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Thurston County Washington
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office plays an important role in community safety, and the K-9 Training Program is one way they stay ready to protect and serve. Bud Blake, Thurston County Commissioner District 3, spent some time working with the Sheriff Deputy canines and their partners who are a part of this program. On this episode of Thurston County Connection you will see the training and skill of canine deputies in action, and hear from their partners who know first-hand the vital role this program has in community safety. Full episode available here: youtu.be/BytROo7EAUI
Continuing the odd fascination with astronomy this page seems to have developed. . .
New Horizons Spacecraft Sees Possible Hydrogen Wall at the End of the Solar System
gizmodo.com
As it speeds away from the Sun, the New Horizons mission may be approaching a “wall.”Join Capitol Land Trust and Olympia Camera Club to explore landscape photography techniques and tips at the iconic Bayshore Preserve as the sun sets over Oakland Bay. Photography expert, Bruce Livingston from the Olympia Camera Club, will answer questions related to camera settings, panoramas, tripods and more!
Date: Thursday, September 27
Time: 6 PM
Location: Bayshore Preserve, Shelton
For more information and to RSVP for this free event, click the link here.
Landscape Photography at Bayshore Preserve
capitollandtrust.org
Join Capitol Land Trust and Olympia Camera Club to explore landscape photography techniques and tips at the iconic Bayshore Preserve as the sun sets over Oakland Bay. Photography expert, Bruce Livingston from the Olympia Camera Club, will answer questions related to camera settings, panoramas, tripo...Well, the vast majority of registered voters did not vote in the Primary. Fewer than 25%, in Thurston County. In races with more than two candidates, that minority of voters were able to decide the two candidates that advance to the General Election. The low turnout was despite the fact ballots were mailed to people's homes, including a postage paid envelope, to return them.
If you want to see the results, the Secretary of State's web site is the best source, for the state races: results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/default.htm
For local races, the Thurston County Elections results are at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/auditor/Pages/elections-results-Aug18.aspx
The General Election is November 6th. You can register to vote up to October 29. The easiest way is online. Information is on the Thurston County Elections website at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/auditor/Pages/elections-voter-reg.aspx
results.vote.wa.gov
Election results are certified by each county on August 21, 2018. The Secretary of State certifies final results on August 24, 2018.Hopefully, we'll get better voter turnout for November's General Election.
The Olympic mudminnow is Washington State’s only endemic fish, meaning this species is found nowhere else in the world! Learn more about this fish, from the Capitol Land Trust, with whom we operate the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.
capitollandtrust.org
The Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) is a fish found in the lowlands of western Washington. These adorable 2 to 3-inch-long fish are Washington State’s only endemic fish, meaning this species is found nowhere else in the world! A portion of the population lives in Olympia’s own Green Cove Cre...Tuesday is Election Day. Please remember you can deposit your ballot in the drop box in front of the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters until 8PM Tuesday evening.
"During the Perseids' peak on the nights of Aug. 11-12 and Aug. 12-13, skywatchers should see about 60 to 70 meteors per hour."
Local winemaker Sovereign Cellars was recently featured in an article published by the Tri-City Herald.
Sovereign Cellars 2015 Syrah, Red Mountain, $35: Retired science teacher Dennis Gross credits the Williams family of Kiona Vineyards — and their fruit — for much of the success he’s enjoyed as a boutique winemaker in the South Puget Sound. Its fruit-fruit profile opens with blueberry, blackcurrant, Bing cherry, black pepper and bittersweet chocolate. Broad yet fine-grained tannins akin to cherry skins and pomegranate acidity lead to a finish that includes a dusting of cocoa powder and dried blueberry. This earned a gold medal at the 2018 Capital Food and Wine Festival Wine Competition.
Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman operate Great Northwest Wine, an award-winning media company. Learn more about wine at www.greatnorthwestwine.com
Read more here: www.thenewstribune.com/living/food-drink/article215879580.html#storylink=cpy
Saturday, 10 AM to 12 noon at Companion Cove.
Companion Cove has a special guest today
September, owner of, Dogs Love School is holding her rally class in our grassy area from 10am to 12 pm.
Come on out and watch her great training at work 🐶🐶
In case you missed it, below is a link to the Olympian's Editorial Board piece on the race for Thurston County Commissioner here in our District #3.
And remember, if you haven't yet voted, the deadline to get your ballot in is Tuesday, August 7. Your ballot can be mailed in (they are now postage paid). But I imagine you can save our County some money, if you were to use the dropbox at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters. That box will accept ballots up to 8 PM on Election Day.
