August 2013

One small step for turtle. One giant leap for all turtle-kind.

Or, well, at least for the Western pond turtle.

Working in conjunction, the Woodland Park Zoo and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife released more than 100 endangered Western pond turtles into the protected ponds of Pierce and Mason Counties and the Columbia River Gorge.

The once plentiful Western pond turtle -- which was common from Baja Calif. to the Puget Sound, including the Columbia River Gorge -- has seen major losses in recent decades. In 1990, only about 150 of the turtles remained in the wild in Washington. Many fell victim to the non-native bullfrog, disease and habitat loss.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project was established in 1991. The Western pond turtle was listed as endangered in 1991. Today, primarily through head starting and habitat acquisition, the turtle population has jumped from 150 to between 1,200 and 1,500. They are found in Washington wetlands at six sites in Klickitat, Skamania, Pierce and Mason Counties.

From Office of Arts and Culture

Grassroots event organizers have an opportunity to apply for $1,200 grants to support 2014 festivals and community cultural projects happening in neighborhoods across Seattle through the Neighborhood & Community Arts funding program. The program, managed by the Office of Arts & Culture, supports the city’s community-led creativity, recognizing that neighborhoods are the heartbeat of our city. Applications are open Aug. 19 through Oct. 23. In 2013, the program funded 40 groups to support annual public festivals and events including the Columbia City ArtWalk, Day of the Dead Festival, Festival Sundiata Black Arts Fest, Filipino American History Month, Georgetown Carnival, and more.

The funding program helps Seattle’s neighborhood art councils and community-based groups produce annual festivals and events that enhance the visibility of neighborhoods, promote cultural participation, celebrate diversity and build community through arts and culture. A 2010 National Endowment for the Arts study showed that the accessibility and community strengthening aspect of these types of events make them particularly valuable.

High school sports

Fall turnouts
Tryouts for high school football in Washington state get underway Wednesday, followed by all other fall sports on Monday. Contact the individual schools for exact times and locations.

Pro sports

Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are in Oakland for 7:07 p.m. action against the A's Monday and Tuesday and they will stay for a 12:37 p.m. game Wednesday.

Seattle then takes Thursday off before hosting the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 7:10 p.m. Friday, 6:10 p.m. Saturday and 1:10 p.m. Sunday at Safeco Field. Texas then comes to town for 7:10 p.m. action Monday, Aug. 26 and Tuesday, Aug. 27 and for a 12:40 p.m. game next Wednesday Aug. 28.

The action can be seen on the ROOT cable network and heard on 710 ESPN Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks
Seattle visits Green Bay for a 5 p.m. National Football League preseason game Friday.

The game can be seen on Q13 live and heard on 710 ESPN Seattle.
Tacoma Rainiers

Too drunk to steal, but still OK to fight

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Quiet, warm air hovered over West Seattle as my neighbor’s yard was filled with party goers, waiting to surprise the birthday “boy.” Being more sensitive than most, I knew that this atmosphere would later probably bring a storm. But the only storm in this yard was the sound of party goers shouting Happy Birthday surprising the one turning 30. He had finally arrived home after a lengthy diversion. His father had conveniently accompanied him out to the hardware store while the partiers gathered in waiting mode. You know how guys like to browse for man gadgets. It is almost like women browsing at Victoria’s Secret.

My wish to integrate the age groups was finally granted as my fellow and I mingled with preschoolers on through twenty somethings into thirty and forty somethings and beyond. A black walnut tree formed a canopy over the picnic area. Farther out into the yard was the wonderful play equipment erected for the resident children who could scoot down the slide at their heart’s content.

The Heron Habitat Helpers are conducting a survey to see if people would want cameras installed to view herons in their natural habitat.

Cameras were installed in what is now a former heron habitat at the Kiwanis Ravine. Last spring the herons were run out of their nests there when eagles started taking and destroying their eggs. Since then, the herons have moved to Commodore Park, on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks.

Now, HHH are considering installing cameras in their new habitats, at Commodore Park and in Discovery Park.

To take the survey, visit http://www.heronhelpers.org/heronwatch_survey.html

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By Kyra-lin Hom

This week I packed my life into a very small box. If you ever want to feel like a packrat, shift everything you own into one pile of packed boxes. Stare at the pile long enough to firmly entrench that singularly traumatic image into your brain – those who have done this know what I mean – and then tell yourself to 'heave!' I don't actually own that much. Most of it is pretty much craft supplies: fabric, sewing machine, serger, mini kiln, molds, etc. But seeing it all shoved together in one space, I wanted to toss all of it.

My boyfriend and I packed in two stages. The first day was dedicated to the boxing-up process. That means that day one started out calmly and methodically. I, for one, was sorting through the minutiae to organize it just so. After all, I obviously had plenty of time. This is the box for metal working. This is the box for electronics. This is the box for beads. Somehow, after packing and moving twice in the past year and a half, I still thought this section-by-section, one-day approach was more than enough time. I never learn.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169
Yellow tags are reduced by 75% beginning Thursday August 22!  Early bird shoppers get double stamps on their customer cards every Monday from 10 to noon, seniors get 20% off their entire purchase all day Tuesday and high schoolers with student ID all day Saturday.  And, if it's your birthday, we'll celebrate by giving you 20% off your purchases because we believe "A World With Less Cancer is a World With More Birthdays."  The all volunteer run, non profit American Cancer Society shop will be closed Sunday the 25th to get ready for our Antique, Vintage and Collectible Event and will re-open Monday the 26th at 10 a.m. with a store full of one of a kind treasures.  We're open all other Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and other days from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dragonflies, Butterflies, Salamanders, Snakes & Spiders of Camp Long
3400 S.W. Dawson St.
East side of 35th Ave. S.W.-meet at entrance, in front of Lodge Building

Editor's Note: Viking Days is an annual event put on by the Nordic Heritage Museum that celebrates Scandinavian heritage. Traditional food, music, craft and more were on display at the festival. Photographer Allyce Andrew took plenty of great pictures on Saturday, Aug. 17. See the slideshow by clicking the main picture above or the thumbnails below.

What do you know about Vikings?

If you visited Viking Days at the Nordic Heritage Museum this last weekend and talked to the people at the Viking encampment, you probably found out that you really don’t know that much. The knowledgeable modern day Vikings there probably dismantled all of your fantastical, Hollywood-ized misconceptions.

Such as:

No, Vikings never wore horns or wings on their helmets. That’s just silly.

No, Vikings weren’t just big blond men. The Vikings absorbed a diverse array of populations.

No, Vikings didn’t drink out of human skulls. They drank out of horns from cattle.

No, Vikings didn’t have crudely made weapons. They were skilled craftsmen.