| This Week Jefferson County Recycling changes presentations – Tues, Apr 19th and Sat Apr 23 *Online* |
| Upcoming Events TLAB Meeting – Mon, Apr 25th The Transportation Lab is a Local 20/20 Action Group working to promote a transportation system that minimizes need for personal motor vehicles. Such a transportation system must be safe, convenient and healthy, and it must be based on: People walking, the most healthful mode; People bicycling, the most efficient mode; Mass transit, the most efficient for moving large numbers of people: Private vehicles for providing services and moving small numbers of people Time: 4:30 – 6:00pm | Location: In person. Contact Richard Dandridge Rain garden work party in Port Townsend – Fri, Apr 29th The Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee is looking for volunteers to help with revamping some of the rain gardens in Port Townsend! They will meet at the rain garden located on the corner of Lincoln and Adams Streets in Port Townsend at 10AM on Friday, April 29th. Volunteers will help weed and add mulch here, then may follow leads to help with some maintenance at other rain gardens around Port Townsend. Vaccinations and masks (when within 6 ft) are encouraged. Register here. For help registering or other questions about the event, contact Monica at monica.montgomery1@wsu.edu. Time: 10am-3pm | Location: Lincoln and Adams Streets, Port Townsend Skills for Living a Sustainable Lifestyle – Tues, May 3rd Start *New* The events of recent years seem to be telling us that it is time to reduce our carbon footprint and change our consumption habits. To do this, we would need some basic skills that we have lost over the last several decades. In this course, hosted by The Sustainable Lifestyle Learning Center, participants will learn the basic skills or growing their own backyard garden, learning fiber arts (weaving, knitting), upcycling, minimizing, downsizing, and participating in a gift economic system. E-mail them here and check out their website here. Please join them online (for now) for hands-on experience and community support. They will focus on what those who are attending want to learn. Course offered by donation. Time: Tuesdays 9-11am. Course begins on May 3rd. Location: Online Food Coop 50th Anniversary Party – Wed, May 4th The Food Co-op invites all Coop members to come and celebrate its 50th year of Cooperation. Musical guests include Uncle Funk and the Dope Six, Matt Sircerly & Danny Barnes, Alexa Sunshine-Rose, and the Unexpected Brass Band. “Five dollar eats” served up by some of Jefferson County’s hottest chefs will be an event centerpiece. Nadine’s kitchen, Batch Brothers and the Friendly Nettle will each be selling delicious and affordable food offerings. Local beverage producers Propolis Brewing, Finnriver Cidery, Mead Werks Blue Jay Kombutchan and Mountain Rose Tea will all be available. In fact, they all have created special celebratory batches of brew for this momentous occasion. Games, music, food, friends, prizes and a shared purpose; it’s a Coop Party. Time: 4-9pm | Location: Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes Street, Port Townsend Jefferson County Master Gardeners 2022 Annual Plant Sale – Sat, May 7th Master Gardeners have been busy for months selecting, seeding and propagating thousands of plants, including small trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, ground covers, vegetables, fruits and succulents — now ready for purchase and planting in your garden! From two-inch seedlings to young trees, a rainbow of colorful annuals and perennials are available at enticing prices. All plants are grown and cared for by Master Gardener experts under the best conditions and include many varieties not available at local nurseries. Shoppers may preview the plant and tree varieties on sale. All plants have been propagated by experienced Master Gardeners on a volunteer basis. Plants may vary in size from the photos shown on the site. The sale is in person this year. There will not be any online sales. This fundraiser supports WSU Extension services in Jefferson County and agricultural grants for schools and other nonprofit organizations. Time: 9am-2pm | Location: Chimacum High School, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum. Car Free Day Event – Wed, Jun 1st – Save the Date! A variety of organizations across Jefferson County are partnering together to organize a Car Free Day on June 1, 2022, where students, employees and others will leave their car at home, or drive less, and use alternative ways to get to school, work or run errands, and can win prizes by doing so! Learn more at l2020.org/carfreeday. If you are interested in being part of the planning team, or donating to this event, please contact us at carfreeday@l2020.org. Mark your calendar for June 1st, and start thinking about how you can leave your car at home (or drive less) that day! |
