| This Week TLAB Meeting – Mon, Mar 28th *New* 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 – 6pm | Location: In person. Contact Richard Dandridge (You can also view these announcements in a prettier format here.) Economics for Peace Institute Office Openhouse – Wed, Mar 30th The Institute invites you to celebrate their office in PNW and a partnership with the Chimacum Grange. They will showcase their mission, programs and local projects. They are partnering on Raised Right Here, an initiative of the National Grange for 2022 with a focus on local resilience and sustainability! Mutual aid in right action. Join in! More information at econ4peace.org/openhouse or email salishsea@econ4peace.org Time: 4 to 6pm | Location: Chimacum Grange Elephant Seals Sighting Puget Sound virtual program – Wed, Mar 30th *Online* Join Friends of Fort Flagler for a presentation about Elephant Seal Sightings in Puget Sound. We have been seeing more elephant seals in Puget Sound. What’s changing? Join us to learn what’s changed including when they molt, where and why they come ashore. These animals are amazing, and the more you know about them, the more you’ll appreciate them. Presenter: Deisy Bach is a resident of Jefferson County and on the board of Friends of Fort Flagler: Deisy has over 18 years experience with marine mammals including volunteering with The Marine Mammal Center, Ano Nuevo State Preserve, SR3 and Port Townsend Marine Science Center Stranding Network. Register. Time: 6pm | Location: Online Streatery input needed! – Deadline Thurs, Mar 31st *New* The City of Port Townsend seeks public feedback to inform decisions regarding a long-term strategy for streateries in Downtown and Uptown. During the pandemic, streateries and parklets have provided open-air public spaces. Updates to the City’s code and the development of standards could allow more permanent structures, requiring better aesthetics and more durable structures. This short (5 minute) survey seeks your response to help City staff propose balanced options to City Council for their consideration. Take Survey. WSU Jefferson Beach Naturalists Training – Registration open until April 1st *Updated* *Hybrid Zoom and in person* Registration is Open for the 2022 Jefferson Beach Naturalists Training – Apr 12 – May 5. WSU Jefferson County Extension is offering a hybrid Beach Naturalists training designed for anyone who is interested in beaches, marine life, and becoming better stewards. You will learn from regional experts about Salish Sea habitats and species, restoration and conservation efforts, community science opportunities, and more! Five Zoom classroom sessions will be offered along with optional field trips to beaches around East Jefferson County (tentatively April 18 and May 3). More information or contact Monica, the WSU Jefferson Beach Naturalists Coordinator. Register before April 1. $85. Space is limited! Time: 9:30am-2:30pm on April 12, 14, and 19 and 9:30am-12:30pm on April 21 and May 5 | Location: Zoom & TBD Permaculture-Style Gardening Course – Fri, Apr 1st *Hybrid* Do you have garden space? Join The Sustainable Lifestyle Learning Center for a hands-on/online course in Backyard Garden Permaculture. Begins Friday, April 1st. Work with natural pest control and soil preparation to produce vegetables over a 9 to 10 month period. The class includes ongoing support and course materials. Course operates on a gift economy basis (whatever you want to donate). For more information, Email sustainablelifelearningcenter@yahoo.com Port Townsend Farmers Market 30th Anniversary Opening – Sat, Apr 2nd They welcome back live music this season as well as the goat parade. Help them kick off the farmers market season with a red ribbon-cutting ceremony and group photo with the Chamber of Commerce and Port Townsend Mayor, David Faber. Following the ribbon-cutting, parade through the farmers market with goats from Ground Control Goats and music by the Unexpected Brass Band. 75+ farm, food, and art vendors. Opening ceremony 9 am * Goat Parade 9:15-ish am * Storytime 10:30 am * Music by Kristin and Otto Smith 10 am * Music by Harmonica Pocket 12 pm Time: 9 am-2 pm | Location: Uptown on Tyler Street Scotch Broom Pulling Party – Sat, Apr 2nd East Jefferson Little League is partnering with Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control to cut or pull Scotch Broom around baseball fields to reduce pollen and spread of this noxious weed. Volunteers are needed, please bring gloves and loppers or shovels – we can lend some if needed. Contact esmith@co.jefferson.wa.us or admin@ejlittleleague.com for more information. Time: 9am – noon | Location: Meet at the baseball fields at 80 Elkins Rd in Port Hadlock. Celebrate Spring at Froggy Bottoms – Sat, Apr 2nd *New* Volunteers are invited to a Weed & Mulch Party at Froggy Bottoms Stormwater Pond. Volunteers are needed to: dig weeds and mulch around all plantings, move wood chips to pathways, and clean lichens from the kiosk roof. Please bring: work gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes, your favorite weeding tools, and dress for the weather! They will bring: cardboard for mulching, ladder & cleaning supplies for work on roof, cookies and hot tea. This volunteer work party will be under auspices of the Port Townsend Public Works Department, and all volunteers will need to sign the City liability wavier. For more information or questions, please contact Lys Burden at LysBurd@gmail.com or 360-301-0982. Time: 10am – 1pm | Location: Froggy Bottoms Stormwater Pond, on Pacific Street between Tremont and Cedar Streets in Port Townsend Hugelkultur Workshop – Sat, Apr 2nd More information at friendsofthetrees.net and friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com $50, no one turned away for lack of funds. Time: 10am – 4pm | Location: 310 West Maude Street, Port Hadlock WA 98339. |
