Community Questions Cascade Pole Cleanup and Future Area Use

Above: Community members discuss the issues after tonight's meeting about the cleanup of the former Cascade Pole area, now known as Northpoint, on the Port of Olympia peninsula property. In the foreground, community members Zena Hartung, right, and Rachel Newmann, to her right, speak with a student from the Environmental Science class at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). Several students from the class were in attendance as a class assignment.

In the background, SPSCC student Travis Rodriguez, 24, left, speaks with Jerry Parker. Rodriguez, recently honorably discharged from the Navy, said that this was his first community meeting. "It was very educational. Now I feel like I can be more involved! What's cost effective? They said it's too expensive to dig it (the soil) up and haul it away! What kind of price can you put on human life - and sea life?" Rodriguez expects to transfer to The Evergreen State College in the Fall of 2011.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

About 20 community members met with state Department of Ecology staff to discuss the continued clean up of the former Cascade Pole site, now known as Northpoint, on the Port of Olympia property. Port employees were present, as well as Port Commissioner Bill McGregor.

The agreement with Ecology requires the Port to continue cleanup activities which includes removing contaminated soil from the Northpoint area of the Port peninsula, moving the soil to another area, capping it, then sampling the soil after excavation to ensure all contamination was removed.

After a brief overview of the clean up requirements by Ecology's Cascade Pole site manager Mohsen Kourehdar, community members asked clarifying questions. Comments were not documented as this was not a public hearing. Comments may be submitted to Ecology through June 10.

Kourehdar summarized Cascade Pole's 25 year history, saying $26 million has been spent on cleanup of the site so far. The agreement marks the last major piece of cleanup work on the 17-acre former industrial site.

The Cascade Pole Wood Treating Company leased property from the Port from 1957 - 1986. Operated as a wood treatment facility, area soil, groundwater, surface water and sediments in Budd Inlet was contaminated. The Port of Olympia, Cascade Pole and Ecology entered into an agreement in 1990 to investigate the site and explore cleanup alternatives. After a settlement with Cascade Pole, the Port took responsibility for cleanup in 1996. A remedial investigation was completed and several interim actions were taken.


Above: The former Cascade Pole site now known as Northpoint as it looked today. To the left is HearthFire Restaurant and KGY Radio station. Surrounded by a chain link fence, the area is not accessible to the public. On the right is Priest Point Park.

Proposed interim cleanup actions include removing contaminated soil from Northpoint, near KGY Radio, and moving it to inside an existing "slurry wall" next to a containment area. The stored soil is proposed by the Port to be paved with asphalt. This is proposed by the Port to be completed by mid-October.

According to Ecology's cleanup plan, the groundwater will be tested every six months, and sediment testing will be done every five years. Later in the conversation, Kourehdar said, "We will be monitoring this area for the rest of our lives. It's just a containment system...we have to watch it."

Several community members have been meeting regularly with Port staff and commissioners to explore a process for allowing a thorough public discussion to occur regarding the Port's land use decisions.

"(The process) shouldn't be developer driven. We're collecting information too, and trying to understand where they're coming from. What we're trying to do is come to some agreement on a public involvement process," said Carole Richmond.

"Right now, the planning model for land use is backwards. They make their decisions and then let us know. That's the way it feels. We're looking for a win-win situation, because if we don't do that, we're going nowhere."

Agnieska Kisza, a local architect, has also been meeting with port staff and commissioners. "This is an exercise in democracy...I don't think we're taken seriously. A master plan is an important condition for the site, and to write a new program for the area."

Community members had several questions for Ecology staff related to earthquake liquefaction, sea-level rise, and the type of cap the Port proposes to use to contain the contamination. The port proposes an asphalt cap. Several community members have been urging the port to use a natural, vegetative cap. Others want the soil dug up and taken away for incineration.

Anthony Sanchez, a member of the Nisqually Tribe, said he personally wants the contaminated soil taken away. "I know it's expensive but the contaminants have definitely affected the fish. We're dealing with EPA regulations, but what's the reality?"

After the meeting, Sanchez said that his uncle used to fish in the Northpoint area in the 1960's. "We're a part of the story. No matter what happens there, we want to tell our story."

Kourehdar said that Ecology's goal is to protect human health and the environment for whatever cap is used, and that the agency is not requiring the Port to use asphalt. "If someone comes along with a different plan, we'll look at it. The cap does not have a definition of asphalt," said Kourehdar.

One large area of contaminated soil at Cascade Pole is already capped with asphalt and is a parking lot.

Kinza questioned the use of asphalt and whether or not it was responsible to contain contamination in an area susceptible to earthquake liquefaction. "We had a large earthquake, I mean, it survived," responded Rebecca Lawson, Ecology section manager for the Toxics Cleanup Program.

"Your point is a good one - I don't mean to sound dismissive - but we have to weigh the costs into the equation. I don't think there was a place to take soil with dioxins in it (when we started this project). Now there are, but they're very expensive. It's a challenge."

Monica Hoover, a citizen who has been meeting with port staff, said that based on recent information about earthquake magnitude and frequency, the 2001 Nisqually earthquake was not a big quake. She also questioned the use of asphalt to cap the site. "It's striking to most people just how much is (already) asphalt. You add that all up together and it's a lot."


Above: They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. A relatively unknown location, a few folks drive here to look at the view north to Budd Inlet during their lunch break.

Jerry Parker asked Kourehdar about dioxins and the life-span of the slurry wall currently being used to contain contaminants. "I did this calculation this morning because I knew someone would ask," responded Kourehdar. In 1996-1997, a 3,528 foot long underground "wall," with an average depth of 23 feet, was constructed surrounding the upland contamination.

"Dioxins are persistent. Because the slurry wall is 24 inches thick - based on lab hydrogeology experiments - it will take 32 years for a drop of water to travel from one side of the slurry wall to the other. Is it going to break down someday? Probably." said Kourehdar.

