Deer rut, hunt is on

Fall is the season for drivers to have renewed focus on the road — both because of darker evenings and mornings, and because of rutting deer.

The mating season for deer, called the rut, is starting and will last through late November at the least. With their minds focused on mating, deer are prone to make dangerous decisions, like leaping out in front of cars or getting in fights with each other. Drivers should slow down and be vigilant, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — especially at dawn and dusk, when deer are the most active.

Also, the annual limited deer-hunting season at King County Parks’ Island Center Forest starts Saturday (October 12) and lasts until October 31.

Trails in the Natural Area will be open for public use, but the rest of the park will be closed to all other users except for hunters. The hunting season during the second half of October coincides with WDFW’s designated modern firearm hunting season, when all firearms can be used, except rifles.

For more information, visit tinyurl.com/VashonDeerHunt.

DispatchHealth starts on Vashon

Mobile urgent care provider DispatchHealth began operations on Vashon last week and is already seeing patients, Vashon Health Care District (VHCD) Superintendent Tim Johnson said.

The partnership is the result of efforts by VHCD, a taxing district, to bring urgent care to the island. You can call DispatchHealth for urgent care needs at 253-617-4010, or visit DispatchHealth.com.

DispatchHealth is an urgent care provider — think fevers, sprains, UTIs and non-emergency lacerations — not an emergency care provider. In an emergency, such as chest pain, head injuries, seizures or uncontrolled bleeding, always call 911.

VHCD agreed during their August board meeting to ink a deal with DispatchHealth.

Water restrictions remain

Emergency water use restrictions remain in effect for Water District 19 customers as of Tuesday.

The state Department of Health “is requiring that further action be taken to prevent future algal blooms before the district can return to normal operations,” the district stated on its website on Oct. 3.”

Customers should continue conserving water and report any wasteful uses of water or direct any questions to the district, which can be contacted at 206-463-9007.

Vashon Care Network

The Vashon Care Network (VCN) is expanding its scholarship program for home care training.

In 2021 and 2022, working with the Vashon Senior Center, VCN offered 13 full scholarships to cover the cost of training to become a Home Care Aide (HCA) certified by the State of Washington. The Senior Center received an award from the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) to fund the scholarships. Based on the program’s success, six additional scholarships will be awarded in 2024, according to VCN.

The training provides an education for caregivers and a base for further careers in the health care field. The Department of Social and Health Services, which pays for in-home care for individuals who qualify, requires the certification. It is essential in meeting the care needs of low-income individuals and families who qualify for care services paid through the state’s Community Options Program Entry System (COPES) program.

Vashon has a shortage of qualified HCAs, which means that even if a low-income family qualifies for assistance for a loved one at home, they may have a hard time finding a qualified caregiver. Boosting the island’s skilled caregiving workforce will help island elders live active lives and remain in their homes.

Applications and guidelines are available at vashoncarenetwork.org. Applications will be accepted through October 25 and selection completed by November 25. For additional information, email Tory Hayes at victoriansmith@comcast.net.

Health Board leader recognized in Time magazine

Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), the executive vice president of the Seattle Indian Health Board, was recognized as one of this year’s Time magazine “TIME100 Next” rising stars in a list released last week.

Echo-Hawk, who is also the director of the Health Board’s nationally acclaimed data and research arm, is a public health researcher known for her groundbreaking work to address a severe, systemic undercounting and exclusion of data about American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The Health Board is reopening its Thunderbird Treatment Center on Vashon Island in 2025. The 92-bed residential treatment facility will be the largest of its kind in the state and increase the number of inpatient treatment beds in King County by 62%. The facility will also provide specialized care to pregnant and parenting people, which Echo-Hawk has said will address a critical gap in such services and save generations of children from entering the foster care system.

Echo-Hawk was a featured artist and speaker at a November 2023 event held at the Vashon Center for the Arts honoring Indigenous Heritage Month.

“I think that one of the opportunities for community engagement right now is to be really excited, as we join together in partnership as a new community member who is not only leading here but nationally,” Echo-Hawk said that evening.

Land Trust grows Tahlequah Preserve

The Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust is growing another of its island properties on the south end.

The organization has purchased 20 acres of land at Tahlequah Creek, tripling the size of the preserve (which is also the newest in the agency’s collection), it announced in its September newsletter.

The purchase brings Tahlequah Preserve, which extends north from SW Pohl Road near the ferry dock, to a total of 30 acres, including 3,000 protected feet of Tahlequah Creek. It also means the Land Trust’s restoration work in the area, which started last year, will expand further up the creek.

Tahlequah Creek is one of the largest on the island, forming a deep, gouging ravine west of Vashon Highway that has for the most part prevented development in its watershed. It is one of the wildest places on Vashon, according to the Land Trust, featuring a diversity of trees and a crucial place for aquifer recharge. (All of Vashon’s drinking water comes from rainfall which is reabsorbed through streams and the aquifer system.)

“The Land Trust purchased the southern parcels of the Tahlequah Preserve in 2023, establishing a foothold in the area to begin restoration work,” the organization stated. “We were thrilled to get in touch with the landowners to the north, Evan and Carolyn Buehl … longtime supporters of the Land Trust’s work. The couple was involved with one of our earliest projects, Fisher Pond. Evan helped place the memorial stone near the pond’s overlook for the late, great, Bill Fisher. If you visit the Land Trust building you will see a collage of photos taken during the Fisher Pond acquisition, a collage lovingly made by Carolyn — an accomplished artist and long time educator in Vashon schools. The Buehls, excited by the progress that was already being made just south of their property, offered to sell us their parcels and make a generous gift to the Land Trust out of proceeds from the sale.”

The Land Trust has picked up several major additions to its holdings in the last year, including adding more than 150 acres in March across the Manzanita Natural Area and Frog Holler Forest, properties the organization bought from King County (which itself bought them from private land owners) through a partnership with the county designed to preserve green spaces on the island.

Founded three decades ago as a wildlife habitat conservation group, the Land Trust acts as a protector of the island’s green spaces by buying and preserving ecologically sensitive properties on the island and shielding them from disruptive development and pollution. Much of the its work involves replanting, reforesting, and tearing down derelict or hazardous structures, and educating homeowners to become good environmental stewards.

The Land Trust helps maintain about 2,500 acres of county and park district land, and some private property. It also owns more than 300 acres of property outright, including the Christensen Pond and Shinglemill Creek natural areas and the Whispering Firs Bog. The Land Trust builds and maintains trails and operates the historic Matsuda Farm, which the organization acquired in 2015.

The organization also said in its newsletter that its stewardship crews have recently rebuilt some boardwalks on the Judd Creek Loop and improved bridges at Shinglemill Creek to prepare for the winter.