We copied the first paragraph to give you an idea of the magnitude of the course. Learn how to grow shellfish in your backyard, create salmon habitat, and plant native plants in your garden. These are some of the water topics featured at a two-day event called “Water Courses – Connecting West Sound.” With over 36 speakers, this symposium is one of the largest educational events held about water issues in Kitsap County.

More details are in the linked document. Water Courses – Info for Public

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cooper's Hawk, coyotes, Robberies, Unknown Boat Tow, Water Course | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 9-28-11 Culvert Cleanout, WYA Work Party, Wise Street, Peterson Farm, Unique Sailboat

Posted on October 6, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Culvert Clean-out on Thursday. The Illahee Creek culvert under Illahee Road is scheduled for clean-out on Thursday (9/28/11). There was an earlier notice on the Public Works website that indicated a culvert replacement at Roosevelt on Wednesday, but that was not correct. An Illahee resident received the following email:

It’s my understanding that SSWM will be performing routine maintenance of the Illahee Creek culvert this Thursday. This will involve the removal of 50 cubic yards of sediment from the outlet. The work is being performed under our general HPA. There is no culvert replacement. I’ve requested that the road report be revised accordingly.

Earlier Culvert Report. We have attached the earlier culvert report that we put out on August 15th, since nothing has changed. Our only concern is if they will be setting up a net system to move fish past the work area.

We stopped by the Illahee Creek culvert that goes under Illahee Road the other day and found the clear opening to be slightly more than 24 inches, which is considerably less than the design opening that shows on the culvert drawings of 5′-6″. We have been told that a smaller opening will handle the water, but we think that a 24″ opening is too small for a big storm, such as December 2007. There are a number of residents who are concerned about a possible washout at the culvert and consider this culvert to have failed. With a new road resurfacing of Illahee Road this summer the culvert’s small opening is not good news.

Earlier Coyote Report. We had a number of you happy with the last coyote report. We have attached the last response below.

I meant to get back about the coyotes myself, those were really good reports in this newsletter. I too have heard coyotes yipping in the Candy Cane Lane area, there is a green belt area about midway that runs down to the shoreline which is probably the wildlife corridor (we see the pileated woodpeckers using the same corridor) that’s where the yipping occurs, and in our case, I’d say about three coyotes. I HAD thought it might be dogs, but it sounded like coyotes. I’ve noticed a drop off in raccoons as well as rats, which in turn has encouraged a rise in squirrels (I have a resident momma day-squirrel here who enjoys our birdseed). All said and done, I haven’t seen any coyote droppings on our lawn, and we have a large male dog too, usually they’ll do something like that to mark territory. Coyotes will also keep wild cats (such as cougar and bobcats) out of the area, and that is fine with me! Cougars will attack people, coyotes won’t. I say let the coyotes stay!!!

Last Week’s Illahee Preserve Work Party. A group of Washington Youth Academy (WYA) cadets and their mentors worked at various jobs in the Illahee Preserve last Saturday. They hauled wood chips, the closed trails, and they removed sections of Scotch Broom. These guys and their mentors were amazing!

Wise Street Road Work. Underneath Wise Street is a culvert for Illahee Creek’s North Tributary. The downstream bank was eroding and there was a worry that the road could give way if the garbage truck got too close to the edge. Looks like a great reinforcement job, we assume by Kitsap County.

Peterson Farm Event. We attended the Peterson Farm event last Sunday put on by the Great Peninsula Conservancy. It was nice to walk around an old time working farm. Attached are a couple of photos. We like the apple cider press photo and found out someone has a similar one in Illahee and that they are looking for available apples.

Unique Sail Boat. John Lind forwarded this photo of a unique sailboat that passed by Illahee the other day. Thanks to all those who forward us information and photos, and wish we could use all of them, but we try to keep the updates short and concise.

Website Login Problems. We are having website login problems and our website person is hiking the 212 mile John Muir trail in California and so we are using an old format of putting photos as the end rather than being embedded. We hope to get this resolved quickly.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Culvert Cleanout, Peterson Farm, Unique Sailboat, Wise Street, WYA Work Party | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 9-15-11 Responses to Coyote Email, Work Party, Compass Circle Project

Posted on September 15, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Coyote Concern Email. In the last update we included an email we received regarding concerns over the increasing numbers of coyotes in the area, they felt there was a group of 30-40 coyotes, at least it sounded like it to them.

