Stanwood Camano News: Area Briefly: Scholarship deadline approaching; solar workshop; and more

School board to launch audit

The Board of Directors of the Stanwood-Camano School District will gather for a special meeting to launch the state audit on Thursday, March 9, at 9 a.m. in the Administration & Resource Center, 26920 Pioneer Highway, Stanwood.

The regular board meeting starts at 1 p.m. today, March 7, with a study session on the district’s strategic plan following at about 1:30 p.m.

SCD re-elects Farnham as chair

Snohomish Conservation District’s board of supervisors has announced that the election for a new board chair has been cancelled. The incumbent, Adam Farnham, was the only person to file for the open seat and has been re-elected. Therefore, no poll site, absentee balloting or mail balloting is necessary. For information, call 425-335-5634.

Soil programs for farmers

Financial opportunities that will help farmers improve the health of their soil, increasing productivity and reducing erosion, will be the focus of a social gathering this afternoon, Tuesday, March 7, starting at 4:30 p.m. in the Stillaguamish Grange. Snohomish Conservation District invites farmers to enjoy some pie and learn about funding opportunities that encourage use of cover crops, filter strips, no-till, silvopasture, crop rotation and other practices. Funding is limited to specific areas of the Stillaguamish watershed, but anyone may attend to learn about new soil health programs. For information, contact Cbrausieck@snohomishcd.org or call 425-335-5634.

AAUW to host human trafficking panel

Homeland Security agents and a Seattle Police detective will discuss “Forging Community Relationships to Combat Human Trafficking” during the Stanwood Camano AAUW meeting on Thursday, March 9, at 2 p.m. in the Camano Island Library, 848 N. Sunrise Blvd.

Lynda Buehring of Camano Island is one of the panelists. After 32 years with the federal government, she retired as a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security in the Seattle human trafficking unit. She helped organize the state’s first task force and in writing legislation that led to a 2003 law criminalizing human trafficking.

Learn about the reality of human trafficking, how to identify and rescue young women caught in forced illegal employment and ways to combat it. To inquire, contact Kathy Cunningham, joekatoncamano@aol.com or 360-387-1004.

Monday is scholarship deadline

The deadline is Monday for graduating high school seniors to apply for Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation community scholarships. Visit s-caf.org/hs_scholarships for lists of scholarships and applications, which must be submitted by 4 p.m. March 13. To inquire, contact the Stanwood High School Counseling Office or the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation at info@s-caf.org or 360-474-7086.

WGU Washington is accepting applications until March 31 for the WGU Women in Leadership Scholarship. Recipients will receive up to $2,000 ($500 per six-month term up to four terms) to enroll in the online, state-endorsed university. Apply at washington.wgu.edu/lead2016.

Free solar workshop

Learn how to significantly reduce or eliminate electric bills by going solar in a presentation on solar photovoltaic technology, in a presentation this evening, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at the Stanwood Cooperative Preschool, 27027 102nd Drive NW, Stanwood. For information send email to info@westernsolarinc.com.

SnoCo seeks farm families to honor

Snohomish County will honor farms owned by one family and operated continuously for 100 years or more in August at the Evergreen State Fair. Applications will be accepted until June 1.

Since 2000, some 30 farm-families from Arlington to Monroe and Stanwood to Ebey Island have been honored with a certificate of appreciation, reproduction of the farms’ historic photos and inclusion of the farms’ agricultural history in an exhibit at the fair. Photos and a short history of each farm can be viewed at focusonfarming.org.

Applications for the Centennial Farm program are due June 1, 2017. For further information and an application, contact Linda Neunzig, 425-388-7170 or e-mail at linda.neunzig@snoco.org.

Larsen earns top marks as advocate for environment

The League of Conservation Voters in Washington, D.C., gave Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) a rating of 100 percent in its 2016 National Environmental Scorecard.

For more than 40 years, the Scorecard has been a nationally accepted gold standard used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.

Larsen has a long record of fighting to protect the environment; he voted against efforts to attack the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Antiquities Act.

“Protecting Washington state’s environment is one of my highest priorities in Congress,” Larsen said. “The work to reverse climate change, preserve Washington’s pristine lands and waters and preserve wildlife is more important now than ever.”

Last year, President Obama signed the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, authorizing an effort Larsen spearheaded to make the largest-ever investment in Puget Sound restoration as part of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project.

In May 2016, Larsen’s bipartisan bill to fund the National Estuary Program, which supports the comprehensive plan for Puget Sound recovery, became law.

Dealing with mass violence

A one-day conference, “Mass Violence: Lessons from the Field,” for professionals who work in the field of human and social services and anyone who might benefit from training on how to respond to incidents of mass violence will be held Friday, March 17, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Victim Support Services in Everett has organized the workshop to help in sharing of knowledge and expertise in response to these calamities. VSS, founded in 1975, is the oldest crime victim advocacy organization in Washington state and one of the first in the nation.

Cost is $80. Register at victimsupportservices.org. To inquire, email julie@victimsupportservices.org or call 425-252-6081.

Seized antlers up for bid at auction

About a thousand pounds of moose, elk and deer antlers – many seized from poachers by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) – are being sold through the Department of Enterprise Services (DES), Surplus Operations program.

Proceeds will support efforts to stop wildlife poaching. Funds will be used to pay rewards to people who report poaching violations that lead to a conviction, said Mike Cenci, deputy chief of enforcement at WDFW. Some of the funds may also help pay for forensic work used to tie violators to crime scenes, surveillance technology and investigations into illegal trafficking of wildlife.

Auction items can be viewed at publicsurplus.com or in person five days a week, at the warehouse, 7511 New Market St., Tumwater.

In 2012, antler sales contributed more than $21,000 to state government anti-poaching efforts. Report poaching at wdfw.wa.gov/enforcement/reporting_violations or 877-933-9847.

Visit state parks for free

No Discover Pass is needed for State Parks’ 104th birthday on Sunday, March 19. Visitors can enjoy a state park for free that day. A Discover Pass is still required on WDFW and DNR lands.

Fees apply for camping and other overnight accommodations; day access is included in the overnight fee. For information about Discover Pass, visit DiscoverPass.wa.gov.

Note: The free days do not apply to Sno-Parks. For more information about winter recreation permit requirements, visit parks.state.wa.us/winter. For a list of free days for 2017, visit parks.state.wa.us.

Camano 101 open house

Newcomers and long timers on the island are invited to Camano 101, with everything residents need to know about living on an island, Saturday, March 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Island County Multipurpose Center, 141 N. East Camano Drive, Camano Island.

Learn about the public beaches, parks and trails, shellfish, native plants, living with septic tanks and wells, nature and wildlife, noxious weeds, recycling/waste reduction, and conserving land. Connect with volunteer groups, too. Sponsors Snohomish Conservation District and WSU Island County Extension will provide door prizes and refreshments. Questions: kathryn@snohomishcd.org, 425-377-7024 or schase@wsu.edu, 360-678-8239.