ROCKY START
SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER
Eagles lose first two league games 21-0 — Page 9
Popular preschool closes after 20 years — Page 6
The IssaquahPress
Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
www.issaquahpress.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Warmer season wakes hibernating bears early By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Everyone probably can agree the Seattle area had a pretty warm winter and spring kind of came early. And with that warmer than average weather, what also came kind of early was the end of hibernation for this area’s healthy population of black bears. Speaking last month, state Department of Fish & Wildlife Officer Jason Capelli said bears that don’t usually appear until April were already out and about in early March. “We’ve been getting a lot of complaints,” said Kim Chandler, a King County enforcement officer for the state fish and wildlife department. As of March 25, 700 plus bear complaints, or sightings, already had reached his office. He estimated the calls were the result of about 25 bears in all, including one wounded animal that keeps getting noticed in the Klahanie area. “They move around and everybody calls,” Chandler said. As they come out of winter hibernation, Capelli said bears have exactly one thing on their minds: food. “It’s kind of like coming out of a coma,” he added.
State’s first Karelian bear dog is retiring
Natural foods such as berries are somewhat scarce in early spring and, as bears have emerged early, they have discovered finding food is even more difficult than normal. That’s where your garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food can come into play. All are potential sources of food for a hungry bear. If you don’t want to attract bears, keep your trashcans in your garage or some other secure location. As for bird feeders, Capelli said a rule of thumb is to take them down on Valentine’s Day and don’t put them back out until Thanksgiving. Local male bears weigh about 300 pounds, with females somewhere around the 200-pound mark. Any bears you see are almost certainly black bears, according to Capelli and Lorna Smith, executive director of Western Wildlife Outreach, a local nonprofit that conducts programs regarding bears and other wildlife. Smith said grizzly bears are very scarce in Washington, and she put the chances of encountering a grizzly in the state at nearly zero. Capelli insists black bears are not the threat many See BEARS,
By Tami Asars
Recording measurements on a tranquilized black bear near IssaquahHobart Road in July 2014, are (from left) Lindsay Welfeit, WSU master student/bear researcher, Brian Kertson, wildlife research scientist, Washington Page 3 Department of Fish & Wildlife, and Jason Capelli, a Fish & Wildlife officer.
Schools seek lessons from new Healthy Youth Survey By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com Results from a new survey show Issaquah School District students aren’t very different from students around the state when it comes to using alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and other behavior. At a March 25 study session, district officials shared results of the 2014 Healthy Youth Survey with Issaquah School Board members. The survey, which took place in October, was given to students in grades six, eight,
10 and 12. There were about 205,000 participants in 225 districts statewide. In Issaquah, about 4,400 students took part, with participation rates varying from 90 percent of sixth-graders to 59 percent of high-school seniors. Although Issaquah students were “statistically different” in many areas, their answers on the 100-question survey didn’t differ widely from their peers in other districts. “Our kids are pretty much like everyone else’s kids — Issaquah has the same strengths, same weaknesses as other kids across
the state,” said Dennis Wright, the district’s director of career and counseling services. The school board reviewed results of 35 questions during the study session. Full results are expected to be posted on the district’s website, www.issaquah.wednet.edu, in the next few weeks. The survey has a margin of error of 3.3 percent in Issaquah, and the results have a confidence interval of 95 percent, meaning they’re reliable 95 percent of the time among students who took the survey. One area in which Issaquah
students differ significantly from their peers is lifetime alcohol usage. When asked if they’d ever had more than a sip of alcohol, all four grade levels answered “yes” at lower rates than the 2012 survey. High-school seniors answered “yes” at a 65 percent clip — a drop of 5 percent from two years ago — and all four grade levels were below the state average for lifetime alcohol usage. Current alcohol usage rates — students who consumed at
Mishka, the first Karelian bear dog used to help with bears and other potentially dangerous wildlife in Washington state, is retiring after 12 years of service. Mishka was enlisted for duty by a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist in 2003 to help resolve tense situations with bears, cougars and other wildlife. The Issaquah Press featured Mishka in a June 25, 2005, feature story. Mishka has worked with WDFW enforcement officer Bruce Richards in the Puget Sound region since 2007, when the dog’s original owner/handler, Rocky Spencer, died in a helicopter accident. Spencer, a WDFW carnivore specialist, acquired Mishka as a pup from the Wind River Bear Institute in Montana, where the dogs are bred and trained in the centuries-old tradition of hunters and farmers in Finland and western Russia. The black-and-white dogs, averaging 40 to 65 pounds, are instinctively bold with bears and can be trained to track, help capture and deter them from returning to places where they can get in trouble with humans. Richards, who is also retiring this spring after 41 years with the department, said in a news release that Mishka solves more bear problems in a year than most officers can in a career. “I am very proud to have been a part of this innovative way to address human-wildlife conflicts that helps both bears and people, and builds teamwork between our enforcement and wildlife programs,” Richards said in the release. “Mishka has served Washington wildlife enthusiasts well and has more than earned retirement.” Mishka was honored at a ceremony March 19.
See SURVEY, Page 3
Nominate someone for city’s Hall of Fame award The city of Issaquah is seeking nominations of outstanding citizens for its Hall of Fame award. Each spring, the mayor and City Council president select a person to honor for making a difference in the community. Each nominee’s contribution to the community will be evaluated according to the following
criteria: 4 Inspiration 4 Service 4 Leadership 4 Civic-mindedness 4 Activity in drawing positive attention to the community 4 Fundraising efforts for the public good 4 Length of service to the
community. The award will be presented to the inductee at the annual Issaquah Community Awards. Email nominations to mayor@ issaquahwa.gov or send the nominee’s name and a brief summary of his or her contributions to the community to Office of the Mayor, P.O. Box 1307,
Issaquah, WA 98027-1307. The nominations must be received by 5 p.m. April 24. In selecting the 2015 inductee, the mayor and council president will consider all recommendations that are submitted. Learn more by emailing mayor@issaquahwa.gov or calling 837-3020.
By Rocky Spencer
Mishka tracks and trees a bear in North Bend in 2005. The bear was tranquilized, tagged and released in the Cascades.
Patriots win two titles at state drill competition By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com The Liberty High School drill team went into the March 27 state competition with few expectations. Sure, they thought, it would be nice to place in the top two of the military and kick categories, but realistically, they hadn’t seen many of their competitors, so the squad was unsure where it stood in the pecking order. After a tumultuous three years that saw three different coaches Contributed filter in and out of the program, The Liberty High School drill team surrounds its new hardware after winthe Liberty drill team gave what captains called their “best ning two state titles at the 2015 state championship March 27 at the performance ever,” capturing Yakima Valley SunDome.
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two state titles in the March 27 competition held at the Yakima Valley SunDome. The performances weren’t perfect, junior captain Amanda Roberts admitted, but it didn’t take away from the thrill of hearing the Patriots’ name called twice. “We had just won not one, but two state titles, something that I’m pretty sure has never happened in Liberty history,” she said of the moment the awards were announced. “We all were incredibly proud of ourselves and filled with joy.” Liberty took first place in the kick category with a “superior” rating of 271.7, while a score of
240.15 was enough to capture the 1A/2A military title. The trip to Yakima was an amazing experience, made more so by a team that is closer and more polished than ever, senior captain Mikayla Nudelman said. “Knowing that all our hard work and the time we’ve put into drill has paid off is an unexplainable feeling,” Nudelman said. “Each girl has sacrificed a lot for the team, so getting these two trophies just makes all the ups and downs worth it.” Nudelman said the team’s performances were “disciplined,” See TITLES, Page 11
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