"I'm of the opinion that you've done the best you could at the time. As things change, we're adaptable," audience member Enid Layes told Ecology staff.

"The site shouldn't be developed," said community member Harry Branch, after the meeting. "I don't fault Ecology. They have an impossible task - I think they're doing an OK job. They should have another $10 million. They're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear with two bits. Like the guy from Nisqually said, "Take (the soil) away. They did that at the city hall site. Why was that done right? Why not Northpoint?"

For more information on Northpoint, the Port of Olympia and the Cascade Pole area, please read other articles on this blog at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.

For more information on the history of Cascade Pole and the development of Northpoint, go to www.oly-wa.us/greenpages. (Winter 2010 edition).

For technical questions and to submit comments that will be developed into a "Responsiveness Summary", contact Mohsen Kourehdar, Washington State Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program, (360) 407-6256 or Mohsen.Kourehdar@ecy.wa.gov. Also see http://ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/cascade_pole/Cascade_Pole_hp.htm.

To receive future notices about the cleanup or questions about public involvement, contact Meg Bommarito, Washington State Department of Ecology, (360) 407-6255 or Meg.Bommarito@ecy.wa.gov.


Above: Monica Hoover, right, speaks with Rebecca Lawson, state Department of Ecology Section Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program, after tonight's meeting.

The Gooey Politics of Geoduck Aquaculture: A Day in the Life of a Shellfish Farmer

Above: Matt Smith, left, and Jim Woodfin harvest geoducks on Eld Inlet this week.

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Matt Smith, 39, owner and operator of Trident Marine Services, calls himself a farmer. “I’ve been doing this for 29 years,” said Smith, his voice filled with passion. But Smith is not a farmer slopping manure out of the barn or raising acres of grain. He and his employee, Jim Woodfin, harvest geoducks.

Geoduck aquaculture is farming on privately owned tidelands, where salt water tides ebb and flow, to cultivate large geoduck clams. Geoducks are considered a delicacy, particularly in Asia.

Smith, who received a masters degree in Shellfish Aquaculture from Oregon State University in 1996, and holds an undergraduate degree in Marine Fisheries from Humboldt University, has worked with geoduck clams for over 13 years with the state, tribes, and private landowners.

Smith is clearly enthusiastic about his work.

“I was raised in a shellfish family. My dad was a PhD marine biologist and commercial diver cultivating mussels in southern California on offshore oil platforms. I learned to dive at age 11, and in addition to helping my mom with selling shellfish at Farmer’s Markets, I also harvested product early in my high school days."

"My dad taught me to love and respect the ocean. I learned not only science, but good husbandry practices and how to compliment and work with Mother Nature. I have always had a real conservationist outlook with regard to farming shellfish and making sure the environment is not impacted,” says Smith.

On this particular day, I watched for several hours as he and Woodfin harvested geoducks that had been planted five years ago on private, waterfront property off of Steamboat Island Road on Eld Inlet in Olympia.

The property owner, Sandy Sinclair, 82, is leasing his tideland for geoduck farming with another shellfish farmer, and Smith contracts with that farmer to harvest the geoducks. Sinclair says he's doing this because it’s a way to try to recoup his property taxes. Sinclair says he receives about 10% of what Trident makes, and receives a monthly check.

“Every little bit helps,” says Sinclair.

“Making sure the landowner is happy is very important to me,” says Smith.

It doesn‘t always work out good financially for Smith, though. “I have had beaches where I lost 20,000 seed in the exact same spot two years in a row. It was due to unexpected torrential rains we had here in Shelton two years in a row. Lots of bivalves and intertidal life were affected by those huge rains. But you have to take some negative with the positive, and hopefully come out ahead.”

Sinclair, a retired North Thurston School District teacher, is well aware of the controversy around geoduck farming, admits some environmental concerns have merit, and is open-minded to learning more about the concerns of the industry. He plans to allow the replanting of another cycle of geoducks after this one is harvested.

“I consider it to be my garden,” says Sinclair. Sinclair says his favorite author is Antoine De Saint Exupery, who wrote a book called, “Wind, Sand and Stars.”

“It explains a little bit of my philosophy. There’s a quote in there that I think is real appropriate to this situation: “No matter how little we own, someone will try to take it away. Nomads will defend to the death their empty desert sands.”

“As I would, my beach tidelands,” says Sinclair.

About 33,000 geoducks were planted on about 1/3 of an acre on Sinclair’s property five years ago, three in each PVC pipe, which prevents the geoducks from being washed away. The pipes stay in the tide flats for about a year.


Above: PVC pipes contain young geoducks. The pipes are covered with nets, either hair-net sized nets or canopy nets, to protect the geoducks from floating away when young, or being eaten by predators.

“That’s the ugly part,” Sinclair admitted.

He also admits that some pipes occasionally get dislodged and float away. When the tubes are taken out, you can’t tell that the property has been planted. Not all geoducks survive.

Sinclair’s PVC pipes, and those of his neighbors, who are also leasing their tide flats for geoduck farming, use individual hair-net sized nets secured by rubber bands, to cover each pipe.

Smith and Woodfin first watch the area for telltale squirts, which indicate where the geoducks were and stick thin markers that look like kabob skewers into the sand to note their location. Then, with a hose attached to their nearby boat, Smith uses sea water to pressure wash the location precisely where the geoduck was seen squirting. Not a shovel was in sight.

To reach Smith and Woodfin, Sinclair and I walked on countless sand dollars and sea life. Watching Smith and Woodfin use the pressure washer hose, I wondered if this method doesn’t tend to remove everything in its path, including native species.

“It’s actually a low pressure, high volume jet that loosens the substrate in order to extract the geoduck. Only a small fraction of the fine or silty sediment is actually suspended and removed. Any rocks, gravel, sand, finer sand and so on, settle back down to the bottom very quickly and flatten out as water moves across the beach, restoring it to normal looking conditions. This mixing can actually be healthy for the soil,” says Smith.

Woodfin sticks his arm down into the mud to his shoulder blade and pulls up a very large geoduck.