Informed Responses. We were happy to have some informed responses come in quickly, and before we had an opportunity to contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The first three this morning were:

Response #1.

I was a professional forester with the USDA Forest Service for 23 years.  I am educationally qualified to serve as a Forest Service wildlife biologist.  I am fairly familiar with the coyote (Canis latrans), having worked and lived alongside them during my entire career.

I just read your Illahee Community update for 9/14/11.  The coyote densities referenced by your correspondent are far higher than possible.  Coyotes occupying the very best habitat approach densities of about five per square mile. There certainly are not “30 to 40 of them” in the Illahee area.  Following pup dispersal, coyote density never gets much higher than this because coyotes are very aggressively territorial.  Howling and yipping are the coyote’s primary means of territorial defense against intrusion by other coyotes.  They do their best to sound numerous, but they really are not.   Coyotes are not dangerous to humans, but will readily utilize cats and even small dogs as food.

Efforts to control coyote numbers are usually expensive and not very effective.  Coyotes respond to heavy population suppression by increasing litter sizes.  Suppression efforts must be constant or the coyote population quickly bounces back to pre-suppression levels.

Humans walking a small dog through prime coyote territory should keep their pet leashed, especially if the dog has a tendency to run a considerable distance from its owner during walks.  Cat owners in coyote country should keep their pets indoors, especially at night.

Response #2. The link provides some great information.

Regarding coyotes, people can find more information on living with coyotes athttp://www.westsoundwildlife.org/wildlife/FunFacts/FF_Coyotes.html

We’ve got them in our neighborhood, too.

Response #3. The link provides additional information and a video.

Lets limit the fear mongering on coyotes. Here is a link http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html . Pack size is typically around 10 individuals. They are normally territorial so the same pack will occupy an area unless something (like removal) happens. I would be very surprised to see a pack of “30-40” individuals. They only typically become a problem if people feed them (as raccoons, bears and any other nuisance wildlife). So keep your pet food, garbage and pet cats inside. They like to eat rodents, berries and carrion (and kitty cats in more suburban settings but your cats should not be outside unless enclosed or supervised anyway). If the noise is the main problem ear plugs are much more effective and cheaper than removal (if they are removed more will just move in and claim the territory). If the coyote population goes away the rodent (i.e. RAT) population will increase. Rats/rodents are more of a human health concern.

Thanks! Thanks for the informed responses, which should alleviate any fears residents might have.

Illahee Preserve Work Party Saturday. On Saturday morning there will be another major Illahee Preserve work party, sponsored by the East Bremerton Rotary Club, with the Washington Youth Academy. The remaining wood chip pile should be pretty much depleted after Saturday as the chips are placed on trails, an unauthorized trail should be closed, some more logs should be placed around the rain garden to replace those stolen last winter, scotch broom should be removed from along the detention ponds and the Almira Road right-of-way, along with various other projects.

Compass Circle Mowing. The Compass Circle area of the Preserve was mowed on Wednesday in anticipation of a major work party later this month or in October to restore that area to a wildlife meadow. This is a big project that is part of Nathan Clemen’s Eagle Scout project. Nathan and his Boy Scout troop put in a perimeter trail around Compass Circle this summer and will later install some meadow viewing areas. The meadow will be planted with a wildlife seed mix, which needs to be planted as soon as the rains begin, which is planned for October. Once that is completed the paths through the middle of the meadow will be closed so as to enhance the use of the meadow by wildlife.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Compass Circle Project, Coyote Response, Work Party | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 9-14-11 Coyotes, Docks, UGA, Peterson Farm, Break-in, Fire

Posted on September 14, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Coyote Email. We receive email responses to most of our updates and want to pass on this one regarding the number of coyotes in one area of Illahee.

THE COYOTES ARE A MUCH LARGER PROBLEM THAN WHAT YOU THINK. FRIENDS WHO LIVE ON THE EDGE OF THE PRESERVE HAVE A PACK OF COYOTES IN THE VALLEY BESIDE THEIR HOME. THERE MUST BE BETWEEN 30 AND 40 OF THEM. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE LAW IS ON GETTING HELP TO REMOVE THEM BUT PRETTY SOON IT IS GOING TO BE TO DANGEROUS TO WALK THROUGH THE AREA HUMAN OR PET. AT NIGHT THEY ARE SO LOUD YOU CAN’T SLEEP! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT OR CAN FIND OUT ABOUT IT IF YOU WILL PLEASE. THANK YOU,

Dock Response. We also have had responses regarding docks along the shoreline. One email recipient did a bunch of research but did not want us to copy his email. It is an interesting issue and shows that there are shoreline property owners who would like to put in docks if they could. We did get another response that we will try to paraphrase.

