Monday
Zunino spring plans
Enjoy a day with both sun and clouds B8
Mariners’ catcher to warm up in minors B1
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS February 1, 2016 | 75¢
Port Angeles-Sequim-West End
Eye on Olympia
Hope for marine life
House would study funding School finance pushed to 2017 BY CHRIS MCDANIEL PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
ALANA LINDEROTH/OLYMPIC PENINSULA NEWS GROUP
Outdoor tanks at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Marine Sciences Lab in Sequim are temporarily holding eelgrass from a restoration site off Bainbridge Island at the former site of the Wyckoff creosote plant. When the site is ready, the eelgrass will be replanted in hopes of restoring a once vibrant eelgrass meadow.
Scientists growing eelgrass for future Sound restoration working with the state on restoring eelgrass throughout the Puget Sound. “The amount of eelgrass that is being lost is huge,” said John Vavrinec, senior research scientist and dive officer at the Marine Sciences Laboratory. “In 2009, it was estimated about 30 percent the eelgrass meadows in the BY ALANA LINDEROTH world had been lost since the 1940s.” OLYMPIC PENINSULA NEWS GROUP Eelgrass is recognized by the Puget Sound Partnership as both critical habiSEQUIM — Local scientists are tat and a vital sign of Puget Sound lending their expertise to offset the because changes in its abundance or global decline of seagrass by studying distribution reflect changes in environand restoring eelgrass throughout mental conditions. Puget Sound. As the amount of seagrass, including To help address this decline, scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laborato- eelgrass, disappears on a local and ry’s Marine Sciences Lab in Sequim are global scale, so does an important piece
Flowering plant is a food source, habitat, shoreline protector
of the overall marine habitat that supports many ecosystem processes, researchers said. The flowering and rooted eelgrass is the most widespread species of seagrass and provides a variety of ecosystem functions, said Ron Thom, lead for the Coastal Ecosystem Research technical group at the Marine Sciences Laboratory. Examples include its ability to act as feeding ground and food source, provide habitats for invertebrates and microbes, be a nursery and spawning area for some fish and shellfish, protect shorelines from erosion and improve water transparency. TURN
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OLYMPIA — The House last week passed an education bill requiring the 2017 Legislature to study how to address the funding requirements of the McCleary decision. HB 2366 also collects data on teacher compensation and creates a task force that — with the help of a consultant — would produce for the 2017 legislative session recommendations to fully fund teacher pay. HB 2366 passed 64-34 on Jan. 25. Both District 24 House legislators — Sequim Tharinger Democrats Steve Tharinger and Kevin Van De Wege — voted in favor of the measure. District 24 covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County. No Democrat voted against the measure. The bill passed the House with bi-partisan support. Van De Wege State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn spoke against HB 2366 during House Appropriations Committee public hearing last week, saying the bill did not do anything that was not previously studied by other task forces, councils and work groups created by the Legislature. TURN
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Donations sought for police dog’s support Sequim K-9 scheduled for surgery BY CHRIS MCDANIEL PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
SEQUIM — Chase, Sequim Police Department’s sole police dog, is scheduled for surgery early this month. Doctors believe Chase might have a cancerous tumor near his lower intestine and need to conduct exploratory surgery to remove the mass if it is present, the police department announced. Chase, who joined the Sequim Police Department in early 2008, was expected to retire this year. The German shepherd’s illness was a sudden surprise, said a release from the police depart-
ment, but the procedure is expected to greatly improve Chase’s health and future. During his eight-year career, Chase participated in public demonstrations, assisted in fundraising and served as a driving force behind the Sequim Dog Park agility course. The agility course within Carrie Blake Park, at 202 N. Blake Ave., was built by members of the police department in 2012. Chase has tracked more than 90 suspects and done 65 building searches in his work with the police department and handler Sgt. Mike Hill. He has captured or assisted in
the arrest of more than 100 wanted persons and assisted neighboring agencies more than 100 times. The Sequim Police Department K-9 Unit began in 2000 and has been funded almost exclusively on donations from the public and local businesses. Donations have covered the costs of purchasing, training, feeding and health care for Chase and his predecessors, Huey and Titus. All of the donations made out to the Sequim Police Department K-9 Program go directly to support the program. Donations can be made by contacting the Sequim Police Depart- Chase, the Sequim Police Department’s K-9 officer, is ment, located at 152 W. Cedar St., scheduled for exploratory surgery early this month. He is shown with his handler, Sgt. Mike Hill. or by phone at 360-683-7227.
INSIDE TODAY’S PENINSULA DAILY NEWS 100th year, 26th issue — 2 sections, 16 pages
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CLASSIFIED COMICS COMMENTARY DEAR ABBY DEATHS HOROSCOPE LETTERS NATION PENINSULA POLL
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PUZZLES/GAMES SPORTS WEATHER WORLD
B4 B1 B8 A3