| Recurring Events COVID-19 Update – Mondays *Online* Join the weekly 9:00 am meeting of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), including the 9:45 am COVID-19 update with Public Health Officer, Dr. Allison Berry. You can also listen live to Dr. Berry on KPTZ. Additional COVID-19 information is on the County website here. Styrofoam Recycling – 2nd Mondays & 4th Saturdays (PT) & some Tuesdays (Port Ludlow) The Port Townsend StyroCyclers can only accept pieces that are white, rigid, clean, and dry, with all tape, labels, paper, and cardboard removed. They also accept clean and dry packing peanuts of all colors and types (separated from the styrofoam), as well as white styrofoam food trays that are clean and free of stains and writing. Your materials will be inspected at your vehicle, and disqualified materials will be returned to you. Thanks to the Fort Worden PDA, the styrofoam is packed and stored at the Fort Worden Battery Putnam, then delivered to Kent once per month thanks to OlyCap and Northwest Harvest food bank trucks. At the Kent facility, a densifier machine uses heat and pressure to convert the styrofoam into a toothpaste-like consistency that cools into heavy, glassy blocks, which are then sold to manufacturers of products such as picture frames, construction details, and surfboard blanks. The densified product is in high demand because it is less expensive than virgin plastic. You can check the schedule and/or message them at any time at PTStyroCyclers@gmail.com or through their Facebook page. Port Townsend Styrofoam Recycling pick-up – Mon, Apr 11th & Sat, Apr 23rd Time: 10:00-noon | Location: Fort Worden’s Battery Putnam, which is near Alexander’s Castle (229 Alexander’s Loop). Park your vehicle in the middle of the street in front of the battery. Port Ludlow Styrofoam Recycling pick up – Tues, Apr 12th Time: 9-10:30am | Location: Port Ludlow Marina, Bridge Deck off Harbor Drive Road Cooperative Cafe – 2nd Mondays *Online* An online incubator talking space for emergent cooperatives. Offering supportive mentored environment for new housing linked to grower and work spaces (studios, workshops, etc). Beyond Leasing: Co-develop new right-sized sustainable independent housing and land ownership through producer cooperatives. Opening new investor pools for coop financing in the region. Video Call Link – Free and Open Event: econ4peace.org/econ4peace-video-call/ Questions? Write directly to: salishsea@econ4peace.org Time: 6pm | Location: Online Climate on Tap – First Wednesdays Climate on Tap is back – in person in FinnRiver’s cozy Pavilion! Each Climate on Tap is held on the first Wednesday of the month from 7-8:30 pm. Co-sponsored by Local 20/20 Climate Action, Jefferson County Public Health, and FinnRiver Cidery. This is not a lecture series, but a discussion format. For further information email Laura Tucker or call 360-379-4491. The Groundwork Project – Wednesdays The Groundwork Project – The Institute supports local people in establishing meaningful, place-based indicators of community well-being and ecosystem stewardship. Two-Year, 3 County Pilot Study – Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson – to establish baseline indicators of community well-being and ecosystem stewardship. Drop in event. Stop by when you can. Limit of 20. Or, choose one circle for ongoing involvement. – Lunch circle : 11am to 1pm (drop in for min of 45 minutes) – Supper circle: 4pm to 6pm (drop in for min of 45 minutes) – Debrief/Analysis: 1:30pm to 3:30pm. (optional) Questions? econ4peace.org/the-groundwork-project. Online options with preregistration. Write salishsea@econ4peace.org for link and password. Research will culminate Earth Day week with evenings online and two sessions of in person time at the Chimacum Grange on Saturday, April 23. You are welcome to join in at any time. Times: see above | Location: Chimacum Grange Birding in the Park – 2nd and 4th Fridays Beverly McNeil, Admiralty Audubon trip leader and photographer, is conducting bird walks at Fort Flagler. Birding and nature tours are on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for changeable weather. Bring binoculars and your own water. Registration: Please send Bev an email, including where and when you’d like to join at Bevybirds53@gmail.com. It is important to include this information as Beverly does walks in multiple locations and dates. Please note this program is dependent on good weather. Beverly’s photographs are displayed at the Port Townsend Gallery. Time: 9 am | Location: Fort Flagler | Dates: 2nd and 4th Fridays Forest/Orchard Bathing Walks – Sundays *Updated* From Olympic Peninsula Mindfulness. Walk – Sit – Walk: As you cross the ‘threshold’ into the woods and meadows of Fort Worden or the orchards at Finnriver, you can walk comfortably and safely far apart without masks, or as you choose. Walks follow paths linking the woods and meadows in the park. At Finnriver, they will meander around the orchard to quietly observe natures’ progress through the life of apples and pears. Several times they will pause, listen to a nature poem, and sit or stand in silence, andjoin in an occasional guided meditation led by Ellen Falconer, mindfulness teacher. Please wear clothing which will keep you warm and dry, as you may be walking, sitting or standing about in wet, chilly, invigorating seasonal weather. For more information call 360-316-6544 or visit their website. Walks are on Sunday mornings, either at Fort Worden or Finnriver Farm and Cidery. Times and meetup places are described on the website. Registration is encouraged! |