Eagles, seagulls and crows flew low overhead, looking for a quick snack.

“This one is worth about $30,” said Smith. High quality geoducks are sold for about $15 a pound.


Above: Matt Smith holds a high quality geoduck.

According to the state Department of Natural Resources, geoduck farming has become common throughout Puget Sound during the past decade, with about 200 acres of private tidelands cultivated.

The cumulative effect of harvesting operations is being researched. The increasing demand for shellfish and new aquaculture operations raises concerns about the sustainability of ecosystems that support this use.

Smaller inlets and bays that have traditionally been used for personal, recreational uses throughout the Puget Sound are especially vulnerable to the industry.

“This is a unique beach,” says Smith. “Each site is very specific and individual with regard to currents, waves and tides, but this beach is so swift that the current really keeps it clean.” Smith says he has harvested a total of about 25,000 pounds from Sinclair’s and his two neighbor's properties so far.

“These are going to China tonight,” Smith said, lifting up a large, two pound geoduck. “It only takes about a day for them to get shipped over there. They’re kept cold, and when they arrive, they put them in live tanks to revive them, Smith said.


Above: Matt Smith with a geoduck on Eld Inlet this week.

The demand for geoducks in Asia has increased dramatically since the 1970’s. A plate of geoduck there now sells for around one hundred dollars. Geoduck is primarily sold to Asia's upper classes. One single, live geoduck can sell for $228 or more.

Sinclair picked out a whopper of a geoduck and asked if he could take it home. Smith balked. "Well, Sandy, that one's worth about $30 bucks...here, how about this one," picking out a tiny one. “This one is only worth about $7,” Smith said, giving it to Sinclair so his wife could make it into soup. The tiny geoduck was a recruit.

“A recruit is one who grew here on its own - it wasn’t planted,” said Smith. It was a tiny native, compared to the two-pounders Woodfin had been pulling up.


Above: A recruit. Smith demonstrated how you can see how old a geoduck is by counting the rings on its shell, like a tree. Geoducks can live over 100 years, but the average age of a wild geoduck is 46 years old. The oldest known living geoduck is 168 years old.


Above: Matt Smith, left, and Jim Woodfin this week on Eld Inlet.

Addressing questions about the unknown, long term implications of harvesting, Smith said, “I think the long term implications could best be extrapolated by looking at the impacts of State harvest of geoduck for the last 30 years. I used to be a biologist for the Nisqually Tribe, which, like other tribes, co-manages the naturally occurring geoduck resource in Washington state for their particular or in-common fishing areas.”

"The state rotates the beds. Some individual beds are well over 200 acres. Once product is jetted out of an area, usually taking several months, it is left to rest for years and periodically checked for recruitment densities. When the density is sufficient to support another commercial harvest, the bed will be re-introduced into the harvest plan. I would think that if there were long term effects on the environment, geoducks wouldn't re-populate the same areas, which they do.”

Time was slipping away, and by 2:00 p.m., the tide was coming in, fast. Smith and Woodfin called it a day and motored away, to come back tomorrow.


Above: Sandy Sinclair calls it a day too, and heads back up to his house on Eld Inlet, geoduck in hand.

The Gooey Politics of Geoduck Aquaculture: Rulemaking

Above: Geoducks harvested from Eld Inlet this week.

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

In mid May, the Washington Department of Ecology released a pre-draft version of Shoreline Management Act rules relating to the siting and permitting of commercial geoduck aquaculture.

Geoduck aquaculture is farming on privately owned tidelands, where salt water tides ebb and flow, to cultivate large geoduck clams. They are considered a delicacy, particularly in Asia.

Ecology was directed to add language to Shoreline Master Program guidelines about commercial geoduck aquaculture under House Bill 2220, which passed in 2007.

There is a meeting on Wednesday, June 2 of the Shellfish Aquaculture Regulatory Committee (SARC) at the state Department of Ecology in Lacey from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. which will review the pre-draft rulemaking language.

The public is welcome to attend presentations and the SARC discussions, but public comment will not be taken. According to Cedar Bouta, Ecology’s project lead for the rulemaking, questions from the public will be taken after the close of the SARC meeting by Ecology staff. SARC members may or may not be in attendance during that time.

For about two hours, SARC members will hear the latest science from the University of Washington’s SeaGrant on geoduck research. Other topics will include permitting requirements and the rulemaking process.

Ecology expects to issue the draft rule on August 18, with a public comment period on the rule tentatively set for early September to mid-October. At that time, there will be four public hearings. Exact public comment dates and hearing locations will be announced when the draft rule is published.

According to Ecology, HB 2220 allows geoduck aquaculture to continue and expand based on current scientific understanding, provides for scientific research related to potential impacts of geoduck aquaculture, and applies what is learned as new science becomes available.

Ecology also took into consideration the work of the SARC, which met for two years from 2007 to 2009 and submitted a report to the Legislature in January 2009.


Above: PVC pipes that contain young geoduck. Shoreline homeowners, tribes, growers and environmentalists have long expressed concerns with geoduck farming related to aesthetics and view, noise, debris management, the use of artificial light from night operations, litter, navigation and access, and hours of operation. These factors, with ideas for possible guidelines, were included in the work of the SARC.

The most significant proposed change is the requirement of a conditional use permit for commercial aquaculture in critical saltwater habitats, renewable every five years.

“Conditional use permits are reviewed by Ecology and will provide an opportunity for state-level integration of current science, especially the results of SeaGrant’s research currently underway,” says Bouta.

Geoduck aquaculture is a water-dependent use and the early draft of the proposed rule includes language that directs local governments with intertidal habitat to inventory, identify and classify suitable areas for commercial geoduck aquaculture.

Over 250 towns, cities and counties are underway in their updates of their shoreline management programs.

“Ecology wants to minimize the burden this puts on local governments in the middle of updating their shoreline programs,” says Bouta. “When the rule changes take effect in mid-January, we’ll work closely with local governments on the day-to-day implementation of the rule, including guidance on commercial geoduck aquaculture best management practices.”