| Upcoming Events Climate on Tap – “What is the carbon footprint of recycling?” – – Wed, Apr 6th How green are we when we recycle? Why is Jefferson County different than most in Washington? Changes are afoot! Bring ideas, answers, and suggestions to ponder this issue and look at all those R’s: rethink, refuse, repair, reuse, refill, repurpose, rot (compost!) and finally recycle. Ideas will be posted on the Local 20/20 website! FinnRiver Cidery is providing their Pavilion space with open-air, socially-distanced tables. Masks are encouraged, but not required. Optional overhead heaters make it cozy! Time: 7-8:30pm | Location: Finnriver Cidery Public Presentation on Cohousing: Living Sustainably in Community – Sat, Apr 9th Cohousing Community Forming 3 Miles Outside of Port Townsend Newt Crossing, a forming cohousing community, is bringing Charles Durrett back to Port Townsend for a free presentation at the Quimper Grange. Durrett, together with Kathryn McCammant, is the coauthor of Creating Cohousing, Building Sustainable Communities, and has designed over fifty cohousing communities in the U.S. and Canada, including Port Townsend’s own Quimper Village. Whether you are curious about cohousing, or wanting to live in a village-like setting where neighbors are close by and connected, this pandemic has taught us how important community is. Durrett will share his 30 years of expertise designing socially vibrant and environmentally sustainable communities and assist in bringing Newt Crossing Cohousing to the next stage. A walk-the-land will follow on April 10, at 11am. For more information, visit www.newtcrossing.org. Time: 3-5pm | Location: Quimper Grange at 1219 Corona Street Community Healthcare Access Monthly Meeting – Wed, Apr 13th *New* *Online* Local 20/20’s Community Healthcare Access Group is a long running forum of people from the community concerned about healthcare access in Jefferson County. Discussion topics include Charity Care issues at the hospital, Legislative actions supporting local healthcare, public health issues, dental care, mental health and more. There is no membership needed, the public is welcome. Contact albergstein@gmail.com for the Zoom link to the meeting if interested, along with historical background on the group. Time: Noon-1:30pm | Location: Online Climate Working Group – Thurs, Apr 14th *New* *Online* We are restructuring the Local 20/20 climate meetings for the new year. This meeting will include both climate mitigation (reducing greenhouse gases) and climate adaptation (preparing for climate impacts) aspects. The first hour will be a discussion of current and proposed projects – gather feedback on existing projects, share successes, and brainstorm on possible future projects. The second hour will be a general discussion of current climate topics – what’s been in the news, learning opportunities, etc. Feel free to join for either half. Meeting schedule for the year will be discussed and defined. For the online meeting information, contact cag@l2020.org. Time: 3 – 5pm | Location: Zoom Asian Giant Hornets: What you need to know – Tues, Apr 14th *New* *Online* Join the Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation to hear Outreach and Education Specialist Cassie Cichorz from the Washington State Department of Agriculture as she shares valuable information we need to know about the Asian Giant Hornet: its biology, the threats it brings to our state and how to manage this invasive species. For more information go to jefferson.wsu.edu or jcmgf.org and click on Asian Giant Hornets. Time: 3pm | Location: Zoom |
| 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 *March collection cancelled* The Port Townsend StyroCyclers are sorry to inform the community that all of the March collection events have been cancelled because they do not have use of the truck to get the styrofoam to the recycler in Kent until early April. Please keep your styrofoam clean and dry until their April collections, which will be announced later. The volunteer Port Townsend StyroCyclers group is recycling expanded polystyrene, commonly known as styrofoam, from East Jefferson County residents and businesses. Because of the huge volume processed by their Kent-based recycler, the 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. Thanks to the Fort Worden PDA, the styrofoam is packed and stored at the Fort Worden Putnam bunker, 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. Cooperative Cafe – 2nd Mondays starting Mon, Mar 14th *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 starting April 6th Community Circles for Common Ground resumes with new name. 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 beginning March 25th 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 starting 3/25 Forest Bathing Walks at Fort Worden – Sundays From Olympic Peninsula Mindfulness. Walk – Sit – Walk: As you enter the ‘cathedral’ of the park’s spaces you can walk comfortably and safely far apart without masks, or as you choose. Their walk follows paths linking the woods and meadows in the park. Several times they will pause, listen to a nature poem, and sit in silence at the Memory Vault; or possibly with a bit of guided meditation led by Ellen Falconer, mindfulness teacher. Please wear clothing which will keep you warm and dry, as we may be sitting or standing about in wet, chilly, invigorating weather. For more information call 360-316-6544 or visit their website. Walks are on Sunday mornings. Time: 9:30 – 11 AM | Location: Fort Worden State Park, meet in front of the Nora Porter Commons Building, 210 Battery Way |
| Community Notices Car Free Day Event – Wed, Jun 1st – Save the Date and Recruiting Volunteers! *New* 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!” Volunteer Opportunity – Local 20/20 *New* 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. Community Build Volunteer Opportunity *New* The Community Build Project is a community-started and community-run organization that mobilizes volunteer resources to build projects that will benefit those who are underserved in the community. They would like to upgrade their website to be more robust and interactive for volunteer recruitment. They would love someone to help them update and maintain their website. If you can, please contact volunteer coordinator Debbi Steele at deborahksteele@gmail.com or call her at 805-312-6547. For more information about Community Build, visit community-build.org or their Facebook page. 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! And you can ride free all the way to Seattle from Feb 22 – March 31, 2022, with a free ride transfer for the ferry! 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 Vendor Applications still open The BIPOC Start-Up Business Fund and Chimacum Farmers Market applications are still open. The Chimacum Farmers Market application deadline is April 1. The Black Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) Start-Up Business Fund, now in its second year, accepts applications on an ongoing basis. We 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 14,418 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 *New* 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/. |
