Volunteer on National Public Lands Day
September 21, 2010
Help Mountains to Sound Greenway volunteers yank invasive plants at Lake Sammamish State Park or upgrade Tiger Mountain Trail on National Public Lands Day Sept. 25.
The day celebrates service and recreation on public lands.
Crews plan to remove invasive plants at the state park and conduct trail work from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Volunteers can sign up for half- or full-day stints at the park. The trail work is limited to full-day volunteers. Sign up at the greenway website.
Volunteers at Tiger Mountain will repair overused trails by resurfacing, brushing and fixing drainage issues.
Early settlers used Tiger Mountain — a 13,500-acre foothill of the Cascades — for mining and timber. Nowadays, the land is owned and managed by Issaquah and the state Department of Natural Resources. More than 4,500 acres have been set aside for recreation and wildlife habitat.
“Tiger Mountain remains one of the most popular places to recreate in the greenway,” greenway Executive Director Cynthia Welti said. “There is something for everyone.”
Bring the kids to festival’s Field of Fun
September 21, 2010
If you have children, plan to visit the Field of Fun this year at Salmon Days.
The playground of free and exciting activities is located on Veterans’ Memorial Field, behind the Issaquah Police Department and next to the Foods of the World. Catered toward the youngest festivalgoers, the Field of Fun has safe, fun, free and fishy activities for all ages.
For children who love to leap and tumble, try the Incredible Inflatables. Jump, climb and bounce around in these brightly colored, inflatable play toys. For more roly-poly fun, check out the giant hamster balls. Climb inside these giant inflatable balls and see what if feels like to be a hamster.
Who says there has to be snow for skis and snowboards? See extreme winter athletes demonstrate thrilling tricks on a 40-foot ramp. After the hair-raising exhibits, they’ll join the audience on spring-free trampolines to show how to have fun safely.
Salmon Days receives international honor
September 21, 2010
Judges ranked the Salmon Days Festival as the No. 2 festival in the world for 2009, the Salmon Days Festivals Office announced last week.
Salmon Days received the Silver Pinnacle Award for Best Overall Festival Presentation from the International Festivals & Events Association, after taking the top prize in the category last year. The fish-centric festival picked up 12 other awards at the ceremony, held in St. Louis.
Salmon Days received Gold awards for Best Sponsor Solicitation Program, Best Program, Best Pin or Button, and Best Hat.
The Issaquah Press produces the Ohfishal Festival Program for Salmon Days.
Man dies in backhoe accident near Issaquah
September 21, 2010
Police said a 55-year-old Seattle man died Sept. 14 after he was struck by a runaway backhoe in unincorporated King County between Issaquah and Renton.
King County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. in the 11900 block of 171st Place Southeast, just south of the intersection of state Route 900. Read more
State senator joins Vietnam trade mission
September 21, 2010
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s trade mission to Asia picked up a local representative: state Sen. Cheryl Pflug.
Pflug, the Issaquah-area representative in the Senate and a Republican, joined Gregoire and about 80 other delegates to hawk Washington products in Vietnam from Sept. 18-24. Read more
Downtown church plans expansion
September 21, 2010
Eager to update a half-century-old building, church leaders and parishioners at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church plan to break ground next week on a wing to house Sunday school classes and a burgeoning music program.
The groundbreaking marks the latest step in a long process to accommodate a congregation with members ranging from infants to nonagenarians. Read more
Dump unused, expired meds at Issaquah Police Department
September 21, 2010
The federal Drug Enforcement Association has launched a national effort to collected unused prescription painkillers.
Issaquah-area residents can drop off unused medication at the Issaquah Police Department, 130 E. Sunset Way, on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Read more
Police probe link between Seattle, state park shootings
September 21, 2010
Police said the July shootout at Lake Sammamish State Park could be connected to a deadly Seattle shooting.
Though no firm evidence links the incidents, a Seattle Police Department spokesman said both shootings had possible gang ties.
Seattle police responded to a report of shots fired at 2:53 a.m. Sept. 17 at a South Seattle apartment building. Officers located a teenager with a gunshot wound to the face. Read more
A new parent’s nightmare
September 21, 2010
Mother remains in the hospital while father cares for the baby
Nate Bower looks down at his daughter, Sage, in their home near May Valley, as they wait for wife and mother Sarah Bower to return home from the hospital. By Greg Farrar
By the time Sage Bower was born in the early hours of Aug. 24, her mother, Sarah Bower, was already in a coma after experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke.
“It was the scariest thing I had ever been through,” said Sarah’s husband, Nate Bower. “I thought I was losing her right there. I was yelling at her to try to get her to talk. Words can’t explain it.”
Sarah and Nate Bower were ecstatic about being new parents. The two had met through friends at church and married in 2001, living in Issaquah before they moved to Maple Valley and then next to May Valley. Read more
Conservation corps plays important role in maintaining trails, streams
September 21, 2010
Members turn corps stint into eco-centric jobs
Jenn Woodham (foreground) and James Evangelisti, Washington Conservation Corps members, add fencing along Taylor Creek south of Issaquah. By Warren Kagarise
The teams maintaining the trails on state and King County lands near Issaquah often include members of the Washington Conservation Corps — a fresh-out-of-college bunch eager to earn experience in the environmental field.
Like the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the 21st-century equivalent enlists young adults to tackle habitat and infrastructure projects.
“There are a lot of good public works projects that they’re doing out there,” state Department of Ecology spokesman Curt Hart said.
Members from far-flung corners of the United States populate the program. Some recruits, unable to land a job in a sour economy, turned to the program to burnish their résumés and earn a steady paycheck. Other members brought a background in environmental studies to the role. Many expressed a desire to learn about life in the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to trail projects, crews yank invasive plants from public lands, plant native flora and restore creek habitat.
Washington Conservation Corps teams conducted trail maintenance on Tiger Mountain in the past year. Earlier projects included habitat restoration along Issaquah Creek.
Members also race to disaster-stricken areas to render assistance.
“Come rain, floods, shine, fires, they’re there,” Hart said.
In April, the state Department of Ecology dispatched 30 Washington Conservation Corps members and supervisors to clean up debris and set up shelters after a tornado tore through Yazoo City, Miss.
For residents in the aftermath of a natural disaster, “our WCC crews may be the first government people these people see,” Hart said.