Thurston County is one of several counties with shellfish growing areas and operations, according to the state Department of Health.

Rule Language Concerns

Robin Downey, Pacific Shellfish Growers Association executive director, said her organization is still in the process of reviewing the rule. “We have some concerns, but we think Ecology has done a good job of involving stakeholders,” she said.

Several others have already reviewed the rule and are skeptical about the proposed language.

Laura Hendricks, a member of the SARC committee and chair of the Shorelines and Aquaculture Sub-committee for the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club says, “So far, Ecology has not said a word about industry destroying native species or the shellfish industry's new aquatic pest management strategic plan for bivalves in Oregon and Washington.”

The plan was produced by the shellfish industry as the first aquatic crop "pest" plan in the United States. The Sierra Club remains concerned that numerous citizens have witnessed native aquatic species being systematically removed or destroyed as “pests” and essential plant life being scraped off as "weeds.”

Hendricks says she has sent Ecology a list of 18 questions that she would like answered before she submits the Sierra Club's geoduck rulemaking comment letter.

“We are just finishing a draft fish habitat paper that includes documentation of the aquaculture impacts on fish and habitat, especially endangered salmon. This will be provided to Ecology with our final comments by June 5,” says Hendricks.

Curt Puddicombe, on behalf of the Case Inlet Shoreline Association and the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, has also weighed in on Ecology’s pre-draft rule language. Case Inlet is the boundary between Pierce County and Mason County.

He says the draft overview lays the groundwork for changing certain language in the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) with several statements “that are misinterpretations and overstatements of HB 2220 and the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) guidelines.”

“HB 2220 only requires Ecology to develop guidelines with the advice of the SARC for the appropriate siting and operation of geoduck aquaculture to be included in local master programs. There is no implication or explicit language in the bill that geoduck aquaculture expansion must move forward,” says Puddicombe.

Puddicombe also challenges Ecology’s assertion that the SMP Guidelines are clear that commercial aquaculture is an important and economically valuable water-dependent use. “That’s hyperbole and follows a longstanding, institutional bias that Ecology traditionally has bestowed on the shellfish industry.”

Puddicombe also questions why the pre-draft language compels local governments to classify appropriate areas for commercial geoduck aquaculture.

“Why is Ecology mandating that Puget Sound counties set aside specific areas for geoduck aquaculture? What about counties such as Mason and Thurston that have already grandfathered in these sites? Will there be pressure on property owners to lease private tidelands specifically for geoduck aquaculture? What about private tideland owners that do not want to be a part of Ecology’s geoduck aquaculture reserves? Is there a way for property owners or a community to opt-out of Ecology’s geoduck aquaculture reserves?”

“What is clear is that the SMA and the guidelines did not intend for the shorelines of Puget Sound to be summarily handed over for the commercial production of geoducks to benefit a handful of private companies. What is also clear is that the vast majority of citizens that have been witnessing the largely unregulated expansion of geoduck aquaculture are opposed to it,” says Puddicombe.

For more information on attending the June 2 SARC meeting, contact Cedar Bouta, Washington State Department of Ecology, at ShorelineRule@ecy.wa.gov or (360) 407-6406.

For more information about rulemaking, go to Ecology’s Rule website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shorelines/smp/rulemaking.html

SARC Committee website (not updated) - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/shellfishcommittee/index.html

Historical meeting minutes and 2009 report to the legislature:
Research reports: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/geoduck/research.html

For more information about the Washington SeaGrant: http://www.wsg.washington.edu/research/geoduck/index.html

Sierra Club website aquaculture page at:
http://washington.sierraclub.org/tatoosh/Aquaculture/index.asp

For more information about Case Inlet Shoreline Association and the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat go to: www.caseinlet.org

Synergy Conference at Evergreen Brings Sustainable Community Together

Above: Mistaya Madrone, 2, was inspired to dance while Dana Lyons sings at the Synergy conference at The Evergreen State College yesterday. Madrone is the daughter of Dani Madrone, who organized the conference. Dani Madrone considered the event successful and said she would start organizing earlier next year. She was also relieved that the rain held off during today's Creative Community Festival on Red Square.

Lyons, of Bellingham, later gave a lecture about how students and parents are making their schools and communities sustainable by banning pesticides on school playing fields and city parks, converting community centers to using 100% recycled paper & reusable dishes, adopting water ways for habitat restoration and organizing to pass local laws mandating sustainable practices.


by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The week-long Synergy conference culminated at The Evergreen State College yesterday with a community festival, bringing together a wide range of speakers, businesses, local non-profits and organizations working toward sustainable practices.


Above: Joe Lambrix, center, of Plug In Olympia, shows off his electric car at the Synergy conference yesterday. Electric vehicles, on average, have a 40 mile range per full charge. There are several locations to plug in an electric car in Olympia. For more information, go to www.pluginolympia.com.

Other organizations participating at the conference include: Intercity Transit, Olympia Food Coop, 3 Degrees: PSE's Green Power Program, South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH), Thurston Energy, The Student Green Energy Association, Building Revolution By Increasing Community Knowledge (BRICK), Circle Hawk Farm, Marigold Fair Trade, Olympia Seed Exchange, Planned Parenthood, Salvage Boards, Olykraut, Works In Progress, Last Word Books, Piel de Miel, Plug In Olympia, Furniture Works, TCProNet, Old Hoh Plateau, Bombus Bikes, Elemental Painting, South of the Sound Community Farmland Trust, People for Puget Sound, Terra Commons, Thurston County Food Bank, Native Plant Salvage, Stonewall Youth, Waste Reduction and Sustainable Purchasing Work Group, ION Ecobuilding, Community Sustaining Fund, Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater Treatment, TESC Master of Environmental Studies Program, Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, Moonlighting, Eco Earth Manor, Middle East Mirror, and Transition Olympia.


