SJC Monthly News Digest – June 2024

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

This column is part of a series detailing San Juan County’s recent news. Follow along each month to learn about important County projects, Council initiatives, department updates, and more. 

All San Juan County Beaches are Closed to Recreational Shellfish Harvesting

As of June 18, 2024, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has closed recreational shellfish harvesting in San Juan County due to unsafe levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP). This closure includes all species of molluscan shellfish including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, and snails.

San Juan County Health & Community Services works in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health to ensure safe harvesting of recreational shellfish.  Shellfish from different areas of the County are collected on a routine basis from April to October and sent to the Public Health Lab where they are analyzed for biotoxin levels.

San Juan County Hires New County Manager

San Juan County Council is pleased to announce the hiring of a new County Manager – Jessica Hudson. Hudson is currently the Director at Fairfax County Public Library in Fairfax, Virginia where she oversees a system of 23 public facilities, a budget of $35 million, and 550 staff. In this role, she has developed and administered strategic plans, initiated public service operation expansions, uplifted underrepresented communities through programs and services, and supported a capital renovation budget of more than $90 million.

With a tentative start date of July 15, Jessica Hudson will be responsible for serving as a staff liaison to Council, overseeing County department operations, managing the budget, and more.

San Juan County Proceeds with Courthouse Preservation Efforts

San Juan County is taking steps to protect the historic courthouse in Friday Harbor. After a 2022 study deemed the building “structurally deficient” the County is seeking grant funding to secure this valuable piece of local history.

The remediation workplan and design will be subject to code and permit review by a number of partner agencies at the state and local levels, including historic preservation organizations. The County’s next steps include going out for bid and applying for grant funding from WA State Historic Courthouse Preservation Grant Program. If successful, the grant period would begin in January of 2025 with the requirement to complete work by June 30 of 2027.

The Heart of San Juan Island is Open for Public Access

For nearly 20 years, the Land Bank has endeavored to conserve portions of Cady Mountain – piecing together six separate transactions between 2003 – 2022, culminating in 470 acres protected. Now, the public is invited to enjoy the Preserve’s 1.5-mile trail from the new trailhead at Three Corner Lake Road to the scenic lookout above West Valley Road.

Identified by The Nature Conservancy as an important climate resiliency area, the 2021 addition boasts high diversity wildflower areas, extensive Madrona and Douglas-fir forests, several intermittent streams, and serves as the key piece to providing trail connection from Cady Mountain Preserve to the National Historical Park’s English Camp and Roche Harbor Highlands trails system.

Protect Your Flock: Tips to Prevent Avian Influenza Virus Exposure

Avian influenza is present in Washington. Bird flu infections in people are rare and usually happen after prolonged contact with infected birds or other animals while not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). People can become infected if the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth or if it is breathed in. Here are tips to reduce your risk of infection:

• Do not handle wild birds and animals. Observe from a distance, if possible. Wild birds can be infected with avian influenza viruses even if they don’t look sick.
• Avoid unprotected contact with domestic birds (poultry) or other animals that may be sick, have died, or are suspected to have bird flu virus infection.
• Do not touch surfaces that appear to be contaminated with animal feces, raw milk, litter, or other materials contaminated by birds.
• Do not prepare or eat raw or undercooked meat or related food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk or raw cheeses. Highly susceptible populations are more likely than the public to develop foodborne illnesses from eating raw or undercooked foods.
• If you have a backyard bird flock and suspect some of your birds may have avian influenza virus, take extra precautions to keep yourself safe.
• If you are a hunter who handles wild birds, practice good hygiene to prevent any potential disease spread. Dress game birds in the field when possible. It is extremely unlikely that hunters or people feeding wild birds will contract bird flu, but following common-sense precautions is recommended to reduce the risk of contracting any wildlife disease.

Learn more about the County’s recent news by visiting: sanjuancountywa.gov/1930/San-Juan-County-Newsroom