If you have not yet registered to vote, you can do so, for November's General Election, either online, by mail, or in person. There's more information about voter registration, here in Thurston County, on the Elections page at www.thurstoncountywa.gov/auditor/Pages/elections-voter-reg.aspx
Blake, Menser best bets for Thurston commission
theolympian.com
Incumbent county commissioner Bud Blake, an Independent, faces three challengers. Democrat Tye Menser is most promisingDid you know that your Timberland library card gives you 24/7 access to useful online learning resources such as Lynda.com, which offers hundreds of training courses with thousands of anytime, anywhere tutorials and self-paced video lessons? Lynda.com is especially useful for anyone who needs to quickly pick up a new skill or refresh their software knowledge. Whether you’re looking to expand your personal expertise and gain new skills to advance or start a new career, you have a wealth of knowledge available with twelve learning paths.
Free access to Lynda.com is just one of the resources available online from the Timberland Regional Library.
trl.org
Mango Languages was discontinued effective April 30, 2018. Please see the listing for Pronunciator for online language learning.Olympia Oysters are back! You’ve been patient while these guys took a few weeks off the menu. Hurry down to the Oyster Bar to get your fill, just brought in from the farm, today!
40th Annual Blueberry Bash is Sunday, August 19
St. Christopher’s Community Church will once again offer up some great summertime family fun, in the form of their ever-popular Blueberry Bash. This year’s Bash benefits the Thurston County Food Bank and you are invited to bring a canned food donation.
The Oly Mountain Boys will provide live entertainment, playing their Pacific Northwest Bluegrass from 12:30 to 3:30 PM.
Oly Mountain Boys – Pacific Northwest Bluegrass
The Bingo Garden makes its return with great prizes and there will be a raffle for a beautiful handmade quilt. A bounce house, giant bubble station, face painting, and many more kids activities will be offered.
Don’t forget the awesome local food! Their famous homemade blueberry pies – by the slice or buy a whole pie – will be available. Pies with other fruit fillings will also be sold. Special thanks, to Spooner Berry Farms, for all the delicious fruit.
Brats and 100% beef polish sausages, and milkshakes, too!
Your purchase of a homemade pie will benefit the Thurston County Food Bank.
40th Annual Blueberry Bash
Sunday, August 19
12 noon to 4 PM
St. Christopher’s Community Church
St. Christopher’s is a satellite of the Thurston County Food Bank providing access to food and other support to families here on the Steamboat Peninsula. Their Open Hands Food Bank Garden grows food that is distributed here and donated to the Food Bank. Anyone can come to lend a hand in the garden at the weekly work day.
“All summer long, there’s a work day in the garden every Tuesday from 5-7pm. Just show up with your gloves and a readiness to work; we’ll show you what needs to get done that day. The garden is located on the grounds of St. Christopher’s.”
Our Annual Community Picnic is July 21st
Click for a larger image.
Perhaps the biggest event in the Griffin Neighborhood Association’s yearly calendar is the Community Picnic. On Saturday, July 21st we will again take over the lawn in front of the Tin Cup Golf Driving Range and overflow into Prosperity Grange with food and fun for the whole family. Come join your neighbors!
This year we’ll have live musical guests Humor & Heart. Local resident, Ellen Rice, will also perform with her mountain dulcimer.
Our popular bouncy house will be back, along with other kid’s activities: face painting, bag games, bubble stations, hula hoops and more. Try your skill on the golf driving range, with pro tips and prizes provided by the Salish Cliffs Golf Club.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages will be provided and, thanks to generous donations from Taylor Shellfish Farms, seafood dishes featuring the recipes of local favorite Xinh Dwelley will also be served.
A number of local organizations and businesses will provide information about their work and some great items for sale. Here are some of the local businesses and organizations who are expected to attend:
Bay Mercantile
Companion Cove
DiversiTree Arbor Care
Dogwoods Canine Play and Stay
Feline Friends
Griffin School Foundation
Lighthouse Alpaca Ranch
Melody Byrd Aprons
Nicholson Insurance
OCCU (Our Community Credit Union)
Rainbow Girls
St. Christopher’s Community Church
Stacy Lynn Wellness
Steamboat Animal Hospital
Steamboat Island 4H
Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool
Steamboat Island United Methodist Church
Thurston County Master Gardeners Foundation
Mark Iler and Jess McKeegan are two of three members of Humor & Heart.
Admission is free to all Griffin Neighborhood Association members. All other residents will be charged $5 per adult, or $10 per household. No charge for children. If you choose to become a member of the GNA on the day of the picnic, not only is your entrance free but you will be able to participate in a members-only choice of several raffle items donated by local businesses. We have a $25 gift certificate from Character’s Corner, website development services valued at $600 and two hours of home computer service (a $250 value) from Continental Computer Services of Olympia, and more. Your admission includes all activities and food!