| Community Notices Editor announcement: Historically, we have not accepted “sales-related” submissions to this newsletter. We are reevaluating this position, and will now accept submissions related to vending and sales that are related to our mission on a trial basis for addition to this Community Notices section. Please refer to the bottom of this newsletter for how to submit an announcement. EDC Community Goal Survey – Input Needed! This is an invitation to participate in the Community Goal Survey, which seeks to understand the goals and priorities of Jefferson County residents related to community economic development and planning. Your unique feedback will ensure a broad range of perspectives are represented. The survey will take 10-20 minutes to complete. Here is the link: https://bit.ly/ASAPJefferson. The survey will be live until the 3rd week of April. Jefferson County, WA is taking part in the Area Sector Analysis Process (ASAP), a community-driven tool that informs sustainable community economic development decisions. ASAP uses national and local data to identify compatible and desirable business sectors unique to each community. This link described the process (https://www.usu.edu/wrdc/asap). The EDC will be evolving our economic development strategy and work plan based on the interpretation of the data in this study. Thank you! Volunteer Opportunity – Local 20/20 – Looking for Additional IT Team Members If you are you interested in getting more involved with Local 20/20 and have some website experience, Local 20/20’s IT team is looking for additional team members to help maintain our website. The site is based on WordPress, but WordPress experience is not required. For more details, contact Cindy. Climate Art Action Vs. Wall Street Help Wanted! Wall Street banks and insurers profit off of climate chaos every day, investing in fossil fuel infrastructure and breaking public promises to go green. Several big environmental groups are working together to #defundclimatechaos through protest, public pressure and proposals on shareholder meetings in April & May. This week 30,000 giant street art posters are going up all over the USA and Canada to raise awareness on this issue. Danielle Fodor is looking for help to place 30 big art posters (5 1/2 ft x 3 1/2 ft) around here. Contact Danielle if you’re able to place a poster at your business, on your fence, in your yard, or wheatpaste one on a bank. Danielle Fodor daniellefodor@gmail.com. Kul Kah Han Native Garden (KKH) – A Call for Volunteers & Educational Opportunities! Their mission is to inspire and guide our regional community toward the appreciation, cultivation and use of native plants in home landscaping. They hold Volunteer Working Days at HJ Carroll Park every Wednesday from 10:30am to 2:30pm (March-October). KKH is seeking new volunteers to join their passionate team. If you are interested, please contact their Volunteer Coordinator, Alan Potter alan.potter25@gmail.com, to arrange an introduction and orientation of the garden. They also sponsor educational presentations on related subjects such as wildlife habitat, beneficial mycorrhizae, wise water use, propagation, ethnobotany, sustainable landscaping and more! Please contact their Outreach Coordinator, Christina Ballew ballewsingh@gmail.com, if you are interested in these educational opportunities. Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration! They look forward to seeing you at the Garden! WSU Seed Library on JC Library Bookmobile The JCL Bookmobile is partnering with WSU Master Gardeners to bring seeds directly to you! Borrow a variety of seeds from the Seed Library and grow beautiful, healthy plants to eat and for seed saving. At the end of the season, return a portion of your seeds to the Seed Library for the next year’s borrowers. The Seed Library will visit all bookmobile stops (except Paradise Bay) during the last week of each month, March through October. This year they will be offering only seeds grown within Jefferson County—the best seeds grown by your neighbors, friends, and local seed growers. Learn more and get the schedule Summer Job Opportunities with CedarRoot Folk School CedarRoot is looking for enthusiastic instructors for its summer outdoor Nature Studies programs. Instructors will create a safe and fun environment for youth to engage with the natural world through play, nature awareness, wilderness skills and landscape exploration. Several open roles including a new Olympic Exploration Lead Instructor role. See CedarRoot website for more information. Master Gardener Project Grant Requests due May 1, 2022 The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation is accepting grant requests for not-for-profit horticulture and environment stewardship