issaquahpress082411

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Nudestock attendees will bare their all

See Page C1

Issaquah nurse heals residents, military service members

Local man faces fear to finish Beaver Lake Triathlon Sports,

Community,

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THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Issaquah, Tibbetts water quality is good, but concerns remain The creeks crisscrossing Issaquah remain in good condition, despite increased construction nearby, a population boom in the surrounding watershed and, alongside both developments, more potential for pollution. The water quality in Issaquah and Tibbetts creeks is good, although storm water runoff causes the quality in both creeks to decline. Tibbetts Creek is more affected than Issaquah Creek, in large part due to the pollutant-laden runoff from buildings, streets and other manmade structures in the business district along Northwest Gilman Boulevard. City Surface Water Manager Kerry Ritland detailed the condi-

BY GREG FARRAR

On the East Fork of Issaquah Creek at Third Avenue Northeast and Northeast Creek Way, plans call for the rockery bank wall to be removed and a log weir to be created.

Planners propose 11 projects to restore chinook, kokanee habitat By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Creeks leading to Lake Sammamish could serve as staging areas in the years ahead for a bold plan to restore salmon habi-

Motorists caught exceeding 20 mph limit face $124 fine

tions in the recent State of Our Waters report — a briefing about water quality monitoring conducted last year and in 2009. Concerns also remain about elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria — a byproduct from livestock and pets — and low levels of dissolved oxygen in the streams. Fish cannot breathe as easily if the water contains insufficient levels of dissolved oxygen. Other pollutants, such as copper, lead and other dissolved metals — a toxic hazard to fish — occurred in small but acceptable amounts. Teams did not detect pesticides or herbicides in Issaquah Creek, but detected a low concentration of herbicide in a single sample from Tibbetts Creek. See WATER, Page A5

tat. The regional Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group has proposed 11 projects in Issaquah and Sammamish to restore habitat for chinook salmon — a species protected under the

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

BY GREG FARRAR

Michael Friel, 10, brushes dirt off a curb, as his dad Mike (left), Molly Caskey and her son Ian, 10, glue the back of a Puget Sound Starts Here tile to glue next to a storm drain in the Issaquah Highlands.

Endangered Species Act — and dwindling Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon. The once-abundant kokanee has declined in recent decades, perhaps due to construction near creeks, increased predators, disease or changes in water quality. Scientists estimated the total 2010 run at 58 fish, including the 40 kokanee spawned at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery in a last-ditch effort to save the species. The proposed projects range from colossal — such as rerouting Laughing Jacobs Creek through Lake Sammamish State Park — to small — adding plants in the Lewis Creek delta, for instance. The intention is to implement the projects by 2016 — a bold goal considering local governments’ lean budgets in recent years. In the meantime, the kokanee team is encouraging local leaders and landowners to design, apply for grants and prioritize the projects as soon as possible. The list does not include some

“Issaquah Creek is listed in the recovery plans for the area as something that has got relatively high-quality habitat and relatively high fish use. These are areas that are high priorities for protection.” — Susan Zemek Puget Sound Partnership communications manager

major projects on purpose, due to the enormous time and funding commitments required. The omitted items include a culvert beneath Interstate 90 — a barrier to upstream passage into upper Lewis Creek — and culverts on George Davis and Zaccuse creeks. The kokanee team released the project list as local environmenSee CREEKS, Page A6

Issaquah police plan to reactivate speed-enforcement cameras near Issaquah High School and other campuses next week, as students return to schools along Second Avenue Southeast and elsewhere in the Issaquah School District. Police deactivated the cameras during the summer hiatus. Now, as classes resume Aug. 30, police plan to activate the cameras from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, just as in past years. Cameras aimed in both directions along the street capture license plate information on vehicles exceeding the 20 mph school zone speed limit. Motorists exceeding the speed limit face a $124 fine. The infraction is a noncriminal offense similar to a parking ticket and does not become part of the violator’s driv-

INSIDE Learn the essentials as Issaquah School District students return to classes Aug. 30 in Back to School, Pages B1-6.