Annual Community Picnic
Saturday, July 21
3 PM to 7 PM
Tin Cup Golf Driving Range and Prosperity Grange
Many thanks to our sponsors!
Blissful Wunders Confectionary Chocolats’
Character’s Corner
Continental Computer Services of Olympia
Island Johnny
Nicholson & Associates Insurance, LLC
Salish Cliffs Golf Club
Steamboat Island Church
Steamboat Trading Post
Taylor Shellfish Farms, featuring recipes from Xinh Dwelley
Thurston County Explorer Search & Rescue
Tin Cup Golf Driving Range
We need your help to put on an event this big! Some areas of need are children’s activities, food/beverage prep and serving, set-up and take-down, etc. High school kids looking for service hours would find this a great fit too. We could really use some help handling the grill, too. It doesn’t take a full-time commitment; if you can help for even an hour or two, please contact Becky at furacres@gmail.com.
We hope to see you Saturday!
Steamboat Conservation Partnership Reports to Its Members
The Steamboat Conservation Partnership has released its 2018 report to supporters on the completion of their ninth successful year of operation. Here is that report.
Donations:
During our 2017-2018 fiscal year (July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018), we raised $14,818.86 for Capitol Land Trust (CLT), earmarked to finance part of their operational activities within the Steamboat Peninsula Region where most of us live and/or own property. This was slightly below our annual goal of $15,000 in collections.
Over the nine years of the existence of the SCP, we have raised $148,447.96 for CLT, which is $13,447.96 above our goal of $135,000 for that nine-year period. We should all be very proud of generating these funds to ensure that many of our natural areas will be available to our children, grandchildren and beyond.
The SCP is a five-year agreement between the Griffin Neighborhood Association and Capitol Land Trust during which we attempt to raise at least $15,000 per year to help finance the operational activities of CLT within the Steamboat Peninsula Region (the watersheds of Eld Inlet and Totten Inlet). After completion of the first five-year agreement in 2014, a second agreement was made. We have just completed the fourth year of this five-year agreement. The SCP is unique. We are told that no other agreement for raising earmarked funds exists between a neighborhood association and a land trust in the nation.
Activities:
Since the SCP was formed in 2009, with our help, CLT has been able to add several areas to its bank of conserved properties within the Steamboat Peninsula Region, including:
- The Adams Cove Preserve, 35 acres and a pocket estuary in Totten Inlet.
- The Lower Eld Estuary Preserve, 55 acres along southern Eld Inlet.
- The Schmidt Conservation Easement addition, 5.5 acres near Hunter Point, adding to 29 acres already conserved.
- In addition, our donations were used to establish a stewardship fund to protect the remaining 175 acres of the Wynne Tree Farm. The 530 acre Wynne farm has now been conserved. This jewel of a farm located in the Schneider Creek Valley with the headwaters of Schneider Creek.
- These conserved properties are in addition to many other properties in our area conserved in prior years, including the Triple Creek Farm, Randall Preserve and Allison Springs, and Willits Tree Farm.
Here are the Candidates on August’s Primary Ballot
The Primary Election is Tuesday, August 7. If you are not yet registered to vote, or if you have had a change of address and haven’t informed elections officials, there is still time. The last day for new registrations is July 30, but you must register in-person at the Thurston County Auditor’s Office in order to be eligible to vote in the Primary.
Voter’s Pamphlets will be mailed on July 11 and the ballots will be mailed a week later, on July 18. As usual, ballots must either be dropped in a ballot box before 8 PM on election day or they must be postmarked by that day. There’s a ballot box conveniently located in front of the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters. Have questions about voting? The County’s elections officials have an online FAQ here. Contact the Thurston County Auditor’s Office directly, if you have other questions.
Under our state’s primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party.
Here’s a rundown of the candidates you will see on your ballot. Where the candidate’s web site could be found, the candidate’s name is linked to the web site.
U.S. Senator
There are 30 candidates for this position (according to the Spokesman-Review, “The modern record for a U.S. Senate race in Washington is 33, set in 1983”). The entire list appears in the Voter’s Pamphlet.
Maria Cantwell is the Democratic incumbent. Her chief challenger is Susan Hutchison (Republican Party)
U.S. Representative – Congressional District No. 10
Denny Heck is the Democratic incumbent. His challengers are:
Nancy Dailey Slotnick (Indep. Centrist Party)
Tamborine Borrelli ( Ind. Progressive Party)
Joseph Brumbles (Republican Party)Read More