I attended the public hearing for the University Point dock and found it very interesting in that the reasoning for needing the dock was because there was a one year waiting period for a slip at the Brownsville Marina, that they had limited access from the road, and that they wanted to bring disabled children from their Seattle job to the residence. They had a consultant who did most of the presentations, she was very good, and like most hearings played on the sympathy of the county and the hearing examiner. They had a biologist that didn’t see any adverse effects on fish, but because a tribal biologist could not be there there was not a second opinion. There was input from a few who lived nearby, but when the examiner found out the Corps of Army Engineers wrote there would be no navigation obstructions because the dock was not in the main channel, she seemed to be satisfied in approving the dock.

Illahee and the Urban Growth Area. There was an article in the Kitsap Sun about the Commissioners’ meeting on Monday evening about population projections http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/sep/13/county-planning-policies-still-debated/. We listened the the public hearing part of the meeting on BKAT (channel 12) and found it interesting that all those speaking said the decision should be delayed. One of those speaking from Illahee said Illahee should be removed from the Urban Growth Area and the community did not want to be annexed by Bremerton (which is what is supposed to eventually happen if you are in an urban growth area next to a city).

Previous Survey Results. The annexation statement reminded us of a survey that was done a few years ago to determine the desires of Illahee residents regarding whether they wanted to be part of Bremerton, Silverdale, or their own subarea. The results of the survey were: 2 percent wanted to align with Bremerton, 6 percent wanted to be part of the eventual town of Silverdale, and 92 percent wanted to create their own subarea plan. And that is what happened several years later. The Illahee Community Plan can be viewed online at: http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/community_plan/subareas/Illahee/subarea_finaled.htm

Peterson Farm Event on Sunday. We have been asked to remind residents of the Peterson farm event on Sunday, Sept 18th, from 10 am – 5 pm. We have attached a link to the Rob Woutat article in the Kitsap Sun a few weeks ago that gives more information on the Peterson Farm. http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/may/26/rob-woutat-protecting-a-piece-of-kitsaps-history/

Break-in Report. Received the following report of a recent break-in on Illahee Road.

Our neighbor (at the top of our driveway) almost always has his cop car parked right there in plain site….practically right on the road. He came home Friday afternoon to his front door kicked in. House wasn’t trashed, but every drawer and cupboard was open (he didn’t say what was missing). This is the second incident like this that I’ve heard of in our immediate neighborhood “6200″ area. Pretty brave to break into a policeman’s house in broad daylight…and right on the main road. These guys are getting very brave and desperate.

Illahee Fire on Wednesday. The Kitsap Sun has covered a fire in Illahee on Wednesday morning. The link is: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/sep/14/illahee-fire-dispaces-family-of-three/

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Break-in, coyotes, Docks, Fire, Peterson Farm, UGA | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 9-11-11 Emails, Coyotes, Preserve Work Party, Port Meeting, Illahee Letter, & Flyover

Posted on September 10, 2011 by illaheecommunity

Garbled Emails. It turns out a number of you are having trouble with text being partially cut off. We are working on the problem. Another option when that happens is to go to our website illaheecommunity.com. At the website you will see we are still in transition with pages to finish, but the updates from the past have been transferred and the new updates show in their entirety, complete with the embedded photos.

Coyotes and Pets. We received the following email to notify residents about increasing numbers of coyotes that are now being seen along the shoreline area.

Word of warning to the neighborhood!! Last Saturday night our housecat and pet of 2 years was killed by a coyote. If your family pet is small and is sometimes outside please be cautious especially in the evening hours.

Other Reports. We have had other reports recently, of a partially eaten cat and a raccoon. The rest of the raccoon was moved to the beach where the eagles finished the job. In the not too distant past we had a family of fox that would often be seen moving along the shoreline, but nothing recently, so we presume the coyotes are now the dominate predator in the area.

Illahee Preserve Work Party. Another big work party with the Washington Youth Academy is being planned for the morning of Saturday, September 17th, rain or shine. It turns out the 17th is a big volunteer service day in the county for a number of groups and the wheel barrows and tools we normally borrow are already spoken for. We will let you know in an upcoming update what is needed in case you can help.