Above: A volunteer with the Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County shows off her organization's brochures.

For more information about any of these groups or how to get involved with next year's conference, contact Dani Madrone at cleanenergy@evergreen.edu.


Above: Gail Sheikhizadeh, Vice-President of the South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH) speaks with Mike Biskey of University Place. Biskey said he came to the Synergy conference to hear Bellingham singer Dana Lyons.

Greg Mortenson in Olympia: "Having Met The Students Here, I Know That The World Is In Good Hands...."

Above: Greg Mortenson with Olympia High School (OHS) community service club members.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Author, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greg Mortenson had a busy day in Olympia today, thanks to the efforts of Olympia High School (OHS) students Kaycee Keegan and Teasha Feldman.

Many local organizations and individuals helped the day go off without a hitch, including local Rotary clubs and The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound.


Above: Mortenson on stage at Olympia High School today.

Their efforts, along with Olympia High School’s junior Rotary group, Interact, raised the necessary $25,000 honorarium to bring Mortenson to Olympia for a full day of activities. The money goes towards Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute to build schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mortenson is the author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At a Time, which has sold over 3.5 million copies and published in 39 countries. His latest book is Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mortenson’s visit in Olympia started at Olympia High School with two half-hour assemblies. Mortenson had lunch with representatives of eight area Rotary groups, attended a rally at the Capitol Steps on the Capitol Campus, and finished the day at St. Martin’s Pavilion with an evening talk and slideshow for the public with about 3,000 in attendance. Everywhere he went, he signed books and spoke with each person without being hurried.

At the end of his presentation at Olympia High School, Mortenson spontaneously asked how many students and staff there were. Principal Matt Grant said about 1,850. Mortenson said he would donate 1,850 copies of his new book, “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Last year, OHS English teacher Todd McDougall had his students read Mortenson’s first book, Three Cups of Tea. After writing Mortenson a letter, Mortenson’s publishing company sent 150 copies of the book to McDougall, and that began Kaycee Keegan's interest in having Mortenson come to Olympia.

Mortenson was clearly impressed with the community service efforts of the Olympia High School students and mentioned several of them specifically throughout the day.

After hearing the students describe their club activities and individual projects, such as writing our troops throughout the world, organizing clothing and food drives, raising money for cancer research, maintaining trails, planting native species, building gardens for low-income people, painting faces for children at Lakefair and more, Mortenson said, “I visit 140 schools a year, and having met the students here, I know that the world is in good hands.”


Above: Olympia High School community service club students spoke about their clubs and activities. Alex Arbogast, 17, speaking, and Caitlin Cusack, 18, spoke about the blood drive they coordinated in cooperation with the Puget Sound Blood Bank, for their senior project. “We had 120 participants and saved 330 lives,” said Arbogast. Their all-day blood drive was held in March at the school.


Above: Mortenson signs a book for Cameron Landry, 16, at Olympia High School. Landry videotaped Mortenson's talk for Olympia High School's Olympia News Network. Mortenson asked Landry to send him a copy of the tape.

Senator Karen Fraser attended the Rotary luncheon, the rally at the Capitol, and the evening talk at St. Martin's University, saying she bought several of his books for herself and her granddaughters. "(At the luncheon), he was very complimentary about our community here - he said he can see that the students here are highly engaged - way more than in other areas of the country. He says we're a model," said Fraser.


Above: Greg Mortenson speaks at a rally for education at the Capitol steps in Olympia today. Mortenson met students at Stevens Field at Lincoln Elementary for a walk to the Capitol Steps. Once there, speakers addressed the crowd, the Centennial Elementary Choir sang and several children presented their school collections to donate to Mortenson's Pennies for Peace program.


Above: Jade Taylor, 10, and Jordan Taylor, 9, show off a check they presented to Mortenson at the Capitol steps today, representing $3,862.90 collected by students for Pennies for Peace at Centennial Elementary School. Several local schools also collected funds to donate to Mortenson's Pennies for Peace organization including Lincoln Elementary, Alki, Pioneer and Waldorf.


Above: Kaycee Keegan is interviewed by KGY announcer Nathan Lee today near the Capitol Building.

Relating to students throughout the day on a personal level, Mortenson touched on the subjects of education, bullying, overpopulation, child slavery, and poverty, emphasizing that education is the key to solving many of these problems.

Asked if he feels like he is in any danger doing what he does, Mortenson admitted that he gets a lot of hate mail for promoting the education of girls. “Ignorance breeds hatred,” and said the Taliban are just being bullies. “It’s a big problem in this country too. Bullies are the most insecure of all.”

Helping students appreciate living in Olympia, Mortenson said, "The Taliban destroy schools. Why are they so terrified of a girl going to school? Imagine coming to school tomorrow and finding it in rubble...."

Speaking of child slavery, Mortenson asked children to look closely at a soccer ball. "If it says it's Made in Pakistan, who do you think made it? There's small leather felt patches on it. It's made by a child because their hands can do those small stitches...."

In his evening talk to 3,000 people at St. Martin's University in Lacey, Mortenson told many stories from both his books that have now become famous worldwide.

In her moving introduction of Mortenson, Keegan, 18, said, "When I started this, I had no idea there would be so much interest. It seemed surreal that he would accept the invitation, but he did and here he is! What started as a great idea is now a reality. I am often asked why we are sending so much money to Afghanistan and Pakistan when we have so many needs in our community. Well, when I read Three Cups of Tea, I was so inspired, I started volunteering at the Salvation Army. After tonight, you too will want to be a better person and see what things you can do in this community."

Mortenson thanked Keegan for her tenacity, saying there was no way he could say no to her invitation.

In a brief video played of Admiral Mike Muller, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Muller said, "When men in our profession talk about great men, we usually talk about men of war, rarely a man of peace. Greg...is one of the greatest men of peace I know...."

Mortenson again repeated several community service projects accomplished by the students at Olympia High School, and said he ranked their level of community service as number one in the country, followed by students in Topeka, Kansas and Tyler, Texas.