projects. Typically up to $750 is reimbursed for projects that are completed within a year of approval (early June.) Please download the application form from JCMGF.org under the “resources” menu or contact nwester@olympus.net. Applications are due by May 1, 2022. Jefferson Transit’s Kingston Express Jefferson Transit is launching a pilot that connects with the Kingston Fast Ferry to Seattle! There will be a morning run and an afternoon run Monday – Saturday (note the fast ferry only runs M – F currently.) The Jefferson County stops are Haines P&R, Four Corners P&R, and the Gateway Visitors Center. Find out more at https://jeffersontransit.com/14kingstonexpress/. You can show your support for this pilot by getting on board, literally! Jefferson County Farmers Market BIPOC Start-Up Business Fund The Black Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) Start-Up Business Fund, now in its second year, accepts applications on an ongoing basis. They are excited to welcome more BIPOC vendors to market with small grants of $500-$1,500. Community Resources Biochar for Farms & Gardens The Olympic Carbon Fund is continuing its mission to increase carbon sequestration in the soils of our region by continuing to give away biochar for food-growing soils. Farms, market gardens and large shared gardens are eligible for a full cubic yard, while home food gardeners may partake of the “Bucket Share”. Other soil regeneration projects may also be eligible for free biochar, if community resilience is enhanced by the project. More information and order. New Public Health Dept E-Newsletter Sign up at https://jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/list.aspx, and allow your mail tool to receive e-mails from listserv@civicplus.com. Free art posters promoting peace and a healthy Earth HELP promote ideas of healthy change NOW! With WAR activities in Europe (risking Nuclear contamination) and the CLIMATE CRISIS growing, these changes are URGENT. Let’s stop destructive practices that are destroying our Earth, while protecting our communities and cultures. Art Posters are now available to download (more will come soon) on a new website www.thegentlerevolution.com. Please download these FREE posters to digitally post or print to post – in community places, storefronts or make into small handbills to give out. Let these ideas grow life with love. New informational Electric Vehicle web tools for Jefferson County Jefferson County’s 2018 Greenhouse Gas Inventory indicates that transportation accounts for 66% of our greenhouse gas emissions. This might be your best excuse yet for buying the most responsive (fast), fun vehicle you’ve ever had! Our community has a new set of web tools that can help you in your EV research: https://jeffersoncan.org/electric-vehicles/ Local 20/20’s COVID-19 Resources Online Local 20/20’s COVID-19 resource page is a central location for community-wide information relating to COVID-19, updated frequently. Includes Reliable Information Sources, Vaccine info, Food Sources, Community Covid-19 Resource pages, Giving and Getting Assistance, Community Events Online, Community Face Mask Program, and information web posts related to COVID-19. Look in the red box at the top of the page for all the newest information. Master Gardeners Q&A Have a question about a plant/insect/composting/landscape issue? Master Gardener volunteers are here to help. You can fill out our online intake form and a Master Gardener will get back to you via email. Just Soup on Tuesdays Every Tuesday at 11:30 – 1:30, Just Soup provides free, hot soup lunches at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson St, on the Tyler St. bus line (by the Bell Tower). Enter the rear church parking lot on Franklin, and whether you are on foot, bike, or car, you will be in line for curbside pickup, with masks, gloves, and safe distancing protocols in place. Pick up a lunch for yourself or your neighbor in need. No questions asked. Many partners and supporters have come together to feed Port Townsend one bowl at a time. This information also appears on Local 20/20’s COVID-19 Resources Meals Page. Time: Tuesdays, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM | Location: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson St. Emergency Text Alerts from Jefferson County Sign up to receive Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management’s emergency alerts by text on your mobile phone and/or by email. NIXLE messages provide crucial information in an emergency & are sent directly to your text-enabled device and/or email. The sign up web page also has information about other alert and warning systems, including the tsunami warning system and the WSDOT alert system. NPREP: Prepared Neighborhoods Prepare for emergencies with your neighbors by joining or starting an NPREP neighborhood. There are currently over 100 NPREP neighborhoods organizing here in Jefferson County. Learn if you live in an NPREP trained neighborhood. Learn about NPREP. A Tool for Neighborhood Organization Nextdoor is a private social network for YOUR neighborhood. Use