Port of Illahee Meeting Time Change. The Port of Illahee normally meets at 5 pm on the second Wednesday of the month, but not in September. The will instead be meeting at 6:30 pm according to an email we received. The Port meetings are public meetings and residents are welcome to attend. They meet at the Port office at 5560 Ocean View Blvd. Again, the meeting is at 6:30 pm on September 14th.

Illahee Letter to County Commissioners. We saw several versions of a letter being drafted by the Illahee Community’s (the non profit group) Board of Directors raising concerns about reported excessive population projections that may affect Illahee. We don’t know all the details, but thought we should at least print the text of the shortened version of one of the letters to let residents know about their concern. The item is on the Commissioner’s agenda for Monday evening, September 12, 2011.

Commissioners:

The Illahee Community Board is trying to digest the recent decision from the Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) and how the decision might affect Illahee.

We are anticipating the decision will require the reworking of the Land Capacity Analysis and a management analysis of the Urban Growth Areas.

We have been told the BOCC is poised to accept projected growth allocations, which are reported to be excessively high, at the September 12, 2011 Board meeting, which could impact Illahee. We request any growth allocation decision be postponed until the impact of the GMHB decision is better understood by Illahee residents.

Please reschedule your decision for a future meeting.

Flyover & Camera Some have asked for more information about the flyover and the camera system. We found some information on the cineflex camera used in the flyover on Wednesday. The photos are taken at the Port Angeles airport during a refueling stop and shows the helicopter and camera along with cine-photographer, John Trapman, and our filmaker, Shelly Solomon. The camera system is expensive reported to be about $600,000. It was developed for the military by General Dynamics with this version used by filmmakers for high quality films, as previously noted in an earlier update.

Jim Aho

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coyotes, Emails, flyover, Illahee Letter, Port Meeting, Preserve Work Party | Leave a comment

Illahee Community Update 9-7-11 Docks, Moles, Flyover, Barred Owl

Posted on September 7, 2011 by illaheecommunity

New Dock at University Point? We received the following email regarding the relatively new dock at University Point:

Do you have any information about the new (and huge) dock that is down the beach “north” towards University Pt.?

Many of us were surprised…and confused about how this was allowed. One of our neighbors was told that there was absolutely no reason to pursue putting in a “small” dock as it would never be allowed. Now we see this.

Does this mean that the process has changed in some way? Should my neighbor try again to put in his small little dock?

Any info. you have on this would be helpful.

Dock Installed Last Year. While some did not notice the dock until recently, it was installed last year. While on a boat ride we took pictures last year after the pilings were put in and again this year which shows the completed dock. Though technically not within the Illahee community boundary, a number of Illahee residents attended the hearing before the Hearing Examiner because of the close proximity to Illahee’s northern border.

Are More Docks Being Planned? We don’t know if more docks are being planned in Illahee, though we have heard from those who were considering one, and evidently from the above email others are interested. The Shoreline Master Program is being updated and docks, floats, etc requirements will likely be spelled out.

Moles. We discovered a dead mole this morning on our driveway. These animals have powerful paws and claws for digging through soil and small eyes since they very rarely are seen above ground. Their fur is soft like a mountain beaver. This one had darker fur than we remember of other moles we have seen.

Wednesday Flyover. Today (Wednesday 9/7/11) a helicopter filmed Illahee, the shoreline areas, Illahee Creek, and portions of the Illahee Creek watershed. The Illahee Forest Preserve non-profit group was collecting to help fund the flyover and reported they were just a little shy of the $600 goal, and wanted to thank the nearly 15 people who promised to contribute.

Email Updates Garbled? When we switched website software we started posting the Updates on our website, and then copying them for sending out via Gmail. We had the following report that some of the emails have been garbled and are wondering how prevalent the problem is:

The last few Email messages have come to us unreadable. On each line, the top half of the letters show, but not the bottom. I did notice when I went to the reply mode, the lettering was fine, as you can see below. I’m not too sure what the problem might be, but thought I’d let you know just in case others have the same thing happening and you’d like to see how many are involved.

If you are having problems like this please let us know.

Barred Owl Picture. Lots of Barred owls in the area and another great picture and email from a recent sighting.

I took this picture this morning (Sat Sep 3). I was at the kitchen sink, glanced up and saw this owl in the trees behind my house on Roosevelt St NE.

