NEWS BRIEFS: City to receive grant for stairs
Published 10:02 pm Tuesday, August 19, 2008
City to receive grant for stairs
Langley’s steepest climb is about to get a makeover.
City officials said the Association of Washington Cities will award a loss-control grant to fix up the wooden stairs near the Boy and his Dog statue on First Street that connects the business district to Seawall Park.
City officials are anxiously awaiting the official notification letter to find out how much it is.
Kathleen Landel, special assistant to the mayor, said Public Works director Challis Stringer asked for $1,000 to replace the treads on the stairs.
Whidbey Audubon offers bird course</b?
A nine-month course on the birds of Whidbey Island and where to find them is being offered beginning this fall, sponsored by the Whidbey Audubon Society.
Classes will be conducted by Steve and Martha Ellis, Frances Wood and other birding experts.
The class meets the first and third Thursdays of each month from September through May, from 7 to 9 p.m. September through December, the class meets at Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville; January through May, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland. Field trips will be scheduled after each class.
The fee is $150 for Whidbey Audubon members, $160 for non-members (non-member price includes a one-year membership in Whidbey Audubon). A limited number of scholarships are available.
Registration is limited to 25 people. Contact Sarah Dore at 360-331-5594 or sdore@whidbey.net.
Fun programs come to the park
South Whidbey State Park continues its summer schedule of interesting and educational interpretive events.
At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 Fletcher and Elizabeth Davis invite visitors to join them on a nature walk along the Wilbert Trail. The Davis’ are both members of Island County/WSU Beach Watchers and experts in the flora and fauna at the park. Meet in the South Whidbey State Park amphitheater.
At 6 p.m. that evening, Sandy Dubpernell of Orca Network discusses the life history and habitat of one of the Northwest’s most popular, and least understood, marine mammals — orca orcinus. Dubpernell will explain how these animals live and survive in Puget Sound, and will look closely at the orca’s long history in the Northwest. Visitors are invited to examine orca fossils and other mammals that live in the sound. Meet in the South Whidbey State Park amphitheater at 6 p.m.
For information, call 331-4559.
Museum seeks items for exhibit
The Island County Historical Museum in Coupeville will feature firefighting in its next “Community Collections” exhibit, and it’s looking for artifacts to borrow.
Suggested items needed are photos, news articles and firefighting equipment such as helmets, hoses and axes, said Richard Castellano, executive director of the Island County Historical Society.
County-related items are preferred, but others will be accepted, he said.
The exhibit runs from mid-September through mid-November at the museum. Call 360-678-3310 for information.