Audience member Rick Panowicz, with his dogeared, newly signed copy of Three Cups of Tea, said, "I hope he wins the Nobel Peace Prize next time."


Above: Mortenson speaks with Colonel Michael Kolodziej, center, Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force Medical East of the 344th Combat Support Hospital. Part of his mission is to help the local nationals in Afghanistan improve their health care system. His wife, Major Pamela Kolodziej, of the 75th Training Division of Ft. Dix, New Jersey, says her husband has made Mortenson's books required reading by members of his unit.

For more information about the Central Asia Institute, go to www.ikat.org.

For more information about Pennies for Peace, go to www.penniesforpeace.org.

For more stories by Janine Gates about the efforts by Olympia High School students Kaycee Keegan and Teasha Feldman to bring Mortenson to Olympia, see other stories on this blog at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.


Above: Mortenson with Olympia High School students Teasha Feldman and Kaycee Keegan today.

"We're Here to Honor The Best of Us...."

Above: Governor Chris Gregoire hugs Sergeant Nicholas J. Hausner of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department after he received the Medal of Honor for Serious Injury. Hausner responded to a call of a domestic disturbance on December 21, 2009 with Deputy W. Kent Mundell, Jr. when he and Mundell were shot at the scene. Mundell died of his injuries on December 28, 2009.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A ceremony today at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial in Olympia honored 16 men and women: nine fallen officers, three who received serious injury and four who distinguished themselves for meritorious conduct, all in the line of duty. Governor Christine Gregoire bestowed medals of honor on receipients and their families.


Above: In her remarks, Governor Gregoire said that the loss of four Lakewood Police Department officers on November 29, 2009 is recognized by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund as one of the deadliest days in law enforcement history.

This has been the most deadly year for law enforcement in more than 70 years. More than 290 Washington law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1889.

Chief Chandra Brady of the Lewis County Sheriff's Office is serving as a family liaison to the family of Deputy Stephen (Mike) Gallagher, Jr., who died in August of 2009. Describing the aftermath of the loss of a husband or wife, father or mother, she said, "...until we have lived it, we have no idea what it is like...." Speaking of the Gallagher family, Brady says she "stands in awe of their strength and for all you have taught us how to be a family...." Lewis County Deputy Mike Gallagher succumbed to injuries sustained when his patrol car collided with an elk on Highway 12, leaving behind a wife and two small children.


Above: Paul Griswold, husband of Officer Tina Griswold, makes a rubbing of her name after the ceremony at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial.


Above: The Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial site on the Capitol Campus was chosen specifically for its view toward Budd Inlet.


Above: Friends, families and officers make rubbings of the fallen officer's names on the wall of the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial today.

The Fallen Officers



Control Officer Joseph B. Modlin
Washington State Patrol
End of Watch: 08-15-1974

Deputy Stephen (Mike) Gallagher, Jr.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 08-18-2009

Officer Timothy Q. Brenton
Seattle Police Department
End of Watch: 10-31-2009

Sergeant Mark J. Renninger
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Tina G. Griswold
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Ronald W. Owens II
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Gregory J. Richards
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Deputy W. Kent Mundell, Jr.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 12-28-2009

Deputy John Bernard
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 01-03-2010



For more information about the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial and the officers honored, see other articles on this blog at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.

For more information about the Behind the Badge Foundation, go to http://www.behindthebadgefoundation.org or call (425) 747-7523.

CLAMP gets CLAMPED Down

Above: Olympia High School students Lindsay Judge, 15, and Jonah Barrett, 15, interview Allen Pleus, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife late this afternoon. The students were interviewing Pleus for the school's Olympia News Network (ONN) show, which also airs on Thurston Community Television.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The committee charged with making a recommendation to the state on the future of Capitol Lake was formally suspended this week by Governor Chris Gregoire.

After more than 10 years of extensive scientific, cultural, social and economic studies, the group, comprised of various state agency, tribal, county, port and regional city representatives, recently recommended that Capitol Lake return to being an estuary.

In a proviso of the 2010 supplemental capital budget signed by the Governor, funding for the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan (CLAMP) Steering Committee was cut, one of 70 different state commissions and committees that the Legislature and the Governor chose to end.

The Legislature did include authorization for the General Administration (GA) to spend a remaining $50,000 for the rest of the current biennium to deal with invasive species at the lake. This includes the New Zealand mud snail.

This morning, new GA director Joyce Turner, who has been on the job for three weeks, greeted CLAMP committee members as they held their regularly scheduled, last meeting in a GA second floor conference room.

CLAMP members and others in attendance were Neil McClanahan, CLAMP chair and Tumwater City Councilmember, Stephen Buxbaum, City of Olympia councilmember, Karen Valenzuela, Thurston County Commissioner, and Lydia Wagner and Perry Lund of the state Department of Ecology. Nathaniel Jones, GA staff, also sat in on the meeting.

The news that their work was shut down came as a shock to some CLAMP members, and they spent time processing the news.

"I'm embarrassed...I missed it...it totally caught me by surprise," said Thurston County Commissioner Karen Valenzuela. "What does this mean for water quality? What form does that take?" she questioned.

McClanahan said that he did not get a heads-up by GA, but found out about the proposed cut about a week before phone calls were made to individual committee members.

"There still has to be a (GA) recommendation to the State Capitol Committee...it's my feeling that we're at a crossroads, and this group, personally, we have a hell of a group. We have a lot of talent - we play together well, and we have good minds," consoled McClanahan.

While the previous General Administration director had a self-imposed June deadline to decide the fate of Capitol Lake, the new director, Joyce Turner, has said she doesn't know if that can be achieved.

When the director does make her decision, it will go to the State Capitol Committee, which is comprised of the Governor, the Lt. Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Commissioner of Public Lands. The State Capitol Committee will then direct the GA to make a budget request to the Legislature, in line with the recommendation of the State Capitol committee.