Thanks! Thanks for giving us feedback on the Updates and for continuing to send in items and pictures.

Jim Aho

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged barred owl, Docks, flyover, Moles | Leave a comment

Important Meeting! Illahee’s inclusion in Urban Growth Area and zoning changes up for discussion. Eric Baker, County Special Projects Manager to speak 6pm Tuesday @ Library

Illahee Update 1/26/12 Sewer Plans, Timbers Edge Sewers, ICC TE Motion, Remand Meeting, One Time Opportunity

Illahee Update 1/23/12 Culvert, Surveyors, Port Question, Response, Organization Support?,ICC Agenda Item?, Old Cougar Sighting

Illahee Update 1/22/12 Auction Continued, Snow Pictures, High Tides, Egg Sacks, Illahee Preserve Snow, Brush Picking, Eagle Food

Illahee Update 1/12/12 Cougar Sighting, State Park Free Access, Brush Pickers Back, Timbers Edge Plea, Gifted 21 Acre Deed Filed

Illahee Update 1/7/12 Missing Kids Found, Settlement Papers Signed, January TE Property Auction, GPC Clarification, GPC Supportive, Importance of 15 Acres

Illahee Update 1/5/12 Culvert Measurements, Land Trust Rejections, Importance of TE Properties to Illahee

Illahee Update 1/2/12 Mail Theft Pictures, Illahee Boundary, Resident Human Interest Story, Important Dates, Lost Float

Illahee Update 12-27-11 Float Occupiers, Christmas Gifts & TE Properties? $10,000 Gifts? Mail Thefts, Preserve Spared

Illahee Update 12/19/11 Scoters, Kitsap Sun TE Article, ICC Name Change, End of Year Giving, Sunrise Photo, Coyote Response

Illahee Update 12/14/11 Timbers Edge Gift Tract Update, Sunrise Photos, Winter Waterfowl, Cell Tower Approved, December High Tides, Soft Bulkheading, Coyote Report

Illahee Update 12/10/11 Timbers Edge Foreclosure Sale and Illahee Preserve Open Space Gift?

Illahee Update 11/27/11 Fallen Tree Report, Rotary Group, Culvert Report, High Tides

Illahee Update 11/22/11 Fallen Trees, Illahee Creek Culvert, Pee Wee Report, Cell Tower Hearing Report

Illahee Update 11-21-11 Illahee Preserve Report, Tree Count, Restoration Projects, Grass Seed, Preserve Experiment

Illahee Update 11/14/11 School Sports Groups, Pee Wee Exception, Timbers Edge Gift, Community Meeting Info

Illahee Update 11/11/11 Saturday Community Meeting, Special Speakers, Cell Tower Hearing Report

Illahee Update 11-8-11 Research Ferry, Illahee Community Meeting, Cell Tower Hearing

Illahee Update 11/5/11 Deer Picture, Remand Meetings, Cell Tower Hearing, Community Meeting, Drug Bust, Illahee Preserve

Illahee Update 10/23/11 USS Alabama Work Party, Rats & Possums, Leadership Kitsap Project Approved, Nov Community Meeting, Timbers Edge

Illahee Update 10/17/11 Culvert Photos, Illahee Preserve Laurel, Illahee State Park, Timbers Edge, Water Course Report, Preserve Meeting

Illahee Update 10/14/11 Illahee Preserve, Leadership Kitsap Presentation, Energy Audit, Burglary Responses

Illahee Community Update 10-11-11 Potential Robbery Interrupted, Benthic Testing, Tuesday Rainbow

Illahee Community Update 10-10-11 More Robbery Info, Tow Response, Bahia Vista Road

Illahee Community Update 10/6/2011 Robberies, Cooper’s Hawk, Coyotes, Unknown Boat Tow, Water Course

Illahee Community Update 9-28-11 Culvert Cleanout, WYA Work Party, Wise Street, Peterson Farm, Unique Sailboat

Illahee Community Update 9-15-11 Responses to Coyote Email, Work Party, Compass Circle Project

Illahee Community Update 9-14-11 Coyotes, Docks, UGA, Peterson Farm, Break-in, Fire

Illahee Community Update 9-11-11 Emails, Coyotes, Preserve Work Party, Port Meeting, Illahee Letter, & Flyover

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Illahee Community Update 9-7-11 Docks, Moles, Flyover, Barred Owl

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