ing record. The fine and information about the violation arrive in the mail several days after the incident. People can pay the fine outright, request a hearing in Issaquah Municipal Court or submit a declaration of nonresponsibility. The last option is sometimes used if a person other than the vehicle’s owner drove the vehicle during the violation. The cameras photograph and record only vehicles exceeding the school zone speed limit. Changes in the school zone could also cause traffic to proceed at a slower pace as the school year starts. See CAMERAS, Page A5

Help Seattle Sounders restore state park Join Seattle Sounders FC players and Seattle Bank employees as they volunteer with the Mountains to Sound Greenway to clear invasive weeds from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Lake Sammamish State Park. Washington State Parks and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust are partnering together on the multiyear restoration of Lake Sammamish State Park. The park provides important habitat for several species of salmon, birds — including bald eagles, great blue herons and red-tailed hawks — amphibians, insects and other wildlife. But recently the area has become extremely degraded by invasive weeds, including blackberry. In the past five years, volunteers have removed invasive

species and re-established native plant communities throughout the park. For this United We Serve event, Mountains to Sound will focus on clearing blackberry and other invasive species from around newly planted trees and shrubs to give these native plants a better chance at survival. After a brief orientation and safety briefing, volunteers will dive into work along Issaquah Creek removing invasive weeds. The greenway trust will provide all of the tools, technical training and oversight for the projects — no experience is required. Register for the event at www.SoundersFC.com. Search for “United We Serve” under the “Outreach” tab.

Cougar cub is recovering after surgery to correct birth defect By Tom Corrigan Issaquah Press reporter After undergoing surgery at a clinic in Kirkland, Issaquah’s Tasha, a 3-month-old baby cougar, is back home at the Cougar Mountain Zoo and, according to zoo General Curator Robyn Barfoot, is doing very well. Tasha underwent surgery Aug. 17 to repair a congenital defect that was preventing her from eating solid foods. “She’s running around and purring,” Barfoot said just two days after the surgery. “Actually, she’s purring an awful lot … She

doesn’t seem fazed by any of this at all.” Veterinarian Michael Mison led Tasha’s surgery at Seattle Veterinary Specialists. “There were no complications during surgery,” Mison said. “I’m happy to report that Tasha is recovering nicely. We expect her to have a long and healthy life.” SVS veterinarians diagnosed Tasha with what’s termed a vascular ring anomaly or defect on Aug. 10. Barfoot said keepers had noticed Tasha wasn’t keeping down much food, but at first attributed her vomiting to rough play. Normally, Tasha lives with two

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . . C10

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Classifieds . . . . . C8

Police blotter . . C9

Community . . . C1

Schools . . . . . B1-6

Obituaries . . . . C3

Sports . . . . . . C4-6

Cameras to start catching speeders as students return

Creeks sustain sound, salmon By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

See Page B10

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 • Vol. 112, No. 35

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Page C1

Beijing puppeteers showcase China

Veterinary nurses Tina Branham (left) and Katie Mazuti with Tasha in the center, move about the operating room prior to the cougar’s surgery.

other cougar cubs. When Tasha’s problem persisted, Barfoot said zoo officials took her for tests at SVS where vets diagnosed the vascular defect. According to information released by the clinic, vascular ring anomalies form before an animal is born when embryonic blood vessels develop abnormally. Instead of disappearing as they usually would, in some cases, the defective blood vessels persist after birth as a tough band of tissue. SVS reports that is what happened in

CONTRIBUTED

See COUGAR, Page A5

YOU SHOULD KNOW

QUOTABLE

King County residents can cause unwanted mail to disappear with just a few mouse clicks. The county EcoConsumer program and nonprofit Catalog Choice joined forces to provide a convenient website, http://kingcounty.catalogchoice.org, to allow residents to opt out of catalogs, credit offers, circulars, newsletters, other junk mailings and unwanted phone books.

“We would love to predict earthquakes, but that’s just not working at all. The only clue is that earthquakes tend to follow an earthquake. That’s not very useful at all.”

— John Vidale Pacific Northwest Seismic Network director and a University of Washington seismologist (See story Page A3.)

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