CLAMP committee members moved quickly through their stages of grief by reviewing their successes, discussing the biggest contributors to the watershed's water quality problems and reviewing the reasons for their recommendation to restore the lake to an estuary. They assessed their strengths and developed a strategy on their next steps.

Buxbaum said that there is a lot of mutual interest between the jurisdictions to continue talking.

"I have difficulty separating the lake and the whole system. It would be helpful to talk about how we manage the whole stretch. How can we establish clear districting with appropriate roles and responsibilities? How do we operate and maintain this dynamic system in an equitable way and ensure everyone has a seat at the table?"

Lydia Wagner, Ecology's Deschutes Water Cleanup Plan Coordinator, suggested that the Deschutes TMDL Advisory Group, which is comprised of many of the same members as the CLAMP group, could assist in filling in the gaps. TMDL stands for Total Maximum Daily Load. Wagner chairs the group.

Other groups mentioned were the South Puget Sound Core Group of the Puget Sound Partnership and the Budd Inlet Restoration Partnership, a group of local governments working on Budd Inlet cleanup. "As far as the pollutants go, the TMDL will be addressing that and assigning responsibilities for the whole watershed," said Wagner.

McClanahan said that he hoped that CLAMP's experiences will inform the TMDL to come to decisions and have an end product that leads to action. "Unless we get mindful of this, we'll have all the right people at the table but not change. We have to come to agreements and change behavior so we have a functioning watershed."

Buxbaum suggested moving forward to develop a plan that brings forward revenue solutions, such as the creation of lake districts. He also urged that the group continue to point out to GA that there are financial consequences to each of the choices now before GA. "We need to figure out what those are and how to address any negative outcomes for each option," said Buxbaum.

In the most simplest terms, the four choices on what to do with Capitol Lake as determined by CLAMP are to: 1) do nothing, 2) actively manage it as a lake, 3) restore the estuary, or 4) create a dual basin. Capitol Lake has been a lake since the Fifth Avenue dam was constructed in 1951.

Buxbaum said that the group needs to know how the New Zealand mud snail issue is going to be managed. "Short term solutions are needed - we have consequences daily with it - we're shut down," he said. A 400 foot long fence is around a portion of the lake, which is technically closed. Buxbaum also expressed concern that the invasive snail may be in other bodies of water, such as Black Lake, Ward Lake, or Percival Creek. "Who's going to find out, and by when?" Buxbaum asked.



Next Steps

Nathaniel Jones said it was important to him to recognize what brought CLAMP together - "The motivation is still there - we've had many accomplishments and those need to be celebrated. We've matured. This committee was formed in fire around various issues and we've moved beyond that - we've allowed the science to lead...that is nowhere near where we started."

Jones also acknowledged the Shoreline Master Plan update as "critical" work, and emphasized the importance that other groups maintain their focus, but also help identify what remaining CLAMP issues "need a home."

Valenzuela agreed, saying that this has been an emotional personal journey to understand the CLAMP issues so deeply.

Lund asked an important question: "Where do we meet? We can't use this room anymore." Valenzuela offered a meeting room at the county courthouse.

McClanahan then asked, "Well, what do we want to call ourselves?"

"CLAMP Redux" said Valenzuela.

"CLAMPS" for "Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan Suspended," offered Buxbaum.

No...

"How about CLAMPED?" offered Buxbaum again. It stuck.

It seemed clear by all present that while the committee is formally suspended, everyone's enthusiasm for finding solutions to the problems wasn't diminished. The date for a future CLAMPED meeting was not set.

To learn more about CLAMP go to www.ga.wa.gov/CapitolLake for more information or contact Nathaniel Jones, Senior Manager, General Administration, at (360) 902-0944 or nathaniel.jones@ga.wa.gov

To learn more about the Deschutes TMDL, go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/deschutes/advgrp.html or contact Lydia Wagner, Washington State Department of Ecology, (360) 407-6329 or Lydia.Wagner@ecy.wa.gov. The TMDL group's next meeting is Thursday, May 20, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon at the Tumwater Fire Department, 311 Israel Rd. SW, Tumwater.


Above: Allen Pleus, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife risks getting a skin rash and who knows what else to find New Zealand mud snails to show Olympia High School students Lindsay Judge and Jonah Barrett.


Above: Three New Zealand mud snails. Pleus says "these things are mostly all female and clone themselves. He says the Yellowstone River, for example, has 500,000 New Zealand mud snails per square meter. Capitol Lake has 20,000 per square meter. I asked him Olympia City Councilmember Stephen Buxbaum's question about whether or not the snail has invaded other waters. Pleus said they have surveyed Percival Creek, and did not find any.

"Eradication will be very difficult...We have a Capitol Lake response group that meets. We meet again next week. Scientifically, it's all a learning experience. Freezing them would have helped, but we only had one freeze. This summer, we'll drain the lake and try to expose them to heat but that brings a host of other problems, since other species such as birds, bats and fish rely on the water supply."

Asked how this problem impacts the pending lake/estuary issue, Pleus said, "Anything that we do would benefit either option, but it appears at this point that we need to deal with them (the mud snails) before you address those options."

Fallen Police Officers' Names Added To Memorial Wall in Olympia

Above: Joe Garrison of Quiring Monuments uses a stencil to reveal the name of Officer Tina Griswold at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on Wednesday. Garrison, who has worked for Quiring Monuments for a year and a half, says, "Engravings are hard, emotionally...I have a 15 month old baby girl and a four year old boy...but I know I'm doing it for a good cause."

By Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Deputy Stephen (Mike) Gallagher, Jr.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 08-18-2009

Officer Timothy Q. Brenton
Seattle Police Department
End of Watch: 10-31-2009

Sergeant Mark J. Renninger
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Tina G. Griswold
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Ronald W. Owens II
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Officer Gregory J. Richards
Lakewood Police Department
End of Watch: 11-29-2009

Deputy W. Kent Mundell, Jr.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 12-28-2009

Deputy John Bernard
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: 01-03-2010

Control Officer Joseph B. Modlin
Washington State Patrol
End of Watch: 08-15-1974

On Wednesday morning, the names of nine officers who died in the line of duty were engraved into the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial’s granite wall in Olympia.