this link to join one of 59 Nextdoor Neighborhoods in Jefferson County. Currently there are 14,567 subscribers, with many new members joining each day. Email Pete Hubbard with questions or comments. Calling Local Photographers Local 20/20 Weekly Announcements invites local photographers to submit images that capture the character of our community and its natural setting. For the opening photo of each weekly email (which is also posted to our website), we seek local color, horizontal (“landscape”) orientation, and jpeg format. Please no children, pets or recognizable faces. Kindly send to events@l2020.org. Please include your name in the jpeg filename. We are an all-volunteer non-profit, so compensation for your talent and generosity is a photo credit and our profound thanks. Resilience Readings Do you have readings, podcasts or videos to share that are aligned with our Local 20/20 mission? Please submit them here. A Better Transportation Future David Thielk shares the TLAB’s vision for a better transportation future in the latest Local 20/20 Port Townsend Leader column. A vibrant Water Street filled with walkers and cyclists, tourists on bikes, and the absence of cars are part of the vision. Learn more about the vision and the road map to getting there in the full column. New IPCC Report Warns Climate Change is Causing Dangerous Disruption in Nature and Affecting Billions of People “Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report…” notes the press release for the the latest IPCC report, “The Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, which was released on 2/27/2022. The press release also notes that “”There are options to adapt to a changing climate. This report provides new insights into nature’s potential not only to reduce climate risks but also to improve people’s lives.” The report itself states that “Approximately half of the species assessed globally have shifted polewards or, on land, also to higher elevations.” The report also highlights that we need to act now to both reduce emissions and adapt to the changes – “There is a narrowing window of opportunity to shift pathways towards more climate resilient development futures as reflected by the adaptation limits and increasing climate risks, considering the remaining carbon budgets.” A shorter summary of the report can be found in this World Resource Institute article. Local 20/20 Leader Column – Showing Our Love for Our Community Local 20/20’s latest column in the Port Townsend Leader highlights how we can show our love for our community through volunteering. Suzanne Jones describes some ways that we can help co-create a community that serves the needs for all of its citizens, and is even more resilient in the future. What sort of new story do need to build that future? It highlights the many organizations in our county that are helping addressing the needs of our community. And as Suzanne ends, “As we are reminded of how much we love our family and friends this February, let us also remember how much we love our community and consider some ways we can volunteer to keep it regenerating itself.” Quimper Community Harvest 2021 Gleaning Season and Applesauce Project Successes The Quimper Community Harvest group, part of the Local 20/20 Local Food Action Group, made impressive progress in 2021 with over six tons of fruit delivered to twenty organizations! And, the group successfully fundraised for, and implemented, the “applesauce project”, where a cooler was designed and built to quickly cool the fresh sauce. The result was 700 pounds of applesauce being made, to be offered to local schools and other organizations from now until next season. Learn more about these successes, and how you can get involved, in the recent Local 20/20 PT Leader Column about the efforts. Anticipated Meteorological “Bomb” Documented by King Tide Team The Local 20/20 King Tide team documented the tides and water levels on 10/25/21, during a rapidly developing low pressure system, referred to a meteorological “bomb”. The event was selected based on the predicted storm surge and strong winds during a time of moderately high tide. Since the winds had largely subsided and the remaining waves were in the 1′ range, the wave runup appeared to be only about 0.1′. With that in mind, this event was a good chance to compare the storm surge forecast to the difference between predicted and observed water levels at the tide gauge. In this case, the surge forecast was very good! See the post linked above for photos of the event and the full analysis. Local 20/20 Leader Column on Electric Vehicles and New Web Tools The October Local 20/20 Leader Column highlighted some of the many reasons to consider buying an electric car. It discussed how far they can go on a charge, compares costs, and notes rebates available. Also described are the wide range of electric vehicles available now – not just passenger cars, but SUVs, motorcycles, and pickup trucks! And it mentions the new web tools where you can learn more about Electric Vehicles at https://jeffersoncan.org/electric-vehicles/. |
