Spring Work Party - May 3

Come one, come all..... The winter storms have passed and we need to all help with the clean up. Meet at the beach at 8:30 am for work assignments. The potluck and meeting will be held that day also, time and place information coming soon. Looking forward to seeing everyone. It has been a long winter !!!

Executive Board Met January 6th

The Executive Board of Shorehill Estates met on Sunday, January 6 to take up three items of business...

1. Flood Damage -
2. Delinquent Accounts -
3. The Franchise Agreement -

The following is a synopsis of the discussion and decisions that were made. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Gayle Robbins or another member of the board.

FLOOD DAMAGE -
This month two dangerous trees have been cut to alleviate the potential of further damage. There are other trees in the watershed currently being assessed to determine if they should be removed or trimmed to avoid potential damage risk, while also avoiding any additional erosion possibilities.
It was recommended that we wait until the ground settles, stabilizes and dries out more before moving forward and doing more work on Brooke Drive, the catch basin and culvert.
In regard to repairing the damage at the beach, it was also decided to wait for drier weather to clear off the rocks, dirt and debris which covers the lawn and sprinkler system. We will investigate how best to redo the grass (sod or seed) and if changes can be made to the boat ramp area to make it more accessible. The current plan is that the docks will be put in early and extra work parties will be called to accomplish the extra work that needs to be done. The Board encourages all community members to become involved in the clean-up projects and these extra clean up dates. Many of the same people are showing up to help with the clean up. We need everyone's help that is able to do so. Dates will be posted on the Blog once they are scheduled and sent out via mail to those without internet access.

DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS
There are three severely delinquent accounts. An attorney will write
a letter to the property owners giving them a deadline to get their delinquencies paid. If they are not, aggressive collection efforts will be initiated either through assignment of the debts or further legal proceedings.

FRANCHISE AGREEMENT
The community has been offered a new option other than the Franchise Agreement explained at out last community meeting. We will be signing a Private Line Utility Occupancy Permit to satisfy requirements of the county. It will cost us $200 (rather than $400).

The Board plans to meet again on April 5.
The next planned work party is scheduled for May 3. Watch for notice of any additional work parties.

Karen Lau - Secretary

Research on Hood Canal Marine Life

A team of students and professors from the University of Puget Sound is studying marine life conditions in Hood Canal and I thought you might be interested in their research. Their recent work has focused on the large bacterial mats that have formed at the bottom of Hood Canal and seem to be affecting marine life. Here is an underwater photo of the mat covering the Canal floor (right) and a 40x magnified image (below left). Click on the images to enlarge them.

Click Here to visit the research website. Here is a description of the project taken from the website:

Hood Canal is experiencing low dissolved oxygen levels (see the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program website) and recently there have been reports of fish kills and dead zones. The Skokomish tribe has also reported that the bottom of some areas of Hood Canal are covered with bacterial mats (see Tacoma News Tribune article). To compare the bacterial mats in Hood Canal with those that we have observed in Commencement Bay, we are conducting a collaborative study with the Skokomish tribe and the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program. We are using underwater videography techniques and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map the distribution and abundance of bacterial mats in relation to water depth, sediment type, and water quality variables.

We are working with Dr. Mark Martin and his Microbiology students to identify the microbial community that make up the bacterial mats. We will be using microscopy and genetic sequencing methods to identify the bacteria. At this point we have tentatively identified the dominant bacterial type as the sulfide-oxidizing bacterium Beggiatoa spp. These bacteria are some of the largest known, and visible surface mats of Beggiatoa spp. have been observed in areas with low oxygen levels in the water column. The mats have also been regarded as an indicator of organic enrichment from either natural or anthropogenic sources.

The UPS team, under the direction of Biology professor Joel Elliott, has sent a research submarine down at several sites on Hood Canal to survey the bottom and assess the marine life conditions. Interestingly, one of the research sites seems to be just a few hundred yards from the Shorehill dock, so it gives some indication of what's happening in our part of the Canal.

You can see recent video taken at this and other research sites on Hood Canal. Click here and you will be taken to a large map of Hood Canal with the research sites indicated. The red star closest to the center of your screen is the "Shorehill" site (as I have decided to name it). Click on the star and you'll see video taken of the bottom of the Canal, showing starfish, crab and so on. You can compare our area to other parts of the Canal by clicking on the stars representing the other research sites.

-- Mike Veseth

P.S. The Shorehill Blog was visited more than 2500 times over the last three months! Happy New Year to all our Shorehill friends.

Merry Christmas from Ron and Gayle!

Tonight as we continue our family tradition of making tamales on Christmas Eve, we take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the best of everything in the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

May everyone's holidays be warm, dry and free of mud. Mike and Sue took this photo of the canal from their porch at sunset on the solstice, Friday, December 21.

Thanks and Gratitude!

Wow!! What has happened is beyond words. And the pictures are almost indescribable. Our thanks and gratitude to everyone who has been working so hard to keep up with the damage and repair and restore so much already. We know that's many long hours of hard work. We are sorry we are not there to help, but we won't be back until sometime in June, but will sure pitch in then. Shorehills and everyone of you are in our hearts and prayers. Karl & Judy

Northwest Water Notifies Community of Possible Water Leak

Yikes! Another water problem!!! Today we received notice from Northwest Water Systems indicating our meter readings show excessive water usage. Typically when that happens it is an indication of a leak in the system. For those of you who have not been here for a while it would be appreciated if you would either check your residence or ask someone to do it for you who might be familiar with your shut offs, water lines etc etc. The thing to look for is excessive water standing on the property, soft spots, the obvious stuff like running water outside or the sound of water running inside. If anyone should discover they have a leak and needs assistance please feel free to send an email to Shorehill@gmail.com and we will make arrangements to get it taken care of as soon as possible. If you are unable to check your property yourself or get a neighbor to do it for you also please send us an email. The more people who check themselves the easier it will be to isolate the problem and remedy it. If you do discover a leak please let us know so we will be aware the problem has been found. Thanks everyone!