Working quickly and quietly, the whole process took two workers with Quiring Monuments of Seattle about an hour and a half to complete. In about an hour and a half, the names of nine men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice were immortalized, to be remembered forever. They finished the job just before it began to rain.

The fallen officers and their survivors will be honored at a ceremony that will likely attract over a thousand officers from across the state at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial, May 7, 1:00 p.m. in Olympia.


Above: Tim Tiffany of Quiring Monuments sandblasts the names of fallen officers on the wall of the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on Wednesday. Tiffany, who has worked for Quiring Monuments for ten years, has participated with the assignment since the Memorial was created in 2006.

The Officers

Gallagher of the Lewis County Sheriff's Office was gravely injured on Monday evening August 17, 2009, while responding to assist another deputy with a domestic violence 911 call. He died of his injuries a day later.

Brenton of the Seattle Police Department was shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car with a trainee. They were discussing a just completed traffic stop when a vehicle pulled alongside the patrol car and an occupant opened fire. Officer Brenton was killed instantly.

Griswold, Owens, Renninger, and Richards of the Lakewood Police Department were ambushed and killed as they sat in a coffee shop, preparing to start their shifts.

Mundell of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was killed as he and a fellow officer responded to a call of a domestic disturbance.

Modlin of the Washington State Patrol was killed in 1974 when he was struck by a logging truck trailer at a weight station on Highway 14 near Stevenson.

Bernard of the Grant County Sheriff's Office died in the line of duty in a one car crash on January 3, 2010. Because Deputy Bernard’s death was five days after Deputy Mundell’s, it was determined to honor his sacrifice at the 2010 Memorial ceremony instead of waiting until 2011.

"The horror of eight officers dying in the line of duty from August 2009 to January 2010 is a horror that happened to us all,” says Gayle Frink-Schulz, Program Director for the Behind the Badge Foundation.

No matter how long ago the incident, Washington law enforcement families still reel in the aftermath of grief, says Frink-Schulz. She knows. Her husband, King County Trooper Steven L. Frink died in the line of duty in 1993.

“The 2010 Medal of Honor - Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony is our time to stop, reflect, and encourage one another. Together, in community, we take steps to heal," said Frink-Schulz.

According to Frink-Schulz, there are numerous incidences of multiple officers dying in the line of duty as a result of the same incident in the state of Washington: four officers, the same as that lost by the Lakewood Police Department, died in 1941. In that incident, two were from the Tacoma Police Department and two were from Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Three officers from the Kennewick Police Department were killed in 1906, three Seattle Police Department officers were killed in 1921 and three officers from the Pullman Police Department were killed in 1949.

The Memorial

Located in Olympia on the Capitol campus in the shadow of the Temple of Justice and looking north to Heritage Park and Puget Sound, the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial was designed to be a lasting tribute to law enforcement officers who give their lives in the line of duty. The site was specifically chosen for its nearly unencumbered view of Budd Inlet.


Above: The view from the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Campus.

The Memorial began when a number of surviving families of line of duty death and law enforcement officers traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1995 to visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The officers discovered over 35 states had law enforcement memorials honoring officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Because Washington State did not have a state memorial, the need to honor Washington heroes was recognized.

The Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation became a nonprofit organization in 1995. On May 1, 2006, the Memorial was officially dedicated to the citizens of Washington.

Behind the Badge

On January 1, 2009, the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial (WSLEMF) and 10-99 Foundations became one organization – Behind the Badge Foundation (BtBF). Both organizations achieved significant goals which are still carried through by the Behind the Badge Foundation:

Twenty eight dollars from each Law Enforcement Memorial license plate sold by the Washington State Department of Licensing is forwarded to an endowment held by Behind the Badge Foundation. These funds ensure maintenance of the Memorial in perpetuity and provide financial assistance to the families of Washington police officers killed in the line of duty.

To keep the family of fallen officers from bearing the considerable cost of the memorial ceremony honoring their loved one, the Behind the Badge Foundation defrays the expenses of line of duty death memorial ceremonies. Police funerals cannot be paid for using public funds.

For more information, contact the Behind the Badge Foundation at www.behindthebadgefoundation.org or (425) 747-7523.

For more articles by Janine Gates about the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial, see other articles at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and http://www.wslemf.org/making_memorial.htm


Above: Tim Tiffany of Quiring Monuments completes his job by wiping down the new names he just added to the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial. Asked what doing this job every year means to him, Tiffany said, "It's an honor."

Artswalk and the Procession of the Species: Here Comes the Sun!

Above: A young artist plays for the crowd at Artswalk before the Procession of the Species on Saturday.

by Janine Gates
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

I'll let the Artswalk and Procession of the Species event speak for itself. With 350 pictures to choose from, it was hard to pick just one or two....The rain held off and the sun made a spectacular appearance.




















Above: Eli Sterling chats with Olympian photographer Tony Overman. Thank you Eli and Earthbound Productions for coordinating another great Procession!

Overheard conversations:

Before the Procession, walking downtown from the Westside across the Fourth Ave Bridge:

Girl: "So what will they call Lakefair if they turn Capitol Lake into an estuary?"
Response: "It doesn't matter if they call it Toiletfair, they'll still come for the rides!"

During the Procession:

Man: "What is that?
Woman: It doesn't matter!"

After the Procession:

"Some of the best parties were at Evergreen...."



Created by the community for the community, the Procession of the Species is a joyous, artistic pageant, embracing the languages of art, music and dance to inspire learning, appreciation and protection of the natural world. At its very heart, the intent of the Procession is to elevate the dignity of the human spirit by enhancing the cultural exchange that we and our communities have with each other and with the natural world...and to do that through imagination, creation, and sharing. - Earthbound Productions.